Hi there! It's Hearth's Daughter (ObbsessesEasily) here! Wow, it's been such a long time since I've been on this website! I haven't read House of Hades yet (checking it out tomorrow X3) but I am fully aware of Nico's affections for Percy. They WILL linger in this, but they don't run very deep in my fanfiction. This story will include Percabeth, HazelFrank, NicoXOC, and a little bit of LeoXOc, plus self-insertion. I do not own any of the PoJ or HoO books, as I am not Rick Riordan!

Enjoy!

Leo wasn't too fond of dreams. Most of the time, he didn't have them. When he did dream, they were nightmares and memories. He jolted awake from a nightmare, shaking terribly. He remembered the feel of claws around his neck clearly, and wasn't terribly fond of the sensation. "Oh well. May as well get up." He climbed out of bed, groggy and trying his best to get his bearings.

The sunshine was warm as Leo stepped outside. With his trusty tool belt around his waist, he started for the armory. He had about an hour until breakfast, so he had nothing to do. He paused at the shrine to Hestia, and he stared into the high flames. Then something caught his attention – a teenage girl of maybe fourteen, sitting and tending the flames. She had choppy brown hair, yellowed skin, and glasses. He knew for certain that it wasn't Hestia, for she wore robes and always seemed much younger.

"Ah, hi?" Leo cleared his throat, and the girl looked up. Oh wow, she's cute. Her brown hair framed her face, hanging in her eyes. She brushed some hair behind her ears, her warm chocolate eyes sparkling,

"Hi. I'm Celia, who're you?" She stood, placing down her stick. She was barely taller than Leo, maybe a few inches or so.

"Leo Valdez, head of the Hephestus Cabin." He introduced, holding out his hand for introduction. She took it, her grip firm, and shook.

"Nice to meet you. I haven't seen anyone around here lately – I got here really early this morning with Grover." Celia brushed off her jeans and her shirt, which were covered in ashes. She bit her lip, as if it was a habit that she had grown accustomed to.

"Would you like to be shown around~?" He grinned at her. Any advances he made were never exactly affective towards any girl. In fact, he normally ended up driving them away. Celia gained a sly smile, and crossed her arms. "I don't see why not."

"Celia!" Leo's heart dropped as Grover trotted towards them with a smile. He paused, hooves clopping against the stones embedded in the earth, and he nodded to Leo. He returned his gaze to Celia. "I managed to convince Nico to give you a tour around camp." The satyr smiled widely. Celia smiled.

"Um, alright?" Celia sent a look at Leo that said Whoops. Sorry, bud.

"He's down at the pavilion." Grover confirmed, and turned to Leo. "You should probably help, too."

Leo's face lit up. "That I can do." He looped his arm through Celia's and started for the pavilion, Celia snickering and trotting after him.

Leo came to a stop in the pavilion, almost causing Celia to trip. She pulled her arm from Leo's grip and waved at the dark teenager before her.

"Hello! I'm Celia Brown. You're Nico DiAngelo, right?"

Nico looked slightly alarmed at how familiar she was being – acting as if the two had known one another for years. "Yeah, that's right. Lets get going." He started walking out of the pavilion then paused. "You're coming, Valdez?"

"No duh, DiAngelo." He shoved his friend playfully, a mischievous grin on his face. Nico's expression darkened, and a scowl grew on his face. Leo smirked, and the two engaged in a staring showdown. Neither exactly wanted to back down, so Celia took it into her own hands.

"Hey, you two." Celia placed gentle hands on the shoulder of each male and warmth spread throughout their bodies. "Why don't we start the tour?"

She didn't have the ability to charmspeak, but both Nico and Leo's shoulders' relaxed.

"Fine. Lets get this over with." Nico stormed out of the pavilion, Celia easily keeping up. Leo strolled along beside them. Nico explained everything quickly, pointing to everything he talked about. Leo would pitch in his two cents from time to time, enjoying watching Nico's annoyance grow. Then Leo made one too many smart remarks, and Nico lost his temper quickly. Leo yelled with slight alarm as he was knocked to the ground, and Celia jumped backwards in surprise.

The two boys tussled on the group, yelps of pain coming from the cluster of flying limbs. Celia let out a high-pitched shriek as she got more fed up.

"That's enough!" Celia scowled at them, crossing her arms and glaring down at them. Her warm chocolate eyes turned cold as she stared the two down. They stopped wrestling, and Celia held out her hand. Leo took it, and she helping him up.

Nico stubbornly refused, and he stood himself.

"Now, shall we continue?" Celia refolded her arms over her chest, quirking an eyebrow.

"We're basically done." Nico spat out, glaring at Celia. She noted the fire in his obsidian eyes. Without realizing it, she unconsciously leaned forward. Nico blinked, confusion sweeping over him, and he leaned backwards.

"Celia, what are you doing?" Leo's voice broke her out of her trance. "What?"

The two stared at her quizzically. "Oh, dang it! I did it again, didn't I?" Celia looked like she wanted to beat herself up, smacking her forehead with the meat of her hand.

"Uh, did what?" Leo asked.

