DOOMSDAY

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THE SOUNDS OF echoing yells and commands causes Valeria to sit up in her bed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Through blurred vision, she sees a group of her siblings gathered around the entrance to their cabin.

Many children in the other cabins are seemingly awake as well, leading Valeria to crease her brows in confusion. The sky is pitch black, the only light being from the lanterns and torches scattered throughout the campgrounds. Everyone is usually still asleep at this time.

"What's going on?" she mumbles, gently throwing her blanket off of her legs and swinging them over the edge of the mattress.

Silena plops down beside her older sister, bringing her knees to her chest and curling into Valeria's side. "Grover came back with a new kid almost an hour ago. Everyone's saying he killed the Minotaur."

Valeria's eyes widen, her previous exhaustion fading instantly. "Seriously?"

Silena nods, pursing her lips together and humming. "He's in the infirmary right now— they said he has some serious head injuries."

"Are they giving him Nectar?"

"Maybe? I don't know."

Valeria lets out a quiet sigh, removing her arm from around Silena's shoulders and draping the blanket across them instead. Then she swiftly slips on her shoes and pulls a sweatshirt over her torso, standing from her bunk.

"Where are you going?" Silena asks.

"To see if they need any help," Valeria replies. "Go back to sleep, okay? You can stay in my bed until I get back if you want."

The young girl flops down instantly, fully settling into the fabric of Valeria's comforter. Silena quips, "You don't need to tell me twice."

Valeria shakes her head and laughs at her sister before turning to the doorframe, moving past the rest of her siblings and walking down the short staircase. She follows the slight crowd that surrounds the path to the infirmary, pursing her lips in wonder as to why Mr. D hasn't chased everyone away yet.

She somehow notices a familiar head of dark curls ahead of her, and she calls out, "Cam!" The girl turns around with knitted brows, then she sees Valeria and her features relax as she waits for the brunette to meet her side. "Are you here for the new guy?"

"Obviously," Camryn says, dragging a hand down the right side of her face. "Chiron came to our cabin earlier and told us that he needed healers in the infirmary. And since my siblings are lazy shits, here I am."

Valeria grins at her. "Somebody didn't get enough sleep, huh?"

"You try teaching a bunch of little gremlins how to aim a bow and arrow for almost a week straight, and then come talk to me, alright?" The Apollo girl ignores the giggle from her friend and averts her attention to the people blocking the entrance, clasping her hand over Valeria's wrist. "Okay, move it. Move— I said move, dumbass. You're taking up the whole doorway."

Camryn eventually manages to push them past the crowd and into the infirmary. They enter a small, private room, where Chiron and Annabeth are already waiting.

Valeria's gaze almost immediately finds the unconscious boy on the bed, a gash on his forehead leaving a thin trail of blood on his skin. His curly blond hair and pale skin are smudged with dirt, clothes drenched and stained with mud and rainwater. Through his slumber, his body seems to be aware of the aching pain, as he begins to stir on the mattress.

Annabeth's presence, on the other hand, is no surprise to Valeria. She always finds her way to meet the newcomers because for as long as she's been here, Chiron has told her that somebody would arrive and bring her along on a quest, which is all Annabeth has left to prove herself.

The gods hardly ever acknowledge their children, except for when they need something to be done for them that they're unable to achieve themselves. A quest from the gods is considered an honor — or even a privilege. Many wish to be sent on a quest, as they'll receive glory and admiration from their peers once they return. Valeria has no such desires.

When Luke was seventeen, he had been offered and sent on a quest by his father, Hermes. His task was to retrieve a Golden Apple from a tree in the Garden of Hesperides, yet he'd gained neither glory nor recognition following his quest. He was met only with pity. Valeria can still remember how he'd come back to camp. The slash on the right side of his face had been bleeding profusely, eventually leaving a scar as a permanent reminder.

Ever since he returned, Valeria has known that a quest will never be something she'll want from the gods. Seeing Luke in those conditions was enough for her to realize that.

