rhea of the valley - percy jackson

⚚ chapter two ⚚

"when you know you know" - margaret, lana del rey

The boy with green eyes consumed Rhea's thoughts the morning after.

More importantly, what his role in whatever the hell was happening with the summer solstice and whatever other secrets Chiron was keeping from her.

Her leg jumped up and down in anxious thought. It made sense that something was up. The tension behind Mr. Chiron smiles and the growing violent storms, as if the sky was at war, should've been enough to hint at some ulterior problem.

Rhea was launched out of her thoughts when a piece of waffle smacked her in the cheek.

She thrashed her head to the side. "What the hell?"

Connor grinned. "Your aim is getting better Travis!"

The Stoll twins weren't really twins, Travis was older, but they looked so similar that it didn't really matter. Both had unruly brown mops of hair, oval shaped faces, and elvish features of upturned eyes and mischievous wide grins.

Rhea scowled, getting ready to launch a heaped spoonful of granola at the boys when Luke's warning and unimpressed look stopped her.

"Leave her alone, Stolls. And Rhea, you're shaking the entire table for Gods sake."

Rhea rolled her eyes, lifting her mug to her lips and gulping down the coffee. She quickly wrenched herself back. "Oh, ew! Coffee's so bitter."

Luke raised his eyebrows. "That was your first sip?"

Rhea yawned as she heaped teaspoons of sugar into her mug. Luke frowned. "Why're you so tired anyway?"

"Yeah and why was half my sock off when I woke up?" Connor raised his eyebrows.

Rhea grinned. "I don't, Con Con. Maybe you shuffle them off in your sleep like some kind of freaky sleep walker."

"I heard you shuffling around last night, did you break curfew?" Luke continued to prod.

"Not technically. Chiron wanted me and Annabeth to take care of the new kid. Gods knows why I couldn't do that in the morning but anyway."

"I heard he killed the Minotaur!" Travis said.

Rhea nodded excitedly. "I saw the horn!"

Rhea turned to Luke, who had a contemplative look on his face. "Do you know what's going on with Chiron, Luke?"

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I heard Annabeth mention something about the summer solstice. Something's missing. Do you know?"

A dark shadow flashed across Luke's face, so brief Rhea almost missed the defensive, animalistic glint in his eyes. "Why do you think I'd know anything about that?"

Rhea blinked at his aggressive tone, sharing an awkward look with the Stoll twins. "Just because you're the cabin counsellor. He might have mentioned keeping an eye out for something." She spoke quietly.

Luke blinked. "I'm sorry, Rhea. I didn't mean for it to come across like that. No, I don't."

Rhea nodded silently, focusing back on her granola. She felt a soft kick at her calf under the table. Glancing up, she found Ethan giving her a questioning look. His straight ebony hair was swept back, and his skin was tanned from hours outside training with Luke.

She smiled to confirm that she was okay, ignoring the flutter in her stomach. 

He's worried about me, she thought with a giggle.