"Again? But darling, I've told you that story the last four nights!" Amma exclaimed. I only pouted.

"And whose fault is that? You left for two weeks without even telling me in person and Smrithi Aunty had to cook me food! Smrithi Aunty! She can't even boil an egg, much less cook actual food." I huffed and puffed and blew air up towards my forehead because my hair kept falling in my eyes. Amma was probably right in that aspect. Bangs aren't a great idea when you don't like having things touch your face or forehead.

A pat of admonishment landed on my cheek, and I whined, rubbing said cheek. Amma huffed and rolled her eyes. "I know you don't like her food, but that's no excuse to be mean, dear. And I'm sorry." When she sighed, her body slumped with eternal exhaustion. Normally bright and peppy honey eyes dimmed.

As I saw my mother seem to melt down from her tiredness, guilt swelled in my heart. I never wanted to hurt her or make her upset. That was not what I wanted to do.

I threw my arms around her neck and kissed her cheeks repeatedly in my naïve attempt to make her feel better. "Sorry, Amma. I'm sorry. Don't feel bad. I know you're doing a lot of stuff. I won't complain anymore. Just don't be sad anymore, okay?"

She fell into me and held me tighter, pulling me right into her lap. I was a big nine year old, but she didn't seem to mind.

This person, this woman from a small town in Kerala who traveled thousands of miles to raise me in America so I would face fewer issues in India because of my illegitimate birth out of marriage, collapsed in my arms as if she had given up on life itself.

She pulled herself away for a moment and rubbed away the tears on her cheeks. Amma was never ashamed to cry around me, but she always wiped her tears away. When I asked why she did that, she told me it was because she wanted me to learn that even if I cry, I should always wipe away my tears and keep going rather than give up.

I can see it even now. I don't know how I didn't realize it until then, but Amma was crumbling away. Her eyes had lost their glow. Her skin appeared gray under the weak lights of my bedroom. Her smile didn't even reach above her lips, and her hair seemed like it would break away at any moment.

But a pause and a second later, I observed the strength of a million soldiers slowly grow in her face, and she seemed to morph into a completely different person. Her skin seemed warmer. Her eyes seemed brighter. Her smile reached her entire face. She looked like I just gave her the elixir to eternal youth.

"You don't need to apologize for complaining, sweetie. Only ever apologize for not doing the right thing, okay?" She beamed and kissed my forehead, stroking a hand through my hair. "You are perfect as you are." She cooed and held my face to her chest, rocking us back and forth. "My baby is perfect."

I smiled into her neck and cuddled right up against her, giggling softly. "You know who else is perfect?" Amma pulled back and gave me a look of fascination, eyes wide.

"Who?"

I booped her nose, still giggling, and squeaked out, "You!"

She laughed and squeezed me in a tight embrace before settling me back into bed. She peppered my face with kisses and gave me a soft grin, stroking my face.

"Sleep well, Sun Drop," she crooned. I hummed at hearing my favorite nickname from her and curled into my comforter more closely, my body resembling a ball of fleece pajamas and cotton blankets.

My eyes had already shut and brought me into deep sleep by the time the light switch was flipped down.

Even though I didn't get my story, I didn't mind. I was still really happy. Amma was smiling and sunny again. That was all I wanted. That's the only reason I even asked for that story. Remembering how she met my dad and telling me about him made her so joyful, and I wanted to keep that happening as long as possible.

Back to present day.

I was fourteen when my mother kicked me out and told me to go to some weird place for the summer when some random dude came to our house.

That day had gone so strangely. I returned ecstatically from the last day of school, hoping to celebrate the beginning of summer with my mom. We planned to go out for dinner that day and watch a movie before coming back and packing. We would leave for India the next day because Mom wanted to visit the people in her family that didn't hate her.

But when I came home, my mother greeted me with a face full of terror and depression and deep concern. I couldn't understand why. I performed fairly well in school and never got in trouble, so there's no way it was due to a school issue. I didn't have any close friends, so it certainly wouldn't be due to an issue with a friend or their parent. I certainly was not involved in any illegal activity, so it would never be the police or the FBI or another government branch. I couldn't understand why my mother paced around our apartment wearing a look of unfettered anxiety and pain.

"Amma, can you please just tell me what's going on?! You've been walking around like that for twenty minutes!" I exclaimed, unable to bear the silence any longer. Her worrying made me worried, and the room choked in the fear filling us.

She took a very deep breath and sat down on the sofa beside me. "Anusha, do you remember the stories I told you of your father when you were little?"

My stomach churned, not enough to give me nausea, but enough to make me uncomfortable. "Uh, yeah. Why?"

She sighed and rubbed her face before taking my hands into her own. "My darling, your father was a very important man. He belonged to a family of great power and influence. They are not known and have rarely been seen, but they influence all aspects of our lives, without us even knowing. They often have affairs and such, so they have many illegitimate children. You are one of those children. Do not misunderstand me. Your father did love me, but he cannot stay with us. But, you should go and visit him. They allow their children to live together in a large space during the summer. That place will protect you from your father's enemies, and you will make many friends. You will be safe there."

"No."

She pulled back quickly before her features went soft, trembling hands reaching for my face to hold it gently. "No, darling. You must go. You are not safe with me."

I shook my head, standing my ground. "You're my mom. I've never even met the guy. He is not my dad. He's your former boyfriend. I have no relation to him beyond blood. I'm not gonna go see some deadbeat."

She sniffled and tried to explain herself more to me, trying to convince me to go. I kept refusing. I tried to be nice about it, but I just couldn't comprehend where this all came from and why she was telling me to go spend time with a stranger. "Why is this even coming up? Never once did you mention him after I turned twelve. Where is this coming from?"

Amma sighed, massaging her temples. "The place that those children stay during summer called me today. They want you to come visit. You were supposed to go at thirteen, but they gave an exception because I could protect you. I can't do that anymore, darling. Please understand."

Feeling guilty for stressing her out, I sighed and sat with her. "Protecting me from what? We don't have any bad guys attacking us." She gave me a pitying look, a sad smile flickering at the edges of dark lips.

"There are evils in this world that you can't see yet, enre hrdayam. I've been fighting those evils a long time to protect you, but I'm too weak now. They're far too strong and can quickly destroy me. But if you go to this place, both you and I will be protected."

