Chapter 15

As much as kayla hated to admit it- she was taking great advantage of the book her dad had given her. After her sulking session on her bed, she’d taken another look at the book after placing it down. It included alot of things Kayla didn’t know she was capeable of. She didn’t know if she was mad at that or not; if she wanted to find out for herself what she was capeable of.

But no, she found out all these things that sounded remotely impossible, all in a few seconds. Shadow travelling? Draining of life force? Stealing of life force? Yeah, right. And she knew she certainly couldn’t sense death. All she had were wings too big for her back- like a puppy with paws too big for itself.

Regardless, she had tried listening to the book and practicing with life force. A butterfly got the honour of being let in and being tested on- until it started talking to her. Innocent, asking where flowers were. After almost smacking the life force out of it when realising she could communicate, she told it where it could find flowers, and let it go. Kayla knew from then on and forward she would not be testing on a butterfly on how to drain life any time soon. She felt terribly guilty over such a small thing.

Perhaps Malcolm would let her practice? She doubted it. That was unsafe, anyway. Then book told her to practice on ‘small life sources that don’t feel pain.’

She would go out and try to drain the life force of some poor beetle another time. For now- she had busied herself in finding her clothes around the Hermes cabin. Her suspicions had been true; Julie had not done well in keeping her clothes safe. She didn’t blame the girl. Hermes kids were way too good at stealing.

…

“No, Amelia, I don’t want a chip. And that’s mine.” Kayla snatched a baseball cap off Amelia’s head, hopping off the rim of the bottom bunk where she had been peering over to see the girl. Amelia was a daughter of Hermes. And the third person so far Kayla had found wearing something that belonged to her.

By now, the Hermes cabin was bustling. Most campers had arrived back. The adrenaline was pumping for alot of them. It was difficult trying to find her stuff. With half a dozen having pillow fights and another half a dozen swinging from the roof structure. It was loud and chaotic.

“Heya, Kay! No taller, I see-“

“Where’s is it?” Kayla turned to Connor stoll with the speed of light, pointing a finger.

“Where’s what?” He asked, pausing to take in her expression.

“My trapper hat! I just know you’ll have it.”

Connor’s smile ducked and he rolled his eyes. “Gimme a sec. It’s in my suitcase.”

“You took it home with you?”

“Well, yeah. It’s amazing.”

“You’re such a gremlin, Connor,” Kayla grumbled, following him to his bunk. Connor handed it over in defeat. “Thanks. Atleast you knew where it was.”

“How could I forget?” He smiled, rubbing his hands together. “Heard about the Chariot races going forward? Clarisse was first to hear. It spread fast. It’s why everyone’s so hyped.”

Kayla looked around. Her face contorted into multiple ones, before it settled with a slight grimace. “Huh, didn’t notice,” She mumbled. “That’s… bad. How many people died last time?”

“Uh, like three. Are you gonna cheer us on?”

“Maybe,” Kayla responded, looking down at her nails, one eyebrow raised. “Maybe I’ll have my own chariot.”

“One man team? No one would-” Connor cut himself short of his deprecating sentence, clearing his throat. “No one would be helping. That’s ot ideal.”

“I can’t die in it atleast, right? Thanatos daughter dies in a Chariot race? Ha, could only happen to me,”
Kayla responded in an almost comical tone, looking away. She knew deep down she would not be making her own chariot. Nor competing as her own one-man team. People would laugh or just… stare. Kayla had noticed since arriving back, many more people kept their distance now she had been claimed. It made her a lottle sad, as she was still the same girl. But perhaps it showed people’s ugly sides if they were to avoid her for that. “I’ll cheer i guess. I’m not betting on Hermes winning though.” She looked back up, crossing her arms.

“So… you’re gonna sit there like a soccer dad who cheers his son on but secretly has no hope whatsoever?” Connor leaned his hesd down, giving a dramatic smile.

“Yeah, I am.” In her head, Kayla placed bets on either Ares on Hephaestus. But she supposed everyone would be a little rusty with Chariot racing this year. Connor snickered and rolled his eyes, clapping his hands together.

“Welp, have fun in your big, quiet mansion. All by yourself. No noise, no whispers at night.” He leaned on his bed frame.

Right, no noise in her cabin. The thought was scary. She was way too used to the Hermes cabin. “You bet. I’ll report to you how many hoirs I sleep every night in exactly a weeks time. Then see who’ll be talking.” She replied, giving a small side smirk while walking off backwards. Eventually she spun around, heading out of the Hermes cabin once and for all.

…

Kayla heard oh so many whispers that night.

