I Become Supreme Lady Of The Bathroom
Ariel, blushing in embarrassment, looks down, while Clarisse looks at her with mild annoyance.
Once I got the fact that my Latin teacher was a horse, we had a nice tour, though I was careful not to walk behind him. I'd done pooper-scooper Day parade a few times, and, I'm sorry, I did not trust Chiron's back end the way I trusted his front.
"That's a smart decision," says Athena.
We passed the volleyball pit. Several of campers nudged each other. One pointed to the minotaur horn I was carrying. Another one siad. - That's her!
"They treat her like a circus attraction," says Apollo, annoyed.
"Will it always be like this? Will everyone treat you this way?" asks Triton, slightly worried.
"It's getting worse day by day. Maybe Clarisse was the only one who treated me like everyone else. I'm not saying that was good, but looking back, I'm grateful she didn't treat me differently," says Ariel.
"Oh, and of course, Will. I didn't spend much time with him, but he was nice to me," she adds.
Clarisse laughs, remembering their first meeting. She definitely hated Ariel back then.
while Will smiles sweetly. Apollo is happy that his son treated his soulmate well.
Most of the campers were older than me. Their satyr friends were bigger than Grover, all of them trotting around in orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirts, with nothing else to cover their bare shaggy hindquarters. I wasn't normally shy, but the way they stared at me made me uncomfortable. I felt like they were expecting me to do a flip or something.
"That T-shirt is terrible," says Aphrodite, horrified.
"It's okay to be scared, you're still new," says Hestia with a sweet smile, which Ariel returns.
I looked back at the farmhouse. It was a lot bigger than I'd realized-four stories tall, blue with white trim, like an upscale seaside resort. I was checking out the brass eagle weather vane on the top when something caught my eye, a shadow in the uppermost window of the attic gable. Something had moved the curtain, just for a second, and I got the distinct impression I was being watched.
- What's up there? - I asked Chiron.
He looked where I was pointing, and his smile faded.
-Just the attic.
- Somebody lives there?
- No, -he said with finality. - Not a single living thing.
The gods sensed that this wasn't entirely true, but they decided not to say anything.
I got the feeling he was being truthful. But I was also sure something had moved that curtain
Come along, Ariel. - Chiron said, his lighthearted tone now a little forced. - Lots to see. - We walked through the strawberry fields, where campers were picking bushels of berries while a satry played a tune on a reed pipe.
Demeter gazes at the strawberry field with a wide smile.
Chiron told me the camp grew a nice crop for the export to New York restaurants and Mount Olympus.
- And the strawberries take alost no effort. - he explained. - And the strawberries take almost no effort. - He said Mr D had this effect on fruit-bearing plants, they just went crazy when he was around. It worked best with wine grapes, but Mr. D was restricted from growing those, so they grew strawberries instead.
I watched the satyr playing the pipe. His music was causing lines of bugs to leave the strawberry patch in every direction, like refugees fleeing a fire. I wondered if Grover could work that kind of magic with a music. I wondered if he was still inside the farmhouse, getting chewed out by Mr. D.
- Grover won't get in too much trouble, will he? - I asked Chiron. - I mean.. he was a good protector. Really.
"Sweet girl," says Hestia.
"Even in this situation, you worry more about your friend? You're very loyal," says Artemis, surprised. She's glad her brother has such a soulmate.
"Not for nothing she's the goddess of loyalty," Annabeth whispers softly to Thalia, who nods in agreement.
"Ariel always puts her friends first before herself. Loyalty means a lot to her," says Will.
Apollo looks worriedly at his soulmate, who is sitting in his lap. He's glad that her friends are important to her, but he also worries that it might get her into trouble someday.
"Well, considering her soulmates, I'm not sure what kind of fidelity she expect. I mean, gods generally don't settle for just one person," Dionysus says, raising his eyebrows.
Apollo looks worriedly at his soulmate, hoping he has never been cheated on her. Meanwhile, Poseidon's grip tightens around his trident. He doesn't want his daughter to be betrayed by her soulmate.
Neither of them has ever cheated on Ariel. They would never do such a thing. In fact, her first soulmate, whom she met more than a month ago, waited for her, and even then, he didn't cheat on Ariel," Annabeth says firmly.
Apollo sighs with relief, while some of the gods look on in astonishment. This is very rare. They are certain that Ariel's other two soulmates are among the calmest of them all.
"Moreover, Poseidon didn't just chat with them once. About as many times as he meets them, he threatens them that if they hurt his daughter, there will be trouble," Clarisse says with a grin, recalling one of the threats she witnessed.
Poseidon sits with a satisfied grin on his face, while some of the gods look at him fearfully. Poseidon's threats always need to be taken seriously.
Chiron sighed. He shed his tweed jacket and draped it over his horse's back like a saddle.
- Grover has a big dreams, Ariel. Pershaps he must first demonstrate great courage by succeeding as a keeper, finding a new camper, and bringing him/her safely to a Half-Blood Hill.
- But he did that!
"We all agree on that," says a few demigods, as Grover blushes gratefully and nods to them.
- I might agree with you. - Chrion said. - But it is not my place to judge. Dionysus and the Council Of Cloven Elders must decide. I'm afraid they might not see this assignment as a succes. After all, Grover lost you in New York. Then there's the unfortunate... ah.. fate of your mother. And the fact that Grover was unconscious when you dragged him over the property line. The council might question whether this shows any courage on Grover's part.
"I hate the council," Ariel declares.
- Me too. - Thalia says.
I wanted to protest. None of what had happened was Grover's fault. I also felt guilty. If I hadn't given Grover the slip at the bus station, he might not have got in trouble.
"I hate the council," Ariel declares.
"Okay," Ariel whispers softly. Sensing his soulmate's anxiety, Apollo holds her closer and whispers soothing words in her ear.
