I hated to treat take a powerful person such as Echo and treat her like a black cat or a jinx. Romans are superstitious to a fault; Neptune is the reason why we don't have a Navy. We fear Neptune, and his kids are considered a bad omen, "Death follows the Water." that's what they warn you in the Children's House in New Rome and they tell you to stay away from any ocean. Rivers, sure, the lake, not a problem; but Neptune is the god to be feared cause he has murdered many of our ancestors and now Juno sends us one of his spawn.


Scary isn't it?


But when I look at Echo she really seems at a loss at what is going on. Reyna said to me before she took her that Echo was probably sent to kill us all and to stay on my toes. As much as Romans are scared by Neptune, I'm even more scared by Reyna than Neptune, and this Echo, I find to be more of an ally than an enemy. But what do I know?


After taking Echo and leaving her with Reyna and Reyna's half sister Olivia, I ran because I thought it was what I did best. Maybe I'd go and speak to my Father at the shrine or just hide, I was no hero, all I wanted was to beat the four minute mile that was my life goal. But running while being in my long thoughts made me slam into someone else.


I normally didn't see him around, he was usually by himself and hardly socializes with anyone. His face was hidden by his hood but a frown was clearly seen from my floor point of view. I blush hard as I get up, “I, i, I’m s,sorry, Nox,x, s,sir. It’s my fault sorry.”


I was nervous and when I’m nervous I go into a very self-conscious state, I look down, and the next step is blushing, then there is the sweaty palms, and then I can’t look anyone in the eye and anyone taller than me, (which would be the guy called Nox in front of me), makes me worse. Shaking is the next symptom that overtakes me, and I try to talk but I sound like morse code to someone who doesn’t even know what it means. Even in my mass panic, I know that I have embarrassed myself but I cannot stop myself like I’ve ridden up a hill on a bike and now I’m careening down the hill off of a cliff.


The only way to stop any more damage is to run away, I somehow excuse myself and I run hard and my destination is unknown and all I know is to hide and maybe bury myself. I just made a fool out of myself, and I will die from embarrassment. Running is my specialty and I am no hero, and I’m hardly a human. I blindly somehow I get myself to Mars Hill and something made me trip and I fell on my face into a fresh puddle of mud, as if i wasn’t already met and messy from the fight with the weird grocery ladies chasing Echo.


My arms, face, hair, shirt and pants are thick with a mess of mud. I pushed myself up and sat on my side with my left arm on my bended knee and my right trying to wipe some mud from my eyes. This could only and would only happen to me, thank you fates, and welcome to my life.

Notes

Nug I finally got it done! So much writing done today!

~Eliza Rush