-xxx-

"…She's moving!"

"Thank… gods!"

-xxx-

"I swear!"

"This is the third time today."

"Sorry…"

"Stop feeling so guilty."

"I know…."

-xxx-

I couldn't say what time it was, but voices had been fading in and out for hours. Or what felt like hours. The sun was blaring down on me from where I was laying on one on the lawn chairs on the Big House's front porch, so it was obviously daytime. I tried to sit up, but I fell back again, feeling dizzy. My vision was hazy, but then one of the Apollo kids, and one of Lorri's siblings stepped into view. They exchanged relieved glances, which I thought was strange. What happe- oh. Yeah. I got hit in the head. I groaned, and reached up to touch the back of my head. There was a lump, and it felt sore to the touch, but it didn't seem too bad.

"Chiron! She's really awake this time!" he called. I didn't know which Apollo kid it was, I was still really out of it, but he handed me a glass of nectar. I took a sip, and it tasted like mac and cheese, and even though there was a tiny burning sensation, I was feeling better. I sat up, and I wasn't feeling so off anymore. I looked around, and there was one other kid passed out on the porch. I was surprised it wasn't Emilie, actually.

"Sorry…" the Hypnos kid mumbled, looking at the floor, where his feet were scuffing the porch. I figured he must have had a part in whatever the hell happened to me.

"It's alright. What happened anyway?" I asked, looking around. Mr. D wasn't anywhere to be seen, but I didn't mind. At all. I wasn't really in the mood to deal with a pouting god.

"Lorri, my brother and I were playing a prank on your cabin… It was only supposed to make you guys pass out for a few moments! I swear!" I frowned, and looked at Chiron and the other demigod approaching. His job was done, which was probably to make me wake up, so he left to go play basketball or practice archery. Like he needed it. Those kids had perfect aim.

"It's nice to see you're awake, child." Chiron said, as he rolled over in his wheelchair. I wasn't sure why he wasn't walking around normally, but I suspected it had something to do with the other unconscious kid. I hadn't recognized him, and he wasn't wearing a Camp Half-Blood shirt, There was a glass of nectar on the table next to him, and a little plate of ambrosia.

"Thank's, Chiron," I glanced at the Hypnos boy, who was still shuffling around, and I sighed. "So… How long was I out of it?" A few hours? Couldn't have been for very long. He paused thoughtfully.

"About a day and a half," he eventually told me, and I choked. Chinon patted me on the back as I forced the nectar back down, "It's about ten o'clock in the morning," he added as an afterthought. I was relieved and upset at the same time. I was relieved I hadn't missed the bash, but that meant I still had to go and possibly see Apollo on the arm of a girl, and also that I missed a day and a half.

"Um…. Can I leave? Not to be ungrateful or anything," I said, and he smiled. It reached his eyes. He'd dealt with thousands of heroes. All with their own problems, and he never complained. He'd once said he was only immortal as long as he trained heroes, which was what he loved doing. And he'd probably be doing it forever.

"Of course. Go tell your friends that you're back, and don't blame Lorri or any of the other children too much," I nodded, pushing myself up from the chair. Upon standing, in felt the rush of standing too fast, and my vision went black for a moment. I gripped the armrest tighter, and gritted my teeth, After a minute my vision cleared to see Chiron's concerned face. I told him I was fine, but he made me promise to take another sip of nectar before I left. I walked towards my cabin after leaving the Big House. As I made my way towards my cabin, I saw the line of campers leading out the door of the Aphrodite cabin. They were dressed in everything from pajamas (mostly Hypnos, but there were a few others too) and armor to old swimsuits. I was starting to be glad I passed out- the Aphrodite crew wouldn't let anyone escape helping them out, I'm sure.

I waved at a few of my other friends, and Annabeth, when I saw them. Despite all the things out there trying to kill them, most demigods, myself included, are just kids. Torn from a world that actually made sense, at a young age, for most. They still liked to fuss over teenage stuff- like acne, boys or girls, and what clothes to wear. Even though none of that would matter when fighting a hellhound or giant scorpion.

Back in my cabin, I looked in the bathroom mirror, and found that I looked surprisingly pale. I didn't look bad at all- maybe that Apollo kid was better than he looked- because apparently pale goes well with dark hair. My black hair was looking normal, not staying in place, no matter how much I tried to brush it. My green eyes weren't bloodshot like I expected, and by looks alone, it didn't appear that I had gotten whacked in the head two days previously.

