lacuna [connor stoll]

I. Percy Brings Bad News Again

She assumed her godly parent was a minor goddess. She and Annabeth Chase, every once and a while, sit down in the Athena cabin, and she would read her minor goddesses names, trying to gain a reaction, but nothing ever came out form it. If she was going to figure out who her mother was, it would have to come from her mother herself.

She stood at the Hermes cabin porch, glancing out at the camp. No matter how angry she was at her mother, she had promised herself she would fight on the side of the gods, not wanting to betray her friends. So, in reality, she wasn't fighting for Olympus, but to defend her friends.

Her friends, being, well, pretty much everybody. Ellie had a caring demeanor, and she was a great friend and shoulder to cry on for anyone that needed it. Most of the camp relied on her when they had an issue, or just needed someone to talk to.

She walked up to Silena Beauregard, who was looking out to the water nervously. Her boyfriend, Charles Beckendorf, was supposed to be on a mission with none other then Percy Jackson.

Percy and Ellie weren't very close. He was, well, a child of the Big Three, and a part of the Big Prophecy, and he was pretty much the person that people looked up to in camp. He was always nice to her, and they had a few nice talks, but she wouldn't call him a close friend.

"Hey Silena," Ellie said warmly, smiling at the daughter of Aphrodite, rubbing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Silena and Ellie, on the other hand, were very close. She made it so easy for Ellie to talk to her, and she never told a soul what secrets she had let lose.

The girl smiled beautifully. It was no surprise she was a child of beauty. Silena was gorgeous, even with her worry lines creased, and no makeup. Her hair was messy, meaning she had been worrying about him for longing then a few minutes.

"Hey Elle," She said, her eyes anxiously searching the water for any signs of her boyfriend.

Ellie was about to speak up, to try to make her feel better, say something like "Everything will be alright," , but in that moment, Percy Jackson flew to the surface of the sea, and his face was clear that everything was not okay.

Connor fell out of a tree that he had somehow gotten in, supposed to be on guard duty, but he got distracted easily. He ran excitedly to Percy, blowing the conch horn.

"C'mon," Ellie said, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the dining pavilion.

Chiron got to the pavilion first, galloping to Percy's side. The campers moved around him, waiting to hear what happened.

This time, it was Silena who grabbed Ellie's head, pushing to the front of the crowd.

"Where's Charlie?" she demanded, looking around like he might be hiding.

Percy glanced at Chiron helplessly.

The old centaur cleared his throat. "Silena, my dear, let's talk about this at the Big House—"

"No," Silena muttered. "No. No."

She started to cry, and the rest of campers stood around, too stunned to speak. They'd already lost so many people over the summer, but this was the worst. With Beckendorf gone, it felt like someone had stolen the anchor for the entire camp.

Ellie's lip trembled, not letting herself cry in front of the crowd. She had to stay strong. She bent down to Silena's side, whispering comforting things.

Clarisse stepped forward.

She was dressed in her bloodred combat armor, her brown hair tucked into a bandana. She was as big and beefy as a rugby player, with a permanent scowl on her face, but she spoke gently to Silena.