These chapters are easier to write for some reason so I've been able to update a lot faster(: I don't own any character that I didn't make, yadda yadda yadda. Now enjoy Christmas ! I'm going to make a few chapters about this day(:

As we were walking, we were also talking. We just asked basic questions back and forth about each other.

"So, do you know who your parent is, Kasey?" I guess I wasn't that shocked that he knew my name.

I pursed my lips. "I've been here all my life. I don't really care anymore."

He seemed surprised about that. "You've seriously been here all your life?"

I nodded. "I've never even been out of the bounds of this place. My friend, Aubrey, always wanted me to come with her, but... Chiron never let me." Aubrey came to Camp Half-Blood when I was about six and was undetermined until I was seven, so we got to know each other really well. She turned out to be the daughter of Demeter so I was, once again, left in my cabin with no friends after she changed cabins. When we were both eight, she was already sent out on her first quest. Thank the gods that she came back alive, but she fell in love with the city. So she went to go live with her dad in Manhattan. She wanted me to come with her many times, but, like I said, for some reason, Chiron never let me. I haven't seen her since. I actually haven't thought about her for a while until Raymond brought up that question.

"How about you and..." I tried to remember if Raymond had ever said his little brother's name.

"Miguel," he finished. "He's my little six year-old brother." He smiled at his feet. Wow. There's been a lot of smiling in the past hour.

"How about you and Miguel?" I asked again, adding his brother's name.

He shrugged. "Chiron and Daniel guessed maybe a minor god. I still don't know too much about all the gods so…" He left the sentence unfinished but I didn't notice.

We walked in silence for the rest of the way there. I couldn't really tell if it was more of an awkward silence or a peaceful silence. Kind of both.

By the time we made it back to the Big House, my feet were cold again, so I was glad to warm them up by the fire. Two bean bags were set up by each other and one of them way occupied by Lilly. Chiron was in his wheelchair next to her. They were talking quietly and didn't even notice us come in. I grabbed another bean bag from the game room and put it down next to the other two so it made a semi-circle. Lilly finally noticed us and slightly jumped, spilling drops of hot chocolate on her jeans.

"Oh, Kasey. You scared me." As if I couldn't already tell. "Raymond?" she asked, looking past me. I took a seat in the middle and Raymond sat on my left.

"You two already know each other?" I asked while Chiron handed Raymond and I mugs of the warm liquid.

Lilly took a sip of hers before answering. "We met after we took you to the infirmary."

"Mmm," I said nodding. Now I remembered him. Then I thought of something.

"Is that why you won't look me in the eye for too long?" I asked Raymond. Chiron somehow slipped out of the room without any of us knowing.

"What do you mean?" he asked dumbly.

"You seemed…guilty when we were talking earlier. Is it because of the attack?"

He sighed. "I feel like it was my fault that those…things came and attacked you. I should've been watching Miguel closer." His eyes went to the floor.

I shrugged as if it was no big deal when, in retrospect, I was kind of pissed. "It wasn't your fault," I replied calmly. "Your brother doesn't know any better. And actually, I should be thanking you. I've never done anything like that. I actually feel semi-like a demigod now." It was the truth, now that I think about it. I smiled at him.

"Err…your welcome?" He chuckled, which I counted as making him feel better. I was still thinking a little bit to myself that he should feel bad because those oversized puppies could've killed me, but I let it go.

"Merry Christmas!" Lilly raised her mug.

"Merry Christmas!" We replied and raised our own. We clanked them together then each took a huge gulp. It burned my tongue, but I didn't want to seem weak, so I kept sipping until I saw Lilly move out of the corner of my eye.

She was fanning her tongue and trying to say, "Ow, ow, ow!" But since her tongue couldn't be used, it sounded more like, "Al, al, al!" I stared giggling and Raymond was chuckling.

Before we knew it, him and I were holding our guts because they hurt so badly from laughing. Lilly was just sitting there complaining, "It's not funny!" But I could tell that she was stifling a few laughes.

Hmm, I thought to myself. So this is what friends are supposed to feel like.

We talked about anything and everything. I totally lost track of time, so I was surprised when I looked out the window and saw the sun rising.

Raymond noticed this as well. "I better get back to my cab—our cabin-" he corrected. "-before Miguel wakes up." He stood up and started heading towards the door. He was half way out when he turned around. "Merry Christmas," he added with a smile.

"Merry Christmas," we said back also smiling.

Once he left, Lilly turned to me grinning.

"What?" I asked her.

"Sorry. I'm just kind of excited for something…" She mumbled the last part then added, "Kasey, could maybe you and I take a walk? I want to tell yo—give you something."

I squinted my eyes. "I guess?" My response sounded more like a question.

She stood up, still grinning, and headed out the door. I followed her while trying to think about what she could give me. I mean, I've barely known her for a day. She wouldn't have gotten me a present.

She continued to walk down the hill and onto a path that led into the forest. By then, I was really curious. I sped up my pace so that I was walking along side of her. With every step we took, her grin would start getting bigger and bigger.

We were walking for about five minutes before I broke the silence.

"So…err…where are we going exactly?"

"Only a little farther. I want us out of seeing and hearing distance before I give you this." She smiled directly at me.

"Not to break you spirit or anything, but I'm pretty sure that we passed that point, like, thirty-seven minutes ago," I said just throwing a number out there for use of exaggeration.

"Oh, you're such a little baby," she said like a second-graded. So I copied her child like behavior and stuck my tongue out at her. She smiled like a snob and skipped ahead. I smirked.

We walked—or, well, I walked—for a few minutes longer before we came to an open field with a single stump in the middle. Lilly continued her skip towards the stump and sat down. I wondered why she brought me here. I knew that there was more of a reason than 'I want us out of seeing and hearing distance' because we could've done that back at the Big House. It was still early morning so nobody was up yet.

She patted the space next to her and I sat down. "So, Kasey, guess what?" she started off asking.

"World war three started because countries are fighting over an ancient doughnut?" I guessed sarcastically.

She giggled. "That would be fun to watch, but no." I was expecting her to just tell me then, but I could tell that she really was going to make me guess. How boring. So I decided to play it my way until she just told me. I smiled to myself.

"Penguins have taken over Montana?"

She smiled. "Nope."

"Broccoli actually started to taste good?"

She giggled. "No." I could tell that she knew that I wasn't going to give normal answers, but she didn't seem like she wanted to stop me.

I continued "guessing". "Dionysus isn't drunk at the moment?"

"Okay, let's not get crazy." I cracked up and Lilly joined in. "Now seriously, guess!" she demanded, still giggling in between every word.

"I'm never going to guess so just tell me before I die of old age! I've learned that the hard way," I joked. That sent another round of laughter between us.

"You're going to be an amazing addition to the group," she whispered more to herself, but I still heard it.

My smile dropped. "What?" I asked.

She gave up making me "guess" and turned her legs towards me. "On behalf of Lady Artemis, I would like to present you with this." She reached into her coat pocket, pulled out an envelope and handed it to me. "Merry Christmas, Kasey." I guess I was wrong about her not getting me a present. But then again, when am I ever right?

It was just a plain white envelope. On it, in gold writing was my name: Kasey Brooklynn Gray. I took it from her out stretched hand and turned it over to open.

As I pulled out what was inside, I raised an eyebrow at her. She nodded encouragingly and started bouncing in her seat with excitement. It was a brochure. On the top it said A Wise Choice for Your Future! She did say 'on behalf of Artemis'… I gasped.

Artemis wanted me to join the Hunt.

Okay, so finally I got into the good stuff. But keep reading ! It'll get better, much MUCH better(: Comments help me sooo much ! -kenna(: