A/N: So here's chapter 2! Thank you all for reading. For the first time ever, I have already planned this story out. I think it's gonna be really good! You'll learn a lot about Lacy and Isaac and Jake, of course. But you'll hear a lot of references to the PJO series and the war against Kronos.
Remember, this takes place the summer after TLO, and everything's just how it was after that. So yes, Percabeth, Tratie, Gruniper, and more.
I wanna hear what you guys think about this story! Also, do you want Lacy to have a little love interest? (Mind you, she's only 12)
Anyway, thank you so much for reading!
Darkness.
"I told you, you should have let me drive."
"Spare me! You look 13."
"I'm 27!"
"I know that, but mortal cops don't!"
"Has she been claimed?"
"No, Chiron. Not yet. What do you think?"
"'I think we'll just have to wait and see."
"Where should we put her stuff for now?"
"Go back to the old ways, put her in Hermes. For now."
"Annabeth, can you give her more?"
"I don't think so, Jake, not yet. It seems like she's healing well on her own."
"Are you sure?"
"Actually, we should probably ask an Apollo camper. Go get Kayla, please."
My eyelids fluttered open to see Jake standing over me. He smiled. "Lacy," he whispered to me. "Guys!" he called to whomever was behind him, "she's awake!"
Three more people flocked over to me, including Isaac. "Hey, sleepy head," he smiled. "What's your name?"
I frowned at his stupid question. "Lacy Ashkin, duh. Isaac, how do you not know that?"
He rolled his eyes, "I know it, I'm just making sure you do. Can you sit up?"
"Yeah," I mumbled and slowly sat up. It was then that I noticed Isaac's legs. They were hairy. And not like boy hairy, like fuzzy. And his feet… weren't feet. They were… what were they?
Isaac, however, just laughed. "Satyr," he stated. Like that should clear everything up.
Before I could question him any further, a boy who seemed to be about Jake's age with deep green eyes and messy black hair walked up to me and handed me a drink. "Drink this," he ordered.
I obliged.
It tasted like McDonalds breakfast sandwiches, like when Jake and I would ditch class to get breakfast. Yes it also tasted like freshly baked lasagna, like one of my earlier foster homes when we used to have dinner every Sunday night. It was the closest I had ever gotten to family before I met Jake.
I smiled, and suddenly my whole body filled with energy.
I was then aware of the few people around me when I heard their muffled laughter.
"Oh, sorry." I apologized.
"No, don't." A girl with blond hair and intense grey eyes said with a smile. She also seemed to be about Jake's age. "It's just always cool seeing people drink their first glass of nectar."
"What'd it taste like?" Isaac asked.
"McDonalds breakfast and lasagna," I answered quickly.
The blond girl smiled warmly, "All good memories, I assume?"
I nodded.
She stood up and held her hand out to me. "Well, come on. Time for your tour."
"But-" Isaac and Jake complained at the same time, but the blond held her hand up to halt them.
"I'm telling her. You guys can go set up her stuff in the Hermes cabin. Thank you boys, you've done enough."
The black haired boy, Isaac, and Jake all mumbled while walking away, groaning and complaining.
The girl rolled her eyes and then smiled.
"They can be so obsessive," I apologized to the girl.
But she just laughed, "Oh I know. But trust me, my boyfriend Percy is no better."
I raised an eyebrow, "The black haired boy?"
"Yeah," she answered with a giddy smile. For a moment, she seemed to be lost in her own world of memories. Then she snapped herself back to reality and took my hand. "Well come on, lot's to see and even more to explain."
Annabeth and I sat on some rocks by the canoe lake watching some satyrs chase nymphs. I spun my new sword in my hand and thought for a moment.
As if she knew what I was thinking, Annabeth let out a small chuckle. "I know, but yes. It's all real. This isn't a joke, it's reality."
I looked out into the lake, having to squint because the sun was so bright. "Is Athena also the goddess of reading minds? Because you seemed to have inherited that trait too."
Annabeth just laughed and let me be. She was good like that, not pressing to know what you were thinking. Just waiting for you to ask any questions you might have, waiting to be helpful.
"So…" I asked. "Jake's one too?"
She nodded, "Who's his… godly parent?" The words tasted like vinegar. I didn't want to accept that any of this was true. Only because I didn't want to be let down when it turned out it was all a joke. This was too good to be true.
"Demeter," Annabeth answered, "Demeter's his mother."
"And you're boyfriend, the green eyed one?"
"Percy?" she asked. "His father is Poseidon."
