They all had certain looks on their faces as they watched my gradient of hopelessness. Percy's gaze was conflicted; relatability, empathy, and curiosity were all battling for attention in his eyes alone. Annabeth's were more reserved; she showed sympathy, but shock and calculation were shining like twin stars in the reflections of her orbs. Chiron had a fatherly concern in his eyes; I could tell that he was holding something back, but I didn't know what.
All their expressions changed when I stood up. Shorter than them, scrawnier than them, but steady. A looked to the boulders and debris beside us, then to the minotaur's body.
"You killed it? All by yourself?" Annabeth questioned. She gestured to the pool of blood spilling from where the head was separated from its body. I nodded slowly, and she nodded back the same. With my gaze on the ground, my eyes returned to the warm light the group had emerged from. It seemed brighter now, almost as if to draw me in. Cautiously walking toward it, I stopped to check behind me. My eyebrows furrowed, as if asking 'here?' They all nodded.
"That's Camp Half-Blood. We were here to help get you to safety, but it seems you've done that yourself." He explained. I nodded and began walking. They followed at my sides with Chiron taking the lead. The walk back was less intense, Percy and Annabeth flanking both sides of me.
"Hi. I'm Percy son of Poseidon, and this is Annabeth daughter of Athena. Do you know who your godly parent is?" His voice was light and childish. Given different circumstances, I may have smiled. I simply blinked. I didn't know what a half-blood was, what the monster I decapitated was, how we were talking to and being led by a horse man, or anything about these Gods at all.
"Percy, she doesn't know..." Annabeth told him. I fell silent, as the 2 made quick exchanges like I wasn't standing between them.
"Oh... but he killed a minotaur and didn't completely freak out at Chiron."
"Yes I know, but that doesn't mean they know. Also, He?"
"I guess your right. Yeah, he- oh. Wait, what is your gender..? uh- and your name?" She smacked him upside the head over my slouched form. I stole a glance to both of them before returning my glance to my shoes.
"Seth. I'm non-binary." My voice croaks and scratches, but is steadier than expected. It sounds cold and emotionless to anyone that heard it, but to me, it sounded like home. The only familiar thing that I didn't despise and could protect. It was only now that I did a retake of how I must look to these 2 older teens.
My undercut black hair was sleek and still damp from the rain, falling to the left side of my head and occasionally shielding my eye. I forced my round face to show no emotion, with my brown eyes sinking into a void of darkness in the center. Scars were apparent, seen as lighter or darker streaks on my yellow toned skin, the broken arm still aching from when I set it back in place after running away. They didn't know, of course. It was hidden under my dark blue hoodie sweatshirt. The hoodie was now noticeably worn and torn, but it was all I had now. With black sweatpants, my hands slid into my pockets. Luckily, my naturally dark hair was able to conceal the bloodstains on the sides of my head from Todd.
Lost in thought, I didn't notice Percy extend his arm to pull me closer to his side by wrapping it over my shoulders. I flinched and hissed when he pulled on my arm, and only then realized that my shoulder blades were stinging. He immediately retracted his touch and Annabeth punched him lightly.
"Hey, are you okay?" I took a second to think. If I admitted my injuries to them, it could be used against me or they could throw me away. Survival of the fittest wouldn't take a liking to me. However, if I didn't admit it, I don't know when I would be able to tend my own injuries without them knowing. Plus, I wouldn't be able to reach the backs of my shoulders well enough to efficiently treat anything.
"I'm fine... just a few injuries. Nothing that would be a problem."
Annabeth wasn't buying it, "If they're not a problem, tell us what injuries they are." Percy objected.
"C'mon, he's gonna get checked over by Chiron anyway. I mean... she? What do I call you, Seth?" My fear was easing as we got closer to the camp. This time, I met Percy's eyes while keeping my head forward.
"They/them if you want..." I had never had anyone ask for my pronouns before, despite having known I was non-binary from the start. It was usually used against me by the foster homes. I didn't fit in 1 category, and it made them mad. Other times, people would assume whichever gender they thought I fit into.
"Right! My bad, sorry about that Seth." Percy scratched his head embarrassed. I shook my head,
"It's fine."
We arrived at camp shortly after. Annabeth had filled me in on things, like how the Greek Gods were real and that half-bloods had one mortal parent and one godly parent. She was also kind enough to explain the monster, I mean, minotaur that I killed, and what exactly Chiron was. They said that I was a half-blood, and that Percy was the same when he first came here. Percy walked me through almost his entire life story: how he was attacked by a substitute teacher, his mom died for a minute, his life in camp, and defeating the god of War. He said that he thought his dad just left, but turned out to be a god.
