2

Heather followed Nycta slowly as she was guided around the camp, explaining what each building was as they passed them. It was so loud among the living and everyone that saw her gave her a strange look so she just decided to focus on her tour guide. Nycta was interesting, to say the least. The girl wasn't the tallest but was surprisingly muscular. Her short hair was a brown so dark it could've been black and under the shades that she never seemed to remove were her piercing blue eyes that seemed to glow even through the tinted lenses like two bright stars. Needless to say they reflected her soul perfectly. Her soul was pitch black and flecked with bluish white stars. She obviously wasn't any old demigod.

Heather bumped into her guide suddenly as they halted. Heather moved away quickly and looked up. "Why did we stop?" She asked, though was more talking to herself then to Nycta. She followed Nycta's gaze to see a tall boy with thick blond hair sitting outside a cabin, seeming to be waiting for someone.

"Uh… You don't have to see all the cabins. Let's go see what Kym's up to." Nycta said quickly, changing direction as the boy looked up. Heather had to run slightly to keep up with her as they went to the forge where the children of Hephaestus worked. "Kym!" Nycta shouted, causing her friend look look up from his work.

"Hey Nycta, Heather." He smiled slightly. The son of Hephaestus was of an average height but was very bulky with big arms, wide shoulders and a fairly thick waist. His rich brown hair was pushed back and currently under a bandana. He would be intimidating if it wasn't for his gentle face and soft brown-orange eyes that always had a warm look to them. "What's up?"

"Oh, just wanted to see what you were up to." Nycta laughed but Kym raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You're just avoiding Aaron, aren't you?" Kym asked, crossing his scorched arms.

Nycta laughed nervously, fidgeting with her glasses. "I don't know what your talking about."

"Who's Aaron?" Heather asked, confused. "Was he the guy that was sitting outside of the black cabin?" Nycta looked at her with wide eyes and Kym laughed.

"I knew it!" He grinned. "You know you have to talk to him eventually."

"I know…" Nycta sighed, covering her face.

"You could take Heather to introduce to him." Kym suggested, "That's an easy way to start a conversation." Nycta paused for a moment and sighed.

"Yeah… okay. Come on Heather." She turned and started walking as Heather said bye to Kym and followed. Only a few steps from the forge they spotted him. When he saw them his eyes widened and he grinned even wider. He seemed to glow even in the sunlight as he rushed over.

"Nycta! I'd heard you'd come back!" He beamed as he reached them. "Was it a hard quest? Are you tired?" He saw her arm and gasped slightly. "What happened? Why didn't you come to me about it?" Nycta sighed, moving her injured arm away slightly.

"Hi Aaron…" Nycta mumbled, looking away. "This is Heather, the demigod we were sent to bring back." Aaron glanced at her, seeming to only now see her. He had broad shoulders and a thin waist with seemingly no fat on him at all. His features were fairly normal and attractive with his narrow face, prominent nose and wide almond eyes but his hair didn't match the rest of him at all. It was a thick mane of long hair that was such a light blonde that seemed to have a light of it's own.

"Hi. You're a daughter of Hades right?" He asked with a charming grin that would've made any other girl swoon. Heather nodded and he leaned on a nearby tree. "Cool. Son of Apollo if you couldn't tell."

"Of course she could tell." Nycta sighed in an annoyed tone. "You're practically a miniature sun." Aaron looked back at her, eyes filled with emotion.

"You know you love it." He grinned but cut her off before she could reply. "Now give me your arm. Best to heal this up now." Nycta sighed and held up her arm. He slowly unwrapped the wound to reveal a deep gash that was crudely stitched up. He gently held it with one hand and closed his eyes. As he focused his free hand slowly began to glow. Heather's eyes widened as he pressed it on her arm, making Nycta wince slightly. They stayed like that for a while then he removed his hand to reveal that the deep gash had become a more manageable cut.

"How did you do that?" Heather asked in awe as Aaron removed the stitches gently. "I thought Apollo was just the god of sun and poetry."

"He's also the god of healing and I was the lucky one that gained that power." He grinned before looking back at Nycta. "How does it feel?"

"Fine…" she muttered, pulling her arm away when he was done. He gave her a very small smile but for once said nothing more. "I need to show Heather to her cabin. Um… thanks, Aaron."

"Anytime, Starshine." He winked as he started leaving, giving Heather a quick glance. "Nice to meet you, Heather."

"You too." Heather replied before following Nycta to the cabins. They reached a dark cabin of black and purple near the middle of the main U of cabins.

"This is yours." Nycta said as she opened the door with some difficulty. The inside didn't seem the most habitable but there was a bed and it was fairly quiet despite all the noise outside. "Sorry it's not the most homey. We don't get many descendants of Hades here."

"It's fine." Heather sighed, sitting on the bed. "By the way, who's child are you?"

"Me?" Nycta asked, surprised by the question. "My mother is Nyx." She replied, laughing slightly. "My cabin was even less habitable then yours when I first got here."

"Nyx?" Heather asked, completely lost. "What does that have to do with the whole… teleportation thing? What does that have to do with night?"

"Well, Nyx isn't just the goddess of night." Nycta started, sitting next to her which made Heather tense a little bit with how close she was. "She's also the goddess of illusion so since there aren't any night related powers, mine are based on illusion." Heather still stared at her confused. "I know it makes no sense but phasing is fun so I don't question it."

"Okay…" Heather nodded even though she didn't quite understand it.

"Anyways," Nycta yawned, breaking the silence as she stood. "get some rest before dinner. You'll hear three bells when it's time." Heather nodded and Nycta phased out of the cabin to the outside. Heather looked around again before lying down on the bed and closing her eyes, focusing on Nycta's soul to block out the muffled sound of all the people in the camp.