The first time Rin saw the new camper, she had no idea how much trouble she was in.
It was a fairly average day at Camp Half-Blood-well, as normal as it ever got around a magical summer camp for children of actual Greek Gods, with hundreds of campers running around laughing and hoisting weapons around for the fun of it as they made their way to various activities. Rin had different plans. Namely sitting on the roof of the Big House, the main administrative building, with the gracious company of several orange pops, the clouds drifting slowly across the sky.
It was a beautiful day, sunny and bright, and she had every intention of just watching the time fly by.
"You know, you really shouldn't be up there." A voice cut her out of her thoughts; stiflingly reproachful, a clear English accent cutting into each syllable.
She looked all the way down at the porch, raising her eyebrows at the intrusion. "Hey, Arthur."
"Rin." Arthur Newcastle answered shortly, his crossed arms and narrowed green eyes matching his disapproving tone. He had a quiver on his back and a long knife strapped to his belt. He must have just come back from weapons training. "What do you think you're doing?"
Rin shrugged carelessly. "Oh, you know. Admiring the view. Life is short, don't you know."
"Don't you have training?" Arthur asked sharply.
"Probably." She said.
"And you're not in the arena right now because…" He trailed off, waiting for her to finish.
Rin flicked open a can of pop with her fingers, sending the little metal tab flying through the air. "I did training yesterday."
"That doesn't mean you should be sitting around here." Arthur continued to look displeased with the situation, although Rin didn't really see how it was his business to start with.
"If you're going to object, how about you just come up here and do it instead? I don't like having to crane over to talk to you down there."
"I'm not allowed to sit on the roof of the Big House either," He said firmly. "Chiron won't be too happy about that."
She was getting tired of this. Arthur could be good company when he wanted to be, but he had a serious need to loosen up. "Well, he's not here right now, is he?"
"Will will freak at me later." Arthur said. "I'm not even head counselor, I can't exactly just do whatever I want, unlike some people."
She shrugged again, and leaned her head back, closing her eyes. "Suit yourself."
There was a grumble, something about annoying slackers which she readily ignored, and a few minutes later, Arthur was pulling himself up onto the roof, fingers scrabbling for a hold.
Climbing was not exactly his forté. It was always amusing to see him dangling off the climbing wall, however. It was one of the reasons he tried to avoid the lava-spewing obstacle entirely.
She watched him struggle for another minute or so before reaching over to grab his arm and haul him up. "Thanks," He muttered, looking embarrassed by the help, his cheeks flushed.
She decided not to tease him for it though, and looked away. "You're welcome."
They sat in silence for a few minutes, while Rin allowed her mind to wander. It was far too nice out to have to think about monsters or new quests or whether or not she decided to stay year-round at camp this time. It wasn't as though she had much of a home left to go back to, if any. Arthur however, did have a nice family and house back in England, and he was sure to be leaving to return as soon as the summer ended.
"So why are you up here really?" He asked, taking a long gulp from his pop.
She thought for a moment, deciding how to answer. "I heard there was a new arrival coming."
"So you thought you'd just come up here to...I don't know. Spy on them when they arrive?"
"Maybe."
Arthur sighed, and leaned back, propping his head on his elbows. The sunlight was so bright it made his hair look like a golden halo around his head.
It wasn't too difficult to tell he resembled his godly parent to a certain extent.
"How did you know there was a new arrival?" He asked next.
She resisted the urge to sigh. "You're beginning to sound just like that daughter of Athena. So many questions. So serious. You need to care a little less about answers."
"What, like you do?" He shot back.
She let that comment fly by her with minimal rebuke. "I don't see what you mean."
"You know exactly what I mean. You pretend not to care, but you do. I just can't tell if you don't know how to, or don't know what to care about."
"You've lost me."
He threw up a hand in frustration, but settled with a slight, "At least that means you feel something."
She didn't quite know how to respond to a statement like that, so she didn't answer.
She still had a clear memory of when the tall boy with scruffy blonde hair and fierce green eyes had shouted up at her, asking her why she was spying on him when he had come into the Big House for the first time after arriving at Camp.
She had just stared at him, unwilling to answer until he tried unsuccessfully jumping up onto the roof too, demanding an answer, refusing to leave without one.
It took him about an hour, but he finally managed to grapple his way up a tree and get on the roof with her, where she offered him a pop, and they somehow became friendly with one another, bonding over sugary drinks.
His blunt, no-nonsense personality and fierce competitiveness somehow suited her, and her lethargic attitude was a reason to keep talking to her, trying to motivate her in some way.
From that point on, Arthur became one of the only people who approached and talked her on a daily basis. It was often to scold her like a stand-in parent for slacking around or to ask her countless questions about what she was doing, Rin was used to it by now. Whether or not he did it out of charity or some other misguided reason, she wasn't entirely sure.
