The Third Camp Trilogy: The Chaotic End

Chapter eleven: Neptuna

"Hey, are you— Oh, you found the notebook." Grace walked in.

"You knew about this and you didn't tell me?" I demanded.

"I haven't told anyone, Carrie doesn't even know that I know about it."

"How could you let him think that the world would be better off without him?" I jumped up and faced her.

"Relax, everyone has self-doubt, if it affected his work or his praetorship, then I would have to tell him. But for now he just writes it down in like a million poems."

"There's more of these?" I motioned to the notebook.

"Yeah, a whole bookshelf up in the attic."

"Grace! You're the one that's supposed to watch him! What if he hurts himself?"

"Carrie wouldn't do that." She shook her head.

"...How's he doing?" I asked, worried. "Downstairs?"

"...Well..." Grace rubbed the back of her head nervously, not making eye contact.

"What happened?" I demanded.

"Uh... Something found his weakness."

"Weakness? But he doesn't have a weak—"

"Nep, even you know his weakness." She gestured to me.

"...Oh, no..." I clasped a hand over my mouth.

I had become a weakness.

I pulled out a pen and scribbled, beneath the final line of Carrie's poem,

Carrie, the world, my world, would end without you in it. I love you. Don't ever think of yourself like this again. —Neptuna

Grace had left a few minutes ago, and I continued to sit in Carrie's chair, re-reading the poem.

Apollo came in.

"Hey, Neptuna." He nodded to me. "Why haven't you been eating at lunch and stuff?"

"Carrie's not at the table. I can't bring myself to eat without him here." I sighed.

"Oh. Okay."

"...Apollo, why have you never called Carrie your son?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes at him.

"U-uhm..."