DIVINE » l. valdez

four months

❝take the weight from my shoulders, take the weight from my mind, ❞

"Ready to go, Co-Counsellor?" Will asked with a grin, extending his arm to Hina. She offered a weak smile.

After months of his begging, Hina finally agreed to officially take the position of "co-counsellor" with Will for the Apollo Cabin.

"We're just checking in on Jason," she reminded him, fidgeting with a loose strand of hair. 

It had been a couple of weeks since their last iris message from the demigod as he worked tirelessly at Camp Jupiter to finish their last shrines for the forgotten gods. 

Hina was amazed with all the work her friend was putting into the project, each detail meticulous and precise. Even after Piper left for Los Angeles to be with her dad, Jason continued working.

When Will and Hina arrived at the Big House the rest of the cabin counsellors and Chiron were scattered around the lounge. 

Seymore sniffed the air, pleading Lou Ellen to toss him another Snausage. Conner Stoll was sprawled across one of the couches, tossing popcorn into his mouth.

The rest of the demigods entertained themselves in various ways, while Chiron watched with tired eyes. 

"Miranda, please remove the flowers growing from Sherman's face. Ah, thank you for joining us, Apollo Cabin."

Hina whispered a brief apology for being late. Will waved Chiron off, happily squishing himself into a chair beside Nico.

Unsure of where to sit, Hina lingered in the doorway. Sensing her apprehension, Connor grinned, waving her over.

She complied, awkwardly shuffling across the room as Connor sat up to make room for Hina. 

"Popcorn?" he offered.

In the center of the room, a shimmering mist appeared. The image was holographic, showing the demigod on either side of the projection. 

There was Jason, standing tall, talking to someone off screen. He turned, smiling as he pushed his glasses onto his face.

"Hey, guys. Things are looking good on this side, we're hoping to be done in a few more months," Jason reported, looking proud of his work.

"That's good to hear, Jason," Chiron said. "Any possibility of returning sooner?"

His expression fell. "I wish. The Vulcan kids are great, but- they're not Leo," Jason admitted. "The construction is taking longer than we'd hoped, not to mention to attention each detail needs."

A silence fell over the room. Leo's name hung heavy, the campers missing their go to mechanic. Hina bit her lip, doing her best to control her emotions. 

Worse, she was hoping Piper and Jason would be back sooner rather than later.

She needed her friends.

"But, how is everything over there?" Jason asked, pushing through the somber mood. 

"Uneventful. Still no sign from Apollo," Chiron replied. Content with the information he got, the centaur retreated to his office.

After a few more minutes of chitchatting, the other counsellors began trickling out, leaving Hina with Jason.

"Are you doing okay, Hina?" Jason's voice was firm, his eyes drilling through Hina's defense even from the other side of the country. 

Hina shrugged, rising from her seat to stand in front of the iris message. "I'm still here. I miss you guys."

"We do too. Are you sure you don't wanna join us?"

She shook her head. "Harley needs me around, plus I don't wanna leave everything behind." 

It was hard to explain,  but Hina felt guilty just thinking about leaving Camp Half-Blood. Everything that reminded her of Leo was here, and it made it easier to convince herself he was real, that he wasn't just a dream.

Jason sighed, "I get it. Do you have any idea what happened to Apollo?"

Hina was thankful for Jason, after his years of leading the Romans, he always knew how to look after Hina.

"Total radio silence, not even a weird appearance in my dreams or a haiku left in the cabin. I'm worried about him. Zeus didn't seem too forgiving."

Jason opened his mouth to speak when the image suddenly dispersed, Hina left standing in an empty room. 

"Jason?" she asked, waving her hands where the misty screen once was. 

Hina counted to thirty, waiting for her friend to reappear, but he never did. Huffing, she took matters into her own hands, leaving the room to try sending her own iris message.

After half an hour of trying to contact her friends again, Hina gave up. There was definitely something interfering with the communication.

Part of the interference twisted her stomach into knots, it didn't feel right. She didn't like the way Jason's image was cut in half, torn apart almost viciously.