Claimed

2 hours later she was heading for the dining pavilion with a group of campers, in a fresh camp T-shirt and the same jeans. As always she had her side bag with her, but nothing else. She was going to go ask Annabeth about the Fleece when she was barricaded with a hug by someone.

"Mika! It's you! You're the new demigod! I had no idea! Why didn't you tell me you were one?" a girl with short reddish-brown hair and green-brown eyes exclaimed. Mika nearly fainted for surprise, it was Lucy!

"I had no idea I was one! And you never told me either!" Mika exclaimed back.

They were making so much noise that Skandar, who was at the back of the crowd, heard and came up to them. His jaw fell open again and he stood there. Lucy ran up to him and gave him a hug too, "You too! This is too good to be true! Do you think we met by accident or did the gods do it on purpose?"

Skandar closed his mouth and said, "Hi Lucy"

She ruffled his light brown curls (which looked pretty funny since she was shorter than him) and started telling them her story. She was on vacation in New York with her dad when a hellhound attacked her, her dad fought the monster with a gardening rake and at last she made one of the trees nearby choke the monster into dust. Her dad drove her here and explained everything on the way here, she would go back to him after the summer ended. Mika guessed that she was a child of Demeter and when she asked, she was right. They reached the dining pavilion and Lucy flew (not literally) off to the Demeter table, Mika and Skandar found the Hermes table.

Mika showed him how to make offerings to the gods, showed him all the tables and told him about the different gods. His attention stayed for about 2 minutes after which he became more interested in the Stoll brothers weaving grass into Clovis' hair (the Hypnos table was right next to the Hermes one) on the other side (where Mika was sitting) was the Athena table. Annabeth was right behind her, so she tapped her shoulder and asked her about the Fleece.

"Well somehow Peleus found it, but he can't talk so we don't know from where"

"That's kind of mysterious"

"Yeah…By the way, did you see Jason or Piper? I haven't seen them since they went to call your parents."

"That's weird, I haven't either!"

"Maybe they're resting in their cabins"

"Maybe" Mika shrugged her shoulders and turned back to her food. At that very moment a flashback occurred to her.

"No! I'll never go! Ever!" she screamed.

"But we have to, for our family to have a better life" her foster mother answered.

"No! You just want to go to save money!"

"I want to go stay with our family! And if you don't want to go then you can go to boarding school somewhere"

"But then I'll still be separated from my friends! And my family! Couldn't you wait one more year? I don't want to leave in the summer without telling anyone!"

"Mika, friends aren't permanent. Only your family stay with you" her foster father had joined in now.

"My friends wouldn't abandon me even if I was sent to jail!"

"But you'll never know. Because you won't stay here long enough to find out and you won't ever go to jail"

"You can't decide that! My future is my decision, not yours" her own voice sounded alien to Mika.

"Part of it is ours and so you will do what we ask you to"

"I won't!"

"You should be grateful that we took you in! That we didn't leave you in an orphanage or leave on the doorstep to die of cold and hunger." Her foster mother's expression turned cold as she said this.

"You wouldn't have done that though. I'm not moving to India and that's it. I'm staying here no matter what you tell me." her voice was cold and calm.

She stomped upstairs and just before she closed the door she heard, "Fine! Then you can stay here. Alone!"

She threw herself on the bed and began crying into her pillow. She skipped dinner and went to sleep, the only thoughts in her head were those of being unwanted and lonely. She dreamed of living alone on the dreary streets and a voice echoing continuously in the dark empty night. "You could have come. But you didn't. Now you must suffer. You could have come. But you didn't. Now you must suffer…"

She was jolted back to reality by the sound of Chiron stomping his hoof. "Boys, girls and all magical creatures present, I have few announcements to make." The sounds of people rustling on the benches, to turn to Chiron echoed everywhere. The fire turned a bright shade of purple, curiosity.

The centaur continued, "Firstly, I would like to welcome our new arrivals, Mika Kennedy and Skandar Gray. They are yet to be claimed. Secondly, we have been informed by Tyson, that while he was out looking for Percy, he received a message and that the Roman camp is about to be invaded. We will rush to their help as soon as soon as our ship is finished, which brings me to our last point. A few Athena campers that are helping with the planning of the ship have informed me, they are convinced that the ship will not be complete without the magical wood from the Forest of Dodona, which could speak advice and tell prophecies. We will not be in need of the prophecies, Rachel here has already helped us with that. But I have been informed that when the piece is merged with a certain ingredient, it will contain the power that will allow our ship to fly."

"And which ingredient is that?" interrupted an Athena camper.

"A special flower from the manna (ash) trees of the Meliai. For those of you that do not know what the Meliai are: they are the daughters of Gaia and Ouranos' blood. They took care of Zeus along with Ida, Adrasteia and the milk-supplying goat, Amaltheia. They gave birth to the third race of humans, that were very warlike, suggesting that so were their mothers."

"Oh…" came a reply from everywhere in the place.

"We will continue this discussion on the Friday night, which means Capture-the-Flag will be canceled for then."

A series of complains rang, but Chiron shushed everyone and then dismissed the campers to the fireplace, for marshmallows and singing songs. Murmurs of excitement, curiosity and fear where everywhere. Mika walked over to where Leo, Annabeth and Skandar were standing and whispered, "Have any of you seen Piper or Jason? They went out in the morning and still aren't back!"

"Maybe something attacked them and they have to stay somewhere overnight" suggested Annabeth.

"Or maybe they got caught up… With each other…" teased Leo.

"I doubt it, they aren't that irresponsible, I asked Chiron about it and he said that we will leave it for now", Annabeth said.

