Hello! Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad people are liking the story so far and it's interesting to see what's resonating with readers! I don't have a great way of responding to reviews posted as a guest but will try to address questions in AN's for now. I do see them and read them however, and they're really appreciated. To the question about the shipping, yes James and Libby are the primary relationship this story will focus on. The idea actually sort of took on a life of it's own when I was trying to finish up the previous story and unfortunately delayed a lot of writing for that for a bit but I couldn't help myself. As for the question about in depth reviews, I enjoy seeing what reader's reactions are. I do read them. It's forcing me to pay more attention in editing too because oh god the typpppooooos. I do read these through multiple times when writing updates and edit them a lot before posting and do a final read through or two, but unfortunately some obviously slip through. I'm trying to slow down a bit to be better about catching them. Anyways, thanks again for the positive support. It's really appreciated. The reviews have really bolstered my confidence so I'm glad I decided to post this story. It's fun to write for. I hope people enjoy the latest update! :)

~secrethalfblood

Lpov

I didn't get back to camp until late that night, after what felt like hours of pouring over maps and reference texts, while I grilled James about what he must have felt was every encounter with a griffin he'd ever had.

I didn't care.

By all the records I'd seen, the griffin population was almost completely eliminated save for a few attacking stranded demigods out in the mortal world every once and a while.

No one had really been sure why they weren't reforming like other monsters, but if James and his sister were correct and there were entire populations that had gone unnoticed for decades, centuries even, they might not have been dying out at all. They might have just simply moved. Maybe even started adapting to their newfound environments.

Everyone had gone to bed by the time I'd gotten back to the Apollo cabin which I was a little grateful for. I was more used to James's presence these days, but there was no denying he drew attention at camp and I was sort of glad I didn't have to deal with people staring at me as I walked towards my bunk, wondering what was going on with him.

I saw that Ashton had made it back. The fact that he wasn't awake, wallowing in sorrow led me to believe the evening had gone as expected and I smiled, happy for my brother. Gods knew that only a few years ago, if it had been known he'd end up marrying his best friends twin, no one but those three would have been surprised...

I sat on my blankets looking around the dark room and at my sleeping siblings, knowing I should probably go to bed but feeling far too restless. A manic sort of energy had taken hold of me since my conversation with James earlier, one that made something as trivial as sleep seem almost impossible.

I had so many questions. So many ideas I wanted to follow. They all felt locked up in my brain and I needed to get them out. So, instead of changing, I slid off my bunk and picked up my book bag, grabbing a notebook and one of the titles I'd brought from the library with me. I laid on a patch of floor by the window with just enough moon light to read by, willing Aunty Artemis to take pity on me and intensify the glow, while simultaneously wishing that, like Ashton, I could manipulate beams of light.

I started writing.

If James was right and the griffins had moved along with the Olympians when they discovered the west, then whose to say other creatures hadn't either? We already knew that some of the more famous monsters had.

Medusa, the Hydra, the Minotaur, they'd all been spotted by demigods on missions all over the world, but we'd always assumed it was because they'd been tracking half-bloods. Minor monsters didn't always want to bother with us and because of that, we'd assumed a lot of them had started to die out. But what if we were wrong?

I continued to scribble and I didn't know if it was because my eyes were adjusting to the light, or Artemis really had heard me, but the light filtering in through the windows did seem to glow marginally brighter. I continued to work still making a list of ideas, creatures to research and ask the library staff about.

A jolt of shock went through me as I realized that at the moment, that also included me.

I stared at my page for a moment, deliberating to myself. Maybe it was that thought that made it feel less awkward as I pulled the phone Allison had given me out of the front pocket of my book bag and sent a text. Made it feel like less of an intrusion to ask.

We were coworkers now, right? A certain amount of collaboration was expected. It wasn't an imposition to ask for help on something, the worst that could happen was that they would say no...

Even with all the justifications, I hadn't expected an answer so quickly. Asking was one thing, but I figured James would be a sleep by now or had had enough of me for the day. When I'd sent the text, no part of me thought he'd actually respond. I wasn't scheduled to be at the library tomorrow. He didn't have to.

But I saw the notification that meant the message had been sent, then read, then the bubble that indicated he was typing.

When the message went through, I released a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.

'Hey, can you pick me up tomorrow? I have a few more questions I want to ask you.'

'What time?'

…..

I didn't sleep well.

I had too many thoughts rushing through my brain after the events of last night, but that was a good thing about being a child of Apollo. As long as the sun was out, as it almost always was at camp, you didn't stay all that tired.

"Libby?"

I blinked and looked up only to see my friend Rue, a daughter of Demeter and head of her cabin, giving me a funny look.

She was tall and gorgeous with light strawberry blonde hair, and green eyes that probably could have landed her a modeling contract if she hadn't been such a competitive equestrian.

"What?"

"Did you hear me?"

"Oh." I said shaking my head. "No sorry. I zoned out."

We were in the stables feeding the pegasai which was usually one of my favorite activities, but I'd been so distracted I'd ended up standing between two of the stalls, staring into space like an idiot.

"Where have you been all day?" she asked her tone quizzical. "You've been so out of it it's like you're on a different planet."

'Or a different dimension.' I thought a little amused though quickly realizing I wasn't exactly sure what the libarary qualified as. Was it a different dimension? A different realm? Or none of those, just some weird pocket in between?

I forced myself to focus.

"I had a late night." I continued, shooting her an apologetic smile.

"Yeah I figured." she said with a laugh. "I didn't see you at the campfire last night. Figured you must have come back after lights out."

"What were you saying?"

"I asked if Alfalfa had gotten his treat yet." She asked nodding towards the carrot in my hands, then at the roan with hawk like wings that were rustling impatiently at his sides.

"Oh, no. Not yet." I admitted sheepishly.

She frowned at the vegetable for a moment, then reached for it, glaring at a brown spot towards the center.

