Ch.7

*not edited*

He is here. Why? He shouldn't be. My Jackson, the one who broke my heart only a few days ago. Still, I can't help but look up at him, at those hazel eyes. His blonde hair is a perfect mess again, his plaid shirt and white T-shirt holding the same style. Why, why, why. This is such bittersweet torture. The early morning sunlight creates a golden look in his hair and brightens his smile. I need an answer out of him, so I frown. "What's wrong," he asks.

I look at him and glare, pointing to my phone. He puts his hands up in defense. "Kyrsaa, you gotta understand that back then, I thought you were a murderer. But when I got home my mother was laughing at the news, at your story. So I asked her why and she said that the other mortals were so blind. And suddenly I find out I'm some kid of a god. 'Course at first I thought she was crazy, until I walked outside, and knocked out the entire town's power. She told me my father's name is Ereubs."

I had never heard of that god, he was probably a minor god or something. The fact that Jackson finally understood... "Wait, then wouldn't you've seen what she was really? You would've seen though the mist. Why didn't you?"

He blushes. "Oh um well... I got drunk. I know, I know, I usually don't and I never will again, but when I saw her I thought it was a normal girl that looked that way cuz I was wasted. Anyway, that's why when I saw her lying dead and then burst into flames, I kinda got scared. All those times I saw the stalkers... It was all real." He shivers as if a cold wind blew by, bad memories obviously coming back to him.

"Wait, stalkers? You had monsters follow you, but not hurt you? Huh, that's unusual." I feel a bit uncomfortable, so I shift my body and cry out in pain. My foot is against yet another thing. Stupid foot.

Worry spreads across his face. "Oh my gods, I'm being so insensitive. Are you alright? What did the nurse say?" He pulls up a stool and sits by me, placing a hand on top of mine, which causes a warm tingle to channel through my hand and up my arm.

"I have a broken right foot and a badly burnt left. I also have a few cuts, but they mostly healed overnight. I can't believe your here. I thought you hated me." Tears that I had held back flow out of me, emotions I wish didn't exists coming free.

Jackson squeezes my hand. "If I could hug you right now, I would. But I can't. So I'll just have to settle with words. I really do like you, Kyrssa Jackson. And I want to go out with you. I don't hate you, and I was being such an ass when I sent you that text. Please forgive me. You don't have to say yes to going out with me, all I want is to know you've forgiven me."

I can't stop crying, these tears now filled with joy. "Of course I forgive you. And yes, I want to go or with you too." He smiles and kisses me, it's a short peck, but still fills me with joy and it's my first. Shortly after, the nurse asks him to go away so that she could do a few last things before letting me go. He nods and leaves.

She checks off and writes stuff on a check board. "So who was he anyway? Was I close when I guessed?" She giggles and I look at her name tag. Linda.

"You were right, he's my boyfriend," I say calmly, much to my surprise. She hands me some pills and puts me in a wheelchair, saying that since both feet are injured, I'll need to stay in a wheelchair for a few weeks. Well, there goes being badass and restoring my camp cred. Linda screams into another room, "Hey, Kyrssa's boyfriend, can you wheel her around for a few weeks?" He responds, his voice only a whisper to me, and walks in. "Hey, babe."

I hold up my hand and he stops walking. Smart boy, he is. "I really like you Jackson, but please never call me babe, okay?"

He laughs and shakes his head. "Yeah, okay." Jackson walks behind me, taking the handles and pushes me forward. I hate the pain in my feet but I have to admit, it's sorta fun. And I can't help but say, "Wheeeeeeeee," as we go down a hill. Thankfully, it's not too steep, so Jackson has full control of my wheelchair and me.

Jackson laughs. "Your so immature."

I respond with a "WHEEEEE," and then I see Kyle coming up, his face showing his complete shock at the sight of me in a wheelchair and another boy pushing me.

"Oh hey Kyle," I say casually. "Go to the bottom of the hill so we can talk."

He nods and goes back down, still holding the shocked look on his face. When we finally get to the bottom, I thank Jackson and he smiles before saying, "So whose this dude? Kyle, right?" Oh crap, I just remembered my promise to him, to Kyle. We'd be friends and see where it goes. But now that I'm dating Jackson, we can't. Oh gods, here we go.

Kyle smiles and shakes Jackson's hand. "Yeah. So you are..."

"Jackson. I used to go to school with Kyrssa and I'm her boyfriend." And there it is. The look of shock and pain on Kyle's face breaks my already split heart. "Something wrong dude?"

Quickly Kyle recovers, shaking his head and smiling. "Nah, nothing really. I'm a good friend of hers, so I'm just shocked she didn't tell me. And what the hell happened Kyrssa? Your in a freaking wheelchair!"

