Here's the next one, people! Thank you so much reviewers, you made my day and I love you so much for taking the time to comment!

okay, just a warning, THE P.O.V OF EACH CHAPTER IS DIFFERENT! So this chapter is NOT focused on Layna!

is it too confusing? hope not...

:D

PLEASE REVIEW!

Chapter 2

I leaned against the wooden support of my bunk, closing my eyes in exasperation as my fellow cabin mates argued over whose turn it was to use the left shower – which had hot water for ten minutes instead of just eight minutes – after dinner. Everything always had to be fair around here…always balanced…

Why couldn't my mother be the goddess of maturity, instead of balance and revenge?

I smiled to myself as I watched the sun slowly begin to sink over the horizon. The bell hadn't rung yet for dinner, so we still had about twenty minutes. It was only the first day, so there was no cabin clean up or anything like that. Chiron would probably explain the schedule in his super long speech he always gave before dinner…

"Hey, Cole, can you help us out here?"

My head snapped up in surprise at the sound of my name, and I stared at my half-brothers Tom and Alec, who were glaring at each other angrily. I smiled slightly, and pulled out my screen. It was about six inches long and wide, and as I tapped it a keyboard appeared on the touch-screen. My typing was so fast after nearly seven years of using it that I was able to type as quickly as someone speaking at a normal speed.

I typed my response, and held it out for them to read. Tom glanced at it, and read it out loud.

"I think that you two should man up and stop being such babies about who gets hot water for two minutes longer than the other…oh, yeah, that's a big help, Cole!"

I typed once more, and Alec read it with a scowl of irritation. "It's true…yeah, very funny wise-guy! Jeez, Tom, you got it last time! It's only fair that I get it this time!"

"So what? I called it first, which has been the rule since forever!"

I rolled my eyes, and lay back on my bed, tuning out the argument with a sigh.

There were only five of us, and the other two – Helios and Clyde – were currently taking showers, claiming that they had first priority, seeing as they traveled the farthest.

It was painful, every time someone forgot about my…problem. It didn't happen as much with my cabin, since they were all used to reading my screen, but everyone else was constantly forgetting. They all thought that I was just mute; they thought that I physically couldn't speak. Even Nemesis, my mother and a goddess, didn't know the sound of my voice. She often tried to make me speak, but the power to speak was beyond me.

Fern, my twin, had been the only one who had heard me speak; she was the only one who understood my problem with speaking. It wasn't that I couldn't speak; it was that I didn't feel that it was necessary, much preferring the calm silence of observing the world around me rather than babbling on aimlessly. She had never forced me to talk, she had just been there, and stood by me when other kids mocked me in the mortal schools for being so shy and quiet. I was comfortable around her, I could smile and talk to her about my day at school as we played outside in the trees behind our dad's house in California.

But on our way to Camp Half-Blood…Fern had been killed. I had been pulled away before I could see her body, but I remember seeing her long dark hair rippling around the corner of the alleyway, beckoning to me as a crying satyr rushed my ten year old self away from the scene.

That day was all a blur to me. The memories are slowly slipping away as I grow older, but the image that never fades is the image of Fern skipping ahead of us in the street, mere seconds before the monster attacked. Her thick dark hair billowed around her shoulders like a cloud as she turned to smile in excitement, her hazel eyes bright and happy as she stood there, her sunlit figure quickly cast into shadow as the monster rose up–

I shifted so I was on my side, staring out the window at the campers coming out of the Demeter cabin, some of them sporting delicate flowers braided into their dark hair and giggling as some of the boys from the Apollo cabin came out, quickening their pace and subtly tossing a few flowers in their direction. I smiled slightly at the pleased nudges the Apollo boys gave each other as they continued on their way, their walk more of a strut now than just a walk. I sighed, remembering Fern's little swagger when she won the spelling bee in their third grade class. How proud she had been, how happy.

It had been seven years since her death.

Now that Fern was gone, there was no one who was able to read his expressions like she did; no one to help people understand what he was trying to say. He was alone in his world of silence, and nothing was going to change.

My eyes flickered towards the door as the loud dinner bell sounded in the distance from the Mess Hall, and the two boys arguing about the showers glowered at each other before moving away from the center of the room as Helios and Clyde rushed out of the bathroom, hurriedly drying off and throwing on some clothes. Clyde tripped over his towel as he hurried to the front of the line, and the other boys laughed while I gave a small smile.

"Oh yeah, you're definitely graceful and focused…Chiron sure knows how to call them!" Tom joked, pointedly ignoring Alec's snicker of appreciation as we lined up to exit the cabin. I had been here the longest besides Clyde, so I was second.

Clyde rolled his eyes. "And should I repeat what I heard you and Evadne whispering to each other last summer during Sing-Along?"

Tom's face turned brilliant red as the boys around me cackled and we all punched Tom's arm playfully. I grinned widely as Tom crossed his arms over his chest to cover up his embarrassment.

We all filed out of the cabin, and passed the columns that supported the roof – one of the columns was carved in the shape of a sword, while the other was carved into the shape of a delicate hourglass.

My eyes glanced up to see the glowing letters in Ancient Greek that read: Cabin 16. I had gotten over the difficulty of reading Ancient Greek years ago, and Chiron often assigned me the duty of tutoring some of the new campers. It was a pain, because I had to write down everything I wanted to say, but it made me happy that Chiron didn't just shut me out from activities that usually require vocal communication, like most of the instructors did.