There was a second in which she looked like she was concentrating, then, with a flash, the spot was gone, the orange of the carrot looking brighter and revitalized. She offered it to Alfalfa who whinnied happily and took the treat.

"Is it weird?" she asked petting the horse's muzzle for a moment before turning back to me. "Being there with your brother's girlfriend and her friends?"

I couldn't tell if she was asking about the people at the library, or the library itself, and found that I wasn't exactly sure how I wanted to answer.

"It's definitely different." I said carefully.

There was certainly something different about the library than staying here at camp. Maybe it was because it was so interconnected to the people who lived there, or the fact it had the ability to change, books darting from shelf to shelf, desks and chairs that transformed, the ceiling which somehow always managed to look different as it shifted between the dominions. It gave an almost life like quality to a place. Like it was less of a location, and it's own sort of mystical being. The camp, despite all of the strange things that so often happened here, was absolutely a place. A spot for demigods where we could truly be ourselves. The library didn't often feel like that. I wouldn't have exactly called it unwelcoming, in fact, may it had the opposite problem. There was a constant sort of power running through the place, so much so it was almost as if it was trying to draw you in. It was easy to see why Harper had warned me to keep track of my time while I was there. I had a feeling that if a demigod wasn't careful, they could get stuck there.

"I dunno if I'd call it weird."

"One of my brothers had to go once." She said frowning. "To get something for Chiron while he was away. He said it was weird."

I didn't know why, but I felt vaguely offended by this statement. Maybe because as a new staff member, I took opinions about the library more seriously than I had before. Still, it wasn't as if she'd really been insulting anyone there. Let alone me.

"He said they watched him like a hawk while he was there. Wanted him in and out and didn't want him to stray."

"I'm sure they were just protecting him."

"From what?" she asked with a laugh. "It's a library."

I let out a laugh and was about to look at her like she was nuts, remembering what had happened with Hypnos and the hell hound and how a column of flame had almost taken my head off just the other day. Then I remembered speaking with Ashton not too long ago, how I'd laughed when he'd warned me about dangerous magic in the books there.

'Gods…' I thought in amazement. That was only at the start of summer. Why did it feel so long ago?

"Trust me." I said glancing at her with a wry smile. "They were right to keep an eye on him.

"You sound like your brother." She said in exasperation and when I looked at her, confused, she smirked. "Any time anyone has anything to say about the Cordrian Library, he isn't having it. Not his beautiful, smart, perfect, wonderful Harper. She knows all that is best in the worlds."

She rolled her eyes

"I'm sure he isn't that bad." I said trying to be diplomatic while privately wondering if she might have a point, but she shook her head.

"Oh he is," she assured me. "You just haven't been around enough this summer to hear it. Don't tell me that lot is getting to you too."

"Getting to me?" I asked frowning. "What do you mean?"

"Oh you know." She said waving the statement away and continuing to fill the feed boxes in the stalls. "It's just weird isn't it? That they never really came back?"

"Who? Harper?"

"And James."

"Well, they're both really busy." I pointed out and she let out a derisive noise.

"So are you. And we both know that's not why he didn't come back."

It was obvious she meant James, and I couldn't help but feel a little conflicted.

Rue was acting as if it was some sort of evidence that James hadn't returned to camp, like it was indicative of his character. I wasn't sure about much of anything when it came to James, but I didn't feel as though this of all things was the most justified thing to hold against him.

I didn't answer however, and continued along with the stable chores.

"I guess I can't blame him really," she said with a sigh as we left the stables, making our way to the dining pavilion. "It's not like anyone really wants him here. But it is kind of shame." She added, nodding to something over my shoulder. I looked back to see that James himself was walking in our direction. "Why is it always the good looking guys that you gotta watch out for."

"Watch out for?" I asked and she looked at me as if I were insane.

"The guy's a traitor Libby." She said incredulously, as if I was being intentionally dense. "Like, literally. He would have sold our parents out to the Titans, and probably us too in the process. Did you forget?"

I didn't answer the question, but felt more uncertain than ever, wanting to argue on James's behalf, but also remembering some of the things that both he and Harper had said. That they didn't work for Olympus, and that the gods weren't always right. That they weren't always up front about what they were up to.

"I can't believe Harper Davis of all people keeps him around." She continued her tone resentful as her eyes narrowed. "Not even keeps him around, involves him in everything. Even stuff she directly deals with for the gods. You'd think she of all people would be smarter than that. I'm surprised your brother puts up with it too, but everyone knows how he is about her."

She grinned a little at this, clearly expecting me to find it funny but I didn't.

Being around Harper and Lucy so much, and James himself, my opinion of him had been shifting. Into what, I wasn't quite as sure, but while a few weeks ago I probably would have agreed with Rue's view point that he was a traitor, now… Now I wasn't so sure.

I didn't know what to think of him or how to merge the different views of him I had. A hero from camp? A screwed up halfblood that had lost his way from the gods? Or a normal guy just trying to get through his day to day working with his sister and his best friend.

'Or the demigod powerful enough to scare even Hypnos.' A small voice reminded me from the back of my mind, and a swell of anxiety went through me that was not easily pushed away.

"Harper is alright." I said surprised to find myself defending her. "She's pretty nice actually. And she's not stupid." I added a little more confidently. "She trusts James."

"Yeah, well, forgive me if I don't find her endorsement as the leading authority about who should or shouldn't be on Olympus's watch list."

The words were sarcastic and surprised me. I looked at her in shock.

"What do you mean?"

"James wasn't the only one who left us Libby. Harper didn't come back either. I know she's with your brother, but don't you think it's a little suspicious that the second Olympus was upset with her she just… left?" she asked raising an eyebrow. "Everyone knows she and James deal with monsters. Even if no one wants to say it out loud. And I wouldn't be surprised if she had scores to settle."

"Harper's not a traitor." I said almost angrily looking at Rue in surprise.

