Unusually empty [private]

I believe I have read this already, Bryce thought. Still, he forced himself to be interested in re-reading All About the Titans. He turned to the next page and came face-to-face with Mnemosyne's name. Gee, it's his mother, the titan of memory and written word. Right away, mixed emotions stirred inside Bryce. From lying in his bunk and reading, he sat up cautiously and closed the book. He pulled his glasses out and began wiping the glass.

Cabin 2, Hera's cabin, was unusually empty and quiet. The residents were out participating on that Octoberfest. Bryce, once heard the name and the theme, decided firmly he wasn't going. He did not need anything triggering his nightmares. Now, he was alone at the cabin, and had plenty of time to think. Anyway, Cabin 2 served as the cabin of minor gods' children. Of course, as a son of a titan, Bryce thought he didn't really live here. His being a titan child also made him a natural social outcast. Anyone who knew his parenthood tend to veer away from him. That, plus the countless nightmares he remembered as clear as glass made him resent Mnemosyne.

It seemed silly, though. He'd heard rumors about demigods hating their godly parent and siding with the titan army, the bad army. That seemed to reverse for him, and bended, too. He hated the titans for making his life like this, and what, he's going to side with the Olympus gods, who hated the titans and their supposed children? What choice did he got?

He wondered if there are any children of some titan here at camp. If yes, he wondered what that person feeling the same as he feel, or not. He didn't know many people at camp as many people did not know him. He knew most of the Athena children, as he's always with them, locked in the library. But other than them, and the new faces he's always interested, he's blank.

Exasperated by his mind thinking wildly again, he frowned and put his glasses back on, and stood up. He straightened his checkered button-down shirt briefly and snatched All About the Titans. Looking at the concrete floor of Hera, he started toward the library, only to bump into someone.

"Ah, sorry," he mumbled, taking a step back. "Careless of me. Are you all right?" He looked up from the floor and to the person with apology.

Bryce smiled courteously. "Great," he replied. Yeah, great answer. He could see that he had just pulled the girl out of a just-woke-up daze. That's good, he guessed. He clutched All About the Titans and smiled again, clearly showing he's about to leave. He dropped his gaze to the floor, and just taken three steps away when he hesitated to the next question.

Well, that was expected. "All About the Titans," he informed the girl matter-of-factly. "Boring book about the... and their what-nots," he continued quickly. He paused, his mind racing. How to tell her that he was just plain bored, and decided to re-read the book? He shrugged. "I'm just killing time. And it will probably help in a fight to know detail about them--especially Kronos. Some stocked knowledge is useful, eh?" He grinned at her, thinking about an inside joke. He was going to fight his uncle, then? The idea was ridiculous. Nevertheless, the atmosphere seemed to turn down. Without thinking, he said casually, "I also wanted to know more about my mom." After a moment, the son of Mnemosyne blinked.

He was sure he had said much. He looked away from the girl, his feet itching to move. He had to watch his mind and mouth the next time. They just seemed to move without him knowing consciously. Bryce was sure the girl would question him, and then scoot away. Just like the others. "What, you hate the titans, then?" he asked back, his lips curving into a forced half-smile.

Bryce almost smiled at the new girl's hesitation. She was now obviously thinking that he's a geek. That was true. Who wouldn't love books? They're like portals to the eyes. But he cannot blame the campers for not loving books for they have dyslexia. He would not have the illness with Mnemosyne as his mom. He secretly hoped that the girl just focused with that, and not what he said later. No such luck. He stopped fidgeting. "Yes," he slowly said without looking at the girl. "My mom is a titan." His voice had challenge to it, as if to say, yeah, my mom's a titan. What are you going to do about it?

Bryce went in a short flashback of his mind. It was his first week at camp, when he was fourteen. He remembered a kid who knew that he was a child of a titan. The kid ran away in terror, yelling there's a titan here! He remembered staying at Cabin 2 for a day in shame. He really did not want to get kicked out of camp. He snapped out of the flashback and looked at the girl. He wasn't sure she'd heard him right.

He turned and met the girl's eyes. He regarded her cautiously, looking for a sign that she was lying. Then again, who would want to make themselves unwanted by saying that he's a demititan? "You mean you're like me," he said, his tone surprised and wary. He narrowed his eyes, trying to remember if he'd met the girl on somewhere. Dyed hair, those eyes, that voice. It didn't rang a single bell to Bryce. "Who are you?" he asked.

