~Book Dedication~
For the Black Sheep of the family. Even though you try somehow it's still your fault. You're trying and others see it even if they don't say anything out loud. It's not your fault, don't let them make you believe it too.
Ayden has...
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Cameron had found Ayden after mealtime and gave her a plate of food she'd saved. Ayden was in the water this time. No one was supposed to be out, but Ayden couldn't sleep in the stables. She always had nightmares. The same one over and over and she didn't know what to make of it.
"I got you food." Cameron sat down on the shoreline.
"And this is why you are my friend," Ayden laughed as she floated on her back for a moment. The stars stared back at her.
"Annabeth was looking for you earlier?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I was on—."
"Patrol, she knows," Cameron laughed. "Ayden—." There was a long pause. Cameron was deciding whether she wanted to admit this. Cameron was older, she was supposed to know more, but sometimes even she wanted comfort.
"You know our rule," Ayden stood up in the water. "Doesn't matter what it is or how long it will take if it bothers you it bothers me too." The three of them had created that a week after Annabeth, Percy, and Grover left camp. They were each other's support system and they desperately needed it.
"It's about Luke," She muttered. Ayden's body froze for a moment. "So do you still want to listen?"
"You aren't going to like turn on me right now, right?" Ayden asked. "Cause Cameron I can't handle that."
"No, no, no," Cameron shot out immediately. "Gods no. I would never betray the ones I love like that." Ayden pushed her wet hair back from her eyes. "It's just—I hate him. I've never felt like that before, I mean, I've disliked people, but I've never hated anyone like this before, I never thought I would hate someone like this."
"Hate is born from broken love," Ayden muttered. "You loved him." It was silent. They could hear the crickets from the woods behind them and the way the water hit the rock shore.
"I mean, I don't even know if I did love him, but he knew me better than anyone else and—," She laughed a little. "Well I thought I knew him better than anyone else, but I was wrong. I didn't know him at all." Cameron's voice slowly died off.
"I'm not going to act like I know what kind of connection you sought in Luke, but I could see it." Ayden walked from the water. The drops dripped from her body and returned to the water. "I could see it from the way he looked at you, he cared. In some twisted way, he did care for you Cameron and I think you knew that too," Ayden paused in front of the redhead. "I think that's why you hate him so much. You know he cared for you too and he still betrayed you."
"I just," Cameron shook her head. "He knew everything. Everything that's happened to me. Oh god," She covered her face. "I feel like a fool, I let him in, I trusted him and he turned around and threw it in my face." Ayden grabbed her towel and dried herself off a bit before sitting next to Cameron. "He knew–."
