Demigods » 1D + 5SOS

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Ashton couldn't believe that it had been a week ever since he and his friends had discovered Camp Half-Blood. It felt like centuries ago since so much had happened. Maybe it felt like centuries because Ashton still wasn't claimed. He was starting to grow impatient, and he was tempted to believe that he was absolutely ordinary. He didn't have a godly parent at all, he was just wasting his time here.

Ashton scowled to himself and continued skipping more rocks. He chucked one so hard that it almost reached the opposite side of the lake. He paced the pier and picked up more stones. He rubbed them between his fingertips before tossing them.

Pearl was watching him from the side. She knew that this was his way of ranting and venting, and she just watched calmly. When Ashton ran out of rocks and sat down heavily on the pier, she waded over to his feet and just gazed up at him sadly.

"It's hard," he sighed, leaning his head in his hand. "I never knew my birth dad. He just up and left when I was little, so I had to fend for myself for a while. Sure, my stepdad came and improved my life a lot, but he's not my real parent. Who is my godly parent? Is it my mum or dad? I just want to know! Is it so hard to claim me? Are you ashamed of me?" he yelled at the sky, glaring at the clouds. "Is that it? Do you wish that I never existed? Am I not important to you?"

Ashton's shouts echoed over the lake, but he didn't get an answer. He pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on them, cursing the Greek gods mentally.

Pearl continued to stare at him. She looked like she wanted to comfort him, but she couldn't talk to him. He didn't exactly trust her, remembering Percy's words, but he wanted to believe that she was his friend. Other than his bandmates, who were perfectly fine ignoring him, he didn't have anyone.

"I don't know what to do, Pearl," Ashton rasped, and he swallowed hard. "I don't know what to do anymore. What do they want from me?"

The naiad gestured for him to come closer to her, and he frowned curiously. He leaned over, but she beckoned some more. He turned around so that his stomach was on the pier, and he kept his face just a couple inches away from the surface. Pearl did the same, and he could count every freckle and dimple on her face. She was very pretty, and it seemed like she was reaching out to him....

The naiad's hands broke the surface and grabbed Ashton's shirt. Before he could say or do anything, she pulled him into the water with her.

Ashton choked and forced his eyes open. Pearl was dragging him towards the bottom of the lake. He kicked and struggled against her, but the water seemed to give her strength. She never let go, her claw-like fingers digging into his shirt tightly.

Ashton's lungs burned from the lack of oxygen, and he struggled not to inhale through his nose or mouth. Before they were completely encompassed by darkness, he found her hand and tugged on it. When that didn't release him, he hesitated for only a second before craning his neck and biting her wrist. Pearl yelped and let go.

Ashton swam towards the surface of the lake as fast as he could, but his clothes dragged him down. He kicked off his shoes, but he kept his jeans and shirt on. If he did happen to survive, he didn't want to embarrass himself by walking around camp half-naked.

He was further away from the surface than he thought. Black and yellow spots danced in front of his vision, making it difficult for him to see. His limbs felt like fuzzy bricks, heavy and useless, but he persisted. He was almost there, so close....

Ashton grabbed the pier's edge, and he dragged himself upwards. He gasped and panted for air, his heart pounding. Blood rushed in his ears, and his entire body weighed him down. He stayed there for a second before forcing himself up onto the shore. He flopped down on his back and allowed the sun to pierce his eyes. He had never loved sunlight or sand more.