And the blood will dry

Underneath my nails

And the wind will rise up

To fill my sails

A bright flash alerted young eyes to a welcome arrival.

Finn's head shot up from their meal, mimicking others as the visiting deity emerged out into the dining pavilion. An older teenage boy, on the cusp of becoming a man, with familiar curly brown hair tipped in golden blonde, a freckled face and the bluest eyes anyone had ever seen.

Apollo.

Delighted murmurs and exclamations of greeting came from their table and those of other cabins. Finn couldn't lie and say they didn't also contribute to the noise, enjoying the god's visits as much as any other camper. It was hard not to, what with his warm and eccentric personality, not to mention the care he shows in interacting with them.

Other than Mr D, who would be relieved of being camp director in a few years' time, Apollo was really the only other god most campers see on a regular basis.

Finn watched Cabin Seven rush to embrace their father, all with the same enchanting smiles as said parent. But as always, Apollo also greeted the other cabins, never leaving anyone feeling forgotten. What could they say, it was nice to be seen.

"Dad, Dad!" Penelope, their long-time crush with a siren's voice, tugged on her father's arm. Her eyes shimmered with barely contained excitement. "You know lots of good stories, right?"

Apollo blinked but his smile remained warm. "And what if I do?"

Finn could admit that they would never tire of hearing that melodic voice, with a similar high timbre to Penelope's.

"Chiron told us that today was special," Oliver - Penelope's brother - chimed in. "He said that you could tell us why, that you could spin a tale unlike any other."

A laugh. Finn knew the sun god was chuckling, his voice singing a tune, even in the midst of such an ordinary action. The sweetest sounds Finn had ever heard, all of them combined in a surreally perfect way. Just as Aphrodite was different to each person's eye, Apollo's voice sounded different to each person's ears. But in the best ways, Finn supposed.

"So," Penelope said, "can you?"

The other campers were looking at the god with varying levels of interest, but it was interest nonetheless.

Apollo's smile grew wistful, eyes misting over with a strangely peaceful expression. He took a deep breath before answering in that always gentle voice. "Yes, I believe I know just the story to tell you all."

A snap of his fingers and the benches were cushioned, bowls of snacks and jugs of drinks were provided. There was always the option to continue eating the usual meals or going for the treats. Finn's cabin was well-known for their sweet-tooth, often sneaking sugary things from all sorts of places - they had very sticky fingers, it was also a habit.

Once everyone was comfortable, Apollo hopped up onto the head table to sit on its edge - something that had some campers snickering as Chiron shook his head with a small smile.

"Now, the story I'm about to tell you actually happened. A long time ago, back before your time. But it's one worth telling."

Finn felt an anticipation bubbling up in them as Apollo took a moment to gather almost steel himself. With bright eyes, clearer than even the most cloudless skies, he began the tale, a story from the heart.

So you can doubt

And you can hate

But I know

No matter what it takes

"It all began with a boy with too much at his fingertips."

The god began, soft voice carrying over the warm silence of the open pavilion.

"He danced in the clouds, boasted about his achievements and dressed in the flashiest clothes. But the boy was afraid, using the countless hobbies to distract himself from the truth. And it worked. That is, until one day, the boy angered his father with his youthful arrogance.

As punishment, the father cast his son out into a world that he knew nothing about, telling him that he could not return until he had completed a sentence of servitude. The boy soon learned that the wider world would not go out of its way to pamper him, to hand him everything on a silver platter. It was in an alleyway, cornered by two thieves, that he met a young girl with rhinestone glasses."

"What was her name?" A little girl from the Iris cabin had asked, sitting in the lap of her older brother.

Apollo's eyes grew nostalgic, pained yet loving, his smile small but warm. "Meg McCaffrey."

The Demeter cabin perked up at the name, having heard stories of their infamous half-sibling from older campers, many now long-gone. Word was that she became a fierce hero of Southern California, defending many who sought sanctuary in Aethales from monsters with the Meliai and her weaponised unicorn. Finn knew most of the Demeter campers wanted to live up to that same greatness, they couldn't blame them. Meg sounded pretty inspiring, even from second-hand accounts of her feats.

"Saving the boy, she claimed him as her servant for the duration of his punishment. From there, they walked to the home of a great hero. Can anyone guess who the hero was?"

