BLOODSHOT . . . piper mclean

38.

EDEN WAS CASUALLY showing off new outfits to Connor when the door opened and Kaleidoscope walked in with a bag and a sleeping bag.

"That's extra," she commented, looking up and down at Eden before dumping her stuff on the ground, sitting next to it and taking out a brush to brush her hair.

"Just because you're a pick me girl doesn't mean that I have to miss out on the finer things on life," Eden snapped. "Like planning masquerade balls because the fact that those went out of fashion is fucking idiotic. Now, what'd'ya want?"

"I said during breakfast," Kaleidoscope simply said, taking out all of the tiny braids in her hair. Fuck. Eden hated it here.

"I'd forgotten about that, wish your priorities were in order," Eden sighed. "Just take a bed. I don't know why you brought a fucking sleeping bag. Don't take those two over there, though. One of them smells like old gym socks and the other is probably broken from a cyclops sleeping in it."

Connor wrote on her skin. You're sure.

Too stubborn. I'll be fine. Eden rolled her eyes and stepped back to change, Connor throwing her pajamas back at her.

"You're really gonna make me be in a cabin with my siblings." Connor stared at her as he opened the door.

"Alice and Julia aren't that bad," Eden scoffed.

"They're horrible!" Connor said, his voice raising slightly as he left. "Horrible, I say!"

Eden giggled as he left. "Fuck, I love him," she said to no one in particular, looking over at Kaleidoscope who was reading a book. "You know how to read?"

Pretty Girl looked up at her. "You don't?"

"My mom never taught me," Eden grabbed a paintbrush and started painting. She missed doing it, and she needed a distraction from the girl behind her. "Too busy snorting cocaine and drinking vodka. But no duh, I know how to read."

"Really?" Kaleidoscope asked, sounding suddenly curious. "How'd you raise yourself?"

"Roman demigods."

"Really?" she repeated.

"That's what I think," Eden shrugged. "They were too powerful for being mortal. But not quite Greek. I wouldn't know, Hera got them murdered six years ago."

Kaleidoscope flipped a page. Eden couldn't believe that she was reading and talking at the same time. That was hot. "Is that what's causing the insomnia?"

Eden hated her now. She hated the imposing questions. "Sometimes."

"Then what's causing it?"

"Worse things," She looked over at Kaleidoscope. "Survive another battle, then you'll know. I ran around with Percy and Annabeth for years and didn't get as bad ones. Some of them were awful, still."

"Were you close with him?" Kaleidoscope asked, gesturing to the cleanest bed, because of Princess Peach taking him. "Percy?"

"Sure," Eden painted with a smaller paintbrush to capture some details. "If you count being able to fight together but conversations last about two seconds."

"Really? I thought you'd be closer," Kaleidoscope said, surprised.

Eden looked over at her. "Siblings don't need to be close," she said, hearing her voice become flatter. "Look at you and Drew."

"Drew's just a mean bitch," Kaleidoscope frowned, closing her book. "That's just it."

"She's actually really nice," Eden stared at her painting, deeming it good with a few more white strokes. "Maybe it's a you thing."