I took a shower, and changed into a clean version of the clothes I'd been wearing. I glanced at my bed, and noticed that lying on top of it was something that hadn't been there when I left the cabin to head for the bathroom. When I approached the bed, I saw that it was a cover up, a wrap, a little dress thing that one wore over a swim suit. It was beautiful, and more than a little stunning. I was gaping, I knew, but I had to reach out my hand and touch it. It sent a little shock up my arm, which caused me to wretch back my arm.

The wrap consisted of a loose, turquoise gossamer fabric. It was entirely see-through, so it didn't actually hold much real purpose, but hardly any actually did. It was mostly for show, anyway. It was sleeveless, clasping in the middle of my chest, with a silver broach in the shape of a sea shell. I figured that when I wore it, it would probably reach to the tips of my fingers when my hands were held at my sides.

I moved it closer to inspect the clasp and broach, when something fell from it. I hadn't seen anything previously, but I hadn't seen the dress earlier, either. I picked the object up, and saw that it was a card. The card was pale, and unless you focused on it, you didn't see that it was almost pink. A light scent drifted past my nose, and figuring the scent came from the card, brought it up to smell. It smelled like… like it was making me feel dreamy and… love magic. Damn. I picked up the card, careful not to smell it, and read the back aloud. Being dyslexic, it took me a few tries.

"I enjoy a good romance," I frowned at the curly script (which was a dyslexic kid's nightmare, but luckily it was in ancient Greek) and thought of the one person, or goddess, who would do such a thing. Aphrodite. The goddess of love, sexuality, beauty, and messing with people's lives. The latter unofficial, of course. I glanced at the paper again, but it was blank.

-xxx-

"What have you been up to while I was asleep?"

"I wouldn't call a blow to the head 'sleeping'," Emilie said, rolling her eyes. She leaned back against the side of her cabin, and sighed. "But honestly... sometimes I wonder about what the point of all of this is. I wonder what life would be like as normal mortals, without gods and monsters and this magic crap."

"Me too. But, life is more fun this way," I said cheerfully. She snorted.

"Are you sure you're alright? Because I think you may have been hit harder than we thought, here, let me check your temperature," I rolled my eyes and pushed her out of the way as she tried to cover my face with her hand.

"No way, I'm perfectly fine!" I told her, She shook her head and began telling me what happened while I was 'asleep'.

"Okay, so… Well, I decided that a beach party wasn't a good idea."

"I thought you were the one who convinced Mr. D to let us have it in the first place!"

"Ah, um, well, I decided that wasn't a good idea. For me, I mean. Everyone else will have a blast, but I don't really feel like getting sun-burnt again. Or, you know, getting pulled under water by the Loch Ness Monster and drowning."

"Well you wouldn't get a sunburn if you wore sunscreen and didn't insult Apollo. And you wouldn't drown if you took swimming lessons from Percy or me. "

"My entire existence is an insult to your boyfriend. I refuse to take swimming lessons. I can swim. I just don't like it."

"He's not my boyfriend!" I protest feebly. "So, are you going to the bash, anyway?" I asked, after a moment's pause. I wasn't really trying to change the subject, just… move it to a slightly different one.

"Don't know," she said, with slight indifference. Her sunburn, which was really more of a tan now, was fading. She looked right at me, and asked, "How much do you like Apollo?" I was a little taken aback by her question, but she had never really been the most predictable of girls.

"A lot. Probably more than I should," I sighed, and leaned against the wall, in the space next to her. "He's going to end up breaking my heart," I told her, and she narrowed her eyes.

"If he does, we have a lot of people we can send to kick his ass," the corner of her mouth turned upwards, in more of a leer than a smile, "And then we can beat up the Apollo cabin, who will be guilty by association."

"I'm glad to see I have such great friends."

"Great friend."

"Right."

"But... you do like him, then?"

"Yes."

"Then maybe I'll go to the bash... just to piss him off, of course."

"Of course."

-xxx-

The next few days leading up to the beach bash were pretty uneventful. Camp got a few more shipments of supplies, courtesy of the Aphrodite cabin, and there were plenty of RSVPS from non-camp goers flooding in. We carried on with life as usual, and honestly, it felt wonderful to be training with my friends again, practicing sword fighting with my brother, archery with Demeter and Apollo, and helping out with the swimming lessons.

