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Camp Half-Blood
Year: 2003
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Rin Nakamura was not a morning person. 

She had never been a morning person, and yet she dragged her protesting muscles out of bed every day just before sunrise to act as a chaperone. 

Even now, she yawned, the crisp air nipping at her skin as she pulled her crimson cardigan around herself tighter. The sky above unfolded with a delicate dance of light and shadow as she stood just at the edge of Camp Half-Blood's boundaries, and the first tendrils of dawn embraced the landscape, casting a golden hue upon the world, 

Her gaze wandered across the clearing, settling on the figure of one Luke Castellan as he kneeled in front of a pine tree a few paces away. Thalia's tree, as Rin had come to learn it was called, stood tall, its branches reaching toward the sky in silent reverence, and every time she saw it, she found herself thinking of the infamous girl. 

Luke's presence was a familiar one, his silhouette a constant in this morning ritual that had become a part of their shared existence. It's not like he needed the chaperoning, but she liked to be there anyway. After all, it was only fair, as he often accompanied her too, to the little grave that lay just beyond the border. He insisted that it was for her safety, but by now, she was more than capable of protecting herself. 

It was just their way of things. Comrades in arms. Comrades in grief. 

There were always subtle shifts in his demeanour when he returned. Subtle yet unmistakable for someone who had known him so long. An intensity in his gaze, a restless energy that seemed to simmer just beneath the surface. It was as if the mere sight of the tree ignited something within him, a fire that burned with a fervent passion.

It both scared and intrigued her, but if Rin was one thing, it was curious. 

Curiosity killed the cat.

That's what her father used to say, often to dissuade her from hazardous undertakings, but it never did any good. 

But satisfaction brought it back, her stepmother countered every time, and so Rin's inquisitive nature, much to her detriment, was left to fester. 

"Earth to Rin?"

She blinked, her thoughts momentarily disrupted by Luke's sudden intrusion, and she focused on his face to reel herself back from the depths of her musings. His fingers snapped in front of her, and she recoiled slightly, a scowl forming on her features.

"How many times have I told you not to do that?" she sighed, rolling her eyes. However, there was a hint of amusement in her voice, a playful banter that danced between them like fireflies.

"But where's the fun in that?" he retorted, nudging her playfully with his elbow. "Besides, someone has to make sure you don't wander off into the forest while you're lost in your head."

His lips curled into an easy smile. Though the tension in his shoulders hadn't entirely melted away, he fell into step beside her, and his expression was infectious, a beacon of warmth that bathed the world in a glow that rivalled even that of the sun's. It was one of his many talents, this effortless masking, and Rin couldn't help but marvel at the ease with which he wielded it. It was in moments like these that she could see how his father was the god of trickery. She would never say it to his face, of course, as he would only deny it vehemently, saying that he was anything but his father's son. 

"And you believe yourself to be up to the task?" Her lips twitched, fighting hard against her restraint. 

"I've kept you out of trouble for so long, haven't I?" He moved to throw his arm around her shoulder before pulling away at the last moment, settling for a flick to her forehead instead, knowing her distaste for meaningless contact. "And besides, how many times have I told you that you don't need to babysit me out here?"

"I'm not babysitting. I'm just enjoying the view."

Luke's smirk widened, his eyes gleaming with self-assured mischief. "Admiring the view, huh?"

"Don't flatter yourself. Who would want to look at you when the sunrise is right there?"

"Oh, you wound me. Am I not worthy of your lofty attention?" He feigned offence, clutching his chest in indignation. "And besides, what's with your obsession with the sun? Surely it had nothing to do with what's-his-face... son of Apollo?" 

A snicker burst out of Rin. It was the first sign of emotion he had seen on her face all morning, and he relished it, even if it was at his expense. 

"You're making fun of Haydar again," she grumbled. "Leave him alone, he's my friend."

"Is he a better friend than I?"

"Most certainly. He doesn't make me get up at six in the morning."

"I told you that you don't need to come."

But I'm glad you did. 

As they walked, the air was filled with a comfortable silence, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves underfoot. They didn't always need words to convey what they meant to say, but Luke was grateful for her presence nonetheless. Eventually, he reached into his pocket, his fingers rustling against a crinkling plastic wrapper. He pulled out a pack of Skittles, tearing it open with his teeth before shaking a handful into his palm. For a moment, he sifted through the pile, and when he had fished out every single orange candy, he held them out to Rin.

