Love Across Lifetimes

Justin has never gotten along with the kids from Hades cabin. He fights with them every day. The only person he doesn’t fight with was Grace, and that is only because she doesn’t usually hang out with her siblings. Today however was the Mother of all fights.

Rose wasn’t sure how the fight started, but then again, she rarely does. But this one got out of hand fast.

Three kids from Hades cabin are face to face with Justin and everyone looks very mad. She thinks Kate, the senior Hades camper and head of the cabin started by trashing Justin’s mom. Kate knows better than to trash Poseidon, however Justin didn’t think clearly enough to remember the golden rule.

Never disrespect the Gods.

“Hades is the worst God ever! Everyone hates him! His weapon, the Helm of Darkness, sucks! His powers are weak and creepy and so are his children!” Justin is so mad that water is starting to spin around him, like a miniature hurricane.

Rose and everyone around the scene freezes, and all of a sudden, the noon sun seems to almost go out. The temperature drops twenty degrees and fear settles in.

Out of nowhere, Justin grabs his head and yells in agony. “NO! LORD HADES! I’M SORRY!” He is yelling so loud that Rose is shocked that his vocal chords are still intact. She quickly runs over to her best friend to try and help him.

His sea green eyes that usually cause her emotions to stir, which always puzzled her, are now distant and lifeless. His body is shaking like he just came out of the Arctic Ocean. He is terrified beyond anything she had ever seen him.

“Rose… No…”

“I’m here Justin, your friends are here. SOMEONE GET CHIRON!”

“Don’t hurt Rose… Please… I need her…”

She starts to cry, her best friend is going through something horrible, and she can’t help. “GET CHIRON NOW!” she is desperate, she would do anything for this boy.

“Lord Hades,” she starts in a whisper. So soft she can barely hear herself. “I beg of you, don’t harm him. This stupid boy is my best friend, and he is very important to me. I know he is an idiot, and I will personally kick his butt until he apologizes and makes a proper sacrifice.”

The God’s grip on Justin seems to tighten slightly, then it is released. The shaking lessens, but his eyes stay the same, and he still looks terrified.

He looks at her, and recognition clicked, “Rose, please don’t leave this time.”

“I’m not going anywhere Barnacle Brain.” She hoped that her usage of his nickname would help bring him back to her.

“HADES PLEASE RELEASE ME! I know this isn’t real, please stop Hades.” He starts holding himself in the fetal position.

What? “Justin, you’re back, you’re safe.”

“No, please have him stop Rose, I can’t keep losing you.”

About that time Chiron comes running up to them. Pushing campers aside trying to see what is going on.

“Move! What has happened here?”

“Justin insulted our father,” Kate started. “So Dad made him pay for it.”

“He used the Helm of Darkness and now he can’t discern reality anymore.” Rose says, crying the whole while.

Chiron hands some ambrosia to Rose, “See if this helps”

She starts feeding Justin the godly food, sending up a prayer to any and all the Gods for help. Begging them to save her friend.

“Rose?” he says, with some clarity. “What happened?”

“You were going mad, the helm started making you go insane.” His eyes start to clear up as she explains to him what happened.

Then almost as quickly as it left, his eyes drift again, and he falls back into his nightmare.

“This requires expert hands,” says Chiron. “Rose, if you’ll help me bring him up to the big house,” She picks him up and Fireman carries him up to the big house.

While they run, she asks Chiron, “Who are we going to get? Who can fix this?”

“Our former Godly director, Lord Dionysus”

It must be bad if Chiron is calling him for help.

They set him down on the couch, still praying to all the gods, even Hades, for help.

“My dear, I think it best you’d leave before Dionysus arrives, he isn’t fond of children. Also, there is no telling how he will arrive.”

Rose knows better than to be around a God when they are in their true form. You can be vaporized in an instant.

“Take care of him Chiron, please.”

“You know I will Rose, don’t worry.”

Rose leaves the Big House, furious, looking for a certain daughter of Hades.

When she finds Kate, she draws her sword and yells.

“Kate! If you have some problem with Justin, it ends right here! Right now! I don’t care what the reason is, you end it! Or so help me by all the Gods, Greek and Roman, you will regret it.”

Kate has a look of pure terror on her face. “Rose, how about you put away your sword and we can talk.”

She didn’t want to put her sword away, but if she was going to get any answers, she needed to concede a little bit. So reluctantly, she puts her sword away.

“Let’s talk then. What is your problem with Justin? Why do you hate each other?”

Kate suddenly found her shoes very interesting.

“I don’t hate him. I truly don’t, not even a little bit.”

“Then why do you look at him with disgust? Every time we see you, you look like you want to fight him.” Rose was trying to keep her cool. It’s a lot harder to talk to someone when you’re clashing swords.

“It’s not him that I’m looking at, it’s you.”

“Me? Why me?”

“Oh come on Rose, a daughter of Athena, you should know the answer to that. Think about it smarty pants.” Kate says angrily.

Rose thinks for a moment, then it hits her.

“You like Justin…”

Kate’s tear was all the confirmation she needed. “Oh Kate, I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you say something? Justin and I aren’t like that…”

“Oh please! Everyone can see you have a thing for each other! You’ve been attached at the hip for three years now! Look me in the eye and tell me that you don’t think of him like that at all!”

**Silence**

“That’s what I thought,” Kate said as she storms away.

From the Big House a huge bright light pours through the windows and Rose took off towards it to see Justin. She has to know if it worked. She will handle the Kate situation later.

She and Justin aren’t really into each other in that way… are they?

Rose won’t deny that she has feelings for Justin, but are they romantic?

She gets to the front step of the Big House, just as the light fades. Just as she gets onto the porch, the front door opens. Chiron comes out and looks at her. Rose is pretty sure her heart has stopped beating. Waiting to hear the verdict.

“Rose, come on in,” Chiron says.

Rose goes into the room, and laying there on the couch is her hero. Sporting a huge trouble maker grin. Her heart soars with relief, and she lets a few tears escape from happiness.

His smile makes her heart skip a beat, but she thinks it’s only relief.

“Hey Ro,” Justin says.

Notes