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Icaria Leigh Kane

The Destined

Icaria twirled the small dagger in her hand, that Apollo had given her. She looked out the window of her cabin, and watched as Percy Jackson swam laps back and forth in the lake. No matter how hard she tried, the demigod couldn't look away from the boy that she knew was struggling. Yet, at the same time, she was struggling herself. Her demigod dream had kept her up the entire night. Icaria felt like her days were getting shorter, and she had no idea who to turn to this time.

Without her knowing, the cabin door opened up quietly, and Annie along with Kali, walked inside. They watched the daughter of Hestia sit in silence, stuck in her own thoughts of torment. The two friends looked at one another, sorrow clear in their eyes, watching their third piece tear herself apart.

Annie stepped forward quietly, placing a soft hand on her best friend's shoulder. Icaria didn't jump or move away. She just sat as still as a Greek stature."Ria, you know you can talk to us right? We're always going to be here for you." There was a pleading tone to her voice that Annabeth usually didn't have.

Finally, Icaria tore her eyes from the lake, and looked into the light grey eyes of Annabeth. After a moment, she turned to look into Kali's deep brown, almost black eyes. She sighed, turning her golden eyes to the golden dagger in her hand.

There were words that she wanted to say, but they stayed caught in the daughter of Hestia's throat. As she closed her eyes for only a moment, flashes of her nightmare played across her vision. Icaria's heart clenched, and she opened her eyes quickly. No, those words could not be spoken.

"In the Odyssey, Homer wrote: 'The gods envy us, because we're mortal. Because any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful, because we are doomed.' All of us live each moment, as if it might be our last. Nothing is ever certain, especially with the cards that we were dealt with. Gods and Fates play with our lives. They don't care if we live or if we die. Yet, we're envied even though we become nothing more than star dust. I'm not ready to just be another pawn and die a soldiers death."

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Perseus James Jackson

The Prophesied

Percy Jackson and Grover Underwood sat on the steps of the Big House, watching all the chaos happen around them. But to the two best friends, everything was silent for them. At the moment, they weren't about to go into battle. Instead, they were back sitting in their dorm room at Yancy Academy. To the Jackson boy, that honestly felt like it was a lifetime ago. A life, that at times, he wished he could go back to.

With a chuckle that he wasn't able to control, Percy laughed. He laughed like he was a mad man, running his hands through his curly black hair. Grover kept silent, knowing that Percy was struggling in this moment. If he could, Grover would give Percy all the confidence that he needed going forward.

"You know, it seems that just yesterday, we were kids playing with wooden swords and dreaming about happy endings. Today, we woke up. Wood all of a sudden became cold steel, and happy endings are now just tragedies we have no control over. How is any of that fair? We trained every day, but nobody was ready to just be sent into war. We're just children! We're not ready to just watch each other die." Percy's manic laughter soon turned to a heartbroken sob as he thought about his incoming future. About all of their incoming futures. He was not the only one whose death was approaching faster than they wanted.

Grover sighed, before turning to look at the scene in front of him. There were children of all ages, sharpening swords, getting each other into armor, painting warrior paint on their cheeks. "Nobody is truly ready, Percy. But look at them. They're swallowing their fears, and going to fight at your side. You don't know it, but you and Ria have given this whole camp something the gods could never. A true family. Sure, just yesterday they were playing with wooden swords, but they know what they're doing. You have to trust them."

As Grover spoke words that could not have been truer, Percy watched the scene Grover spoke about. The Satyr was right, they might have been children, but they were ready. Ready to fight for another sunrise. Ready to fight for their siblings. For each other. Percy Jackson stood to his feet, uncapping Riptide and letting the power wash through him.

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Annabeth Nicole Chase

The Strategist

Annabeth's back rested against the water-sprayed wood of the ship they were on. Her head snapped up when she heard Percy's steps walk closer to her. The two still were not the best of friends, but the daughter of Annabeth would tolerate the boy for Ria's sake. Plus, he did just help save her life only an hour ago, from the sirens.

Percy sat next to Annabeth, both demigods quiet, and unsure of what to say without the Daughter of Hestia at their sides, since she was sleeping. Percy's foot kept tapping nervously, irking the blonde girl to no end. Yet, she took a breath. If they were going to fight together, they needed to learn to trust one another. Annabeth knew that she had to let him in, for the Jackson boy to trust her.

"I  used to believe there was only good in this world." Annabeth started. "My father would sit me in his office, surrounded by books, and tell me stories of far off lands. I sat there, light shining in my eyes, begging him to take me to those places the books were based on."

"What changed your mind about good being in this world?" Percy asked softly, keeping his eyes on the waves ahead of them. He didn't want to make Annabeth any more uncomfortable than she probably already was.

"When I had to kill my first monster on my own, at seven years old. I still feel that golden dust coat my hair sometimes. From then on, I only wanted to know facts. I knew reality and planning were the only things that was going to keep my family and I alive."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. But even when you rely on reality, you can still want to focus on the goods things. Meeting Kali and Ria was a good thing." Percy comforted the daughter of Athena.

After that, the two were silent. They were no longer uncomfortable in each others presence. The air around the two seemed to calm, and there was a new understanding between them. They didn't need to be their parents. This was there life.

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Kalliope Selene Blake

The Mistake

The sword clattered to the ground, as the campers around Kali began to laugh. In her moment of confusion, a foot struck her hard in the sternum, and she was sent tumbling to the floor. The laughter increased, as Clarisse stood there victorious. Her Cabin five siblings cheering for the brute of a girl.

Kali's fingers dug hard into the dirt, lips snarling like a wild animal. It didn't matter how long she had already lived at camp for, Clarisse was by far her biggest enemy still. With anger coursing through her veins, Kali tackled the girl to the arena floor, the two of them trying to gain the upper hand of  the other.

