Wow! I got phenomenal support from you guys! Thanks so much! I hope you all enjoy the new chapter! Sorry for the late update!

Q&A:

YorkistExile - General events will be similar, but the main point of each story, their morals, and the character motivations in them will differ! Hope that answers things!

Xionsd - Percy's subconscious insecurities and stuff is definitely a part of that. As for whether it is a prophecy as well, you'll have to read and see!

Dududuhehe - I won't be doing a pairing for this story. I have a very specific vision for this one, and I think a pairing will kinda muddy things. I'm still 50/50 on doing a sequel after this, but if I do, I might do a pairing for that!

TheVultureQueen: Shh! Don't tell anyone!

Guest: I do intend to update more often! Just got done with school, and my summer is open, so I hope to get more chapters done!

Disclaimer - I do not own Percy Jackson

Chapter Two: The Maiden's Patron

"And then I fell in."

Chiron stroked his beard, his eyes somewhere on the sunrise in the distance. Percy watched him, hands clasped under the table, his nerves squeezing the muscles in his chest, each heartbeat thumping through his wrist, his fingers, his neck.

"In the dream, were you looking at everything from your perspective, or from over the shoulder?"

"First person." Percy said.

"And the Oracle. How did she first appear in your dream?"

"I was resting in a field, and when I opened my eyes, she was looking down at me. Staring at me." Chiron went back to stroking his brown and white beard, letting the seconds tick by ever so slowly.

"You don't think it's... a prophecy, do you?" Percy said.

"I don't know if I can say. The Oracle occasionally appears in peoples' dreams. But it is just as easy for a demigod to dream of the oracle. That is, the oracle is a figment their mind makes up in the dream like everything else, rather than the actual oracle coming into their dreams. It very rare for her to make appearances in Morpheus' domain, though. Even rarer to weave prophecies in it."

"And... the place I went to... is it...?"

"The Underworld, surely. The line 'Hades gates below' reveals as much."

"So that river was the Styx then?"

"Hmm... I think not." Mr. D said. Percy glanced over to him. The plump god sat at the table, the door to the big house behind him, eyes scanning his cards for the paused game of pinochle.

"Mr. D?"

"The Oracle. She named it 'The River of Woe', didn't she? That's the nickname for the Acheron."

"What's the Acheron?"

"Look it up" Mr. D said, rearranging the cards in his hand.

"The Acheron," Chiron said, "is the fifth river of the Underworld. If this is indeed the Oracle in your dream, it is strange she would draw our attention to that river in particular."

"How come?"

"The Acheron has largely gone untouched by living heroes through history. It's never played a part in any of the classic stories. More often, it is the Styx that heroes encounter. Achilles, Narcissus, Orpheus... but the Acheron has, to my knowledge, never been part of a quest.

"...Why's it called the River of Woe?"

"That is what it does to those who even draw near to it. Cause woe. The river can look into you, grasp your deepest guilts, regrets, and most of all, the things that cause you your greatest pains, and it draws them all to the surface. It puts them on your shoulders, and makes you feel the burden for each and every one. It strips you of hope, and joy. It takes that which torments you the most, and magnifies it beyond your capacity to handle."

"So heroes have generally done a good job to avoid going in?"

"That's only what happens when you get near it, Percy. To go in..." Chiron shuddered, and made a glyph of warding with his hand. Nearby, a Saytr with a tray of grapes nervously bit on a Pepsi can. And, though he may have imagined it, Percy thought he even saw Mr. D's eyes dip a little. He felt wriggling, gnawing anxiety start to bubble in the pit of his stomach, the image of the river drawing closer and closer as he fell flashing through his mind, its voices growing in strength as he drew near the waters. What if it wasn't just a dream? What if... that was his fate?

"Right... so... you think I should... I dunno... ask the Oracle about it? See if it was her?" Percy said, grabbing for any assurance he could find, leg bouncing, eyes flicking from Chiron to the table.

