──── chapter one

{ ☀️ }  · fuck no! . ݁ ٬٬ ࣪

WAKING UP in the Apollo Cabin for the last six years felt right at home.

At first glance, it looks like an ordinary cabin, but when hit by sunlight at the right angle, it looks as if it's made of solid gold, and gleams so much that it is difficult to look at. Inside, there are bunk beds and twin sized beds on either side with a cot in the middle of the cabin for the injured. Rough cedar beams rib the ceiling and the white plaster walls are bare except for a few hooks for coats and weapons. It smelled of clean linen and dried sage. With many paintings hang on the wall and vinyls laying scattered around the room, flower pots on the windowsill, filled with cheerful yellow blooms from the island of Delos. They only grow in and around the cabin.

It was her home, and she loved every little detail about it.

Sitting on her bed in the corner of the cabin ( she didn't mind, in fact, Madeline was glad it was in the corner as she liked to sleep facing the wall ) with mirror in one hand and pink lip-gloss in other, the daughter of Apollo was the only one awake at this time. Unfortunately, she had agreed to swap places with her brother, Austin Lake, to teach unexperienced half-bloods archery. Being one of the best ( "You are the best." a voice of her best friend, Endora Prince, rang though her mind, "Who shot that giant straight into heart?" ) had it's cons. And that was teaching. She didn't really know how to teach, it just wasn't her thing.

It was not her type of morning to wake up early and get started with the day right away ─ no, Madeline liked everything to go calmly and smoothly, at its own pace. She never rushed things nor did she liked to be rushed.

With a pop of her lips, the girl looked at her reflection in the mirror. The girl loved doing her make-up, taking time picking out and planning her outfit of the day and doing everything that would make her feel good. Self care is the best care, Aphrodite once told her when the goddess approached her on Olympus after the war this summer; and Madeline couldn't agree more.

But the war affected everyone. There was still an empty bed close to the doors ─ one that belonged to her brother, Michael Yew, former counselor of their cabin and one of the people Madeline was close to. Despite their bickering from time to time, the two genially cared for each other like all siblings do. But Madeline was not ready to become the new counselor in the middle of the war. 

They were gone. She kept reminding herself. They were gone. They are at better place. But Madeline wanted them back. She wanted her brothers back.

Yet she couldn't have that.  

Putting on finishing touches, Madeline looked at the full-size mirror that occupied the changing room in the cabin. The girl looked down at her outfit. She didn't really wear her Camp t-shirt, only when she needed to. A cropped green cardigan and wide bottom jean with her freshly washed convers on her feet ─ a comfortable outfit; nothing else needed. Madeline could hear the cabin members waking up and that's when she decided she should probably get on with the training. Making sure her sun earrings were on, as well as her choker necklace, Madeline left the Apollo cabin after wishing good morning to a grumpy looking Gracie.

Madeline hated how everyone looked at her when they found out she is the daughter of Apollo. It's not that they judged her because of her father, no, it was the odd looks she received because she didn't look like a child of the god. Most of her siblings have blonde or ashy brown hair and stereotypical blue or green eyes; Madeline, and her brother Austin, on the other hand, dark hair and dark eyes. That might be the reason the two are closest among the siblings. The two always found comfort with each other and Madeline was there as an older sister when some campers were picking up on the boy ─ don't mess with the girl who can hit bullseye.

But Madeline loves everything about herself. She proudly shows her natural black hair and pale complexion; not like the tan one most of her siblings have. She's special, that's what she tells herself. And she is.

"The body should be at or nearly perpendicular to the target and the shooting line, with the feet placed shoulder-width apart." Madeline said demonstrating how to set in a correct stance. The young demigods followed. The girl went around and helped when she saw some small mistakes, "Now, to load, the bow is pointed toward the ground and the shaft of the arrow is placed on the arrow rest or shelf. The back of the arrow is attached to the bowstring with the nock ─ yes, that small locking groove at end of the arrow ─ good job, Elijah!"

The girl praised the small boy, "The bowstring and arrow are held with three fingers. Most commonly, for finger shooters, the index finger is placed above the arrow and the next two fingers below," Madeline showed them, "In either the split finger or three finger under case, the string is usually placed in the first or second joint, or else on the pads of the fingers. Do we understand."

