It was epic.

I stood there. And stared.

"Hey, Arden, is that the new kid?"

The satyr grinned. "Yes, this is Tigris."

I stood staring at this epic dragon and gave a huge sigh.

"Is she okay?" A boy came up to me and prodded my arm. "Yo. Are you okay?"

I looked at him and growled. He backed off and shook his head. "What's your problem?"

"I have no problem. Be a dear and sod off, would you?"

I continued staring at the dragon, and a blonde came up to me. "All right, Miss Attitude, why don't we take you on a tour?"

"I'm happy where I'm at. What's this dragon's name?" I pointed and gave another sigh.

"Peleus. Come on, tiger." She pulled my arm and I looked at her. Most blondes are fluffy, but this one was like steel, complete with grey eyes. I decided not to cross her, and complied.

"Any idea who your parent might be?"

I thought about it.

"Maybe Ares. But my mom was fierce as anything, and apparently I have a hereditary temper."

I gave a huge grin. "But I honestly don't know." I stuck my tongue out.

"Well, you should probably be claimed soon. I'm Annabeth."

We came over a hill and there were all these houses. Huts. Cabins.

"You'll stay in one of these. If it's Ares, Ares cabin. If not, Hermes cabin, although they steal anything that isn't nailed down, then they'll steal the nails and steal what you nailed down."

I laughed. "Well, I don't think I want that." I raised my head up. "Hear that, Dad? Claim me or the tiger will not be happy."

Annabeth grinned at me. "You really are something else."

"Ah, code for huge pain in the butt."

She snickered. "Yes. It is. You know what, you're a pain, but you make me laugh. Reminds me of a certain seaweed brain."

I frowned. "What now?"

"Ah, it's an in joke."

I sighed. Great. A boy rushed up to us. "Annabeth!"

She turned. "Hey, Seaweed Brain!"

I took a look at him. He seemed a bit…

…

Odd. He had sea coloured eyes, and looked normal, but there was this aura around him.

"You'll be on a journey. Far away."

They looked at me. "What did you say? I didn't hear you." Annabeth frowned at me.

I covered my mouth. "Nothing. I just started to sing."

Percy winked at me, and I tutted. I fervently wished he hadn't heard, because I just knew this journey would break Annabeth's heart.

"Oh Zeus. Look," breathed Annabeth. She pointed up and I looked up trying to see. I was bathed in a golden light, and I began to shriek. "What? What is it?"

A man's voice came from behind me. "Hail, Tigris Matthews, daughter of Apollo." I whipped around. "You took your time in coming." The centaur grinned at me.

I felt a horrified expression creep onto my face. "What? Have I just been…"

"Claimed, my dear, and you prophesied something. I wonder if you knew."

I snarled at him. "No. I won't let it happen. I won't!"

"Calm down. Please."

I breathed slowly.

"Now, Annabeth, would you fetch Will?" Annabeth hared towards a golden cabin, and Percy grinned while Chiron looked me up and down.

"Hm. You have blonde hair, and a strong build. An archer's build." He smiled at me and I frowned. "Who's Will?"

"Head of Apollo Cabin. And your half-brother."

I reeled. Siblings? I had never had any. How the hell was I meant to deal with lots at once? I shivered. For a brief moment I felt like running away.

"WHAT?"

A blonde, tanned boy raced out of the golden cabin. "You. You!"

"Oh, it's Dear Sod!"

"My name is Will! You're my sister. No, no, no way!"

Somehow it didn't sound like he meant that in a good way. I ducked my head.

"Will, please help your sister get settled in." Chiron said warningly.

He huffed and I winced. This was not at all good. He shoved me towards the gold cabin. "Come on!"

I gritted my teeth and raced down the hill. I was faster than he was. I was Tigris, and I was an athlete. I made it to the door fifteen seconds before him.

"Not so quick, are you, Solace? All talk, nothing underneath."

I looked around and saw it was all shiny inside. Solace grabbed my arm. "You should be nicer to people. I have never known anyone so thorny."

I sagged. This guy should try to get on better with people - scratch that, he should have let me stare at the dragon until I got bored. He so didn't want me at this cabin.