"It wouldn't do you much good. She isn't one to repeat herself if it was her, and isn't much for conversation if it wasn't." Percy clenched and unclenched his fists, his breathing growing deep. Chiron took notice of Percy's stress, and put a hand on his shoulder. "But, I wouldn't worry too much about it, Percy. You said she gave the prophecy in song, correct? That's not the Oracle's usual method of delivering foresight. She only does so in verse, never to melody. She is also not much one for repetition, such as how she repeated each word at the beginning of the lines."

"You really don't think it was her?" Percy said, the weight ever so slowly lifting off his shoulders and mind.

"I'd put my money on it being simply a dream, if I had to." Percy's relief swelled, and came out in a sigh. "I wouldn't dwell much on this, Percy. If I believe there's any indication this might have been an actual prophecy, you'll be the first to know. For now, just take it easy today. Talk with friends, practice at the archery range. Let any stress roll off your shoulders. Promise me you'll do that?"

He nodded.

Percy splashed water in his face, looking up into the bathroom mirror, his eyes red, his shoulders tense, his breath heavy. His body was drenched in sweat. A few drops of water dripped down his bangs. All his muscles felt tired and sore, like someone took their precious time rolling them through a clothes wringer. His shirt was wrinkled and damp. There was a gash running down his chin. He closed his eyes, letting out a shaky breath, his mind replaying the fight yet again...

Luke and Percy stood opposite each other, swords raised, their golden-bronze blades flashing in the sunlight. Luke was relaxed, shoulders light, all the confidence in the world. Percy was stiff, eyes darting, looking for any and every little movement Luke could make. Nothing in his shoulders, they were calm and still, save the ever-so-slight rise and fall from his slow breathing. Nothing in his arms, they were firm, his hand gripping his blade. Come on... when are you going to...

A twitch in his thigh.

Percy rocketed backwards, dust flying from his tennis shoes as he slid to a stop, guard raised, gaze sharp, breath stopped. He waited for the blow to come down on his sword. Nothing. What? Wait, where... Luke was standing in his same spot, having paused the single footstep that he was about to make a moment earlier. A few snickers came from the crowd. Percy scowled, refocusing on his opponent. Luke was looking at Percy with a raised brow, and a little smile. It wasn't condescending. It was just reassuring, like he was really trying to tell a friend he wasn't actually gonna hurt him. Percy hated that smile more for that.

...fixating on every mistake yet again...

Percy stepped back a little too much as their blades locked, his stance very wide and unbalanced. He prayed Luke didn't notice. The upbeat and playful glint only a child of Hermes could carry in Luke's eyes said otherwise. He spun out and around their locked blades all in the matter of a split second, swinging up at Percy's flank. He raised the blade to block before he could reposition his stance, and the swords clashed again. Percy went tumbling with a shower of sparks raining down on him. He raised a hand to his eyes, trying to roll backwards to make some distance. Luke stomped down on his foot and pinned it to the ground, preventing him from pulling his hip over his head. Percy tried to rip his foot away, just as a sword tip touched his throat.

"Best of three?"

...counting every cut again.

A streak of red flicked from his chin as Luke's sword drew a faint paper cut across it. Percy felt a drip of hot blood roll down his neck. He growled and twirled his blade back around, swinging up towards Luke's torso in what was more an anger strike than a calculated one. Even as he let the strike go, he could tell it was too slow, and too improperly placed for Luke's positioning. He saw Luke's counter before it came, and couldn't do a thing about it. Luke parried, whipping his sword around in a wide windmill, sending Percy's strike flying to the right, and neatly cutting the bow of Percy's shoelace as he did so. He could have gone deeper if he wanted.

Just like the last cut. And the cut before that. And every cut since then.