"Maybe not." She responded and while she shrugged, her expression was stubborn. "But her best friend is. You don't think that matters?"

James was in ear shot now, at least for what I knew might be his range, and I figured it was probably time to wrap up this conversation.

"Look Rue, I have to go. I'll talk to you later."

"Alright," she said frowning, and I almost winced when she glanced at James and said. "Just be careful, ok?"

I nodded more out of habit than anything, and watched as she walked towards lunch with the rest of the camp, noticing that as James approached, I seemed to be attracting far more attention than I normally would. And that the uncertain, almost mistrustful glances that always followed him when he was here, were not all directed at him this time.

Was this what it was like for him when he went basically anywhere in the mythological world?

It didn't feel good. I was starting to wonder if it wasn't only James's personality that kept him from talking to others all that much.

I hadn't realized either how much the camp had really started to mistrust Harper as well. Having grown up a little more and gone to college, I didn't spent nearly as much time here as I had in the past. Adults, even in their late teens, usually didn't stay at Camp Half-blood unless they were councilors like Ashton. In fact, I hadn't even planned to be here this summer at all until I'd had the brain wave about researching over the summer. I hadn't known just how much the attitude towards Harper and the library had changed. Or maybe now that I'd been away for a bit, did I really realize how hostile it had always been. I was starting to think that maybe the reason Harper hadn't come back to the camp less because she didn't want to, and maybe because she didn't feel welcome.

If that was the case, I thought a little anxiously looking around at all the glances I was continuing to get. If I continued to work at the library over the summer and spend so much time there, was that going to happen to me? Suddenly, Harper's warnings about trust seemed far more significant.

It hadn't seemed like so much of a big deal back then...

"You look upset." James said frowning. He stopped a few feet in front of me and glanced over my shoulder at Rue. "Was she bothering you?"

"No." I said quickly and when he raised an eyebrow, I felt I had to explain. "No she's my friend, she was just-"

"Worried you were spending too much time with the wrong crowd?" he asked perceptively and my heart sank.

"Just how good is your hearing?" I asked and he grinned a little.

"My hearing is excellent. But that's not why I asked."

He glanced around at the campers walking passed us, and several people hastily looked away. Like it wasn't James in front of me but Medusa, and they were afraid of turning to stone.

"They'll get over it." he said and his tone was unusually sympathetic. "People might whisper for a bit, but no one who knows you even a little with think you're up to anything. They'll move on and everything will go back to normal. They always do."

"They didn't for you." I pointed out, but following him as he started to walk towards the Big House. "Or Harper."

"Well, we're not exactly normal, are we?" He asked and while his voice was quiet, the question seemed good natured enough.

"How do you stand this?" I asked diverting my gaze from yet another suspicious glare and he glanced at the Ares sister who turned away. "People staring at you and talking about you all the time? Doesn't it bother you?"

"Not really." He said with a shrug.

He nodded to someone, and I looked up to see that Ashton and his best friend Charlie were talking nearby. Ashton nodded and I was surprised to see that when Charlie waved. It looked almost friendly. My brother's gaze lingered on me for a second and not knowing what else to do, I waved back.

"I don't really care what people here think." James continued. "Quite frankly, I never did. And they can say whatever they like about me, but that doesn't change who I am or what I do. Or what I've done."

"Or what you will do." I added automatically and he surprised me with a smile.

"Exactly."

"I guess you're right." I said with a sigh. "It isn't worth worrying about. I guess in the end you and Harper are probably far too important in our parents' world to really care what campers think."

"Harper is important." He said with a shrug. "I just sort of tag along."

I looked at him, wondering if he really believed this or if he was joking, but as usual his expression gave nothing away.

"So why is it that you asked me to get you today?"

"Oh." I started a little thrown. I'd been so preoccupied by what Rue had said, I'd forgotten that I'd been the one to ask him to be here. "Right. So I've been thinking."

"Oh have you now?" He asked amused and I shot him a look.

"Yes." I said trying to sound irritated, but it must not have worked because his expression continued to appear entertained. "You've been around the world probably more than any demigod right?"

"I guess." He said frowning as if he hadn't thought much about this.

"Well, if you've been all over the world, even the more remote parts of it. Then you probably have a good idea of where mythological creatures have ended up. Better than anyone really."

"Where is this going Libby?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well," I continued a little awkwardly. "I wanted to study at the library this summer to try and consolidate what we know about mythological creatures. And Chiron said I could study the creatures he has access to here, but that's not very many. And it would be really helpful if I could see them in their natural habitat, animals act differently when they're not in captivity."

"Yes, especially if they're monsters." He said pointed out, a touch of sarcasm in his tone. "They try to kill you."

"Yeah, well." I shrugged. "They haven't managed it yet have they?"

"You sound like Harper." He said shaking his head before shooting me a skeptical look. "So what is it you want from me? To give you directions to creatures you're looking for? Or to use my significant amount of personal charisma to convince Harper to send you jumping around the world on some sort of suicidal safari?"

He didn't exactly sound angry at the question, but he did seem a little annoyed as if he thought me asking this was a bit much.

"Well." I started with an uncertain shrug. "Both ideally. And I was hoping you might come with me."

I figured if he was irritated about the first part of my idea, he'd think asking him to come with me would be way over the line, but he looked a bit taken a back at the request.

"Why?"

I hadn't expected him to ask this, let alone consider the idea and I found myself at a loss on how to explain.

"I dunno." I said feeling a little tongue tied. "I mean, you know a lot about… places. And can draw."

It was probably one of the stupidest sentences I'd ever managed to utter, and I could tell it was taking almost every ounce of self control James possessed not to point that out.

"I know a lot about places... and can draw..." he repeated deliberately and I felt myself flush.

I'd been thinking a lot about what Harper had said, about trusting James and I figured asking him to help me with sort of thing was safe enough. Might even make sense. He'd been everywhere, probably had learned more about the creatures in our parents world than anyone, and if the Pegasus on the chalk board was anything to go by, having someone who could sketch findings could only help.

