Chapter Seven
1590 Words
Today was sunny; no, not as sunny as it would have been had Rhea and Bella stayed in Pheonix, but sunny for Forks, Washington.
Sunny enough that Rhea was looking forward to swimming at the beach. She would have looked forward to swimming even if it wasn’t sunny, she just knew that she wasn’t going to be looked at as weirdly by the others.
Rhea hummed to herself pulling her into Dutch braids, standing beside her tall boy in a royal blue bikini.
“You’re going to swim in this weather?” Bella asked walking into the bedroom after her shower.
“Yes,” Rhea said pulling on a black shirt with leggings and a navy skirt.
They were getting ready for their trip to La Push.
No one was going to keep her away from her element, not when she would be so close to it.
“Silly me, daughter of the sea god,” Bella said.
Rhea handing her a camera, it was something Jake made her before she left New York.
“Daughter of two sea gods.”
“My bad.”
“You’re forgiven, anyway, Jake made that camera which means the photoes will be better than any camera you’ve brought from the store.”
“That’s why your photographs were so pretty.”
“If you say so.”
“Wait, who’s Jake?”
“Son of Hephaestus.”
“God of the forge.”
“Along with being the God of Fire and Volcanoes.”
Rhea picked up her sport’s bag, she had already packed away food for the trip. She didn’t know what Mike or the others were bringing.
But she didn’t trust them on that front.
“You two heading to La Push?” Charlie asked.
Rhea nodded, heading towards the kitchen to pack what she had made.
“Are you going to the Spring Dance?” he asked.
“We were hoping we could go to Seattle instead,” Rhea said zipping up her bag, “Bella and I are running low on new reading material.”
“I also can’t dance, I have your two left feet,” Bella added.
Charlie stared, nodding his head.
Rhea put a food container in front of him, knowing him he would be heading into work after they left.
“You two have fun,” Charlie said taking the food container, nodding as he left the house.
Bella shrugged.
Rhea raised an eyebrow following Bella out to her truck, it didn’t take long to get to Mike’s family store... which sold hiking equipment.
Something that Rhea would think about, since she did enjoy. Rhea didn’t know the hiking trails around Forks, maybe she should ask Jasper and Alice for their tips.
Bella got Mike’s attention as soon they pulled into the parking lot.
“You two came,” Mike said.
Rhea stared at him, before moving to look at what his parents sold. She could see Lauren glaring at Bella from the corner of her eye.
“It’s as sunny as I said it would be,” Mike said.
Jessica stood behind him, a smile on her face putting her head on hiis shoulder.
Rhea didn’t know if she felt bad for Jessica since it didn’t look like he acknowledge that she was there or that she even existed.
“We’re just waiting for Lee and Samantha, you and Rhea could go in my car or Lee’s Mum’s minivan,” he continued.
“I can drive,” Bella said, “we didn’t invite anyone, but Lee or Samantha might have. We’ll need as much space as we can get.”
And I don’t like or trust you, Rhea thought.
Mike looked at them with large eyes.
It didn’t work, Rhea knew Will Solace and Mike’s puppy dog eyes had nothing on the son of Apollo’s, who was the only one who could make her stay in the camp’s first aid cabin.
Rhea hoped that Will never figured out she would kill for him. No one, baring Nico, could make her turn on him.
“I’ve brought a few things with me,” Rhea said, shrugging, “and I’m sure Bella won’t mind people storing things in the trunk.”
Bella coughed into her hand.
Rhea stared at her.
“You really are a b***h,” Lauren said.
“I’m taking that as a compliment,” Rhea said, “but I would suggest looking in the mirror.”
Rhea nodded walking towards Bella and Angelia, who were talking to each other. Rhea joining their conversation when they started talking about their English homework.
Rhea had done her essay about how the historical contention influenced Shakespeare’s plays. Bella wrote about how woman were treated in his plays.
Rhea did enjoy Anicent Greek plays more than she did English ones. Malcolm had given her a set of Greek plays... in Greek. It made her happy that only Annabeth couldn’t look past their parentage.
But then, Annabeth could be using that as an excercise for something else. Rhea was the reason Luke was dead, and Annabeth saw him as an older brother for years before Kornos got to him during his quest.
--
Rhea was amused that Bella had been right about Lee and Samantha bringing more people with them, two more and every seat counted in the end.
Since Bella was driving it meant that no one had to sit between Jessica and Mike, putting that person at risk if they happen to crush or something jumped onto the road while music was cranked up so high.
Bella and Rhea spoke to each other driving behind Lee’s minivan. There were a few surf boards in the back of Bella’s truck.
Rhea teased Bella about how she wasn’t the only crazy person going into the water.
“Can you check that?” Bella asked, her phone buzzing.
“As long as I don’t have to reply,” Rhea said.
“I’ll do that when we arrive.”
“Then sure.”
“Worrywart.”
“Alice texted; saying that she, Jasper and Edward have gone hiking if their family, something they do when ever it’s sunny... along with a text from Doctor Cullen about another appoitment.”
“Just when it’s sunny?”
“Hel if I know.”
“Very funny.”
“I thought it was.”
Bella sighed, parking before accepting her phone to reply to the Cullen’s text messages.
“Males are nuts,” Jessica said.
Rhea took her spots bag out of Bella’s trust.
Bella walking to sit down on a log.
“Rhea, I’ll look after your bag,” Bella said.
“Thank you,” Rhea said putting her bag down, taking her outer layers and handing them to Bella.
“You’re going in as well,” Lauren asked.
“Mum said I was basically born half-fish,” Rhea said without a second thought, fixing her bikini top.
“Well... your Mum is -”
“Dead,” Bella said cutting Lauren off, “she was brutally murdered, along with her step-father and her birth father dead in combat.”
“He was part of the navy,” Rhea added.
Lauren stared.
Rhea shrugged, taking off with the boys and their surfboards. She walked into the water, swimming as soon as the water was up to her chest.
She went down, spitting a nymph with inky black hair and tanned skin.
“You must be the ocean nymph of the area?” Rhea asked.
She just had to make sure no one noticed that she was missing. Not that she thought they would pay that much attention to her.
“I am,” she answered.
Rhea smiled spotting a surfboard.
“May I have your name, I’m Rhea.”
“Rialto, my names Rialto.”
“It’s very nice to meet you, if you ever need anything, please don’t be scared to connect me.”
Rialto nodded.
Rhea nodded, making her way to the surface and continued to swim alongside the surfboards. It wasn’t long before everyone was making their way back to the shoreline and she quickly followed.
“Here,” Bella said handing her her bag.
“I brought something to throw over the top,” Rhea said following her back towards the logs.
She blinked at the blue fure that Mike was poking at with a stick and wrapped herself in her towel.
“Blue fire, that’s new,” Rhea commented.
“Get dressed,” Bella said.
“Yes ma’am.”
Rhea nodded going behind Bella’s truck, drying the water on her skin and putting her clothing on. She just hoped no one noticed, maybe she was taking a stupid risk but the salt stayed on her skin.
Which was annoying enough on it’s own.
“Driftwood fire, the salt in the wood changes the colour of the flames,” Bella said.
Temperature dropping enough that Rhea was glad that she bullied Bella into packing her thickest jacket in her bag.
“Bella, put your jacket on,” Rhea said putting on her own.
“Come on, Rhea, we’re going hiking and I can show you the tide pools I almost fall into.”
“All of them then.”
Rhea grinned picking up her bag, most of the other girls weren’t up for it and most of the boys were.
“And you spent awhile telling me how pretty they were on the drive up,” she said, “maybe we can send some photos to Renee.”
- Writer