Percy went for a shoulder barge, the fastest move he could think of with his positioning. Luke's eyebrows shot up, a smile on his face as he hopped back. Percy's strike hit nothing but air. Just as he was trying to reposition, Luke swiped around him yet again, his foot hooking his ankle before Percy could catch his weight. Percy hit the cold stone floor, scruffing his palms. Luke's sword touched the back of his neck.

"We can still do the last one if you want, but you mind if I get a water break? Getting a little parched, myself!"

"Come on..." Percy whispered at his reflection, anger welling up in him. "Come on, you worthless, pathetic idiot! Just one hit. Just one" He squinted his eyes shut, took a shuttering breath, and tried his hardest to still himself. He left the sink, swiping his sword that was leaning against the wall. Or rather, not his sword, but the one that had been, unofficially, loaned to him for the last two years. He was the only camper he knew of that hadn't found melee a weapon natural to him, other than Bailey. Percy open the bathroom door, and walked out into the harsh sunlight.

Percy let out a slow sigh, trudging his way into the arena. Luke was already there, bouncing on the balls of his feet, his bangs tumbling around on his forehead. A few campers were talking with him. Percy saw one hold up a non-existent sword, and sweep it in a windmill, asking Luke something. Percy glanced down at his shoelace, still cut cleanly on the bow. He scowled. When he glanced back up, he saw that Luke had spotted him. The teen grew a grin.

"Percy! Hey!"

"Hey." Percy said, getting into stance as the campers backed away. "Ready?"

"Yeah, but hey man, we don't have to do the final round if you don't-"

"I want to." Percy said. Luke gave another smile, pointed his sword at Percy, and then twirled it into guard position. The pair circled each other. Percy felt a bead of sweat drip down his brow. His anxiety was stirring in him, yanking at him, muttering in his ear. He tried to push it down, but that was like trying to push down rising water. Was his parent watching him right now? Waiting to see if their son could even touch their opponent. He pushed those thoughts to the side. He had to calm down. Breath. In. Ou-

Luke lunged.

A clang of metal against metal, a flash of light, the sound Percy's sword clattering against the arena floor, and the tip of Luke's blade came to rest a hair from Percy's forehead.

He didn't even last a second.

"Tough man. Hey, I know you'll do better when we get you a weapon that feels comfortable in your hands! But you did great, I can see lots of improvements."

"Yeah..." Percy muttered. He swiped the sword off the ground, and made his way to arena bleachers. He spilled onto the bench, head down, eyes fixed on the ground. A thought came to his mind. The image of a faceless god up on Olympus, maybe Apollo, sitting on their throne, watching an ethereal image of his fight. The other gods on their thrones snickered, as Apollo pinched the bridge of his nose, shook his head, and stormed out of the room.

Percy's head dipped a little lower.

Percy sipped from his bottle of water, eyes on the grass as he made his way over to the rock wall with the rest of Cabin Eleven. He felt tired. He wished he'd gotten back to sleep right away last night after his nightmare, but he just couldn't get comfortable again until a good hour or two passed. He took a sip from his bottle of water. It was warm, and did little to cool his throat. He glanced up to see Luke chatting with some of the other Hermes kids. The actual Hermes kids, ones who had been claimed, like Luke. He looked happy, like everything was right in the world, and he had everything he could possibly want.

Percy forced his gaze beyond him. The rock wall had a group of teens around it, mostly girls, but a few guys. Cabin Ten, Aphrodite. He forgot they shared a rotation today. They'd be climbing together, probably competing. Percy looked back down at his shoes, a hand in his pocket, the other at his side with the bottle dangling from his grip. He let out a little sigh, and then, felt someone walk up next to him.

He glanced over at Bailey. She was looking at the rock wall, hands shaking a little, her face painted with nervousness. A little spurt of lava spewed from the top of the wall, rocks tumbling down its side, and Bailey's eyebrows tilted up in fear, a sharp breath filling her lungs. And despite his exhaustion and everything that happened today, a small, caring smile still tugged at the corner of Percy's lips at the sight of her. He put a hand down on her shoulder.

