Right of Passage

It was a hot July evening when Silena Beauregard tore through Camp Half-Blood filled with anticipation and excitement. As her siblings were wearily heading back to the Aphrodite cabin after a long day at camp, Silena was bursting with energy as she sprinted past the cabins, the arena, and towards the forge. She knew she was getting close when the smell of fresh strawberries permeated the air. Silena loved the smell of strawberries. It meant she was getting close to the camp forge which meant she would soon be with her boyfriend, Charles Beckendorf. Earlier that day, during Pegasus lessons, Will Solace had given her the message that Beckendorf wanted her to meet him at the forge that night after the campfire. As she ran, Silena let her mind fill with thoughts of the last two weeks. It had been two weeks to the day since Beckendorf had asked her to see the fireworks with him. And she had known before the words had scarcely left his lips that her life had changed forever. These past two weeks have been the best two weeks of her life.

Before Silena entered the forge, she put her long, raven hair into a bun on the top of her head. Normally, she would touch up her make-up before seeing Beckendorf, but the forge was so dirty and grimy it seemed silly. This was the reason children of Aphrodite rarely went near the forge. But Silena wasn't your average prissy Aphrodite girl. She was special. She had guts. She wasn't afraid to express her beliefs and fight for what was right; even if it meant alienation in her own cabin, which she often risked but never once faced. Despite being different, Silena was still quite popular among her siblings. Silena took one last breath of fresh air and entered the forge.

"Hello, hello!" Silena called. Her shrill voice rang through the forge and before long Beckendorf came running up to greet her. "Hey, Silena!" he exclaimed as he embraced her. As Silena leaned into the hug, she was pleased to discover that Beckendorf smelled like he always did: a warm fire at Christmastime. When they broke apart, Silena said, "Missed you at the campfire." Beckendorf replied, "Chiron will have to excuse my absence but I was working on something much more important than singing gods-awful camp songs." "And what would that be?" Silena asked. "Follow me," Beckendorf replied.

Beckendorf led his girlfriend through the forge, past the weapons, machinery, and celestial bronze, and into a small alcove. "Okay, close your eyes," Beckendorf told her. Silena did as she was told. When Silena opened them again, she was standing in the presence of a bronze statue of a dove perched atop an anvil; two symbols that belonged to their parents. "Oh, Charlie," Silena breathed. "It's beautiful. I love it!" "I was hoping you would," Beckendorf replied. "I, um…I want to tell you something." "What is it?" Silena asked her eyes wide with anticipation. "I, um, I…I love you," Beckendorf said rather sheepishly. Silena's heart skipped a beat and her eyes became misty as she managed to softly reply, "I love you, too." At this, Beckendorf grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close him as he kissed her. Silena wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss with all of the love and happiness she has felt these past two weeks.

"Oh my gods! That's soooooo romantic!" squealed Lacy. It was the next morning in the Aphrodite cabin and Silena had just finished regaling her siblings with her romantic night. It was a rule in their cabin: whenever one of them had a romantic experience, they had to share the event with the rest of the cabin in excruciating detail as soon as possible. Most of Silena's siblings weren't even dressed yet. They knew they would be late for breakfast but none of them really cared.

"So, Beckendorf told you he wuves you," Drew loudly announced giving away her position in the back of the cabin. Suddenly, Drew was now the center of attention. She was the only one who was already dressed and primped. In addition to her perfect make-up, beautiful jewelry, and styled hair, Drew wore an evil smirk on her face. "That's so cute. You know what comes next, don't you, hon?" All eyes turned back to Silena. "Oh, that's right," Lacy said. "The rite of passage. You can complete it now. You can prove yourself worthy of Aphrodite."

Silena's heart dropped into her stomach. She knew the rite of passage of the Aphrodite cabin well: to prove yourself worthy of Aphrodite you had to get a person to fall in love with you and then dump them, breaking their heart. Silena did respect her mother and wanted her mother to respect her, but break Beckendorf's heart? No, it was simply out of the question. She couldn't even if she tried. He was the most incredible boy she had ever met. He was more special than Silena could have ever imagined. And he was all hers. She wouldn't mess that up for all of the gifts in the world that her mother could bestow.

"So, when are you gonna do it, sweetie?" Drew inquired. "If you ask me, breakfast would be a great time. That way the whole camp can witness it. Mom would be so proud. It would almost be as good as the way I earned my rite of passage." Silena stood up from her bed and proudly declared, "I'm not gonna break up with Charlie." Drew grimaced. "Just as I thought, you are unworthy of Aphrodite, Silena! Our mother will make you suffer," she said. For a minute, Silena looked worried as she stared at the ceiling. But then, she returned her gaze to her siblings, took a deep breath, and replied, "Be that as it may, I won't change my mind. It's not right. This whole rite of passage thing…it's just not right." Drew said, "But Aphrodite will-"

"Forget it!" Silena yelled, a little louder than she intended. "I'm not breaking Charlie's heart just for a stupid rite of passage!" This outburst took the whole cabin by surprise. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Silena grabbed her clothes and toiletry kit and headed to the bathroom as her cabin mates watched in awe and fear. As her hand grabbed the doorknob, she thought of the feeling of Charlie's hand in hers and she smiled sadly to herself. "I love him," she whispered to no one in particular just before she shut the door behind her. She hadn't intended for her siblings to hear her, but they all did.