I stood in the middle of a clearing in the woods somewhere in New York.  I cussed at myself for believing the random man who had been following me for week.  He said there was a place for people like me, a place I could be safe.  I wanted to believe him so bad and so I went with him.

And this is where it landed us.  He's passed out and missing a shoe, and I'm covered head to toe in blood and mud.  Oh and did I mention the guy I was with was like forty but still looked like he was sixteen or so or that he was half goat.

'ROAR!!'

I flinched at the loud noise and started pulling the goat man faster.  I could hear the clunk of the footsteps behind me getting closer and closer.

I looked up from the passed out man and saw it.  A faint glow through the trees, maybe that was the place he had been talking about.

A new feeling spread through my body.  Hope.  Hope that maybe I wasn't about to die.  And so with the new found energy I started pulling the man faster, still with great difficulty as I was less than half his size.

I pulled and pulled but then I felt a tug on my shirt and suddenly I was air born as the monster that had been attacking us threw me into the air.

I braced for impact but it never happened.

"Zae! Zae wake up!  You're having a bad dream."

I sat up with a start, cold sweats covered my body.

I stared up at Luke who was hovering above me, with a worried smile on his scared face.

"You okay kid?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said in a monotone voice as I sat up.

"Well since your up.  C'mon Chiron asked if you'd get everything all prettied up for the Summer campers.  They should start arriving at about noon so you better hurry up."

"Alright, maybe this year I can convince Chiron to move me to the Demeter cabin."

"Now Azalea," like said doing his best impression of Chiron, "You know we can't move into the cabin until your godly parent claims you."

"Yeah when he finds another god that can make plants come out of nowhere then maybe I'll be more patient."

"Persephone is the goddess of spring. Oh or even better maybe your a child of Dionysus."

I did a mock shudder and like laughed.  Suddenly the door to our cabin flew open letting in the very small amount of sunlight from the barely rising sun to flood in.  Annabeth stood there with clipboard in hand.

"Can you guys quit messing around we have to get everything ready!  Like you need to go make sure everything in the armory is where its supposed to be and Azalea you haven't even started on the flowers!  We need this place to be perfect!" She ran a hand through her hair and I'm pretty sure she ripped out a few pieces.

"Annabeth, you need to calm down.  We'll get everything in order.  And didn't you organize the armory last week?" Luke asked.

"Yes. Last week! Who knows how out of order it is by now!"

Luke smiled and rolled his eyes before walking past her and towards the armory.  I watched as Annabeth turned red as Luke brushed against her shoulder.

"S-shut up." She stuttered out as she saw me smirking at her.

"I didn't say anything." I said defensively.

"Ugh, would you just start getting the flowers ready please." She huffed and walked away back to some other business.

I slowly stood to my feet nearly hitting my head on the top bunk, I stretched and yawned loudly before making my way into the bathrooms.

I glanced at myself in the mirror.  My light golden blonde hair was cut to where it just barely touched my shoulders.  A light wave was left in my hair from not brushing my hair after some competitive swimming with Luke last night and a few flowers were still in my hair from last night as well.  For most people the flowers would be dead and wilted, for me were still alive and vibrant as if they had just been picked. My eyes were a stormy blue with a green around the iris.

"What's up, Flower girl." An all to familiar voice said behind me.

"Good morning Clarisse.  Come to shove my head in a toilet again?"

"I've got better things to do."

"Oh, coming up with ideas on how to torture the campers arriving later?". I started picking the old flowers out of my hair and attempted to brush my hair.

"You know it."  Clarisse and I had this unspoken agreement that we both respected and never bothered each other.  Or more she wouldn't be rude to me and I treated her like I treated everyone else.

I finally got everything out of my hair and brushed through it, I did a simple french braid and put on my bright orange camp shirt and a pair of khaki shorts.

I was on my way out when I suddenly collided with someone.  All I could see was blonde curly hair and tan skin.

"Azalea, I've been looking for you everywhere! People are going to be arriving soon and you haven't even started with the flowers!"

"Annabeth calm down please.  Its only 7:30, people don't start showing up until 12:00."

"No, Chiron just said that the group from Colorado is almost here!"

"Okay, alright I don't know why you're freaking out so much it takes me ten minutes to get this place ready."

"This is my first year doing this! I have to make sure everything is perfect."

"Alright, I'll get started on it okay." I said setting my hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eyes.

I stared at her and noticed how stressed she was.  Her hair was only half in her ponytail, and her eyes were wide with stress.

"You've got this Annabeth.  Everything is going to be fine."  I pulled her in for a hug and I felt her tense shoulders relax just a bit as she hugged me back.

"Thanks Zae Zae," She pulled back and smiled at me.

"Now you get back to making everything perfect and I'll get the flowers up."

She smiled wider and walked away towards the stables.

alright, so I'm sure by no you're confused about what's going on with the flowers.  Well I can make flowers appear basically out of nowhere, that's why I believe my mother is Demeter even tho I haven't been claimed, but I can't really do it to anyone extent that most children of Demeter can.  I can only grow flowers instead of anything I want, and I cant do it during fall and winter.

Actually a lot changes during fall and winter, from my appearance, to my personality, to my powers.  I have different powers during that time of year.  I can recharge sort of by being in the dark or a shadow which is the opposite of spring time.

