The Secret Nook(OPEN, but please PM before posting)

I walk into the library. I pick up a couple books about animals, and a couple about the water cycle, even though I already knew all about it. I never know where to read them. Whenever I read, I involuntarily make small clouds above my head. I can't sit at a table with a lot of others because when someone or something dies in my books, the clouds start to drizzle. The books get wet and its just a mess. No, I need somewhere private. I notice a small cloud of dust over by some bookshelves, and then a foot disappears into a hole in the ceiling. The door, shelf thing closes behind said foot. Being my curious self, I decide to investigate. I walk over to the particular bookshelf and start climbing, looking behind me ever so often to make sure no one sees me. I get to the top and notice there is a loose plank. I pull it down with a quiet thud. I climb into the little cave, bring the plank back up, and notice books, papers, and assorted items litter the floor. There is just enough light for me to see. The little room's roof comes to a point, and there is dust everywhere. I sneeze. I notice a boy sitting in a chair on the other side of the room. I freeze.  

OOC: You're so much better at this. XD (I use too many emoticons.)

OOC: XD it's fine

BIC: I slam the book shut and stand up with surprising quickness. Someone was in here with me. They were probably allergic to dust, or at least the dust had caused the sneeze. I can't see her very well in the darkness.

What should I do? Should I approach the stranger?

Well, I've pretty much left myself no other option.

I pick up the lamp and slowly approach my visitor. As I near her, the light glimpses across her face, showing platinum blonde hair with blue highlights. Her skin is between a ghostly and beautiful pale. She's small, and her eyes shine blue in the light.

"Um...Hey," I attempt, my voice hushed.

I stumble around for a few seconds, looking for the right words to say. She'd surprised me with her somewhat happy-go-lucky attitude.

"Um...Thoth. Thoth, Egyptian god of knowledge. My name's Will, by the way," I introduce myself in the typical way, at least for demigod: God parent, their domain, and your name.

"Nephela? Like, rain?" I ask, conjuring up the Greek myths names, and creatures I know of. Of course, it makes sense, due to the large cloud hovering above her head.

"Well, Maryah, I'd be happy to let you stay up here. Of course, you wouldn't be able to tell anyone. I'm trying to find somewhere quiet where I can hide out. You know, read, write, things like that. You won't tell, will you?" I can tell that she's trustworthy. She trusted me enough to just come on out and tell me her name. And when someone is trusting and has a certain spark to them-like she does- they're almost always someone who can keep secrets.

I laugh. I'm definitely not an Athena kid. They seem so centered on math and science. I've always hated those subjects. No, Thoth is centered around knowledge gained from studies and dedication, and sharing that knowledge with the world. So, in other words, reading and writing.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I looked," I reply, subconsciously pulling out my pen and beginning to draw swirly patterns on my hand. The silvery ink glows a bit, but, since I'm pretty sure I'm not drawing actual runes, it has no effect on my hand.

"Its no problem. I was hoping to find some books on runes. They're typically really old. All I have are a few pamphlets with simple ones in a desk drawer in my cabin," I say automatically, not really considering that she probably doesn't know anything about runes. "There's only about a hundred books that actually exist. Thoth gave them to his first kids, a long time ago, and they've been scattered around the world.I check the library a lot, because sometimes they turn up here, but I haven't found any. If there's any to be found, they're probably in some old library storage attic or something."

"Runes are basically like...symbols, I guess. You put them on something, and they make stuff happen," I sigh. I've never had to explain them before. I'm really not good at explaining things, anyway. Things make sense in my head, but only after a lot of complicated thinking.

"Thanks. I use this pen to write the runes. If I could find one of those books, I could show you."

I nearly miss what she says, I'm so busy wondering about the location of the books. When I do, though, I spring up."You're a genius! How could I miss it! Oh, gods, there probably is one around here!" I begin scurrying around the dust, pulling off the site sheets. Dust flies everywhere as I flip through books.

"Well, if you can somersault while looking through thousands of books and piles, that'd be perfect," I laugh, overjoyed with the recent idea. I could be only feet away from one of the books.

I mutter an apology and try to search with a little less excitement.

"Well, they have really old paper, and the writing inside will look handwritten. There won't be any words on the cover, just a type of design that looks kind of like a feather quill, but more abstract. The whole thing will look sort of..." I pause, searching for the right word. "Godly. But homemade at the same time."

I pick up the book at my feet and begin flipping through it. I find some strange symbols inside, but nothing like the strange meaningful designs of the runes. I throw the book aside and continue searching.

"I only know the location of one. And it's not even a lot of information. I can guess it's somewhere around the Mediterranean sea, most likely in Egypt. I can't be absolutely certain, though. All I know for sure is that it's the most important and informational book on this planet."

