Owl and Snake (EXTREMELY SLOW UPDATES)

Chapter five

Juniper says that she's known all along, but I don't think that makes sense. Sure, I'm afraid of spiders, but that's completely natural. Spiders are the worst thing ever. All the legs and eyes - ugh. I don't even want to talk about them.
I don't think that I'm smart enough.
After the game of Capture the Flag, Annabeth showed me cabin 6. It's gray, and the walls are covered with maps. Bookshelves are everywhere, and the bunks are organized perfectly to the shape of the room.
I'm surprised at how at home I automatically feel.
Everyone wants to meet me, so they go around saying everyone's names. I don't catch on to any. I'm apparently the only child of Athena ever who isn't good with names.
That night, I eat with my brothers and sisters, and they understand when I make references and can talk about things that the Hermes campers wouldn't understand.
I miss Connor.
This is pathetic. He's sitting five tables away.
But I really do miss him.
He didn't understand a word that I said sometimes, but he always had a funny comment to make.
I am talking about him like we broke up. We didn't. Don't take this that way. We're fine.
I just miss him always being right there. I've only been away from him for two days, and we talk whenever we pass each other, but a lot of our activity time clashes, and it's not the same.
Oh well. Like I can do anything about it now.
When we've finished, we go back to cabin 6. Instead of pranking each other and teasing incessantly like I'm used to, we get to work reading and mapping and strategizing.
I find that although this is less fun, I'm much better at this.
Since I'm newer, they give me the first strategizing assignment that all of them ever did - how the British could have won the Civil war. It's not very interesting, but really simple. They just had to attack in the winter and pursue them all the way through - ah, never mind. You get the gist.
Well, it turns out that I found the solution faster than most Athena kids, even. Annabeth beat me, though, and she was only seven. No surprise there.
She's super smart - even for an Athena kid. Especially for an Athena kid.
That night, I can't fall asleep. It's just not right. This feels more like home than anything ever, but something's not right.
Connor's not here.
I don't mean he's not in the Athena cabin. I mean he's not at camp half-blood at all.
I don't know how I know that, but I can just tell.
I jump out of bed and sprint down to the Hermes cabin.
The door is open slightly. I peek in.
Connor isn't there.
But also, something that stings my pride, my spot is taken by someone else. I've been replaced already.
I shake off my sadness. I have to go find Connor. He needs me.
Connor needs me.
The cleaning harpies caw behind me, ready for a tasty demigod meal.
Screw the harpies.
I sprint off towards the docks, knowing that's how someone would leave. Sure enough, there's a jet ski skipping across the bay.
I pull the keys out from under the seat of a camp jet ski (that's where they keep them - I know because Annabeth told me that she'd teach me later) and jump on.
With no jet skiing experience at all, I turn the key in the ignition.
I pull the trigger and I'm off.
I'm apparently not very good at this. I always seem to steer to far to the right or too far to the left, and I'm not good at making it over the waves. I've only been on the water for a minute and I've already almost tipped over around seven times.
Ugh. I'll die before I get to Connor.
I push the jet ski to full speed.
I'm too far behind. I keep falling over. Why can't I control water like Percy? I'll never get there before something happens.
Suddenly the jet ski Connor is on turns sharply to the left. I follow awkwardly, almost tipping in again.
The other jet ski pulls up on the edge of the main river, and two shapes start walking slowly into New York City. Just two? I thought that Connor could handle one person attacking him. He doesn't even look like he's being contained.
When I finally wash up after them I start sprinting. They clearly aren't in a hurry, so I catch up quickly. Too fast. Something isn't right. Connor looks rather... at ease?
I stop when I'm just close enough to see what's going on. And then I don't need to go any closer. No, I see now.
A small, curvy girl with perfect hair is holding Connor's hand, so casually, like they hold hands all the time. Holding his hand like a girl holds her boyfriend's hand in New York - almost like she's marking her territory, warning others to stay away from him. Like Connor is hers.
He isn't fighting at all.
Is it a spell?
No. They're chatting animatedly, clearly at ease, not like how awkward I am. She leans her head on his shoulder, and I turn away. I can't look anymore.
Waves of pain hit me, but I'm so shocked that I'm numb.
Was I ever anything to Connor? Did I ever mean anything, or was this just a game for him?
Tears start rolling down my cheeks.
I almost stop and run after them, to ask Connor what was going on and who that girl was, but I stop myself. Being nobody to him is better than him hating me for ruining his date.
I climb shakily onto my jet ski and start it, backing up with my feet.
What if Connor hates me? What if everyone does?
What if none of my friends are really who I thought they were?
I pull up next to the docks at Camp Half-Blood and jump off, barely remembering to shove the keys underneath the seat.
I sprint back to cabin 6, and when I get there I slip off my shoes and climb into my bunk, trying to sob quietly.
It's probably good that I didn't talk to Connor. He clearly doesn't need me anyway, and I'm still in my PJs. I didn't think of that when I left to "save" him. If I had needed to save him, it probably wouldn't have mattered. But I didn't.
Connor can handle himself. I shouldn't have done that. I wasn't being rational.
I'm a terrible Athena kid.
I've been in my bunk for maybe ten minutes when the pain actually hits me.
I sob harder. Much harder. He has someone else. Connor has someone else. He's been cheating on me.
Has it been happening this whole time? Does she know about me?
I fall asleep squeezing my pillow so tightly that I'm sure the seams are going to snap, sobbing outright, and completely unaware that the entirety of cabin 6 is awake.

The next day, no one asks.
I'm sure now that all of my half-siblings were woken up by my crying, and my eyes are bloodshot from lack of sleep and crying, and no one asks.
I'm glad.
I'm sure that I couldn't stand anyone asking. I'd cry again, and the gods know that I really can't have that happening. I need to be me still. I have to function with a broken heart.
I have to learn to function with a broken heart.
The whole day, I avoid Connor. I can't bear it.
At the campfire, he moves to sit next to me, like he always does, and I can't stand it.
"Connor?"
"Yeah, babe?"
"I know about the other girl."
Connor stiffens, and when he speaks, he sounds legitimately confused. "What girl?"
"The one you were with last night. It's okay. We can just be friends."
"Oh, no, it's nothing like that- Aly, wait!"
It's too late. I'm already gone.