Although they were mainly run by Percy, the naiads and nereids volunteered their time to help the campers learn to swim, as well. Most of the heroes who couldn't swim were first timers, since swimming was a pretty big thing at camp. There were, of course, the few bullheaded campers, like the Ares boy who spoke up in the first place, who had previously passed their inability to swim off as stubbornness against water, rather than inability. Upon reaching the party's date, we had pretty much squared everyone away, and the naiads were acting as lifeguards in case anyone had conveniently 'forgotten' to attend swim lessons.

During the week, I got a few messages from Apollo, too. Now that Percy was back, he tended to call me at night when I was alone, which a lot of the time meant not in my cabin. It increased the likelihood that we'd be overheard, but I realized that I had no idea if Apollo was even trying to hide… this. I certainly wasn't, because it wasn't really something, but I wasn't going around advertising my escapades with a god. And then, like before, he actually came to see me. He knocked on the cabin door, and like the time in the forest, I suspected I knew who it was.

Percy was awoken too, but I assured him I could get it, and yes, I'd be careful, don't you see the sword in my hand? I opened it to find- like I expected- Apollo, who was holding up a six pack of orange soda. Which I suspected had something to do with the fact that oranges were grown in Florida, the sunshine state. It might also have something to do with orange soda being one of my favorite sodas. We stumbled down to the beach, where we sat for hours looking at the stars. I figured that his presence had something to do with the harpies not eating me for breaking curfew, but it was only a theory, and not one I'd like to test without him.

When he left that night, he forgot his sunglasses again, and so the Ray Bans sat on my night stand, with Percy glancing at them suspiciously on occasion.

-xxx-

Running up from behind, I jumped on Percy's back.

"Agh!" he cried, before practically falling over. Well, he deserved it if he couldn't tell I was coming. He was standing helping some of the satyrs decide where to put the tables on the beach. When the planners said everywhere, they had meant everywhere. The Aphrodite cabins had somehow cashed in a few favors, and got the Muses to come to play music. Although the party would start earlier in the day, it would carry on into the night, so we set up lights in strategic places, as well. There were a few decorations made by several of the more artistically inclined cabins.

I hopped off of him before he had a chance to get up, and he glared at me, pushing off the ground, and wiping his hands on his pants. He pushed his sweaty hair back, and groaned, stretching. He'd been at it all day, and the sun was glaring down upon him.

"Miss me?" I said. I'd hardly seen Percy at all the last few days. We'd both been training, and teaching swimming lessons, although at different times, and between his helping the Aphrodite cabin sort and process whatever they had bought, and my nightly excursions, we'd been pretty distant recently.

"No."

"Gee, thanks," I heard rustling, and turned around, only to come face to face with a freckled, redhead girl. Her curly hair was past her shoulders, and her green eyes were eerily familiar. She peered at me with interest, before turning to Percy. She grinned and hugged him.

"How have you been? I got to camp as soon as I could," she released him, and glanced at me again.

"I've been good, Rachel. You didn't get attacked by any monsters this year, did you?" he asked, concern present on his face. Her name was familiar, and I was sure I'd heard it somewhere before, I just couldn't pinpoint it. Was she a demigod? She didn't seem to be, and I could usually tell these things, but what would anyone who wasn't a demigod be doing here so early? The party wasn't till tomorrow. And 'Rachel' didn't seem like the most godly name, nor one for a nymph.

"Nope! I can't imagine why they would- I'm only a moral, you know," she said, shaking her head. I was a little shocked- a mortal? At camp half-blood? How did she even get in past the boarders?

"That's good, anyway. Oh, and I'd like you to meet someone, Rachel," he said, turning to me. "This is my half sister, Elena Westlie, daughter of Poseidon."

"Hi, Elena," Rachel said, holding out her hand.

"And this is Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Oracle of Delphi," my eyes widened as I remembered where I had heard the name before. Upon first arriving to camp, I had seen the (somewhat recently updated, I'd been told) orientation video, which included a history of the oracle. The spirit had transferred from young girl to young girl, until it was trapped in a mummified body and stored in the attic. Then, about three years ago, when the curse was broken, a clear-sighted mortal friend of my brother's took the role of oracle.

