If Looks Could Kill *Percy Jackson and the Olympians*

Chapter Thirty-Six

 As she pulled away, she said, "Violet, you have no idea how boring this place is without you. I was going to die—if not for Cam." she added the end on quickly, so as to not hurt Cam's feelings. However, Cam didn't seem to notice. I raised an eyebrow at Jaime.

"Jaime, are you saying you actually missed me?" I asked, perfectly aware I was pulling her outside her comfort zone of cold and harshness. Panic was spread all over her face for a moment, and then quickly disappeared.

"Well—uh—I...um...It's good to have you back, Wilde. That's the best you're going to get."

I laughed and shook my head. "I'll take it. Look," I said, turning to Cam, "I know I've just got back and everything...but I need to ask you an important question. I mean really important…but….”

“‘But’ what, Violet?” Jaime asked, seeing my expression that was no doubt ridden with guilt. I ignored her and looked Cam right in the eyes. They were filled with curiosity. I wondered how much this would hurt her. Depending on how much she knew of or how well she knew Brandon, it could vary. I hoped it wouldn’t hurt too much to talk about him.

“You may want to sit down for this, Cam,” I told her. She nodded, my suggestion obviously preparing her for the worst. She turned, and danced (not literally) gracefully up the steps. Jaime and I joined her on the porch swing, with me in the center of the two.

 I took a deep breath and turned to Cam, who was watching me closely. “Now, Camellia, I want you to know that I don’t mean to dig up any bad memories or anything there, I just want answers. This has to do with Domi-”

“Oh get on with it,” Jaime’s voice cut in like a sharpened blade, “Just spit it out.”

I took a deep, shuddering breath, mostly to calm down, and then started with my questions. “What do you know about a boy named Brandon?”

 Cam’s reaction was immediate. Her brown eyes widened even more as immediate tears were brought to the surface. Her face turned ashen with grief and her hands immediately flung up to her arms as her knees curled up, hugging herself.         She turned away from me, her head weighed down with painful memories. I felt terrible. Jaime laughed spitefully.

“Way to go, Violet!” she hissed. I turned to give her a look.

“You’re the one who told me to ‘spit it out’.” I spat her words back at her. She was silent.

I turned back to Cam and put a hand on her back. “Cam, I—”

“I’m sorry,” She whimpered. “I’m not mad, just upset about the whole…situation.” She turned back to face me, although her eyes were still glued to the ground. Her breathing was uneven, and she took a few minutes to calm down just slightly.

“B-Brandon was my brother,” she said, almost so quietly I wasn’t sure I’d heard her, “He was my brother. And when I say brother, I mean we had the same mother and father. Demeter had a special liking for my father, apparently. B-Brandon was older than me, obviously.” Another shaking breath. “He d-died when I was twelve. He was sixteen when he…left.”

“How did he die?” I asked gently, as her body was racked with another sob. Crap. “I mean leave.” I hurriedly said.

 She coughed and then spoke. “He went on a quest with Luke and Dominic to the Garden of the Hesperaids. Luke’s dad, Hermes, wanted them to go there and bring him back an apple from the tree in the garden. They went as a band of three boys, all the best of friends, and came back the two bitterest of enemies. They promised me Br-Brandon would come back to me. All that came back was a broken promise.” She said. I never knew that Camellia could look so worn, so full of sad wisdom. This was new for me. Cam used to be innocent, cheerful, dreamy. Now…Gosh I had brought out the worst, most painful part of her. I felt my eyes water with sympathy.