Victoria Dia: The Missing God

Chapter 5: We get packed like sardines onto a couch

I didn't get a lot of sleep that night. It wasn't a result of the night light, I was terrified of the dark as a kid, so it was a bit comforting. It reminded me of when my mom would put me to sleep. My lack of sleep was most likely due to the thousands of thoughts rushing through my head as I tossed and turned. 

Given that half the Cabin woke up looking like they'd had the souls sucked out of them, I could assume none of us slept much.

It was pretty much understood that aside from Rachel and Chiron who would find out about our worries, theories, and concerns, the rest of camp was not to know of whatever was going on with our father. The only notable exemption being made for Nico Di Angelo who most likely already knew everything.

 I was sitting watching the Demeter and Aphrodite cabins go at it in a volleyball match. Aphrodite was winning 3-0. I was getting my hair braided by Jodie when I felt her tug rather harshly at my loose hair. I let out a sound of complaint before reaching for the blonde strands she was holding.

"Sorry, but Axel has been trying to get your attention for well over a minute now," she said, I looked up from where I was sitting to find Axel, in his traffic cone orange hoodie and looking down at me with his arms crossed. 

"What's gotten into you, Vic?" he asked me, as he examined me with his grey-colored eyes. "You and your entire cabin look like you crawled through Tartarus last night, what's going on?" 

"It's nothing, Axel, don't worry about it," I dismissed him, but I could feel his narrowed eyes trained on me. 

 I felt Jodie finish the braids pulling the hair away from my head, and tiey them together at the back of my head. They looked like a crown of laurels, on the back of my head. 

There was a spike of cheers as the Demeter cabin scored a point. My attention turned to the volleyball match, and from across the field, I spotted Will, surrounded by Austin, Nico, and Kayla, emphatically waving me over. 

"I'll be back," I told Axel and Jodie, as I passed him I felt Axel grab onto my blue flannel. 

"Dia," he said sternly, but I pulled away from him. I didn't turn back when he called my name again, as I walked over to my half-siblings. 

Nico was holding Will's hand as I approached, and I noted my Half-brother looked a lot calmer than he had this morning. Austin and Kayla however, looked about the same. 

"Are we going now?" I asked as I slowed, joining them. Will nodded at me, and I followed them as we walked over to the Cave of the Oracle. 

We walked in relative silence. The birds sang in the trees around us, it was an uncomfortable silence, like the one at the dinner table last night. It was bound to shatter at any moment. Austin was the first to break it. 

"So, if he's mortal again, then that means that Rachel wouldn't be receiving any prophecies from him right? Because the flowers are dying which probably means his powers aren't working right?" Austin asked, the rest of us let him continue. "Does that mean he would have to find Meg again and She would bring him to camp?" 

"I don't think Meg is his master anymore, I think that breaks when he becomes a god again," Kayla told him, Austin made a face. 

"Does that mean, that he would have to come back to camp with a whole new demigod?" he asked, I caught up to Will and Nico just as the son of Hades turned to look at him. 

"Would you rather he comes to camp with half a new demigod?" Nico asked if it was meant to be humorous, and I think I heard Kyla laugh a bit. It was a bit strange to think of the son of Hades trying to lift people's spirits.