We shook hands, and Percy and Rachel started to catch up on what had happened over the last few months at camp and in their normal lives. She seemed really interested in hearing about me- I wasn't entirely sure why, since, I mean finding out your friend has a new sibling is great, but she'd friends with other demigods, like Annabeth who have tons of siblings-, and about his proposal to Annabeth. I could see that she had once liked him as more than a friend, but now they were more like cousins, or siblings. She couldn't ever be with anyone, anyway.

I heard a few snippets of their conversation, a few involving Pan, college life, her father- who seemed to relate to all of that in some way-, and Annabeth. I wasn't paying very much attention, and I didn't really have anything to do, so I just sat there until Annabeth came, and I decided to go somewhere else. I haven't known these people for very long, despite the fact we were all related in some way. I still felt like an outsider, sometimes. I wasn't there when Percy saved the world, or when Annabeth led her quest, or when Rachel hit the Titan Lord in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush. I wasn't here when Jason and Percy teamed up to save the world again, when Annabeth recovered the statue of Athena, or when Frank and Hazel and Leo all became friends.

-xxx-

Dinner that night was a little tense, for some reason I couldn't determine.

Over the course of dinner, an Ares boy threatened to beat up six different satyrs if they spilled anything on him. An Iris girl burst into rainbow tears because she didn't have a bathing suit yet, and was lead away by Lacy. Drew refused four boys who asked if she wanted to go to the bash together, and kept glancing over at the Ares table, at the boy who was threatening satyrs. The Athena cabin was actually talking about something other than architecture for once. And weirdest of all, Mr. D didn't seem to mind any of this, and I think he was smiling. Or, well, not being as much of a dick as usual. I think they should have parties like this more often. After all, it was the Greeks who invented theater, and he was the god of parties.

"This is starting to remind me of C.C.'s," Percy said, shaking his head. Rachel paused, and looked at him over the mashed potatoes. She was sitting at our table, because she was mortal, and could sit wherever she wanted and Mr. D couldn't do anything about it. Rachel had told me that she was using the excuse that the Athena table was too full, and Mr. D scared her, so she could sit with us. No one could dispute it, since she'd the oracle. She looked like she was one of those girls to use that to her advantage.

"Wazat?" she mumbled, her mouth full. I hadn't a clue either, but I figured I'd be listening to Percy's stories for the rest of my life, and I'd never reach the end of them.

"Yeah, what is that?" I asked, and he gulped down his drink.

"You really don't want to know. Just thank Hermes and Annabeth, and think demonic spa," he said, and continued eating. Rachel, sitting across from Percy and I, looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I shrugged, and made a mental not to ask Annabeth later.

Ten minutes later, everyone was kicked out of the pavilion to head to the campfire, so the last of the big supplies and decorations could be moved without us all getting in the way.

Looking around the campfire and seeing the plethora of kids and thought of how many parents they expected to see the next day. I wasn't sure which gods or goddesses were even coming, though. Probably Aphrodite so she could make people fall in love. Apollo, the god of music, with whoever she was, providing she wasn't mortal. Dionysus, the god of partying, and since he was stuck at camp. A few others might come, just for entertainment. I might have expected my father, but I didn't think he was coming, even though the beach was his thing. I'd just have to wait and see, though.

I headed off to my cabin after the sing-a-long, and watched everyone else file into their own, or head to the Aphrodite one to pick up last-minute suits, or towels, or flip flops. Well, actually, I had to pick up flip flops. I didn't own any.

I stopped by their cabin and stood in the line, which was pretty short. After about ten minutes, I was in the front, with only two people behind me. When I stepped into the cabin, I was surprised to find it mostly empty. I didn't think we even had that many people at camp. But Roman demigods and foreign nymphs had been arriving all week, and staying in their respective cabins. I asked for a pair of blue flip flops in my size, and they handed me a matching towel. I already had one, but this matched, so I decided I'd use it.

Percy was in the bathrooms taking a shower, and I was going to head over and take one as well. I grabbed my toiletries bag, my pajamas, and a towel, and headed towards the showers. There was another line, but I didn't really mind. After showering- which really shouldn't have taken that long, but I like water, it helps me think- I headed back to the cabin, where Percy was already passed out on his bed. I smiled fondly at him, and dumped my dirty clothes on the floor and promptly followed my brother into oblivion.

-xxx-