CHAPTER 29: THE END OF SUMMER
For a couple of days, Athena and Timmy were bound to the first aid room in the beds. They were fatigued and cut-covered whilst everyone else went off for their final week of activities. It was boring in the first aid room as Timmy was almost always asleep, mumbling all the while. Other than that, no one was allowed in so Athena occupied herself with negative thoughts.
Eventually, Friday came and with it came excited voices and yells from outside. To Athena’s dismay they appeared to be playing manhunt on a very large scale. How she wished she could be out there too, having fun. Instead, she was stuck in a bed all because of one stupid prophecy: that’s what it came down to. Everyone outside was having a blast: free, happy, healthy, but oh so naive. Meanwhile she was stuck with no control over her future, in a messy pool of fateful conquest in a camp that gave her the best and worse summer ever combined. They had no idea of the danger she was in, no idea of the danger the world was in, all because of loneliness. Goodness, it really didn’t pay to be lonely, oh the cruelly harsh reality of life.
The window was only a vague part of her vision; really all she saw was a blur of fake memories and the crimson flash of pained silence.
Timmy mumbled in his sleep and Athena wished he’d wake up, but he probably hadn’t slept for so long in that cage that she couldn’t be selfish...she just hated the silence; it made all bad thoughts come into the light.
Suddenly, the door unlatched and it was the head of camp, Professor Tharrein, that came in. Athena had barely seen him over the six weeks and had never spoken to him, so why was he here? Bravely, she sat up with an itchy pain splashing around her spine. Casually, the man wandered over to her bed and perched delicately on it.
“Athena, Athena, Athena” he hummed “where do we start?” dangerously, her throat went dry and she couldn’t talk, surely she wasn’t in trouble.
“Yes sir?” she croaked, hoping to be swallowed up by the bed. He gazed at her wondrously, and he somewhat reminded her of Zeus.
“You appear to be in a-how you say- pickle”
“I guess”
“I remember when I was your age, oh the feelings of first love and the vast friendships” she was confused “the keen sting of reality; it’s all a bit too much” there was a slight silence “so young”
“I’m nearly fourteen, in a few days I will be fourteen”
“And how fast we grow up” the pale blond haired man seemed like he’d been hit with the keen sting of reminiscence.
“Erm sir, what exactly is this about?” she coughed
“Oh sorry, I do get rather carried away with my thoughts sometimes, but don’t we all?”
“Yeah” she agreed awkwardly
“In response to your question, I was trying to hint at the little adventure you and your friends went on, despite better judgement.”
“Oh right, that”
“Yes-well-it seems Ericarni was livid” Athena’s insides felt like they were rapidly shrinking and regressing. “It was rather foolish of you to go ahead and do something like that in spite of our word.”
She flinched. Diávolos had called her foolish and a fool several times in the Náo ruins.
“However...” he paused for what felt like a fluctuating eternity. “Due to the courage you’ve shown in recent events- we’ve decided to let it go” she breathed a sigh of relief “although I must press the matter; it was very thoughtless and reckless.”