Bryce adjusted his glasses and grinned. "That's relieving." Now he knew he wasn't alone in this camp all along. His previous throughts came back, and he wanted to ask the girl right now. But they have to wait later.

Bryce blinked, surprise by the sudden change of the girl's mood. He frowned. In his early psychology, he thought the girl is cheerful and bubbly. He can't believe he is wrong about that. "Bryce," he replied reluctantly. He looked pointedly at the girl. "Now, it's time you tell me yours." He met her staring contest fully, without backing down. He regarded her eyes, but the only thing did he see was annoyance. Bryce tilted his head, obviously confused. He wondered what did he say wrong. He hadn't made any remark that is hurtful, or something. He went through his previous words in vain. He averted his gaze to Cabin 2's wooden ceiling after he noticed the girl's fist clench. He thought he heard her bones clench. Bryce cringed mentally. He knew he must be imagining it.

Bryce nodded mutely, still finding the ceiling interesting. "It's just.... I'm not alone in this camp now--not the only demititan. That is relieving." Bryce brought his eyes back to the girl, hoping not to trigger more of her annoyance. Seriously, what had he said wrong? He gritted his teeth. He hated not knowing, of all his dislikes. He remembered the questions that he'd stacked for the girl. Bryce was disappointed he would not be able to ask them. If the girl didn't change this mood, he was escaping for the library.

Bryce shrugged and twirled the book once in his hands. He listened as she talked about being a demititan is no big deal. He looked at her, and said, "Maybe." He figured out he didn't need to ask his questions. The answers were too obvious on the girl, Raziel. He frowned when Raziel said that she could use it to scare others. His eyes widened. "You do that?" he snapped as she rolled her eyes on her words. "You enjoy others being scared? Seriously?" He stared at her, disbelief in his eyes.

Bryce looked away. He had to think. How did people treat him? Well, they're distant, they're nervous, and looking like they wanted to escape. Sometimes some are friendly, but when his mind speaks randomly and told them his mother, they'll start to veer away. "I do met people like that, sometimes," he admitted, "when I didn't tell my parentage, or lied about it. But it hardly matters." He seldom talked to others beside the kids on Cabin 6, and some others who would find the courage to talk to a book geek like him. His companions were books, and Bryce was long used to being ignored.

He looked at Raziel. "You didn't feel the same, then." It wasn't a question, just a statement of fact. It was clear on her. She was okay at being a demititan, while he isn't. Curse it. He found another demititan, and she didn't even shared an ounce of his resentment. The son of Mnemosyne sighed, exasperated.

Bryce gritted his teeth as he listened to Raziel. He still find that 'making fun' thing unacceptable, but he just nodded in agreement. They're different, as all people should be. He didn't bother saying more. "No," he said after a while. "I'm not missing it." Bryce should probably elaborate more. Books are amazing stuff, and the library offer secrets enough to make Bryce satisfied. Sure, he knew Starbucks, malls, outings, parties, and other fun stuff that Raziel seemed to say. But that wasn't the kind of fun he liked. He would enjoy more traveling to world wonders, ancient plazas and monuments.

He didn't react at all when Raziel pinched him in the forehead. He hesitated, and then said slowly. "I do. Often." He had to admit he thinks about that way too many times he's talking to others. It was a cowardly act, and Bryce wasn't determined to change that. But who can't help thinking that? On his part, his mind had too many rooms to think. "So I should change that. I'll try,"he said hesitantly. It was a vain promise. No way he could change his way of thinking quickly. But he'll try, because he understood Raziel, and knew she was right. Bryce sighed as he realized his mistake.

Bryce laughed briefly, his mind ahead of his mouth. He had to zip his mouth shut to stop his giggling. "You're right again, Raziel. I'm not calling you names, really. I understand you. But I've got more than that. Other than being a social outcast, that's not just what makes me so troubled with this demititan issue." He adjusted his glasses, and gave a kinder smile to Raziel. "No, Raziel, I cannot hate being a demititan. I think you've got a better end of being that," he guessed.

Bryce's mind was thinking if he should share his nightmare-and-memory issue. That seemed to private, but he did read on a book that sharing a problem makes it easier to carry. But he barely knew Raziel. Who knows if she's going to laugh about it? He studied Raziel again, which seemed silly since he already did that several times during this conversation.

