❀

"Annabeth, I told you to bring her back alive."

"She's asleep, not dead."

"For a daughter of Athena. That was quite unwise."

Something tickled at (Name)'s nose. She shot up and let out an almost explosive sneeze. Her eyes slowly opened, half-lidded and blurry as a maze of bloodshot lines crawled across her irises. She wasn't exactly surprised by the centaur staring at her when she finally discerned her surroundings. Long smoothed out rafters, wooden tables lined with medical supplies, couches made into beds. Weird vials filled with what looked like honey.

"You're awake," Chiron observed.

"I've been kidnapped."

Chiron's eyebrows furrowed and he turned towards Percy. "I beg your pardon?"

"Annabeth may have knocked her unconscious..." Percy mumbled sheepishly. "And Grover and I might've carried her to a taxi and told the driver she got hit in the head with a basketball at practice."

Annabeth smirked. "He bought it without a doubt."

"Congratulations," she clapped sarcastically. "You committed a federal crime!"

Chiron turned around so fast he knocked a metal tray over, sending a bunch of different sized medical blades flying into the back wall. Grover dived for the floor, dodging a razor sharp scalpel as he rolled between Chiron's back legs.

"You kidnapped her?"

"So?" Annabeth threw her hands in the air. "She made it through Camp Half-Blood's gate, that has to means something. She's a demigod...or at least some sort of half-blood"

"Oh. My. God! You're insane!"

Chiron shot her a wry smile. "It feels like that at times."

"I wasn't making a satirical comment, Chiron. I've been kidnapped and I want to go home."

He frowned. "Do you at least want to look around, see what it's like?"

"No!!!"

The centaur smiled. "Would you reconsider your answer if I said you're destined to lead the next prophetic quest?"

"Uh, no. That just makes me want to go home even more. You're looking for someone to hang this on so you don't have to worry about it. I'm not your scared little scapegoat and I sure as hell aren't going to carry out any prophecies." Blazing, her eyes were blazing as she spoke. Like pools of lava.

Chiron placed a hand on her shoulder. "Only you would see it like that my child."

She slapped it away. "It's true! You're all too scared of breaking some dumb ancient law, so you get a bunch of preteens to do your dirty work. Do you not see how messed up that is?"

Chiron didn't have anything to say to that, instead he handed her a chalice full of that weird honey liquid that was sitting on the wooden tablet. The goblet was cold against her clammy hands, and the smell made her eyes water.

"What is this?" She asked, watching her reflection in the glossy surface.

"Nectar," Percy explained. "Food of the gods."

She took a slow, careful sip. The liquid tingled all the way down her throat.

"Huh." She murmured, satisfied. "That was actually good."

Chiron put another hand on her shoulder. "Easy getting up my dear, Nectar isn't all that fast acting."

(Name) was right to heed his warning, no matter how much she wanted to bite his fingers off. The second her feet touched the floor, pain shot up her ankles.

"Only demigods and gods can drink Nectar. Otherwise, you'd probably die." Annabeth stated.

"So...you could've killed me?"

Chiron's eyebrows flexed. "Annabeth don't antagonise the girl. In such small amounts, the worst you could suffer from is a migraine."

"I hate it here."

"I can see that, but now that you are here, you will need a place to stay."

"I'm not staying."

They ignored her.

"The Big House is, uh, occupied at the moment sir," Grover mumbled.

Chiron stroked his beard in thought. "Oh yes, the tiger issue."

"And I hope you realise Cabin 11 is at maximum capacity," Annabeth reminded. "Someone like her won't survive with those guys."

(Name) narrowed her eyes at Annabeth. She would've been cute if it weren't for the perpetual scowl on her face and the storm clouds in her eyes. It ruined the entire aesthetic.

"It is, is it?" Chiron grumbled. "That's quite unfortunate."

An awkward silence filtered into the infirmary.