"I was scared the first time I saw it too." Percy said. She looked up at him "It'll be okay."

"I... I don't know..." She said, eyes fixed on the wall. "Is the lava... real?"

"Yeah."

"I... I can't do this."

"You'll do fine, Bai-"

"No, no I can't! What if I'm not actually a demigod? What if I can't jump and climb like you guys? What if the lava hits me? Percy, I don't wanna go up, I don't-"

"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay." Percy said, coming to a stop with her. The Hermes kids glanced at the pair as they passed. "Bailey, you'll do fine! I know it!"

"No!" She said, her breath picking up pace, eyes fixed on the wall. "Percy, please, I don't wan't to! I can't! I-"

"Bailey." Percy said. He took her chin, and gently, but firmly, turned it from the wall, and toward him. "Close your eyes. Now... just breathe. In and out. Slower than that. In." He took a deep breath with her. "Out." She exhaled with him.

"Now" Percy continued, "I know you feel like you can't do it. Every demigod feels that at first. But, most demigods don't know their own strength until they start doing stuff like this. I was terrified when I first did this! But I found out that I could do way better than I thought! And you will too!"

"I... I'm still so scared..."

"I'll be right there with you." Percy said. "We'll go up together. I'll guide you each step of the way, and I'll be right next to you in case something happens. We'll start on the lowest setting for the wall as well, no shaking, just a few boulders, and only a little lava that just shows up after five minutes has passed. And if it does come, I'll be right there to get us both out. Sound good?" Bailey took a deep breath, and nodded.

"O-okay." She said. "You promise you'll keep me safe?"

"Promise." He said, with a smile. "And by the end of our climb, you'll realize just how much you're capable of, Bailey."

"If you say so." They turned back to the Hermes kids, Percy's hand on her shoulder.

"Abares" He muttered under his breath. A little flash of white light appeared under his palm.

"What?" Bailey said.

"Sorry, my throat caught there. I was gonna say we should probably get back to the group." She nodded, and looked at the wall, taking a deep breath before continuing forward to catch up with the rest of Cabin Eleven. Percy followed behind, glanced at the little white glyph on her shoulder, weightlessness, and looked back to the group, trotting to catch up himself.

"Hey, Luke?" Percy trotted up.

"Yeah Perce?"

"You mind if me an Bailey go up on our own? I'm gonna get her used to the wall." Luke gave an easygoing smile.

"Sure thing! Lemme tell Silena so we can adjust our pairs." Luke trotted off. Bailey glanced up at him.

"Adjust their pairs?" she asked.

"Aphrodite's Cabin and Hermes' Cabin is on dual rotation, and when that happens at the wall, we usually have one person from each cabin go up in pairs. Whoever gets to the top wins, and whichever Cabin has the most victors wins the whole contest. We'll be going up separate, not as part of the contest." Bailey nodded, as Luke came back to the group.

"Alright, you guys will go third. And you can go ahead and head back to the cabins when you're done." Luke said. "You want the lowest setting?"

"That'd be great. Thanks man."

"No worries." He replied, trotting to the wall as Silena came over as well. The wall started to rumble, rocks tumbling off its side as the two teens waited for the signal to go. Some lava dribbled off the top, catching Bailey's eyes.

"Don't look at the lava." Percy said. "Look at Luke and Silena, instead. Watch how they move." Bailey nodded, fixing her eyes on the pair. Percy glanced back at the wall. It was charred black from years of extreme heat. Cracks, crevices, and bumps littered the wall, a pair of ropes curled up at the top, golden, enchanted with heat resistance for the lava. Down by its base was a big digital clock, showing how much time they had before the whole thing erupted.

The signal went off with a loud buzz, and the clock read "0:30", as Silena and Luke rocketed up the side, scrambling up handholds, weaving around boulders, steadying themselves at every violent shake of the wall. Percy pointed at the two of them.

