v. THE NAIADS GET IN EVERYONE'S BUSINESS
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Camp got hit by a heat wave for about a week. Luke showed Gwen how to cut the sleeves off of her camp shirt, but it didn't help much. And even with multiple layers of deodorant, she ended up drenching her shirts in sweat after their activities.

During free time one day, Gwen decided to write a letter home. She had written a few before, and this time she sat on the shady bank of the lake with her paper and pencil. The shade didn't do much for the heat, but it kept her from getting a horrible sunburn, at least.

Luke had struck up a game of beach volleyball with a few other campers. He'd stripped off his shirt for the game― Gwen didn't care, but she didn't think it would really do anything, either. Other than getting him reprimanded by Mr. D, maybe.

The heat wave was nothing― what really sucked was that Cleo had to move out of cabin eleven. Even though she moved just across the way, it felt strange not to have her around all the time.

She had changed. At least, she had in Gwen's eyes. The Permanent Makeup from Aphrodite's blessing wore off after a few days, but she must have learned a lot from her half-siblings in the meantime. Gwen saw her running around in cropped camp shirts now, wearing actual makeup and doing her hair in all different styles.

And maybe she had been ignoring Cleo because of it.

She didn't look up when someone sat down across from her. She just kept writing her letter until someone tapped the paper.

"Whatcha up to?"

Gwen looked up. "Nothing. Why are you here?"

"I'm playing volleyball," Cleo said. "We're taking a water break, so..."

"Great." She turned back to her letter. "Go back to your game or something."

"Well, if you aren't going to be nice to me, the naiads are," Cleo replied.

Right. The naiads. Gwen forgot that they favored children of Aphrodite.

She watched as Cleo leaned over the water and waved for a few seconds. The naiads must have been in a good mood, because two of them poked their heads out of the water almost instantly.

"Come on, you know Phaedra." Cleo nudged her. "And..."

The other naiad giggled. "Thyia."

Gwen shrugged. "I have to write this letter. You guys can talk."

As it turned out, trying to write home became futile with two naiads giggling like teenage girls in her ear. Did they realize how important this was, or what?

Eventually, Cleo had to leave to resume the volleyball game, and Thyia dove back under the water. Gwen gave Phaedra the stink eye.

"Time and place."

Phaedra grinned. "This is the perfect time and place to talk by the water."

"Well, I'm trying to write," Gwen huffed.

"And I'm trying to talk to my campers," she replied. "It might shock you, but most of them do like me."

"Do you always favor children of Aphrodite, or what?"

Phaedra frowned. "No. But their mother means a lot to us naiads."

"Uh-huh," Gwen mumbled, scribbling over a typo on her letter.

"If you haven't noticed, the dating pool at camp isn't very large." She smiled. "But some of us make it work. My eldest sister, Dianeme, has been dating a satyr for decades now. We consider it a blessing from Aphrodite."

"Aren't satyrs, like... Teenagers?"

Phaedra huffed. "No. There are plenty of older satyrs on the Council of Cloven Elders."

Gwen had no clue what that was, but it sounded stupid. "Sure. Do you seriously only pray to her for a boyfriend, or what?"

"I pray to Aphrodite more often than you'd think," Phaedra replied.

She got quiet after that and began idly tracing shapes on one of the larger stones by the lake. Gwen made a face and turned back to her letter. She didn't need to hear about how lonely this naiad was. It was bad enough that Phaedra had started looking at a nearby rock like it was some long-lost lover.

Gwen probably should have been nicer to her. Later on, as she got up to leave, a jet of water hit her in the crook of the neck. She whirled around, but Phaedra had darted back underwater.

If she wanted to be that way, fine. She just chucked another rock in the lake and called it even.

After that day, she began to spend a lot of time with the Stolls. Mostly because she wanted to avoid Beckendorf after a metalworking activity that almost ended in the forge burning down. Also because she wanted to surround herself with people that weren't Cleo.

One day, Cleo finally cornered her and asked, "What's going on, Gwen?"

"Nothing you need to worry about," Gwen snapped.

