Chapter Three: Camp Half-Blood

Annabeth Chase

The Daughter of Athena cursed to herself. They had expected Grover to arrive hours before he did, with a powerful Half-Blood that would've been her ticket into the outside world. Instead, he had been carried into camp by the very Half-Blood he'd been sent to find and retrieve, the girl barely standing as she carried the unconscious Satyr to the Big House, her left arm bleeding and broken and a cut just above her right eye pouring blood.

They had gone to the gate of the camp to find a massive pile of monster dust, and a gigantic bull's horn. Her blood had run cold at the sight of it. That girl…killed the Minotaur?! How? She had thought to herself, looking to the children of Apollo, Ares and Hephaestus that had joined her at the gate, all of whom seemed to be thinking the exact same thing as her. The girl had killed one of the most infamous monsters alive with one good arm and the monster's own horn…she was dangerous. Unbelievably so. Not just from her apparent ridiculous levels of strength, but also in terms of skill and raw power.

The Apollo-girls had noticed the massive level of power the girl possessed when they had been healing her. They had called in one of the unclaimed Daughters of Hecate, Helen Green, to do a check-up. The sorceress-in-training had discovered powerful magics of unknown origin and purpose flowing through the wounded girl's whole body. The magic seemed to focus within a massively dense reservoir within the girl, the power unlike anything even Chiron had seen. She had attributed it to Grover's report of the girl's ability to summon weapons from…somewhere.

The girl in question was still unconscious even after two days of intensive healing sessions from the Apollo girls and the Daughters of Hecate and Demeter that volunteered to help. Her arm had been painstakingly reset and healed, the damage done to her muscles from the girl yanking the Minotaur's horn off had been repaired. Though the few Aphrodite girls who had shown up had practically squealed in excitement at the sight of the unconscious girl, calling her 'dangerously beautiful', whatever the heck that was supposed to mean. The girl should've been waking up, but so far nothing. Annabeth eyed the girl's bare back. Her clothes were currently being washed and repaired, leaving the girl face down on the bed.

Her bare back was a sight to see. Scars crisscrossed over the flesh, a sign of many intense battles that had left their marks on the girl. The scars weren't exclusive to her back. A sword-cut on her upper right arm was nicely healed, a burn on her lower left leg was also very well healed. A massive set of claw slashes on her lower right side had sealed nicely, making three even scars. The whole girl's body had scars here and there, crisscrossing over strong muscles and tanned skin. On her back was the oddest sight. Rippling with lean muscle and old scars, a red and blue tattoo sat in the upper center of her back, just between her shoulder blades. Two swords; one red, one blue; crossed, with swirling, vine-like markings stretching out from the tattoo blades. The girl isn't even fourteen and she already has such an extensive tattoo? Just who the Hades is this girl? Annabeth scowled. The girl was a mystery. Powerful, extremely skilled and from what Grover had said, both unpredictable and loyal to those she called friend. A powerful ally on one hand, a potentially dangerous enemy on the other. She cursed again. Just what the Hades was going on around here!?

Sera Jackson (Saber)

Saber hated her dreams. They usually held visions of things she either didn't care about or didn't want to see. Currently, she wasn't sure what she wanted. She saw her mother, Sally, standing in a golden field, smiling softly at her daughter even as the girl tried to reach her, a rumbling voice laughing mockingly at the girl, causing her to scream in frustration and desperation.

She had woken up several times. Her exhausted brain was barely able to understand what she saw. The first time, she had woken up to the tasted of buttered popcorn in her mouth, a substance like pudding in her mouth. The pretty blonde girl had been sitting by her side, scraping food off her chin with a spoon whilst smirking.

When she saw Saber's eyes crack open, she leaned forward and asked, "What will happen on the summer solstice?"

"What?" Saber managed to croak, her brain not quite firing on all cylinders.

The girl looked around, as if she was afraid someone was going to overhear. Saber only barely noticed. She was too busy admiring the girl's elegant face, her tired heart picking up ever so slightly at the girl's beauty. The girl leaned closer, her eyes wide with barely restrained fear. "What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks!"

