A sphere of water lifted itself from the tap and it twirled around in midair, morphing into different shapes as it did. From a pony to a Phoenix to a unicorn. The sound of the bathroom door opening startled the woman and the water burst and dissolved into thin air. "It's me, Henley." Danny said, looking at his girlfriend. Henley let out a sigh of relief. "If they know what we are, I swear to Zeus that I'd choke them dead with water." Henley said. The water appeared once again and joined together as a sphere under the woman's command and they shifted into a deck of playing cards.
"Pick a card." Henley chortled, fanning the water-made cards out with her powers. Danny sighed and rolled his eyes. He pointed at the card resting on the right. "You can see it." Danny grabbed the water and it changed slightly, allowing him to see the card, which was a King of Diamonds. He threw the water back and his hands became dry immediately. Henley shuffled the cards and separated them into three piles. "Your card is in the second pile, the second last one." She said. Danny picked up the second pile and drew out the second last card. "A King of Diamonds." He said, half-surprised. "Looks like somebody has improved." Danny threw his arm around his girlfriend, pulled her close and gave her a gentle kiss on the temple.
The couple was disturbed by loud knocks on the wooden door. "I know what you guys are doing in there!" It was Jack's voice. The water dissolved like how it did before and Danny head for the doorknob after making sure that all of the water was gone. "Sure, you do." Danny said sarcastically, patting Jack on the shoulder. Henley had a smirk on her face when she passed by Jack.
"Danny..." Cooed Henley. The brown haired man groaned and opened his eyes to see his girlfriend hovering above him in an orange t-shirt and her red hair hanging inches above his face. He swatted at her ponytail and Henley giggled. "You know what day it is, get out of that bed." Henley narrowed her eyes playfully at him. "Mmhf." Was Danny's answer. The couple got dressed and they slipped out of the apartment, avoiding Merritt's preying eyes.
"Home sweet home." Danny smiled and gripped Henley's hand even tighter. Henley grinned as well. The couple stepped forward and through the invisible barrier. The symbols on a wooden arch shifted into three familiar words: Camp Half Blood. "Atlas!" Danny looked up to see Chiron galloping towards him. "Hi, Chiron." Still, he waved at his former teacher shyly. Henley laughed at him softly and hugged Chiron. "It's good to see you still in one piece." Chiron laughed. Henley rolled her eyes and Danny chuckled.
"Henley must have remembered that it's the time for Capture the Flag, huh?" Came a voice. The couple looked over to see Annabeth Chase walking towards them. "Hi Annabeth!" Henley greeted her happily. Annabeth responded with a wave then stepped forward to hug Danny.
"How are you, bro?"
"Good. Alive, at least. You grew up." Replied Danny, patting his sister's back gently. Danny, out of all people, was Athena's son. He was lucky enough to not have ADHD but he had dyslexia and OCD like most demigods, explaining his controlist personality. Henley, on the other hand, was Poseidon's only daughter. Or at least they haven't found any of her siblings yet. Practicing the act of controlling water for years, Henley was able to conjure water and morph them into whatever it was she wanted it to be.
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I was like seven when you left... It's so great seeing you guys again!" Annabeth said cheerfully before turning around just in time to catch the armor she was thrown. "I guess they are all ready for the game!" Chiron said, trotting slowly towards the crowding clearing. Danny unzipped his grey hoody to reveal an orange t-shirt just like Henley's and the redhead ripped off her gloves. Underneath were two tiny pens. She handed one to Danny and she saved one for herself. They slipped into their Team Red vests and walked to the front of the group, joining Annabeth. "Okay, here's how it's gonna go." Danny spoke up, his shyness banished into the depths of his head. "Henley, you're gonna get the flag. The rest of you, try to hold off as many Blues as possible. Henley needs a clear path." The rest of the team nodded.
The game started and Henley clicked her pen. A platinum-colored sword slid out and she started running immediately. Danny and Annabeth teamed up as a bunch of Blues charged towards them. Danny clicked his pen and the sword revealed itself. He acted before Annabeth as he slammed the flat side of his sword into a Blue's waist (where it's safely covered up by his armor). Annabeth was slightly surprised by Danny's skills. "You still got it, bro." She said, impressed. Ducking another sword, Annabeth disarmed a Blue in the speed of lightning. "You too, sis." Replied Danny, a broad smile stretching on his face as the Blues ran away from the siblings with their tails between their legs. Danny and Annabeth high-fived and they headed off to find Henley.