"Well, I suppose she'll just have to stay somewhere else. With supervision, of course. How about cabin 3?"

"Cabin 3? That's out of the question, sir!" Annabeth demanded. "It's against the rules. Especially if what she says is true. Why not just put her in Hera's cabin, or Artemis'?"

"I doubt they would be as forgiving as Poseidon to rule changes," Chiron replied, giving her a calm look. "Don't fret so much."

(Name) was ready to pull her hair out. "You guys are completely ignoring the fact I don't want to be here!"

Annabeth ignored her. "There are so many other cabins that aren't full. Why does (Name) have to stay with Percy?"

"I believe it is the best way to test if she is the one from the prophecy."

(Name) blinked, scratching the back of her head as Grover handed her some fresh clothes; folded up jeans and an orange tee-shirt.

Annabeth groaned in frustration. "What does that even mean?!"

"Never thought I'd say this, but I'm with Annabeth," (Name) muttered, checking the sizes on the hand-me-down clothes. "Don't put me in a cabin. Call me a taxi."

"I will," Chiron agreed solemnly. "I would have hoped you'd come here willing, and of your own natural born curiosity. But to hear that some of my best campers have kidnapped you is appalling. I apologise on their behalf. Unfortunately it is nearing sunset, and taxi's do not service this area past six o'clock."

"This is a full blown scam," she realised.

"Go and change. We can talk more details afterwards."

Grover pulled back the changing curtain and (Name) begrudgingly marched past him. It only took her a couple minutes to switch out of her dirty clothes, leaving them in a crumpled heap at her feet.

She pulled the curtain back, not bothering to check if the clothes fitted alright. "My mother is probably freaking out right now."

Chiron's eyes softened. "You will be able to call her in the morning."

"I hate you." She spat.

Percy stared at (Name). It was kinda jarring to see a girl he'd just met wear a tee-shirt he associated with home and family. Especially considering how grumpy and rude she was.

He knew her feelings were justified. What they had done was wrong, and the guilt was eating away at him like a termite. Being thrown off the deep end into a reality of prophecies and gods had scared the ever-loving crap out of Percy. Adjusting to his new life was hard, and it had already been a year. He could guess how (Name) was feeling right about now.

Still, it didn't sit right with him that she had given up on herself so easily. It bothered him that she could be so emotionless to it all. Like the matter of her own life had no significance. That and maybe the fact that bright orange really brought out the gold in her eyes.

"This is a real life nightmare," she bit out, palming her hair out of her eyes.

"Could be worse." Percy pointed out.

Chiron laughed. "Since you two seem to be getting along. Percy, can you please show (Name) around?"

The expression on Percy's face made (Name) peal with laughter. It looked like he'd rather do anything else.

