O, Hekate...

Lena Dao. 15. Daughter of Hecate.

[lena-dao]

Look at that! A spider.

[lena-dao]

dancingdaphne‌:

“Oh! No one here. People at cheer used to tease me all the time. In like, a totally loving and supportive way.” Daphne explained, not wanting to throw anyone under the bust. “Teddy was confused at first, but we’ve come to an understanding.”

“They did it in a loving and supportive way? But it still bothered you, didn’t it?”

[lena-dao]

Look at that! A spider.

[lena-dao]

dancingdaphne‌:

“Neither do I!” Daphne admitted with a laugh. “People make fun of me all the time with my ‘darns’ and my ‘shoots’, but I don’t mind.” She smiled, shrugging her shoulders.

“Wait, who’s making fun of you here?”

[lena-dao]

Look at that! A spider.

[lena-dao]

dancingdaphne‌:

“Like, swearing cursing or..” Daphne waggled her fingers in the air as if to prove a point. “Magic cursing?”

“Magic cursing, of course,” But Lena was kind, so her. curses were more along the lines of never being able to sleep without feeling itchy all over or always finding hair in their food. They deserved so much worse, but she didn’t know enough magic for that, “I don’t swear all that much.”

[lena-dao]

Look at that! A spider.

[lena-dao]

dancingdaphne‌:

“Oh yeah, that’s a good point.” Daphne nodded seriously. “All animal abusers would be brought to justice.”

“But as it turns out, I can’t understand dogs... I’ll have to satisfy myself with cursing them once they’ve been caught.”

[lena-dao]

Look at that! A spider.

[lena-dao]

dancingdaphne‌:

“How do you mean? Do dogs see a lot of crime here or something?”

“Yeah, actually. I was thinking of all the dogs that are abused by humans every day.”

[lena-dao]

Look at that! A spider.

[lena-dao]

dancingdaphne‌:

“What if you could read a dog’s mind?” Daphne offered, raising her eyebrow curiously. “You can’t tell me that wouldn’t be awesome.”

“If only. Imagine all the people we could get arrested.”

[lena-dao]

Look at that! A spider.

[lena-dao]

dancingdaphne‌:

“What really? I want that power!” Daphne gasped, suddenly feeling the whole stamina thing was super lame.

“Right? It sounds cool at first glance... but I think part of the charm is not knowing what animals are saying. It’s like mind reading. Better off not knowing.”

[lena-dao]

Look at that! A spider.

[lena-dao]

dancingdaphne‌:

“Could I still ride though? You know…with my ankle?” Daphne asked, looking down at her brace. “Or…..maybe you could write me a doctor’s note?”

“Mmm, I don’t see why not... you wouldn’t be running or flying. And the pegasi are ten times smarter than a horse. I heard there was a demigod here who could talk to them.”

[lena-dao]

Look at that! A spider.

[lena-dao]

dancingdaphne‌:

“They look so wise and caring.” Daphne agreed, totally serious. “I’ve never rode a horse before…it looks fun.”

“The Aphrodite cabin gives lessons all the time. It’s probably one of the safest activities here,” Compared to the Flag and the lava wall, at least.

[lena-dao]

Look at that! A spider.

[lena-dao]

dancingdaphne‌:

“Oh! I’d totally do that!” Daphne smiled, excited now. “I was totally a horse girl when I was a kid. Well, I would have been…I sort of focused on cheer, but I think I would have been one of those kids who was obsessed with horses if I weren’t obsessed with dance.”

“The idea of someone not being a horse person baffles me.”

[lena-dao]

Look at that! A spider.

[lena-dao]

dancingdaphne‌:

“I’ve….never ridden a pegasus before.” Daphne admitted. She’d been too scared. “It just seems too intense.”

“The first time is a roller-coaster ride. I threw up after. But you don’t have to fly, they can walk like a horse.”

[lena-dao]

Look at that! A spider.

[lena-dao]

dancingdaphne‌:

“I know…” Daphne agreed, looking sad. “I’ll stop, I promise.”

“Don’t be sad. Isn’t this a perfect excuse to ask if you can just ride a pegasus all the time?”

[lena-dao]

Look at that! A spider.

[lena-dao]

dancingdaphne‌:

“I’ll stop…I promise.” Daphne sighed, unable to look into Lena’s eyes she felt so guilty. “It’s just so hard…and sometimes I just can’t stop, like if we win a game of capture the flag or have a really good song at the campfire I just want to get up and dance. And with training, I’m already so far behind, I don’t want to get rusty.”

“I wasn’t trying to scold you, Daphne... I know it’s hard, going against your nature. I just want you to get better and be pain-free.”

[lena-dao]

Look at that! A spider.

[lena-dao]

dancingdaphne‌:

“Crutches? Please not that!” With crutches, she was practically immobile. “I’ll be good, I promise!” Daphne swore, clasping her hands together. “I’ll even make you tons of stuffed animal doggies to sacrifice!” 

Lena winced at Daphne’s extreme reaction, “But Daphne, you said your pain was a five. And you haven’t stopped training, have you? No matter how much ambrosia or nectar you take, you won’t heal without rest.”

[lena-dao]

Look at that! A spider.

[lena-dao]

dancingdaphne‌:

“A little bit, but not a whole ton? Maybe like a 5 on the pain scale.” Daphne reasoned with a shrug. “Well, that’s good. I don’t think I could come if you guys sacrificed real dogs.” She said thinking of her childhood pet, Chewy.

Lena made a face, “I wonder if you’d benefit from a brace and crutches for a few weeks?”

“Never. My dad rescues dogs for a living, and I’d die first before hurting one.”

[lena-dao]

Look at that! A spider.

[lena-dao]

dancingdaphne‌:

“Yep. Twice a day.” Daphne reported. “Once in the morning and once before I go to bed.” But for whatever reason, it just wasn’t working…”Stuffed dogs?” Daphne asked, her eyes widening. “I’ve never heard of that in a dance before…”” She admitted.

“How bad does it hurt when you put weight on it?”

“Technically, we should be sacrificing real dogs, but... obviously, none of us are into that. I could never. So, stuffed toys are the next best thing, and I think she understands. Or at least... she hadn’t said otherwise.”

[lena-dao]

Look at that! A spider.

[lena-dao]

the dancingdaphne‌:

“So it seems.” Daphne admitted. This was only her first year at camp, so every day was a new adventure for her. She was always finding things out about the gods and her new life as a half-blood. “What kind of dance do you guys do?”

Lena took a look at Daphne’s ankle. “It looks pretty good, just a little red, a little swollen...” She looked up at her. “You’re icing it, right?”

“We usually gather around the hearth and do a ritualistic dance as we pray as we symbolically sacrifice stuffed dogs.”