I wasn't quite sure how the doors between the dominions worked when someone hadn't been in control of the library, but from what little I'd gathered talking to the staff, they just sort of spit you out at random. And unless I was mistaken, James had spent years jumping over the world mostly because he wanted to. At least at first. He'd never been one to just sit around at camp. From all I'd ever known about him, he seemed like the sort of person who liked to have something to do. I'd thought this might be the sort of thing he'd be into. Something he might even be excited about.

Clearly this wasn't coming across however and I looked away feeling idiotic.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to." I muttered feeling a little disappointed and half expecting him to laugh at me.

He didn't.

"You just want me to take you to Seattle, don't you?"

"No." I said stubbornly, and this time he did laugh.

We'd reached the Big House now, and just as we reached the steps to the porch he paused, turning to look at me.

A vivid memory darted across my mind's eye, running after James who'd pulled out an IV half way through a detox of manticore poison, insisting he was fine.

Several of my siblings had tried to argue with him, but it wasn't until I'd almost shouted at him not to be an idiot, that it had occurred to me maybe arguing with someone who was willing to pull out an IV and walk out of much needed medical treatment wasn't the best idea. That that person might not be at their most rational at the moment, and he was, in fact, a lot taller and stronger than I was.

Which was why no one was more surprised than me when he relented. Stopped arguing and made his way silently back to the infirmary. He didn't talk to anyone as they warily continued treatment, no one but me at least. And none of us was really sure as to why.

I'd thought it was strange at first, James had been really popular at camp and it was well known that he could talk almost anyone into doing whatever he wanted. I'd figure he'd have his blow up and go back to the personable personality he was known for. But he hadn't. He'd seemed stressed, irritated even. I'd chalked it up to the effects of the toxins but now… Now I was wondering if maybe being injured and exhausted, he just hadn't felt like putting up the persona.

So why had he bothered to talk to me?

"Do you remember a few years ago, when you tried to leave the infirmary in the middle of treatment for a manticore sting?"

"You mean the time you called me names?" He said raising an eyebrow and reluctantly, I nodded. "Yes, I remember that. It seems to be a bit of a habit for you."

"Why did you listen to me?"

"What?"

"All of my siblings who were working in the infirmary that night, they all tried to stop you. You didn't listen. Why'd you listen to me? And how come the only one you wanted to talk to was me?"

He looked a little surprised at the question, then as if he were thinking.

"I dunno." He said eventually with a shrug. "I guess if I had to give an answer, talking to you was generally more interesting than other people."

"Because I talk too much?" I asked uncertainly.

"Because you don't have much of a filter." He grinned a little guiltily when he saw my expression. "It makes you honest. You say what's on your mind and shows me how your brain works." He shrugged again. "I like the way you think. And if you tell me you think something I'm doing is stupid, you probably mean it." he added sounding a little amused. "Which means it probably is."

"So you like me because I'm mean to you?" I asked skeptically and it must have caught him off guard because he laughed. It sounded genuine.

"I like you because you're honest Libby." He said and I was surprised to feel my heart skip a beat.

It was hard to explain the look he was giving me. It wasn't quite affection, but it wasn't amusement anymore either. He wasn't laughing at me. Admiration? Maybe, but I had a hard time believing I'd be getting that from someone as powerful as James.

"You're honest not just because you should be, but because that's who you are." He continued. "If you think something, you say it. If you're upset with someone, you tell them." He tilted his head a little as he considered me, not as if he thought I was odd, but something about his expression had me wondering if, unlike me, there was something on his mind that he didn't plan on sharing. "I've found that authenticity is unfortunately somewhat of a rare quality in people these days."

"Harper says you two don't lie to each other." I pointed out and he shrugged.

"We don't." he agreed with a slight nod. "But that's not the same thing. We're a team." He explained. "We have to communicate. If we weren't on the same page, things would go sideways pretty quickly."

He gestured over his shoulder towards the Big House.

"I've got to talk to Chiron. We can head out after."

"Oh. Right." I said a little distractedly.

I'd been so caught up in the conversation, I'd completely forgotten we were at camp. Or the fact that everyone had been staring at us…

Something about my expression seemed to cause him to hesitate however.

"Would you like to join me?"

I considered the question, wondering if going in with him and the relief from the whispers and the accusatory stares might make me feel better, or just cause the situation to be so much worse.

One of his eyebrows darted up in a characteristic expression when I didn't immediately answer, and he said.

"You don't have to."

"No." I said shaking my head, wishing I hadn't paused. "I'll go. It's library business right? I'm part of the team. At least for now."

I pushed past him towards the steps and he let out a sound that was half indignation, half diversion, but followed me as I walked towards the door.

I didn't have to glance back to know he was looking at me.

A few of my siblings were in the hall, walking towards the infirmary. They shot James, then me, a few uncertain glances though the youngest one Tracy, blushed when she looked at James and hastily turned away.

I watched her go a little surprised at this reaction and while James didn't turn back, I saw her poke her head curiously into the hall from the infirmary door. Her expression was a mix of embarrassment and curiosity, but unlike the others, she didn't look upset.

"It gets easier." James said as I fixed my gaze forward again.

He'd fallen into step next to me and I realized as I'd been studying my siblings reactions, he'd been watching mine.

"People staring at you. You'll get used to it."

"I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing." I said with a frown. I wasn't used to being the center of attention in almost any case, let alone something like this. "It doesn't happen all that much."

"I'm not sure it has to be good or bad." He said with a shrug. "It just is."

"Now you're the one who sounds like Harper." I said rolling my eyes and he grinned.

His tone was sympathetic however, when he said.

"Just ignore them."

He glanced back down the hall and then returned his gaze to me.

"In my experience, the same people that like to talk about you, are the first ones to come begging you for help when they need it."