The fear on the girl's face was shocking, and it was something that made Saber want to get up. She had tried too, attempting to push herself upright so that she could fight whatever was making the girl afraid. Something made her want to protect the girl in front of her. The girl had seemed surprised and pushed her back into the soft bed, filling her mouth with the popcorn tasting pudding.

The second time she had woken up, the girl was gone.

In her place was a husky blond dude who looked a bit like a surfer stood in the corner of the room, keeping watch over her. He had dozens of blue eyes all over his face, neck, arms and hands. That had been too weird for her, so she promptly passed out again.

Once she had woken up again, for good this time, there hadn't seemed to be anything out of the ordinary around. She groaned as she sat up, her sore muscles screaming in protest as she moved.

Whelp…that fight definitely happened. She hissed internally, looking down at her left arm. It was sore, but otherwise fine. Somebody had healed her while she had been unconscious. She shook her head and called forth Clarent, letting the shimmering blade materialize in her hand, before she stood and placed the blade on her back, the scabbard forming to hold the silver sword.

Her head snapped up as the door open, a normal looking Grover walking in with a shoe box in his hands. He looked normal, and the Mist wasn't twisting around him. Baggy pants and fake shoes. Has to be, she thought, watching him as he approached almost hesitantly. She sighed. She must've scared him. Her very small group of friends knew that she would never hurt any of them, so there was never any reason to be afraid. Well, unless she was eating. Or had been sleeping when they entered. Then, yes, it was best to keep their distance.

"You saved my life," Grover said shakily. "I … well, the least I could do … I went back to the hill. I thought you might want this."

Reverently, he placed the box on the bed next to her.

She flipped the lid open and looked inside. Inside was the black-white horn she had killed the Minotaur with. She stared at it for several moments.

"Hmph," she shrugged. "Wonder if there's a bounty out for the Minotaur." She mused aloud, ignoring the shocked look on Grover's face.

"This—this is a spoil of war and you'd just sell it!?" he exclaimed. She shrugged.

"Hey, girl's gotta make money somehow. I can still get a pretty drachma from that Fury talon." She headed out the door, picking up the box as she went. Grover followed quickly, still shocked.

"So, where the hell are we?" she asked, looking to the Satyr.

He looked at her. "This is one of the only safe places in the world of demigods. Camp Half-Blood."

She froze. Camp Half-Blood!? Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! Why in the hell did I let him lead me here!? Saber cursed as she looked around. She had heard of Camp Half-Blood. Hell, she'd fought a couple demigods from the Camp. She had beaten them black and blue with no trouble at all and laughed at them, humiliating a Daughter of Ares with an electric spear. Granted, she'd been wearing Mordred's full draconian style armor at the time so her face had been hidden from view, but still. She needed to get the hell out of there.

She took a deep breath. It's fine. Nobody will recognize me. Hell, I wasn't even using Clarent back then. It was Aestus Estus: The Embryonic Flame, Nero's weapon. She shook her head and looked around at the area. It looked as though they were on the northern shore of Long Island, the ocean water reaching right up to the valley a mile away. Even now, she could feel the pull of the sea, calling to her. Oh, how she wanted to go jump in the water right then and there, to let the water wash away her pain, but that would've ousted her as the Daughter of Poseidon, and she wanted to keep that hidden for as long as possible.

Dotting the landscape were brand-spanking new buildings built to resemble ancient Greek architecture, their white marble columns sparkling in the war sunlight. She could see an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, and a circular arena. In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high-school aged kids and a few satyrs were playing volleyball. Canoes glided across a small lake, almost everyone there was wearing bright orange t-shirts like the one Grover currently had on. A bunch of younger kids chased each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range, which reminded Saber that she needed to practice her archery. Her ability to summon weapons didn't mean she could immediately use them perfectly. When she made a copy of a sword or axe and made an arrow out of it, she required one of her many bows to use them correctly, all she needed to do was practice a bit. Other kids rode horses down a wooded trail, some of which seemed to be pegasi. She could vaguely hear the horses chatting with one another; another skill from her dead-beat divine father. The ability to understand and talk to horses.

Down on the bottom floor of a big barn, two men sat across from each other at a card table. The blond-haired girl from before was leaning on the porch rail next to them, looking bored, contemplative and angry all at once.