"Um let's see, it was lava wall. That's about it. I made it to the top and jumped off from a place way too high and that's that. Anyway, Jackson here is a new demigod, found out a few days ago. Do you know if there is there a Erebus cabin? That's his father."

Kyle shakes his head and shrugs. "Nope, but you can ask Chiron. He's in the Blue House right now. I've gotta head to swimming, but I'll see you guys at lunch!" He runs off, waving goodbye as he goes. "Don't forget about the shirt,"he yells back.

"Okay," I respond. "Off we go then, to the Blue House!" I point toward the house, like a compass or a leader of a treasure hunt.

Jackson laughs and runs as he speeds me toward the building. "WHOOOOOOO," I scream, the thrill exciting me. A few passing demigods and satyrs stare at us, but their whispers became just that, whispers of words I would rather not listen to. My favorite thing about Camp Half-Blood is the smell. It's a perfect blend of strawberries and flowers and warmth. The sent makes me feel safe, like nothing can harm me here. No words, monsters, nothing. And having Jackson here, as my boyfriend, and telling me that all those words that hurt me were a misunderstanding on his part, makes me all the happier. The image of Kyle's face flashes in my mind, his reaction to Jackson haunting and hurting me. I did promise him to see what would happen, I did. But I had promised Jackson a date before, so I guess, technically, Jackson was first... I don't know. I still have feelings for Kyle and even a little for Mark but I haven't seen him in a while, so it's starting to fade. "Hey Kyrssa," a deep voice says. Oh speak of the devil! Is Dad so against me dating that he's doing everything in his "I'm a dead ghost but I can still do stuff on earth" powers to torture me? Why does every boy I have a crush on have to run into me today? When I'm in a wheelchair, with my hair unbrushed, and my longest crush and now boyfriend pushing me along.

I blush a little at the sight of Mark coming, his short, but layered, dark hair blowing dramatically with his shirt, which thanks to said wind, shows a little tan skin above his jean waistband. His dark blue eyes look at me with both their usual amusement and, now, worry. Jackson stops the wheelchair and Mark runs the last few steps to reach us. "Hey. Who's this and why the Hades are you in a wheelchair?" But before I can answer, Jackson speaks up.

"I'm her boyfriend, Jackson. She's like this because of some rock wall with lava. What the hell is this kinda place to have a rock wall with lava," he asks. I turn a little and look up, watching as he looks around, mentally questioning the strangeness of the camp.

"Haha, you must be new then. Half or quarter," Mark says without really giving an answer to Jackson's question.

"Halfblood, if that's what you mean. What's a quaterblood? And you didn't answer my original question," Jackson replies.

"Alright, I'll answer both of your questions, Jackson." Okay, that attitude came out of nowhere. "Your a halfblood, meaning half human, half god. Pretty simple. The lovely girl in front of us," I blush even harder, "is a quarterblood. Both of her parents were demigods. So, if you do the fourth grade math, you find out a quarter of her blood is god and the other three quarters is human. Thus, and sadly might I add, she has only little control over the powers her parents possessed and little combat skills. But with enough training, Chiron hopes to make her like a demigod. Do you know about her father?" Throughout his speech, Mark seems a little too smug, as though he's bragging that he knows so much.

"Okay I get it. And no, I didn't and don't." Jackson raises his eyebrow. "Who was he Kyrssa?"

I smile. "A great person and one of my best friends. He came here when he was twelve and almost immediately he showed his skills of swordsmanship and combat, though my mother says he was an idiot who drooled in his sleep and only after dumping water on his head did he amount to anything."

Mark laughs, but Jackson's glare cuts him off.

"That year he saved the world from war between the gods," I continue. "He was the son of Poseidon, I might as well add, so he was not only not supposed to be born, but being the son of one of the Big Three made him the most powerful demigod in the camp. After a few more fights, he fought against the time titian, Kronos, who long story short was possessed by some friend and that friend sacrificed himself to save them. Anyway, I was told by my mother that if it weren't for my dad, they wouldn't have won. He also is the reason so many kids are claimed by the gods and why there are so many cabins here. My dad told me there used to only be twelve cabins, each representing the Olympians and no one else."

"Wait, seriously? Only twelve? What happened to the unclaimed or ones whose cabins didn't exist," Mark asks. I can't help but be shocked by his shock. That's the story I grew up with, the one with only twelve cabins. But I guess to him that's a huge deal, since he only knew the place as it is now.

I nod. "Mhm. And those kids were put in Hermes' cabin, cabin eleven. Because ya know, he's the traveler guy, helping those travelers and unwanted and all that. I can't remember. Anyway, after the war, my parents finally, after like five years, starting dating. Then they got separated three months after. Hera stole my dad, put him in the Roman camp, and erased most of his memories except the one about being a demigod. But he thought he was Neptune's son, instead. So he ends up making friends, saving the world, kinda, meets up with my mother and three new guys from this camp and they saved the world, again. His name was Percy Jackson and my mother is Annabeth Chase."