Orion jumped in his seat, excitedly shouting a name. "Percy Jackson!"

"Correct!" Apollo grinned, giving the youngest in Cabin Three a thumbs up. "They made their way to Percy Jackson's home and stayed for a little bit, before leaving for the summer camp he had trained at. We all know which one that is, don't we?"

"Camp Half-Blood!"

"Yes, but as you all know, getting to Camp Half-Blood isn't always easy. Especially when there are monsters chasing you." This had most of the younger campers shivering, whether in remembrance or agreement, Finn couldn't tell. "And as it turned out, they were being chased by nosoi, plague spirits who could make anyone sick with any illness imaginable.

The boy was terrified and had no weapon, cowering as Meg and Percy fought the spirits in the orchard. When he was sure they would lose, the peaches suddenly started to levitate and demolished all the nosoi. But that was not all. From the fruit came a karpos, one made of peaches with a ferocious bite. It was Meg's very own gift to herself, a friend just for her.

Now, Percy managed to get sick from fighting the nosoi. It was only a head cold but he couldn't join them through the forest to camp. So they parted ways, leaving Meg and the boy to continue on towards Camp Half-Blood."

I'm coming home

I'm coming home

Tell the world I'm coming home

Finn couldn't help but become entranced by the tale, accented by the dancing images Apollo conjured to accompany it. Golden dust mimicked a teenage boy and young girl stumbling through a forest, after the boy had collapsed from hearing a voice in his head.

The arrival into camp, Chiron's appearance - which elicited many cheers - at the Big House, Meg's claiming, the boy's first oath, the three-legged death race…

Said scenes kept replaying in Finn's mind as everyone took a short break from the storytelling session. Their imagination was working overtime, imagining how it must have been to be there at the time. Apollo had said the story actually happened, didn't he?

They finished their business in the bathrooms, quickly returning to their seat with the rest of their half-siblings. And once again, Apollo dove into the tale as the torchlight was reflected in his eyes.

Let the rain

Wash away

All the pain of yesterday

I know my kingdom awaits

And they've forgiven my mistakes

Immediately from the start, Nero was hated. Everyone at camp had grown fond of Meg, just as the boy had in the story, and despised the emperor for his actions. Cabin Seven was on edge as Austin and Kayla were rescued from the fire. Then the Grove of Dodona gave them a prophecy, one that involved blue caves where the boy would encounter death and madness. Everyone could agree that it didn't sound good, especially the campers who had gone on quests themselves.

Percy's appearance during the battle against the Nero Colossus had many excited and everyone rejoiced when it finally fell. Of course, the fact that it had gotten hay fever from the arrow was amusing. The Hephaestus cabin cheered with the appearance of Leo Valdez and Festus, the dragon often accompanying visitors from the Waystation nowadays. Then the story moved to Indianna, the still nameless boy joined by Leo and Calypso having taken six weeks to find it.

Everyone was freaked out by the blemmyae, especially the Aphrodite campers. The part with the headless cheese-coloured ghost was strange but Finn really enjoyed learning about Emmie and Jo, a couple who had once overseen the Waystation years before. While Kale wasn't bad, half-heartedly gruff when they visited the place last, Finn decided they preferred the kind ladies in Apollo's story. The Hecate cabin were intrigued by the Magic 8 Ball and how Jo was in fact a half-sibling of theirs, one who had left the hunt to be with Emmie.

Lityerses, rescuing the griffins, reuniting with Meg (everyone cheered at her return), infiltrating the emperor's palace, retrieving the Throne of Memory and Commodus' crazy arena. Finn could tell they weren't alone in thinking: this is the best story we've heard in ages. Even Chiron was enraptured with Apollo's tale. Finn wondered if this was the first time the centaur had heard this too. It certainly seemed like it.

I'm coming home

I'm coming home

Tell the world I'm coming

Penelope loved hearing about the Hunters, especially Thalia Grace who was still Artemis' lieutenant to this day. Finn knew the singer had always admired her aunt but wondered why the other didn't consider joining the Hunt. Everyone's opinions of the boy were changing, Finn had always felt that his actions were different to what he said. Strangely selfish when the first thing he did after the three-legged race was charge into the woods to save his family.