The man facing her was small, but rather porky. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple. He looked almost like those paintings she'd seen of roman love gods, cherubs. He wore a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt and probably would've fit in with that idiot who's building she had stayed in for a while, Gabe something-or-other's weekly poker parties. However, she knew just from looking at him that he was much more than just some chubby guy. She could feel the power coming off the guy. Not nearly as powerful as say Artemis or Athena, but the guy was definitely a god.

Fuck. Not awake five minutes, and I've already run into an Olympian. She thought with a grimace.

"That's Mr. D," murmured Grover right next to her. "he's the camp director. Be polite." Saber had scoffed. She wasn't polite to any of the gods except for Artemis. "The girl, that's Annabeth Chase. she's just a camper, but she's been here longer than just about anybody. And you already know Chiron…"

Saber jolted at the sight of the wheel-chaired man. Her forehead met her hand at his name. Centaur and teacher? Of course, her Latin teacher was the Chiron of legend. The one who had trained Heracles, the Son of Zeus, Achilles, Son of Thetis, and Perseus, also Son of Zeus.

"So, your real name is Chiron? As in…The Chiron? Trainer of heroes since the Golden Age of the Gods?" she knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it from the Centaur-in-hiding. The bearded man turned around and grinned, that mischievous glint in his eye just like the one he got when he had made all the answers 'B' on a multiple chose pop quiz.

"Ah, good, Sera." He said cheerily. "Now we have four for pinochle"

He offered her a chair, but she only glared at the cards. She hated gambling games. "No thanks, Chiron. I don't play cards."

The cherub-god glared at her. "Either play or be turned to ash. Your choice."

She gave the man a feral grin. "Screw you. You may be a god, but that doesn't mean jack-shit to me."

The god looked beyond surprised at her words, while Grover, Chiron, and Annabeth watched with bated breath. The god's eyes burst into purple flame and Saber felt magic rush over her. Her grin widened as she felt Anti-Magic properties of her inherited Dragon's Blood kick in, causing the magic slip off her body harmlessly. "Really? Wow, you just upped my hate levels for gods." She quipped, the god's eyes widening as he felt his power slip off her. Internally, she was relieved. If it had been Hecate using her magic, Saber wasn't sure it the Anti-Magic would hold it back for more than a moment or two. But this guy wasn't even close to Hecate's level in terms of spell casting.

Chiron cut in before the confrontation could spiral out of control. "Annabeth?" he called, the blond girl stepping forward. Chiron introduced the two girls properly. "This young lady nursed you back to health, Sera. Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Sera's bunk? We'll be putting her in cabin eleven for now." Now that she was awake, Saber could get a good look at the girl. An inch or so shorter than her with a deep tan and athletic build, she looked like a stereotypical California girl. Except for the eyes. They were storm gray; beautiful, but intimidating, even for her.

Saber cut in. "First off, Chiron. I haven't gone by Sera in seven years. It's Saber. End of story, goodbye, the end. Any questions?" she looked between the four with a heated glare. "Secondly, what the hell makes you think I'm staying? I've known about this place for years, and never came here. You want to know why? Cause why the hell should I train to be a hero for the very gods that sent monsters to hunt me and my mother down? Why should I fight for the ones who let my mother be butchered right in front of me?" she glared at the god in question, who stared at her without shame.

"You're damned crazy if you think I'm going to stay in a place created by the people who've been trying to kill me for years. I appreciate the help, but as soon as I'm back to one hundred percent, I'm gone." She turned on her heel and started away, leaving the shocked centaur, satyr and camper in her dust. She needed to fight someone, anyone. So, she headed to the arena.

When she arrived, she was greeted with a sight that made her grin. The girl who owned the electric spear was there, fighting a bunch of wimpy-looking kids, the odds one on eight. Saber shook her head as she watched the daughter of the war god spin left and right, her long practice spear swinging and smacking kids left and right. Before long, all the kids were groaning in pain as they rolled around on the floor. The girl began walking in circles, harshly calling for another to try her. Well since she asked so nicely… grinned Saber as she moved forward, drawing Clarent from its scabbard.

