𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐑 𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐒𝐄 - [𝐩. 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧]¹

001 | death on the doorstep

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A RAVEN CIRCLED overhead as Atala laid on her back. She brushed her hand across the packed sand of the arena, copying the bird's concentric pattern, the repetitive motion lulling her into a peaceful trance. The warmth of the ground soothed Atala's mind and she found herself gently closing her eyes, relying solely on her ears to see her surroundings. 

It was one of her favorite things to do at camp⏤to listen. 

It's amazing how much the earth speaks when you to take the time to hear it. The leaves rustled against the breeze, conversing with the blades of grass that danced in the sun. The birds sang and the insects chirped. The flowers prepared to wrap themselves up for the approaching dusk.

As Atala continued to bask in the symphony of nature's whispers, she became acutely aware of the rhythmic footsteps approaching. There was a creak of the wooden stands followed by a dull thud on the sand beside her.

She knew exactly who it was by the cadence of his footfalls.

Donovan Baccay had only been at camp for a year and a half, but don't let that fool you. Despite Atala being there for longer, Donovan was vastly more knowledgable in all things Greek. Atala always chalked it up to him being two years old than her, but the truth is, Donovan was just smarter than her. And he studied harder. Atala spent most of her time in Greek and Latin classes doodling on her arms with sharpie.

Donovan was a strange case. Most undetermined demigods lose a sense of direction after being unclaimed for so long, but not Donovan. With each passing month, he became more intent on proving himself to whoever his godly parent may be.

It was pretty much all he could do though.

His mom gave him up when he was little, and he spent the next few years after that bouncing from foster home to foster home until he wound up at camp. Now, life at camp was all he knew.

Him and Atala were very similar that way⏤though the circumstances were slightly different.

Without any family besides Apollo⏤though she didn't consider him family either⏤Atala remained at camp for the entirety of each year. With Donovan in the same situation, it had only been a matter of time before they became good friends.

"Yo, Raggedy Ann!" Donovan called. "We sparring or are we sleeping?"

Atala ignored him, stifling a yawn.

Donovan quickly retaliated, walking in front of Atala so that his body blocked out the sun and cast a cool shadow on her.

"Yo, Donnie Darko! Quit stealing my sun!"