"Sure," Percy managed to get out. "Getting along. Yep. That's what we're doing."

~~~

For the first time since Percy had met (Name), she was quiet.

She soaked in her surroundings without so much as a peep. No sarcastic comment to spare. Percy was worried she'd gotten sick or something.

He showed her around the forges. Beckendorf was there, pouring molten metal into a really odd mould. He greeted them both, but he looked rather annoyed by being distracted.

They visited the armoury, which was filled to the absolute brim. It was a true miracle that (Name) didn't trip over and stab herself on the end of a sword. Weapons were everywhere. Shoved into plastic containers, lodged upside in barrels, kicked underneath stands.

Spears lined the back wall, all different in some way or another. Daggers were swimming around in a giant glass jar like a super dangerous game of 'Guess how many marbles'. Choose one at your own peril, she supposed.

Percy didn't offer up any advice on sword picking, so she decided a weapon wasn't in her best interest. She didn't even know how to hold a sword, let alone swing it. Leave it to the professionals. In this case, a bunch of fourteen year olds with mommy/daddy issues.

Next, was the strawberry fields.

This was (Name)'s absolute favourite spot the minute she set her eyes on it. The swaying leaves, that sickly sweet smell of strawberries cooking in the afternoon sun, the swooping pegasai. Everything about it screamed fun, and yet somehow, she took it all in with a sense of longing.

No matter how much she told herself she was content with a short and happy life, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be a demigod. Or maybe wonder what it would be like to grow older, fill out a little bit, and make it past fifteen. Maybe if she was a half-blood, the curse wouldn't be as effective. That was probably why she held such a resentment for this place, and for everyone in it, especially Chiron. They'd handed her a solution to all her problems on a silver platter, revelled in the prospect of her being a hero, and treated her like a child when she refused.

It didn't matter how much she wanted to live. Or how much she wanted to be apart of this world. She wasn't a demigod.

It was fine when it was just her life on the line. But now, she realised it wasn't. This entire Camp functioned on prophecies. They protected the masses from other worldly threats and kept things in motion. All at the expense of a minority, forced out into the crossfires, clueless and scared.

(Name) looked out at the ocean in the distance. The smell of saltwater drew her to clarity. Agonising over a system she didn't understand wouldn't get her anywhere. She could only worry about the things she could control.

"This is it." Percy announced, shoving his hands into his pockets.

The cabin was carved from the darkest, most beautiful stone she'd ever seen. It was like a mixture of sea stone, coral and seashell. Along the front door was a trident and a big bronze 3.

Percy gestured for her to go inside, and she quickly followed after him.

The interior walls were made of abalone with six neat bunk beds pushed into the back of the room, all lined with silk sheets. Scattered across the living area were a bunch of couches and benches, all tweaked with oceanography. There were maps, compasses and telescopes. Charts of stars, coordinates in longitude and latitude, ships in bottles. There was even a giant bronze trident. Off the very back wall was another room. Percy's room, she realised.

Percy felt a little nervous with her looking around his room so intently. He was scared she'd find something embarrassing under his bed, like his sea glass collection, and silently judge him for the rest of his life.

"Are you alright?"

Percy's head snapped up. (Name) was staring at him intently, the gold in her eyes mixing with the afternoon sunlight.

"You look worried," she pointed out. "I know this is probably weird—having a stranger in your room. I know I'd hate sharing my space with an outside."

Percy had to blink to make sure he'd heard her right. It was (Y/N) speaking, right? And she was being...nice? Nah, he was hearing things. Or maybe she'd malfunctioned. He looked at her again, but she seemed more irritated than concerned by his silence.

He glanced at the door. "Dinner's at 7.30. Until then stay here."

(Name) eyes turned as sharp as razors. "You're putting me under house arrest?"

"I'm just—"

"This entire situation is your guys fault. I don't want to hear any of your half-assed excuses."

Percy bit his cheek to keep from cursing. He really didn't like when people talked down to him.

"I didn't—"

"You did." She corrected. "You messed up. Not me. And if I wanna go pat some Pegasai, I'm gonna go pat some Pegasai, you have no sway in the matter. Besides. I'm pretty sure your one step away from getting the punishment of a lifetime."

Percy gaped at her, caught up in a lie he was desperately trying to spin. Why did she keep cutting him off?!

"I bet someone like you would hate forced labour. Maybe kitchen duty for the next month?" She clapped her hands. "...ooo, that sucks!"

