My first day back at Camp is just like I remember them to be, only much happier. At training and at lunch, I get the occasional stare, the occasional whisper, but it doesn't really bother me. The small, dark-haired kid from my cabin seems to think I'm his big brother – and I guess in a way I am – because he sticks to me like glue. I think he's an unclaimed kid since he doesn't have the same sharp features that the Hermes kids have. Maybe he had been thinking about joining Kronos's army; I'd like to think what I said maybe changed his mind.

I even called my mom from Chiron's office. She'd been worried sick about me, of course, but she was happy to hear from me. Her phone had been cut off because she hadn't been able to pay the bills which is why, she explains, Chiron hadn't been able to get hold of her. The best news, she tells me, is that she quit her job as a cleaner and managed to find a job in an elementary school, helping kids with learning difficulties improve their reading. It pays double what she was making before and it'll actually make her happy. I know how caring she is and how all those kids are going to love her. I promise her I'll come home at the end of the summer and I mean. I've missed her so much.

The only downside is that I haven't seen Clarisse all day. Even though the campers are all pretty nice, she's still the only one here I'd consider a friend. But since I've got a normal, busy camp routine now, and she has her own duties as cabin leader, I only catch glimpses of her throughout the day. She always looks like she's in a bad mood but manages a smile when she comes across me.

But tonight, at my first campfire in years, I'll be able to see her. I'm so used to talking everyday that I actually find myself missing her. Not in the way you miss food when you haven't eaten in a couple of hours, but the way you miss someone you haven't seen in years. Which is stupid because I saw her only yesterday. It feels like ages.

"D'you remember the campfire songs, Chris?" Connor, who I now know for sure is the shorter of the brothers, asks me after dinner as we make our way to the fire.

"Of course I do," I reply and can't help but feel surprised at how true that is. Remembering the words to my old favourite songs comes so naturally that it feels like I never left.

The best thing about the campfire is that you can sit with whoever you want. The days at Camp half-Blood are usually arranged so you train with your cabin, you eat with them, you sleep with them. You're pretty much tied to your cabin mates throughout the whole day, more or less. At the campfire, kids can sit with anyone. You wouldn't think a smart, quiet kid from the Athena cabin would call out for her best friend, a giggly girl from the Aphrodite cabin, to sit with her. Or that a tough, heavyset boy from Ares would sit by an Apollo kid to discuss poetry. But it happens. It's amazing to see everyone mingle like that. It reminds me of why we're even here: we're children on the gods, a family. There is no 'your cabin' and 'my cabin'; at the end of the day, at the end of this war, we're all in the same boat, win or lose. I haven't ever felt so proud to be a part of something so great.

The Hermes kids are among the last to arrive. Most of the other campers are here already and slowly, my cabin mates trickle off to join their friends and claim their seats. The ring around the campfire is so big, it's impossible to see around it. If Clarisse is on the other side, I'll have to walk around but Chiron is already clearing his throat for everyone to settle down so I sit down at an empty space by myself. I feel a little disappointed that I won't be next to Clarisse, where I really want to be, but I tell myself that I can always find her afterwards.

Before Chiron starts talking, I hear someone snap "Move!" and the boy next to me scoots over. Clarisse slips into his place and wordlessly slides her hand into mine. I grin.

"Glad to see you were looking for me," Clarisse says quietly as Chiron begins to speak.

"I was looking for you," I protest under my breath, "But Chiron was telling everyone to quieten down so..."

"Yeah, yeah. When did you start becoming such a rule follower?"

"What do you mean? This is my first day!"

"Whatever, Chris," Clarisse says, rolling her eyes. I can tell she's trying not to smile. "You're such a priss. Why do I even like you?"

"So you like me?"

Next to me, I feel her freeze. In the purple glow of the fire, I can see her face is flushed and she looks embarrassed. I laugh and she scowls, trying to pull her hand away from mine but I grip it tighter.

"Go away, Chris," she frowns half-heartedly. "You know I didn't mean it like that."

"Really?" I whisper, leaning closer to her. She smells like sweet like peaches, something I haven't noticed until now. "Because I was kind of hoping that you did."

She turns to face me so we're face to face. I can see how, all of a sudden, she looks guarded. I don't think Clarisse as many friends. The kids here at camp seem surprised when I say how nice she's been to me. I guess they don't really know her like I do. I wouldn't be surprised if she's used to being a little left out and disliked from how I've heard the other the kids talk about her. But I know they're wrong. I know that there isn't another person in this world I would have rather found me in that labyrinth. No one else would have understood how I was feeling at that time, I'm sure of it. And the way I see her, she's one of the most beautiful people I have ever met. Maybe not in how she looks or even the things she says, but in the way she just is.

"Are you messing with me, Chris?" she asks, her tone a little sceptical.

I shake my head. "If I mess with you, you have my permission to kick my butt."

"Good," she smiles, "Because you can bet I will."

"But I'm not," I say softly. "I'm not lying at all right now."

"Good," she repeats, smiling even wider. "So kiss me then."

I lean forward and I kiss her. All around us, the other campers are singing and roasting marshmallows but in my head, they may as well not be there. All I know is the look in her brown eyes right before they closed to kiss me, the way her hands feel in my hair, pulling me closer, and the simple sureness of it all. The knowing that nothing, nothing, can take away this breathless, dizzying moment.

I know where I belong. I know it is here, with these campers, this family. And this girl. I don't know what is to come. I don't know how this imminent war will play out, who will win, who will lose. I don't know if I will be here a year from now or even a week from now. All I know is that none of it matters. I can start afresh, a new kid, a new life and a new love. I know that there is nothing more that I want now than to keep kissing this amazing girl – the girl who saved my life and never questioned who I was – who makes me feel grounded.

I can finally be the man I want to be. I have someone who will stand by my side as I find myself. What more would I want? This is my story, and I am about to start living it.