"I'm an artist," Celia explained, "I notice little things about people. Not many people would pay attention to them, but I find these tiny little quirks – little imperfections. They make everyone different and interesting, and I love it." Celia got a dreamy quality on her face, and she went from having her arms crossed to hugging herself. Nico whistled, looking awkward slightly. Leo stuck his hands in his pockets.

The whistle for breakfast went off, and Celia perked. Her stomach growled, and she looked at the two sheepishly. "Do I go with someone's cabin for breakfast…?"

"Hermes." Nico's answer was immediate. Celia nodded and shot towards that cabin. Leo himself went to lead his cabin, and Nico just went back to the pavilion.

Celia had fun at breakfast. She chattered excitedly with the Hermes cabin, eyes bright and happy. When they cracked jokes, Celia would start laughing. Her laughter was infectious, and she managed to get everyone laughing. Everyone seemed to enjoy her company at that table, and a few people actually walked over to talk to her.

When the time came to send offerings, Celia put in her largest cinnamon roll. She closed her eyes, biting her lip. Mom? Dad? Whoever's my real parent; please send me a sign soon. Thanks.

She went to sit back at the Hermes table, and something brushed her hand. She stopped, standing up really straight and on her toes as a shiver shot up her spine. She walked really quickly, almost in a trot, to the Hermes table. Her cheeks were flushed darkly, and she hid her face and arms in her shirt.

Nico stared over at her in confusion. Their skin had barely brushed as they had walked past one another, yet Celia looked as though she'd seen a ghost. Typical of a girl.

"Hey Nico, who's that?" Percy turned around, munching on his blue pancakes. He sat cross-legged, looking curious. Nico's heart sped up slightly as he remembered his previous feelings for Percy. He had forced them down though, and they were leaving him slowly.

"Celia. She's the new girl who showed up really friggin' early with Grover." Nico scowled at his plate, now picking at his food.

Percy nodded, and turned around. He continued eating and talking with his half-brother as if nothing had happened.

Leo, on the other hand, watched Celia with peaked interest. She had popped out of her shirt, bristling, as the Stoll twins teased her. She seemed like the Hermes cabin was her family, in the very short period of time.

Throughout the day, people came and went to see Celia and talk to her, or to just introduce themselves. While she did her activities with the Hermes kids, she made a few mistakes in each task. On the rock wall, she had found an alcove in the sides. As lava began to pour down, she would slip into them and watch the lava pass by. When it was gone, she would continue to scale the wall. She made it up and down, a bit slower than most, but without any burns or scrapes.

In archery, she wasn't very good. She would aim and shoot, but she never went very far. Her arrows missed most the time, and the campers would tease her playfully. She was spectacular in arts and crafts, carving a marble fire. She did just fine in the stables, while the other Hermes campers would try to avoid the pegasi. She learned quickly in the swordplay arena.

By the end of the day, she was tired but content. She sang camp songs with the rest of the camp around the campfire, the fire causing light to flicker on her face. She managed to squeeze in the "Campfire Song Song" in the sing along. She didn't bother to sit by the Hermes cabin, though. She sat in between Nico and Leo. Leo talked avidly to her, while Nico tried his best to ignore her.

With s'mores, her's burst into flame since she was in the front row. The fire was extremely hot, and about twenty feet high. It was bright orange. Celia laughed as everyone freaked out about their marshmallows, while she just blew hers off.

By the end of the night, everyone had warmed up quite well to Celia. An Ares girl – Hannah – and one of Dionysus' kids – Haylee – had become like her bodyguards. They sat right behind her during the campfire.

Chiron announced Capture the Flag for the next day, and the camp exploded into cheers. Everyone jostled one another playfully, and someone knocked Celia forward. A loud yell of surprise rang from the campers as Celia was shoved into the flames. She looked terrified as the flames swallowed her.

Everyone screamed and some even broke down crying. Chiron looked startled, then angry. A hush went over the campers as Celia emerged from the fire, gasping. Her knees hit the ground as she stumbled out. She had no burns whatsoever, and she seemed to be glowing with an orange light.

"Celia, are you alright?" Hannah knelt by her, and Haylee joined her quickly. Celia's breathing was ragged, but she suddenly jolted to her feet. She let out an exhilarated yell of pure happiness, jumping up and down.

"That was so cool! The fire shifted so many colors!" Celia spun around happily. Everyone laughed at her happiness, and then a red hologram appeared over Celia's head. A burning fire was on her head, twinkling and floating.

Celia looked up, gaping. She reached up, trying to see if it would burn.

"Well then." Chiron and Mr. D exchanged a look. Mr. D sighed and stood and muttered something. He disappeared towards the Big House, and Chiron's voice echoed.

"Celia Brown, Daughter of Hestia!" Celia's eyes grew wide. Everything suddenly rushed to her and the world started to spin. She caught herself before she fell. Then everything went black.

Ah, cliffhangers. Yep, I'm a daughter of Hestia. (I took like seven tests, and got Hestia every time.) Maybe I can get the next chapter up today (Yay weekends!) Please send me some reviews! ALSO: Sorry 'bout it being short. It was, like, four pages on Word ^^'

- Hearth's Daughter.