"Valeria? Shouldn't you be in your cabin?" Chiron questions, folding his hands together and quirking an eyebrow at her.

Her eyes flicker between the centaur and the boy. "Uh, I thought you might need some help with him."

Chiron gestures to the Apollo child beside her. "We have healers, Valeria."

"Well, she's my assistant," Camryn puts forth, shrugging her shoulders in a nonchalant manner. "And I need her here, or else I'll probably fall asleep and let the kid bleed out."

Annabeth tries to hide the smile that creeps onto her face, while Valeria lightly hits her friend on the bicep at the displeased expression on Chiron's face. However, it soon changes to one of agreement, and he glances between them and the injured boy.

"Very well," Chiron sighs. He turns to the younger girl beside him. "Annabeth, you may go back to your cabin now."

She reluctantly uncrosses her arms and nods, sharing a knowing look with Valeria before exiting the infirmary. Then Chiron meets Camryn's eye, taking in a deep breath before giving specific instructions and demands to the healer.

"You will need to clean and mend the wound on his head carefully and precisely. Give him some Nectar to help accelerate the healing process if needed." Chiron begins to trot past the doorway, only glancing over his shoulder once to add, "And do not allow anybody except for myself or Grover to enter this room. The boy does not need an audience when he wakes."

"Yes, sir," Valeria answers while Camryn starts to gather some gauzes and sanitary wipes from the cabinets surrounding them.

Chiron thanks them silently before leaving them alone with the newcomer. However, much to her dismay, Valeria notices several silhouettes of curious demigods pressed up against the stained-glass windows along the wall. She storms over and pulls the blinds closed, shutting them out entirely as a chorus of muffled groans sound from those outside.

"Nosey idiots," Camryn mutters, pouring some water from a bottle onto a cloth and reaching over to dab it near the boy's wound. "He's gonna have a massive headache when he wakes up."

"Can't we give him Nectar for that?" Valeria questions, motioning towards the drink on the desk. "Like Chiron said, it'll help him heal faster."

Camryn hums, pursing her lips in concentration as she folds the cloth and continues to clean up the blood. "Yeah, but he's tiny. Who knows how much or how little Nectar it would take to send him to the Underworld."

Valeria scoffs lightheartedly, smiling at her friend's remark and pulling up a chair on the other side of the bed. The brunette narrows her eyes slightly at him, taking in the delicacy of his features as Camryn repeatedly has to move his tousled hair out of his closed eyes.

He appears to be around Annabeth's age, meaning he's only around twelve or thirteen years old. He's a child, and the gods have already managed to put him through the terror of being hunted by monsters.

"He's so young," Valeria says quietly, her brows furrowed in an unsettled expression. "And he killed the Minotaur."

"Maybe it'll give him an easier start," the Apollo girl suggests absentmindedly. "If he has some glory from winning the fight on the hill, then he should have no problem making friends."

"Unless Ares' kids take offense," Valeria counters, running a hand over her face and shaking her head. "You know how they can be when somebody new gets instant recognition."

Camryn shrugs a shoulder dismissively. Then she adds, "His mom was with him and Grover." Valeria's gaze snaps up to her friend, eyes widened. "On the hill— Grover said that she didn't make it."

Valeria's lips twist into a deep frown. Her heart throbs in sympathy for the boy.

Camryn sighs through her nose, nodding in silent agreement and placing the lightly stained gauze in her hand on the nightstand. Then she makes her way over to the desk, swiping the small bottle of Nectar and unscrewing the lid. Valeria tilts her head to the side in confusion.

"I thought you said—"

"I'll take the risk of being responsible for this kid's death if it means I can go back to bed."

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The mid-morning sunlight hits Valeria's face through the open windows and doors to the Aphrodite Cabin as her eyelids flutter open, a soft groan rumbling in her throat. She turns over on the mattress and away from the brightness, covering her head with her extra pillow and staying in that position for another moment.

