Oneshot set after TLO.
Disclaimer: You know the drill. Only Monica and Ed are mine.
I didn't feel like much of a hero for fighting in the last battle against Kronos. Annabeth was really the one who did all of the work. Even half-dead, she was twice as clever as me and it was her who had brought Luke back to himself. All I did was give him the tool he needed to make the sacrifice. To me, that was a kind if scummy role to play.
However, the one thing I did that made me feel like a hero was requesting that the gods all identify and recognize their children. I saw the effects immediately- a slightly emptier Hermes cabin and more kids pouring into the camp. It was absolutely amazing to watch when another demigod was claimed, especially the ones who'd been at camp for years in the Hermes cabin, stuck with the title of "undetermined." I'd know the sting of being abandoned there, even if only for a week, and though it dulled after a while, you knew that you could pretend to be happy, but there was always that sinking feeling that somewhere, your parent didn't want you. Or just as bad- they'd forgotten you entirely.
I leaned up against a ranch-style fence wearing a goofy grin on my face as a tired looking, fourteen-year-old camper, Ed Thorne, was claimed by my father, the Lord of the Sea. He'd been here for two years as an undetermined. It was a shock to me that he'd been able to hide for so long, but then I realized that it was extremely likely that Chiron had instructed the kid to keep it that way. He could have been attracting the monsters as much as I had been.
As I smiled at the scene, I felt a soft hand at my shoulder. I turned around expecting Annabeth, but she wasn't there. I had to look down to see the person who'd made a bid for my attention.
It was a girl, maybe eleven or twelve years old, but very small. The only reason I could tell she was any older than eight was her face. She was serious, and her eyes had depth. She held my attention with authority.
"This is your doing, isn't it Perseus Jackson?" She asked. I could hear the smile in her voice even though she wasn't smiling. It took me a moment to realize that she had found me out. I played dumb.
"I think that's Posiedon's doing. Who are you?" I said, trying to change the topic. She looked a little embarrassed.
"Don't you remember me?" She shook her head, though the motion was directed more at herself than at me. "Of course you wouldn't, we were only cabinmates for a week." She muttered this, a slight blush rising in her cheeks. I felt equally embarrassed, realizing that she must have been in the Hermes cabin with me my first week. This startled me a little, because I was pretty sure that I'd have noticed any six or seven year old girls in the cabin.
"I can't say I remember you," I admitted. She nodded, her expression weary.
"I suppose you wouldn't. You're always off on your own quests."
"But... were we in the Hermes cabin together?" I asked. She nodded slowly, a wistful look in her eye.
"Yes, we were. Did you remember me? I raced you when we practiced our foot speed. You were slow at first- I almost beat you. One time I did. And archery, we were next to each other every day that week in archery practice." She supplied all of this with bright eyes and a hopeful smile.
"Were you regular, or undetermined?" I asked, genuinely curious. She looked a little put out.
"That's what I wanted to speak to you about, Perseus. You see, I've been at this camp for six years, almost half my life, and even with recent events, I'm still undetermined." Her eyes suddenly adopted this pathetically sad expression.
"I'm so sorry," I said, unsure of what else there was to say. She hopped up on the fence rail next to me, her slight weight not even bending the wooden slab.
"I was wondering if you knew- has a mortal ever been sent to Camp Half-Blood by mistake? I mean, I know I've been here longer than you have and all, but I thought, maybe Chiron had talked to you about it. If it had ever happened?" She started her question holding eye contact with me before slowly looking down at the ground, abashed. I awkwardly patted her shoulder.
"It's impossible…" I couldn't remember the kid's name, dammit. "No, you're definitely Half-Blood if you've been at camp so long." She looked back up at me with a determined expression.
"Then when you asked for this, for all the children of the gods to be determined, did any of the gods say anything about Monica Hale? Did any claim me right there, tell you to tell me?" She knew her question was desperate, not to mention ridiculous, and she knew my answer would be no, but she asked anyways.
"I'm sorry, they didn't." I said, patting her shoulder again. "But you shouldn't worry. At least for a while, the gods will hold up their end of the deal. You'll be claimed." I said confidently. She nodded. She didn't seem to think that my negotiation with the gods was any big thing, or at the least, she wouldn't care until she was claimed.
"Thanks Perseus," she gave me a tight smile and hopped off the fence. I saw her plaster a big smile on her face as she went over to hug Ed. I saw her congratulating him and my half-brother swept her up in a tight hug.