"Yes!" the small children said in union.

Daughter of Apollo smiled, "Great! Let's raise the bow and draw the string. We draw the string hand towards the face, where it should rest lightly at a fixed anchor point. It's usually at the corner of the mouth, on the chin, to the cheek, or to the ear, depending on preferred shooting style. I like it at the corner of my mouth, but it depends of the shooter ─ Vicky, a bit higher ─ Now, we hold the bow arm outwards, toward the target. The elbow of this arm should be rotated so that the inner elbow is perpendicular to the ground, but it's not the same for everyone so don't worry. This keeps the forearm out of the way of the bowstring. Now, releasing," Madeline continued, "The arrow is typically released by relaxing the fingers of the drawing hand. Simple as that."

"Maddy, could you help me?" a young boy asked, having trouble with fixing his arm.

"Of course," the girl smiled, walking over to him and beginning to fix his form when sudden screams echoed around the valley. Madeline was already on alert, gripping her bow tighter. "Stay here and don't move!" she said to the young children, who nodded at her. Notching an arrow on her own bow, the girl ran from where the sound came.

Her eyes followed a familiar bronze carriage falling into the depths of the lake with five of its passengers falling with it. The pegasi stood in the shallow part, shaking their wings and spaying water to the newcomers of the Camp, Madeline being one of them. With an arrow still notched, the girl patiently waited for the intruders to rise up; but she sees no such a thing as a head of curly, blonde hair emerges from the water. Annabeth Chase lets out a gasp as her lungs fill with air once more.

A few feet away, four more heads emerged from the water and Madeline recognized one as Butch, son of Iris. He quickly cut the wrecked harnesses off the pegasi, letting them loose and much more comfortable.

Endora Prince emerged last, her hair and clothes dry and she pushed the water with her hands so she could walk towards the shore.

Madeline retreated her bow and arrow; her earring appearing in her hand as she put them back on her ears. However, that's not what Madeline was looking at. Her eyes widened.

"Dora! Beth!" Madeline shouted, her hands coming to her face as she looked in what condition her cabin's chariot was, "I said you could borrow the chariot, not fucking destroy it!"

"Maddy, I'm sorry," Ednora Prince sighed. "I'll get it fixed, I promise."

"You better!" Madeline watched as piece of wood drifted towards her ─ a piece of her chariot. She picked it up, "My poor baby."

"Our chariot!" a voice from behind Madeline yelled. Will Solace pushed forward, his bow and quiver on his back as he started in horror.

"I said I will fix it!" Endora said, "Just, need some time."

Madeline's eyes moved towards the newcomers.

To Endora's right a boy with curly black hair stood. He had dark brown eyes, pointy ears, a cheerful, elf-like face and a diminutive stature with a slim and relatively scrawny build. He was taller then Madeline, about the same height as the girl beside him. He had a look in his eyes that made him look like he has taken much more caffeine than the normal limit, even if his frightened state.

Then there was the the girl, a very beautiful girl, maybe of Indigenous descent, Madeline guessed, with chocolate-brown hair that was cut choppy and unevenly, and had thin strands braided down on the sides. From where she stood, Madeline could see her eyes changing color like a kaleidoscope, going from brown to blue to green, and she was dressed in a fleece snowboarding jacket, faded jeans, and hiking boots.

And the last boy. . .

Madeline felt herself stop breathing.

Her frantic eyes moved over the three figures, fingers itching to grasp at the choker around her neck.

The boy had these regal features of a Roman statue, electric blue eyes, and close-cropped blond hair that was not wet because of water. She wasn't sure, but Madeline could master a small scar on the corner of his lip; his face was kind and gentle but it had a sad look sat upon it.

There seemed to be awkward tension between the blonde boy and the brunette girl as they looked away from each other uncomfortably, the blonde scratching the back of his neck as he looked anywhere but the girl. His eyes settled onto Madeline, a look of confusion settling on his features.

Madeline picked at the skin around her nails. She had some dreams that showed her what future held for her; usually small events or something she will accomplish in the late future, but for the past year, her dreams were more frequent and more vivid.