"I'll fight you," she called, causing everyone in the arena to turn to her. She was vaguely aware of Grover, Annabeth and Chiron approaching from behind. She hefted the silver long-sword and placed it over her shoulder as she gave a cocky grin that would've made Mordred herself proud. She came to a stop a few meters away from the girl. "The name's Saber. I'll be the one to knock you down a few pegs today."

The girl sneered, reminding Saber of a slightly more intimidating Nancy Bobofit. "Saber? What kind of name is that? You come up with it yourself?" the girl grinned malevolently, deciding the battle already won. Saber shrugged.

"Well, my birth name has a lot of bad memories attached to it, so I needed a new one," she quipped, lowering herself into a ready stance with a feral grin on her face. "So, who exactly am I fighting today? I'd like to know what name I carve into your headstone."

The girl blinked, set off by the feral grin on Saber's face, lowered herself into a crouch, her spear held up over her shield like a scorpion's tail. "Clarisse La Rue, Daughter of Ares."

Saber's grin widened, making the dark-haired girl look almost insane. "Well then, Daughter of Ares, get ready!" With that, she charged, bringing the shimmering silver blade to bare. The girl is good, she decided quickly, not many demigods can block my attacks. She must've improved a great deal over the last three years. And Clarisse was doing well, her spear and shield lashing out to block Clarent at almost every attack, if just barely. It was impressive, even if Saber was holding back a great deal in order to keep the fight going long enough for her to vent her anger.

Clarisse couldn't get a strike in yet, but she was getting there. There was a lull in the fight. Clarisse was already breathing hard. Saber hadn't even broken a sweat. She grinned and took a few steps back, raising her free left arm and giving the war god's daughter then 'come get me' hand movement. The girl's face twisted into a snarl and charged, her spear singing thought the air as it stuck like a serpent. Saber kept dodging, waiting for the right moment and~…. There! Her blade lashed out and cut the spear in two, continuing to cut through the bronze shield in Clarisse's left hand. As the spear shaft and two halves of the shield fell to the ground, Saber summoned a nameless bronze sword from the Greek era and tossed it to Clarisse. She heard the crowd gasp at her summoning, but she didn't care. This was the first demigod in a while that could keep up even a little bit in a fight.

The dark-haired girl stared at Saber in what could only be fear. Saber grinned again. Time to really mess with her, she thought. "You've gotten better since the last time we fought," she called from her spot on in the battle ring, even as she called forth Mordred's armor. The fire in the girl's eyes reignited as the draconian armor materialized over Saber's body piece by piece, the memories of the ass-kicking she and her comrades suffered coming forth.

Let's see if she's more than just a battering ram… thought Saber as she watched the daughter of Ares from behind her helmet. Saber could hear the crowd murmuring, even as several more children of the war god jumped into the ring, wielding a Greek great-sword, a battle axe, some form of four tasseled whip, and a lance with black flames running along the tip. The Knight threw her head back and roared in laughter, before snapping her head to her five opponents.

"Finally!" she cried, hefting Clarent once more. "A fight against demigods that might just be worth my time!"

The Children of Ares all cried out as they charged the Knight, bringing a smile to the armored girl's face. Let's do this.

Annabeth Chase

Annabeth was cursing the dark-haired girl. First, she doesn't even thank her for her part in helping her get back on her feet, then she says that she won't be staying very long, crushing Annabeth's dream to get back out into the world. She understood being angry at the gods. The girl had watched her mother get killed right in front of her while the gods did nothing to aid her. But that didn't give the girl the right to act the way she did. Though privately, the Daughter of Athena was praising the girl for talking to Dionysus the way she had. However, she was cursing once more as she, Chiron and Grover watched the girl go toe-to-toe with five children of the War God all at once. As if the girl summoning a sword out of nothing to give Clarisse wasn't crazy enough, it turned out that she was the armored combatant that had brutally beaten Luke, Clarisse and Gregory on their quest three years ago.

Now here she was, going one against five and winning. Annabeth hadn't believed what the three had said about the warrior's skill in battle, but now she did. Even when clad in heavy silver armor and swinging around that massive silver weapon, the girl was dancing around like a hummingbird, weaving in and out of her opponents. The first of the five to go down was Brendan Laurence from Utah, the boy with the four-tasseled whip. Even with his extreme skill with the weapon, Se—Saber used it against him, allowing the boy to wrap the tassels around her metal-encased arm only to yank him off his feet and plant her metal-clad boot in his stomach, launching him into the far wall with a crash.