"Come on Clarisse, that's enough." Ria parted the group of bystanders like the red sea, most turning their eyes toward the ground. Afraid of seeing the disappointing look in Icaria's eyes.

"Not until the girl learns her lesson. She needs to know the unclaimed mean nothing here at camp." Clarisse snarled.

"La Rue!"

"Don't fight my battles for me, Ria!"  Kali called, pushing Clarisse off her, and standing back to her feet. Anger still coursed through her, and if she stood in the arena any longer she was going to snap the daughter of Ares's neck. "Just leave me alone!"

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Aaliyah Sage Dare

The Artist

The girls foot tapped rapidly against her cabin's floor, mimicking the rate that her heart was going at. Aly was unsure of this place already. More than anything, she missed her sister, and wanted Rachel at her side. But according to Chiron, it would be some time before she saw her family again.

Her supposed new brothers and sisters were off in the forge, and Aly could hear the clanging of metal, from where she sat. The more she listened to it, the calmer she began to feel. Each loud tink of metal hitting metal stirred a new feeling in her chest.

As Aly's heart began to calm, the cabin door opened to Icaria and Annabeth, both of whom were still sweaty from their swordsman practice. The two girls sat on the floor across from Aly and looked up at her expectantly.

"You know, we're not going to bite you." Ria teased, pretending to nip at Annabeth who pushed the girl away from her, laughing. The two girls reminded Aly of her own sister, the feeling of longing returning to her chest.

"I'm sorry, this is all so new to me. I don't really know what to expect right now. Most everyone has been super welcoming. I just don't know what to do." Aly admitted surprisingly. She usually wasn't this open with practical strangers.

The Hunters of Artemis

The Band of Sisters

Percy Jackson watched the hunters celebrate their victory of the camps capture the flag game. He could see the curly black hair of Icaria in the middle, getting hugged and praised by all of the girls. There was a jealous feeling in his chest that had not gone away since Ria told him she was playing on their side for the game.

A hand clapped around his shoulder, brining his attention back to his own surroundings. Kalliope had returned after cooling Thalia down after her fight with him. Her brown eyes softened when she noticed what, or who, the son of the sea was looking at. Percy huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"They're also her family, Percy." Kali reminded the boy. And he knew that, truly he did. But Percy didn't know them like he knew the campers here.

"I know." Percy mumbled dejectedly. "Do you think Ria would...I don't know. Ever join them?" Percy hated saying the words on his tongue. He didn't even want to think about the possibility of that ever happening.

"I hate to admit it to you, Jackson. But she practically has joined them, just without saying their oath. The hunters are a fiercely loyal group of girls. They protect one another. Camp might be Ria's home, but the hunters are her heart."

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Icaria Leigh Kane

And

Perseus James Jackson

The Fated Lovers

"Will you please read it to me again?" Percy asked, resting his head upon her lap. His eyes closed, for once, in a moment of perfect serenity. There was no horizon of war, or death, or fate. In this moment, Percy was with the person who he thought was home.

Ria's laugh rang in his ears, as she flipped back to the page she knew he was referencing. "I am yours, the way the sea belongs to the moon. The way the moon belongs to the sky. And even if the jealous stars break and shatter, upon the Milky Way, I will see heaven in your eyes."

Icaria closed the book of poems, looking down at the son of Poseidon. She took notice of the things that nobody would pay attention to. The way his hair seemed to curl more at the front than the back. She couldn't see his eyes in the moment, but knew they were the perfect shade of sea-green. Icaria's fingers lightly traced the ridge of his nose, watching as her pointer finger curved to the right. It had been broken front a fight when he had been in sixth grade. It was just one of the many things she loved about Percy Jackson.

Love. Such a terrifying word to say out loud, or even in one's own head. Yes, Icaria loved her sisters, and she loved everyone at camp. But the love that she had for Percy burned so much hotter. Was the Daughter of Hestia still afraid of it? More than anyone would ever know, but she accepted that fear. Because the love was stronger than that fear for her.

Percy opened his eyes once again, only to be practically looking at the sun. No, he wasn't looking at the actual sun, since that was setting in the distance. Instead he looked at his sun. The way her eyes glowed warmly, like a cool autumn night. The Jackson boy so wished that he could spend an eternity counting every freckle that dusted Icaria's face like the stars in the sky. Yet, he couldn't help but pout his lips, as he watched Icaria's brows furrow together. He raised his hand softly, smoothing the skin between them, with his thumb.

"You're scared." Percy spoke plainly, being able to read the daughter of Hestia like his favorite book.

"Perseus." He loved the way his name came from her lips. "I love you. More than any amount of stars. Yet, I can't help but think this is only for a moment. We both have heard 'it', and we know the meaning. One day, I will fal..."

The son of the sea, quieted Icaria by pressing his lips to her. Icaria tasted oh so sweet. Like a warm chocolate chip cook on a winters day. Their lips, like their souls, were forever entwined together. Percy knew, even in death, he would not be separated from Icaria Kane.

Percy Jackson drew back, only with a breath of space in-between them. He could feel the heat that Icaria always radiated on his skin, and he closed in eyes in absolute peace. She smelled of warm freshly baked bread, campfire smoke, and salt water. Percy drank it all in. Icaria was his drug in all of the best ways.

"Then take me with you, Icaria Leigh Kane. Because there is no me, without you. Let the stars claim us together. My heart, is no longer my own. Id does not beat, unless yours does as well. Let us be dragged down by our melted wings together. That is how I want to go. Only with you. I swear on the River Styx, we fall together." Percy spoke against Icaria's rosy lips, the both of them ignoring the rumble of thunder in the distance.