I don't know.  Its weird.  And so here I am walking around the big house grazing my fingers against it and watching a flowers of all different shapes and sizes appear.

I turned a corner and I started decorating the front of the house and ahead I could see Thalia's tree and a van pulling up.  Campers.

I smiled widely as I watched all of them run to their cabin or go to greet their friends.  I of course had a few people greet me and a few complement my flowers.

And finally as another van of campers arrived I finally finished decorating.

That night all of the campers who had arrived today all gathered in the pavilion for welcoming dinner.

"Welcome, all campers, to the first day of camp half blood." Mr. D said as excited as Mr. D gets.  "I regret to inform all of you that Chiron has yet to return from whatever it is that he is doing."

I zoned him out abd looked around the table.  There were already a few new campers this year. there weren't that many campers at the moment.  All of the campers slowly showed up over a month as schools let out.

after a campfire led by the children of Apollo we all went back to his cabin.

One of the perks of being here for as long as I have is that I actually get a bunk and don't have to sleep on the floor like some campers have to.

"E-excuse me Ms. Azalea, ma'am." I opened one eye to see one of the new campers standing above me.  A cute little blonde girl no older than seven.

"Hey, what's up kid."

"Uh, some of the campers and I were talking and well we thought since you've been here so long you might be able to answer a few of our questions."

I swung my legs over and smiled at her.

"I'll try my very best."

I followed her over to a small circle in the middle of the room.  I sat crossed legged between the little blonde girl and a camper who had been here a few times before.  The circle was filled with both old and new faces.

"Okay, before we begin.  I want all of you to introduce yourselves.  I hate talking to people when I don't know their names."

None of them responded for a minute until a boy across from me spoke up. 

"My names James, I'm 10, and the son of Iris, um this is my first year here."

Then the girl next to him went.

"My names Lizzie, in sixteen, I'm unclaimed, and this is my first year too."

And slowly we went around the circle I learned that the little blonde girls name was Lucille and that she was unclaimed.  And then is was my turn.

"My name is Azalea, I'm 12, I'm unclaimed, and this is my seventh year." It was silent for a second before I decided to speak up again.  "You can ask your questions now."

"How did you end up here."  James asked.

"Like most people satyre."

"When will we start training?"

"Tomorrow, we'll be doing hand to hand and swords."

"If you've been here so long, why haven't you been claimed."

"Uh, well I'm not sure about that one.  I think the gods just have so many children they forget about Some of us."

"Do you think we'll get claimed?"

"I-I don't know.  I know you want me to say yes but there's so many of us who aren't claimed."

"How can we try harder to get claimed?"

"I don't know there's a few things you can try.  You can make an impression do something truly note worthy, or you could try praying to all of the gods until one of them claims you."

"What do you mean make an impression?"

"I mean do something amazing and noticeable even if it doesn't seem cool or anything.  Someone once got claimed from stuffing three bowls of mashed potatoes in his mouth."

"How is that even possible?"

"Never underestimate the children of Ares when they're determined."

"C-can we all try praying to the gods now?"

"Yeah, I think that would be a great idea!" I said smiling at the idea.

They all bowed their heads down some were quiet and some were out loud but me I just looked down.  I listened as some begged a god to claim them and some just talked to their parents.

"W-whats happening to me!" I heard Lucille say worried.

I looked up and over at her and saw a pink aura surrounding her as her hair and makeup were magically being done and her outfit changed.

I smiled widely at her and she still just seemed worried.

"Lucille, daughter of Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty."

"I-I got claimed!" She said her mood instantly changing to ecstatic.

I looked around the circle and saw something else a tall dark haired boy named David had a fiery red hammer over his head.

"And David, son of Hephaestus, god of fire and blacksmithing."

I looked around the room and saw that Lizzie and a few others who remained unclaimed seemed as if they were going to cry.

"Don't worry to the rest of you, you'll get claimed eventually I promise." I said giving them a reassuring smile. "Now, David and Lucille come with me and I'll take you to your cabins."

"Won't they be asleep?" Lucille asked.

"No, all the children of Aphrodite are probably still doing evening routines, and the children of Hephaestus are always up late making something."

I walked out of the cabin with Lucille and David behind me.  I took David to the Hephaestus cabin because it was right next to the Hermes cabin.

I knocked a few times before someone finally answered.

"Evening Azalea.  Someone claimed?"  At the door was a smiling Charles Beckendorf.

"Yup, David over here," I set my hand on divide shoulder even tho it was a reach cud be was much taller than I was.

"Glad to have you," Charles turned his head around and yelled.  "Everyone, we've got a new brother!"

There was a lot of cheering as they pulled David in.  Right before the door shut David looked back at me slightly afraid and I just gave him a thumbs up.

"Alright, ready to meet your siblings?" I asked turning to Lucille and wrapping an arm around her shoulder and walking her straight across the the Hephaestus cabin to where the Aphrodite cabin was.

Lucille messed with the hem of her dress nervously as well waited for one of them to answer the door and finally it was opened by Selena Beauregard.

She smiled widely at me with a face of excitement.  "Are you finally joining our cabin?!"

"No no, but Lucille is." I said.

"Oh, hello sweetie, I'm Selena.  Welcome to the family." She pulled Lucille into a hug and then pulled her into the cabin.

I turned around and started making my way back to the Hermes cabin.  I could already tell this was going to be a good year.