I nodded. "So, you said we train here to… fight monsters and assist the gods. Is that why I was passed out? Because of a monster?"
Annabeth nodded. "Yeah, a Dracanae we think."
"Could she have…" I brought my voice down to a dull whisper, "followed me here?"
"No, you guys lost her once you entered New York. Plus, she couldn't have gotten into camp. Chiron has it protected with magic so monsters or mortals can get in."
I took a deep breath. "So it's true. Then… I must be… not mortal."
Annabeth tried to suppress a smile. Her grey eyes shone with intelligence and wisdom. Aside from the fact that her mother was Athena, I could tell that she was an old soul. She's told this story to many demigods before her and had obviously been part of this life for a long time.
Then Annabeth did that mind reading thing again. "7," she said.
I raised an eyebrow.
"I was 7 when I came to camp. I lived here year round for a while, and then I went home during the school year for a couple years. But now I'm back year round. I have a project to do in Olympus."
"Which is the 600th floor in the Empire State building?" I recalled from Annabeth's earlier explanation.
She nodded, "Yup. I'll take you there someday. Maybe then we'll figure out who your parent is."
"Is it really that weird?" I asked. "That my parent hasn't claimed me yet?"
Annabeth sighed. "A year ago, it would have been completely normal. But after the war, Percy made the gods promise to claim their children right away. Try to be apart of their lives more. They were all doing such a great job. This is the longest it's taken them to claim a child in 4 months."
I pushed my eyebrows together. "Wait, how long was I passed out for?"
"5 days," she answered. "The longest it ever took a hero to be claimed since the war was 4 days. You just beat the record. But don't worry," she gave me a soft smile, "you'll be claimed soon enough. For now, you'll be in the Hermes cabin." She let out a small chuckle, "Good luck."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because you get to share a room with the Stolls."
Aside from Annabeth's warning, I found out that the Stoll's are actually awesome.
Travis, Connor, and I were ducking behind the bushes that surrounded the Aphrodite cabin. I peeked in the window of the cabin and ducked back down.
"Didja see her?" Travis asked, a wide smile across his face.
I nodded and giggled.
"Did she pick up the shirt yet?" Connor asked.
"She was just picking it up, but she hadn't put it on-"
"Oh. My. GODS," a girl shouted from inside the cabin.
"That's a yes!" Connor yelled. He stood up and began retreating away before the girl could catch us. Travis and I started to follow before the door flew open, exposing an angry asian girl.
Her usual warm brown eyes were filled with anger, as she flipped her long black ringlets of hair back and forth, searching for the culprits of the prank.
"STOLLS," she yelled, "I SWEAR TO GODS!"
Connor and I ran faster, laughing. Travis followed, running backwards and facing the girl. He yelled, "Oh come on Drew, you look great!" before turning back around and following Connor and I to the lake.
When we got to the lake, Connor and Travis fell onto the grass laughing. I looked behind us. "Do you think she followed us?!" I asked.
"No," Travis said between laughs. "No way. Drew running?"
"Didja see her!?" Connor laughed. "Her new shirt, cut in streaks in the front?!" he fell back into the grass laughing.
"I think she looked great! Hippie, even!" I laughed. "I hope she doesn't do anything back to us."
The guys started to compose themselves, sitting up and wiping the happy tears from the corner of their eyes. "Nah, we do this stuff to her all the time."
"But isn't she the head counselor?" I asked.
"Yeah, of her cabin," Connor told me. "We're the head counselor of Hermes."
"But won't Chiron get mad?" I asked
Travis smirked and shook his head, "Nah. Honestly, no one likes Drew."
I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
The guys leaned forward, ready to explain. They told me about the war. This was the first thing I'd heard about it since I'd been at camp. They told me about the titan and how some demigods and minor gods sided with the titans. They told me about their old half brother, Luke. His struggle and sacrifice to save Olympus. They told me about Silena, the head counselor of the Aphrodite cabin only a short year ago. They told me about Drew's charmspeak and how she runs the Aphrodite cabin, how there's nothing we can do.
For the first time, I think I began to understand this world - my world - more than I did before.
We play pranks and sing around a fire.
But we train, and we do it for a reason.
(3rd person POV)
Percy, Annabeth, Jake, Isaac, the Stoll brothers, and Chiron all sat around the ping pong table in the rec room.
Chiron was in his human form, rocking his wheelchair slightly forwards and backwards in worry and aggravation. "Jake," he said slowly, "it's just very rare that another half-blood was sent to live with your foster family."
"I understand," Jake sighed, "but when she first arrived and I discovered what she was, I assumed it was your work, Chiron."