Jackson is silent before saying, "Wow. That's amazing. Um why 'was'?"

The pain returns, but not from my foot. "He died when I was seven. I moved when I was ten. The man of multiple prophecy was killed by something, all of his limbs cut or torn apart. I'll never forget that arm..." I begin shaking before I burst into tears. Jackson comes around and hugs me, or does as close to a hug as you can with someone in a wheelchair. "T-the hand that h-held mine...so alone. Without a b-body."

I weep and cry and wail at the loss of my father, the man who everybody loved. Who started out a loser as a kid and ended up being the most popular and admired teenager in the camp. "Chiron found his hero", my mother told me a few months after his death. "One he saw do the right thing, for the right reasons. Who saved the world a million times, but never got too cocky, except around me maybe." She'd giggle and keep going. "One who would survive and prove that great heroes don't always end in tragedy. That's what that good old horse man told me, and now..." And she'd burst into tears, leaving me in my dark alone. There was no such thing, I began to think. No hero, no great one, will ever become old and die when they should, like mortals do. Leo died, Nico died, some girl named Renya, a man named Octavius, some Cyclops named Tyson, and with that Cyclops, a harpy named Ella. And worst of all, their best friend Grover and his fiancé, Juniper, died as well. My mother wept daily for them, told me stories about them. She even wept for Octavius sometimes, just out of pure grief and regret. She blamed herself for not making their point of uniting clearer, more likable. "If only he trusted us, believed us. I can't even count the number of lives that would've been saved that day or those days. He killed her, you know. He killed Renya, so he could take control." My mother, who when my father was alive was so bright and funny and lovable, became a dark, sad shadow that hated herself and the world and the gods for taking everything away. My dad told me how much everyone loved my mother. She was a great leader but also sweet and an amazing friend. I would laugh, or cry, if I heard that now. My mother, I would ask. You're mistaken, I'm sorry.

"Hey, hey! Come back, Kyrssa!" Jackson's and Mark's voices bring me back from my cold memories, to the warm camp.

"Hey, sorry I was thinking about my childhood." I laugh and shake my head, trying to push it aside.

Jackson looks concerned. "Wanna talk about it? I've never seen you look so...sad."

I shake my head. No, never. I will tell no one of my childhood. My parents? Maybe, but my childhood is off limits. "We should find you a cabin. My 'dad was a legend and here's his abridged life story' speech has made the sun become sunset and you need a place to sleep. Mark, we gotta go, but I'll see you at lunch and the campfire?"

He nods and stuffs his hands back into the pockets of his jeans, turning around before walking away. Jackson doesn't speed up the wheelchair again, but instead pushes me slowly, carefully. "I'm fine, Jackson, really. We gotta hurry."

He speeds it up a little but it never goes back to the same thrilling speed it was before. I had killed the mood. But that started the day my father died.

*******************************************

Well there is once again good news and bad news. And a few of each. Some bad news is that Erebus doesn't have a cabin, he's such a minor god and he doesn't have many children. Also Chiron says that I won't be able to participate in the capture the flag games for a while because of my foot. Finally, I now have to get up every morning at five o'clock to do physical therapy. I can't afford to get out of shape, considering I'm four years behind my father on a lot of stuff. Good news is that Jackson is going to be at the therapies and that he will be in cabin eleven. "You'll be just like Percy," he says, dazing off into his memories. "Gods, how I miss that boy," he mumbles to no one. Suddenly, his attention is one me, still dazed but just a little more focused. "He visited me, you know? Brought you along sometimes." Now that I think about it, I do recognize this place a little. The smells and the warm sun. "He told me how his life was going and how you were and we'd talk about old times. I never met a kid like him, don't think I ever will. Percy Jackson was my favorite student, you Jackson's always are." And with that, we have to leave. I love Chiron. It's only been a few weeks, but he is so kind to me, and he knows my younger father and even my older one so well, it's like having him here with me.

"I never got my original question answered," Jackson says as I guide him to cabin eleven.

"Oh yeah," I laugh. "So this is like a boot camp I guess. Demigods, and just in the last few years, quaterbloods, can train here to prepare for wars and for the real world. There's always new prophecies and there's always some quest and it's hard. Powerful kids like us can't just waltz around New York without something exploding, my father proved that many times. Also, there's a class my father made for mental reasons called 'Coping with Elevator Music: How to Not Kill Yourself if Your Going Up One During a Quest."

Jackson laughs too. "Wait for real? I need to go to that. I once made the entire building's power go out because of the stupid receptive tune it kept playing. So what else? Anything more about the place?"

