"In Latin my name, Aurelia, basically means 'the golden one.' My mother literally named me her golden light through the storm that was her life. That is my job. To be everyone's light at the end of the tunnel. And I got stuck worrying so much about...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Aurelia was uncomfortable.
After showering, she changed into a pair of Piper's gray lounge shorts and a tighter white T-shirt.
But now she was vaguely aware of how much skin she was showing: her stomach, her arms and shoulders, and her legs and thighs (because gods be damned those shorts were not very long).
"Woah," Percy joked, covering his eyes when he saw her. "What happened to your clothes?"
"Perv," she murmured, flicking his forehead.
Coach Hedge had taken the helm and the other demigods gathered below for dinner. It was the first time they'd all sat down together—just the eight of them. Their presence should have been reassuring, but seeing them all in one place was just a reminder that the Prophecy of Eight was unfolding at last. They were under way, with a bunch of angry Romans behind them and the ancient lands ahead. The giants would be waiting. Gaea was rising. And unless they succeeded in this quest, the world as they know it would be destroyed.
Percy and Aurelia were the last to stroll into the mess hall and all eyes flickered to them as they entered. Aurelia felt very self-conscious (not that she let anyway know).
She hated how intense everyone was. The tension in the mess hall was like an electric storm brewing, which was totally possible considering Percy's and Jason's powers. In an awkward moment, the two boys tried to sit in the same chair at the head of the table. Sparks literally flew from Jason's hands.
"You two do realize, there are two heads at the table?" Aurelia asked as they stared at each other in a silent brief standoff.
Annabeth, who stood near Aurelia, chuckled as she moved to the chair they fought for. Both backed off immediately as Annabeth slid into it.
Annabeth looked at Aurelia and nodded to the other head in a simple, take it.
Aurelia didn't object as she slid into the chair opposite of Annabeth. Jason and Percy sat on opposite sides of the table—Percy next to Annabeth, Frank next to Percy, and Hazel between Frank and Aurelia. Jason sat across from Percy, next to Leo, and Piper on the other side of Aurelia.
The crew began to compare notes on what had happened in Salt Lake City, but even Leo's ridiculous story about how he tricked Narcissus wasn't enough to cheer up the group.