I stop in the middle of my searching, staring at the book. I step out of my trance, though, and begin flipping through the pages rapidly, watching the symbols blur past me.

"Well, I'm not surprised. Half of it is written in an ancient Egyptian writing known as hieratic. This and demotic were the way most things were written in Egypt, but, because they were written on perishable papyrus, very few survived, which is why most people think that Egyptians only used Hieroglyphs. In other words, you trying to read this would be like me trying to read a very old, lost version of ancient Greek, with no translator."

I flip to the first page, studying it for a while. It's blank, yellow, and almost transparent. I take out my pen and draw a small symbol in the right hand corner of the page; A little like a bass clef, except creating one line, connecting both of the dots. The rune lets off a wavering blue glow and disappears into the page.

I don't have trouble recognizing the rune on the first page. It looks like the picture I'd described before; A bit like a quill, but more abstract. Beneath it, a small series of hieratic words appear: Issue 82.

"This is it. Oh my gods..." I flip to a random page and see instructions on a rune for strength, another page contains a detailed description of the pros and cons of a stealth rune.

"Uh...Sure," I reply, searching my mind for a rune, and, when I can't find one, searching the book for one, too. I flip to a page with the word "Energy" written in fancy hieratic on top. A rune that looks almost like a spiral seems to stare at me.

"Not exactly. The Hecate cabin is potions and words and enchantments. This isn't magic. This is...well...its different. They have names stating what they do. I would say them, but they're really hard to pronounce. I have a signature kind of rune, which I just drew. Its makes any type of rune-text appear readable and it makes me able to use the runes in this book. It also shows ownership. Its kind of a binding rune. I'm the only one who can use this book now. It basically just says that its issue 82 of 100 or so.

"Come here, I'll use this one. Hold out your hand"

OOC: Omfg. This post is so extremely short I'm about to die.

"Oh." I say. Not magic? I don't know anything but magic, having lived with it my entire life.

"Could you at least try to say one? I'd like to know what it sounds like." I feel like he's going to say something that sound like a nonsense word, at least to my Greek ears.

So he's the only one who could use it? That's disappointing. I thought I could try it. I guess I'm not Egyptian, so it probably wouldn't even work. "There's 100 books? I thought you said there were only a few left!'

"Ok." I hold out my hand and watch him draw a rune.

OOC: It's ok. Sorry I was gone for so long, I went on vacation for Thanksgiving.

I tap the tip of the pen against the denim of my jeans, studying the rune closely, before delicately taking her hand and watching the silver ink flow out onto her skin. It looks almost like a set of streams, rushing out of the pen and forming an intricate shape on her skin. It lets off a faint glow.

"Well, this one is called Encretiacticia." I reply, trying my best to not trip over the word.

"Well, 100 isn't really a lot, considering that most of them are lost or destroyed." I explain, pushing the pen behind my ear and waiting for her reaction.

"No. I have no idea," I reply.

"One hundred really isn't a lot. Ten isn't a lot to count to. Doing something ten times isn't that much, either. So just count to ten ten times."

"Oh, sorry. I just...I don't know. I guess I was waiting for your reaction." I stand up and brush myself off.

"So? Enough about me... what about you?"
OOC:Sorry its so short :\

I guess that makes sense. That's how I count stuff often. I don't even know what to say to that. He's just so intelligent, and I feel dumb next to him. No, Maryah. He's a demigod, you're a nephela. That can't happen.

He stands and brushes himself off. Well, its just a glowy mark on my hand. Its pretty though. I touched it and felt how dry my hand was. I need to put some lotion on it.

Well, as I said before, I'm a nephela, or a rain cloud nymph. I self-taught gymnastics, and I'm pretty handy with a spear. I'm pretty clumsy as you have probably already seen, and Ifallinlovewaytooquickly. Any questions so far? I giggle and scratch my face. I haven't had human contact in forever. I'm pretty introverted though, so this is the most conversation I've had in a while.

OOC: Its fine. I'm the queen of one liners. XD

I laugh, sliding the book into a leather bag that had caught my attention. It was newer than everything else in the room and had multiple pockets and straps. I decide to take it with me when I leave.

"Come on, there has to be something about your future. Don't you have any dreams, any plans?"

I, unfortunately, don't have time to hear her answer, though. "Hey, I gotta get back to my cabin. You can come with, if you'd like, though there might be some chaos, what, with the gifts and everything."

"Where'd ya get that bag?" It looked new. I liked it. I'll make one like it when I get home.

Not at the moment. I might try out for the American Olympic team, but I doubt they'd let a nephela compete. I t might get awkward when a mini rain cloud appears above my head.

He turns away, like he's anxious to leave. "Nah, I better get back to my house on a cloud. Literally." I smile at him and walk out, trying not to be noticed by other campers.

I laugh, and exit the nook, making a mental note to come back again.