Nyctophilia

6| I BECOME THE SUPREME LORD OF THE BATHROOM(PT 4)

Before he could pull me back, I caught the salty scent of the interior, like
the wind on the shore at Montauk. The interior walls glowed like abalone.
There were six empty bunk beds with silk sheets turned down. But there was
no sign anyone had ever slept there. The place felt so sad and lonely, I was
glad when Chiron put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Come along,
You two."
"It was and it still is, I'm the only person there now too"
Most of the other cabins were crowded with campers.
Number five was bright red-a real nasty paint job, as if the color had
been splashed on with buckets and fists. The roof was lined with barbed wire.
A stuffed wild boar's head hung over the doorway, and its eyes seemed to
follow me. Inside I could see a bunch of mean-looking kids, both girls and
boys, arm wrestling and arguing with each other while rock music blared.
The loudest was a girl maybe thirteen or fourteen. She wore a size XXXL
CAMP HALFBLOOD T-shirt under a camouflage jacket. She zeroed in on me and
gave me an evil sneer. She reminded me of Nancy Bobofit, though the
camper girl was much bigger and tougher looking, and her hair was long and
stringy, and brown instead of red.
I kept walking, trying to stay clear of Chiron's hooves "We haven't seen any other centaurs," I observed
"No," said Chiron sadly. "My kinsmen are a wild and barbaric folk, I'm
afraid. You might encounter them in the wilderness, or at major sporting
events. But you won't see any here."
" True, you know Chiron we have a forest near my school, there are centaurs there, they're nice because of Hagrid" Celeste speaks up
"You're from?"
"Hogwarts, my parents were from England" celeste answers
"How do you know?" I ask
"They went to the school i go in" Celeste answered sadly, as if suddenly realising what she did her cool exterior returned.
"You said your name was Chiron. Are you really..." Celeste asks trailing off.
He smiled down at her. "The Chiron from the stories? Trainer of Hercules
and all that? Yes, Celeste, I am."
"But, shouldn't you be dead?" i continue.
I hear Celeste make a noise of disbelief.
Chiron paused, as if the question intrigued him. "I honestly don't know
about should be. The truth is, I can't be dead. You see, eons ago the gods
granted my wish. I could continue the work I loved. I could be a teacher of
heroes as long as humanity needed me. I gained much from that wish...and I
gave up much. But I'm still here, so I can only assume I'm still needed."
I thought about being a teacher for three thousand years. It wouldn't have
made my Top Ten Things to Wish For list.
Celeste snorts "i remember hearing these thoughts at that time and trying not to laugh"
"Celeste!" warned Fred all traces of his usual playfulness now gone. "Oh shit- sorry" Sally just sighs her children had started to swear a lot but oh well they had grown up now. ."what do you mean hearing thoughts?" Hermione asks with an accusing tone.
"Ah shit.......?" Celeste answered hesitantly.
"Doesn't it ever get boring?"
"No, no," he said. "Horribly depressing, at times, but never boring."
"Why depressing?"
Chiron seemed to turn hard of hearing again.
"Oh, look," he said. "Annabeth is waiting for us."
"Percy you kelp brained human-" Celeste looks at me and says "why would it not get depressing? Imagine all the people you've known and taught die because you couldn't do anything and you live on with all the guilt" "it's a horrible thing" she adds on. This time there's something in her voice.

She would know it the best, so many of her friends and people had died because of a certain some person.

***
The blond girl I'd met at the Big House was reading a book in front of the
last cabin on the left, number eleven.

When we reached her, she looked me over critically, like she was still
thinking about how much I drooled.

I tried to see what she was reading, but I couldn't make out the title. I
thought my dyslexia was acting up. Then I realized the title wasn't even
English. The letters looked Greek to me. I mean, literally Greek. There were
pictures of temples and statues and different kinds of columns, like those in
an architecture book.
"Annabeth," Chiron said, "I Have masters archery class at noon. Would you take Percy and Celeste from here?"
"Yes sir"
"Cabin eleven," Chiron told me, gesturing toward the doorway. "Make
yourself at home."
Out of all the cabins, eleven looked the most like a regular old summer
camp cabin, with the emphasis on old. The threshold was worn down, the
brown paint peeling. Over the doorway was one of those doctor's symbols, a
winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it. What did they call it...? A
caduceus.
Inside, it was packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds. Sleeping bags were spread all over on the floor. It
looked like a gym where the Red Cross had set up an evacuation center.
Chiron didn't go in. The door was too low for him. But when the campers
saw him they all stood and bowed respectfully.
"Well, then," Chiron said. "Good luck, Percy, Celeste. I'll see you at dinner."
He galloped away toward the archery range.
I stood in the doorway, looking at the kids. They weren't bowing
anymore. They were staring at us, sizing us up. I knew this routine. I'd gone through it at enough schools. I'm pretty sure Celeste did toi, she had changed a lot of schools with me too.
"Well?" Annabeth prompted. "Go on.".

So naturally I tripped coming in the door and made a total fool of myself.
There were some snickers from the campers, but none of them said anything. Celeste doesn't laugh nor does she help me up i get up and glance at her, she's frozen, i follow her gaze to find her looking at a pair of red haired twins.

Celeste and the twins stiffen

Annabeth announced, "Percy Jackson,Celeste potter, meet cabin eleven."
"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked.
I didn't know what to say, but Annabeth said, "Undetermined."
Everybody groaned.
A guy who was a little older than the rest came forward. "Now, now,
campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy and Celeste. You can have those spots on the floor, right over there."
"Shit " Celeste mumbled she had been close to him, even now when she heard his name being said she felt a burst of sadness and his betrayal hitting her.
He had been her first friend at the camp and was almost like a brother but it wasn't really true was it? They were all just tools for him.
Hermes shot her a saddened look, knowing how much what happened had effected the girl. She shot him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.
Riki looks at her, his gaze however is different from the other people's gaze. It isn't sorry or sympathetic, he knows she doesn't like them nor does she need them.
The corners of Riki's mouth turns down as he takes her hand and kisses her knuckles to let her know that she isn't alone.
He knows how she cope up her emotions, how in the wizarding world she had to watch her expression even as a child. In half blood camp too she had been guarded in the beginning but she loosened up after sometime.
The guy was about nineteen, and he looked pretty cool. He was tall and
muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. He wore an
orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different-
colored clay beads. The only thing unsettling about his appearance was a
thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash.
"This is Luke," Annabeth said, and her voice sounded different somehow. I glanced over and i could've sworn she was blushing. She saw me looking at her expression hardened again. "He's your councelor for now."
"For now?" I asked
"You're both undetermined," Luke explained patiently. "They don't know
what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."
I looked at the tiny section of floor they'd given us. I had nothing to put
there to mark it as my own, no luggage, no clothes, no sleeping bag. Just the
Minotaur's horn. I thought about setting that down, but then I remembered
that Hermes was also the god of thieves.
I looked around at the campers' faces, some sullen and suspicious, some
grinning stupidly, some eyeing me as if they were waiting for a chance to
pick my pockets.
"How long will I be here?" I asked.
"Good question," Luke said. "Until you're determined."
"How long will that take?"
The campers all laughed.
"Come on," Annabeth told me. "I'll show you two the volleyball court."
"we've already seen it."
"Come on."
Celeste grabbed my wrist and dragged me outside, following behind annabeth. I could hear the kids of cabin eleven laughing behind me.
When we were a few feet away, Annabeth said, "Jackson, you have to do
better than that."
"What?"
_________________________

Ayo extra long chapter for you 😉

Hope you like it

Pls comment i feel lonely rn and kinda wanna kill me brother cuz he's being a biach
Send help-