Moving out of the Hermes Cabin was harder than he thought it would be. Of course, it wasn't going to be easy for Cole since he needed to find his stuff first. After getting a clean bill of health, he left the Big House and went to go through the new tradition in the Hermes Cabin called the "Scavenger's Exiting Hunt." Brittany explained it as a little quest for newly claimed kids to find themselves on a little scavenger hunt to retrieve their stuff and remember their humble beginnings. In reality, it was a farewell prank made to make newly claimed kids find their stuff that was hidden all over the camp.

While he expected to get some newfound attention after being on his feet and claimed by Zeus, he wasn't expecting to be getting as much attention as he got. Sure, some people glance once or twice but then there were the whispers that surrounded him. Campers, satyrs, nymphs, it didn't matter. They all seemed to have their own idea about Cole situation which was something that he didn't know how to deal with. After all, he's new to this level of popularity. On top of that, he felt like he was being scanned for unwanted metal items.

Cole wasn't sure, but he felt like they were also sizing him up to see if he really fit the bill of being Zeus' son. As if being a 5'7 twig with a short mop of red hair, random splashes of freckles and electric blue eyes didn't indicate that already. He felt his head was too big and he tended to walk with a slight slouch. At least he had a cool shade of blue in his eyes and they weren't just cool because they were blue either: Cole was very good at seeing through the Mist. The veil that hid the mythical world from mortals never truly fooled him as he grew up.

There weren't just the regular expected residents at Camp Half-Blood that were trying to get a look at Cole. Almost as soon as Cole left the Big House, he'd been seeing random birds flock to wherever he was, watching him closely. He never had a problem with birds, he even liked them. However, they were never this keen to watch him and as he was looking for his sleeping bag things got seriously creepy. He was starting to hear them in his head, greeting him and calling him a "Lord." In truth, there was a lot to process on the first day out. Once he'd retrieved everything from his bag, he'd gotten a big hug from Brittany (which was awesome) and proper send off to Cabin One.

The Zeus cabin had changed over the years. As Cole entered, he heard the rumbling of thunder from above. He felt the cabins cool air glowed across the hairs on his arms and neck as he took in the sight. He'd never been in here before and never dared try. However, he's impressed. The ceiling was painted blue and white to look like a partly cloudy sky. The clouds shifted and changed color, making him recall the Enchanted Ceiling from the Harry Potter series. There were alcoves in the walls each holding a basic extra-long twin-sized bed that was set high to rest over the storage bins under them. Cole would watch as the golden tiles flashed like lightning, recalling Chiron explain that he was the first to live in the newly renovated Zeus Cabin. Since the Giant War. Apparently, the last person who lived there, a guy named Jason, decided that the cabin should be more of a home and less of a temple. Cole might be crazy, but he sensed that the work put into the cabin's look took some negotiating. Some spots looked like they used to hold other items like the alcoves where the beds were and the center of the room where the layer of dusty wasn't as heavy as the rest around it. Of course, there was also the statue.

Maybe Cole was weird, but he liked the statue of his father. The way that it stood so tall and above everything and everything else was impressive. Of course, his father's statue looked nothing like him. Cole wasn't tall and proud; he didn't have black hair or a beard and there was no way he was holding onto a bolt of lightning like that. However, that shield was very nice. Funny enough, he had the feeling that it should have been taller. It was only about ten feet tall or so, a good height but not really a grand one. Also, the eyes were eerie. Cole wondered if his father was watching through the statue at that very moment. What if he was? What does Cole say?

"Uhm… hi Da- Erm… Father." He was nervous, even if the statue remained silent and just stared at him. "I'm here now, in the cabin. First day… thanks for the Claim. You made it just in time… I can send you some barbeque chicken as a sacrifice later if that's cool with you…" The statue remained silent; all he could hear was the indoor thunder. "Okay, good talk."

The next day was his first day back to full participation of camp activities and Cole knew just what he wanted to do first after being claimed. He'd never had a sword of his own before as he was often stuck with camp rentals. Of course, the spoils of war from the recent battle had been collected and used as scrap for repairs and new weapons and so Cole felt it was only fitting to check out the forges and see if he could get a sword and shield for himself. For that, there was no one he really trusted other than Harley, Counselor of the Hephaestus Cabin.