He shook his head, "No."
It was silent for a moment before Annabeth spoke up, "It's now been 7 days, and she's still hasn't been claimed. Does anyone have any idea who her parent is?"
Everyone looked at Jake who was looking down at his hands. He didn't have to meet anyone's eyes to know that they were waiting for him to speak. "I watched her and tried to figure it out, but honestly, it could be anything. She loves nature, the water-"
"She loves pranks," Travis interrupted.
"And she's an amazing archer," Percy added.
"Yeah," Annabeth agreed, "and sword fighter and climber."
"It's like…" Isaac suggested, "she's already been trained."
Annabeth shook her head. "Not possible. When went to pick her first weapon, she freaked. I don't think she's ever touched anything deadly."
"Wouldn't surprise me," Jake said, "she's gentle."
Percy raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "She wasn't gentle on the dummy we use for sword fighting." He turned to Chiron, "By the way, we need a new one. She ripped it to shreds."
Chiron widened his eyes and sighed loudly. "I'll arrange for a new one. In the mean time, work with her. All of you. I want someone with her at all times so we know when she's claimed."
The heros all nodded.
Each demigod left with an unsaid understanding about Lacy. Her parent could be anyone, but whomever it was wasn't claiming her.
And that wasn't a good sign.
(Lacy's POV)
Percy put his hands behind his head and leaned back. The sleeves of his shirt fell slightly, revealing his biceps. He had a small smile tattooed on his face. But honestly, I don't think he knew it was there. He'd been smiling since they left the docks. His green eyes sparked in the sunlight, illuminating pure joy.
The sun shone brightly across the water, making it seem like Poseidon himself had dumped a thousand diamonds in the lake.
I took a deep breath, sucking in the fresh air. I looked down at my orange Camp Half Blood t-shirt. It made me feel like I finally had a home.
Percy let out a small chuckle, so I looked up to see him leaning forward. He flashed me a bright white smile.
"What?" I asked.
He thought for a moment before saying, "I was just thinking… wanna see something cool?"
Before I could answer, he grabbed my hand and flipped the canoe into the lake. Luckily, my instincts kicked in and I had time to take a breath and close my eyes. I was taken back when I could feel the cold water around me, yet I could tell that I wasn't wet.
I heard a muffled laugh. "Open your eyes and breathe."
And I did.
The water was murky, but yet I could see everything so clearly. I could feel the ripples in the water, the push and pull of the sea. I could feel the life. I took another deep breath and smiled.
Percy's face was not what I quite expected. He seemed confused. "What?" I asked.
His eyebrows knit together before he asked, "How many different animals are in this lake right now?"
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the water. "47," I answered.
He widened his eyes and bit his lip. "What?" I demanded.
With one swift motion, Percy commanded the water to push us and the canoe to shore. Suddenly, I was sitting on the dry grass. Percy was pacing.
I watched him for a moment before he walked up to me. "Okay, Lacy. Stand up."
I did.
"I need you to hold out your arm, this will hurt a little."
I did. He uncapped riptide and made a small cut on my hand. I winced a little, but it didn't hurt that bad. Percy grabbed my hand and dragged me to the lake.
"Okay Lacy, focus on the water. Feel it coursing through you and into the wound." I took a deep breath and stuck my hand in the lake, doing what he asked. When I opened my eyes, the cut was gone, leaving just a small white scar.
"Okay, okay." Percy really seemed to be freaking out. I, on the other hand, had no idea what was going on. "Hold on one second," Percy said.
He closed his eyes and concentrated on something really hard. In a matter of 2 minutes, a black pegasus flew overhead and landed right next to us. "Whoa," I breathed.
"Hey Blackjack," Percy said. Who was he talking to?
The horse seemed to be looking at me. Then I noticed that Percy was looking at me. "What?" I asked.
"You can't hear him?" Percy asked.
I raised an eyebrow. "You mean the horse thing?"
The 'horse thing' neighed at me, I think, angrily.
"Okay, bud. Sorry to bother you," Percy told the horse.
The pegasus flew away.
"Percy were you just talking to the horse?"
"Yeah," Percy stated blatantly, "but you weren't."
"So… what does that mean?" I asked.
"It means you're not my sister."
He seemed to be deep in thought, but I had to interrupt him. I was so confused.
"Then… how could I control the water?"
Percy studied me like I was some kind of mythological wonder. "I don't know," he whispered.
A/N: YAY! So what do you guys think? Who's her godly parent?! I wanna hear your guesses!
Thank you again and happy reading!
