Nelson's PoV

"All hail Nelson Madera, son of Dionysus."

Those words rang in my ears as I sat, too stunned to speak. My dad was the camp director? Also, he didn't mess up my name, and he called me his son. I thought for sure he was going to use my birth name. I definitely didn't expect him to claim me.

"Hey, Nelson, are you okay, man?" Jason asked as he slid back down on the seat in front of me. I guess I had been staring off into space for some time now.

"Yeah. It was just... That was unexpected... I guess?" I looked at him uncomfortably.

"That's one way of putting it," he clapped his hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry you can't play Capture the Flag tonight. At least you'll be able to be up and moving by tomorrow though, right?"

"Yes. At least, that's what Will says anyway." Jason nodded before he and Piper left to go get ready for the game.

"Sorry, Nelson. I have to go see what the plan is with Reyna." Frank stood up from the table and waved as he left.

I was about to try and roll my wheel chair out of the dining pavilion when the guy with the rainbow tattoo, Butch, walked up to the table and sat down. "Hey, you need some help?" He said. His voice was rich and deep. I blushed slightly and looked down at my hands.

"Um... Yes, please," I muttered. I am such a moron.

Butch laughed and got up from his seat. "Hang on tight," amusement was evident in his voice.

"What do you-" my question got cut off as he started running down toward the infirmary. I screamed in surprise, and that made him laugh. "Butch, slow down!" I yelled, but I couldn't help but laugh as he veered me around people half dressed in armor.

Finally, we made it to the infirmary doors in one piece. Butch was panting slightly, and my heart was beating a thousand miles per hour. "How did you know my name?" He asked me as soon as he caught his breath.

"Oh. Piper told me." I said. Heat crept up my face as I tried to force it down.

"Cool!" His smile seemed to grow bigger at that. "So-"

"Hi, Butch. Hey, Nelson." Will and Nico walked out of the infirmary hand in hand. Nico had a slight pink tinge to his cheeks, and Will was beaming.

"Hey guys, can you tell Annabeth I'm not playing tonight?" Butch said.

Will looked slightly confused, but he just shrugged it off. "Yeah. No problem. Come on, Neeks."

"Don't call me Neeks," Nico retorted.

"Fine, Death Boy. Is that better?" Will said sarcastically.

We watched them bicker as they headed back toward the woods with everyone else. I looked back at Butch in confusion. "Why aren't you playing tonight?"

"I figured you would want some company since you'll be pretty much the only one in the infirmary if that's alright with you," Butch said, trying to act casual, but he only succeeded in looking more awkward.

I laughed lightly. "Yeah, that would be great. Although, I don't really want to be in the infirmary just yet."

"Where do you want to go?" Butch asked.

I thought for a minute. "I want to see the sunset," I finally said, quietly.

Butch nodded and rolled my wheel chair toward the edge of the lake. We sat in silence as we watched the sun sink below the horizon, turning the sky all sorts of shades of pinks, purples, oranges, reds, and blues. I remembered how only three days ago, I sat on the front porch with my mom watching the sun set. She always loved sitting outside at sundown to watch as the sun sunk behind my little grape garden during the summer when the smell of the grapes was strongest. She would always look at me proudly and ruffle my hair silently. Nothing was said. Speaking was unnecessary. It was just nice to sit down in silence and watch the day end. It was almost like that with Butch, but I still felt the empty space next to me where my mom's presence should have been.

"Are you okay?" Butch took me out of my reverie, concern filling his voice.

"Yeah, why?" I asked.

"You were crying," he said quietly. "Was it something I had done?"

"No, I was... I was thinking about my mom." I replied.

It was silent for a few moments before Butch asked, "What happened to her?"

I looked back at the horizon that was now a deep blue with the absence of the sun. It was a few minutes before I spoke. "She died two days ago. The day I met the other three. I came home from school, and there was... There was an empousa drinking her blood. I can't help thinking that I did that to her. The empousa was after me, and I put her endanger. Now, the Underworld is in chaos, and her soul could be in danger."

I didn't realize I had started sobbing until Butch pulled me into his chest. I cried into his shirt, and he rubbed circles into my back. Finally, I pulled away, and the from of his shirt was soaked. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your shirt." I muttered, looking down in shame.

"Don't worry about it. I'm always here if you need a shoulder to cry on." Butch said. I nodded and laid my head down on his shoulder.

"You know, my dad-" Butch was cut off by a familiar shrill screech in the direction of the woods.

"Annie Cortez!"

I got a chapter out today! Yes! I hope you guys liked this One, and had a great day!