One thing was for certain, though. She did know she could trust him.
"I see Argus' lorry." Arthur sat up suddenly, squinting over at Thalia's Pine, which marked the enchanted border to the entrance.
She glanced at him. "You know it's called a van, right?"
"You Americans and your terms. I'll stick to my own vocabulary, thanks."
"I'm Canadian."
He scoffed infuriatingly. "And what exactly is the big differen-"
She flicked the metal tab of her can at his face, a thinly-veiled threat not to end his sentence.
He stopped, recognizing the warning, but rolled his eyes. "Come on. We should get going before they see us."
"You can go." Rin waved a hand. "But I see no reason that I should leave."
He frowned at that. "You can't be serious."
"Did I give you a reason I wouldn't be?"
"Honestly, Rin." He shook his head. "You have responsibilities!"
"Which I will get to after I make a few observations on our newest camper."
She gazed at him coolly, flapping a hand at him. "Go on. You don't want to get in trouble now, do you?"
"Why do I even bother?" He rolled his eyes and started climbing down. Although to the keen observer, it definitely looked like more like falling than anything.
"Don't hit the porch."
"OUCH!"
"There you go."
He picked himself up, rubbing the back of his head. He shot her one last half-expectant, half-exasperated look before running off towards the Cabins, where the other campers were crowding around in the distance.
Rin drained the last of her orange pop, and set the can down to throw away later. Argus' van had pulled up just inside the entrance of Camp, and she could make out a tall, muscular figure coming out the driver's side, with another coming out the passenger side, a much smaller figure with dark hair. She assumed that that was the satyr Protector who must have been alerted to the demigod's presence and had escorted them to Camp.
But what drew her attention was the figure who slowly emerged from the backseat, with long dark hair.
That had to be the new camper.
She watched silently as the odd trio made their way past the Pine, where the golden dragon Peleus slept contentedly, the Golden Fleece hanging on one of the uppermost branches, and past the volleyball court, where a few children of Nikes and Apollo were playing. The campers turned to stare at the new arrival, which Rin was sure would unnerve the new meat at least a little, but the newcomer didn't shy away from their gazes as she thought they would.
Interesting.
It wasn't long before they reached the entrance of the Big House, and she could get a better view of them. She was surprised to see that the satyr was none other than Sebastian, who was instantly recognizable by his tanned skin, dark hair and turquoise square glasses he wore out of habit to pass as human. With his overlarge T-shirt and unzipped hoodie, he could have very easily passed for an average 13 or 14 year old. The main difference was his furry goat legs and hooves. His clothes were muddy and torn, and he walked with a limp.
The camper, likewise, was also worse for wear, with long scratches running down one of her cheeks, and both hands wrapped in bloody bandages.
Argus was the only one who appeared more or less unharmed, but his numerous blue eyes blinked uneasily.
Rin stared at them wordlessly from where she was perched on top of the Big House entrance, wondering whether or not this was a typical monster attack or something worse that had befallen them.
If Sebastian or Argus saw her, they gave no verbal indication, other than a few of Argus' eyes swivelling upwards in her direction.
The new meat however, lifted her head to look back at where Rin was.
Her eyes were an unassuming shade of brown, and Rin immediately had the thought that they didn't look quite natural, as if they were contacts of some sort.
She wasn't certain how she knew, but she could just tell.
Rin looked back unflinchingly, even when the girl's eyes narrowed, either in suspicion or curiosity, she wasn't entirely sure.
Very slowly, she raised her right hand and gave the girl a tiny salute, tapping two fingers against her temple. The girl raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, and didn't acknowledge anything out of the ordinary to either of her two companions.
Rin was intrigued by this lack of reaction right up until the three were greeted by Chiron, who lead them into the Big House.
The camper hadn't looked like much. Not much taller than Rin herself, which wasn't very impressive, and looked as if a single gust of wind could blow her away. But she had walked with a steady pace, and her eyes...
Rin had had the strangest feeling when she had looked into her eyes. It was as if she had been frozen from the inside.
Was it because of some secret power, or was she imagining it?
Either way, Rin didn't let the thoughts continue for much longer. Like Arthur had so kindly reminded her, she had responsibilities that she grudgingly had to attend to, and could not spend the rest of the day wondering about the new arrival. Besides, Arthur would be badgering her later for answers about the new meat, and there were others she wanted to talk to before dinner that night.
She gathered up the remaining pop cans, which she would put away for later, and climbed down from the roof.
She caught a flash of brown eyes in the window, and froze. But by the time she stopped to get a better look, they were gone.
She turned back towards the Cabins, and shook her head in silent dismissal.
With a snap of her fingers, she took a step forwards and sank into dense bronze fog, as cold as the dark side of the moon, and dissolved into the Mist.