"What's up, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth announced her presence with a soft punch to my shoulder before leaning into me, laying her head on my shoulder.
"Oedipus Thorne got claimed by my dad," I supplied, pointing Ed out to her. She smiled at me.
"And who's the girl hugging him? I saw you guys talking." I caught a trace of suspicion in her voice.
"That's Monica Hale. She's still unclaimed. Been here for six years. I think she's like twelve." I filled her in. "Apparently, we were in the Hermes cabin together when I first got here." Annabeth nodded.
"I've seen her around. She got here when she was seven too. Her keeper, Carter, was killed when he brought her here. I think she's thirteen. Anyways, she's crazy good at archery and swordplay, one of the best I've seen. I don't think she's good at wrestling or racing though, 'cause she's small. She's a year rounder too, but I never got her name before," Annabeth responded. I was instantly reminded of Hestia- the one who was always there but never really noticed.
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Campers kept pouring in over the next few weeks, but I was still able to keep tabs on Monica, who had become the only camp veteran who hadn't be claimed yet. I realized that what Annabeth had relayed was true- the kid was thirteen, due to be fourteen on the winter solstice. She was wicked good at archery and could hold her own against an Ares camper in sword fighting. However, she always got flattened in wrestling and try as she might, she couldn't quite keep up when we ran.
I also saw her more because of my half-brother Oedipus. It turned out that they had become good friends over the years, bonding over their hate for their negligent parents. She stopped by the cabin frequently, complementing our cabin with only a little hint of jealousy in her voice. Ed spent every moment he could with her and he extened the invitation to come over whenever she wanted. He was completely into her. I could tell.
So I was always flexible when he wanted to have archery or rock-climbing scheduled right after the Hermes cabin. It was fun having a brother around again after Tyson had left. He was staying at the forges, and I hated to admit it, but it was a lot easier to have a brother I could relate to. Grover told me that when he saw Ed watching Monica dominate the master's archery class he could see me in my brother's face. He said I looked like that when I watched Annabeth.
I told him to shut up, but smiled nonetheless.
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I have to say that I was just as excited when Monica was claimed as when Ed was claimed. She was claimed during a heated game of capture the flag, just like I was. We were on the same team, thank the gods. She and Ed would have sooner eloped than take aim at each other.
She had perched herself in a tree where she would be out of the way of all the physical action, taking down other campers with her bow, aiming only at their legs and arms- Chiron's orders. Ed stayed at the base of the tree beneath her. I stayed in the proximity, watching them both a little warily, ready to jump in if the two younger campers got overwhelmed.
The game went on for hours without results, but no one showed signs of slowing. The only problem was that Monica had run out of arrows, and the red team (Ares, Apollo, Dionysus, Aphrodite, Hephaestus) had decided to press hard on us, the blue team (Poseidon, Athena, Hermes, Demeter, Hades). Without her support, Ed was attacked by an overwhelming number of Ares campers. I stepped in and neutralized them, but Ed was on the ground, groaning, holding under his arm where he'd been stabbed.
Monica dropped lithely to the ground, her face tense, but her voice completely calm as she reassuresd him. She removed some quick first aid from a backpack she had brought. She treated him while I held guard. I glanced at her as she finished and I noticed something that she was too absorbed to see. A seemingly holographic image of a golden sun hovered above her.
"Monica," I hissed. "Look up." She did so reluctantly as she completed tending my brother's wound. Her face instantly split into a grin.
"Apollo," she whispered. I was surprised by the lack of resentment in her voice. Six years of anger and frustration was forgiven all because a god had taken the time to drop a line.
Monica turned to me, a sly smile on her face.
"Do you know what that means Perseus Jackson?" She asked, standing up and sauntering towards me, a mischievous look in her eye.
"What does that mean, Monica Hale?" I asked, mimicking her tone. She smiled and looked up. I followed her gaze. The plume on her helmet turned from blue to red in a smooth transition.
"I know where the flag is." She swept down to kiss Ed on the forehead (which only stunned him further) before leaping off into the forest, towards the location of the blue team's flag. I considered chasing her- I knew I'd have been able to catch her. But I didn't have the heart.
A/N: Oedipus Thorne and Monica Hale are a couple of original characters that I'm currently writing a story about. If this is recieved well, I'll publish it and you can get Ed and Mon's backstory and find out what's in store for the half-bloods. Thank you very much for reading and any comments are appreciated!