"Notice where they're going." Percy said. "They always go up the path with the most options, the most nearby handholds, in case a stray rock makes them have to dodge out of the way. It'll be much slower for us, but you want to do the same thing." Bailey nodded, as Luke reached the top, and offered a hand to Silena as she came up a few second behind him. The pair grabbed the ropes, and rappelled off with five seconds to spare. The wall exploded with lava and boulders afterwards, rumbling the ground around them.

"It won't be that violent when our time runs out." Percy said. Hermes cabin cheered for Luke as he made his way back, the golden ropes retracting back up to the top. Percy always wondered if that was mechanical or magical. One of the Stoll brothers trotted up to the wall as Mitchell came over from the Aphrodite Cabin. Within thirty seconds, the pair went up, and rappelled back down. Percy looked to Bailey.

"You ready?" He asked. She inhaled a deep breath, and nodded.

Bailey reached the wall. She took a gulp, and reached for a rock with trembling fingers. Her legs were shaking. Her eyes darted up the wall to the top, fifty feet up. She squeezed them shut, head dipping down, her breath raising from its steady walk to a brisk run. Then, she felt Percy walk up next to her before she even opened her eyes, and the fear in her muscles seemed to loosen its grip simply at his arrival. She opened her eyes and glanced up at him. He gave her a smile, gentle, reassuring, one that let her know that it was all gonna be okay. Her grip on the rock steadied, and her breathing slowed back down as she looked up to the top, right at the rope.

The two began to climb. Percy kept his pace slow, matching Bailey's as he watched her progress. He glanced up at the top, watching for boulders, then back down to her. She wasn't looking at the next handhold. She was looking at the top of the wall, almost going up on autopilot. In fact, she seemed a little surprised at her own ability to do so, if her expression was any indication.

"The first boulders are coming up." Percy said to her. "You'll need to be ready to jump out of the way. Look for the handholds that will be easiest to jump at, and keep them in your hea-"

A boulder came spinning off the top of the wall. Percy watched Bailey, waiting to see if she would jump or if he needed to help her. He didn't. She kicked off the wall with grace, and caught the handhold almost perfectly. She gave just the right amount of force on that jump as well, not overshooting or undershooting so she had to catch herself. Percy smiled, and jumped to his own handhold with practiced ease, just a half-foot out of the rock's path as it swung passed him to the ground.

"Good jump!" Percy said over to her. "Don't make the jumps big if you don't need to! Keep them small, just enough to get out of the way so you don't waste energy if you need to immediately jump again."

Bailey nodded, not even looking towards Percy, eyes still up at the top of the wall. Percy started climbing up as well, weaving around rocks as they came down with increasing frequency, all the while looking at Bailey, trying to keep close enough to reach, but far enough that he wasn't taking up her space if she needed to get out of the way. She was slowing in pace now that the rocks were coming down quicker, but still doing fine.

Percy glanced down at the clock. One minute. He glanced up the wall. About ten feet left. This is where it got trickiest, when you had less time to react to rocks and lava, since you were so close to the top. Percy spun around a boulder, kicked off a ledge, and grabbed a handhold a few feet from the top, listening for anything coming over the top near him. He jumped up, caught the peak of the wall, and pulled himself up, immediately looking back down to see Bailey. They were running low on time, and if she didn't make it up soon...

Actually, now that he saw her, that might not be an issue.

Bailey jumped from handhold to handhold, dodging falling boulders, twirling out of the way of debris, a look of excitement on her face. She glanced over at the time, ten seconds left, before she jumped from her handhold to a nearby crevice, and kicked off it, springing a good five or six feet up in the air. She then grabbed a rock that jutted out from the face of the climbing wall. Her momentum carried her, and she flipped around it like a gymnast swinging over a bar, letting go at exactly the right time, backflipping up through the air, and landing at the top with Percy, stumbling a little before she righted herself.