I frowned. "Why would you be protected more? They hate us both, right?"

She shook her head, words like the sad murmurs of the morning breeze in summer. "No, darling. They only want to destroy you. They do not care about me beyond crushing me to get to you…"

I took some time to think and understand what was going on.

So for fourteen years, my mother has been protecting me from bad guys that want to kill me because my dad is this powerful guy that no one has seen except his lovers, of whom, my mom is one. But, they don't care about her. They only care about destroying me. And now, because she can't protect me anymore, she's sending me to some weird place where all of my half-siblings and I can meet and hang out and be safe. Safe to say, my reaction was appropriate. "WHAT THE FUCK?!"

She laughed at my explosive words, but nodded. "I know. It is insane. It is illogical. But darling, that's just how our lives are. All those crazy incidents from your childhood were caused by those bad guys. The time a pillar almost crushed you when we went to the Parthenon in Atlanta? A few years later when you almost drowned in that giant lake because some giant creature kept pulling at your leg? Even the two times when the apartment caught on fire two years ago? That was them. All of those were your father's enemies. I saved you those times. But I can't anymore."

The apartment grew still, quiet, almost dead like midnight during winter. "Your mother is weak now, beloved. You have to go to this place. For your own safety. And for mine."

Rivers flowed down her cheeks, and I couldn't say anything, so I kept silent and hugged her. I wouldn't go, but I didn't want to endanger her with my presence. And then the real guilt set in, and I almost had a mental breakdown, which I held off until she was asleep that night.

For fourteen years, my mom kept me safe from the clutches of death. fourteen years, she's been fighting and stressing herself out and putting herself in harm's way so I could live. How ungrateful was I?

How could I take her for granted when she stared death in the face so many times for me? I felt sick.

I felt disgusted.

I felt like a curse on her life.

You wanna know why? Because it was true. I was a curse. I brought her danger and fear and death and sadness. I brought her all the terrible things in life when I should have been bringing her joy and love and sunshine and warmth. I was the defect in her otherwise perfect life.

I didn't even deserve her.

So, I cried myself to sleep, as all people do when they discover this kind of shit.

The next morning when I woke up, I decided I would ask her to drop me off at the place so we could spend at least some more time together. Maybe get lunch before I don't see her all summer.

But upon walking out of my room after getting ready, I saw my mother engaged in deep conversation with a random guy, whose mop of dark curly hair, bomber jacket, black skinny jeans, and rock band T-shirt informed me that he was an emo. I cleared my throat to get their attention when neither noticed I'd entered the room. The guy whipped his head to the side to look at me. He gave a dim, hesitant smile, as if he was unused to showing any kind of positive emotion.

"Anusha, right? Hi."

I frowned and looked at my mom, who averted her eyes and didn't look at me, but beckoned me into the room. "Come here, darling. I'm afraid we have to move faster than expected…you need to leave with this boy to the place I told you about yesterday. He says they cannot wait for me to drive down and drop you off. It is for our safety and well-being, kanna. Please."

I tried to look her in the face, but she kept turning away from me. Hot, angry tears rose in my eyes, and I turned on my heel to storm into my room and start packing whatever I needed into a backpack. I couldn't even think clearly about the necessities. I shoved the important stuff into my recently-emptied backpack and threw it over my shoulder before walking back out.

Tears fighting to slip down my cheeks blurred my vision until I blinked and released them. I stepped back out and glared at the ground, mumbling my helpless acceptance. "Let's just go."

Amma tried to reach for me, and I simply stood like a statue. I couldn't even reciprocate the hug until all the tears rushed out at once. She and I unleashed loud sobs into the living room, clinging to one another like each was an anchor. Crumbling to our knees, we held on as tightly as possible, blabbering and blubbering in Malayalam until we could relax and just move on, knowing there was nothing else to do.

She held me far too tightly before helping me up and bringing me to the door. Two more hugs, and the door in my face broke us apart for what felt like forever. Forever only lasted until the guy tried to comfort me about what had just transpired. His voice rang in my ears. "Come on. You'll see her again soon once you can protect yourself. Don't worry about it, okay? It'll be alright."

A hiccough and a sniffle later, I picked up my backpack and pulled it on, turning to the guy and nodding. "I'm ready," I could only bear to murmur. He smiled more gently and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, leading me down the stairs of my apartment building to the first floor. We entered a long white van that had some kind of logo about strawberries along the side.

I looked inside to see several others, mostly kids around age twelve or thirteen all sitting huddled together. They gazed at me with wide, terrified eyes.

The guy stretched out his hand, motioning for me to go inside. With one shaky breath, I slowly stepped in and sat down in the seat closest to the door. The guy hummed. "Guys, this is another of our new campers. There's one more person to be picked up, and then we're on our way, okay?" They bobbed their heads meekly and returned to their conversations.

Unable to deal with the overwhelming silence that followed his words, I quickly plugged in my earbuds and started listening to my most recent and unfinished audiobook.

The guy with the dark hair visibly sighed and closed the door. He then reentered the van in the passenger's seat, nodding at whoever was driving.

I kept my head down and continued listening to my book, trying to become a smaller shape in my seat to avoid the others' attention. Sure, they were just kids, but I was still nervous. I was terrified, honestly. I was in this strange van with these weird people, and my mom had just kicked me out. I needed some safety and familiarity.

I actually ended up falling asleep after about fifteen minutes. Of course, I didn't open up and get more comfortable. I stayed curled up, but I didn't wake up until the car stopped again. That is one of my few talents. I can fall asleep anywhere and everywhere, but only if I'm tired enough or if I'm emotionally comfortable in that place.

Once we stopped, my eyes shot open, and I was completely alert again, as if sleep had never even grazed my mind.

The van door opened and some girl with dark skin and black-gold ombre curls entered. I scooted over to make room for her, and she gave me a smile brighter than the sun. I smiled back hesitantly, and she held her hand out.

"Hi! I'm Naomi! Nice to meet you. What's your name?" she bumbled.

I stammered for a few seconds before finally mumbling out, "Uh, I'm Anusha. Nice to meet you too."

She gasped and giggled. "That's such a cute name! Where are you from?"