She stomped back to cabin eleven in a huff. Half the time, she didn't even know why she got so mad. The very sight of Cleo had begun irritating her, which, given how her past friendships ended, never meant anything good.

Luke glanced up from his bunk when she slammed the screen door behind her, a piece of paper in his hand.

"Did something happen?" He asked.

"Cleo happened," she muttered. "I don't want to talk about it, either, so don't ask."

Luke nodded. "Listen, Gwen, just... Go easy on her, okay? It's not like she asked to be claimed by Aphrodite."

Gwen huffed and flung herself down on his bed. "You always take her side."

"One day you'll get it," he said, and ruffled her hair. "Who knows? Maybe you'll be sisters."

She gave him the stink eye. Her? A child of Aphrodite? What a joke.

But then she told herself that if Luke could think she was cool and pretty enough to be a child of Aphrodite, maybe it was true.

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Gwen didn't dream.

At least, she didn't usually dream. That night, she'd gone to bed after the usual session of trying to guess her godly parent― by now, she had started to wonder if her parent was some minor god or goddess who didn't have a cabin at camp.

She had a dream that night. It started normally enough, with her standing on a beach― not that dreams could ever be normal. Then the tide started to recede, and somewhere in Gwen's mind that registered as one thing: Tsunami!

To her right was the receding tide. To her left, a sandy dune that looked tall enough to weather a giant wave. Gwen bolted for the dune, but even as she ran, her feet felt sluggish in the sand. The dune didn't get any closer, either.

Behind her, she heard a rushing noise. When she turned, she saw the wave― but it wasn't water. It was more sand. And by the time Gwen realized that she wouldn't be able to outrun it, it had already come crashing down on her.

She woke up gasping for air. It didn't exactly feel great to dream about suffocating.

Gwen sat bolt upright, still panting, the hair on the back of her neck standing up. Something rustled in the cabin, and she thought about diving under her sleeping bag to hide.

"Gwen?"

Luke had sat up in his bunk, squinting in the darkness. "Is that you?"

"Yeah." Her voice came out shaky. "Sorry. Bad dream."

He sighed. "I get it. Do you want to talk?"

"No."

That answer came automatically. Luke nodded and began to lay back down, until she squeaked out a second answer.

"Can I maybe sit with you?"

She watched Luke intently, waiting for him to tell her no, but he just nodded and scooted over in his bunk. And once she had an invitation, she wasn't about to let it pass her by.

Gwen climbed into his bed, her feet dangling off the edge. "Sorry."

"Don't worry." He smiled. "You want to talk about anything?"

"No."

Luke nodded. "You know, you don't have to go back."

It took her a second to realize that he was inviting her to share his bunk for the night. She just nodded and tentatively laid down next to him, her face burning.

Sharing a bed with a guy felt weird, even if it was just Luke. Gwen laid down with half her body hanging off the edge of the bunk, until he finally slung an arm around her shoulders and tried to pull her back onto the actual mattress.

"I'm not Drew," he whispered, grinning. "I don't have cooties, either."

Gwen elbowed him. "Shut up."

She passed out right afterwards. To her relief, nobody in cabin eleven teased her about how she'd cuddled with someone― except for Luke himself, who said that she hogged the covers.

"Plenty of them have nightmares, too," he told her at breakfast. "It's the one thing no one really jokes about."

Gwen nodded along, but she secretly wondered who Luke talked to when he had nightmares.

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Being one of the only people at camp who had ever seen a flail, Chiron taught Gwen how to properly use it. Every Monday, during her free time, he would set up some straw dummies and instruct her on how to effectively demolish them. And, to her surprise, she caught on quickly.

One day, as she kicked some of the dummies' stuffing into a pile, Gwen said, "Abby told me this is probably a gift from my parents."

Chiron nodded. "I'm sure it is. I wouldn't know how it came into your possession otherwise."

"Do you think Hephaestus made it?"

"I think it could be from anywhere," he said. "Any god or goddess could have crafted it for you."

Gwen huffed. "You're never helpful."

"I wouldn't want to get your hopes up," he replied.