These people were in her dreams constantly, along with Endora, Annabeth and Percy. There were nine of them. Some she knew, some she learned about. It was confusing and stressing and it always caused her to have enormous headaches. She knew she was supposed to be with them, go on a quest with them. Then something big will happen after that.

It started, a voice in the back of her mind said. Nine of them. Nine.

No.

Madeline quickly shook her head to mask the shock of her realization. She could see the girl shivering slightly, despite the warm weather that surrounded the Camp.

"Get them some towels!" she shouted, looking back at the crowd and they followed her order. After the Battle of Manhattan, no one dared to dismiss anything the girl said ─ frequently shouting after finding out Endora was hurt. Few campers ran and returned with warm towels, trying to hand them over to Madeline, "It's not be who is shivering to the fucking bone, they are!"

Despite the shaking of her body, Madeline took one towel and walked over to the blonde boy. They were out of the water, thankfully, because she really didn't want to get her feet wet. Endora was helping warm up the girl with the towel someone handed to her and Annabeth handed one to the curly haired boy. 

Daughter of Apollo put a towel around the blonde's shoulders, patting them slightly, before smiling at him. He was even more handsome up close. The way his blue eyes followed her every move and the way his hair seemed fluffy even with water dripping down from it. 

Madeline regarded the other two new demigods. "These are the new ones? Way older than thirteen. Why haven't they been claimed already?"

"Claimed?" the boy asked, looking between her, Endora and Annabeth.

Before Annabeth could explain, Will asked, "Any sign of Percy?"

"No," Endora admitted.

The campers muttered.

Madeline cursed under her breath, "Bil-eo meog-eul jiog. Fucking hell."

The boy she stood in front of tilted his head slightly and Madeline wanted to scream from how cute and confused he looked when she spoke her native language.

Another girl stepped forward ─ tall, Asian, dark hair in ringlets, plenty of jewelry, and perfect makeup. Somehow she managed to make jeans and an orange T-shirt look glamorous. She glanced at curly haired boy, fixed her eyes on blonde boy like he might be worthy of her attention, then curled her lip at brunette girl as if she saw something she didn't like.

Drew Tanaka.

"Well," Drew said, "I hope they're worth the trouble."

The curly haired boy snorted. "Gee, thanks. What are we, your new pets?"

"No kidding," the blonde boy said. "How about some answers before you start judging us ─ like, what is this place, why are we here, how long do we have to stay?" 

"Jason," Endora said and Madeline flinched ever so slightly, "I promise we'll answer your questions. And Drew," ─ she frowned at the younger girl ─ "all demigods are worth saving. But I'll admit, the trip didn't accomplish what I hoped."

"Hey," the girl said, "we didn't ask to be brought here."

Drew sniffed. "And nobody wants you, hon. Does your hair always look like a dead badger?"

"Drew," Madeline said happily, "Let's smile a bit more. Yeah, like this!"

"I hate you ─ "

"No, you don't," the black haired girl sang, "You just didn't have your morning coffee so you're all grumpy and shit."

"We'll assign them each a guide," Annabeth said, knowing of Madeline's and Drew's playful bickering, "give them a tour of camp. Hopefully by the campfire tonight, they'll be claimed."

"Would somebody tell me what claimed means?" the girl asked.

Suddenly there was a collective gasp and backed away slightly. Madeline saw a faint red light and gasped too, as a floating a fiery hammer appeared over boy's head.

"That," Annabeth said, "is claiming."

"What'd I do?" the boy backed toward the lake. Then he glanced up and yelped. "Is my hair on fire?" he ducked, but the symbol followed him, bobbing and weaving so it looked like he was trying to write something in flames with his head.

"This can't be good," Butch muttered. "The curse ─ "

"Butch, shut up," Annabeth said. "Leo, you've just been claimed ─ "

"By a god," the blonde boy interrupted. "That's the symbol of Vulcan, isn't it?"

All eyes turned to him, including Madeline's. She paled slightly.

"Jason," Annabeth said carefully, "how did you know that?"

"I'm not sure."

"Vulcan?" Leo demanded. "I don't even LIKE Star Trek. What are you talking about?"

"Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaestus," Madeline said this time, eyeing Jason with suspicion and interest, "the god of blacksmiths and fire."