The walk was silent for most of the way, and I saw more campers filing out of the other cabins, and my eyes widened at the number of kids in the Hermes cabin. Most parents took a day or so to officially claim their children – the gods were busy people – so the Hermes cabin was packed for the first few days. Nearly thirty kids were lined up, most of the ones at the back of the line had the excited terror of first-time campers, and I smiled at them as they passed us. One of the girls – she couldn't be more than eleven – blushed, and shyly wiggled her fingers at me, and the boy beside her mimicked her, batting his eyelashes at me, making kissing noises. This caused the girl to blush an even deeper red, and quickly shift so that her hair created a shield between us. Alec, who was behind me, nudged me, and I scowled at him.

"Got an admirer already Cole? I don't get it! You don't even talk, and you get a girl looking at you like that!"

I furiously typed.

She's eleven, twelve at the oldest …

"And the problem is…?"

I kicked him angrily and he scampered away, laughing loudly at my expression. I scowled, and turned around as we made our way across the bridge and followed the wide path that would take us to Mess Hall. I heard the murmur of kids around us, and looked over Clyde's head to watch the tree nymphs melt out of the trees as we neared the pavilion. The fires were lit as the sun sunk below the horizon and the sound of the waves against the rocks was soothing as the campers filed into the pavilion.

I sat next to Alec and Clyde at the Nemesis table, and we waited as Chiron and the other adults filed into their seats. Mr. D grumbled as he sat down – he had been off of his confinement to this camp for at least fifty years, and yet for some reason he kept coming back – and the Oracle (everyone just called her Rachel) rolled her eyes at him as she sat down at the head table, her short red bangs pinned back with a single green clip. Middle-aged satyr Grover sat down gingerly in his seat, eyes on his wife Juniper as she appeared from the woods, her cheeks bright and flushed a pale green from the swiftness of her journey. The two rubbed noses affectionately – I looked away awkwardly at the sight– before turning to talk to Rachel.

Chiron stomped his foot on the marble to get everyone's attention, and began with a large smile.

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood! Some of you are here for the first time, and some of you are returning from last year. To those who do not know me, my name is Chiron, although if you have lessons with me you are obligated to address me as Master Chiron. Camp Half-Blood will teach you all the skills needed to survive, and in return we ask that you follow our rules and demonstrate the utmost courtesy with not only your instructors, but your fellow campers. Those of you who have come here not knowing who your immortal father or mother is, do not be concerned. Your parent will claim you within two days at the latest, so be patient and everything will be fine. Mr. D and I have some announcements after dinner, so don't rush off to your Sing-Along right away!"

The campers cheered as the naiads glided out from the outer cooking structure and placed platters of food on the table. Tom whimpered as his stomach grumbled, but he dutifully filled his plate and lined up with everyone else to serve part of their meal to the gods.

There was a boy in front of me that wasn't of my cabin, and I watched as he made his way to the fire. If I had to take a guess, I'd say he was a year younger than me. The boy was dark haired and wiry, and he smiled slightly as he strode up to the flames. His electric-blue eyes stared into the flames as he scraped some of the bread into the fire.

"Zeus." The boy muttered, staring up at the smoke drifting up into the sky before turning and heading back to his table. His bright eyes met mine for a moment, and then he was gone. I walked forward, and tossed a wonderfully ripe and delicious strawberry into the flames. The smell was mouth-watering, as usual, and I closed my eyes as I mouthed the name of my mother.

I quickly moved away, and slowly made my way back to the table. The campers finished offering up portions of their meal, and then everyone sat back down and we continued on with dinner.

I sipped my Coke and listened to my cabin mates chat and laugh while staring out at the array of tables. Nothing had changed much since last year, and that was what I liked most about this place.

After dinner, Mr. D stood with a pout, his pudgy eyes scanning the tables with annoyance at the abundance of campers.

"I would say hello, but I really don't feel like it, so I won't say anything related to the fact that you're all here. Anyway, Chiron has posted a cabin schedule on each of your cabin boards, so feel free to check that. Also, Capture the Flag will be taking place this Friday, so don't forget."

Mr. D sat down with an exhausted sigh, as if presenting those simple announcements had taken a great amount of effort on his part. Chiron smiled, and stood, his tail swishing around his legs as he went on.

"That will be all for tonight, so follow the Apollo cabin to the amphitheater, where they will lead a Sing-Along. Goodnight, and I will see you all tomorrow at breakfast."

There was a loud scraping as campers stood from their tables, and I followed Alec and Clyde as they moved towards the exit. I felt a brush of cold air against the skin of my arm as someone silently moved past me, and I glanced up to see a girl walking away from me, her pale blonde hair blown back slightly as she disappeared around the corner of the pavilion.

I had seen her around camp before, but had never thought to find out her name. There were some people at camp that you just automatically avoided; there was no real reason for not knowing each other…it was just how things worked. I don't think I even knew what cabin she was in.

But I didn't have time to wonder, because my attention was pulled away from her for a moment, and she seemed to disappear into the shadows out of the corner of my eye. When I looked back, she was gone…like she had never been there at all.

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