Week 5: Wednesday

[disclosures]

[It seems like she's trying to reach for something small up on a high ledge. There's a stack of tables arranged in almost a staircase as she grabs whatever it is. She doesn't know who's around her and what the result of touching it is going to be.

But once she's grabbed it, the memory bubble starts, as she's running out of the office.]

Comments

[resumed]

More like monster magnets. [But he shrugs.] They can't in several cases, and some of them choose not to. Father will sometimes check in, but during the Giant War it was hard for them to contact any of us because they were split between their Greek and their Roman selves.

[But he blinks a little.] I don't know about college though. Father paid for tuition at this boarding school for Bianca and I but we weren't there for very long. I haven't been to a real school since.

[disclosures]

[Her mind screaming loudly:]

How long haven't you been in school?

[resumed]

The last time I attended a real school I was ten. [Sorry Rebecca!!]

[disclosures]

What?

[It's almost like she's blue screening.]

[resumed]

...when we left Westover Hall, Bianca and I were taken to Camp Half-Blood and since then there was never a reason to go to a normal school. A lot of year-rounders don't.

[disclosures]

[?!?!?!?!]

Do you... at least get educated there? Like learn how to do math and read? I mean, obviously you can read, we defaced some fairy tales together.

[resumed]

We figure it out. A lot of summer campers go to regular schools in the normal world, but for those of us who stay year-round we sort of teach each other. We have regular lessons for stuff, too.

[disclosures]

[She lets out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding.]

Oh good. That's important, no matter how uh... god-ish your heritage is.

[resumed]

[...and now for something rare...he laughs.]

Out of everything, that's the part you were worried about?

[disclosures]

It's important! Of course I was worried. Reading and math are so important even if you do drop out of normal school!

[resumed]

I don't know if knowing how to do math is ever going to really save me from a fight with a bunch of monsters, but I guess I can see your point.

[disclosures]

I don't know maybe the monsters will like... have riddles three and the three riddles will be calculus.

[resumed]

...you're thinking of a Sphinx and I don't think she ever gave math riddles.

[disclosures]

Maybe they'll get an updated riddle collection? Wait, they're real too? ...Why am I surprised, your world has gods in it.

[resumed]

[He's still kind of laughing...] Is this a bad time to tell you that I found Cerberus in the menagerie the other day?

[disclosures]

There's a three headed dog in the menagerie?

...

Is it friendly?

[resumed]

He's my father's guard dog and pet, so probably not. He hardly tolerates me. [But he sure does exist.]

[disclosures]

Right, okay. Great. Good to know there's an unfriendly Cerebus in the menagerie.

[resumed]

[Shrrrrug.] He might calm down if people play with him and he's not focused on his job but I wouldn't recommend anyone getting close enough to check.

[disclosures]

If it's okay with you, I'll leave him to you. Since, like, he actually knows you and I don't really want to lose either of my hands.

[resumed]

I don't think that's the worst idea in the world. [But he just kind of assesses her.] ...you're very smart, you know that?

[disclosures]

[She does perk up.]

Thanks, I did get into Harvard and Yale.

[resumed]

Did you actually go to one of them though?

[disclosures]

I went to both of them. Harvard undergrad, Yale law.

[resumed]

No wonder you were asking me about school. [But okay.] My point, Rebecca, is that you're smart. Much, much smarter than letting some idiot guy stop you from finding a different kind of happiness. [...or finding another guy like Nico did but also don't listen, he's 14.]