The fiery hammer faded, but Leo kept swatting the air like he was afraid it was following him. "The god of what? Who?"

Annabeth turned towards Madeline's brother. "Will, would you take Leo, give him a tour? Introduce him to his bunk-mates in Cabin Nine."

"Sure, Annabeth."

"What's Cabin Nine?" Leo asked. "And I'm not a Vulcan!"

"Come on, Mr. Spock, I'll explain everything." Will put a hand on his shoulder and steered him off toward the cabins.

Endora turned her attention back to Jason. Usually Piper didn't like it when other girls checked out her boyfriend, but right now, she didn't know how to feel. With everything happening so fast and finding out that everything she thought was true was a lie, didn't sit well with her.

"Hold out your arm." the brunette said.

Piper saw what she was looking at, and her eyes widened. Jason had taken off his windbreaker after his dip in the lake, leaving his arms bare, and on the inside of his right forearm was a tattoo. How had Piper never noticed it before? She'd looked at Jason's arms a million times. The tattoo couldn't have just appeared, but it was darkly etched, impossible to miss: a dozen straight lines like a bar code, and over that an eagle with the letters SPQR.

"I've never seen marks like this," Annabeth said, moving towards the witch. "Where did you get them?"

Jason shook his head. "I'm getting really tired of saying this, but I don't know."

The other campers pushed forward, trying to get a look at Jason's tattoo. The marks seemed to bother them a lot ─ almost like a declaration of war. From the corner of her eyes she saw the black haired girl that had given Jason a towel bit her lip, like it was scaring her what she was seeing.

"They look burned into your skin," Endora noticed.

"They were," Jason said. Then he winced as if his head was aching. "I mean. . . I think so. I don't remember."

No one said anything. It was clear the campers saw Endora and Annabeth as the leaders. They were waiting for their verdict. The two girls looked at each other; Endora nodded at Annabeth.

"He needs to go straight to Chiron," Annabeth decided. "Maddy, would you show him?"

The black haired girl snapped her eyes towards Annabeth, tearing them from watching the tattoo. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts but she nodded.

"Yeah, sure," the girl, Maddy said, "Just to tell Austin to continue the lesson." she turned back towards Jason, "Come on, I'll introduce you to our director. He's very kind so no need to worry." she led Jason toward the big blue house on the hill.

The crowd began to disperse, until only Endora, Annabeth and Piper were left.

"Who's Chiron?" Piper asked. "Is Jason in some kind of trouble?" 

Endora hesitated. "Good question, Piper. Come on, We'll give you a tour. We need to talk."

"This is The Big House, camp headquarters."

It didn't look threatening, just a four-story manor painted baby blue with white trim. The wraparound porch had lounge chairs, a card table, and an empty wheelchair. Wind chimes shaped like nymphs turned into trees as they spun. Jason could imagine old people coming here for summer vacation, sitting on the porch and sipping prune juice while they watched the sunset. Still, the windows seemed to glare down at him like angry eyes. The wide-open doorway looked ready to swallow him. On the highest gable, a bronze eagle weathervane spun in the wind and pointed straight in his direction, as if telling him to turn around. Every molecule in Jason's body told him he was on enemy ground.

"I am not supposed to be here," he said.

Madeline licked her lips. Her eyes didn't meet his as he looked down at her, but rather watched the space in front of her. "Don't worry, you'll fit in like the rest of us." but she sounded like she herself didn't believe those words.

Madeline smelled like peach and orange blossom ─ a combination that seemed to draw the boy even closer. It was comforting in a way, but also gave him a tad bit of headache from it's strong scent. Her lips were glossed and her eyelashes coated with mascara. Every time she blinked, he felt compelled to look at her. Maybe that was the point, to show off her black eyes that Jason wanted to stare at. Her hair looked silky, stopping at the middle of her back in pretty waves. She was beautiful. No doubt about that.

It might have been harsh telling Piper that he, in fact, was not her boyfriend and snatching his hand away, but it didn't feel right to him. He didn't think he'd ever seen Piper before today; he was sure he hadn't seen her. He knew he shouldn't be in this place. He shouldn't befriend these people, and certainly he shouldn't date one of them. He didn't even know his own story. He couldn't play with the girl's emotions like that.

