The Little Lightning Girl

34- Baby Steps

After I checked in with Chiron that I had arrived at camp, I decided that if I was ever going to get used to the time difference, I should go to bed now, like everyone else had. So, pajamas went on and before I knew it, I was out.

The next day, I woke up nearer to noon than I had in a while, and the first thing I did was head over to the Poseidon cabin that sat on the water's edge. Adrian had the great insight to pretend he hadn't seen me before his sister, as she would've either been jealous or angry about it.

The hug that Maya and Adrian pulled me into the moment I arrived at their door was tight, but not suffocating. I'd been averse to touch since I'd escaped the dungeon, but these were my friends, and they'd worried about me. They deserved at least a hug. Still, I was shaking as I hugged them back, my arms spread and my head buried between Adrian's shoulder and Maya's head. Eventually, we stepped back, still touching each other but I was able to look at their faces. I loved them even more when neither asked if I was okay, or how I was doing. I supposed these two knew about tragedy and trauma more than anyone. The demigod life wasn't an easy one. They probably knew that I wasn't okay, not yet, but I was getting better every day.

"It'll be good to have someone decent to spar with again," Adrian grinned at me.

I couldn't help but agree. As much as James and I had practiced hand-to-hand at school, I hadn't sparred with my swords against anyone actually alive in months.

"I can't wait," I managed a smile. It wasn't as bright and unleashed as I used to smile, as much as I had practiced in the mirror, it never quite reached my eyes anymore. And from the slight melting of Adrian's smile, I knew he could tell. But I also knew that he understood what I was going through more than most people on the planet.

So, the three of us went to lunch together, just like old times. Chatting and laughing and sharing odd stories. But I could feel Adrian's eyes on me. I was grateful that he and Maya hadn't decided to pressure me into spilling about the capture, but I knew they were curious. Maya and I went on a run around Camp after lunch, and I enjoyed the semblance of normality that the action brought.

Eventually, I went up to my cabin to unpack but I couldn't bring myself to leave even after all my clothes were stored away. So I tugged the blankets off the bed, and flew up to the roof. I laid there on my blanket for a while, just staring at the open blue sky, trying not to think about the darkness in those dungeons, but failing. I didn't know how long I laid on the roof, long enough that the sun started to set, painting the sky with pink and orange.

Eventually, I heard a knocking on the door to my cabin, and called, "I'm up here!"

I was surprised to hear not Adrian, Maya, or Noah's voice, but Raegan's, "Hey Alana, I'm coming up."

I had practically forgotten about the girl who'd helped me prepare for war a few winters ago. How could I? She'd spent weeks of her life at my side, making weapons and then fighting with us in the Florida Keys. I didn't know how she intended to get on the roof, there wasn't a ladder or anything. But I peered over the edge of the roof and saw her nimbly climbing the window sill and then leaping to grab the edge of the roof before pulling herself up with a single flawless motion.

"That's pretty impressive, where'd you learn to climb like that?"

She shrugged and sat down next to me, "I was on my own for a while before I started living full time here at camp. I lived on the streets, and climbing buildings to get away from the cops was a regular thing."

She'd never told me this detail, but I couldn't say that I was surprised. I knew that her life had been rough before she came to camp, but she'd survived just as we all had.