I bit my lip and tried to think of a way to ask her to talk later. Right now was not a good moment. But seeing no way out and not wanting to make her upset, I answered as quietly as I could. "I'm from Kerala, but I took the test to become a citizen of the US last year."

She tilted her head to the side and hummed in confusion. "Kerala," she sounded out. She said it a few times as if to curl her mouth around the word properly. "Where is that?"

"India. Like, it's the state along the southwest corner of India."

She beamed at me, her face far too bright for that time of morning. "That's awesome! Do you speak the Kerala language?" I smiled dimly.

"Yeah. It's called Malayalam," I explained.

Naomi blushed a little. "Can you say that a bit more slowly?"

I chuckled, but nodded. "Ma-la-ya-lum."

She pronounced it slowly, grinning once she got the hang of it. "That is seriously super cool. I was born here, but that's not that interesting. Do you know your godly parent?"

I coughed for a few seconds out of sheer shock. "I'm sorry, what?"

She blanched. "Wait, no one told you?! How did you survive this long?!"

I groaned and put my head in my hands. "Not so loud, please. Can you explain to me what is going on?"

She nodded and winced, rubbing her temples. "Yeah, sorry. Okay. All of these people, including you, me, and Nico and Miranda at the front are children of immortal beings called the Greek gods. They control all aspects of the world we live in. There are also Roman gods, who are the other halves of the Greek gods, Egyptian gods, and Norse gods. There may be others we haven't learned about yet. These are the ones that are confirmed. You are a child of one of the Greek gods. We don't know who it is, but they'll claim you soon once you get to the place we're going to, which is called Camp Half-Blood. It's a place for kids like you and me who have a Greek god and a human as our parents. There are similar places for the kids of the Roman, Egyptian, and Norse gods. You'll go to Camp to train and learn to fight the monsters we'll face as half-bloods because they hate us and want to kill us. Does that all make sense?"

I must have looked like a deer in headlights because the girl spoke more calmly and took my hands, rubbing my knuckles with calloused thumbs. I got lost in her eyes for a moment when I was staring at her. She gave me a strong smile. "You'll be okay. I know you're scared, but you'll figure it all out. And if you ever need help, just come to the Apollo cabin. I'll be there most of the time." I understood then why I thought she was some sort of heavenly being. She was the child of the sun god.

I could see it in her face. The gold tint in her dark skin, copper eyes warm and bright, hair like a gorgeous massive halo of black and brass. She looked like she could be the sun itself.

My head turned down and nodded. "Y-yeah. Sure. Um. Yeah."

The drive lasted several hours.

But Naomi and I spoke like we'd been friends forever. She really was so amazing. It was like meeting someone I befriended as a child and reconnecting with them years later. It felt like a miracle.

And then the van stopped.

Pure terror filled my heart. I couldn't even move my facial muscles. My hands still clung to my phone. My legs made no motion to stand once the doors opened. Naomi noticed my immobile state and put her hands on my face, bringing herself to my attention. With a sweet smile, she rested my hands in hers and pulled me out slowly. I stumbled at first, unable to keep my balance once on ground after four or five hours of driving. I looked around and tried to get a hold of my surroundings.

Trees stood tall and proud behind us. A gold wig-looking thing hung on a branch of the tallest tree. Strawberry fields far in the distance. A huge statue of some lady with a shield and a spear with a huge fancy helmet on her head towered over us like a heavenly guardian of sorts. Down below us, a huge amphitheater but in the old, Classical Age style with a campfire pit in the center of the ground. Right next to it stood a weird little area with all kinds of art materials and paper and more dangerous objects like metal and hammers.

I couldn't see past that because we weren't too high up, but that was as far as I wanted to look. Any more, and I would have become overwhelmed.

Naomi smiled and made me take a few steps forward to look out at the other areas of the huge space. Seriously, this so-called camp could be a country of its own. It was HUGE. She wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. We're happy to have you here."

I gave a queasy smile and looked away. "So uh. Where do we go now?"

She snickered. "First, we go to the showers. All of us need a good wash. And then we'll go down to the Big House, where the camp director, Chiron, will greet us. And after that, you guys will get settled in the Hermes cabin. They take in all the kids with unknown parentage."

"Okay." My last word before I went silent for the rest of the day. (This is a lie.)

The showers astounded and also slightly disgusted me. My mother raised me in a severely clean house. Meaning, I never enjoyed spending time in a space that displayed even the slightest hint of uncleanliness or disorder. Everything had its place, and everything had a role. Anything beyond that set me off into a fit of cleaning and reorganizing everything in sight.

But I didn't care. I didn't know any other way of living.

So when I saw the very communal, not hyper-clean state of the showers, I felt dread begin to coil into a massive boulder in my stomach. I already wanted to go back home and shower and then just snuggle into my perfect linen sheets.

But because I wanted to fit in and not look like a fool, I put aside my discomfort and disgust and showered for a speedy ten minutes. I dried off and dressed myself as quickly as I could, eager to resume the tour. In a record time of three minutes, I dried and dressed myself, ready to go as soon as I stepped outside. The others gave me odd looks (clearly my attempts to fit in failed), but I ignored them.

Naomi grinned, high-fiving me as soon as she saw me. "How did you get finished so soon?! It was such a long drive!"

My shoulders shrugged once or twice. "I'm just fast. Not with running, but with my routine." She laughed a little and stood beside me as we waited for the others to join us. "That's another question!" I looked at her. "How in the world did we get here so quickly?! It's almost a whole day from Chicago to New York, and probably a few extra hours to wherever this is!"

She grinned again, chuckling. "Magic. We can speed up our cars to pass traffic or make the traffic speed up or get lucky. The Hecate kids really hooked us up with this van. They added a bunch of cool features with the Hephaestus kids' help. We can now drive a distance that would take twenty-six hours to travel in just five hours."

I scratched the back of my neck. "Damn. That sounds amazing. What else can magic do?"

"Anything you want. Almost. But enough of that. The others are here. Let's go!"

(I did lie earlier, though. "Okay" was not my last word for the day. I like talking a lot.)

At her exclamation, I continued with the group. We made our way towards the cabins, which stood in the stifling afternoon sun in a large rectangular space not far from the showers.

