Part Eleven:

Alex didn't know what had come over her. Hearing Jaz insult her had angered her, and she felt mad. Really mad. Like, steam coming out of her ears mad. Then after that she had stabbed Jaz, and now she felt bad - and also annoyed. She was just angry, she never meant to hurt Jaz in the first place! But then, while she was fighting, an odd feeling had surfaced in her brain. It felt a bit like revenge, but she couldn't be sure, because her emotions always seemed to be muddled.

Yet just as Alex lunged at Jaz, aiming to stab her through the chest, a dagger blocked her sword. Alex saw that it was the younger girl from before. "Stop it!" The girl cried, glaring at Alex and pushing her backwards with so much force, Alex stumbled. "Both of you, stop it!"

Alex's vision cleared as she straightened up. She watched as Charlie tended to a cut running down Jaz's arm, and her eyes widened. "No," she muttered. "That wasn't me. I wouldn't - I couldn't -"

But it was her. She had done this. It was all her fault.

Alex backed up into the tent. She sat down and curled into a ball, hugging her legs while rocking backwards and forwards. No, it wasn't true. It couldn't be true. Alex had always been lonely, and now her only friends probably thought that she was a stuck-up jerk. Well, besides Michael and Sammy, but Alex still thought it was a bad first impression on the two other demigods.

"Hey," a voice said. Alex glanced up to see Zoe's brother hovering over her, a concerned look taking up part of his face.

"What do you want." Alex snapped, not in the mood to talk to anyone. Sometimes, she used to have low moments like these where she would think of herself as stupid and ugly. Back before she went to Camp Half-Blood, her only consolation was in Charlie, and she always felt guilty for forcing him to put up with her while he was extremely popular and had heaps of friends.

"I just wanted to say that," Ethan paused, as though he was thinking over his words carefully. Alex glanced up at him. "You may have stabbed Jaz, but that doesn't matter. You felt the need for revenge so you fought. And that's okay. Maybe just ... take a breather. You're okay. It's not the end of the world."

"Thanks." Alex whispered, and released her grip on her legs. He sat down next to her, awkwardly looking at the wall of the tent opposite them.

"I'm Ethan, by the way." He said quietly.

"Um, hi, I guess. I'm Alex." They sat in silence for a moment.

"Do you have any idea what you're supposed to be looking for?" Ethan blurted out.

"I don't know," Alex sighed. She pulled out her map from a pocket in her pants. "There are a two areas on this map which are marked out. Maybe they're a clue."

"Wait, the prophecy," Ethan gasped, his eyes widening as he looked at the map. "Perhaps you're supposed to be looking for a 'crown lost'?"

"Yeah," Alex nodded. "That seems likely - and it also connects to the prophecy."

"I should go tell Zoe." Ethan stood up. "Pleasure talking to you." He said, then left.

•••

Thanks to Charlie's healing, Jaz was okay. But Alex still blamed herself for what happened, and vowed to apologise to Jaz in private the next chance she got.

Later that evening, the group of six huddled together in the tent. "There's too many of us." Zoe said. "We're going to attract tons of monsters - plus we have no idea where we are."

"Greece," Alex cut in. "I have no idea whereabouts exactly, but we're in Greece."

"Oh, my gods," Ethan whispered. "Do you know what this means?" No one dared to reply to him.

"We should each go separate ways in the morning." Jaz suggested. "Ethan and Silena can help Alex find this lost crown, and Charlie, Zoe and I will look for Sammy."

"Good idea," The girl who had introduced herself as Silena to Alex agreed. "But we get Festus."

"Alright," Zoe sighed. "All in favour, say 'I'."

"I," everyone chorused.

"I'll go on first watch." Jaz offered, standing up.

"Okay, get some rest everyone." Zoe called.

Alex watched as Zoe moved over to one corner side of the tent with Charlie. They hugged each other and talked quietly, and Alex looked on with sadness. She wished that she could've gone to go look for Sammy, but she still needed to complete her own task - and she also feared that one person in her group - and possibly someone from the other one too - wouldn't make it back.

But if she had've realised at the time that she was right, maybe she could've prevented it from happening...