A stroll along the beach

Christopher's shadow flickered over the sand like a tongue, darting into holes and slipping swiftly through the still morning air. Some of his cabin-mates thought he was crazy to be up at such an early hour, but watching the sunrise was something of a ritual for Christopher. He and his Mother used to make an occasion out of it, going to the hill behind their house and watching the watermelon sky every Wednesday morning. Even though his Mother wasn't here Christopher still came out every Wednesday, as if going through the ritual would somehow bring her closer to him.

The beach was his favorite place to come, especially on clear mornings. You could see all the way to the horizon and feel like you were the only person alive, like you could jump into the air and fly into the distant sun.

But today he wasn't the only one.

A young girl was sitting on the beach (A damsel in distress?). She wasn't familiar, so she was obviously one of the newer campers. Christopher crunched closer, the loosely packed grains shifting under his weight. The sound of the sea, familiar by now, was joined by the girl's voice.

"Nothing could be more gorgeous than a sunrise."

Christopher smiled and lay down beside her, his legs stretched out in a casual attempt to catch the sun. Propping himself up on his elbows, he smiled at the girl.

"Au contraire, why, you are surely far more gorgeous than any sunset!"

The smile widened into a grin to show he wasn't being serious. The last thing he needed was a young girl mooning after him.

"Christopher."

The exchange of names was casual, as if meeting strangers at the beach in the early hours was normal. Neka was an unusual name, but then half the demigods in the camp had unusual names. It seemed children of the gods couldn't escape them. The girl was obviously enjoying the sunrise from the way she kept glancing back and forth, and Christopher couldn't blame her. It was stunning. Candyfloss clouds we're caught on the fiery rays of the sun, and everything was bathed in a soft golden light.

"Who's your godly parent?"

His voice was soft, and tinged slightly with melancholy. Sunrises always made him feel like this. Sometimes the ache for his mother's company, for the familiar home he'd grown up in, grew so strong that it felt like a tear in his heart.

A little sand bug wriggled out of the sand beside his hand, it's feelers waving cautiously in the air. Then, without warning, it jumped.

Right onto Christopher's face.

He started, knocking the insect from his mouth as it tried to worm its way inside. Sand bugs frequently landed on him when he came out here. It was like he was a living bug attractor, or perhaps he just looked like a particularly appealing piece of driftwood.

It wouldn't surprise him.

The bug had obviously startled Neka, more than was usual for the sudden appearance. Perhaps she had an unreasonable fear of them. Christopher wouldn't know, he didn't usually stalk new people to the camp and find out their phobias. But he knew how to help her calm down.

It was another part of his morning ritual. Tai Chi. His Mother had introduced him to the exercises when he was eight as a way to keep his body fit. It wasn't difficult to learn, and it left him feeling invigorated after each session. Tai Chi calmed the mind and eased the body.

"So Neka, sometimes when I come down here I do a little exercise thing. Tai Chi. It calms me down. And you look like you need calming down." He grinned. "If you want you can join me. It's not hard and you don't even have to stop looking at the sunrise."

He clambered to his feet, dusting sand off his legs.