The two older kids, the emo dude with the bomber jacket and the pretty girl brought us to a cabin that looked a bit run-down even though I think it may have had some recent renovations. On the door hung a caduceus, which is the staff with two intertwined snakes on it that is in the logo of most hospitals.

The emo dude spoke up, finally conversing with us after almost seven hours of silence. While he'd been kind and soft when bringing me along, he now enunciated every word with a kind of strength that demanded the attention of anyone within earshot. He spoke like he knew how to command armies, of which I had no doubt. But I think I was the only one startled by the power in his voice.

"Welcome everyone to Camp Half-Blood. My name is Nico di Angelo, and I am the son of Hades, god of the Underworld. I'm the counselor for Cabin Thirteen. This is a place for young demigods to learn about their godly parentage, train to fight all kinds of evils, and meet others just like them. You will come here every summer until you are eighteen or able to defend yourself and live in normal human society."

He paused to let his companion speak. The brunette with the emerald eyes and powerful stance smiled warmly at all of us. "Hello, everyone. My name is Miranda Gardiner, and I am the daughter of Demeter, goddess of nature and the harvest. I'm the counselor of Cabin Four, which houses children of Demeter. Back to the point. You all have one godly parent from the Greek Pantheon and one human parent. Most of you have met your human parent, I presume. Some may have not. But most likely, none of you have met your godly parent. The gods do not often speak with their children, but they've been trying to do that more. Until your godly parent recognizes you and claims you, though, you'll be here, in Cabin 11, the cabin of Hermes."

Nico continued. "Hermes is the god of travelers, messengers, and so much more. He and his children are jacks-of-all-trades. The policy is that you will remain here until your parent claims you, which should be soon. Some of you are older than thirteen, which is the age that the gods agreed to claim their children by. While you are not unwelcome here, you are an oddity nowadays. But do not worry. You will discover your parentage soon enough and will move into your proper cabins with your fellow godly siblings."

One brave soul stumbled through a question. "How will we be claimed?"

Miranda chuckled. "The symbol of your parent will pop up and glow above your head. For Percy Jackson, it was a trident. For children of Hermes, it will be a caduceus like the one that's on the door right here. For children of Apollo, it will be a sun. It depends on the parent."

We all nodded and looked at her strangely, still awaiting our next instructions. Nico stepped in to cut through the awkwardness. "Now that we've talked a little bit, everyone get settled wherever you can. We still have quite a few unclaimed campers from the previous pickup, so if there aren't enough beds and cots, try and make do by sleeping on the ground or beside someone else. We really apologize about that."

The small group of ten mumbled and nodded, trying to dismiss the apology as if not having a bed wasn't a big deal.

While I wasn't thrilled about having to sleep on the ground, I wasn't too upset. At least I could be alone for a little while and collect my thoughts. Naomi rolled her eyes and called Nico's name. "Forgetting someone, Death Boy?"

He grunted. "I am going to beat the shit out of Will tonight." I really pitied this Will guy, whoever he was. "Sorry, everyone. This is Naomi Matthews. She's the daughter of Apollo. She lives in Philadelphia, so we had to pick her up. She'll be driving with you guys whenever you go back home since Philly is on the way to Illinois."

Naomi giggled and waved cutely to Nico, bright eyes almost glowing in the sunlight. Well, obviously.

"Yep, that's right! And if you guys ever need anything from archery help to music lessons to first aid, you can always drop by Cabin Seven, and one of us would be happy to help you! If you can't find someone specific, you can ask our counselor, Will Solace, for help. He'll know where we are. Anyways, I hope you guys get settled in well. I gotta get back to my cabin and unpack. See you all at dinner!"

She faced me and beamed, giving me a hug way too strong for how slim she was, and patting my arms. "You'll be okay, Anusha. Again. Just drop by and ask for me. I'll help you out!" She waved to us all before sprinting away, leaving dust flying around her feet as she ran.

We turned back to Nico, searching for his approval or nod of acknowledgement for us to enter the cabin. He walked up the steps and knocked on the door, which opened to reveal a young man in his late teens who scratched at his mop of red hair and grinned cheekily at the son of Hades.

"Nico, buddy! I've been waiting for you to show up. More kids, yeah?"

Nico snorted and bobbed his head, pointing at us with his thumb. "Hey, Connor. About nine. Fit 'em where you can. The claims should start next week or so."

Connor sighed, rubbing his face as sunken blue eyes raked over us. "Alright. Okay. We've got about eight spaces. One's gonna have to sleep on the floor until we can order another cot. They can figure that out amongst themselves until I need to step in." He shook himself off and put on a joyful face, all big smiles and mirthful eyes.

"Hey, guys. My name's Connor Stoll. I'll be your counselor until you guys get claimed. Come on in and grab up the empty spaces. But like I just said, someone's gotta crash on the floor for a few nights until we can bring in another cot."

The nine of us huddled into the cabin, looking around at the very chaotic mess of décor and style that mostly consisted of various posters and trinkets centered around a theme of wanderlust, comedy, speed, and mystery. It was definitely a very lived-in space, but was very disorganized in a homey sort of way. Like the living room of a grandmother who used to street race in her prime but now can't seem to let go of the past, so she hoards her old possessions and nostalgic items as a way of coping with a changing world.

Connor stepped out of the cabin to talk to Nico and Miranda while we stood around the cabin awkwardly. Some of the bunk beds had been occupied, indicated by the recently-made beds and cute little wall decorations. Others were entirely empty.

I dared to speak first. "Who's fifteen or above?" No one spoke or raised their hands. Looking at their faces, I realized I was the only person old enough to even drive. In a moment of motherly concern, I decided aloud, "I'll sleep on the floor. You guys take the beds and cots. I'll be okay."

A young boy drowning in his locks of honey and gold asked in a heartbreakingly innocent tone, "But one of us can do it too. We're all new. Why don't you wanna take a bed?"

My body froze. I exhaled slowly and moved to face him. "Buddy, everyone here is a few years younger than me. If I, an able-bodied older teen can sleep on the ground and let you guys sleep on beds, I should. There is no reason you kids need to sleep on the ground when I can do that and let you all be comfortable. That's why. Now everyone just pick a spot. Get settled. Don't argue. There's still stuff to do, I think."

