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To put into words all the emotions swirling through Drea's mind would require a literary genius to write a new word for her emotional state right now.

"You can't be a half-blood too.."

"Don't go thinking you're so special." Aria spat.

Her face seemed to almost appear offended, like she was upset Drea couldn't believe that she too was a demigod.

It was really that hard to be believe?
Screw her.

For years, Aria was spiteful of how Drea had left and she was the only person left who cared for what remained of their family. Why did Drea get to run away to what Aria thought was a make-believe world? She had never believed in anything to do with the 'gods' in the first place.

But their brother, Ezra, believed it. Their mother had told them about Drea's father which is why she was inclined to leave when the time came.

Aria even believed Drea to be dead for a while.

But Drea's world had been flipped around for the better (for the most part) many years ago. She built a beautiful life for herself at camp, in spite of her family. Drea knew she would lose it all if Aria stayed.

If Aria were to come to camp permanently, she would ruin everything. She'd ruin her new life like she had her old one. Drea was lucky enough to have her father's side of the family and the world he provided her.

Just by the look of her, next to Luke, she knew. Drea knew she'd ruin everything all over again, maybe even worse. She wouldn't get so lucky again to have somewhere else to escape to.

"You can't be here!"

"Drea, she's a half-blood. She deserves to be here just like you and me. Just like everybody else." Luke replied firmly.

Gods, the only reason he was defending her was because he had no idea who she really was.

"Why would you bring her here? That's not your place!" Drea yelled at him. She refused to look at her sister.

"Drea, please." Luke pleaded with her.

She refused to comply with his ask and turned around swiftly on her feet. All around them a game of Capture the Flag was still taking place, and she still needed to check in on Percy. Drea figured that focusing on anything else besides what was going on would help.

Ignorance is bliss after all.

"Hey, Drea! Come back!"

"I have an idiot to check on. Don't you have a flag to capture?"

"What, you don't want to talk about this?"

Turning around yet again, with a dramatic attitude plastered on her face, she quipped back at Luke, "You didn't talk to me about it so why should I with you?"

"Obviously, he knew you wouldn't be so accepting of the idea." Aria answered on his behalf.

"What are you even doing with him, anyway? Demeter's kid, yeah? Shouldn't you be on the red team?"

"She was claimed the moment she stepped on camp grounds but.. she just needed.. time.." Luke clarified with a weird look on his face. One Drea could tell meant something was up.

"She's not a baby, she'd have been fine on Ares's team."

Carefully examining the way her sister, Aria, stood next to Luke led her to feel uncomfortable. It was like watching her (basically) brother cozy up with her sister. The queasiness of the scene made her understand something.

"..are you guys.."

Luke wouldn't make eye contact with her and Aria seemed to struggle to come up with words to use.

"Ew! Luke, you're screwing my sister after secretly bringing her to camp?"

"Gods, we're not screwing! Really, Drea?.."

"So that's why you brought her to camp? Not because you cared or anything reasonable but because you guys were going out?"

"Because he's a good person who doesn't leave people behind when they need help." Aria crossed her arms while simultaneously insulting Drea.

"Do you see me talking to you? No? So why are you still answering when I say something to him?"

Aria scoffed, stuttering for a moment, "Well, it's about me, and I'm right here, aren't I?"

"You shouldn't be!" Drea screamed at her.

As she was rethinking everything her sister had said to her, she realized every rebuttal her sister had countered with was all about Drea. Aria had no interest in connecting with her mom, no interest in learning more about herself, nothing. She was interested in hurting Drea.

She would always find a way to be bitter about Drea getting to leave home while she had to stay.

"You're here for me, aren't you?"

"What?" She groaned in disbelief.

"You coming to camp has nothing to do with Luke or anything to do with your mom. You just wanted to find any way to get back at me. You've been mad alll these years and you finally got a chance to come ruin my life again, so you took it."

"Not everything is about you!"

"I know you, Daria. Always settling scores, always getting revenge. You're here just to hurt me."