"Dear Sod, please give it a rest. You think I don't know that I'm a pain in the butt?" He shoved me inside and I half fell.

"Tigris here is your new sister. You can have that bunk." He pointed and I strode confidently over to the fold out bed and pulled it out. The watching campers turned away. I saw a couple of other bunks with flowers on them and I bit my lip. Lost ones.

I sighed and unpacked my backpack. "I would love a tour, but I'll make my way around, thanks."

I headed out the door with my music player and as soon as I was out of sight ran for the hills. I hated it here. Apart from the dragon, Percy, Arden and Annabeth, it was a miserable place.

I ran into the woods and started to cry. I hated it here. I wanted to go back to my mom, let her know I was okay, be comforted as I lost yet another person because I was incapable of actually being nice to them.

I began to actually shake with crying, tears rolling down my cheeks and splashing the ground and curled up, music player unused in my hand.

The tears actually hurting my gut now, I just lay crying, like I used to when I was little.

Mom. She probably didn't know where I was, and after the whole Jake thing, she would be looking for me.

Will didn't like me, and I desperately wanted him to. I actually wanted the Apollo guys to like me. And no way in hell did they.

I cried, remembering the flowers on the bunks. Why, oh why, was my instinct to be rude to everyone? I mean, it never earned me friends. My family even kept me and my terrific temper at bay, Mom being the only one who actually liked me.

I felt that pain in my gut again, as I cried.

"He will… break her heart… when the wolf claims her due,

When the ancient houses collide,

And all half-bloods shall come to rue…" I covered my mouth and almost choked, the last line dragged from me.

"The matriarch's bitter pride."

I scratched long marks in my arms as the prophecy tore itself from me. "Leave me alone! Don't you have an oracle?" I sat up, and rocked back and forth.

"Leave me out of it. I don't want to prophesy. I've got those other talents, and I never use them, do you see? I don't want to be a half-blood."

A hand landed on my shoulder. I turned and a dryad stood there.

"I heard you. What was that? We all heard you."

"Leave me alone." I turned my back on her and she vanished, as footsteps raced through the forest.

"Tigris?"

I swore quietly, scrambling up a tree. I didn't want Will here, finding me in tears.

"Okay, Miss Dryad, it was a prophecy. Don't give me away." My whisper hung in the air but she didn't appear, so I guess she forgave me.

"TIGRIS!"

I flattened myself against the branch of the tree.

"There's a big automaton dragon in these woods! You have to come, you might get eaten!"

I quivered. Excuse me, but I liked dragons.

He suddenly gave a yelp and raced towards where I was. The tree began to shake.

"TIGRIS! COME ON, YOU HAVE TO MOVE!"

I slid down from the tree. "I like dragons."

"What is wrong with you?" He spotted the tears and sighed, before crushing me into a hug. I tensed.

I never really got hugged. I relaxed very slowly as he patted my back.

"You're my sister. You can't cry." Will said gruffly and I looked up at him.

Then I nearly had a heart attack.

Hugging him back, I whispered very slowly, "Look at me. Don't turn around. We are going to take a small step backwards, or in your case forwards."

Will frowned, and turned around. I let him go, and growled. "The one thing I told you not to do!"

The dragon snarled and I slipped my claws from my pocket. "Run!" I sliced at the dragon, scratching its nose then following Will as we ran for it.

"Oh, we are going to die!" screamed Will.

I ran behind him. "Sodly Brother! How good are you with losing your dignity?"

"What?"

I grinned. "I actually don't care!" I ran in front of him and heaved his legs up, forcing him to cling to my neck. Grabbing his shield I threw it in front of us and dragged us into a running jump to land heavily on it sending it skidding down the hill.

We screamed as we slid down the hill, racing through and landing in a crumpled heap outside our cabin, shocking everyone into silence.

"Hey guys," I grinned sheepishly, "what's up?"

Will dusted himself off before helping me up. "Never do that again."

Well, I wasn't holding my own hands as we sped down that hill. I guess I could give him that.

Reviews? Thoughts? No flames. Festus can beat them.