"The camp has asked you for help?" I asked in surprise and he smirked as he stopped outside Chiron's office door.

"You remember that group of cyclopes that settled just outside the camp border? Who do think they called to deal with it?"

"They asked you?"

"They asked Harper," he said with a shrug. "The camp doesn't want to be seen asking me for anything. It doesn't look good to the gods. My name wasn't mentioned, but they know who to talk to if they want to reach me."

"I'm surprised you wanted to help them." I said quietly. "All things considered."

At this, this self satisfaction in his expression grew.

"They pay pretty well."

He then knocked on Chiron's door.

"The prodigal son returns." Chiron said as the door opened.

He'd been smiling, but looked a little surprised when he spotted me.

"Libby." He said clearly taken aback. "I didn't realize you were scheduled in the infirmary today."

"I'm not." I admitted a little awkwardly. "James said he had something to do."

"Right." He said glancing between us.

He suddenly looked uncomfortable and I wasn't sure why. He'd seemed happy enough to talk to James before he realized I was there.

"I believe you have a book for me." James said tactfully ignoring the tension that had been building rapidly between the three of us.

"Yes." Chiron said clearly following James's lead and reaching towards his desk.

He picked up a dark volume bound in what looked like dragon scales.

I couldn't read the language printed on the cover, but it seemed to make sense to James because when he glanced at it, he seemed satisfied.

"How much?"

"Consider it a gift." He said and James looked as if he was about to protest when Chiron cut him off. "That antidote to root rot Harper found for the Dryads worked wonders. Cleared up in a matter of days. Don't think I don't know who told her they were sick."

He shot James a knowing expression, and to my surprise, James looked a little embarrassed.

"I knew it wouldn't take long." James muttered looking out the window of the cluttered office. "Harper knows everything."

"And then some." Chiron agreed then sighed. "It's hard to believe you and little Harper are all grown up now." He continued a little wistfully but to my surprise James smiled.

"And infuriating Olympus?"

"That's not all that hard to believe." Chiron answered with what sounded like a barely repressed chuckle.

I was surprised at how easily the two were talking, as if they had a good relationship, were even something like friends. Considering how he was viewed by most of the camp and how he'd left, I'd figured Chiron and James might not be on the best of terms.

Thinking back however, while it had been obvious Chiron had been careful what he said about Harper and especially James, he'd never seemed to have much resentment for either of them.

Before he'd left, James had been a pretty quick study in the arena. He'd done well on missions, learned a lot and even started helping others train. He'd been the prime example of what a true demigod with some quality training could do. If things had gone differently, he might have grown to be a legend in a very different sort of way.

'But in the end none of it had been all that real had it?' I thought distractedly as the pair spoke. The talent, the progress. Sure James had been untrained, but he'd never been normal. At least, not since we'd known him.

I guess I'd thought Chrion might have resented that. Being lied to. But I was starting to wonder now if Chiron didn't really care all that much about everything the camp had gone through because of James, and what his actions might have done to Chiron's reputation. He was a teacher after all. Maybe he was just glad that two of his students that had gone down a dangerous path were still safe. That at least they'd done it together, rather than try and face down the gods alone.

I was surprised when he turned to me.

"Try and keep him in line." He said gesturing towards, James who appeared to be unimpressed with this statement. "Harper would probably let him jump into a volcano if he made the right case for it. Try to keep him from getting himself killed. You were the only one who could ever get him to listen after all..."

"Uh, alright." I said as he wheeled passed us and James followed him.

"You do realize how little there is out there that can harm me, don't you Chiron?"

He ignored this and looked back at me.

"See what I mean?"

James let out an amused breath, but allowed himself to be shown towards the exit. For some reason, I was unsurprised when Chiron opened the door, and it wasn't the camp I saw but a world of swirling golden light. It lit up the hall and in such a confined space, it was almost blinding.

"Give Harper my regards."

"Will do." James said stepping through the doorway, and for a moment I hesitated, wondering if he meant for me to follow him.

Surely he did. I'd asked him to pick me up after up after all.

Almost as if he knew what I was thinking across at least one dimension, a hand emerged out of a coil of light.

I let out a laugh in my surprise and took it, feeling James pull me through the doors as if I weighed nothing.

Then again, to him, I probably didn't.

I expected to topple out of the Interrealm like always and for James to have to catch me, but was surprised to find despite the fact his hand was still in mine, I hardly needed it. I took half a step to catch my balance, but managed to stay standing and when I looked at him, faintly proud of this fact, I noticed he looked a little impressed.

"You seem to be adjusting rather well."

The words together weren't really a compliment, they were more of a statement, but the way he'd said them made it sound like more.

There was something unusual in his tone and it felt strangely significant, causing the moment to feel oddly... private. The realization of this was accompanied by a sudden onset of nerves, but the illusion was shattered when he looked over his shoulder and said.

"What's your excuse?"

Harper was leaning against the door to the mortal realm and the look she shot James was surly.

"Making sure you don't end up in Greenland."

"I've been to Greenland." James said as I hastily dropped his hand. "It's lovely. Very pretty lights in the sky."

"You've seen the northern lights?" I asked feeling my eyes go wide.

"There isn't much James hasn't seen." Harper said dismissively before shooting him a smug expression. "He's an old man."

James, who looked surprisingly nettled by this comment, responded in kind.

"You're literally a librarian."

"I'm still younger than you."

They went back and forth for a moment and I watched, interested. It was like listening to the Davis twins bicker back when Harper was still at camp, only this didn't look like it was leading up to an actual fight.

"So," Harper said looking at me as we made our way up the steps. "What's up? Why did you want to come in today?"

I'd expected it to be awkward walking with James and Harper, almost to feel like I was a bit of a third wheel, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that James's advice seemed to be working. If I didn't push Harper, she seemed a lot more likely to talk to me, and it was this question that had me realizing James had far more autonomy of what he did, and how he worked here than most people probably realized.

