I woke up. The world around me was blinding white. Hazy figures walked around, in orange t-shirts. Someone bent over me, and said,

"She's awake." My vision cleared, and I sat up. I appeared to be in some sort of bed, in a surgically clean place.

"Where am I?" I asked weakly, and a tall male with blonde hair walked up to me.

"Hi, I'm Liam. You were out for 6 hours. This," he gestured around him, "Is the camp-half blood infirmiry. My face morphed into a quizzical expression.

"Camp Half-Blood?" I asked.

"Yeah," Liam replied, "I'll leave you for a bit, and when you're alright, I'll take you to the big house to watch the orientation film. It's really bad, but it will explain everything. I'll leave now." And with that he turned and left. I turned to look on the other side of me. Luke sat there, face in hands, and then looked at me, distraught.

"Annabeth is up at the big house, with Grover." I feared the answer for my next question.

"And Thalia?" I asked. Luke turned away from me, looking at a tree in the distance. That was funny. I hadn't seen it before.

"Just before you struck the blow on the Cyclop's leg, it got a hit at Thalia. By the time you passed out, it was too late. Sh-she didn't make it, Alex..." I buried my face in my hands. I'd lost two friends now. Being separated from Leo stirred up again, and I broke down crying. Luke didn't tell me it was fine. He didn't tell me everything would be okay. We both knew that it wouldn't.

"Zeus came just after she died, and turned her into a pine tree, that one on the hill," Luke pointed, and his voice began to crack. My feelings were confused. Who was Zeus?

"So she can stand protecting us. We're safe because of her..." Luke roughly pushed his chair and got up, storming out the door. I didn't blame him. I would do the same, if only my back didn't feel like it was glued to the bed with 'Ultra painful superglue-for all your medical needs!'. I silently let tears wash my face, thoughts spinning around my head. If Leo was here right now, well if he was here, I wouldn't even be here! I would be in our little shelter, grinning while Leo told me all his corny jokes. And now I felt myself missing him more than ever.

Soon enough, I slipped of the bed, relived to find my back didn't hurt as much. I sat on the edge, swinging my legs, until Liam came over.

"Up and going? Great. Now we need to get you to the big house. Chiron will want to show you the orientation film." I gritted my teeth. How could he act so upbeat and jolly when someone had died? She was my, friend didn't sound right. She was more to me, an older sister I never had. He offered me his hand, and I hesitantly took it. From what I could tell, Liam was 15 or so. My stomach churned. I felt sick. Liam put his arm around me, and led me out of the building. Walking across a wide space with a basket ball court, he led me into a Victorian style four storey house. On the porch was a table of four. At one end was a bearded man in a wheel chair. He was placing down a card. Opposite him was a strange man in a Hawaiian shirt. He slammed his cards down, red in the face. The seats to either side were occupied by Grover and Annabeth. Grover looked scared out of his hooves, and Annabeth was sat on her hands, pale and frightened. I shuffled backwards a little. Liam patted me on the shoulder, reassuringly. He led me on until we were at the bottom step of the porch. Then he called out,

"Chiron, another new camper! Alex just woke up!" Liam yelled. The man in the wheelchair turned to look, and stood up. However, beneath him, there weren't regular human legs. It was the bottom half of a white stallion. I jumped back in surprise. Liam put a kindly hand on my shoulder, and led me forward to the door, in an older brother way. I looked up into his face, and he smiled back at me. I felt a wave of comfort rush over me. Most of the time, people forgot that I was only seven, and they expected me to look after myself, just because I grew up fast. Mom sort of understood, but she was busy most of the time, so I really had no-one. Until Leo, then Annabeth, Luke and Thalia, they were like family, but it still didn't feel the same. For once, I felt free. Like, really free. Free to do as I please, as my age, seven, and only seven. We went inside. The room was musty, and the lights were dimmed. A screen faintly glowed with a blue light. Liam showed me to a comfy beanbag next to a sofa. I sat down, and he sat down on the arm of the couch, with the remote. The screen suddenly changed, and the orientation film began.


*Que and end orientation film*


My head was dizzy. All of it was real? The Greek Gods existed. I was a demigod. I had powers. It made sense in a way. I could heal people by giving them my strength in the form of health. The lights went up. Liam's brown hair jiggled, and he said,

"Okay, let's get you to Chiron, and we can discuss who your godly parent is." He led the way and I timidly followed him. When we reached the table on the porch, Liam pulled me a chair next to Annabeth, and I sat down. She looked at me.

"Alex, do you know who your dad is, yet?" Annabeth asked. I shook my head.

"No. Your Mum?" I asked back.

"Athena, goddess of wisdom. Luke's dad is Hermes, and Thalia- her d-dad is Z-zeus-s..." she broke down sobbing. I put my arm around her, and at that moment, we were more than friends. We were sisters, and we were in the same position, together.

"Luke and Thalia knew all along, didn't they..." I asked. Annabeth nodded. The fat guy in the Hawaiian shirt coughed.

"Alright, you nasties, lets get to the problem at hand. The sooner we get this done, the sooner this can be over, and the sooner I can get out of this dump." I wasn't going to ask.

"Alex, you were wearing that pendant when we found you, and you haven't taken it off. According to Luke, you were armed on the hill. May I see your weapon?" I nodded, and pulled the pendant off my neck. It instantly changed into a sword, and Chiron nodded, and said,

"Imperial gold. May I see?" I nodded, and handed it to him. As soon as he touched it, it turned into a lump of gold. He didn't look surprised.

"Can only be weilded by a designated demigod. Impressive." He continued to stare at the lump of gold with calculated curiosity.

"Excuse me," I began. Chiron came out of his daydreams.

" Yes, my child?"

"There is an engraving on the side." I transformed the gold back into a sword, and then showed him him.

"The blessed of Apollo will weild this sword to greatness..." he murmered under his breath.

"I can also do this weird thing where I cam heal people with touch. I think..." Suddenly, and bright ball of fire- the sun- appeared above my head.

"That," said Grover, who hadn't said much at all," would be claiming."

Chiron stood up. "All hail Alexandra Maxwell, daughter of Apollo."


I sat in my bunk, thinking. Everyone else was asleep, but I just couldn't. The day had been weird. I was assigned a bunk in the half empty Cabin 12. It was the middle of winter, so there were only three other people apart from me and Liam. I was given my timetable, with weird activities like sword fighting and pegasi riding, but I figured they were demigod things. My thoughts slowly drifted towards Thalia. Was her death in vain? It felt so difficult to sleep, and enjoy waking up, when Thalia was asleep as that pine tree forever. Was that just stupid of me to rush to her 'aid'? Was it because of me that she died? If only Leo...I missed him more than ever now. Without thinking, I got out of bed, and walked to a drawing desk. Lighting a candle, i got a piece of A6 paper, and got to work. People say I have photographic memory. And now, when I looked down onto the the piece of paper that my pencil was flowing over, the likeness of Leo Valdez with his head back in laughter stared back at me.


Sorry that this chapter took so long to publish. I was over at my friend's for about a week, so I didn't have my laptop. I couldn't be bothered to type it out on my phone's tiny keyboard, and it's been killing me. But here is chapter five out! The rest of the story is starting from The lost hero, as the 'arrive at camp' bit is over. Thanks for waiting!

Yours in demigodishness,

Peace out from MilkandCheez