The dive into the Cave of Trophonius was both funny and terrifying, because the boy was fuzzy in the head after drinking from two springs with opposite effects. A pool of snakes mentioned made the Apollo cabin uneasy, even when everyone knew the only truly evil snake had been defeated long ago. Meg's song of failures, identical to the boy's own song in the myrmekes' nest, made Trophonius target her as his supplicant. Finn couldn't help but admire how the boy immediately shared the poison of prophetic bees, dragged her out through an underwater tunnel, tricked the blemmyae into blowing up the cave and then pleaded for his master's life. They weren't sure they could have done the same, even if they were the same age as the boy in the story.

Commodus being in the Waystation was ill-received, predictably so, especially when he had Emmie, Georgina and Leo held hostage. Finn cheered alongside everyone else as the boy blinded the emperor and Lityerses tricked him into charging out the window. The next prophecy was worse than the last but the satyrs, having wandered in sometime during the story (Finn wasn't sure when), brightened when Grover Underwood appeared. It wasn't the weirdest thing they've heard but still, of course Meg summoned the past Lord of the Wild from a tomato patch. Finn couldn't wait to hear more, especially since his best friend Cyprus admired his predecessor so much.

Apollo's eyes appeared to darkened ever so slightly, from what Finn could see during the next break. He murmured something to Chiron and the centaur placed a hand upon the other's shoulder. Finn couldn't help but wonder what that was about.

The tale continued again. Into the Labyrinth, three days passed as the trio got lost in the story. Some of their friends, Louis from the Nemesis cabin especially, recoiled when Apollo described the battle against the strixes. Hearing about Aethales before it became the sanctuary it was today felt surreal, to believe it used to be a burning wasteland compared to the lushness now. Finn liked learning about this Coach Hedge satyr, especially because he was Timber's direct relative - a grandfather, maybe? Timber often spoke vaguely about his family.

Piper McLean's introduction was welcome for the Aphrodite campers, having a half-sibling who wasn't as vain as most think they are. Their battle against Medea and Helios had quite a number of them on the edge of their seats. Finn wasn't surprised to see Aaron, the only Zeus camper at the moment, perk up when the name Jason Grace was mentioned - Thalia's brother, everyone knew not to mention him within her presence, for various reasons.

Finn suspected they would be finding out more about him in this story.

Still far away

From where I belong

But it's always darkest

Before the dawn

Apollo made it a point to emphasise the promise Jason had the boy make, to remember. Finn noticed that the god's eyes were misty for only a moment during this part. Somehow, it made Finn feel like something bad was going to happen in the story. Cabin Eleven - Finn included - was amused when the boy, who was clearly talented in areas Apollo kids specialised in, stole some shoes with Piper. The talking horse - Incitatus, apparently - was supplemented by Cabin Three agreeing that horses could be quite dangerous when they wanted to be. Finn found that no surprise, especially after the last time they rode a unicorn - who knew they could be so violent?

Everyone was silent as the confrontation with Caligula played out, especially when the boy threatened to kill himself using his own arrow. Apollo's voice was steady as he recounted the ensuing battle, but Finn noticed the god's eyes were bright, clearly holding back tears. They couldn't help but wonder why. The entire camp, especially Aaron, mourned Jason's death. It may have been a long time ago, but it was hard not to pay respects to someone who died defending his friends. Piper's grief and her lashing out at the boy was understandable, although a few of the Hebe cabin felt it was a little unfair of her to blame another for Caligula's actions.

The flaying in the maze wasn't downplayed, explained just as much as every other part of the tale, and Finn couldn't help but appreciate Apollo's authenticity to the story. He could have censored the more gory details but that would undermine the sacrifices and choices the people in it made. Everyone, namely the satyrs and Demeter campers, let out a huge sigh of relief as Helios was soothed and the heatwaves in the story stopped. Hearing about the Meliai's first feat and how Meg became their master was strangely fitting, considering what she was said to be like.

Finn silently cheered the boy on as he made the decision to be more than an observer, to honour the promise he made to Jason. The part with the hearse and eurynomos was excitingly crazy, no less than any similar sequence in the story. Lavinia Asimov was Helen's favourite for sure, Finn could only wonder when she would admit to her own sentiments reflected in the pink-haired Roman. Everyone was surprised when Hazel Lavesque was not praetor when she appeared, especially because that's most of what everyone knows about her - that she was praetor of Camp Jupiter during her time.