Exhausted from the journey, I sat down the jacket I laid on the ground closest to the empty wall beside the door. I then pulled off and set down my backpack, having carried that for the long walk from the car down to the showers and then this cabin.

Miranda reentered the cabin with Connor, both smiling at all of us with fatigue clear in their eyes. "Come on, guys. Let's get down to dinner. After that is the singalong at the amphitheater. We like campfires too, but we go way harder," joked the red-headed son of Hermes. The others bounded out of the door, clearly famished and excited for the events the near future held.

I, on the other hand, had no such inclination. Connor gave me an odd look, expecting me to stand and join the others. He even tipped his head towards the outside. I shook my head, speaking far more softly than I had all day. "Not today, Connor. I just wanna be alone. And don't worry about getting me food. Mom packed me some because she thought I would starve on the way here."

He sighed, calling to Miranda to go down to dinner and that he would need a few minutes. The lanky hero sat down beside me on the ground, pulling his knees up and resting his arms over them. "So. Why don't you wanna go?"

"Why do you think?"

Connor hummed, rubbing his hands together. "Well, maybe you're feeling sick?"

I smiled like a statue. "I feel fine."

He continued guessing. "You're scared of going out there and seeing all those people?"

"Kinda. But that's only part of it."

"You're secretly already in love with this cabin and never wanna leave it ever," he teased. I laughed quietly, shaking my head.

"It's a nice cabin, but that's not one of the reasons."

He hummed and nodded, leaning his head against the wall. "You areeee…trying to cope with this demigod stuff."

"That is definitely a big part of why. But not the whole thing." I breathed slowly, but shakily. "I'm not one of you. I'm not meant for this life. All I know is how to do okay in school, how to listen to my mom, and how to write. I don't know anything else, Connor. I can't do all the fancy magic stuff you guys do. I don't even want to. I just want to go back to my mom and be happy. But that's another thing. I'm fucking heartbroken. My mom said I was a danger to her my entire life. Not her intention, but that was what I understood. I don't know if I can ever come to terms with that, much less the entire idea of the presence of magic and gods in this world."

He nodded. "I know. I know how you feel. Everyone has that thought when they first get here. You probably were sheltered for most of your life. Not much to worry about in terms of issues with the law or school discipline. No fear of the world from seeing what you didn't understand. But now life is different, and you're having a hard time dealing with that."

I nodded, biting my lip. He was spot on. "Bingo."

Connor chuckled lowly, patting my shoulder. "I know. Look, there are people here who can and want to help you. Nico above all. He's the best of us. But I do too, and so do Miranda and Naomi. The people you've met so far want to help you thrive here. You can leave if you want, but know that it's far too dangerous. But really. We want to help. Just reach out, okay?" Sighing one more time, he stood and grinned down at me. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Just head down to the infirmary if you need anything. Will Solace is gonna be there taking care of injured campers. The rest of us will be down at the mess hall, but I don't want you getting lost on your first day, yeah? See ya!"

I waved as he stepped out of the cabin, leaving the lights on inside.

That was it. The last proper social interaction for the rest of the night until the others got back. I bided my time eating the veggie sandwich and chocolate-coconut cake my mother had packed me. I didn't feel that hungry, but the food comforted me a lot. The rest of the time, I listened to music while I read the one book I had brought with me.

The night really was uneventful. The others popped back in around nine-thirty that night, and Connor began listing off the cabin and camp rules to all of the newcomers, including me. One of the Hermes kids, a huge Latino guy with charcoal hair and oaky eyes handed me a blanket and a pillow, smiling sweetly. "We don't have much to spare, but hopefully we'll get that new mattress in soon. Chris, by the way."

I beamed, shaking hands with the kind stranger. "Thanks, Chris. I'm Anusha. And it's fine. I'm no stranger to sleeping on the ground."

He chuckled softly, shrugging his shoulders. "If you say so. Sleep well."

"You too, man. Goodnight." He went back to his bed and curled up, falling asleep in minutes. I rolled myself into a little ball and tried to get comfortable, sleeping on my jacket with my backpack between me and the wall, and the pillow under the upper half of my body. The blanket covered me up to my shoulders, but no further. It was a bit too short, but I gratefully accepted what I received. I had no right to complain.

My mind began wandering towards the state of my mother and how she was. Whether she missed me or not. Whether she was safe now that I was gone. I hoped she was. I began replaying the events of that morning and afternoon, trying to put it all together in a way that made sense. If I was gonna be there for the whole summer, I had to be mentally prepared. Which meant I had to adapt and get used to the place as quickly as possible.

As my thoughts continued down the path into the very deepest recesses of my mind, I fell asleep. My body and brain experienced far too much that day, and I needed some goddamn, well-deserved rest.

Unfortunately, I awoke just a few hours after midnight to the sound of soft whimpering and mumbling. Groaning and grumbling, I sat up in my makeshift bed, glaring down the source of the noises until I realized it was one of the new kids shifting and twisting in their bed. My heart panged with sympathy. The kid seemed to be experiencing a very disturbing nightmare. Unable to sit and watch as a kid almost four years my junior writhed fearfully on their bed, I stood and made my way towards them on sleep-weakened legs.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and rested a hand on the kid's shoulder, squeezing firmly enough to make the little boy yelp and shoot up quickly into a seated position. He gazed in fear at the source of the touch before relaxing upon seeing my face. It was the same kid who asked why I didn't want to take the bed.

Trying to not startle him by moving too quickly or speak too loudly, I kept my voice quiet and smooth. "Hey, buddy. You looked like you were having a really bad nightmare, so I just wanted to check on you. Is everything okay?"

Sniffling and beginning to cry, the boy shook his head, long blonde hair moving fluidly with the turns of his head. "No. I don't wanna go back to bed. The dream was too scary."

I sighed. "Oh, honey. You need sleep. Otherwise, you can't do all the fun things I'm sure Connor and Miranda promised for tomorrow."

He shook his head once again, still sniveling weakly. "No. I don't want to sleep. The monsters are gonna eat me in my sleep. They keep coming back every night, but my mom doesn't know how to help me, and these guys don't know why I'm having bad dreams. I wanna stay up."

