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AT LEAST THE CAMP FOOD WAS GOOD. Invisible wind spirits—aurae—waited on the campers and seemed to know exactly what everyone wanted. They blew plates and cups around so quickly, the mess hall looked like a delicious hurricane. If you got up too fast, you were likely to get beaned by beans or potted by a pot roast.
Cato got a salad with avocados and tomatoes and other vegetables. Selena gave him a strange look and Cato smirked at her, "I've never seen a boy eat a salad in my life." She commented.
Why'd she sat that? She doesn't even remember the last time she ate with a boy.
"My mom is Ceres, goddess of agriculture." Cato grinned, and took a bite of his salad, "I like to eat whatever is in season. Avocados and tomatoes are popular in the summer."
She hummed as a red tray was placed in front of her. A burger and fries wrapped in a paper, with words written on it. 'Hoover Dam Snack Bar'. Selena traced her fingers over the words, "Hoover Dam?"
"Wonder if that's where you're from." Cato stated as he chewed on his food, "The aurae's wouldn't have gotten it if you weren't thinking about it."
"I have no clue where the Hoover Dam is." Selena stated,
"Nevada." He answered,
"I could use some dam french fries."
"I need to use the dam restroom."
"I want to buy a dam t-shirt."
There were humour behind the words, but Selena didn't recognise who said them. But she must've been to Nevada before.
The voices were drowned out by the people in the mess hall. Laughter echoed off the walls. War banners rustled from cedar ceiling beams as aurae blew back and forth, keeping everyone's plates full. The campers dined Roman style, sitting on couches around low tables. Kids were constantly getting up and trading places, spreading rumors about who liked whom and all the other gossip.
As usual, the Fifth Cohort took the place of least honor. Their tables were at the back of the dining hall next to the kitchen. Selena sat with Cato and a few others. One was their centurion Dakota, another was Hazel, a young, dark-skinned girl with golden eyes. Dakota reclined glumly on his couch, mixing sugar into his drink and chugging it. He was a beefy guy with curly black hair and eyes that didn't quite line up straight.
"So." He burped, waving his goblet. "Welcome to the party, Selena."
"Um, thanks," Selena watched as he poured more sugar into his cup, "Is that healthy?"
Dakota stared into the cup for a moment before shrugging, "Eh."
Cato sighed, "He's okay. He's a son of Bacchus, the wine god. He's got a drinking problem."