Penelope and Oliver were concerned, same with the rest of Cabin Seven, when the boy got scratched by one of the eurynomoi. Learning that Reyna - the very same who was now in Artemis' Hunt - used to be praetor when Frank was as well, that had more than a couple of cabins confused, especially the Aphrodite campers. But Finn didn't find it odd, she had to have learnt to fight somehow so why not? They were a little disgusted by the concept of writing prophecies onto a Cyclops' skin, but Orion seemed largely unaffected by it, like the rest of his siblings. Figures.

So you can doubt

And you can hate

But I know

No matter what it takes

Tarquin was immediately hated, predictably by this point. Finn didn't like the fact that the poison in the eurynomos scratch was a way for the undead king to control the zombies, they disliked it even more when it clearly made the boy's condition worse. Apollo's skill at conveying such moments was worthy of praise yet Finn felt as though it came with a sense of genuity, these moments felt like they were being told from personal experience. And they wondered if the god had actually been there, right in the middle of all the events unfolding in the story.

After another break - they weren't sure how many they'd had at this point - before getting back into it, Sutro Tower was an experience. Climbing up while being assaulted by giant ravens, the literally silent confrontation with Harpocrates, retrieving the last breath of a god and sliding back down on a giant beanstalk. That sounded both fun and dangerous, which for demigods probably didn't seem like much of a difference. Reyna fighting a eurynomos on a moving truck was cool, everyone could attest to that. Finn couldn't help but laugh at the Target section, when Meg was riding a trolley while dizzy from the crash.

Camp Jupiter's battle against Caligula and Commodus' forces was large-scale, that much was true. It was hard for anyone today to conceive of such a huge battle, seeing as there had been nothing but relative peace since then. Finn hoped the invocation from Temple Hill worked, that Diana - Artemis' Roman counterpart - would answer the summons. They cheered as the boy charged into battle to help his friends, even when all seemed lost. Even those who didn't much like the boy at the start of the story now wanted him to succeed, having stayed true to his vow to become stronger.

His fight with Frank against the emperors was awe-inspiring, especially for Finn. They could relate to the boy, feeling terrified and like a burden, but seeing that boy fight for what he believed in - Finn wanted to be like that too, someone braver than they were now. Everyone knew Frank survived but it was still shocking to hear about him burning up his own firewood, one tied to his life no less. Don the faun was honoured, the satyrs appreciating this part more than most.

They were given another break before the final stretch of the story took place.

I'm coming home

I'm coming home

Tell the world I'm coming home

Finn decided they didn't mind Luguselwa, even liking the fact that she referred to Meg with the nickname of Sapling. Everyone enjoyed having Percy's mum in the story again, along with Paul and Estelle, Percy's baby sister being mere months old during this time. Hearing how the boy threw Luguselwa three blocks was surreal, but no less impressive. Everyone was chuckling or grinning as Apollo detailed the ride to camp in the Grey Sisters' cab, even if there was another prophecy to come from it.

Mr D showing up was unexpected but everyone could tell the camp director's attitude was only marginally better than how he was in the story. Will and Nico were adored by the Aphrodite cabin, Finn could hear their murmurs of how cute the pair acted in the tale. Layla was intrigued by Rachel, probably for a similar reason Cyprus was so keen to hear more about Grover. Nico being friends with troglodytes made Vanessa smile, an uncommon phenomenon in Finn's experience - the Hades camper rarely ever showed more than a straight face.

Everyone had varying reactions of disgust and horror when Nero had Claudius cut Luguselwa's hands off with Meg's blades. The Apollo cabin was nodding along as the boy gave the now handless Luguselwa proper medical treatment, using whatever he had anyway. They were intrigued when the boy's hand caught on fire, similarly to how some Hephaestus campers had fire powers. The Athena cabin was sure the boy wasn't a demigod, but most of the others countered that it wouldn't explain how he was able to accomplish certain feats in the story.

The two cellmates' escape from the opulent jail was clever and Finn thought the idea of tapping swords onto hands to be something his siblings might try - they weren't so sure of it themselves, honestly. Having the talking arrow back was a blessing and a curse, Finn decided it was because of the way it talked. They couldn't help but love how cool the boy was, bravely taking one several opponents at once, even enjoying the part with Nico coming in to save him. Everyone was so awesome in this story. Kayla and Austin passing the boy around as the campers of the past fought throughout the tower was a favourite of theirs, the Ares cabin liked hearing about Sherman Yang throwing a Germanus off the balcony.