Taking his hands slowly into mine, I smiled down at him. "Let me make you a deal. I'll stay right here and protect you from the sleep monsters with a very special song my mom sings to me when I'm scared. I'll stay until you're fast asleep. But in return, you gotta try to at least relax and close your eyes. Fair?"

Biting the inside of his cheek for a moment, he nodded. "Fair. Shake on it," he demanded quietly. Grinning, I shook his hand.

He scooted over on the bed to let me sit by him. I sat more comfortably, leaning back against the headboard. I reached down and stroked my fingers through his hair, beginning to sing my mom's lullaby very very softly. I didn't want to risk waking up any of the other newcomers or the actual Hermes kids.

After a minute of singing the three-minute song, the sweet little guy picked up his pillow and rested it on my thighs to rest his head in my lap. I was unable to hold back my smiles at the adorable show of affection and kept singing until I could see him grow drowsy. After a Malayalam lullaby or two that my mom taught me, he was fast asleep, arms curled around the pillow as the side of his young face smushed right into it.

Sentimental fool that I am, though, I couldn't bring myself to lift his head off my legs for another hour until I knew he was in deep sleep. I gently scooped my hands under his head and lifted him as carefully from me as possible, trying to create as little motion as possible when settling him back down. Eager to get some more sleep, I hurried back to my little corner and curled up under my blanket, falling asleep as soon as my head touched my pillow.

Morning arrived way too fast, and I woke up feeling like bullshit.

I mean, considering the previous day, that's a given, but still.

Connor got us up and on the ground at the ungodly hour of seven in the morning, laughing in our faces. He rounded up all the kids, almost twenty-five people in total, and ushered them towards the bathrooms. But as I was stepping out of the cabin, he stopped me.

His previously over-excited and happy-go-lucky expression morphed into one of concern and obvious confusion. "Hey, I know this sounds weird, but I heard you talking and singing in your sleep last night. Is everything okay?"

I laughed nervously. "Uh, yeah. One of the kids was having a nightmare, so I woke him up to talk about it and put him back to sleep with a few lullabies. Sorry if I woke up anyone. I was trying to stay quiet, but it's hard to sing without making any noise.

He shook his head. "No, that's fine. I just thought I was going crazy. That's nice of you. Who was having a nightmare?"

I pointed to the bed where I comforted the kid from last night. "The boy with the straight blonde hair. He only told me sleep monsters were eating him. I made him a deal saying that if he tried to sleep, I'd sit and sing for him and keep the sleep monsters away."

Connor rubbed his chin, but nodded. "Alright. Thanks for telling me. Just head down to the showers. We gotta get you a meeting with Chiron since you never showed up for dinner or the singalong last night."

"Okay. Sorry about that, again."

As we strolled out, he patted my shoulder. "As long as you're doing better, I have no objections. But you don't always get to stay in, okay?"

Nodding, I hurried away to the showers with my backpack to get cleaned up for the day. I rushed to finish the shower as quickly as I'd finished it yesterday, scrubbing my skin as if I wanted to rub it right off my body. I stepped out of the shower in my best set of fresh clothes, my skin red and my face bright from my amazing face wash. If there's one thing I will always pride myself on, it is my hygiene.

Upon walking outside, I saw Connor grin and click the timer he held in his hand. "By far the fastest we've had in Hermes. Most take up to fifteen minutes. Why the rush?"

I winced. "Can I be honest? It's 'cause these bathrooms are kinda gross. I was raised in a basically germaphobe household, so this is just very uncomfortable to me. Especially since I never had to share a bathroom with anyone."

He snorted. "No way. What about at sleepovers? You had to share bathrooms then."

"If I had any sleepovers to go to, and I never did."

Sharp, handsome features distorted into pity and worry. "Wait, seriously?"

I shrugged. "Never was a super social kid in school. That, and people didn't like me. I had some kind of weird form of the cheese touch from that weird book all eleven year-olds like. I dunno, it was awkward. No one really hung out with me, so I ended up being friends with my teachers and adult figures. It helped me get ahead in school, but I really had few friends. Only started having real companions my age last year."

He grimaced. "That's rough, dude. Sorry about that. It's one thing to live a weird life as a demigod with friends. Without friends, it's a whole other story."

"You get used to the loneliness. When you've got no one, you're safer than you are with others. Besides, my mom and I were real close. She was my entire world. She sustained me this long…" I sighed. "I just gotta sustain myself from now on."

With a pat to my shoulder, he huddled everyone together, and walked up to the mess hall while a horn of some sort blew loudly, ringing all over camp. The mess hall was this huge space that looked like a fancy cafeteria with pure white pillars and string lights lining the borders. Except there were no walls or a ceiling. Just a bunch of benches and tables big enough to seat almost twenty people at once. I, like some of the older Hermes residents, stood while we ate.

Let me tell you.

What. A. Spread.

They had any food imaginable. Croissants, bagels, cereal with milk, juices of five or more kinds. Eggs, bacon, avocado toast, sausage and three other types of meat. There were so many options. I stuck to a simple meal of avocado toast, a bagel with cream cheese, tofu scramble, and as much fruit as I could eat.

I didn't realize how hungry I was until that moment.

Once finished, I stood silently and waited for Connor or someone else to tell me what to do next. When he finished eating, Connor motioned for me to follow him while Chris led the rest of the cabin away to some kind of weapons storage area.

The two of us walked up to an enormous blue building with a white trim and a gold bird on the top. It looked like a mix between a Southern plantation house and a beachside property.

"This is the Big House. Chiron and Mr. D basically stay here during the summer."

"Who's Mr. D?"

He snickered, rubbing his face. "Dionysus. God of wine and celebration. Zeus got mad at him for chasing some pretty wood nymph that no one could date, so Mr. D got sent down here as punishment. He got grounded. Quite literally."

"Right…and where did he live before being grounded?"

Connor looked at me like I'd asked the dumbest question on earth. "Mount Olympus. Duh. It's moved to the Empire State Building recently, but it's still called Mount Olympus our of respect for the first home of the gods."

"Okay then. Um. Was I supposed to know that?"

He frowned. "I mean, most of us know a bit of Greek mythology before coming in. Yeah."

