ᴾʰᵒᵇᵒᵖʰᵒᵇⁱᵃ [ᴶᵃˢᵒⁿ ᴳʳᵃᶜᵉ]

ε.

Kakorrhaphiophobia- Fear of failure or defeat

"No," Annabeth admitted, her face falling. Her hand reached down and grasped Aza's, who squeezed gently. She felt her heart ache as every camper began to mutter, the mood dampening. Each and every camper missed Percy, even if they didn't want to admit it - even Clarisse, though she wasn't at camp, was worried, and she had hated Percy for years. The first day, it was entirely plausible that Percy had gone on some spontaneous trip, but the instant Sally Jackson didn't know where her son was, that theory was debunked; Percy told his mother everything, especially every travel of his. The second day was when the worry truly set in, and when the search teams were sent out. It was when the rumors began to spread around camp; some said Percy had been kidnapped in the night by Kronos' avengers, some said Percy went on a secret mission to Olympus. But no one truly knew where he was. The third day is when the anxiety set in; no one knew where he was, and it was when the fears became more real and the possibility that he was dead became real.

Another girl stepped forward, and Aza's teeth clenched in anticipation. It was Drew Tanaka, an admittedly beautiful Daughter of Aphrodite. She was a tall, slim Asian girl with dark hair that fell in annoyingly perfect ringlets down her back. She wore plenty of jewelry - golden bangles, bedazzled rings and a necklace with gems that almost blinded Aza every time she looked at it. Drew's face sported makeup that was perfect enough to make a makeup-artist cry. Somehow, she managed to make the less-than-flattering neon orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, paired with ripped jeans, look glamorous enough to make even the most beautiful model feel inferior.

But what Drew Tanaka had in looks, she lacked in personality - she was catty, rude and had a superiority complex that aggravated Aza to no end. But what was worse was that Aza couldn't find it in her to hate Drew. As the Daughter of Phobos, the god of fear, Aza had the power to identify other's fears (and to use it against them), and Aza could always feel the fear radiating off of her. She knew that inside, Drew was scared and terrified that she would never be good enough; she only became the cabin counselor after the death of Silena Beaugard, and she was terrified to never be as good as Silena. The fallen hero, who had sacrificed herself in the war, was kind and beautiful. She was someone that everyone loved, and someone who loved everyone. And Drew just wasn't that person, and that was okay. But Drew's fears twisted her, twisted her personality into someone just dislikable and rude. Before, Drew was just another annoying Daughter of Aphrodite that seemed to think she was more beautiful than everyone (a thought that, while rude, was rather true in Aza's opinion). But once she got the taste of power that one received when a cabin counsellor, she began to twist. She wanted more, and she wanted respect. But no one would ever give it to her, not after they had met Silena, and Drew acted out accordingly.

While Aza could never hate Aza, she was still extremely annoyed with the girl as she looked over their new campers. Drew's earthy brown eyes shone and she held herself with an air of confident that everyone wished they could copy. Her eyes slid over Leo as if he wasn't even there and landed on Jason, whom she examined closely like she was determining if he was worthy of even an ounce of her attention. She finally tore them from Jason, who looked extremely uncomfortable, and landed on Piper. Drew's lip curled closer towards her nose as though the girl were an expired eyeshadow (an apparently unforgivable offense to most in the Aphrodite Cabin).

"Well," Drew said, settling her perfectly manicured hands on her hips as her eyes once more met Piper's. "I hope they're worth the trouble." It seemed to Aza that her words were pointed more at Piper than anyone, as Drew seemed reluctant to look anywhere but the girl. Drew examined the girl closely as if analyzing her in every way. She could feel the fear that radiated from the girl as she looked at Piper, as if she were intimidated by the girl. But if Drew was, she didn't look like Piper's presence shook her in the slightest. She still held the same air of confidence; her back was straight and her shoulders were level. Her ruby-red lips, painted with only the best liquid lipsticks (Aza was sure she had heard the girl talk about 'Smashbox' lipsticks, but she wasn't sure of the shade) was curled slightly in a smirk, like she thought - no, knew - she was better than everyone. Aza wasn't sure if it was a façade or if Drew had finally begun to fool herself into thinking she truly was. Her chest was puffed out lightly and her left leg supported all her weight, popping out her right hip in the process.