Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians... But I sure wish I did.

Annabeth had been walking through a dark hallway when she heard whispers coming from the door beside her. She pressed herself against the wall, struggling to hear what was going on.

". . . she has wronged me . . . You are one of only two so powerful . . . you must aid me. She must pay . . . her prized possessions. Make them suffer . . . In return, you will . . ." hissed one voice.

"Swear on the Styx," came a louder, less cautious voice.

"I swear upon the Styx that if you do what I ask, you will not be harmed. Satisfied?" the other voice returned, sounding slightly agitated.

"Agreed."

Annabeth woke up from the strange dream slightly disoriented and began to follow her daily camp routine.

Chiron had called a camp meeting right after lunch to introduce the newest camper.

"Everyone give a warm welcome to Maya Macri, our newest half-blood all the way from Texas!" Chiron paused as everyone clapped. "She has been claimed by Athena, so . . . Annabeth! Why don't you and Percy show her around camp?" he asked Annabeth.

"We'd love to!" she grinned, winking at Percy. The two of them had practically become the welcoming committee for the new campers. Chiron really trusted them.

Maya had orange curly hair with nearly invisible blond highlights - obviously dyed, because all children of Athena had completely blond hair. She had the normal gray eyes which they all had, and wore a spaghetti-strap tunic length top paired with a sheer shrug and black leggings. An interesting style, Annabeth thought. She looked about thirteen years old, maybe old for her age, but Annabeth wasn't sure.

"How old are you?" she decided to ask Maya as she and Percy proceeded to give her a tour.

"Sixteen." She was a lot older than she looked!

"Oh! When's your birthday?"

"Next month. The eighteenth of July," she informed her. She had a southern drawl, which made sense if she was from Texas, but there was a different sound mixed in, something that almost sounded like a New Yorker's accent. Annabeth wondered about her roots.

"But gods and goddesses are supposed to claim their children before they're twelve years old!" Percy exclaimed. Of course he would get upset at this. He was the one who had asked the gods to enforce that particular law.

"Oh, my dad's always known. He told me what I was when I was little. He just didn't want to take me to camp. There are less monsters in Texas." Maya's voice quivered slightly when she mentioned her father.

"And how much do you know about all of this half-blood stuff?" Percy questioned.

"A lot. Like I said, my dad's been teaching me since I was a little kid. He gave me this notebook from my mom, Athena, to read on the drive from Houston. It explains pretty much everything else."

"Whoa, that's a long drive!" Annabeth said.

"Yeah," Maya agreed.

"So, this notebook . . . Can we see it? I mean, if it teaches kids about being half-bloods, maybe we should show Chiron. Get him to make it available to other mortal parents, so their demi-god children can understand before they get here. It would save a lot of time," Percy informed Annabeth. Annabeth nodded.

"Oh, sure!" Maya exclaimed. "It's in my suitcase, in the Athena cabin. Do you want to go get it now?"

"Nah, later. Chiron's busy teaching Ancient Greek. He's taking my job so we can show you around. But thanks!" Annabeth smiled.

"So . . . what did your dad teach you?" asked Percy, breaking the awkward silence.

"Well, he taught me how to fight with battle gear . . . And Greek. He taught me Ancient Greek. And lots more."

"Well, sounds like you're pretty much up to speed with a lot of the normal half-blood stuff! Anything you want to know about camp?" Annabeth asked.

"Well, when do we get to go outside?" With her accent, it sounded like outsahhde.

"Outside?" Percy asked, confused.

"Outside of camp," said Maya.

"Oh. Umm . . . well, pretty much only when you're given a quest."

"And when can I get one?"

Percy felt sorry to have to break it to her that many campers never got quests, but he had to. Maya looked kind of disappointed. "But this isn't, like, a year-round thing. Almost all of us go home for school. I mean, unless you want to stay all year . . ." Percy explained.

"I guess I have to. I really have no one to stay with," Maya said sadly.

"What do you mean?" asked Annabeth, eyes filled with concern. "I thought you said . . . I mean . . . Your dad?"

"My dad . . . well . . . died a couple months ago. I've been staying with my Aunt Rose, his twin sister. That's really why we moved to Texas in the first place, where she lives, so I could have a 'motherly figure' in my life. I'm a born New Yorker, you know, but we moved there when I was a baby. She doesn't have time to look after me anymore, so she drove me to Camp Half-Blood and here I am!" Maya barely took a breath after the first sentence. She felt like crying again, but she wanted to look strong for Annabeth and Percy, so she rushed her words in order to keep from letting out sobs.

"I'm . . . so sorry," Percy said, moving closer to Maya. He put a hand on her shoulder, trying awkwardly to comfort her. No one said anything for a while.

"So . . . Are the two of y'all . . . dating?" asked Maya, a hint of hopefulness hiding in her voice as she stared at Percy.

"Yes!" Annabeth said quickly, grabbing Percy's hand. She tried to look possessive, not wanting Maya to assume she could steal him away from her.

"Oh," Maya said, obviously disappointed. She dropped the subject completely, but Annabeth stayed extra close to Percy for a long time after that, just in case.

"Percy and I will test you after our tour so you can get placed into a schedule for some electives. Hopefully, you'll be able to jump right in with our age group!" Annabeth said, cutting into the silence.

"Sounds like fun!" Maya exclaimed.

When the tour had concluded, Percy and Annabeth took Maya around to each of the classes and electives in order to place her into a proper group for her skill level. Sword fighting was first, and Percy and Annabeth were both going to test her. Annabeth went first, and beat her within two minutes, but when Percy began to fight with her, he kept going blank. It was as if some invisible force kept instructing him to allow Maya to win. He ended up flat on his back, sword-less.

Annabeth was mystified. She was the only one who could ever beat Percy, and when Maya beat him so easily, it was a disgrace. She didn't like it. It made Percy seem weaker.

Percy, however, could only remember bits and pieces of the fight - the parts where he had been winning. He thought it was extremely odd, but he shook it off, and decided to place her into the same class as him and Annabeth - the top of the camp.

Maya placed high in most of the classes, often joining Percy and Annabeth's classes with other campers who had been at camp multiple years in a row. She was amazing! Her dad must have known a lot, meaning Athena must have really favoured him. Annabeth was slightly jealous.

Finally, when her schedule had been built, they showed her to the Athena cabin and helped her arrange her stuff. They showed Maya's notebook to Chiron, who thought it was a great idea to give to parents of young half-bloods.

Annabeth decided she would be a great friend, and Percy thought so, too. All three demi-gods fell asleep with smiles on their faces, and they would awake ready for a new day.

Thank you all for reading! Comment and tell me what you think! :)