"I always knew you would do anything for attention, but even this is crazy. I'm not here to fulfill some psychotic vendetta... I'm here for me."

She instantly read her sisters face and felt satisfied in knowing she was right. Turning to Luke, she added, "If you don't see what's happening here, you're insane."

"She's your sister, Drea.... and she's my girlfriend, I trust that-"

She groaned in disgust, excessively loud for
dramatic effect, and took off again.

"Just go do your job and I'll do mine, asshole!"

Drea could practically feel the knife piercing her back with Luke's grip still on the hilt. It wasn't a secret to him how much she hated her family. Yet, he brought her anyway. He was even seeing her.

Furiously passing through the forest, she stumbled into another figure. They bumped shoulders and her guard went up at the sight of a red streak on the chest plate of whoever she'd collided with. But that swiftly subsided at the sight of Irene.

"Gosh, I was gonna have to take you out with my belt if it wasn't you." She sneered quietly.

Noticing the distressed look on her face, she softly asked, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Drea's face quivered with vulnerability at the sight of a comforting face. Irene was instantly worried and she felt her own heart crack at the sight of her discomfort. She tried to soothe her by caressing her shoulder.

"Luke he.. he brought my stupid sister to camp. Apparently she's a Demeter kid. He's fucking dating her too!"

Irene's face of sorrow slowly shifted to one of confusion and somber gloom. Something about what she said had struck a cord with her.

"..what?"

"Luke is seeing my sister, even knowing everything."

Suddenly, Irene's line of sight drifted downwards, no longer focused on Drea. Now, Drea was worried about her. She seemed far away, lost in thought, completely distracted.

"What is it, Rena?"

No response.

"You can tell me, I promise."

She swallowed back some lump in her throat that felt as thick as a lump of clay yet her mouth had dried up completely. Forcing her eyes back to the ones looking at her, Drea found the pools peaking at her eye line.

"Luke.. he can't be. They're not."

"Ugh, believe me. As sick as it is, they're together."

"No.. Drea.. we were..."

The look she gave her was more than enough to send the message. Her heart fell so far down she was convinced it had stopped beating entirely. Drea knew that Irene liked him, she knew how intense the infatuation was. She never bothered to think if Luke had ever felt the same because Irene would always change the subject.

Still, Drea had not a doubt about the two of them.

"You guys are dating?" Drea's voice cracked.

Irene, in a heartbroken expression, did her best to keep herself composed for Drea while slightly shaking her head. She hated to let her little sister see her cry.

"..not exactly dating. I don't know what we are.. were. But it wasn't nothing. He said he wasn't ready for anything. I didn't mind because.. because I really like him.." Irene sniffled. Her past tense wording caught Drea's attention, especially when she inferred that she still liked him.

Luke told her he wasn't ready. So why had he fully committed to Daria? He called her his girlfriend and everything.

The extremely dull moment was interrupted when the sound of grunts and the clashing of metals together could be heard deeper into the forest. Unfortunately, those echoing cries reigned familiar to Drea's ears.

Oh, gods.

"Percy!"

Everything had happened so fast. Handfuls of secrets had spewed from their hiding places within the matter of an hour and Drea couldn't intake it all. She charged through mass amounts of trees while tears that had been burning in her eyes had flown away in the wind from behind.

She knew Irene wasn't far behind as their feet stomped through piles of leaves and dirt. The sounds of struggle were heard clearer and clearer with every step, also making it obvious that it was who was Clarisse wasting no time in her revenge.

They reached a point where the dirt met sand and the open water was in front of them. The two girls stood still, watching the scene before them. Drea was scanning Percy head to toe, trying to see how injured he was or wasn't. She was relieved at first, seeing as he was winning the fight, but worried the moment she noticed a few bloody blemishes painting his skin.

Irene was worried, but she didn't have any power to stop the fight. She usually stood on the sidelines or hid in the meadow during Captire the Flag.

Meanwhile, Drea was impressed watching the Clarisse La Rue lose a fight to Percy Jackson.
Just like the times before, she waited in watching to see how it would play out. By now, Drea had every confidence he could handle himself.