Harley was awesome, he'd seen it all from the curse of Cabin Nine to Apollo when he went through his "mortal phase" back in the day. He would sometimes tell wild stories about his younger days at camp from the "Attack of The Beast", to the "Victor Twins' Civil War," and even the "Great Lotus Flower Invasion." Basically, Harley's seen a lot and Cole just liked hearing the Hephaestus counselor speak.

"Cole Thomas," said Harley as he saw Cole walk in, "Son of Zeus. Damn… that's crazy, I knew we'd get a new Zeus kid eventually but I dunno, after Jason I thought the new one would be… I dunno… blonde?" The Hephaestus Counselor gave Cole a nod and a friendly smile, hammering some metal perfectly without even looking. Cole couldn't help but smile back as Harley was the jolliest two-hundred pound fifteen-year-old that he had ever met.

"Sorry," Cole said as he looked around the forge briefly, "blonde is for people who peaked in 2010."

"Oh shit, watch it Homie, you'll get hit spear ran through your chest again if the Athena cabin hears you talking like that" Harley said as he covered his mouth to hide the growing smile, "whatchu need, Homes?"

"Just a sword and shield set," said Cole with a shrug, "one of those concealable ones. Nothing crazy."

"Really? A sword and shield?"

"Yeah?"

"C'mon man, don't be a basic bitch like ninety percent of every Greek hero ever."

"Nothing wrong with a little bread and butter," said Cole with small smirk though he did wonder if he was being too generic. After all, the sword and shield combo are almost undefeated in combat scenarios.

"Alright, I got 'em set over there on that table, check those out and see if one of those suits you.

The table that Harley pointed out had several everyday utensils sitting there along with watches and wristbands. After the Second Giant War and the popularity of the Seven, magical concealed weapons were in high demand as more and more demigods felt the need to have weapons that were easier to hide from mortals. Harley was among the few campers who was good enough to make them though that took some serious practice on his part and some time away from camp to improve his craft.

As Cole looked over the pens, lead pencils, and highlighters he took a moment to think. These weapons were usually swords since swords were easier to hide than spears or bows. One item in particular caught his eye: a blueberry-scented highlighter on the left caught his eye and intrigued him because he liked the color. Curious about if the scent would still be there, Cole went to uncap the highlighter to try and smell it.

"Agh shit!" He'd already forgotten that he was holding a whole sword, specifically, a xiphos. The leaf-shaped sword grew and shifted to its true form as it clattered loudly on the forge's floor. Laughter could be heard from Harley's workspace as some of the other kids looked over and chuckled as well.

"You picked up that scented highlighter huh? Did you cut your nose?"

"No!"

"Thank the gods cuz you been hurt enough. If you want it, it's yours."

He looked at the sword, feeling the heat rise into his face as he picked it up by the hilt. This time around he was more careful as he inspected it, it was as good as any other sword but not much better. It also balanced well in his hand, and he had a feeling that it would suit him for a good while. On top of that, it DID have the blueberry scent! This was the easiest choice he'd made all week. He capped the blue highlighter, watching the weapon shrink to fit the cap and set it into his pocket. He was already feeling like Percy Jackson but maybe a little cooler since his sword smelled so nice.

Next came the shield, a much easier choice to make. He went through to check out the shields: one was long, another was rather heavy, one was shaped like a crescent but most of them were classic Greek shields or as Chiron called them in camp, "hoplons." Cole chuckled at the sight of the round shields as he also recalled their alternative name, "aspis."

"Heh, ass… piss…"

"What?" Harley asked from close by as he somehow heard Cole through all the noise.

"Nothing," he said as he picked up one of the watches and strapped it to his wrist. He hurriedly activated it to see it looked like the other shields but seemed to have half-moon holes cut out on opposite sides. Something told Cole that such a feature was important, but he wasn't caring about that just then, he simply liked the fact that it was different from the others and that was good enough for him. After he collapsed the shield and thanked Harley he set out into the camp.

