𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒚 𝑰𝒏 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌 ꨄ

S e v e n

Luna had never witnessed a louder silence. Even though nobody's mouth moved, their eyes spoke for themselves. Their breaths came in puffs that bounced off the walls in the morbid quiet. But the most raucous sound was the roar of her heart, tight and aching against her ribcage.

It's better I run, she told herself. Better I leave forever then spend one more second like this.

When Mr. D clapped his hands, it felt like a thunderclap. The campers jumped a bit, as if woken out of a trance.

"So there will be no one?" The God asked. "No one at all?"

She was angry, then. She'd been at Camp for almost two months- it wasn't like she was some stranger they'd picked up on the streets. But still, no one spoke up to defend her now. She searched the crowd and saw people she called her friends- the same people who were quiet, who looked at her like they'd never seen her before.

She looked at the Hermes cabin, one hundred percent sure that they'd take her. Her hopes were immediately shattered when she was only met with silence, and along with it came the aching sadness. Luna saw the Stoll brothers, but unlike the others, they weren't staring at her. Their faces were cast away, as if ashamed that they'd ever been friends with her in the first place.

More anger flooded through her at the thought. Cowards.

"Well," Dionysus said, feigning disappointment. "It seems to me we have our answer, daughter of Nyx. I fear that-"

A rough movement of feet, the shuffle of somebody getting up. Everybody turned their heads. Luna's breath stuttered.

"We'll take her." Said Clarisse. She looked a bit uncomfortable at the attention, but her expression was determined. Her eyes wouldn't meet Luna's under any circumstances. "The Ares cabin will have her."

What?

Luna was pretty sure her mouth was open in shock. She tried to speak, but she found she couldn't produce any sounds. Then, even though she hated herself a little for it, relief coursed through her every vein.

The silence would of streched on longer if Mr.D hadn't plopped down on a chair and rolled his eyes. He looked bored again. "Fine fine. Now that the brat has a place to stay, I order you all to bed."

Nobody moved. "Well?" The God drawled. "Go!"

Every camper snapped back into action. Luna felt a hand haul her forward by her shoulder, but in her muddled state, she couldn't even think who it was. It was like everything had blurred around her. Demigods were filing back to their cabins, but she was still aware of their eyes on her, of their whispers about who she was.

Luna was vaguely aware of the fact that she was walking with the Ares cabin. She had never felt more out of place. They towered around her like giants, burly and thick with muscles. They all looked more or less the same, genetically speaking- dark hair, dark eyes. All except Clarisse, who had long sandy hair and mahogany eyes.

It was then that Luna realized it was Clarisse holding her arm. Hauling her along, with surprising genteelness. Her hand on Luna's arm was not rough, but tender, the callouses of her palms warm against her skin.

They reached the Ares cabin, and Luna felt her skin crawl. Oh god. She'd seen the looks on the other Ares kids faces when Clarisse had declared that Luna could stay with them.  How was she supposed to live in there with people who clearly disliked her? Not to mention the fact that not even two days ago she had colour bombed their cabin. She'd laughed, then.

But looking at Cabin five now, the same splashes of vibrant colour on its walls, nothing felt funny anymore.

"Let's go," Said Clarisse.