"For as long as I've been alive, I didn't know who my parents were. My first home said that they could have died, or simply abandoned me. It didn't matter though, cuz they were gone and never coming back. And now... one's a god?" I didn't even know where I was born. It could have been anywhere, but I couldn't know.
I didn't intend on making my introduction to Camp Half Blood a pity party. I still did, though. Percy and Annabeth left for their cabins, so Chiron led me to heal my injuries.
"Some of us, here at camp, have healing abilities. Everyone's asleep right now, so I can help tonight." I nodded to his informative explanation as to why I was being led into what seemed like a log cabin. "I heard you've had an unfortunate experience with the foster care system. I'm sorry." His level of sympathy was unexpected, and took me by surprise. Not knowing what to say, I simply nodded and looked away.
"I do wonder, Seth, what led you out here? You certainly had a reason to be alone in the middle of nowhere." He holds only empathy and concern in his voice as I avoid his gaze again.
"I... I'm just done with the system. I can't take it anymore." My cold voice only increases his empathy. As he nods, he gestures for me to take my backpack and hoodie off so he can treat my injuries. Not thinking, I flinch away.
"Seth, it's alright. I know you're afraid, but you don't have to be anymore. This is a safe haven, and everyone here will make sure of it." I almost believe what he says. Almost. I decide then and there, that I don't want anybody to touch me. It's never meant anything good. Maybe for others it's good, but not for me. Never for me. That's just how it had always been, and I doubted it would change.
"Just... I'll deal with it. Is there any supplies I can use?" Chiron, despite looking a bit hurt, handed me the first aid kit sitting on the counter. I rifled through to find bandages, gauze, disinfectant, and a makeshift arm sling.
"These are the communal bathrooms and showers; you can use whichever bathroom you're comfortable with. Travis and Connor can show you your cabin." I didn't get surprised this time by the 2 boys standing behind me. When one reached for my shoulder, I whipped around and backed up defensively.
"Wow! It's okay, no need to be jumpy. I'm Travis. This is my brother Conner. We're gonna be your counsellors!" The 2 boys seemed cheerful, but tired. They clearly didn't know how to handle my hostility, but Travis seemed to just ignore it. I followed them, holding the medical supplies to my chest as they lead me to the Hermes cabin.
"Welcome to the reject's cabin! For unclaimed half-bloods, minor demis, and Hermes kids." Connor's cheerful announcement received groans of annoyance from the sleeping campers.
"Fuck off, Stolls." Says a voice from one of the bottom bunks. It's half asleep and clearly irritated.
Travis speaks up for his brother, "C'mon Chris. Just cuz you're dating Clarisse doesn't mean you have to act like her." They don't receive a response, which cues Travis to pat a bed at the back of the sleeping quarters.
"Seth, you can sleep in this bed. Sorry, it's pretty packed this summer. A lot of Hermes kids showing up, which means a lot staying here after getting claimed. Change room is to your right; if you need anything let us know!" With a yawn, both brothers climb up to their top bunks side by side. I look at mine. Most bunks are on the left and right side of the room, aligned and stacked in 2 levels, parallel to the wall. Mine was on ground level, perpendicular to it. I was right beside Chris's head, and he almost scowled in his sleep at me. As I quietly went to put shorts on and switch into my extra tank top, something felt... different. I still didn't know who my godly parent was. Whoever it was, had passed on powers to me. Powers that I don't know how to control.
As I made my way back from the changeroom, the medical supplies came back to my mind. It was just as difficult as I had thought to treat my shoulder's cuts, but I got it done anyway. My arm on the other hand... I hadn't gotten to yet. I decided to sit on my bed and deal with my arm. The splits and cuts where bone had jutted through were still there and still bleeding. As I wrapped my arm in bandages after wiping them with alcohol, something moved.
"Gods, what are you doing there? How can you even see?" It was Chris. He got up and rubbed his eyes. I hadn't realized that there was no light coming into the room, yet I could still see perfectly fine. That's when I realized the colours were off. Chris's hair looked like it had warm orange streaks running through like dyed highlights, but it didn't look right. Little did I know, his hair was a solid brunet with no change in shade. I shrugged and looked away, then continued wrapping my arm as he left for the bathroom. Finally, I was done tending to my injuries. All my clothes were in my bag, bloodsoaked and damp from the rain. My hair was messy and I could feel the impact of Todd's fist haunting it as it throbbed. I tried sleeping, but simply couldn't. I'd had insomnia as long as I could remember, and usually after this much physical stress, my body would give in to exhaustion. This time, my mental exhaustion is what kept me awake. I lay awake in my bed until the Sun began to rise, and sleep finally took its hold.