"Bailey, here!" Percy threw her the rope. She snatched it out of the air, and without any hesitation, went rappelling over the side with Percy just as the lava came spewing from the top of the wall like a little volcano. The two hit the grass a few meters apart, rolling with their momentum. Percy slid on his butt, coming to a stop. He let out a sigh. That was a little close. He glanced up at his climbing companion, and the sight warmed his heart.

Aphrodite Cabin and Hermes Cabin were applauding her for her first attempt. One of the Stoll brothers helped her up, clapping her on the back. Her hair was a little frizzled and singed, her shirt carrying some soot. But the grin on her face was unmistakable. Percy stood, wiping himself off as the groups dispersed. Bailey glanced over to him, and beamed with happiness. Then, Percy tilted his head. Was that...? He smiled, and made his way over towards her.

"Bailey?"

"Did you see it?" She shouted, jumping up and down.

"Bailey?" Percy repeated, a smile on his face.

"I made it all the way up! I did it! I-"

"Bailey!" Percy said with a big grin, and a laugh, holding her shoulders so she wouldn't go bouncing over the clouds.

"What?"

"You've just been claimed." Bailey blinked, looking over her head. No hologram was there, but Percy took her hands and held them up for her to see. Surrounding them was a glowing pink aura, gently pulsing like a slow heart beat.

"W...who...?"

"Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love." A voice said. Selina Beauregard trotted up to the pair, a grin on her lips. She came to a rest next to Percy, and put a hand on her hip.

"Her claims are different from everyone else's. She likes to give her kids a makeover when she claims them." Percy said, smiling down at her.

Bailey's eyebrows furrowed before Silena pulled out a pocket mirror. She flipped it open, and showed it to her. Bailey's orange Camp Half-blood shirt, which she had only owned for a day, was replaced by a sleeveless white gown, with gold bands around her biceps. Her red hair, which was messy not a few seconds ago, was now shining, curling over her shoulder. Her face was also touched up with very light makeup. Percy was expecting a full mascara-and-blush treatment that would look out of place on the eight year old, but it seemed like Aphrodite appreciated subtlety more than he thought... well, as subtle as a glowing makeover of an eight year old could be.

"O-oh..." Bailey said, faintly reaching up to the mirror like she couldn't believe what the reflection told her. A tinge of red hit her cheeks, embarrassment, as she looked back up at the pair.

"'Oh' is right!" Silena said with a laugh as she pocketed the mirror. "This 'makeover'," she said with a pointed look at Percy "is the blessing of Aphrodite. It'll last you a few days, maybe even a week. We all got one at some point."

"We?"

"Your new sisters and brothers, in Cabin Ten" Percy said. Bailey's gaze dipped as a smile slowly touched her face.

"Sisters and brothers..." She muttered to herself, before her smile fell. Percy felt something was off in her.

"Whats up?" He asked, brow furrowed. Silena glanced at him, and then noticed a frown slowly spreading on Bailey's face. Her brow joined Percy's.

"I... I won't be in Cabin Eleven anymore?"

"No, you'll be in Cabin Ten now." Silena said. Percy scanned Bailey's face, which was now scrunching up a bit. The realization hit him. He dropped to a knee, down at her level, and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Hey, hey" he said softly as she wrapped her arms around him, and wet his shoulder with a few tears. "It's okay, it's alright".

"I-I don't w-want you t-to leave..." Percy shushed her, as he held her in his arms, rubbing circles on her back, his face swelling with care. She sobbed for a few seconds, as Silena took a step back from the pair, and watched, wearing a sad smile. Percy let her cry a few moments, before he took her shoulders again, separating her from their embrace. Bailey wiped her tears with her wrist.

"Bailey, I'm not going anywhere." He said, "Yeah, you'll be in a different cabin, but we'll still see each other! We're still friends! I'll see you during singalong, and recreation, and during meals. We just won't be bunking in the same cabin, and we'll have a different activity rotation, that's all!" Bailey sniffed, as a few more Aphrodite kids came trotting up to the trio.

