Young Writers Society

     "--and so then, my dad was just like, 'I'll do it!' And he rushed off to save the day!" Festus bragged. "So he was all like, BOOM! and exploded Gaea. Right in the face! Then he died. And then his super-awesome dragon (which I, of course, was named after) brought him back to life, and he got my mom here, to camp."

     The four other children were all listening, in awe, except Leia. She was sitting a little bit farther back, away from the others, thinking about Thea. She would have to ask her parents, but right now they were doing something with Uncle Jason. 

     "Leia? You wanna tell a story about your mom and dad?" A voice interrupted her thoughts. Festus was grinning at her, having finished his story. Leia smiled, ready to turn away the offer and go find her mom and dad, but Silena wouldn't let up.

     "Come on, Leia! You've got to! I know you won't exaggerate some of your details... Like some people do." she muttered, elbowing Festus. He gave a yelp of pain and crawled away from her.

     "Well... My dad, you know, he didn't tell me I was a daughter of two demigods until just a few days ago, and he never had time to tell me about all his adventures..." Leia trailed off, a bit envious. The other four kids sat in silence, staring awkwardly around the room but deliberately avoiding her eyes. Biting her lip, Leia stood up and scurried to the door, hoping her face wasn't as red as it felt.

     "Same here."

     She stopped and wheeled around, looking to see who had spoken. Bianca had stood up, and was facing her. "Children of Hades weren't liked back then, because everyone assumed they took after their father in his... Crude ways. And my dad, Nico, he doesn't like to talk about his past."

     Leia didn't know what to say to that. Bianca's brown eyes were filled with bitterness, and Leia guessed that the granddaughter of Hades had experienced the same kind of shunning, where she lived. Leia slowly walked back the circle of children and sat down uneasily. Bianca dropped to the ground and crossed her legs, but no one wanted to talk anymore. Not a word was said as first, Festus turned to leave, then Silena followed after him. One by one they all hurried out of the Big House, as if bad memories were chasing them.

     Leia caught up to Bianca as she was heading towards the Hades cabin. "Thanks, you know... For speaking up like that."

     For a moment, Bianca remained silent. Then she suddenly stopped and turned towards Leia. "Well, my dad... He said that trying to shut himself off from the others didn't help him. And you're my... Friend, I guess." She faced forward again and loped toward the black building ahead. But Leia was determined not to let her go without a proper thanks.

     "If you ever want to hang out sometime, I'm open... Unless, well, I'm not doing anything." she mumbled, glancing around. Bianca turned and gave a half-smile, then opened the door and closed it softly behind her.

     Leia stood there for a few seconds, staring in confusion at the Hades cabin. Then she shrugged. Sure, Bianca was kind of weird, but was there anything here that wasn't? 

     Before she jogged back to her dad's cabin she looked at the silvery building, on the other side of the square-shape the cabins made. Her mom's cabin had to be open to her, too. Besides, she was curious.

    When she reached it, she had a closer inspection. A large owl hung above the door, with glittering black eyes. They seemed to follow her as she cautiously stepped inside. Her eyes landed on the inside and she stopped in awe. A computerized SMART board was installed on the back wall, with a couple of kids writing complicated-looking diagrams on it. A row of bunk beds were pushed against a wall, as if that wasn't one of their priorities. Large desks were lined up against the other wall, with about four children scribbling and drawing on blueprints. Beside the desks was a giant bookcase, overflowing with papers and thick, worn books. All over the room and in their beds, Athena's spawn pored over the pages in various positions. To sum it up, it was a busy cabin.

     However, they all looked up from what they were doing when Leia came in. Some smiled and waved, some stared at her for a few moments as if analyzing her before losing interest and returning to their activity. In the corner of the cabin Leia's mother sat gazing at the SMART board and occasionally writing some notes in a small notebook.

     "How are you, Leia?" she called. Smiling, Leia walked over to where her mother was sitting and took a chair next to her.

     "I'm fine... But mom, I need to tell you something."

     Leia's mother's expression darkened as she closed her notebook. "What is it?"

     "You know my cousin, right? Thea? Well, earlier today, she spouted some type of poem, talking about 'vanquished foes' and some... Other things."

     Her mother bit her lip, and looked like she was trying to hold back a scream. "Why so early? Why does it always do this?" Leia stood patiently, but also worrying. What was her mother talking about?

     "Leia, I'm going to tell your father." Her mother decided, standing up. That was a sure sign something was wrong. "Let's go."