CHAPTER SIX
Fears of a big brother
THE GIRL, Soleil Moore, or as now considered, his half-sister, was beside Kaiden, leading him towards his new cabin.
He had stayed with Percy as he went through different tests to discover who his father was with no luck. After all of that, Soleil urged him to follow her to his new cabin before the night meal. Kaiden felt extremely nervous, he didn't want to be there at the moment, but he couldn't say no to her.
When he got to camp, he didn't care to explore how the cabins looked on the outside, why would he? In a way they all looked the same to him.
Stepping foot in front of the Apollo cabin was eye catching, he really should've paid more attention because if he did, he would have noticed how the cabin looked nothing like the others. The sun struck its surface, and it gleamed like it was made of solid and pure gold.
He had to cover his eyes, having difficulty keeping contact with the brightness.
"You'll get used to it." someone spoke from the entrance of the cabin. Kaiden drifted his squinting eyes to the person. It was a blond, tall boy.
"Will Solace. Head counselor." Solace introduced himself with a glowing smile.
"Kaiden Jackson." Kaiden spoke and watched as Soleil sent him a smile and went away. He turned and followed behind his... brother, he would have to get used to that.
When he stepped foot on the porch, he could see the symbol of a lyre carved on the floor. They really loved representing in the camp.
Inside there are bunk beds on either side with a cot in the middle of the cabin for what he could only assume was the injured, Apollo was known as a healer. Rough cedar beams rib the ceiling and the white plaster walls are bare except for a few hooks for coats and weapons. It smelled of clean linen and dried sage. The only decorations around the room were some flowerpots on the windowsill, filled with yellow blooms and a bookshelf filled with... well books of Apollo, information or basic health books.
"This is where you will be staying for the rest of your stay." Will spoke with stretched arms as he looked around the cabin with a wide smile.
"Thanks... um which bed is mine?" Kaiden asked trying to be polite. Will walked towards the back part of the cabin and pointed at the one of the unused -Kaiden assumed- bunk beds.
"Bottom or top, whichever you want." Solace told him. "I assume Luke gave you some information or tour regarding the camp itself?"
"Yeah, more-so, didn't pay much attention though." Kaiden's last words were spoken in a whisper.
"I don't think you really want to hear about who our father is right now, do you?" hearing the "our" was like a slap in the face.
"I think I know enough as it is. Sorry if I'm being, you know, rude."
"Don't sweat it kid, many new campers are like this when they discover who their parent is." Solace shrugged him off with a grin. "I'll let you do your thing, I will be in the archery ground if you need anything." The older boy informed him and left the cabin.
Kaiden was left alone in an empty cabin and his mind all over the place.
After he did a mini tour around his new cabin Kaiden found his way to the dining pavilion spotting his brother.
"It's there a Greek god of disappointment?" Percy asked the two boys that sat in front of him. "Maybe we should ask him if he's missing a kid." Kaiden chose to sit with Percy while they ate and let out a cackle but quickly covered it as Percy sent him a look.
Luke was about to talk when Chris decided to chime in. "Oizys... but she's a goddess. And her whole thing isn't really disappointment, it's more like failure." Both Kaiden and Luke looked at him before turning back to Percy.
"We're gonna find the thing that you are good at. I know it." Luke told the young boy proudly.
A bell chimed as the conversation went silent.
"Our turn." the counselor said.
"Our turn for what, exactly?" Kaiden asked, watching them get up with their plates.
"Burnt offerings. The gods like the smell, so it gets their attention before you say a prayer."
"They like the smell of burnt mac and cheese?" Percy questioned with a weirded-out face.
"They like the smell of begging." Chris spoke retreating to the fire. Luke chuckled. "You burn what you'll miss the most. Then they know you really mean what you're about to say, so they listen." The boy finished and walked away from the table.
The brothers turned towards each other, the same thought going through their heads.
Kaiden shrugged, got up and grabbed his plate of fruit. What? He liked fruit.
He approached the fire and dumped the food into it like a trash can. He let his thoughts wonder for a moment before saying out loud "I want pizza." the people that stood behind him looked at him weird, but he just backed away and went back to his table.