Henley dashed at top speed towards the edge of the forest, where a stream was running through the sandy ground. Her left arm was bleeding from a sword wound, and her sword was sheathed inside the pen, which was hidden back in her gloves. Behind her, a Blue gained on her. She dropped to her knees quickly and the water slid up her arm smoothly and rapidly, healing her wound in a couple of seconds. She stood up again and withdrew a deck of playing cards from her pocket. Living with Jack Wilder gave her an advantage: that kid knows almost every trick to harm a person (when necessary, of course). She started flying the cards at the Blue, making a couple of gashes appear on his cheeks. The teenage boy made a sound between a growl and a grumble and charged towards her. Danny arrived at the nick of time and he knocked the Blue aside. The two men started fighting almost right away. Henley panted and shoved the cards back into her pocket. She climbed up and was relieved to see a blue flag hanging about a hundred meters away. Running towards the flag, she was shocked to find a sword resting on her shoulder.
"It's been a long time, Luke." She said, slowly turning around to face the teen. "Hi, Henley." Smirked Luke. When Henley left the camp six years ago, Luke was just a competitive, aggressive little eleven-year-old. Once, he beat Henley, who was twenty years old already, in a Capture the Flag game. That made Henley very unhappy because that was her last game before leaving Camp with Danny. This time, the escape artist thought to herself, I'm getting my dignity back. She drew her sword and the two quickly got into battle. Henley was carefully analyzing him as they fought. Seventeen now and stronger, Henley might have a smaller chance of winning, but with her currently improved skills, she might beat him. The swords clashed time after time and the two struggled to pin the other onto the ground. Henley was, finally, pinned down by Luke with his sword pressed to her neck. "Admit it, Reeves, I'm still better than you." Luke's lips were curled upwards with a proud look in his eyes, but what he didn't notice was the forming ball of liquid behind him. The water slammed at Luke and he released Henley, startled by the sudden, blunt force. Henley snatched the chance and made a run for the flag, grabbing it before Luke could recover from his shock. The competition came to an end with Henley and the Reds' victory.
"Wanna take a look at the old tent?" Henley asked. Danny nodded. "Why not?" They strolled down the path down to Henley's old tent after lacing their fingers together. As soon as the tent came into sight, memories of their past started flowing into Henley's mind.
"Catch me if you can!" She was squealing. She was very young, about eight or so, and running around with a wooden sword in hand. Little Danny was stumbling behind her as they ran towards their tent. She slipped past the fabric and was finally caught up with when she reached the dock. Danny was panting heavily and he was pretty worn out by the chase. Still, he mustered the courage and strength and he rushed forward, pushing Henley with all his might. Henley lost her balance and fell into the lake with a loud "SPLASH!"
"Henley!" Danny yelled, guiltiness reaching his heart within seconds. He wanted to jump in and save her, but his brain started storming for other ideas. Just as he was about to jump into the water, a huge bubble rose from under the water. Inside was Henley, dry and perfectly fine. Danny's jaw hang open as the bubble got higher and higher until it touched the tip of a branch from a tree above. Henley fell, screaming, into Danny's arms. The boy stumbled for a while, but finally found his balance and grinned at Henley, who let out a sigh and laughed.
The couple sat down by the water and Henley took off her boots, soaking her feet in the water. She giggled at the kelp tickling her feet and Danny couldn't help but smile. Watching Henley smile or laugh was the most beautiful thing in the world. A pair of sparkly ears emerged from the water and a hippocampus poked its head out, startling an unprepared Danny. Henley laughed and touched the sea creature's muzzle. The animal whinnied and nudged Henley's hand. "I'm going to miss you so much." Henley said, stroking the animal's fin/mane softly. Danny also joined in, touching the hippocampus's head. The hippocampus made a sound between a whinny and a gurgle and it sinked back into the water. "Come on, time to go." Henley glanced at her watch and then at Danny. The couple joined hands and Henley didn't forget to visit her old trident before heading to the barrier.
"I'll miss you so much!" Annabeth trapped her brother in the tightest hug she could manage, almost choking the magician. Henley felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned around to find Luke standing behind him with an apologetic face. "I'm sorry about-" "I know." Henley cut him off and smiled. Luke bit his lip but smiled too. What surprised Henley was Luke's sudden leap towards her, hugging the redhead. Henley giggled and brushed Luke's back before letting go. "Keep being awesome." Said Henley. Luke nodded and turned around shyly, walking away from her and back to his friends. Henley looked at Danny, who was giving Luke a death stare. "Loosen up a bit, Smarty Pants." Henley addressed him with his old nickname that she made when she first met him in Camp. "Got it, Water Girl." He replied.
"Chiron, will you keep Henley's secret?" Danny asked before stepping out of the barrier. "That she is Poseidon's daughter? Of course. As always." Chiron said. "I won't even tell your brother or sister, if he or she were real." Laughed Annabeth. Henley smiled gratefully and waved her goodbye to Chiron and Annabeth. "We'll come back." Henley said to Danny, who was looking back every five seconds at Camp and his little sister.
"You're right."