"Ok" They plopped down on the half-rotten logs and Leo went to fetch some marshmallows on branches. When he offered Mika one, she refused saying that she was vegetarian and marshmallows had gelatin in them, which was basically pig bones. He shrugged, took the marshmallow of the stick and stuck it on his own, throwing the spare one into the dark starry night. Suddenly the whole group of campers were bathed in yellow light. A holographic image of a lyre had appeared over Skandar's head, he looked up and started trying to swat it down.

"Guess you just got claimed!" Will Solace, head of Apollo cabin came over and patted him on the shoulder. "Apollo is the god of music, healing and prophecies, he represents the sun. He is the twin brother of Lady Artemis, goddess of the hunt and representation of the moon."

"So which ones are her children?" he asked.

"She is a virgin, she does not marry or have children."

"Oh… Well so where are my peeps?" he kind of reminded Mika of a more sensible version of Leo. He was led to a group of Apollo campers that had chosen to sit next to each other. He fit right in and Mika was wondering when she would be claimed. She asked Annabeth if she had any idea. At that very moment the campers were once again bathed in light, this time it was blue. Annabeth and Leo looked up, Annabeth turned pale and Leo looked like his eyes would pop out. Slowly she turned up and saw above her head, a glowing trident. Poseidon.

She was a daughter of Poseidon. She couldn't believe it, a mixture of feelings engulfed her. Happiness, worry, relief, fear and excitement. Nico and Lucy got up and walked over, Lucy smiled at her as always and Nico put on an even darker expression than usual. Chiron also trotted over and simply said, "You must be careful."

"Well that explains why you like the sea so much and why you where always hyper near the water!" Lucy broke the awkward silence. Everyone laughed, at least they had someone in the Poseidon cabin now, whenever Chiron trotted off, but Lucy and Nico stayed. The whole group sang, laughed and joked like they had known each other for years. Then, at around 10:30, they decided to go to bed.

Leo led Mika to the Poseidon cabin and said that she could have the upper bunk , since neither Percy nor Tyson was here. She nodded and went to the adjoining bathroom to change, she still had the sleepover pack from when she was going to go to Lucy's house, so she took out the PJs and changed. She brushed her teeth and walked over to her bed. Leo was waiting in the doorway, she turned to his, seeing that he was lost in thought.

Walking over to him, she waved her hand in his face, "Getting lost?"

He jolted back to reality and smiled, "I never get lost! I'm doing some important thinking 'cause I'm the lord of the most stubborn ship on Earth and it's refusing to work"

"You should ask Argus to help you, he helped with the first ship."

"Ok, but he's kinda scary. I mean he has like eyes everywhere, I heard he even has some on his tongue!"

"That's true"

"So, if he like eats something, he can see it while he chewing!"

"That's gross!"

"Well, rumors are rumors"

"Have you been hanging out with the Stolls?"

"It's kinda hard not to, they follow me everywhere! Begging me to tell them how I use fire. I don't know! I just think fire and BAM there it is!"

"Tell them to go ask Hephaestus"

"Good idea, if I want to have shaving cream in my bed for the rest of my life in camp!

"What's with them and shaving cream?"

"I dunno, maybe their mom sold them or something"

"Hmmm. So, are you better now?"

"Was I ever sick?"

"No, no. I mean with your mom and stuff" her voice gradually got quieter and she started fiddling with her t-shirt. Leo was taken back and then mentally face palmed himself. Of course! This girl knew everything about him. He didn't mind but think about it! Someone who knew everything! She could guess what he was thinking like some fortune-teller or something.

He became sad when he thought of his mom and said to her, "Yeah, yeah. All fine"

"

Don't lie to me" Mika's head rose up and looked him full on the eyes.

He sighed, "All right. I'm better! I don't feel extremely alone anymore, I actually have some real friends. But I still miss my mom. And-" it was his turn to put his head down, "And what if, what if my mom was one of the souls that escaped?"

Mika shivered and answered "Leo, your mom could have escaped, but remember that we are going to close the Doors of Death. So eventually your mom is going to return"

"I know, I know. But her death is my fault! I have to do something about it. She was going to sell her prototype and get a break. And then I go and… and burn her!"

"It isn't your fault. It's Gaia's and Hera's, but you still freed that goddess. She's caused so much trouble to demigods, it would be better if she stayed locked up somewhere. But I understand her plan and it has to work."

"No. It's my fault and Hephaestus'"

Mika took a step forward "Listen to me. I don't like forcing your opinion, but Gaia was messing with you your entire life. She was trying to break you, so that you would never be strong enough to fight her"

Leo looked at her and realized something. This girl understood, she understood what was happening. She understood how he felt and she understood why his life was like that. Gaia was going to pay. Big time. No Mother Earth is getting away from him. The next time he saw her, he was going to burn her like fried chicken. "I think I understand what you mean. Thanks"

She smiled, relieved, "I'm good at that. Understanding and making people understand. I just hope you and the Romans don't rip each other apart"

"So you're not planning on coming?"

"The prophecy says 7. You, Piper, Annabeth, Percy, Jason and 2 other Romans."

"Right, well that kinda sucks. A child of Poseidon not going to war."

"Thalia is a daughter of Zeus and she wasn't even mentioned in the First Prophecy"

"But, I have feeling, we're going to bring you along. Because Tyson is over there, I don't see why you can't come. Plus we're going to need as many people as possible to help the Roman camp"

"That's true. If we ever get there! What's wrong with the ship?"

"I'm not sure. I think the Athena campers are right, we're gonna need that piece of wood and mix it with whatever Chiron said"

"Hmmm. Well we'll talk tomorrow."

"Yeah, g' night."

"Night" she watched him leave.

She climbed up the ladder and lowered myself into her bed. That felt good. Soft, comfy bed. At home her bed wasn't bad, it was just a little hard and the covers were a little cold in the winter. She felt her eyes shutting and drifted off.

Thanks for reading!

~Mahi