She blinked down at his offering, beaming as she accepted it, and for Luke, it was better than seeing the sun after days of rain. 

"You don't like the orange ones?" she asked. 

"Annabeth says they're all supposed to taste the same, but I swear, these are awful."

"You're seriously weird. The orange ones are my favourite."

"I know," he responded, flashing her a lazy grin as he popped the leftovers into his mouth. "That's why you're the best snack partner."

Rolling her eyes, Rin savoured the treat, making a mental note to ignore the way his eyes seemed to catch the morning light when he looked at her, copper against honey. 

"I knew you would be hungry," he continued, "and I wouldn't be a very good friend if I let you suffer an empty stomach, now would I? Breakfast's not for another three hours."

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When they finally arrived at the U-shaped clearing of cabins at the center of camp, it lay bathed in the hazy light of the early morning sun, its tranquillity undisturbed by the hustle and bustle of the day. Only a handful of campers were awake, their movements slow as they went about their morning routines.

Luke glanced sideways at Rin as they made their way towards the Hermes cabin, a sense of peace settling over him. He was surprised when she didn't follow him to their shared abode, though, instead veering off toward the Apollo cabin with purposeful strides.

"Hey, where are you off to?" he called out. 

Rin glanced over her shoulder, offering him another smile that made his heart hiccup. "I'll catch up with you later."

"Yeah, I know you will, but where are you going?"

"Haydar said he found a good read. Something I'd enjoy." 

Luke's impish expression dropped. "A good read, hmm? You sure you're not a child of Athena?"

An incredulous laugh burst out of Rin, and her hands flew to her lips to suppress it. "Definitely not."

"Fair enough. I don't think she'd approve of your manic consumption of Detective Comics. It's not very daughter of wisdom of you."

"And if I were a daughter of Athena, I wouldn't have flunked the U.S. History exam last week."

"That's your own fault, Nakamura," Luke snarked. "Amongst the few perks of being a year-round camper is that you technically don't have to do school if you don't want to. Yet you practically beg Chiron to take the yearly tests."

"Because I'm trying to qualify for a high school diploma, numbnuts," Rin huffed. "I can't spend the rest of my life being a sixth-grade dropout."

Luke clutched his chest again in a show of drama. "Ouch, is that a targeted attack?"

"No. You could do the tests too. They're not terrible."

"You just said you failed U.S. History. If you're failing, then there's no way I'm passing. You know I suck at school."

"You suck at everything, really." Rin leaned up on her tiptoes to smack him upside the head. "And the marks have technically not come out, so we don't know if I actually failed."

Luke rubbed the back of his head with an exaggerated scowl. "Well, there you go then. Athena is still a strong contender."

Rin didn't respond. They often joked about the truth of her godly parent, and it had become a game where they both pretended that the rage that simmered under her skin didn't exist. She took each of Luke's guesses with amused contemplation. It was a game where they pretended she hadn't sworn vengeance against a goddess she'd never even met. 

"Okay, I really have to go now," Rin muttered. "And I'm pretty sure Ethan is sprawled all over my bunk by now, and I don't want to wake him."

Luke's expression turned slightly devious. "You could always share my bunk, you know. You don't have to cram with your brother every night."

Rin made a face. "Gross, no thanks. I'd rather go back to sleeping on the floor."

When she turned to leave, Luke reached out to snag her wrist. "Why do you have to go now?" j he demanded, frustration creeping into his voice. "Can't you visit at a more reasonable hour? For all you know, Haydar's probably not even awake."

"The children of Apollo rise early. I know he's awake."

"And how do you know that?" 

Rin simply laughed and pointed towards the steps of the Apollo cabin, where a tall boy stood. His shoulder-length dark hair was put up in a half-up topknot, and a pair of glasses perched slightly askew at the tip of his nose as he waved enthusiastically at them. 

Luke's irritation was palpable as he watched the boy's friendly gesture, a flicker of something unknown stirring within him. "Fine, go on then," he said curtly, letting go of her. "I'll see you later."

"See ya!"

"And don't let the Athena cabin know you're borrowing reading material from the Apollo kids of all people. They wouldn't be happy to hear they've been usurped."

"Thanks for the reminder. I'll make sure to tell Annabeth you said that," Rin called back, already walking away. 