I shrugged. "I just never took much interest. I always liked the Native American myths more. No offense."

"None taken, I think. Well, here we go. Just be polite and don't throw names around like we just did." Nodding at his directions, I followed him into the building, twisting and turning around a few hallways before entering a cozy office-like space filled with different trinkets about Greek mythology. A large dark brown bookshelf held many different history books: some were in English, others were in what looked like Greek. Others were in Latin.

Behind a large oak desk covered in papers, files, and different knick-knacks sat a bearded man with a kind face and mischievous eyes, who was playing cards with another, shorter man with black curly hair who was dressed in an atrocious ensemble consisting of a bright cheetah-print shirt with a dark, wine red shirt underneath and khaki shorts and weird shoes.

Connor called out, "Hey, Chiron. Hello, Mr. D. I brought our older new arrival." He bowed to both adults once they turned to him. The short, chubby man gazed at us with large bloodshot eyes and a youthful but also old face graced with an unhappy scowl.

"Mr. Stoll. Have you no other business beyond pestering me during a game?"

Connor sighed. "Sorry, Mr. D, but Chiron asked me to bring her in."

Mr. D grunted and rolled his eyes, returning to his game with the other man, who was likely Chiron. The pudgy guy waved his hand, and Connor told me to sit down in one of the chairs perpendicular to Mr. D's. Connor then sat down beside me.

Chiron set down his cards and smiled at me with the warm affection of a weary college professor who just wanted his students to do well. "Hello, Miss Anusha. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. I'm sorry you were not feeling well enough to join us last night. I hope you're feeling much better today."

I nodded politely and smiled. "Yes, sir. I'm doing much better. Thank you."

"That is good to hear, my dear. Now, I am told you had a bit of an issue when leaving your home to join us? Would you please elaborate on that?"

My heart burned. I didn't want to elaborate on shit. I wanted to get this over with and do whatever Connor had planned for the cabin so I could go back to my corner and sleep my concerns away. But because I had no choice but to respond, I ignored the ache in my heart and explained myself.

"My mother and I are very close, sir. She was very vague yesterday when explaining that I had to leave her. She and I were heartbroken, but we worked through it. I thought I could ask her to bring me here so we could still spend some time together. I didn't get that chance. Nico showed up at our door today, and my mom forced me out with hugs and kisses and sadness. I just have never left her side for very long. And I've certainly never been this far from her before. I just never had many friends as a kid, so I considered her my friend. It's just hard to be without her."

Chiron nodded and smiled sadly with sympathy. "I understand. That must be quite difficult. But I hope that you will come to make many good friends here and that you will enjoy your time at Camp Half-Blood."

I smiled weakly, clasping my hands together to stop the shaking. "Thank you, sir."

Mr. D, who I still couldn't believe was a god, turned to me for a few moments before humming at Chiron. "At least this one has manners. Tell me, child. Do you know who I am?"

"Dionysus. God of wine and celebration. Connor told me just outside. But aren't you magical? How come you're working with demigods? Isn't that like, below your pay grade, in a manner of speaking?" Connor smacked his forehead in exasperation. Chiron stifled his laughter. Dionysus glanced at me with amusement.

"You really are a strange one. Yes, I am the god of wine. Celebration is part of that. I am here because my father wants me to be a good example to you young children instead of wasting my time in general punishment." He explained all this while making Diet Coke appear out of thin air and playing the card game. I tried to not stare, but it proved somewhat difficult. This fat leopard-print poker player was a god?

"Ohhh. That's cool, I guess. Um. So why am I here?"

Dionysus snorted. "And yet she is daft. Really, Chiron?"

The other man gave a little huff and a little admonishment. "Mr. D! We do not speak about the campers that way. They only know as much as they are taught before joining us." He turned to me and smiled patiently. "You are here because we want to welcome you better because you did not join us yesterday. Do you have your T-shirt and a weapon?"

I stared at him as if he grew a third ear out of his face for asking if I had a weapon as casually as asking whether or not I'd received a T-shirt.

He sighed. "Bad assumption. Connor, please take her to the armory and get her a weapon of some sort. Just try some options out and see what works for her. If there's nothing, try and check with the Hephaestus kids. They may have something for her. Come to me only as a last resort."

"Sure, Chiron. Anything else?"

The man stroked his beard, dark eyes staring closely at the desk's surface while trying to determine whether or not he'd forgotten anything. His eyes lit up with recognition. "Ah yes! Ensure that Hephaestus cabin reprograms her phone at some point. We cannot have monsters tracking her once she leaves for school in the fall."

"Awesome. We'll see you later, sir. Goodbye, Mr. D." While Chiron nodded in goodbye, Mr. D completely ignored us. That was probably for the best. Connor and I stood, bowing to both adults before scurrying out of the room.

"Do you have any combat experience at all? Anything with fighting?"

I blanked out. "Uh, I think I took a self-defense class at school once. But that was last year. I don't really do fighting, honestly. I do a lot of yoga and tai chi and swim. Fighting and rough physical activity never came easy to me."

He groaned. "Dude, how did you even survive this long?!"

"My mom. She protected me. Probably kept weapons at the house or with her without me knowing," I mumbled.

"Your mom is a superhero. Damn. Okay, anyways. Let's uh. Let's get you a weapon. Come on."

The armory had me feeling nervous. If the concept of organized chaos could take on a physical form of metal and wood and leather, the armory would be that. Knives of every size. Bows and arrows and spears and swords sheathed every wall of the giant steel shed. Anxiety and disgust churned like an uncomfortable sea of emotion in my stomach.

"Welcome to the armory. We come here to get pointy things to stab people. We got guns and stuff too, but pick whatever you like."

I strolled around the vaguely menacing space, glancing at each of the weapons carefully before spotting an old dagger set hovering at the corner of a wooden table decorated with many different knives and short swords. As if handling museum-worthy artifacts, I reached across the table and gingerly lifted the knives, their sheaths decorated with metal that had oxidized from years of solitude and dirtied marble, damaged from years of disuse. But I could see under the dirt and grime that the knives were once beautiful, powerful, like the protective wrath of a mother eagle guarding her young.