Next was Samuel Ogden from Pennsylvania, the boy with the Great-sword. Him, the girl simply grabbed the blade in his hands with her free left hand and crushed it with shocking ease, before pulling him close and smashing the pommel of her silver blade into his gut, sending him flying into the wall. As soon as he hit the ground, he was upchucking his lunch.

Laurel Williams from Washington state, the girl with the lance went down after that, her lance in pieces and her nose and possibly her jaw broken and bloodied. Finally, it was only Clarisse and James Krei left. James had come to them just after the LA Incident seven years before. He had seen the monsters tearing through civilians left and right. He had also seen all the monsters turned to dust as the pulse of gold-red energy had washed over them, killing them and severely injuring every other monster in the country. He was one of the strongest fighters Ares cabin had, just under Clarisse in strength and skill. He was often referred to as Clarisse's second in command. He was a master with his battle-axe, having trained day and night to be the best. The two remaining Ares kids circled Saber, the armored warrior – No. The Knight, this girl was a Knight. Saber stood quietly, her armored head turning right and left as she kept her eyes on her final opponents.

Annabeth watch Saber with a critical eye. The girl, while fighting almost like a berserker, wasn't just lashing out. She was taking them out one by one, taking their advantages away, granted she was doing it in the most brutal, chaotic way possible. Brendan had reach with that whip of his, so she had taken him out first, then Sam, who's great-sword gave him reach and power as well, along with being faster than a battle-axe. Laurel's lance was enchanted to steadily drain the strength of any opponent it cut, and its length gave her the reach to do it safely, or so she had thought, seeing as she'd now need to take a few days off to heal.

Saber was quite obviously a seasoned warrior, used to battling opponents more numerous and more powerful than herself. The girl had trained her body to push far beyond her physical limits to do battle against such combatants, but for what reason? It was obvious she fought for a cause, but what was the cause? It wasn't domination, she had defended Grover from bullies at Yancy and had fought the Minotaur whilst severely injured to protect him. So, what drove her? What could Annabeth say to get the Knight to stay?

A gasp brought her back to the fight as she saw that Saber was no longer wearing the heavy armor and her blade was stuck in the ground next to her. Instead, the girl was clad in some form of black body armor that exposed her toned stomach under a red overcoat and red skirt. In the girl's hands were a pair of falchions, one black, the other white. Annabeth nodded in approval. The knight's silver long-sword had been too big to use effectively against a battle axe of that size and Clarisse's Greek Xiphos. Speed was preferable in this situation.

And speed was exactly what she used, zipping across the arena to James in a blur of crimson fabric, skidding to a stop only to slash at him with a blur of black and white blades, moving so fast her arms were a blur. Within moments, James's axe was knocked out of his hands and both pommels of the blades were smashed against his temples, knocking him out cold, the teen falling to the ground in a limp.

Saber turned to Clarisse and grinned. Annabeth was shocked to see that the Head Councilor of Ares Cabin was shaking, obviously terrified of this new girl who had taken her impromptu team apart in moments. Saber moved forward slowly, stalking toward the child of Ares like a predator on the hunt. Clarisse seemed to shake herself and charged with a war cry. Saber grinned, which confused Annabeth as the xiphos blade moved to her neck. Then the most incredible thing happened. Almost as though the girl was a hologram, she seemed to fizzle out of existence, causing Clarisse to stumble. Everyone gasped in shocked and started looking around. Annabeth watch the battlefield for the new girl, and sure enough, the Black and White falchions embedded them in the ground on either side of Clarisse, drawing the girl's eyes up just as a pair of black combat boots smashed into her face, forcing her into the ground as Saber came down from above. Clarisse collapse, out cold as Saber stepped off the child of Ares and moved toward her long-sword, the white and black falchions fading as she moved. The Daughter of Athena's eyes widened as the new girl's clothes seemed to turn to smoke and changed back to the dark blue pants, black combat boots, red tank top and black jacket they'd found her in, minus the tears and blood stains.

The girl yanked the silver sword out of the ground and looked around the arena at the five unconscious warriors. Her face split into a smug grin. "Well that was a good warm up. Anyone else?"