The rest of her siblings must have already woken up and started their days, as the tranquility of the room is much too abnormal if they had been in here with Valeria. She guesses that it's almost nine o'clock by now, meaning that she's slept in more than usual.

Following her and Camryn's time of tending to the newcomer's injuries, they made their way back to their cabins to try and savor the last hours of the night before they'd soon be forced to resume their daily routines. Valeria, unsure of how much sleep Camryn got after she dropped her off at the Apollo Cabin, only gained three more hours at most.

"Do you really need me to come over there and drag you out of bed?"

Valeria tosses her pillow off her head and twists the upper half of her body towards the voice, and she rolls her drowsy eyes at the sight of Luke leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. A slight grin pulls at his lips when she glowers at him.

"Leave me alone," she pleads, flopping back down to the cushion beneath her. "I'm tired."

Luke unfolds his arms and steps further into the cabin. Then Valeria feels the mattress sink at the edge, and his fingers slip under the sheets to fully roll her onto her spine by her waist. "Really? I couldn't tell."

She swats at his hands, frowning deeply at him until he releases her. "You're not the one who had to take care of the new kid in the middle of the night. You got to sleep all you wanted."

"From what Cam and Silena told me, you volunteered to help out," Luke says.

Receiving an agitated look from the girl, he sighs heavily and reaches over, lacing their palms together. Valeria allows him to pull her upright, though she slouches lazily afterwards while he tries to straighten her posture. She laughs at him and untangles their hands, tossing her blanket off her legs. Luke's gaze follows her as she stands, taking her beaded necklace into her grasp and tying the ends into a knot at the nape of her neck.

"So, have you met him?" Valeria asks without glancing back at him.

"Percy? Yeah, Chiron brought him to the cabin earlier," Luke informs, watching her slip the rest of her jewelry onto her wrists and fingers. "He was... tired, I guess. I went to say I was sorry about his mom, and he got pretty defensive."

Valeria hums in response. "He's probably still processing what happened on the hill."

Luke nods, and then he glances at the door. "You want me to close it?" The brunette turns to peer at him over her shoulder, a brow raised in question. "For you to change? Unless you want all of camp to see—"

"Okay, please just close it."

Valeria's cheeks flush a faint shade of maroon, and she waves an arm towards the open entrance. Luke chuckles, shaking his head and making his way over to the door. "Want me to wait outside?"

"No, it's fine. Just turn around or something."

The hinges creak slightly as he shuts the large doors, and Valeria sees that Luke has now positioned himself to face the wall, hands folded behind his back firmly. She proceeds to step closer to the trunk by the foot of her bed and gathers a pair of shorts and her orange camp t-shirt.

As Valeria removes her hoodie and pajama shorts, throwing them aside, Luke speaks. "Have you talked to Annabeth lately?"

She pulls her change of clothes onto her body and brushes out her hair with her fingertips. "Why? Has she been watching Percy?" When he inclines his chin, Valeria exhales breathily. "She was in the infirmary last night, you know."

While Valeria's unable to see his face, she can still hear the surprise in his voice. "Chiron actually let her inside this time?"

"Mhm. She went back to her cabin once Camryn started cleaning Percy's wound, though."

"I saw the bruise," Luke tells her. "You guys did a good job healing him."

Valeria smiles, leaning her weight against the edge of her mattress as she slips on her converse, easily looping the shoelaces together into a tight bow. "That was all Camryn and the Nectar, but thanks for trying to give me credit."

He shrugs, a grin being evident in his tone. "Just following Annabeth's advice."

She straightens the fabric of her shirt, pushing off the bed frame and approaching Luke. Valeria taps his shoulder, and he slowly turns around to face her. "Done," she says.

"Yeah, I can see that," Luke remarks, his eyes glancing over her figure.

