𝓞𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝓶𝓮𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼 ~ 𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓬𝔂 𝓙𝓪𝓬𝓴𝓼𝓸𝓷

V

I WAS NOT THRILLED about going back to my cabin, knowing who I'd find there. So, I decided to hang out with a friend instead, and nope, it wasn't Annabeth. Even though she felt like my only friend, I do have other friends too.

I knew exactly where to find him. As I was about to open the door of cabin 7, I heard a voice behind me. It was Carter Russo, Son of Apollo, and my friend. Carter had been at camp for a year before me. Our friendship started after a rough time with my siblings that landed me in the infirmary. Carter was on duty that night, and he took care of me, giving me ambrosia and fixing up my bruises. I don't remember much about how we became friends, but I do remember he was hilarious. It wasn't a shocker since Apollo apparently has a good sense of humour to . I might have stayed longer in the infirmary that night just to chat with him. He had me laughing so hard it hurt. Since then, we've been good friends.

We spend a lot of time practicing our combat skills together (I usually win, but he won't admit it), and whenever he comes up with a new song, I'm the first to hear it. Carters such a child of apollo, and you can tell right away. His olive skin always has a tan, especially in the summer. I've never seen him sunburned, just nicely tanned. He's got dark hair that's always on point and chocolate-colored eyes. He's pretty cute, but I'd never tell him; it'd just boost his ego even more.

"Ha, Vee the toilets go to you to, everyone's talking about the toilet incident at camp," Carter said as he walked up to me. "Crazy how fast gossip spreads here, right?" I replied. "So, what brings you here?" he asked. "Can't a friend visit?" I joked as we sat on the steps of cabin 7. "Just kidding, don't get all mad woman on me," he chuckled, knowing how to tease me.

Carter then asked about the minotaur killer. "Just some demi-god who took down that beast. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, from what I've analyzed ," I answered, feeling tired of the topic. Carter sensed my annoyance and smoothly changed the subject. "Want to hear a new song? I want to perform it at the campfire," he said, pulling out his ukulele and starting to sing. The way he sang was mesmerizing, making it seem effortless. As he sang, I felt other feelings about him I had to reminded myself that he's just a good friend. I guess it was obvious I wasn't paying attention anymore as he said"Valerie, are you even listening?" Carter asked, looking concerned. "What? Oh, yeah, your song is amazing. I gotta run, Clarisse needs me," I stammered, excusing myself and heading off the porch.

I felt kinda bad for leaving, but I needed to sort out my feelings and keep Carter in the friend zone. As I hurried back, I realized I had to face Clarisse. When I opened the cabin door, there she was, alone. Her expression seemed off, like she was upset. I quickly greeted her while rushing to grab fresh clothes before dinner; I didn't want to look like a drowned rat at the table. "What's your deal?" Clarisse snapped. "What do you mean, my deal?" I retorted. "You just had to mock me in front of everyone," she accused sharply. "And you had to pick on him. I get you're bored, but he's new, cut him some slack." I shot back, matching her tone.

"You're defending him over your own sister, and you barely even know him," she criticized. I was puzzled. When had she ever defended me? "So now I have to defend you even though I can't remember the last time you stood up for me?" I was getting angry. Who did she think she was, trying to control my life? As I packed my things, she continued, "I defended you when they took Mom, I looked after you every day, and protected you until grover came." Her mention of Mom fueled my frustration. "You don't get to bring that up. I was 9, what was I supposed to do?" I raised my voice. "And I was 11, taking care of you without a thought for myself." It hit me then, the weight of what Clarisse had done for me at such a young age.

I was so mad that I didn't give that another thought as I stormed out of the cabin, slamming the door. It felt like I had been walking all day, but right now I had to push through any tired feelings and head to my spot.

I found it my first summer at camp. It's right at the border of camp, I never told anyone about it, not even Annabeth. As I arrived at my spot, waves of relief flowed through my body. It was hard to find peace a lot of the times, but my spot, my spot was the most peaceful place on earth. It looked right out onto the lake. The best time to visit was when the sun was setting. I didn't know how long I spent there, but I must have missed dinner. I didn't care, I wasn't in the mood for eating or seeing Clarisse.

As the sun finally set, I left and headed back to my cabin. I walked by unnoticed by everyone. Which was good, I didn't want any questions on why I wasn't at dinner or where I was. I made it to my bed and fell asleep the minute my head hit my pillow.