Night had fallen and Kaiden slowly got up from his bed, being mindful of the people that already had fallen asleep, meaning everyone in his cabin.
He walked slowly through the glossed floors, reaching the cabin door and silently pulling it open. As he took a step out of the cabin, he let out a sigh of relief and began walking towards the woods where he and Percy had agreed to meet up at.
A silhouette appeared out of thin air in front of him making him stumble back in shock. The torch lights illuminated the path making him able to see who the person was.
"Woah, kid what's up with you." Kaiden asked out of breath the girl he had seen that night in the infirmary.
"You suspect something." Annabeth stated without thinking twice.
"Annabeth, right? Look, I don't know what you're talking about." He told her trying to move away but only to be stopped by her getting in his way.
"You suspect you know who Percy's father is." A few seconds of silence followed after those words were said.
"Look, I don't know who exactly you are besides the name and everything and you seem like a nice girl but mind your own business." Kaiden looked at the girl in the eyes and moved along.
"Why are you afraid of admitting it?" Kaiden stopped, the hands that were once in his pockets came out as he opened and closed them slightly and turned towards the girl.
"I will go out on a limb here and say you know how it feels, maybe in some way, to lose someone important to you. Apparently, I'm guessing, that everyone here has the same sob story. So, tell me why I don't want to believe it?"
Annabeth looked down at her hands and then at the boy again. Before she could speak, he filled in the blanks "We have lost everything in just a few days... we almost died, multiple times. And apparently if my suspicions are correct my brother is in more danger than I would want to believe." he told her while moving closer to her, Annabeth having to crank her neck to look up at the older boy.
"So, I'm sorry if I can't admit how afraid I am for my brother's life." Kaiden snapped and turned around and walked away towards the woods, leaving behind a now thoughtful Annabeth.
His steps were quick but quiet knowing that the woods in that camp could be more so dangerous if he wasn't careful enough. It was a quiet night, it was unsettling to say the least.
From afar he could see dim light and knew that it had to be Percy. His footsteps became less quick as he let out a ragged breath and when his brother came into sight approached him.
Percy looked startled by the sound but relaxed as he saw it was only Kaiden, he sent him a small smile. In his hands he held a bag filled with blue candy, the bag their mom had given him.
"Did you do it yet?" Kaiden asked as he sat down on the other side of the lit tin can, he took out his own bag of yellow candy from his jacket pocket and swung it around in his palm.
"No, was waiting for you... you took a long time, is everything ok?" Percy asked, concern adorning his small voice.
"Nah, just had to go to the bathroom." Kaiden waved him off with a lie that Percy surprisingly believed. "C'mon do it."
Percy hesitantly took out a blue candy from the bag and let it fall inside the can, the sugary ball melting into the fire. Percy laid quietly thinking about what he would say.
"Hi mom. I don't know if I am doing this right, I hope you can hear me. I think you used to hate this. When the phone would ring the night after you left me at a new school. I'd tell you that the people are awful. That I wanted to come home." he went quiet for a second before continuing.
"Well... the good news is... this isn't that call. I hope you're sitting down, but... I think... I've made some friends here. Like, real friends. I think they might really like me. Imagine that." Percy let himself smile while he looked at the fire. Kaiden played with hands while listening to his brother talk, a heavy feeling in his chest.
"He isn't here. My father, he just... didn't show. I mean, ignoring me is one thing, but he doesn't get to ignore you. I'm gonna make him come down here. I'm gonna make him see me. I'm gonna make him see us both." Percy voice was stern as he finished talking. The brothers stayed quiet for a few minutes. Percy let out a sigh and stood up from his spot on the moss-covered log and stretched his body.
"Where are you going?" Kaiden asked the younger confused, he hadn't done the whole burning candy thing just yet.
"I need to pee." he responded back with a sheepish look as the older boy sent him a small glare and waved him off.
Kaiden watched Percy's silhouette begin to disappear from his sight as he walked further towards camp. He switched his gaze towards the can and shook his head.
"I guess it's my turn..." He opened his own candy bag and pulled out a yellow sour powdered gummy bear and threw it into the small fire. "Hi, mom... um I don't really know what to say... I really don't know if you can hear me, hope you can honestly."
