Clarity -Bean-

Ben rushed through the arena to escape the rain. For some reason, Ben did not mind most types of weather, but little drizzles bothered him the most. He often wanted to scream to his father to add something interesting to it. The hails and the storms gave Ben the courage to continue, but the little raindrops chilled him to the bone as they fell down one by one, shaking his tiny frame. For such a small person, Ben was never tossed about by storms or gusts of wind, which probably had something to do with his father. The god of winds was a better father than Ben had expected. He did not play with Ben’s head the way some godly parents might, and in the few instances when they interacted, he was very kind to Ben.

The reason that Ben hated mild weather was because of internalized fear. He used the weather as an analogy for life. Ben did not want to be mild. He did not want to be a drizzle while others were hurricanes. Ben did not want to be forgotten. Although he was tired, Ben mustered the energy to create a small wind around him as he hurried down the steps and into the training arena. Ben realized seconds too late that his wind might have been a little too big and he might’ve kind’ve hit the girl twirling around the center of the circular pit.

Ben’s eyes widened in shock as the girl tumbled to the ground. ”I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” Ben was a little klutzy. Every time he started a conversation with someone, it seemed because he knocked into them, whether it was with his wind powers or with his bulky body (ironically Ben is a little underweight).  Because he was a son of the wind god, Ben often felt trapped in his own body. He much preferred not to think about it though. Getting his mind off of the fact that he was trapped on Earth made it easier to ignore it.

The girl did not seem to mind being knocked over. In fact, she found it hysterical and began to laugh. This scared Ben. Anyone who acted like that was either ridiculously silly or incredibly drunk. He backed up a couple of feet.

Ben smiled, more out of relief than anything else, and walked forward. Children of the wine god were crazy, even sober. Ben sometimes wished he could be a little bit more like them, a little crazier, a little bit more laid back. He tried to be nice to everyone, but Ben was always so tense. Many people had told him to loosen up, but it was hard when Ben was always looking over his shoulder. Nervously, Ben took her hand. He was not used to this kind of introduction. Ben’s hand was sweaty and he felt very awkward shaking the girl’s hand. ”I’m Ben. Son of Aether.” Ben hated having to explain who his godly parent was. Aether was a minor god. Ben hated the word minor as well. It meant living in the Hera Cabin, shoved under the title ‘minor god.’ So his dad wasn’t as powerful as Zeus? Ben hardly cared. Aether had a lot less to do, and although some Zeus children had never met their father, Ben had met Aether several times. The girl interrupted his thoughts, and Ben looked up from the ground where he had been fixating his eyes ”Oh... I was just wandering around.” Ben shrugged. That was the truth. He had no real destination. Although he was originally going to his cabin, he figured it might be best just to wander around for a little bit.