Finding it

Edited: KATIE 3

Aphrodite's saddened, almost apologetic face stays captured in the back of my mind. If it weren't for my mother's fussing about the charriot, and Miranda's fear of heights as we rode through the sky, the goddess' unsettling look would have kept me overthinking.

After hours of flying, we finally land and a boy with tan skin and sleek black hair approaches us. "Thank you." Miranda says when he offers his hand, telling her to watch her step as we set foot on the earth again.

"Of course," The boy smiles. "My name is Alex Sorin, I'll be your guide at New Rome and the Third Cohort."

The boy turns to me and offers me his hand as I follow my sister to the ground. I take it, "I'm Katie."

He smiles, "Nice to meet you, Katie."

"I'm Miranda Gardener, We're daughters of Demeter." My sister grabs our bags. "Where are we headed?"

"Right this way," Alex leads us through New Rome and towards the cohorts. We follow him around but it's hard to focus on the route when the agriculture and architecture around us are so beautiful. 

"Daughters of Demeter, huh?" Alex smiles, "You must be happy about all the greenery. My best friend is a son of Ceres."

"Its amazing here. At Camp Half Blood we have fields of row crops and a forest, but this . . ." Miranda trails off. I can only nod in agreement. Everything here compliments one another. It isn't just a camp, its a city, a lifestyle, a home, a whole other world. 

"Better than you Greeks, yeah?" He says.

Immediately I get defensive but when I turn around to defend our camp I see his playful face, he sticks his tongue out at me. 

"I was about to be really mad at you, Sorin," I raise my eyebrows with a light laugh.

"Remind me not to insult a Greek again, uh. . ."

"Gardner," I offer.

"Katie Gardner." Alex smiles. "Are you full siblings? Your last names are—"

"Slightly different." Miranda cuts him off. 

"Katie Gardner, Miranda Gardener." I say. "We're not full siblings."

"Interesting." He muses, and the three of us fall into a comfortable silence as Miranda and I continue to gape at the scenery.

"This," Alex says when we arrive at a huge building, "is the Third Cohort."

He opens the door for us and instantly the chatter around us makes me feel almost as if we're back at Camp Half Blood. There are so many demigods having so many conversations. So many  are laughing, teasing, reading, joking. 

"Third Cohort!" He calls out. "Our friends from Camp Half Blood have arrived. These are daughters of Demeter, although they are not part of the legion, Reyna has given direct orders to treat them as if they are. All demigods are welcome here."

I see Miranda give a small wave and I resist the urge to laugh at the face she's making. Connor is rubbing off on her. . .even if she was mischievous before the two became a couple. 

To my surprise a few Roman campers come up and introduce themselves to us. We shake hands and smile. A boy with brown skin and blue eyes. A tan girl with chocolate hair. A blond boy with an array of freckles. A red haired girl with multiple piercings. A dark skinned girl with gorgeous braids in her hair. A boy no older than twelve with a scar on his cheek. 

I let out a breath of uneasiness I wasn't aware I was holding in. I was nervous that not all Romans would be accepting of the Greeks entering their camp, but so far they seem to be genuinely kind. 

Alex turns to us. "If you have any questions, I'm always available."

"Oh!" I remember, turning away from Miranda's conversation with a girl with long black hair. "Could you show us where the shops are? We're meeting people there."

He gives a lopsided smile and in no time we're at our destination. Instantly, my eyes find the curly headed boy I've been searching for. "Travis!"

My boyfriend turns to us and his face breaks out into a smile when he sees me. He rushes over and engulfs me into a hug. 

Miranda slugs him on the shoulder. "Hey!"

"Ouch, Gardener!" Travis makes a face and the two of us separate. "What the hell?"

"Wheres you're brother?"

"He's inside a shop, he'll be out in a minute." Travis rolls his eyes. Then he looks up as if just now noticing the boy with us. He clears his throat and his eyes harden on Alex.

"I'm Travis Stoll. Katie is my girlfriend and Miranda is with my brother." He says. "Son of Hermes."

"I'm single but alright, good for you," Alex makes a face. "I'm Alex Sorin. Son of Apollo. I'm their guide around New Rome and the camp."

Travis' mouth sets into a tight line and him and Alex stare hard looks at each other. The air between the for of us is tense and only loosens up when Connor comes up behind Miranda. 

"Boo!" The younger Stoll shouts, causing my sister to jump.

Miranda shouts aloud, then whirls around to playfully shove her boyfriend. "What the hell, Connie!"

The three of us watch as Connor starts running off, laughing to himself as Miranda begins to chase him. After a moment she stops where she stands and reaches out. On her command plants sprout from the ground at trip the son of Hermes. He falls to the ground and Miranda and Connor laugh.

Alex joins in and I begin laughing too, but Travis' jaw is still locked tight and I can see he's still visibly upset. I frown. "Whats wrong?"

My boyfriend struggles for an answer and I reach up to lightly cup his cheek in my hand. "Are you okay?"

He brushes me off. "I'm fine."

I'm taken back by the briefness of his reply. Why did his mood have to change so suddenly when he realized Alex was with us? "Are you sure?"

He nods and tries for a smile. "Come on, you want to get started on shopping before Chiron gets here?"

I smile at him. Maybe his downcast mood was nothing. "Lets go."

He kisses me and grabs my hand. I kiss him back. 

Edited august 12, 2020