"I... crap... I found out who my father is... I always wondered why you always favored telling me stories about the god of sun and music and whatever. Now I know... well I don't think you really knew but you suspected it in a way, didn't you?"
Kaiden went quiet, he twitched as he felt a stinging sensation in his eyes, it was small but painful in a way. He stared down at his hands, clenching his fist and turning back towards the fire that illuminated his face.
"I'm scared. Not for me, for Percy. I know you know who his father is... and I think I know too but I remember those stories and the dangers... I am scared shitless about what will happen to Percy while we are here. But I promise you I will protect him. I don't care how much it will cost." His voice grew slightly louder as his voice was firm like his mother was in front of him.
Kaiden looked at the fire, his eyes holding a promise, he blew the fire from the can and got up the log and cleaned himself off before walking away from the woods.
Kaiden made his way to the edge of the woods close to the bathrooms and stopped as he watched three kids run out of the bathroom soaked to the bone. His confusion grew bigger as he watched Annabeth walk out with Percy on her trail.
"Do I even want to ask?" Percy looked at him with wide eyes while Annabeth turned to him with a small grin that left him not wanting to know so he turned around and left to his own cabin.
It was morning, the sun was shining bright amongst the campers training. It was capture the flag day, which Kaiden had figure out only a few hours ago.
Will was quick to explain the premise of the game and Kaiden was not impressed.
The sound of campers' grunts could be heard through the field. Kaiden walked behind Percy and Luke watching campers trained with swords and shields. He listened to Luke talk about what it all was even if he already knew thanks to Solace.
"You're gonna love this. Camp-wide mock warfare, all glory to the victors. Annabeth's the head counselor of the Athena cabin. She's led our team to three straight wins. Been a long time since anyone's won a fourth." Luke explained as the three boys watched the girl from afar.
"She was there in the bathroom. She said she'd been waiting for it to happen." Percy told Luke. "Annabeth sees the world differently. Always six steps ahead of everyone else. You should cut her a break." Percy turned his head from looking at the girl and towards the son of Hermes.
"Whose side are you on, anyway?" Percy asked him.
"Oh, hers, always. She's my little sister." Luke stopped himself as he saw the confusion and shock on both boys' faces. "Maybe I should back up."
The three boys walked towards the dining pavilion and sat down on one of benches.
"Before camp, I was on the road. Me and a forbidden kid I met along the way. Her name was Thalia." Luke spoke, his voice held a tone of distant happiness.
"Forbidden? What does that mean?" Kaiden questioned the older boy.
"A long time ago, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades agreed their children were becoming too powerful, so they made a pact not to father any more. And it held for a long time, until Zeus broke that pact." Luke looked at table and then back at Percy.
"Until Thalia. A forbidden kid attracts trouble. Monsters everywhere, it's just a constant battle to stay alive." Kaiden looked down at the table, his eyes searching every pealed or small broken piece of wood on the surface as he listened, his suspicions becoming clearer in his mind.
"One day, we, uh, find this little girl hiding in an alley. Annabeth. We were worried about taking her in, exposing her to all that danger. Then we saw her fight." Luke chuckled softly. "Thalia didn't make it. But Annabeth and me... we did. And we've been family ever since." he concluded, his face showing sadness.
"She's been watching me since I got here. Why?"
"Annabeth is the strongest warrior in camp. The only way left to prove herself is to go on a quest."
"And what does this have to do with me?"
"Chiron's been promising her for years. One day, a demigod would arrive who was fated to go on a quest that even Chiron couldn't prevent." Luke explained. "And when that happened, she could join it. Every new arrival, Annabeth watches, looking for a sign they're the one. Usually, she gives up after a day or two, but she's still watching you." Hermes' kid explained.
"Can you ask her to knock it off?" Percy told him annoyed. "Yeah, sure. But what if she's right?" Kaiden couldn't help but send Luke a glare at his insinuation.
After the conversation ended a conch shell was heard.
AUTHORS NOTE:
I'm back! My posting schedule got disrupted because I started my classes and have been pretty busy but I'll try to post as much as I can when I can.
Hope you all enjoy!