Bryce pursed his lips, considering. He had never been the one to talk his personal discomforts to others. But hearing that someone was interested with it, it all just came spilling in a rush. He opened the book on his mother's page, Mnemosyne.

"My mother is Mnemosyne, the titan of written word and memory," Bryce began, glancing at Raziel. "I guess you now know why I'm with books. Anyway, that was supposed to be a good thing. But it... got opposite for me. I remember words easily, but I also remember my dreams." He tapped his forehead twice. "I got a wild imagination. My dreams often twisted into nightmares. And what's worst? I remember them all with perfect clarity. Almost all of them." In these words, Bryce's blue eyes got a faraway look. "You don't imagine it, do you?" he asked.

He closed the book with a pop. "That's the other thing." Bryce's voice had challenge to it again, as if daring Raziel to laugh through it. He randomly wondered if the girl will just shrug it off, and say that it is not a big deal. If that comes to that, Bryce thought of his possible response.

He shook his head. There I go again, he thought dryly. Thinking negative. She already told you it tends to drive people away! he scolded himself. He forced it down adn tried to think that Raziel would at least understand his story, as he understood her words.

“

Raziel's eyes lingered on the book's pages, recognizing the symbols in Ancient Greek and understanding them all with ease. Though she remained staring at the text, she carefully kept her two ears open to what Bryce had to say. She had to admit that it wasn't what she was expecting though.

"Wow, that's... that's horrible," she finally said. Her expression softened, but she didn't really know how to continue. 'I'm sorry that you had to go through that'? Was that the right thing to say? It sounded lame in her head. It just seemed like the kind of phrase every person would say and something about it just screamed pity. Raziel didn't know about Bryce, but she sure as hell didn't like being pitied. Her eyes turned a little glassy when she spoke next. "I can't really imagine... I mean, I'm no stranger to nightmares, but having to remember all the details about them for every single waking moment of my life? That would just suck." Raziel shivered. "I guess we just have to hope that they just stay in our heads. I wouldn't know what to do if they suddenly became real." She laughed, but it was more hollow than anything else. Bryce didn't need to know that she was only telling part of the truth. Raziel wouldn't know what to do, but that didn't mean that none of her nightmares had ever been real.

She paused there, letting a moment of silence pass as she bit the inside of her cheek. Had she spoken enough? Or did it still seem like she didn't give a damn about what the boy had said? In the past, Raziel was told that she was insensitive. That she turned a blind eye to others' feelings. She had blamed that on ADHD. However, she remained oblivious to the fact that it wasn't entirely because of her disorder. In fact, the situation now proved it. Raziel can be attentive. It was just that in some cases, she simply lacked the motivation to even try. And when she did try, she couldn't express herself well enough to be taken seriously. She hated it so much. Why couldn't they realize that she was making the effort? Could Bryce see that she was trying?

Bryce looked down. That's the kind of response he'd expected. He just nodded and closed the book with a pop. He turned his eyes to Raziel and scrutinized her face. She seemed truthful enough, but there was a glint of blankness in her eyes that Bryce can't place correctly. Was she thinking something? A thought nagged on Bryce's head. Is she lying? Well, that didn't seem it, but what is that look?

He smiled, pushing the thought aside. "Yeah. Horrible." That didn't even cover it. He'd heard about dreams getting forgotten by people every morning they woke up. He was sure that life is going to be wonderful. "They hope," he disagreed. "I prefer it happen on real life and not on my head. I can actually fight on real life, unlike in my head." He imagined throwing his daggers on the monsters he met, and not just being weaponless on his dreams. He imagined himself running at full speed away from monsters, unlike the way time slowed down in his dreams. Yep, more wonderful. Very wonderful.

He brought his eyes back to Raziel. His mind pulled the previous thought, and he began to wonder again. His mind spoke for him. "What are you thinking, Raziel?" he asked. He stared at her, at her dyed blond hair with his own blue eyes full of curiosity.