Most people, at least at the camp, just sort of assumed he stood around, looked menacing, and went where ever Harper told him they'd be going.

Judging by everything I'd seen however, that didn't seem to be the case. It looked as if James could do pretty much whatever he wanted, bring whoever he wanted to and from the library, for whatever reason with little to no oversight. I guess he hadn't been lying when he'd said he and Harper were a team.

"He agreed to help me with some research." I explained realizing as I said it, that I wasn't actually sure if James had agreed or not.

Then again, James didn't seem like the sort of person who would have wasted either of our time bringing me here if he didn't plan to help, and for the first time since I'd started visiting the library, I felt completely certain about an assumption pertaining to his character. Or maybe just his personality.

"I see." Harper said and something about her tone made me feel a little uncertain.

I couldn't tell if she approved of this or not, and when I looked at James for some sort of clue, he shook his head and gave me a silent, but reassuring expression. He then completely shocked me by holding up his hand and arching his fingers in a clawing motion in what was the almost universal motion for cat claws.

I couldn't help it, I laughed.

It bounced off the stone walls of the stairwells, uncomfortably loud and Harper looked at me alarmed.

James was clearly trying to hold back a laugh himself, and Harper looked between us as if we were nuts.

"Don't worry about it," he told her quietly and to my surprise, she shrugged and kept moving.

James shot me a wink before following after her and I had to admit, it did make me feel better.

Smiling, and feeling something a bit more exciting than relief, I followed after him.

I figured he must be right and that she wasn't upset, because Harper, it seemed, had already moved on.

"Look whatever you guys are up to, just make sure to keep an eye out for Hypnos if you're out in the mortal world." She said looking at us. "He already doesn't like you James, and Libby you shot him. Hades knows to keep an eye on him, but if you two are together and he thinks he can catch you off guard, the wound might be a little fresh. Literally." She said gesturing towards her palm, obviously indicating the point I'd driven an arrow into the god's hand.

"I still can't believe you did that." James said his tone a mixture of approval and amusement.

"I didn't exactly have a lot of time to think..." I responded awkwardly, wondering if I was about to be told off, but it looked as if a reprimand was the last thing that was on James's mind.

"I know, that's what makes it so impressive." He answered and it was hard to explain his expression. I was so used to James looking impassive about almost everything, but he grinned when he said. "Not a lot of people would have taken that shot."

Harper, however, didn't look all that impressed. She was looking at James as if she'd asked him to calculate a complex mathematical equation, and his response was to produce a recently caught trout, and set it triumphantly in front of her, confident in his answer. Quite frankly, she looked concerned for his sanity.

She seemed to realize what she was doing pretty quickly however, because she shook her head, evidently trying to clear it and said.

"It was a good shot."

This left me to think her confusion was less about the compliment itself, and more the fact that James had been the one to pay it.

She shook her head again, gave her friend one last evaluating look before walking off, appearing rapidly lost in thought and James watched her for a moment with interest.

"Did I just see Harper short circuit?" I asked quietly and his smile grew.

"I do believe we might've mucked up her routine."

He shot me a sidelong look.

"C'mon. I want to show you something."

"Alright." I said a little nervous, but curios at the same time as to what he was up to.

He led me through the main hall back towards the living areas, and I got a kick out of using my access card for the first time. When I stepped in to the staff area however, I was surprised to see that the popcorn maker had been pushed out of the corner it had been situated in, to make room for a massive, wall sized map.

Lucy was sitting in front of it, surrounded by books and art supplies, as well as things like photos, wrinkled travel brochures, and receipts.

Notes were written all over the continents, areas highlighted and reference pages scrawled next to them. Some of the photos were pinned to areas I realized, by the fact that they were in quite a few of them, James and Lucy must have visited over the years.

They were all over the place.

"After our conversations about the Griffins last night, Lucy thought a bigger visual might be helpful for you and that putting all the stuff we've picked up over the years into a centralized spot might be a good reference."

"Hi Libby." She said cheerfully, looking over her shoulder and waving before holding up what looked like a ferry ticket of some sort. "James, do you remember where this was? I'm pretty sure this was the time we ran into those sirens that you almost drowned us trying to reach."

"Istanbul probably." He said walking over to inspect the ticket. "I'm pretty sure you smacked me that day."

"Better smacked then dead." She pointed out and he grinned.

"True."

She tacked the ticket onto the map and I watched as he looked over the materials, absentmindedly helping his sister organize.

"You two really have been everywhere, haven't you?" I asked approaching the scatter cautiously.

"Yup." Lucy said happily. "I don't understand people who want to say stuck in the same place forever. It's so boring." she made a dismissive gesture. "The world is massive. You might as well explore it."

At this, James shot her an anxious glance and her eyebrows contracted, as if trying to remember something.

She looked suddenly upset, and when she picked up what appeared to be a receipt for a toy store, she scowled at her brother.

"I still can't believe you went to Switzerland without me."

"I bought you a present." He said and pointed towards the receipt, but she still looked unhappy.

"You'll have to bring me next time." She said with a shrug, but her voice was quiet, disappointed even and though I wasn't sure what exactly was going on, James looked upset.

Upset, and for once, like he didn't know what to do.

"What's this from?" I asked picking up a photo of the two of them.

They looked to be about middle school aged, maybe a little younger for Lucy, but definitely a long while before James had ever been at camp. It looked as if he'd been in the middle of a growth spurt or something, because he was adorably gangly, all limbs and elbows. His arm was around her shoulder and they were standing in front of a truly gorgeous mountain range with snow on its peaks though the photo appeared to be taken in fine weather.

"That's Alaska." Lucy said brightly reaching for the picture and I handed it to her. "The bears there are huuuuge."

She launched into a story about James being chased through a campground after dropping out of the Interrealm into a couple's tent, and while she laughed, I chanced a glance at him.

