Daughter of Wine

Leo

I feel ridiculous. Nyssa told me not to wear my camp clothes, and the only thing I have besides that is the clothes that Aphrodite gave me, which I've washed and all, but still feel silly. My cabin leads me to the Dionysus cabin. A lilac colored building covered in green grapevines, with a leopard head hanging over the doorway. My whole cabin is more excited than I've ever seen them. I've heard stories about the Dionysus parties, but I can't imagine the whole camp will fit inside the tiny building. That is, until I step inside. 

The building is bigger on the inside than the outside. My senses are immediately overwhelmed. The walls are a deep purple color, with black-and-white checkerboard tile floors. There are gold chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, but they're turned off, the only light coming from LEDs around the edges of the ceiling and laser lights that change color as they flash across the enormous room. Along the sides of the cabin are golden dividers, with a bunk between each one. There's music blasting from a stage in the far left corner, where an Apollo kid is very impressively singing Livin' on a Prayer. 

The other thing is that as soon as I step in the doorway, the whole rooms seems to turn sideways for a moment. Then, I just feel good. I feel happy, confident, and incredibly strong. 

"Woah," I manage. 

"Yeah," Nyssa smiles. "The whole cabin makes you feel that way."

I shake my head and laugh, "Okay, yeah, this is awesome." 

"You guys made it!" I see Calli appear from the crowd. She seems to move in slow motion, the crowd parting naturally for her. She's in a deep purple silk shirt, with thin sleeves, which is loose around her neckline, and allows for a delicate gold necklace to hang around her collarbones and to her chest. The bottom off the shirt ends in a V, revealing the curves of her waist. She has on tight black pants, and golden heels. Her hair is braided down her shoulder, revealing thick gold hoops in her ears. Her makeup is done too, her usual, light way, but with a deep red lipstick. She looks amazing. 

Nyssa crosses her arms. "Are you kidding? We wouldn't miss this for the world." 

The two girls hug, much to my surprise. 

"You doing karaoke again?" Calli asks her, shooting her a knowing look. 

Nyssa's face reddens, "Yeah, I don't think so."

Calli laughs at some shared memory they have, then turns to me. "What about you, Human Torch?" She elbows me. "I'm signed up to sing some Latin party anthems, and I need a partner." 

I very quickly shake my head. "Uh uh, no way. I'm not a karaoke guy." 

Cali frowns, looking disappointed. "Come on, Leo. It's not that bad. It's fun."

Every cell in my body shrivels with anxiety. I don't want to disappoint her, but singing in front of people is not my thing. 

"Please?" She tries. 

I shake my head. "Sorry mamacita." 

Her frown deepens. "Well, alright. I'll find someone else." 

With that, she disappears into the crowd. 

Nyssa is looking at me like I've just killed a puppy. 

"What?" I ask her. 

"Dude, she wanted to sing with you." 

"Yeah, but I don't sing like that. I'd embarrass myself." 

Nyssa shakes her head. "You don't get it. She wanted to sing with you." 

I shrug my shoulders. "And?"