Seeing as he was his own counselor, he was free to go and do whatever he wanted. It may not be the best idea for a thirteen-year-old boy but he found that to be one of the most fair and just rules in the whole camp. For now, he figured that he could spend some time at the rock wall where there were a couple other cabins. Cole would arrive, shooing off some swallows who wanted to describe his looks to their unhatched eggs and looking at the wall. As usual, it was oozing lava out and putting the climbers at serious risk. There was also the fact that there was another half of the wall that occasionally closed in to crush whoever was not fast enough while they risked third degree burns. He wasn't alone either as it seemed the kids from Cabin Twenty-Six were there as well at the time.

Cabin Twenty-Six was one of the more recent cabins added since Titan War ended and the camp expanded to welcome the children of the minor gods. This cabin housed the children of Kratos: God of Strength. Naturally, this meant that his children were naturally strong, and it showed as they few of them looked like kids who spent their lives doing chores on the farm for their parents since their labor was free. Cole knew that even then, they only hid true strength. He'd never actually SEEN it but he knew it was there, he could see it without actually ever seeing it. It doesn't make sense to him too much but what does in this world? In the end he knew they'd handle themselves on the wall with their incredible grip strength.

"Watch out," said a voice from behind him. Cole moved aside quickly to see a taller boy walk by who wasn't much older than he was. His eyes suddenly widened as he recognized that face realized whom it was. The somewhat long light brown hair, the icy blue eyes, the quiet demeanor, he could only hold back a gulp. He was one of the Kratos kids, Andrew Brock, the final face that he'd seen in his dream. Now, he wasn't sure if he should mention that. After all, he'd only spoken to Andrew in lessons or campfires and even then, it was just small talk about gods, monsters, and video games.

"My bad, Andrew." Cole replied as he stepped aside and would head over to an open spot to start climbing. The climb was the same as it usually was, Cole could feel the heat of the rocks and the sun as he strived to find his holds while the two sides of the wall remained separated, and the lava didn't cover them all. Often, he would find himself scrambling to get up to the top. He never cared about being the first one there, he just didn't want to be crushed and burned.

Cole would scramble up as the walls would start to close in more and more. He felt the familiar sense of desperation even as his hands grew clammy from the nerves. He wasn't going out like this, fuck that noise. He reached the top and climbed up and onto the ledge to reach down and help whoever still needed to get up. As more kids reached the top, the lava slowly flowed down and the opposite wall closed in. The only person left to reach the top was Andrew.

"C'mon!" He said urgently, "you don't have mu-… whoa."

Cole's eyes widened as he looked down. He wasn't sure if he could really believe what he saw but his eyes have never lied to him before. Andrew Brock, the son of Kratos, was propping himself between the wo walls as they closed in and keeping them apart with his legs. His back was to one while his feet pushing back against the opposite one. His face was red with sweat, as if he was reaching his personal record on a leg press. In a way, that's exactly what was going on.

"Holy shit, Andrew…" Cole could only watch as the older boy groaned from the burn and pushed back against the wall to stop it from crushing him. In a few seconds the walls started to separate, and Andrew was free to relax. When he relaxed, he fell to the ground. "Holy shit, Andrew!"

Cole jumped down from the top of the wall with no hesitation. He wasn't scared of the height, it felt like stepping down from a foldable stool. A rushing wind flown around him as he dropped, and when he reached the ground, he barely felt like he'd fallen very hard at all. He didn't care though, he needed to see if Andrew was alright.

"Hey," said Cole as he looked over and held out a hand. "You good, Man?"

"Ughhh… fuck. That sucked." He said as he took Cole's hand grumbling as used to help get back up. Cole thought he'd straining under Andrew's weight, but he actually felt stronger than usual. "Just need to stretch a little, I think." As he was back on his feet he started to stretch, his long arms flexing his growing muscles. He wasn't built quite like Harley and other Hephaestus kids, he looked to be on the more athletic side like Ares' and Nike's children. However, what happened next is what set him apart from everybody else in Cole's mind.

As Andrew stretched his back, a brilliant pair of blue wings emerged from behind him. Their massive feathers showed a sapphire-like plumage that matched the blue feather in his dream perfectly. There was no doubt in his head, his dream meant something.