Yet something draw him closer; and it was not her perfume. Maybe it was the fact that she beautiful and stunning in his eyes, or maybe it was the fact that he had seen her in his dreams before.

Wait. . .

The girl finally met his eyes. She tilted her head as she looked at him, "What? You're thinking about something?"

Jason sucked in breath. He didn't understand how he remember her because they just met.

"Madeline ─ "

"Maddy," she corrected him.

"Maddy," Jason liked the way her name rolled off his tongue, "Have we met before?"

The question seemed to take her by surprise. She looked confused; her eyebrows scrunching and her mouth slightly agape, but her eyes deceived her. She knew the answer to the question, yet she didn't answer how Jason hoped she would.

"No," Madeline said simply, "I don't think so. I've been in this Camp since I was eleven and been on some quests, but no, I've never met you."

Jason nodded, not fully believing the answer, "You just seem so familiar."

Madeline shrugged, "Don't know." she looked at a spot right above his head.

"You're waiting for a sign," he guessed. "Like what popped over Leo's head."

The girl hummed, "Yeah. I mean, from what I heard, you're pretty powerful, right? You're going to be important at camp, so I figure your parent will claim you right away. So is your dad or mom the god?"

"I don't know."

"Well, we'll find out soon." Madeline said.

"Yours is. . . ?"

"Apollo," the girl said, "God of music, archery, medicine and blah, blah, blah. Too many things to remember, sometimes, he don't even know what his god off."

"Aren't all the gods related?" Jason asked. "So isn't everyone here your cousin or something?"

"Gods may be related, but that doesn't stand for their off springs. They don't have DNA, so technically, you're only related to other children of your godly parent. Got it?"

"So, if someone who you like has the same godly parent. . ."

"You can't date them," Madeline said, "Oh, here we are!"

A four-story manor painted baby blue with white trim stood in front of them. The wraparound porch had lounge chairs, a card table, and an empty wheelchair. Wind chimes shaped like nymphs turned into trees as they spun.

Then, a sound of hooves got their attention. Rounding the corner of the porch was a man on horseback. Except he wasn't on horseback ─ he was part of the horse. From the waist up he was human, with curly brown hair and a well-trimmed beard. He wore a T-shirt that said World's Best Centaur, and had aquiver and bow strapped to his back. His head was so high up he had to duck to avoid the porch lights, because from the waist down, he was a white stallion.

"Chiron!"

The centaur smiled at Madeline, then stared at Jason like he had seen a ghost, color draining from his face, "You. . . You should be dead."

"Well, it was nice knowing you boy." Madeline muttered.

"Maddy, go to your cabin," Chiron said, still looking at Jason.

"What, but Chiron ─ "

"You're dismissed."

With a roll of her eyes, Madeline left towards archery area, glaring back at Chiron as he escorted Jason inside The Big House.

Piper soon realized neither Endora's nor Annabeth's heart was in the tour. They talked about all this amazing stuff the camp offered ─ magic archery, pegasus riding, the lava wall, fighting monsters - but they showed no excitement, as if their minds were elsewhere, especially Endora's.

She pointed out the open-air dining pavilion that overlooked Long Island Sound. ( yes, Long Island, New York; they'd traveled that far on the chariot ) Endora explained how Camp Half-Blood was mostly a summer camp, but some kids stayed here year-round, and they'd added so many campers it was always crowded now, even in winter.

Piper wondered who ran the camp, and how they'd known Piper and her friends belonged here. She wondered if she'd have to stay full-time, or if she'd be any good at the activities. Could you flunk out of monster fighting? A million questions bubbled in her head, but given the girls' moods, she decided to keep quiet.

As they climbed a hill at the edge of camp, Piper turned and got an amazing view of the valley ─ a big stretch of woods to the northwest, a beautiful beach, the creek, the canoe lake, lush green fields, and the whole layout of the cabins ─ a bizarre assortment of buildings arranged like a Greek omega, Ω, with a loop of cabins around a central green, and two wings sticking out the bottom on either side. Piper counted twenty cabins in all. One glowed golden, another silver. One had grass on the roof. Another was bright red with barbed wire trenches. One cabin was black with fiery green torches outf ront.

