Chapter 7: Paige Meets Her Long Last Arch Nemesis

                                    

                                          
                   
                          
Paige
                          
Day 1 of Doomsday (1:00 pm)
                          
            Something was rising through my stomach. And it was the feeling that I never thought that I could have. Seeing Austin triggered that feeling. All these years, I thought he was dead. And now, seeing him in front me made me feel like the old Paige, a socially awkward Paige. Austin was still Austin. He still wore his black eyeglasses, he still apply hair gel on his dark brown hair. Austin's down turned hazel eyes always make me stare at them for hours. His long eyelashes were the best part. I remembered once when we were in third grade, I threatened to cut his eyelashes and he almost cried. Best times.
                          
            "No! She can't be!" Leo voice echoes throughout the room. Everyone turn to look at him even Mr. D stopped drinking his diet coke. "Sorry." he look down. Leo's face turns red. And I swear that I saw a slight hint of smoke coming out of his hair. 
                          
"Hephaestus can't be my father. I met my father." Steph says. "Then it is solved or partially solved. We still don't know how all of you survive especially last year all the monster were all here because of Gaea's war." Jason says. 
                          
            "The important thing is Stephano's friends are here now so meeting dismissed." Mr D left the room. Did Mr. D seriously said Stephano? Maybe the diet coke got him drunk. Or maybe he has Alzheimer's disease. But isn't he supposed to be a god? Gods don't get sick.
                          
            As we walked out of the big house, I walk with Steph, Zac and Austin. I wanted to talk to Austin and ask how he is but I don't know how. I don't know how to ask him without being awkward.  Even though Austin's physical features hadn't change but it seems like he isn't the same person I met before. He wasn't the person who couldn't stop talking and he wasn't definitely that Austin I fell in love with. "Stop staring at me." Austin look at me. 
                          
            I twitch. He'd caught me. Was I really staring at him for that long? "I wasn't." I turn my head straight and tried to focus on the view. The campers were all gathering in the center of the cabins. The cabins at Camp Half-Blood each represent one of the Greek gods and goddesses. Demigods attending the camp stay in the respective cabins patronized by their immortal parents. I wondered where will I be sleeping tonight or will I ever see my mother? "You are." Austin laugh.
                          
            "I was shocked, okay. We all thought you were dead. The whole school thought that you got hit by a truck."
                          
            "That's my death? How cliché."
                          
            "I thought that you are the last person to think about clichés."
                          
            "Steph influenced me. She keeps talking about this book she's planning to write-"
                          
            "The Art of Cliché?"
                          
            "Yup, that one." 
                          
            Ms. Mars approach us just as we were about to settle in with everyone. The rest of the campers gathered around the bonfire. Behind them were the statues of the gods. But no statue can beat the overlooking statue of Athena which was standing at a hill they called Half-blood Hill. "You three need to change. I don't want anyone to get embarrass especially wearing those filthy clothes." Ms Mars' judgmental look was upon us. She gives us these orange t-shirt which was labelled Camp-Half Blood with an image of a Pegasus on it.
                          
            We quickly change our clothes and walk back with everyone. We sit in the grass beside Austin at the back. Zac is so engrossed with his conversation with Leo about Lacrosse while Steph was busy catching up with Nico. Me? I was left alone to stare at everyone and thinking what to subject to talk about with Austin. Everything seems so awkward with Austin. Why does it have to be so hard?