Even the hilts seemed to secretly gleam from the precise, marble-based embellishments. Setting one down on the table before me, I pulled the other free from its case. The knife, though dull, was beautiful. Curved near the hilt, but otherwise perfectly straight and stiff.

Connor came over and joined me at the table, trying to see what I had occupied myself with. He grinned in approval. "Nice. These are pretty damn cool. I think an Athena kid said these belonged to Epipole of Carystus. No one knew much about her, but she dressed up like a man and fought in the Trojan war. But some dude in the Greek army found out she was a girl, and everyone stoned her to death. It was brutal, but she was pretty damn respectable. Not many women would fight with the men while trying to hide their identities. Not usually."

I winced. "Why would they stone her? She helped, didn't she?"

He sighed. "People didn't think like that back then. They were so involved in their gender roles that they ignored merit. Of course, women were surprisingly super restricted even though the goddesses had a lot of free reign. Hypocrisy lived everywhere, I guess. So, you want these?"

I looked down at the two daggers and nodded. I sheathed the one in my hand and picked up the other. "Even if they weren't used much, I want to maintain Epipole's legacy. That's the least she deserves." Connor smiled, nodding his head as he stepped out of the armory.

"Good choice. Come on. Let's see if Cabin Nine can do anything for these knives. They're way too dull to use on the daily. That's super dangerous. Oh, by the way, they don't have a name. Names are really important in the Greek world. What will you call them?"

I raised an eyebrow at the question. Who in the world names their sword besides dramatic people? Oh wait…

My eyes looked down at the twin fourteen-inch daggers resting in my palms. "How do you say past and present in Greek?"

He chuckled a little, but obliged. "Istoria and Enestos. History and present. Of course, there are probably other translations, but these are good enough."

My lips couldn't hold back the smile. "Istoria and Enestos…I like it. Thanks, Connor. I love that."

"No problem. Also, just be careful. The forges are no joke. They're super dangerous. Hephaestus kids thrive in that environment. From what I've seen of you, you definitely won't."

Keeping my arms close to my body, I followed him towards a large metal building, marveling at its massive frame and recoiling at the powerful smell of smoke and iron wafting out of its smokestacks.

Connor led me inside, grinning as he called out a loud hello to some skinny guy working on a robot at one of the desks in the massive workspace.

The guy turned around, beaming even wider. He cleared up his work and turned off any tools before rushing over to greet us. The two curly-haired mischievous-looking boys hugged briefly before pulling apart.

The other guy was pretty strange compared to the space. While his siblings all lumbered around with their huge muscles and powerful hands, he looked like a scarecrow had chosen to become a mechanic. All lean muscle, caramel skin, and chocolate hair. Grease or oil of some sort stained his white tank top and cargo pants, which suffered severe picking and pulling from nimble, strong fingers. A crooked grin shined down at me.

He held a well-dirtied hand out. Balancing the knives in one arm, I shook his hand. "Leo Valdez. Very nice to meetcha. You're that new kid, right? The fourteen-year-old? Some of the Hermes kids were talking about you. Fitting in alright?"

"Meh. Could be worse. Didn't get much sleep last night 'cause one of my fellow newcomers was having a nightmare. I helped him sleep, but didn't get much rest myself. It's just been a weird few days for me."

Leo hummed with sympathy.

"I had the same issue. Felt awkward and unwelcome. Don't worry. You'll find your place soon enough. That's what this place helps you do the most. Even beyond all the magic and fighting. You learn your role and your worth."

Connor grinned, tossing an arm around Leo. "Valdez, old buddy, old pal. I need a favor. Our new Hermes resident chose some knives that are in less than optimal condition. Mind fixing those up for her?"

Leo nodded excitedly, holding his hands out. "Do you have 'em?"

I laughed lightly and handed him the two knives. "Here. They're super old, apparently. Can you fix 'em? If not, I can just go get another-"

"Not necessary! This is just a simple cleanup job. Just a little maintenance. I can finish this in an hour."

"Wait, seriously? Doesn't it take a long time to restore weapons?"

The son of Hermes smirked. "Not if you're Leo. This guy built so many things in under an hour. He built a universal remote in under five minutes. He's the best mechanic in the entire camp. He can do almost anything."

Leo seemed offended. "Almost?!"

"You can't sing," teased Connor. Leo huffed, opening his mouth as if to retort. "And please don't try. I want my eardrums to be intact today."

I snickered at their exchange. I turned to Leo. "I hate making you do this all alone. Mind if I help? Not sure if I'll know how to do anything, but if you can teach me, I can try!"

Connor gave me a weird look. "This is his specialty, though. You can just chill."

I pouted. "But I hate making him do all the work. He's probably got other projects to work on. I just wanna help out a little and not be a complete bum or leech."

Leo smirked. "This one hasn't been here long, has she?"

Connor sighed dramatically, as if he were my exasperated mother trying to teach me to be a civilized and fancy city-girl. "Only half a day, which she spent in the cabin alone."

"Seems like it. Look, you can join me. No problem. Just make sure you don't mess with anything. We have very structured insanity here. It's very hard to maintain when newcomers enter the space."

I was so excited to see what this all would look like. "Okay!"

Leo grinned. "You heard the girl, Stoll. Head on out. I'll send her back to you with two fancy knives on her belt." Connor gave us a two-finger salute in goodbye before strolling out of the forge. Leo then turned to me. "So. What do you know about metalwork?"

That day, I left the forge with two spankin'-new knives, one hooked between my torso and my pants' waistband with an attachment Leo added to the hilt, while the other sat tucked away in my boot.

I couldn't risk anyone stealing my knives, especially not when I spent time actually cleaning them and learning from Leo how to maintain their healthy state. So, I didn't tell anyone about them until Connor asked to see the newly-refurbished daggers.

I pulled the one in my waistband out, sheathing it once everyone got a good look at the outer decorations. The girls oohed at the beautifully polished marble adornments gleaming under the afternoon sun. The boys showed far less interest.

We all hung around the Hermes cabin for a little while. I mostly spent time with the young, new campers who asked a bunch of questions about me just because I was older. Unable to refuse their requests for information, I answered their weird queries.

And just as I was getting comfortable just talking and relaxing with my fellow Hermes cabin residents, Connor's watch alarm went off.

Connor grinned at us wolfishly. "Time for archery practice."