All of it seemed like a different world from the snowy hills and fields outside.

"The valley is protected from mortal eyes," Annabeth said. "As you can see, the weather is controlled, too. Each cabin represents a Greek god ─ a place for that god's children to live."

She looked at Piper like she was trying to judge how Piper was handling the news. "You're saying Mom was a goddess."

"You're taking this awfully calmly." Endora noted.

Piper couldn't tell her why. She couldn't admit that this just confirmed some weird feelings she'd had for years, arguments she'd had with her father about why there were no photos of Mom in the house, and why Dad would never tell her exactly how or why her mom had left them. But mostly, the dream had warned her this was coming. Soon they will find you, demigod, that voice had rumbled. When they do, follow our directions. Cooperate, and your father might live.

Piper took a shaky breath. "I guess after this morning, it's a little easier to believe. So who's my mom?"

"We should know soon," Annabeth said. "You're what ─ fifteen? Gods are supposed to claim you when you're thirteen. That was the deal."

"The deal?"

"They made a promise last summer. . . well, long story. . . but they promised not to ignore their demigod children anymore, to claim them by the time they turn thirteen. Sometimes it takes a little longer, but you saw how fast Leo was claimed once he got here. Should happen for you soon. Tonight at the campfire, I bet we'll get a sign."

Piper wondered if she'd have a big flaming hammer over her head, or with her luck, something even more embarrassing. A flaming wombat, maybe. Whoever her mother was, Piper had no reason to think she'd be proud to claim a kleptomaniac daughter with massive problems.

"Why thirteen?"

"The older you get," Endora said, "the more monsters notice you, try to kill you. 'Round thirteen is usually when it starts. That's why we send protectors into the schools to find you guys, get you to camp before it's too late."

"Like Coach Hedge?"

Annabeth nodded. "He's - he was a satyr: half man, half goat. Satyrs work for the camp, finding demigods, protecting them, bringing them in when the time is right."

Piper had no trouble believing Coach Hedge was half goat. She'd seen the guy eat. She'd never liked the coach much, but she couldn't believe he'd sacrificed himself to save them.

"What happened to him?" she asked. "When we went up into the clouds, did he. . . is he gone for good?"

"Hard to say." Annabeth's expression was pained. "Storm spirits. . . difficult to battle. Even our best weapons, Celestial bronze, will pass right through them unless you can catch them by surprise."

"Jason's sword just turned them to dust," Piper remembered.

"He was lucky, then. If you hit a monster just right, you candis solve them, send their essence back to Tartarus."

"Tartarus?"

"A huge abyss in the Underworld, where the worst monsters come from." Endora spoke as she stared down at the valley. Her eyes seemed far away, deadly yet she looked as brave as ever, "Kind of like a bottomless pit of evil. Once monsters dissolve, it usually takes months, even years before they can re-form again. But since this storm spirit Dylan got away ─ well, I don't know why he'd keep Hedge alive. Hedge was a protector, though. He knew the risks. Satyrs don't have mortal souls. He'll be reincarnated as a tree or a flower or something."

Piper tried to imagine Coach Hedge as a clump of very angry pansies. That made her feel even worse. She gazed at the cabins below, and an uneasy feeling settled over her. Hedge had died to get her here safely. Her mom's cabin was down there somewhere, which meant she had brothers and sisters, more people she'd have to betray.

Do what we tell you, the voice had said. Or the consequences will be painful.

She tucked her hands under her arms, trying to stop them from shaking.

"It'll be okay," Annabeth promised. "You have friends here. We've all been through a lot of weird shit. We know what you're going through."

I doubt that, Piper thought.

"I've been kicked out of five different schools the past five years," she said. "My dad's running out of places to put me."

"Only five?" Annabeth didn't sound like she was teasing. "Piper, we've all been labeled troublemakers. I ran away from home when I was seven."

"Me too," Endora said, "But I was eight, I think. My mother was on the opposite side of the war this summer. Don't know where my father is or if he's alive. Her majesty up there," she pointed to the sky, "Tried to sell me to the Titan army once. A lot of shit happens to us, so don't worry.

"You're kidding. . . right?"

