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Chapter Two ✷ Another tally for the headboard
The kill brings her more glory than she would've thought. Campers—both familiar and unfamiliar—have all heard of her triumph, congratulating her when they have a chance. Her cabin members save her both horns of the Colchis bull, instead of the one horn she asked for. Her brother even lets her join him at the front of the line on the way to dinner.
The children from Ares' Cabin are littered with injuries. Clarisse had a gash on her cheek, her right arm in a sling. Steven Yang's face was still red from his encounter with the bull. Kendrick O'Connell, the newest member of Ares Cabin, had his arms wrapped in bandages to soothe the burns from the Bull's fire breath. Griffin had a gash above his eye and a limp that he swore didn't bother him. Ajax was covered in bruises, and small cuts that have already began to heal. There's also a cut stretching from beneath his eye to his ear.
On the other hand, Adrestia had pretty much gotten out unscathed. There were no bruises, no cuts—not even a sign that she had been in a battle at all. Other than the pounding headache, she is completely fine. It made her wonder—made her ask herself why she wasn't as messed up as they were. What makes her so different? It's not that she cares for being different—she has always been different from them—what she cares for is the off-chance her siblings might loathe her for being different. That they might hate her for getting away without the consequences that make her a warrior.
The Ares Cabin dynamic does not consist entirely of love like other cabins. Yes, there is still love and fondness for one another, but it is often hubris and competitiveness that pollutes Cabin Five. It is their need to be better than the rest of Camp, as well as their own siblings, that drives them. There is no space for much else, especially not on the battlefield. There is a time for love, and fondness, and caring, but that time is not often.
Perhaps that is why Adrestia always finds dinner to be a bore. Cabin Five is always one of the loudest (other than Cabin Eleven due to their strength in numbers), but all they can talk about is battle, and boasting about their own skills, and arguing over who can eat more. Adrestia is not the most partial to their dinner conversations, but what else is there talk about? Other than the fact that they are children of war and enjoy listening to rock music, they do not have much in common.
Perhaps that is why Adrestia is the quietest child of war sat at that table. Sat at her brothers side, picking at her food with her fork and a slight grimace, her leg bouncing relentlessly as a result of her uncanny need to wreak havoc.
The only excitement dinner had to offer was the arrival of Percy and his cyclops friend, Tyson.
A kid from Apollo cabin who, shockingly, didn't realise how loud his voice was, makes an inquisition. "Who invited that?" There was a rude, judgemental edge to their tone. Percy sent daggers in the direction of the boy who had asked, but it was obvious he didn't have a clue who had actually said it.