I could tell by his expression that the story was true, and while it was clear that years after the fact, the memory was more funny than traumatizing, I could tell by the way he was looking at his sister he was still too unsettled to find real humor in her retelling of it.

Sufficiently distracted, Lucy had gone back to the pile of keepsakes, making comments about various items and launching into other anecdotes.

I was interested in them, but she'd been in the middle of a story about back packing in India when I found that somehow, James had ended up standing next to me. Realizing this, I found it suddenly it far more difficult to pay attention to Lucy's account.

"Thanks." He said quietly and my heart skipped a beat.

I glanced up at him, but he wasn't looking at me. He was watching his sister, but must have felt my gaze on him because eventually his eyes darted in my direction.

He didn't smile, but he didn't have to for me to know he meant it.

"No problem." I said softly.

I wasn't sure why it felt significant. We were just standing here after all, but I didn't want to look away and I was almost afraid that he might.

"Are you two paying attention?" Lucy asked looking over her shoulder, and this time he did smile, just a little.

"Yes." He said turning back to his sister who was giving him a petulant look. "You almost got me arrested in that fishing village."

"Hey it's their fault they tried to steal from the sister of a demigod." She said with a shrug. "He should have kept his hands to himself. You didn't hurt him that bad."

"If you'd have just listened to me, I wouldn't have had to hurt anyone."

"Hindsight is twenty twenty." She shrugged. "Besides, you're my brother." She wrinkled her nose at him. "You're supposed to hit people who are mean to me."

He shot her an exasperated look and she grinned.

"You have to love me." She reminded him and he sighed.

"I know."

She laughed and returned to the map saying.

"And you still have to take me to Switzerland."

"So decrees her majesty."

I could help but smile.

I walked over to the map, looking at all the places James and Lucy had been as well as what they'd run into. It looked like several life times worth of travel and I was jealous. Especially knowing Harper could send me somewhere every day I was here this summer and it wouldn't even come close.

A surge of disappointment went through me at this, as I really studied at the map and took it in. Their lives had been so much crazier than mine, so much more adventurous. Hell, James even made working in a library seem exciting. It made my life seem so boring in comparison…

"This was so nice of you guys to do." I said quietly touching the place where Lucy had pinned the ferry ticket before looking at James.

"Istanbul has sirens?"

He grinned.

"Yes." He said picking up another one of his sisters trinkets and pinning it to the board somewhere in Russia. "Very vocal ones too."

"What's your flaw?" I asked knowing I was probably pushing my luck by asking such a personal question and he hesitated.

"James doesn't trust himself." Lucy said absentmindedly reading a brochure and when I looked at him, he explained.

"Self-doubt."

"Really?" I asked stunned, hardly able to believe someone with the ability to fist fight a god could be uncertain of himself about anything, and the look he gave me was one of tolerant patience.

It was familiar to me, I'd seen it a lot over the years, but I also recognized it wasn't one he typically had around others. It had me thinking there were very few people he'd allow to pursue this line of questioning.

"I could have everything I wanted in the world presented to me as a gift from Olympus itself, and I wouldn't take." His tone was unaffected, but something in his gaze had me wondering if what he'd seen had resonated with him more than he wanted anyone to know. "At least according to the sirens."

"Why not?"

He hesitated again, clearly deciding whether or not he actually wanted to answer the question. Eventually, he did.

"For fear of destroying it."

The statement was heavy and though I wasn't quite sure what to say, I couldn't stand to leave it sitting there.

"And what do you think?" I asked uncertainly and he considered the question.

"I have everything I want." He said with a shrug before looking back at the map and by his expression, I had a feeling that James believed it.

But just because you believed something didn't make it true, and I couldn't help but think back to my conversation with Harper. About what was easy, and how it didn't always make you happy.

But James didn't see unhappy. In fact, he laughed when his sister held up what looked like string of festival flags and he tacked it on to the board. I couldn't help but wonder however, if even though James was happy, his life and how strange it had turned out to be was everything he wanted?

Harper said that she didn't have any regrets, or at least none so big that she would have changed anything. Despite how similar they were however, James and Harper weren't the same person. People, even friends, didn't always want the same things.

"What's this?" Lucy said holding up a leather cord that I realized was startlingly familiar and heartbreakingly bare.

"Ah." James said with half a smile, taking it out of her hand, pressing a pin through the material and pinning it to the shore of Long Island on the map. "Camp necklace."

"Like the one Harper has?" Libby asked interestedly. "And Libby?"

She gestured towards the collar of my shirt, where several beads rested along the neckline.

"Yeah."

She glanced at the cord, then back at me and frowned.

"How come it doesn't have any beads?"

"I never got one." James said and while he didn't sound upset, something about the words sent a shock of pity through me that was so strong it was almost painful.

I didn't know why I was surprised. James of course, had only been at camp a few months. Cabin heads voted at the end of each summer what the they thought was the most significant event, and then the beads were decorated and distributed accordingly. But James had been gone by then, and it wasn't as if anyone had really wanted to track him down to give him one.

I hadn't thought about it at all at the time, but looking back, despite everything that happened this seemed remarkably unfair. James might have only been at camp for a few months but he had still helped people. Had started training other campers in the arena, had even brought back several new demigods during extraction missions. He'd killed plenty of monsters and won several games of capture the flag in that time. He'd been as much of a part of camp as anyone.

"Then why'd you keep it?" Lucy asked raising an eyebrow looking confused and James glanced at the map.

"Spent a fair amount of time there. Met a couple people." he shrugged. "It was an interesting experience."

"I dunno, they sounded kind of self-righteous." Lucy said with a frown before hastily shooting me an apologetic glance. "No offense Libby. But like, I'm not even allowed there right? Where are mortals who can see the world, but don't wanna risk being an oracle supposed to go?"

I hadn't thought of this, and the realization of what Lucy had said hit me like a brick wall.