Valeria rolls her eyes at him and gently shoves him the other way, signaling for him to open the frame for them to exit the cabin. Soon enough, they're striding through the many paths of camp, looking for Amara and Camryn (by Valeria's request, which Luke agreed to).

After searching the gardens, archery range, and the beach, Valeria and Luke decide to make their way to the only place left where Valeria's friends could be. Then they find them sitting at the entrance to camp, where Thalia's pine tree stands tall and prominent. Amara is picking at a daisy with her fingers, while Camryn has fully sprawled out in the grass with her arms folded behind her head.

Valeria assumes that the reason they've chosen here — of all places — to hang out is because a majority of demigods' voices become distant background noise at the top of Half-Blood Hill, meaning Camryn is able to get more relaxation than if they'd been closer to the cabins or main campgrounds.

"There's my favorite people," Valeria calls out.

Amara smiles warmly at them in greeting before returning to plucking her flower.

Camryn merely waves a lazy hand at them without pushing up from her position. "If your boyfriend is with you, then go away. I can't deal with him right now."

Luke quirks an eyebrow, catching Valeria's gaze and mouthing, "Boyfriend?" to her with a slight smirk on his face.

She smacks his shoulder lightly.

"Oh, of course he's here." The Apollo girl lets out a melodramatic groan, finally sitting up and twisting her body to look back at them. Her eyes and forehead wrinkle in annoyance. "Why does he always have to be with you?"

"Because I can be," Luke deadpans.

"You have attachment issues to Val, I swear."

He and Valeria plop down to the ground, and Camryn scoffs. "Great. My peace is ruined."

Valeria nudges Camryn with her shoe and shoots her a glare, which the girl blatantly ignores as she continues to soak in the sunlight.

"Have you guys seen him?" Amara asks, leaning forward to get a better view of the two sitting on the other side of Camryn. "The new kid, I mean."

"His name's Percy," Valeria informs.

"Yeah, we saw him last night," Camryn states, referring to herself and Valeria. "I think everyone has seen him by now, though. Chiron practically paraded him through camp earlier— it looked like Percy wanted to throw up from all the attention."

Luke chuckles. "You should've seen him when Chiron brought him to Cabin Ten. He was terrified of us."

"Everyone in your cabin except for Connor is way older than him," Valeria says matter-of-factly. "Who wouldn't be scared?"

He tilts his head. "True."

"Maybe we could try and help him make some friends," Amara proposes, showing a cheerful grin. "I know a few of my siblings would love to meet him. They've been talking about it all day."

Luke, while appreciating the girl's suggestion, responds with, "Maybe in a day or two. We should let him rest first."

Camryn hums in agreement, while Amara sighs while nodding.

Valeria looks over at Luke with an unusual expression on her features, and he knits his brows together in confusion at her. "What?"

"Always considerate of the new kids' feelings, hm?" she remarks in a playful manner.

Luke bumps his knee against hers, shaking his head in response to her comment. She laughs, looping her arm through his and leaning her cheek against his shoulder as a soft smile forms on her lips. He rests his chin by the crown of her head and places his free hand over knuckles.

Camryn wrinkles her nose, struggling to resist the gag that rises in her throat at the sight of their closeness. "I'm gonna be sick."

Amara, however, seems to be admiring them. Her dimples become more noticeable as she gushes, "Aw."

The pair finds their friends' behavior entertaining yet unsurprising, as both Amara and Camryn have previously seen many of Valeria and Luke's affections towards each other and given similar reactions. Despite how many times they'll deny having anything more than a friendship happening between them, their actions often contradict their words.

Even before the gods on Olympus, Luke had been unable to stay away from Valeria — and she'd only separated from him when Aphrodite stared long enough to intimidate them.

Luke suddenly leans closer to Valeria as he looks down at her. "Wanna give Cam something to actually throw up about?"

When she realizes what he's implying, Valeria curtly shoves his face further from her own with a scoff. Luke bursts out laughing along with Camryn and Amara, while Valeria merely rolls her eyes at their antics.

"Funny."