"I'll still get to see you?"

"Sure thing. We'll still be friends, and I'm sure you'll also make plenty of new ones in your cabin too. But don't you worry. I'm not going anywhere."

"You promise?" She said.

"Promise."

"You won't even be going on quests?" She asked.

"Don't worry Bailey. I think I'm the last person that'll be going on a quest in this camp anytime soon." Bailey smiled, and hugged him again.

"Thanks Percy" She said.

"No problem" He whispered back. Percy stood back up as Silena stepped forward again.

"Hey, why don't you follow Mitchell back to the cabin? He'll get you settled in your new bed." Bailey looked up at Percy, who nodded at her.

"Okay." She said, following Mitchell back towards the cabins. Percy watched her go, as Silena stepped up next to him.

"You're a really sweet guy, Percy" She said quietly. Percy kept watching Bailey, as she made her way across the field, letting the compliment go unacknowledged.

"Watch out for her, will you?" Percy said, "I don't want her to be bullied or anything." The pair started making their own way back to the cabins.

"I will." She said. "Don't worry about the bullying though. My whole cabin saw her crying, and I'm pretty sure if I know them as well as I think I do, she just turned into the Cabin Ten's darling. Oh, and thanks for nearly getting me with the tearjerker by the way! This mascara's expensive, you know?"

"You saw a kid cry and were worried about your makeup? Heartless, Silena!" Percy said with faux drama dripping from his words. She budged him with her shoulder.

"More thinking about how quick you work. She was here for, what, a day? And she's already that fond of you? Impressive stuff."

"I was just being nice to her. It really wasn't anything special."

"I don't know, Percy. Every time I talk to you myself, I certainly..."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"No, what's up?"

"Well, its like I, um... Sorry, I'm trying to find a way to say it without it sounding weird."

"Just go for it!" Percy said with a smile. She gave her own distracted smile as she seemed to search for words that were dangling just outside her reach.

"I feel... safe around you."

"Safe?"

"Not like, romantically." Silena said. "And trust me, I'd know if it was a romantic thing. But like... talking with you feels natural. Like I can let my guard down. And not just safe, its also like... I dunno. There's almost a sense of..."

"Belonging." Percy finished.

"I... yeah. Belonging. Like being around you clicks... how did you...?

"You're not the first person to tell me that." Percy said. His mind went back to when Katie Gardner told him the same thing the first year he was here while the two were plucking strawberries for the camp, or the time before that when Ivy, a tree nymph, told him he had a "natural spirit", or even way before, back in the orphanage, when Grace stretched her own nine-year-old vocabulary to explain the feeling, telling him that his presence could "always calm her down, always make her feel welcome". Not to mention the five or six mingled in between those three that all said something akin to what Silena said. The fact that they all, also, emphasized that it wasn't a romantic feeling made Percy's pride want to find a cave and hibernate for the winter.

Funny, how it seemed like only girls recognized the vibe he, unintentionally, gave off.

"Not surprised. You carry it everywhere you go." She glanced to her cabin a dozen yards away, and Percy saw Bailey through the open door, laying on her new bed, chatting with her new brothers and sisters. She looked happy, like she already felt at home. Silena watched Percy as melancholy tinted his expression.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah just... surprised. Only one day in camp, and her mom already..."

"You'll get your claim soon, Percy. I know you will. I'm sure your parent is watching right now, waiting for the right moment." Percy's eyes dipped a little.

"I'm sure." He said. "I'll see ya around Silena." She gave him a wave, and jogged up to her cabin. Percy made his own way towards the Hermes cabin, hands in his pockets, eyes on the ground, and alone as he walked through the grass.

Hope you guys enjoy! Next chapter will be "The heir of moonlight". As always, I'll try and answer any questions I get, and I will try to update a bit more frequently!