"I wish," Endora said, "Most of us are diagnosed with attention deficit disorder or dyslexia, or both ─ "

"Leo's ADHD," Piper said.

"Right. It's because we're hardwired for battle. Restless, impulsive ─ we don't fit in with regular kids. You should hear how much trouble Percy ─ " her face darkened. "Anyway, demigods get a bad rep. How'd you get in trouble?"

Usually when someone asked that question, Piper started a fight, or changed the subject, or caused some kind of distraction. But for some reason she found herself telling the truth.

"I steal stuff," she said. "Well, not really steal. . ."

"Is your family poor?" Annabeth asked.

Piper laughed bitterly. "Not even. I did it. . . I don't know why. For attention, I guess. My dad never had time for me unless I got in trouble."

Annabeth nodded. "I can relate. But you said you didn't really steal? What do you mean?"

"Well. . . nobody ever believes me. The police, teachers - even the people I took stuff from: they're so embarrassed, they'll deny what happened. But the truth is, I don't steal anything. I just ask people for things. And they give me stuff. Even a BMW convertible. I just asked. And the dealer said, 'Sure. Take it.' Later, he realized what he'd done, I guess. Then the police came after me."

Piper waited. She was used to people calling her a liar, but when she looked up, Endora and Annabeth exchanged looks before the brunette nodded just nodded.

"Interesting. If your dad were the god, I'd say you're a child of Hermes, god of thieves. He can be pretty convincing. But your dad is mortal. . ."

"Very," Piper agreed.

Annabeth shook her head, apparently mystified. "I don't know, then. With luck, your mom will claim you tonight."

Piper almost hoped it wouldn't happen. If her mom were a goddess, would she know about that dream? Would she know what Piper had been asked to do? Piper wondered if Olympian gods ever blasted their kids with lightning for being evil, or grounded them in the Underworld.

The two girls was studying her. Piper decided she was going to have to be careful what she said from now on. Annabeth was obviously pretty smart, and Endora didn't seem far from it. It almost looked like they shared one brain. If anyone could figure out Piper's secret. . .

"Come on," Annabeth said at last. "There's something else we need to check."

They hiked a little farther until they reached a cave near the top of the hill. Bones and old swords littered the ground. Torches flanked the entrance, which was covered in a velvet curtain embroidered with snakes. It looked like the set for some kind of twisted puppet show.

"What's in there?" Piper asked.

Annabeth poked her head inside, then sighed and closed the curtains. "Nothing, right now. A friend's place. We've been expecting her for a few days, but so far, nothing."

"Your friend lives in a cave?"

Endora almost managed a smile. "Actually, her family has a luxury condo in Queens, and she goes to a finishing school in Connecticut. But when she's here at camp, yeah, she lives in the cave. She's our oracle, tells the future. I was hoping she could help me ─ "

"Find Percy," Piper guessed

All the energy drained out of Endora, like she'd been holding it together for as long as she could. Annabeth wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulder, leading her to sit down on a rock, her expression was so full of pain too, and Piper felt like a voyeur.

She forced herself to look away. Her eyes drifted to the crest of the hill, where a single pine tree dominated the skyline. Something glittered in its lowest branch-like a fuzzy gold bathmat.

No. . . not a bath mat. It was a sheep's fleece.

Okay. Greek camp. They've got a replica of the Golden Fleece.

Then she noticed the base of the tree. At first she thought it was wrapped in a pile of massive purple cables. But the cables had reptilian scales, clawed feet, and a snakelike head with yellow eyes and smoking nostrils.

"That's ─ a dragon," she stammered. "That's the actual Golden Fleece?"

Annabeth nodded, but it was clear neither she nor Endora were really listening. Her shoulders drooped. She rubbed her face and took a shaky breath. "Sorry. A little tired."

"You look ready to drop," Piper said. "How long have two been searching for Percy?"

"Three days, six hours, and about twelve minutes." Endora said in a beat.

"And you've got no idea what happened to him?"

Endora shook her head miserably. "None of my tracking spell work, nor locator spells or summoning spells. I can't even crystal project. The signal cuts off." she sighed, "We were so excited because we both started winter break early. We met up at camp on Tuesday, figured we had three weeks together. It was going to be great. Then after the campfire, he ─ he kissed me good night, went back to his cabin, and in the morning, he was gone. We searched the whole camp. We contacted his mom. We've tried to reach him every way we know how. Nothing. He just disappeared."