The conch shell rang then, and Chiron gave her a smile. She just nodded and dashed to the row of cabins, where the rest of cabin eleven had assembled for dinner.

An older girl had begun counting off the kids in line― Gayatri, maybe? When Gwen showed up, she smiled and said, "That's eighteen. Alright, guys, let's go!"

From the back of the line, Gwen shouted, "Where's Luke?"

"He's at the Big House." Gayatri smiled. "I'm in charge until he comes back. It won't be long."

As they marched to the mess hall, Gwen tried to think about just what could have gotten Luke sent to the Big House. Had he pulled a prank that had gone wrong? Done something to offend Mr. D? Was he sick?

Maybe he'd gotten caught stealing from the camp store― that was the most likely answer. He was a child of Hermes, after all.

Chiron arrived late to dinner, which made Gwen feel worse. She hoped Luke didn't get kicked out of camp or anything. Was that even possible? How bad did you have to be to get that kind of treatment?

Also, if he had gotten caught stealing, she hoped they didn't confiscate everything he'd stolen. Then she'd be out of a sleeping bag, and the floor of cabin eleven was not comfortable.

As she approached the brazier and dropped a dinner roll into the fire, she threw out a random prayer. Hey, Hermes, please don't get your son in trouble. Sounds good to me, right?

No answer.

Right. Glad we had that chat.

When dinner had ended and the rest of cabin eleven had gathered for the weekly volleyball tournament, Gayatri pulled Gwen aside.

"You're wanted at the Big House," she told her.

Gwen frowned. "Why?"

"I dunno." She smiled and said, "Just don't keep Mr. D waiting. Unless you want him to turn you into a dolphin."

She wished that she could ignore that summons, but also, a very temperamental god had asked for her. Not being turned into a dolphin sounded like a pretty good way to spend her Monday night.

The back porch of the Big House felt a little too empty. Cleo sat in one of the wicker chairs, but she looked as confused as Gwen felt.

People were talking inside in very hushed voices. She didn't like the sound of that, and from the looks of it, neither did Cleo. Hopefully, Chiron didn't come out and see them with their ears pressed against the wall.

Footsteps drew closer from inside the house. Gwen and Cleo tried to play it off and act like they hadn't been trying to eavesdrop, but luckily, they didn't need to.

Phaedra stepped out of the Big House. Emphasis on stepped, because she didn't leave in a huff with her typical insult or rude hand gesture. Instead, she stepped onto the back porch, and for a split second, she looked weary enough to be thousands of years old.

Maybe she thought she was alone, because she let out a shaky sigh and began to wipe her eyes. Gwen and Cleo, sitting in her blind spot, exchanged a look.

Then she turned her head, and everyone on the back porch flinched― Phaedra because these two kids had materialized out of nowhere, Gwen and Cleo because it was pretty awkward to intrude on what was meant to be a private moment.

"Sorry!" Cleo said quickly. "Sorry. We didn't mean to― I mean, we're here for something, and―"

Phaedra didn't answer her. She had seen Gwen sitting beside Cleo, and her eyes welled up with tears again, which probably didn't mean great things were in Gwen's future.

Someone else poked their head out of the Big House― Luke.

Grinning, he said, "Are you guys ready to go on a quest?"

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A lot of things happened right after he'd said that. Phaedra began to sniffle and Cleo let out a little gasp of astonishment, but Gwen just stared at him. Nobody had ever told her what a quest meant.

Luckily, Chiron showed up and clarified some things before Luke got too excited.

When he had fully explained what a quest even was, he nodded to Luke, who told them just what had happened. His dad, the actual god Hermes, had offered him a Herculean quest― literally. He had been asked to steal a golden apple from the Garden of the Hesperides, just like the great Herakles had done thousands of years before.

"Quests are done in threes," he said. "Chiron asked who I'd want to take with me, and I said you guys."

"I mean... I understand taking Cleo, but..." Gwen frowned. "I'm twelve."

Phaedra huffed. "Thank you. At least someone here has common sense."

