𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩

Chapter υ

Upsilon - Twenty
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Party Goers

  Brooklyn wasn't ready.

  How could she be ready for a party like this? In such short notice, no less. She was supposed to be a child of Aphrodite, the fashionista of the group. And yet, here she was, looking ragged and tired. How was she supposed to face her mother in such a state?

  Oh, by Olympus... what would Aphrodite say? Last time they met, Mom wasn't all pleased with her looks, what was she even going to think!

  Brooklyn's hands ran down her face as she looked at herself in the reflection of her blade, sighing in exasperation. "Fuck!" she groaned.

  Her eye-bags were bigger than a raccoon's, and her eyes were so bloodshot she might've thought herself a crazy woman. Her outfit was also way too plain to satisfy Aphrodite. A hoodie? What child of Aphrodite wears hoodies!

  Brooklyn was about to store her blade away when the light hit it strongly, covering her reflection. She frowned, before she adjusted it and saw her face once again.

  "Where—"

  "Oh, honeybun, that look was just terrible for you!" Brooklyn heard right behind her.

  "M—"

  "I'm honestly going to have a talk with Dionysus, allowing one of my most beautiful daughters to look that... Beat up!" Aphrodite sighed, bringing the back of her fist to her lips as she examined her work. "But now this? This is what you should be looking like!"

  Brooklyn's reflection was so different, she had a hard time believing it was her at all. Her curly hair, tightly secured into long blonde goddess braids, half held up by a hair tie, half left flowing free. Her pink irises were way brighter and shinier, as if life was brought back to them. Her dark skin turned smooth and failed to have imperfections, such as pimples or acne, or bumps, only very symmetrical and perfectly colored freckles spread across her cheeks and shoulders.

  Looking down at her clothes, Brooklyn noticed they had also changed plenty. Her hoodie had been exchanged by a baggy, black graphic t-shirt, tucked into a medium sized, purple plaid pleated skirt. Her hands ran across the new clothes, and the fabrics, lightly twirling on her light purple converse high tops.

  "Thanks, ma," Brooklyn smiled, her lipgloss glistening along with her shining smile. "I really needed that."

  "Don't mention it, honeybun," Aphrodite waved her hand. "No, really. Don't. Zeus is going to be pissed at me if he finds out."

  "Uhm... Okay..." Brooklyn awkwardly clinged to her elbow from her back, smacking her lips and rocking back and forth on her heels. "S-oooo... Uh..."

  "You really are adorable and tiny," Aphrodite sighed to herself, patting her daughter's head. "Ares must be jealous, I have the best cabin head—"

  "Cabin head? Y— you wanted me to be head of the cabin?" Brooklyn stammered, blinking.

  "Well, are you not?"

  "No? That's Silena. Silena Beauregard?"

  "Ah, her..." Aphrodite hummed. "Hmm, I must've gotten confused. I swore you were the one to come visit me last winter solstice," Aphrodite put a hand to her head.

  "I did, in Silena's place. She was sick that day," Brooklyn muttered. "I'm sor—"

  "Don't you dare apologize," Aphrodite interrupted. "Simply knowing I have a daughter so pretty in camp Half-Blood is already reward enough, and so brave. That... De la Cruz boy, was it? He told me you volunteered to come, to, uh, how'd he put it? Ah, shove it in the hunters' faces!"