Talk about her cabin being blessed by Thanatos. It was haunted. Atleast, to Kayla it was. Maybe it was some inner power she had unlocked. Maybe it was this stupid cabin, but the silence was even worse at night. Because it was so silent that it wasn’t silent. At night, that damned cabin came to life. Like all the souls her father had ever collected had free access to the place he had blessed.

Whispers, everywhere. It was worse than demigod nightmares. The only reason Kayla knew they weren’t nightmares was because even when opening her eyes, the voices remained. They never said anything bad. They sounded like lost souls. Like she could hear straight into the underworld. Talks about needing to do something, asking where something was, wondering where they themselves were.

Kayla was not built for this entire death thing. She dared not to reply to them. What if they actually answered? She was grateful she couldn’t see them, atleast. Well.. she hadn’t tried. Oh, where were the sweet little butterflies when you needed them?

That’s what lead to Kayla’s own personal quest on her second day back at camp; finding a source of night time distraction. Music, preferably. Maybe the Hermes cabin would take her back in. Kayla gulped. Malcolm was her first bet, who she found early morning eating at his table in the mess hall.

“I need a favour.”

Malcolm damn near spilt his porridge all the way down him. His knee hit the table.

“Jesus! Listen, im happy you’re back, Kay, but the scaring… not again-“

“Do you have music?”

He looked at her gone out. “What?”

“An ipod, a CD player, I dunno. A Walkman?” Malcolm continued with the blank stare as he placed his spoon down, discarding his book face down on the table. What a nerd, Kayla thought.

“Ask Kayla Knowles, she deals with all the music stuff. Or literally any Apollo camper? What has gotten into you? Your eyes are…”

“Tired, I know. I hate my cabin. Thanks, love you. See ya later.” Kayla rushed off to find the other Kayla. She was an easy spot. Bright green tips on her hair. Or… any colour, really. She was only a few tables away. Kayla approached her more kindly. They rarely spoke. The girl turned to her before she even made her presence know.

“Hey, Kay, how you doing? Love the hair; I think the pink was bet-” She cut herself off, clapping her hands together with a smile. “Just as good as the green. So listen, i need a favour?”

Knowles gave a raised eyebrow and an odd look, clearing her throat after a second. Oh, great, was this another person who thought different of her now she’d been claimed? “Uh- wassup?”

Realising the look, she got a lottle more formal. A new feeling that she now had to prove herself. “Do you have anything that can.. play music? It would help alot, I’ll do anything. Walkman or something?”

“Huh… no, sorry. I don’t im afraid.” She replied after a pause, turning back to eat her breakfast.

What a lie. Kayla Knowles not having spare music equipment? Like Clarisse not having a weapon on her. Never.

“Liar,” She crossed her arms, standing tall- which wasn’t a good effort with her five foot something height. “That is such a lie. You’re so lucky your pants are not on fire.”

Kayla Knowles coughed and turned her head even further away, like she hadn’t heard a thing. Kayla Graves squinted her eyes. I could literally curse you right now, she thought- but chose against saying those words aloud.

Instead, she walked away with a huff. Anyone who wasn’t eating breakfast was fixing up a Chariot for the races. Ares cabin were already fixing on weapons to their chariot, which had already been fixed up. A few cabin members were missing from the hill incident- and those who were there were facing extra of Clarisse’s wrath. Her shouting, threatening, stomping, cursing. It was a sight.

To make Kayla’s hurting eyes even more sore, ofcourse. A horrid sight.

“Mph.” She grumbled, continuing her walk. Percy was working on his own chariot, which Kayla could have screamed at. So much confidence, ego. The only child of Poseidon, and he was fixing up a Chariot, daring to race and have hope he might win?

Why didn’t the minor gods have already built cabins even if there wasn’t any children before? Why didn’t the children of minor gods have already built chariots to race, or places to sleep. Why didn’t they get a sense of belonging?

Was it so hard? Was there another camp out there that had all it’s crap together? That was organised and less closed-minded?

Kayla hoped not. The jealousy would be too much.

“Percy and his new brother, huh?”

Kayla snapped out of her day dreaming. She was met with Travis Stoll, who had a confident smirk on his face. Kayla cleared her throat, then coughed as she realised what was said.

“What? That cyclops?” She hadn’t really wondered why it had been in camp. All she knew is it apparently saved Percy.

“Yeah, names Tyson. Big dummy, Percy tolerates him though, by the looks of it.”

Kayla was still caught up on ‘brother.’

“That’s his brother?”

“He… he, is Percy’s brother, yes.”. Travis ameliorated.