She had stopped crying, but her cheeks were still pink and splotchy, and her voice wavered a little when she spoke. Once Luke came out of the Big House, she had leaned up against the railing of the wraparound porch, sulking behind him and Chiron and shooting looks at an impassive Mr. D, who had been acting like she was invisible all evening.

He finally acknowledged her to say, "You know, this isn't a matter for the naiads―"

"But it's a matter for me," she snapped.

"Mr. D is right, Phaedra," Chiron said gently. "This quest is of no importance to the naiads. Including you."

"We'll talk about this later, Chiron," she retorted. Whirling on Mr. D, she added, "You too."

Phaedra got a little more respect in Gwen's eyes after that. She had to have some kind of ancient street cred if she was willing to yell at gods without any fear of getting smited immediately.

But also, her eyes looked a little watery as she stormed off of the porch and back into the lake, so maybe not.

"Listen, Gwen, it's not about how old you are," Luke said, as excited as ever. "It's about what you can do. And you're kind of scary with that flail."

That made her perk up. The best swordsman at camp thought she could be good enough to go on this super awesome quest with him? And Chiron didn't jump in to suggest anyone stronger or older?

She grinned. "So... When do we leave?"

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All of camp had heard about the quest by the end of the day. Gayatri was sad to see Luke go, but anyone could tell that she was happy to be in charge of cabin eleven, even for a week or two.

She had led her new charges to pegasus riding, but instead of joining them, Luke and Gwen made the walk back to cabin eleven to pack their bags.

"Why did you pick Cleo?" Gwen asked as she stuffed a pair of jeans into her backpack.

"The same reason I picked you," he said. "I knew what she could do."

She scoffed. "Yeah, okay."

Then she thought about it a little bit more. Cleo had managed to beat Luke in combat, and she'd done it with her actual powers. Having someone that could use charmspeak would be useful on their trip.

But also, Luke had always favored Cleo, so Gwen figured that that was all a lie.

"You like her."

She said it like she was accusing him of murder, and she heard Luke pause in the middle of zipping up his backpack.

"Sure I do," he said. "She's one of my best friends."

Gwen huffed. "No, you like her. As in, you like-like her."

"You know what, Gwen?" He shouldered his bag and said, "This isn't a great time―"

"Good thing we'll be able to talk about it on that quest, right?" She asked. "Where it's just you, me, and Cleo going on a road trip across the country."

Luke nudged her. "Later."

He motioned for her to hurry up, and Gwen reluctantly slung her bag over her shoulder. But as they walked up to the property line, she saw that his cheeks looked a little pink, so she considered that a win.

The camp store had already given Luke a bunch of stuff― drachmas, mortal money, and plenty of nectar and ambrosia. Gwen made a joke about eating the nectar and ambrosia. The dryad behind the counter didn't find it as funny as she did, and lectured her about how the stuff would burn her up from the inside out if she ate too much.

They reached Half-Blood Hill, where Cleo and Chiron had already assembled. Gwen gave him a look after they said hello to Cleo. He elbowed her in retaliation.

Cleo had a jacket on, which Gwen didn't really see the point of... Until she grinned and opened it to reveal two knives tucked into the inside pockets.

"They were a gift from my mom," she told Gwen. "I found them on my bunk when I moved into cabin ten. Pretty cool, right?"

She shrugged. "Whatever."

Luke cut in before Cleo could say anything else. "Guys. Watch this."

He motioned to the red sneakers on his feet. They looked like typical converse― actually, they looked worse for wear than typical converse. Like they hadn't been washed in years.

"Ready?" He grinned. "Maia."

Instantly, the sneakers sprouted wings and began to lift him off the ground. He did a pretty good job of hovering with them on, but then they started bucking around, and he had to shout Maia! again to land safely.

"I'll have to keep practicing," he said, and grinned. "They were a gift from my dad for this quest."

Gwen nodded, but that also sucked to hear. Of course Luke and Cleo's cool godly parents got to give them gifts. The best she got was a stupid flail-pin-thing that nobody could tell her anything about.

Luke and Cleo began talking by the pine tree, so Gwen lingered by Chiron's wheelchair. She was starting to regret agreeing to go on a quest with the lovebirds.