“

The glint of surprise in Raziel's eyes was very noticeable as her head snapped up to face Bryce. Was he for real? Did he even know what he was saying? "Be careful what you wish for," she began slowly. She really didn't know what to make of her fellow demititan. Crossing her arms, Raziel paused for a few seconds as she gathered her thoughts, looking back up at Bryce when she was ready to speak. "Maybe it's just me, but if I can remember all the bad things that happen to me either in my head or reality, I'd rather they remain in my head. It doesn't matter if I can fight or not. At least I can take comfort in knowing that they're just dreams, even if they make me feel like total crap afterwards."

Raziel turned to look at a point behind Bryce, seeing but not really seeing him at the same time. She was already miles away in her thoughts when his question snapped her out of her trance. Remaining transfixed at at that point in the distance, Raziel chose to go with whatever word that occurred to her first. "Right now? Well... I'm just a little amazed, y'know? That we're both demititans, but the similarity stops there." This time, she brought her gaze back to him, her features bearing a somewhat forced smile. "We're just so different, aren't we?"

Bryce didn't reply. It was an answer itself. Well, Raziel can't blame him if he wants that to happen. When you remember all your nightmares as clear as glass (and all of them tragic), you would want to fight, too, which you can't do in that scenario. He disagreed with her. She's not seeing what he was seeing.

At the next statement, his decision reversed. Suddenly, he was on his full agreement. Forget what he had said earlier about them being similar. It was the opposite. They're completely different, the opposite of each other. He looked down at his book. "Yeah," he said. There is a hint of disappointment at his tone, since he expected something different. "The similarity stopped there at our parents." He felt the need to change the track of conversation. "Your father. Who is he?" he asked directly. Right. Raziel may already conclude that he was an information-seeker, since he'd been inquiring her since then.

He tried to place her titan parent. Who might he be? Cronos? He opened All About the Titans gently and began flipping its pages, looking at the male Titans. He passed several faces, but wasn't able to place his mind on anyone. He looked back at Raziel, waiting.

“

Raziel didn't comment anymore on the subject, finding that it would be pointless. She had no intention of changing Bryce's mind, but then, shouldn't she have expected it from the moment she realized how different their worlds were? They were brought up differently - that much was clear - and Raziel couldn't tell which of them had the better deal. Maybe Bryce did. Sure, he worried about the nightmares he could never forget no matter how hard he tried, but Raziel worried about the nightmares-turned-reality that were forever imprinted on her mind. As he hated how he couldn't fight the torturous images in his head, she hated how she could no longer have the strength to fight as the Fates took away the silver lining she only glimpsed in the endless storm. But then, maybe she was just overthinking things and saw her life to be even worse than it already was.

Anyhow, one thing that Raziel had more or less expected in this encounter was Bryce's next question. Without asking for his permission, Raziel took the book from his hands and started leafing through the pages. Then, just as quickly, she returned the book with it now open at a certain page. Hyperion, the Titan of Light.

Bryce waited patiently as Raziel took his book and started flipping through the pages. He frowned when the girl held the book, and the page showed "Hyperion." Oh. Hyperion, the titan of light. He just nodded and brought his hand forward, waiting. That's all what he want to know. Her name is Raziel. Her father is Hyperion. They were the same, stopping at their parenthood. This meeting didn't meet his expectations, and he was disappointed. He wasn't about to pretend that he was still interested.

"May I?" Bryce gestured to the book. His hand was open waiting for Raziel to return the book. "I'm going. Thanks for the chat." Where was his next stop anyway? He went back to his previous thoughts... oh, right. The dreaded library. There he could think, and preoccupy himself with the letters he was reading. That would be fun. Bryce's mind thought of random things as he tried to think of how disappointed he was on the outcome of this meeting.

“

Raziel shrugged, lazily tossing the book into Bryce's waiting hands. She didn't need to ask him to know that he wasn't really in a good mood, which suited her just fine. That made two of them, anyway. Well, she wasn't mad or anything, but she had yet to decide what to make of the other demititan. Maybe Bryce was thinking the same thing with regards to her, but Raziel found that she didn't really mind. She usually didn't care what people thought, anyhow, and today wasn't an exception.

"Same," she finally said, almost a little too formally, as her head dipped forward in acknowledgment. Brushing some of her lighter-colored strands of hair out of her eyes, Raziel looked Bryce over and a thin smile to form on her lips. Time to cut this conversation short before it could get out of hand and besides, it was obvious that they didn't have anything more to say to the other. "Right then. See you around."