Ray of Sunshine

4

Tamara, the daughter of Aphrodite with boy phobia and Rose, the nymph without a master

I must have fallen asleep, because the next day, when I woke up, I was still in the stables. I also realised the reason I had woken up: Artemis was standing right in front of me. I sighed and rolled my eyes, hoping she would get it and leave. She didn't. Instead, she said: "Raya, I saw you yesterday. Talking to my brother. What did he say to you?" "That's none of your business," I said. I know it was rude, but I really couldn't care less. "Okay, than it isn't." Her gaze turned ice cold. "You still didn't answer the question, though." I have to admit, at first I didn't know what she was talking about. "Than I remembered. "I might join, someday. I just haven't figured out yet what I am, who I am, how I am related to everyone in this camp including these pegasi, I just don't know, you know." Artemis nodded. "Okay, then. I am going to the dining hall, I guess. Want to come with?" I smiled and stood up, following her to the dining hall.

The food we had for breakfast was just as good as the food we got for diner. Now that Zeus had claimed me as his daughter, I sat with Jason at the Zeus table. It was so awkward. We didn't really talk. I was thinking about capture the flag, which we were going to play this night. Luckily, I ate quick and the lessons started soon. We had greek mythology with herr Linckens first. I was still ashamed that I mixed up Odysseus and Theseus the day before. It was so dumb. After that I had archery once again, without interruptions this time. I actually shot an arrow at the target. Bull's eye a few times, must have been Artemis' blessing. "Hey! Ray!" I saw Scout walking "Are you an Apollo kid? You don't look like him one bit." I laughed. "Are you a legacy or something then?" She nodded "My dad is Will Solace and my other dad is Nico Di Angelo" "Hey, who are you?" A girl said, walking over to Scout and me. "I'm Diana Raya Grace" I said. "As in Jason and Thalia Grace?!" She asked enthusiastically. "Yeah, they're my siblings, yay!" I said sarcastically. "I'm Tamara by the way, daughter of Aphrodite, share my cabin with the beauty gurus and I believe also with your niece" She rambled. "Scout and I want to join the huntresses of Artemis, do you want to as well? I mean no more boys, that's awesome! By the way, wanna be friends?" "No more boys? Are you sure your mom's Aphrodite?" I asked her. "Not all of us are the same, your sister-in-law is a daughter of Aphrodite" She said. I cringed "Please stop, it's just too weird to think of that" And that, my friends, is how Tamara, Scout and I became friends.

The days I spend with Tamara and Scout were some of the nicest days I had in camp, I got to know more about both of them. Tamaras dad was this famous singer Harry Styles, he was considered one of the hottest men alive. Tamara didn't spend much time with him though, as he was away on tour most of the time, he bought her beautiful clothing and such, but that was not what she needed. She needed someone to comfort her. Tamara also told me she swore off boys because of her latest boyfriend who turned out to be a Annemoi.

Scout had healing powers and could summon skeleton warriors. One problem, she could only use her powers while singing. One day I got slashed by a sword, she healed it while singing a very suitable song. Flower Gleam and Glow, let your power shine, make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine, what once was mine. My wound healed, but she has not yet summoned any skeleton fighters in my presence, Tamara told me I wouldn't want that to happen.

A few days later, I made my decision. If Tamara and Scout were going to join the hunters, I could at least go on trial with them. I could always come back to camp, even though Tamara and Scout wouldn't be there. I was a little scared of what was going to happen than. I didn't want to be alone. The thought of being alone was the only thing that made me hesitate. Being alone has always been one of my greatest fears. I asked Scout and Tamara about it. Tamara told me that, when she first came to camp, she had felt the same way. Luckily, some girl had come up to her. Her name was Rose. Scout told me Rose wasn't great with new campers, but she would surely want to talk to me. After I had almost walked away, Tamara screamed that Rose was apparently the girl that invented the Yo-wanna-be-friends-technique of making new friends. So I thought I'd give it a try. She was sitting on the side of the canoelake talking with the naiads. I hadn't heard much about naiads yet, just that they were huge flirts. So I wondered why Rose was talking to them. I took a deep breath and said: Er, hey, I am Raya, who eh... are you? She looked up at me and said: "I am Rose. Nice to meet you, Raya." She shook my hand. I was a little startled by the gesture. I don't meet, well, teenagers that formal on a regular bases. So, eh, I started, very charming, I know, "Tamara and Scout said that you might be able to help with, eh, aloneness and darkness, and otherness and eh... stuff... " I was caught a little of guard with how Rose looked. She wore formal clothes, yet had purple highlights in her hair. "I will help you," she said, breaking my stream of not so nice thoughts about her clothes. "But let's talk further in the strawberry fields, if you don't mind. Naiads like to gossip, you know." "Er, okay," I managed to say without asking her why she was wearing a blazer jacket over her camp shirt. She stood up, and together we walked to the strawberry fields. When we were there, she kneeled down. The strawberries immediately started growing around her wrist. A Demeter kid, maybe? Rose looked at me, while drinking a cup of water I am sure she didn't have three seconds ago, and asked: "So, you want to feel less alone in camp? But you already have Tamara and Scout as new friends, dont you?" I have to say, she sounded genuinely interested, and not like she was trying to make fun of me. "Well, yes, but they want to go and join the hunters, and I don't know if I want to join the hunters, so I am going on trial, but what if I think the hunters are all stupid, so I am alone in camp again, what then?" "So you don't want to join the hunters? I thought I was the only one. I think the entire hanging around in the middle of nowhere is cool, but with an all girls club, with no romance ever? Ha! Never!" Now, that sounded like something an Aphrodite kid would say again. I really didn't know what to make of Rose. It got under my nerves. So I, like an idiot, blurted out: "Who even are you? Like, who's your godly parent? Normally I can kinda find out myself! Like, Scout was a good archer, so I guess Apollo, Tamara kept gossiping, so I kinda thought: Aphrodite! But with you... The way you behave with plants is like the Demeter kids, The way you talk about the hunters and with the naiads I would say Aphrodite, Your clothing style, I would say Athena, so I can't make anything of it! Who's kid are you?" I kind of regretted that rant the moment it had left my mouth, and I think I blushed. Rose looked at me, annoyed and a little startled, but managed to say: "I am not a demigod. I am a nymph. A nymph without a master, or a plant, or a river, but still a nymph."Oh. Yes, that made sense actually. Except for her clothing style. And anything else, actually. "Okay, I said, sorry, I guess." Then it got quiet, which was very awkward. But then Rose giggled. "You are a real daughter of a mighty god, alright! So, who's your godly parent? And maybe we should have this conversation with Scout and Tamara by our side. That would make a lot of things easier, since both of us know them already." I was startled at first, but then smiled back. "Of course," I said. The evening was a lot more fun after that, and I think I made good friends with Rose-the-nymph-without-a-master.