Chiron cleared his throat behind her. "Gwen."

She jumped and spun around. "Yes?"

"I wish you'd had some more training before you went on this quest," he said. "I don't doubt that you'll be alright, but..."

"I get it," she replied. "I'm small. I've never done this before. It's more dangerous for me."

"Yes, it is," he said. "And I must advise you, Gwen... Do not go on this quest in the hopes that your godly parent will claim you."

He must have seen her face fall, because he added, "Now, it might happen. But there is an equally likely chance that it won't."

"Why are you telling me this?" She asked.

"I want you to have a clear head for this quest," Chiron answered. "You don't want to be distracted in a place where you are vulnerable to an attack from monsters."

"But it could still happen," she said. "I could be claimed at the end of this."

He sighed. "Yes, Gwen. It could."

She didn't like that tone. "But will it?"

"I don't know."

"But you have your suspicions, don't you?" She pressed. "Who do you think―"

"When you retrieve the golden apple from the Garden of the Hesperides," Chiron said, "you will have to bring it to Olympus. Perhaps the gods will have an answer for you then."

Gwen frowned. He was excellent at giving non-answers. Then again, he'd probably been dealing with questions like that for two thousand years.

He patted her arm. "Relax."

"I am relaxed," she said. "But I want answers."

"Gwen, even if I did know the identities of your parents, I would be unable to tell you," he said. "Have patience."

She glanced over to Luke and Cleo again. A girl with intricate braids had joined them, who Gwen recognized as Annabeth Chase, one of the Athena kids. Annabeth had already been at camp for years, and she was only ten. Gwen watched as Luke gave her a hug, then laid a hand on the big pine tree and murmured some words.

"I don't want to jinx things," she said. "But... Is it possible to fail a quest?"

Chiron nodded grimly. "Of course it is. Heroes have failed plenty of quests in the past. But I'm sure that won't be the case for you three."

Then he gently reminded Annabeth that she had activities to do, and she reluctantly broke away from Luke and Cleo to join her siblings in the strawberry fields. As Gwen watched her go, she realized that she had nobody to say goodbye to.

Chiron got out of his wheelchair to give them a proper send-off. A van waited for them at the bottom of the hill, driven by Argus, the head security guy. He had eyes all over his body, which Gwen thought was awesome. And a little freaky.

Before she headed to the van, Gwen turned to give camp one last look. Just in case she got eaten by a hydra or something.

The Big House wasn't haunted, but she saw a ghostly figure on the wraparound porch. It took her a moment to realize that the figure was just a pale lady in a nightgown. She didn't need to ask to know who that could be.

"Phaedra said the quest involved her," she said. "What―"

"Phaedra has been known to get rather invested in the affairs at camp," Chiron said. "The quest has no connection to her... Other than emotionally, it seems."

Gwen thought back to how furious Phaedra had been about the idea of a twelve-year-old going on a quest. "Yeah. I guess."

He smiled and patted her head. "Go. Your friends are waiting."

She turned back to the Big House and waved to the lady on the porch. At least she could say goodbye to someone. But instead of waving back, the lady went inside.

That was Phaedra, alright.

When she climbed into the van, Luke patted the seat beside him. "I almost thought you'd backed out, Gwen."

She rolled her eyes. "You wish."

He grinned and said, "Come on. The Garden of the Hesperides is only two thousand miles away."

Argus started the van, and Gwen pressed her face up against the window. From her seat, she could see Chiron standing on top of Half-Blood Hill, his bow raised high in a salute.

"You alright?" Luke asked.

She nodded. "Just thinking."

He smiled and slung his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry. You've got two of the coolest kids at camp looking out for you."

"Yeah, right," she muttered.

She didn't tell Luke anything, and he didn't ask, but she had a bad feeling about leaving camp. Maybe it was the fact that monsters could attack them now, or Phaedra's terrible reaction to her leaving, but she wanted to ask Argus to turn around and drop her back off at Half-Blood Hill right now.

It was too late. The van started to move, the silhouettes of Chiron and the big pine tree faded from view, and Gwen's first-ever quest officially began.