Piper was thinking: Three days ago. The same night she'd had her dream. "How long were you guys together?"

"Since August," Endora said. "August eighteenth."

"Almost exactly when I met Jason," Piper said. "But we've only been together a few weeks. And then. . . you know, he said he didn't remember me."

Annabeth winced. "Piper. . . about that. Maybe you should sit down."

Piper knew where this was going. "Look, I know Jason thought ─ he thought he just appeared at our school today. But. . ." she wanted to say that it wasn't true. She's known him for four months, but something, in the back of her head, was telling her that it wasn't true.

"Piper," Annabeth said, "It's the Mist."

"Missed. . . what?"

"M-i-s-t." Endora said, "It's a kind of veil separating the mortal world from the magic world. Mortal minds - they can't process strange stuff like gods and monsters, so the Mist bends reality. It makes mortals see things in a way they can understand ─ like their eyes might just skip over this valley completely, or they might look at that dragon and see a pile of cables."

Piper swallowed. "No. You said yourself I'm not a regular mortal. I'm a demigod."

"Even demigods can be affected. I've seen it lots of times. Monsters infiltrate some place like a school, pass themselves off as human, and everyone thinks they remember that person. They believe he's always been around. The Mist can change memories, even create memories of things that never happened. Believe me, I've done it before."

"But Jason's not a monster!" Piper insisted. "He's a human guy, or demigod, or whatever you want to call him. My memories aren't fake. They're so real. . . " but she caught herself in a doubt, "The time we set Coach Hedge's pants on fire. The time Jason and I watched a meteor shower on the dorm roof and I finally got the stupid guy to kiss me. . ."

She found herself rambling, telling Annabeth and Endora about her whole semester at Wilderness School. She'd liked Jason from the first week they'd met. He was so nice to her, and so patient, he could even put up with hyperactive Leo and his stupid jokes. He'd accepted her for herself and didn't judge her because of the stupid things she'd done. They'd spent hours talking, looking at the stars, and eventually ─ finally ─ holding hands.

All that couldn't be fake.

It was fake.

"All that. . . was fake. . " she found herself saying, "But how? How is that fake?"

Annabeth pursed her lips. "Piper, your memories are a lot sharper than most. I'll admit that, and I don't know why that is. But if you know him so well ─ "

"I. . . I don't know anymore."

Her mind went blank. She didn't know Jason's last name. How could that be? She started to cry. She felt like a total fool. It was too much.

"Hey," Endora said and stood up from her spot and walked towards Piper. "We'll figure it out. Jason's here now. Who knows? Maybe it'll work out with you guys for real."

But Piper didn't think so.

She brushed a tear from her cheek. She looked between two girls, "You brought me up here so no one would see me blubbering, huh?"

Endora shrugged. "We figured it would be hard for you. I know what it's like to lose your boyfriend."

Boyfriend. Piper didn't believe in that anymore.

"But I still can't believe. . . I know we had something. And now it's just gone, like he doesn't even recognize me. If he really did just show up today, then why? How'd he get there? Why can't he remember anything?"

"Good questions," Annabeth said. "Hopefully Chiron can figure that out."

Piper gazed at the crazy assortment of cabins in the valley. Her new home, a family who supposedly understood her ─ but soon they'd be just another bunch of people she'd disappointed, just another place she'd been kicked out of.

You'll betray them for us, the voice had warned. Or you'll lose everything.

She didn't have a choice.

"Yeah," she lied. "I'm ready."

niki speaks!

hi !!
welcome to 'save me, save you'
my jason grace fic and
continuation of song of the siren series !
here, you'll get to know madeline
a bit better, she's... a lot
(not like endora, but still... she's a demigod)
she's my precious cinnamon bun
who i love so much
this will be a bit slow burn
they won't get together till
third act i believe
but there will be a lot of pinning and
very obvious pair who can't see
love eyes they have for each other
other than that, it's all the same

i'm on my summer break
so i hope i can write more
I don't start college till october

have a nice day/night!
bye!