Come to think of it, where were people like her supposed to go? She wasn't a demigod, and even our mortal parents who, not always, but quite often had the sight that allowed them to see parts of the mythological world weren't allowed into the camp boundaries. Sure, someone like Lucy could potentially become an oracle, but that dictated a certain sort of life style. And it didn't come without significant risk.

No one answered this and eventually Lucy made a dismissive shrug.

"I'd rather stay here."

I expected James to say something in agreement, but he didn't. He simply glanced back at the cord, then returned to items scattered around Lucy to help her sort while I stood there feeling wretched.

I thought about what Rue had been saying earlier, about how it was suspicious James had never come back to camp. How even associating with him as much as she did, had her starting to mistrust Harper, but almost in the same breath, she'd gone on about how no one wanted him there and he couldn't be trusted.

I was starting to see the wisdom in Harper's warning. What was I going to do if people like Rue started questioning my allegiances the more time I spent here? Like her, I'd been so preoccupied wondering what it was that made Harper and James avoid the camp and what it was that they were up to that they wanted to hide, it hadn't occurred to me to think all that much about whether or not they exactly felt all that welcome.

Even Ashton hadn't been immune. The frustration in Rue's tone had been clear when she talked about how he defended Harper, and he'd always been extremely popular.

Camp was supposed to be a safe haven from the mythological world. I'd always seen it as a sort of refuge for misfits that both Olympus and the mortal world had rejected. Not human enough to live peacefully among regular people, but not good enough to be welcomed among the divine for longer than brief periods of time.

Camp Half blood had been made for us though, it was the one place we were supposed to be able to be what we really were.

But Lucy was right.

She wasn't welcome. James had had to lie about what he was to be accepted, and the second she'd started to exhibit strange power, Harper had been kicked too.

"That's bullshit." I muttered to myself a little angrily.

Both Lucy and James looked up in surprise.

"What?" Lucy asked looking confused.

Clearly the siblings had already moved on and were continuing to work on the map, but I was glaring at the necklace, suddenly furious that there was nothing on it.

I stalked towards the map and snatched the cord, pulling off my own necklace and undoing the knot.

I slipped off a few of the beads until I found the one I was looking for. It was small and gray, with a simple white outline of a book, the symbol of an owl hovering over it's open pages.

I added it to the empty necklace, incensed, still glaring at it as I pinned it back to the board, a fresh wave of indignation rolling over me as I spotted the owl.

I'd be willing to bet Harper didn't have one either. And it had been about her.

Still irate, I crossed my arms over my chest and only to realize that Lucy and James were staring at me.

"What?" I asked gesturing towards the necklace stubbornly. "It's bullshit."

"Um."

I whirled only to see Harper had stepped into the room and was looking at me a little warily.

"You alright?"

I felt myself flush, my emotions vacillating quickly between righteous fury and embarrassment every few seconds.

"I-" I started but then cut myself off, realizing Harper of all people, probably didn't need to hear a tirade about the injustices of the camp and the gods.

If anything, it was preaching to the choir.

"I'm fine." I said quietly and while she looked a little uncertain, she didn't press the issue.

She looked at James.

"I need your help with something." She hesitated for a second, before adding. "Actually, Libby, it might be good for you to come as well. If you want."

"Sure." I said with a shrug a little surprised. "What's up?"

"We got a request for an emergency visit from the hunters." She said as we followed her back into the hall.

"Of Artemis?" I asked feeling my eyes go wide and she nodded.

"The man haters." James said and the sarcasm in his tone had me thinking he wasn't a fan of the group.

"Precisely." Harper nodded, clearly trying not to smile and James's expression went, if possible, even darker.

"Awesome."

"What do they want?" I asked curiously.

"They want help identifying a monster they ran into on the hunt. Something they'd never seen before."

"Even Artemis?" I asked and Harper shrugged.

"Apparently. Whatever it was must have been pretty nasty though, because it took a chunk out of one of them. They're hoping if we can help them figure out what it was, they can speed up the healing process. That's where you two come in."

She glanced at us.

"I couldn't find anything in our records like they described, but James has seen just about every monster out there, and this is sort of your area of interest."

She looked at me directly.

"I figured between the two of you, you might be able to help them figure out what it was."

I couldn't imagine I knew something about monsters that Artemis didn't, but shrugged and followed the pair towards the main part of the library. At the very least, I might be able to see my aunt.

It occurred to me that Harper, also a fraternal twin with an extremely extroverted brother, might feel a sense of kinship with Artemis. Both girls were smart and strategy minded, even if one was for battle and the other the hunt. A part of me wondered if Harper had ever considered becoming a Hunter. It was quickly quashed however, with the memory that for the longest time, Harper couldn't shoot a bow to save her life and it was in fact her fiance that eventually taught her.

'Maybe not.' I thought grinning to myself, wondering if secretly, Harper had never applied to an organization that she probably could have done well in, simply because of the smallest of hope that things with my brother might actually work out.

If that was true, I had to admit that was pretty cute and I smile grew as the three of us continued to walk. It did have me wondering however, why I'd never seriously considered the option. Despite the fact that she often bickered with my father, Artemis was more than happy to look after his daughters. We were quite often healers and excellent shots. It was a combination she would be thrilled to have in one of her hunt members and, being decent with a bow, I wasn't quite sure I hadn't looked into it. No more than the average daughter of a Apollo anyways.

However, there was the 'man hating' policy that James had pointed out, that I figured was the real issue with the idea for me. You didn't actually have to hate men to join the Hunters, but it often came with the territory. It had gotten better recently, most of the newer recruits grew up in modern times and had no issues with guys, even befriended them. But that was all they could do. Some girls were ok with that, were willing to make that trade for what Artemis offered, or they wanted a different path than others would take. But was I?

I glanced at James who's expression was still irritable and while I figured it might make me second guess myself, it didn't. Somehow, though I had no idea why, it made me even more sure.