Percy just about broke a tooth he clenched his jaw so hard. Anger sloshed around in his brain like kerosene. It wasn't that she'd baited him and he'd fallen for it without a second thought. It was more of the fact she'd read him so easily. ADHD made trivial chores a nightmare. His mind wouldn't stop racing until he'd managed to freak himself out with a million impossible outcomes to a random scenario that had popped into his head.

Percy stormed out of the cabin, seconds away from throwing the worlds most embarrassing tantrum. That girl grated his nerves like no other.

(Name), satisfied and now alone, did the exact opposite of what she was told. She raced out the backdoor of Percy's cabin and headed straight for the Long Island Sound. The walk was short, but pleasant. Soaking into the natural mystique of her surroundings. Twilight always brought her a sense of overwhelming gratitude. This ephemeral planet gifted the world the most beautiful, breathtaking sights, and have the people here didn't even stop to look at it.

A beautiful, pinky-purple sunset drifted across the sky, setting (Name)'s cheekbones alight with a gentle, warm glow. The shore had turned to a soft lull, and she spotted three girls giggling in the water. At first it looked like they were drowning and screaming for help, but as she got closer, she realised they were just playing. And they weren't exactly human either.

They all had long dark hair and pearlescent eyes, like the way oil shimmered in water. Their ears were long and elfish, with just about every part of the lobe and helix pierced. Beautiful tattoos of water flora patterned their arms and shoulders, contrasting every fluorescent coral colour known to mankind against silky bronze skin.

But then they spotted me and all that colour and beauty disappeared. The trio hissed and gurgled, letting out a litany of bubbly curses before their bodies turned translucent and they evaporated into the water.

"Naiads," (Name) realised. Ocean nymphs. She'd read about nature creates in books, but she'd never entertained the thought of seeing one in real life. It stifled her for a moment with the abhorrent realisation that all of this was real. Gods, demigods, the stories told about them, the monsters they fought, the nymphs they fell in love with.

(Name) turned her attention back to the horizon with a mellowed sigh. Her day would go down in history as one the biggest baits a human has ever fallen for. Sure, let some bossy strangers into your house, become sarcastic when they show signs of aggression, don't call the police or warn your mother when the timing presented itself. She was a mo-RON!

No doubt were her parents freaking out at her random and inexplicable disappearance.

But at least the weather was nice.

She sat down on the peer and tried to tie her knotty hair back into a ponytail.

And so she lives, a voice called in her mind.

(Name) flinched. It felt like someone had just yelled straight down her earhole with a megaphone.

The voice clawed at her ears. I cannot say I am delighted to know you are alive. I was quite certain you fell. Oh, down, down, down they went. Humpty Dumpty and all.

The wooziness that followed muddled with her equilibrium. She had already been in an awkward position with her feet half in the water suspended. As a result of her momentum, she tumbled sideways and plummeted straight into the waters depths. Saltwater surged into her mouth and forced its way down her throat. She choked as her vision swam. The pounding got louder and heavier in her head. Vertigo turned her voice to ash.

Why was she hearing voices all of a sudden?!

The realisation filled her with dread. She was certain she was human, she knew it from the depths of her soul, from the bottom of her heart. She knew. And yet she could breathe and see underwater. She could hear voices in her head and drink the food of the gods.

The voice was so close to her ear it riddled her neck with goosebumps. But there was no one around. Not a soul amongst a school of fish.

another voice called. It was different to the other one. Less threatening.

She had no idea what they were saying, but she could feel the weight behind their words. There was truth in their voice. And maybe fear.

Her eyes sharpened, scanning the coral life beneath her feet. She needed to get out of the water before she heard something she couldn't forget.

So be it, silly girl. The other voice returned. Let our little game of cat and mouse continue.

(Name) was disoriented but somehow alert. The voice was right. Being at Camp Half-Blood was a mistake. She wanted to go home and spend the night on the couch with her parents, real or fake. She wanted to go to college, she wanted to get a degree, she wanted to go out and drink with her friends and fall in love and do something reckless for once in her life. She wanted a life over anything. A normal, average life. But she couldn't.

And she wanted to know why. Why her life had been destined to fail from the very start.

(Name) swam to the surface and pulled herself onto the deck, seaweed clinging to her arms like a shawl. A breathless wheeze slipped past her as she collapsed on the wood. She felt like a beached whale. All the strength had evaporated from her arms.

Her eyes focused in on a pair of blue converses that were steadily getting closer to her. She swallowed a lump in the back of her throat and looked up into an angry set of sea green eyes.

"What are you doing?!"

❀