DISCLAIMER Arrina and Houdini belong to me but the rest of the characters belong to Rick Riordan. I have not read the new Apollo books so sorry if my fanfic is inconsistent with those

The boy was young, younger than anyone Arrina had to retrieve. Arrina studied him carefully. The boy was wearing a tattered blue shirt that might have said something long ago but was now forgotten. His pants were ripped in multiple places and was barely holding itself together. His face was dirty, but you could make out some elvish features: long eyelashes, heart shaped face, slightly pointed ears. Arrina knew this was the boy she was looking for, and felt almost relieved he didn't have to suffer in his current state any longer, but she knew that the hardships were just beginning.

She carefully walked to where the boy was lying down in restless sleep in the alleyway and put her hand on the boy's arm. His eyes opened immediately, revealing alarmed black eyes. Which clashed unusually with his dirty blonde hair. He jumped up and backed into the alley, supporting himself against a dumpster.

"Stay back!" he screamed. "Don't touch me!"

Arrina tried to comfort the boy. This isn't the first time she got a reaction like this. "Shh, it's ok, I'm not going to hurt you." She took a small step towards him.

"Stop!" he yelled. Suddenly, the air around him began to shift, and he pulled a knife from thin air. Even though it was just a butter knife, Arrina was surprised he could summon it at such a young age.

Another approach then, she thought. She took off her belt with her dagger and other essentials put it on the ground in front of her. "I don't want to hurt you," she said slowly. "I'm here to help you."

"You can't help me! The monsters are everywhere! But I can run. They can't catch me." Arrina knew that he probably suspected that she was also a monster.

"That used to happen to me, too." Arrina did you best to sound soothing. "But now I have friends. They can help you, too. You don't have to be alone anymore"

The knife disappeared, and the boy looked disappointed. His powers aren't enough to protect him. "How do I know you're not lying? How do I know you're not one of them?"

Arrina though for a bit. Then she rolled up her sleeve to reveal a scar she's had since she was nine. "Monsters heal completely if you cut them, but I have a scar here. Do monsters show you their weaknesses?"

The boy became relaxed, but was still supporting himself against the dumpster. "Can you really help me?"

Arrina picked up her belt and fastened it back into place. "Yes, me and many others can keep you safe." She looked at her watch. 8:20. "We have to hurry. We need to get out of here and to my friends before another monster comes." She walked toward him. "My name's Arrina. What's your name?"

"I don't know…" He genuinely seemed confused, and sad. She kneeled down so she was at eye level with him. Wait, his eyes were blue now. Weren't they black before? She decided to ask him later.

Arrina smiled at him. "Then I'll give you a new name! From today, your new name is Houdini."

"Houdini...that name sounds familiar." Houdini said.

"Houdini is the most famous magician of all time, and you have some magic tricks yourself, so I thought it fit. Can you walk, Houdini?"

"Um," he pushed himself off the dumpster and tried to stand up on his own. "No. he said before Arrina caught him. She lifted him up and set him on her back.

"Then I guess you're riding on my back." she said before she started briskly walking out of the alley. There were only 30 minutes left of sunlight. Arrina new they would have to stop at a shelter on their way to camp, she didn't want to be out at night any longer than she had to.

"Do you remember anything about your past?" Arrina asked as she carried

"I remember running, and being hungry, but I don't remember much else." She could feel Houdini shaking on her back.

She set him down on a bench and attempted to soothe him. "Shh, it's ok if you don't remember, don't cry. My friends can help with that." She should have waited until they got to camp to question him.

Tears streamed silently down his face. "I don't know if I want to remember." Houdini started hiccuping. Arrina took off her jacket and put it around Houdini's shoulders, revealing her bright orange shirt. The jacket might make it harder to carry them, but they didn't have much farther to go.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked. It's ok if you don't want to remember. Listen, we are going to stop somewhere for the night. Are you ok with that? I think you need some food and rest." She smiled at him. "One more night and you'll be safe with me and my friends."

"Pinkie promise?" he asked, which caught Arrina by surprised. He lifted his pinkie finger toward her.

She chuckled. "Ya, pinkie promise." They locked pinkies and Arrina lifted him once more onto her back.