I thought for a moment. "Well depending on your level of power and combat skills, this place can serve either as a summer training camp or a save haven. More powerful demigods stay here all year because they'd be killed if they didn't. If it weren't for the load of help my father got, he probably would've died when he was little."

Jackson doesn't seem to be surprised about any of this, even though he asked me to tell him. Maybe it's just something so simple, even new guys aren't surprised? "Um what makes this camp so safe," he asks.

"Huh? Oh that's easy, the Golden Fleece. When the Romans attacked it almost got destroyed but thankfully it still sits on a branch on Thalia's pine tree on Half-Blood Hill guarded by a twelve foot long dragon. We're safe in here, don't worry. Plus, because we're both so new, of someone or something did get through, we wouldn't be on the front lines of a fight. The more experienced demigods and even quaterbloods would defend this place and us."

Jackson says nothing, only nods, and keeps pushing me silently until we reach the cabin. It's loud and full of children, even with the added space. We go in, the intense smell of "people" hitting our faces the moment we open the door. "Hey, Sebastian! Sebby! Angela, where's Sebby?"

Angela, a short spunky girl who was so happy and lovable, you wondered how she couldn't have been claimed or at least not be a daughter of Aphrodite, bounds out of the pack of kids. Her blonde hair is perfectly curled and I have a feeling that she woke up that way. "Dunno. He was talking to me a few minutes ago. I think he went to the back room." She pointed her red nail polish to the door at the end of the room, the one with the little window above it like a classroom. "Okay, thanks." I nod up to Jackson and he pushes me to the door, girls murmurs following us behind. "Who's he?" "Wow he's hot." "Why is she in a wheelchair?" "Do you think they're dating?"

Jackson opens the door and I scream, "Hey SEBBY," over the loud chatter of the kids. All of them look a little confused and young, so I can tell they're new and have just been claimed or sent here as unclaimed.

I hear a groan in the sea of preteens and know that Sebby's in here. A tall, tan boy with blonde hair emerges from the crowd of demigods, his mouth turned down in a frown. "I told you not to call me that. Especially in front of the Newbies. Who's this?" He walks up to Jackson, his right arm extended, and shakes his hand.

"I'm Jackson. My father doesn't have a cabin, so horse man she called Chiron told us to come here. Who are you?"

"I'm Sebastian, also known to people at camp as "Replacement Luke". I'm the son of Heremes and am... I guess you could say leader or captain of this cabin. You can call me RL, or Captain, or Seb. But please refrain from calling me..."

"SEBBY," I scream, finishing his sentence and annoying the heck out of him. Jackson laughs and then I do and soon Sebby joins in. Sebby was one of the nicer people here, and he hates the way people treat quarterbloods. "I hope you don't become like Luke," I say, probably killing the mood, but it slipped out.

The mood does darken and he looks down. "He became a hero. But what he did was wrong and he hurt a lot of people. That's why we love what your dad did, making sure that it would never happen again. He was a good person, a great hero."

It's funny, Sebby is a teenage boy, almost twenty, and yet when he talks about my father or war, he sounds like he's forty. "Yeah. I loved him."

Jackson, once again confused, asks, "Um, what did this Luke guy do?"

I sigh. "He was mad at Hermes, his father, for not being there for him. For not acknowledging him. So he sided with Kronos and tried to take down Olympus. In the end, Kronos took over his body and Luke killed himself to defeat Kronos. A lot of people died in that unnecessary war. Anyway, Luke was admired while he was here and looked just like Sebby here. He was also the caption of the cabin. So yeah, that's it."

"All because of his father, huh?" Again Jackson doesn't seem surprised, and he looks a little... mad.

"What? No! Yeah, Hermes should've been there or talked to him more, but Luke took it way too far. The gods fixed it. After the Second Great War, they started talking to us more, claimed more of us. The gods are no longer to be blamed! Don't think that way, Jackson. It's dangerous."

He doesn't say anything but, "Okay," before handing me off to Cathleen, who was waiting outside and thought we were taking too long. Before the door closes, I look back at Jackson. His face is grim, scrunched in concentration and lost in thought. He nods to something, but no one talks to him. It must be his father. Suddenly he grins, but it's not a kind, teasing grin. It's a grin full of dark secrets, one planning something he can't wait for.

What is his dad saying to him?

A/N: HELLO! Yeah backstory defiantly was a little bigger, so I reached that goal. Also I'm almost positive this is longer, although I thought that last time and it was shorter so yeah. Srry about killing everyone. I love them all, but I need y'all to understand why Annabeth is broken. She was like a ship and Percy was her anchor that broke.

Lol I'm done with that deep sad cheesy stuff. At Cupcake Charlie's and I should go. Well bai and thnx for reading :)

You guys are cool for sticking around!