Xenomorphic

Chapter 18:Meeting the extended Family

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Asteria's green eyes snapped open, her pupils dilating to paper-thin slits as the coral clock read 7:30, before they returned to normal size. That had been a remarkably peaceful night. Crawling out of her bed, Aster arched her back, a series of pops echoing throughout her empty cabin.

She sat on the edge of her curved bed, contemplating how to introduce herself to the half-bloods. Dramatic entrance, or just walk in and sit down at her table? Meh, despite evidence to the contrary, Asteria really tried to be subtle. Stealth and patience was part of her being; the blood of the Xenomorph flowed within her, after all.

Asteria got up and quickly put her sheets and pillows back together, changed her skin color to its becoming-usual tan, and bent the Mist around her to form what she looked like yesterday, only this time with the gods-awful orange t-shirt. She grabbed her combi stick and put where it usually went, on top of her dorsal tubes and hidden by her mid-back length hair.

She debated on whether or not to grab her gun. Would she really need such a powerful firearm in a camp full preteen/teenage children of the Olympian gods? Well, when the children of Hermes undoubtedly got curious and tried to sneak in, the last thing Asteria needed was for those thieves to steal her trophy.

She strapped the holster to her leg, and hid it with Mist.

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It was a little past eight when Asteria decided to make her way to the dining pavilion. No one noticed her because of her 'attire,' and they were all focused on chatting with each other. Even when she sat down at the third table, her back to everyone and her face to the ocean, she still didn't attract too much attention, but some people here and there took notice of the new girl sitting at one of the off-limits tables.

Asteria looked at her magical goblet, thinking about anything she wanted to drink. Nothing came to mind, but she did accept the plate of pancakes brought to her by a nervous wood nymph. It seemed the magical beings knew who she was, but the campers did not.

Chiron, in full centaur form now, walked up to the front, silencing all conversation and gathering all attention. "Good morning, campers! I would like to congratulate all of you on surviving another night at Camp Half-Blood, and now I give the floor to Mr. D so he can give us some words of encourage for today's trials."

The Wine God took a swig of his Diet Coke, belched with enough force to cause a small tremor, and said in a mighty voice, "If someone dies, please hide the body where no-one will find it, and/or where animals will eat it. Now, go throw food into the fire."

Apparently that was a galvanizing thing, because a resounding cheer went up alongside clapping. Chiron began to call cabins up one-by-one from Cabin 12 to Cabin 4, before dropped the bomb, "Cabin 3!"

Predictable muttering broke out as Asteria shrugged and walked over to the oversized brazier, dumping her entire plate into the fire. 'To every divine entity on Olympus.' She sat back down at her table, well aware that over a hundred pair of eye balls were following her every move.

"Oh right," Dionysus said. "Let us welcome the newest headache to our extended family, Arissa Johnson."

"Asteria Jackson," Chiron mumbled, but loud enough that everyone heard.

"Whatever."

The girl in question looked over her shoulder. Every expression imaginable was being thrown at her like party favors. Anger, fear, awe, neutral, doubt, impressed, unimpressed, creeped out, and even lust was in there, from both genders. A glowing green trident appeared over Asteria's head, dashing any qualms over who her godly parent was.