It made her smile; internally. So selfish, it was, but- Kayla was on the brim of bursting when she saw that absoloute annoyance, Percy. The news made her feel a little less jealous of Percy.

“And me and Travis are the cabin counselor, now,” He switched conversation, putting his hands in his pockets. “Together, we run it good.”

“I- Huh? Oh, nice. That’s why you changed bunks.”

“Yeah, we get the one in the back corner. Got to choose.”

Kayla wasn’t sure why Travis was telling her all this. She loved them, like brothers. She had grown up with them for the past few years. But he never spoke to anyone or her without pulling some kind of prank. This was too serious for Travis.

“Well im uh, im proud of you both.” Travis nodded in appreciation.
“Gonna pull the prank yet or what?”

“Prank? There’s no prank here. I swear.”

“And I’m a child of Aphrodite. Okay buddy.” She scoffed, rolling her eyes away with a half smile.

“Serious, I haven’t got the energy.”

“You? No energy? Liar.”

“I saw you, okay? I’m allowed to have actual conversations.”

Kayla huffed, turning back to the distance where people were making and fixing their chariots. “Does my claiming bother you?”

Travis raised an eyebrow and gave a dumbfounded look with a smirk as he side sided Kayla. “Your fathers sacred animal is literally a butterfly,” He replied at first, turning to fully look at her. “Or what, with your angelic wings? Oh, so bothersome.”

Kayla choked on the air she inhaled, fighting back to comically incline her neck as she twisted it to him. It was a nice compliment, and Kayla thought the same thing. It was uneasy with Travis being this kind and un-jokey, however.

“Atleast someone’s done their research.” She recovered.

“No one is scared of you. Some of the Hermes cabin might have had this bet on you being claimed by Apollo, actually.”

“You’d be surprised.” Kayla mumbled amd rolled her eyes. “Might? Might have? Don’t fool yourself, I know you were a part of it. And I don’t blame them! What daughter of Thanatos is me?”

He chuckled, putting his hands in his pockets and increasing his focus. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean- nothing by that. Just- my dad is described as being peaceful, and emo. I am not peaceful. Or emo.”

“Eh, you could be emo.”

“Could not.”

“Your fashion sense changes every week. You’ve had your fair share of emo necessities.” He clapped back, smirking.

“For your information, they weren’t emo, they were punk,” She replied, knowing what he was talking about- the black jewellery and leather bracelets she got out of nowhere and wore daily for atleast 3 months straight last year. “I did that cause boys were getting on my nerves.” She crossed her arms.

“Boys getting on your-” A look of puzzlement crossed his face. “What does that have to do with boys getting on your nerves?”

She would have gave a good answer if she knew it herself. Going all punk just cause a group of boys pissed her off after overhearing a comment. The blue eyeshadow was part of that phase, too.

“Felt right, Travis. Don’t ask.”

“I just did.”

“Dude, i’m gonna-“

“Relax! Okay, okay,” He chuckled, putting his hands up with a large grin. “Look, back to the actual conversation, no, your claiming doesn’t change anything. You’re still Kayla,” He hummed. “You’re still-“

“What are those birds doing?” Kayla didn’t mean to cut him off- not that she even noticed. A couple birds hovered high in the sky close to the border. “They’re acting like they know theres a border.”

Travis looked up. From where they were standing, it was a clear view. “They’re some big birds.”

“Is that all you have to say? The fact they’re acting like they know there’s a border and you-“

“Cause they do,” He cut her off in reply, his voice quiet and focused. “They’re not mortal birds. They’re stymphalian birds.”

“For an annoying Hermes kid, you really do do your research.” Kaylas voice had gone quiet. The more she stared at them- which there were only three- the more uneasy she became. A shiver ran down her spine, making her wings flutter.

“I just told you they’re man-eating birds, and you say that?”

“Shut it, Travis, it’s only okay when I say the silly stuff.” She replied as she stared up at them.

Travis sighed. He stared at her for a second, overlooking her features, before looking away and tapping her shoulder. “Come on, we need to inform someone. This isn’t good before tomorrow, with the races.”

“I know, I know,” She replied, falling into step besides him. “Hang on, did you say those birds were man eating?”

Travis pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yes, Kayla.”

She went silent. “…Well.”

“Well what?”

“Atleast they’re not women eating.”

“That’s not what it-“

“Just laugh, Stoll. Just laugh.”

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Clarisse coming next chapter. I got such a good plot in line😝 Thankyou for voting on the poll if you did, it helps a ton to choose what would be more enjoyable for others!!