Suddenly, Percy was keeping Clarisse's spear in holding while he was flipped over her. Keeping it stuck in his shield, the spear had snapped directly in half. Clarisse let out a blood-curdling scream of frustration. She'd gotten the spear from her father and now it was destroyed.

Percy looked mortified as she approached him and got a hold on his shirt to pull him close. All of a sudden, a crowd charged towards the shore, the red flag in their hands.

Irene went over to meet Owen and Sylvia who appeared at the front of the scene. She didn't care about losing, but after telling Drea everything, she couldn't hold anything in anymore. She wanted a shoulder to cry on.

Drea made her way over to Percy quickly, not caring about the end of the game. She'd normally run to her teammates to celebrate, but they'd already won, and Percy looked to be badly injured. Clarisse had stomped away in defeat while Percy fell to his knees in pain.

"Percy!"

He brought his attention to her, looking relieved to see a familiar face. She quickly offered her hand to let him stand, him firmly grabbing on to help himself up. Percy stared at her face while she caressed the slits on his arm.

"Gods.. guess it's nothing Sylvia can't patch."

Realizing something, Percy asked, "A third time? Really?"

Referencing how she had been present during a battle of his a third time, Drea chuckled. Even in his pain, Percy laughed in unison with her.

"Yeah, guess I just can't stay away."

They stood quietly while the team behind was still congratulating themselves on a good game, but just a few feet away a familiar voice called out,

"Not bad, Hero."

Annabeth appeared from under her mystical cap.

"Were you here the whole time?"

"Yes."

"You were here the whole time and you didn't help me?"

Drea knew she had been spectating the entire time because they originally were both supposed to. She stayed quiet. She'd probably be upset if someone had knowingly led her into imminent danger, and watched the entire time without making a move to help.

Annabeth stood closer to the two with a look on her face that made them both assume she was about to apologize and explain her intentions.

"Listen.. Percy."

Drea smiled. When Annabeth felt bad about her wrongs, though it was rare, she had her ways when being apologetic. She was just a tough person to crack.

Maybe Percy and her could finally have a nice moment.

Annabeth mumbled a swift 'sorry' before pushing him far out into the lake behind him.

Or not..

"Annabeth!" Drea shrieked at the sight. She wouldn't admit it out loud but the action was a bit funny to watch with a front row view.

"What is wrong with you?" Percy cried.

The crowd behind them turned to see the commotion while Annabeth analyzed Percy as he stumbled to stand up. His wounds seemed to sew themselves back together as if they had never existed. Drea knew in an instant what was happening, why Annabeth had pushed him.

Percy was completely unaware of what was happening and what it all meant. His eyes fell to Drea for clarification, but she was completely fascinated at the sight and too distracted to meet his look.

"I don't understand.." he whimpered.

In unison, Annabeth and Drea's eyes looked above Percy's head like there was something enchanting above him. Deciding to take a look, he found a gleaming blue trident that was double the size of him. All the kids surrounding the 3 were stood in shock.

"Your dad's calling."

Meanwhile, Drea couldn't feel anymore sick to her stomach. She felt stupid for not having noticed it before. It's why he had the power to win the minotaur fight, because it had been raining. It's why that water sprung out at Clarisse in the bathroom.

But something in her gut twisted in a gross manner. She swore her and Percy were alike. Their actions aligned perfectly when first arriving at camp. But they weren't the same.

Percy was claimed within a few days. He was claimed by his father who seemed to care so much about him because he wasn't afraid to have a forbidden child.

Drea might as well have been forbidden because Apollo never cared for her.

Everything forbidden was rising from the surface. Daria, Percy, even Irene and Luke's.. relation. None of it could lead to anything good and Drea wanted nothing more than to bury everything back down where it didn't exist and couldn't hurt her.

Everything was crashing down for Drea. Her family, her life, her future. But for Percy, everything had just begun.

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Ellie Speaks!

i literally died about 100 times trying to write this chapter and the payoff isn't very good ik 😭

hoping this was just a hard transition and next chapter will balance out this chapter