BLOODSHOT . . . piper mclean

39.

EDEN HAD ALWAYS adored staring up at the moon. At least after Zoë died, she'd always made an effort to look at her constellation at least every month — if not every week.

As a probably future Hunter, after all, she needed to appreciate nature. And why not start with the stars and the moon? It was the one part of the sky that she liked. She liked pretty sights. Sunrises and sunsets, although the former was a low blow if she was still awake during one.

Eden hated the air, but she could appreciate the pretty sights.

"You see that constellation?" She pointed up at the sky, where it was clearly there.

"Yeah . . ." Kaleidoscope trailed off. "I've never known the name to that one. I remember seeing it in the Wilderness School, with Jason, before . . ." she stopped there.

Eden grimaced. "Well, yeah, it was made two years ago." She stared up at it. "I told you when Bianca died. Well, someone else had died on that quest."

"I'm so sorry," said Kaleidoscope immediately. "Was she . . . important?"

"One of the Hesperides," Eden said wistfully, containing to stare up at it. "Casted out because she helped Hercules, who didn't credit her for her work, joined the Hunters and was the leader for . . . oh, a good three thousand years or something. She told me that she lived longer than Artemis."

Kaleidoscope turned to look at her. "Really?"

"Artemis was born after the gods had defeated Kronos for the first time," Eden said, reciting what Zoë had told her. "She'd been born before then. So, yeah, she was older. She was so, so brave. I want to be her when I grow up."

"She'd be proud of you," Kaleidoscope said to her. "Look at you."

Eden looked at her for a second in disbelief, before clearing her throat. "Thanks."

They sat in a strangely comfortable silence, and Eden closed her eyes and breathed in and out. It'd been a while since she'd done this with anyone but Connor. Even by herself, it seemed redundant to not do it just from her window.

The last time? Probably Rachel, before she'd gone off to Clarion for the first time. Maybe Thals. Eden didn't remember that far back.

"You're good with relationships, right?" Kaleidoscope cleared her throat.

"Good? God, no." Eden burst out into laughter, until they died down. "Why?"

"I don't know how to tell Jason," Kaleidoscope said to her. "About wanting to date him."

Eden grimaced. Why did it feel like a blow to her chest? Something that had never happened to her, and something that she hoped nothing did. "Ah. You're probably better asking Annabeth. Or literally anyone else than me."

"But you've been in relationships,"

"Me and Lia? That was for a couple months, and then we'd mutually broken up." Eden rolled her eyes, stunned at the stupidity of the girl next to her. "Once or twice, me and Rachel snuck behind Percy's back while he was there. And don't even get me started on Silena." She looked over at Kaleidoscope. "My advice? Just get him alone, like me and you now. Somewhere that seems . . . romantic. Then just tell him. He's obviously in love with you. It's sickening. So cliche."

Kaleidoscope frowned. "Really?"

"Sure."

She chuckled. "You're reassuring."

"That's me," Eden sighed. "I made so many speeches back then about being reassuring and shit."

It was nice, actually. Sitting there. Small talk every few minutes or so, staring at the stars.