Let the rain

Wash away

All the pain of yesterday

I know my kingdom awaits

And they've forgiven my mistakes

Everyone cheered when Meg stood up to Nero, claiming to have killed the Beast that existed in her mind. Will charging in to save Nico was accompanied by loud squealing from the Aphrodite campers, Finn was almost certain they had gone deaf from how shrill it was. Thankfully, they hadn't. Rachel appearing with the fasces was cool, Finn wasn't the only one laughing when Luguselwa revealed that she gave the leontocephaline her - and by extension, Nero's - immortality. The boy tried to break the fasces but Finn was afraid he wasn't strong enough, especially with those wounds.

Nero's confrontation with him was, in Finn's opinion, the most satisfying fight ever. The defeat was short-lived however when the snake monster, having appeared a few times in the story, turned out to be the real final boss. Meg's order for the boy to come back tugged at Finn's heartstrings, and they weren't the only one feeling that way. The Apollo campers were alarmed when the Athena cabin was sure that it had to be Python, Finn couldn't help but agree that it couldn't be any other monster. Apollo didn't say anything in response to it but his expression was clearly impressed by their deduction, letting everyone out for one last break.

Finn absolutely adored the final battle, everyone else loved it too, especially the Ares cabin. The fall into Tartarus and then to the ledge of Chaos was tense, especially because all campers knew even gods wouldn't survive a fall into the void, and the boy was mortal - as far as most of them knew.

I'm coming home

I'm coming home

Tell the world I'm coming

Python trying to drag the boy into Chaos with him had more than a few letting out sounds of alarm. But it was quickly replaced with cheers when Python dissolved as the boy remained hanging on. Styx's appearance had many feeling uneasy but Finn didn't mind as much when she left the boy alone, but the fact that she didn't help him up was not doing their opinion of her any favours.

When the boy managed to pull himself up from the brink, there was a unanimous sigh of relief. Apollo detailed how the boy now felt like a stranger among his family but was more than welcome in the world he hadn't known before those six months of trials. Finn felt their heart warm at each visit the boy made to his new friends as Apollo drew the tale to a close.

I'm coming home

I'm coming home

Tell the world I'm coming home

"He told her that he would always come back. And that, was the story of how even the most unsuspecting can become heroes in their own right."

Everyone applauded loudly as Apollo mimicked a bow with a flourish from the waist up.

Let the rain

Wash away

All the pain of yesterday

I know my kingdom awaits

And they've forgiven my mistakes

As everyone broke off to head to bed, Finn decided to join the gathering of Apollo campers and approach the god about the story.

As always, Apollo was speaking softly to his children and calmly sending them off to bed, alleviating their worries with a gentle smile or a hug. The god turned his attention to Finn, curious as to why they came over.

"Is something the matter, Finn?" He was one of the only immortals who remembered the names of campers, certainly one of the nicer ones. Finn decided they might as well speak their mind.

"That story," Finn murmured, "the boy in it was you, wasn't it?"

Apollo smiled, a sorrow in his blue eyes. "I'm sure you all figured it out by the end."

"But why share it?" They rubbed their arm, noticing how the teenage god almost glowed in the moonlight. "Why share such a personal story with us?"

I'm coming home

I'm coming home

Tell the world I'm coming home

"Because today is the anniversary of Jason's death," Apollo murmured. His smile was still melancholic but his eyes were shining, bright in a way Finn couldn't describe. He turned to gaze up at the stars. "Telling that story, I am remembering what it means to be human, just as he wanted me to. By telling it to the demigods here" - he turned that peaceful expression back to Finn - "I am reminding you all that there is potential in all of you. That you can all be incredible people, not just heroes, even if you yourself don't believe you can."

With a warm pat on the shoulder, Apollo bid Finn a goodnight and left for the Big House to speak to Chiron.

They were still for a bit, in awe of the words as their eyes took to the stars. A smile found its place upon their lips as they joined their siblings in Cabin Eleven.

Finn decided that they would remember as well. Remember that anyone can be as amazing as those heroes, no matter who or what they are.