As she approached Haydar, he beamed, metaphorically—and maybe literally—glowing with excitement as he dumped an armload of comic books into her waiting arms.

"Okay, first of all, don't drop those, because that one on top?" he said, pointing wildly at the glossy cover. "That is Batman: Under the Red Hood. I made you read A Death in the Family last week, so it's only fair I catch you up on the latest issue."

Rin adjusted the teetering stack, already smiling despite herself. "Good morning to you, too."

"Morning? Oh, right, yeah, good morning," he waved it off, immediately launching back in. "Anyway, I had one of the satyrs smuggle these in from the city. Don't ask which one, plausible deniability and all that, but listen, listen, this issue is absolutely glorious. And you'll never guess who comes back to life."

"Spoilers, Haydar," Rin chided, but she allowed him to continue, listening intently. She didn't mind it, not even when he accidentally let slip something important. She enjoyed the story enough to want to read it anyway, and if it brought him joy to share his thoughts, she was happy to oblige. "You're very passionate about this."

"Because Jason deserves better," he said fervently. "Did you know they held a phone-in poll for his fate back in the day, and people actually voted for him to get killed off. What losers." He gestured animatedly, nearly knocking the stack from her arms. "And don't even get me started on the limited edition figurines that came with this run. Okay, actually, do get me started."

Rin raised an eyebrow. "You bought it, didn't you?"

"My mom said she'd have it for me when I go back to her place in September. I'm so excited!"

Rin's expression faltered a little. She liked Camp Half-blood best in the summertime, because there were more people around and they brought her stories from the real world, but there was a constant reminder that they'd go back to their lives and she would be stuck here, forever in purgatory. 

At her silence, Haydar paused too, blinking as if suddenly becoming aware of himself. His shoulders dropped, a sheepish smile creeping onto his face. "Sorry. I'm rambling again, aren't I?"

"Just a little," Rin said fondly.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Right. Uh—anyway, I hope you like this stash. There's some older Batman stuff in there too, plus one Joker-centric issue, so you can hate-read it like I did."

"Will do."

"And let me know when you're done, okay? So I can get the next batch. There's a new arc coming up, and I refuse to let you fall behind." He stopped to think before rambling on. "Oh, and okay, not DC related, but you have to read the Sandman trades I slipped in there. It's not even about superheroes, really. It's more about stories and dreams and responsibility and how everything ends eventually."

"Sounds tragic, I'm somewhat scared," Rin deadpanned. 

"And that's the beauty of life. Everything does indeed end eventually." Haydar tapped the side of the stack with two fingers. "Also, that one with the black spine? Season of Mists. It's my favourite. Lucifer just quits Hell and hands Dream the key and says, 'Your problem now.' It's incredible."

Rin shifted the pile, squinting down at the covers. "You seem to have supplied me with enough material for the rest of the year."

"For the summer, really. I'll have more to give you in August before I leave, so when we meet back next summer, we'll have so much to talk about." He gave her his signature smile that felt a little like standing right under the midday sun. "There's also Watchmen, Hellboy, and Bone in there. I know Bone looks silly at first, but then suddenly there's war and dragons and ancient prophecies."

Haydar was still grinning when he suddenly stalled, his next words catching somewhere behind his teeth. It was an uncharacteristically hesitant pause that made Rin narrow her eyes.

"What is it?" she demanded flatly. "You're about to ask me for a favour."

He winced. "Am I that obvious?"

"Painfully so."

"Okay, so my cousin might've scored a copy of the latest issue of Akira."

Rin's eyebrows shot up. "The cyberpunk manga?"

"The very one."

She stared at him for a beat, then shrugged. "That's great. Lend it to me when you're done."

Haydar nodded toward the wobbling tower in her arms. "It's already there."

"Okay..."

"My idiot cousin didn't get me an English copy. And now he's disappeared on some commune retreat, which sounds suspiciously like a cult, by the way, and he won't write back to me, so—uh—" He gestured helplessly. "I'm stuck with the issue in its original Japanese, which is a total bummer."

For a second, Rin just stared at him. Then she burst out laughing. "Gods, Haydar, you want me to translate it?"

He nodded bashfully. "Yes, please."

Rin laughed even harder. "You do realize I haven't studied Japanese academically since I was twelve, right?"

Haydar straightened, seizing his chance. "Yeah, but I hear you speak it with your brother all the time. Come on, help a guy out."

"This is insane." She shook her head, still laughing. "What am I now, your personal translator?"

"Rin," Haydar begged, clasping his hands together dramatically, "please."

She eyed him over the stack, amusement dancing in her expression. "Unbelievable. You lure me in with comics and then spring unpaid labour on me."

"I prefer to think of it as a mutually beneficial literary alliance. You get entertainment. I get comprehension."

"Fine," Rin said at last. "I'll go through it first. If there's some deeply philosophical mumbo jumbo in there, you're getting a summary at best, not a word-for-word translation."

"I'll take it," Haydar agreed immediately. "You're a saint. You can annotate the copy all you like. Leave your translations and your notes. I'll take it all."

Rin snorted, but didn't argue, already resigned to her fate. Of course, she'd agreed. Haydar had trusted her with his stash, and she had never been good at leaving favours unreturned, even when they involved spending her summer translating dystopian manga.

Before Haydar could turn away, she shifted her load to one arm and dug around in her cardigan with her other, pulling out a beaded keychain that formed the likeness of one of his favourite superheroes. 

His eyes lit up with recognition as he accepted the gift, turning it over in his hands with a grateful expression. "You don't have to get me something every time," he protested. "I'm just happy to share my stuff with you."

"I can't take all the credit," Rin admitted. "One of your sisters helped me with it. I am not very artistically inclined, but I thought you'd appreciate it."

"I do, but you don't have to go out of your way for me."

"I know, but I must," she insisted. "It wouldn't be fair otherwise."

And while she meant it to be a joke, part of it wasn't. She never liked to owe anyone anything. Everything came at a price, and it never felt right taking unless she had something to give in return. 

"You have an odd sense of fairness, Rin." 

"Yeah, well, it's not worth complaining about. You get keychains and translations. I get comics. It's a win-win."

Haydar chuckled, slipping the keychain onto his belt loop. "Well, thank you. I'll add it to my collection of random trinkets from you. At this rate, there won't be any space left in the Apollo cabin!"

"And if you keep giving me more reading material, there won't be any space left in my bunk either. Luke's gonna throw me out at this rate. I'm not even a real Hermes kid."

Another joke thinly veiled in equal parts resentment and truth. 

"We all know he'd never do that."

"He certainly threatened to enough times."

"You probably deserved it. You can be infuriatingly stubborn at times." 

"Pot meet kettle," Rin drawled. 

"See, on me, it's an endearing quality!"

"Sure it is," she mused slyly. "In fact, I think a certain someone from the Aphrodite cabin finds it very endearing indeed."

She enjoyed the way her friend's ears turned a deep crimson as he cleared his throat and avoided her gaze. 

"Did someone say something?" he asked, unable to hide his curiosity. 

"That's for me to know, and you to find out!" she retorted, throwing a final word of thanks over her shoulder as she left him protesting, ignoring his threats to ban her from his personal library. 

Turning back towards the Hermes cabin, she found her arms teetering under the weight of her new collection. In passing, she noticed that Luke was still watching her from the doorway, his gaze fixed on her with an intensity that sparked her curiosity. He seemed to be in conversation with his brother Chris Rodriguez, but his attention was clearly elsewhere.

Rin hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to approach them or not. She didn't want to interrupt their conversation, so she turned on her heel and began to head in the opposite direction, anticipating the thought of diving into her newfound material.

As she disappeared from view, she was entirely unaware of Luke's gaze lingering on her retreating figure, a mixture of emotions swirling in his eyes, already waiting for the next time he got to see her again. 

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Author's Note ୨୧

➽ Did I actually do any research on what DC comics were coming out in 2005? A little, but if Haydar is ahead of his time, just go with it lmao, part of his dad's prophecy tricks can be him being able to predict future comic run plotlines. 

➽ Playing around with the concept of homeschooling and GEDs because if 18+ demigods are heading off to college,  Chiron probably had some sort of yearly examination and fake homeschooling set up for the year-rounders. There's no way they'd be illiterate lol. 

➽ I also want this rewrite to dive more into Rin's Japanese heritage, cuz I think it's cool to explore demigods and their mortal heritages and how those beliefs interact with the Greek stuff. As always, I'd love to hear what you think!