Sera Jackson (Saber)

Saber knew she had gone a bit overboard. Honestly, she could've taken the Ares kids down easily, without destroying their weapons or beating them within an inch of their lives. She also hadn't needed to switch fighting styles, since she could've beaten the last two fighters just as easily using Mordred's armor and Clarent the way she had taken out the other three. She had just been so pissed at Chiron's assumption that she was going to stay in a place the gods had made to train their champions, she had lashed out and now five campers were in the healer's tent being cared for by the Apollo kids. Which was where she was heading right now. To apologize for taking her anger out on them. She had already summoned undamaged versions of the weapons she had destroyed, the girl's lance and that guy's great-sword. The Hephaestus kids had grumbled at her for wrecking the equipment beyond repair.

She reached the tent and knocked on the wood. She only waited for a moment before the flap of the tent was pulled back and a handsome guy with golden-blonde hair stepped out, his charming smile twisting into a disapproving scowl. Before he could say anything, she held up a hand.

"Yes, I know I probably shouldn't be here. I just came to make sure those kids are alright and to hand these over," she held up the undamaged weapons, "as a peace offering. I shouldn't have beaten them the way I did. I was just so angry at Chiron and Dionysus for assuming I was staying I lashed out at the first people I met."

The blond stared at her for a moment, his eyes searching her sheepish face, before smiling softly. "Don't worry too much about it. I'm Lee, by the way. Lee Fletcher. Head of Apollo Cabin. We're the ones who fixed your arm after your tango with the Kindly One and—" he cut himself off as Saber's face twisted into an almost feral snarl.

"Don't ever call them that." She snarled, her rage boiling to the surface. "Call them what they are. Monsters."

He reeled back at her snarl, the anger on her face more than obvious. He waited while she took several deep breathes. "Right. Monster then. Never did understand who decided to call them Kindly Ones anyways." He said carefully.

Saber cursed and shook her head, looking to the ground as she attempted to rein in her anger. "No, it's fine. Call them whatever. I just have a really bad experience with those things."

He nodded in understanding. "Totally get it. You'll find more than a few people who lost someone to the monsters before they got here." He watched her quietly for a few moments before nodding. "And I think I know why you flipped. You hate the gods, don't you?"

Her head snapped up as he ousted her. "That obvious, huh?"

He chuckled a bit. "Just a little bit. I get it. You blame the gods for whatever happened to you, and you think this place is to train their champions. You flipping out is totally understandable. But it's more than that." His face turned wistful as he looked out over the fields, at the campers and satyrs going about their business. "This place is a home for those of us who have nowhere else to go. A place to be safe. It's the only good thing the gods did for a lot of us. You don't have to fight for them if you stay here. Just…fight for the kids who call this place home, or fight to prove you're not a pawn in their games."

Saber's face turned thoughtful as she looked over the camp grounds. In a way, Lee was right. She hated the gods, with every fiber of her being, in the exception of Artemis of course. But this place…it was different. None of the godly arrogance, past the portly god who she was certain was Dionysus of course. It could be a place worth fighting for.

Lee smiled at her thoughtful expression and took the undamaged weapons from her, causing her to look back at him. "I'll make sure Sam and Laurel get these and let them know that you're sorry. You have something else to deal with." He motioned with his head over her shoulder and retreated into the tent.

Saber turned around to see Annabeth coming toward her, looking like a teacher about to scold her. Saber sighed and moved toward her. As with Lee, she cut Annabeth off before she could start berating her or whatever it was the girl was going to do.

"Before you say anything, I already apologized for beating them up so badly. I was just angry is all."

Annabeth frown. "I wasn't going to scold you. I wanted to talk to you, if you'll walk with me?" she sounded almost hesitant. Saber sighed. Anyone would be hesitant to get close to her after what had happened not ten minutes before hand. She nodded and followed as Annabeth led the way down to the edge of the water. They sat in silence for several minutes, Saber having taken off her boots to put her feet in the water while Annabeth leaned against a tree, watching the girl quietly. The blonde nearly jumped out of her skin when Saber spoke up, her eyes closed in bliss and a smug grin on her face.

"If you have questions, you're welcomed to ask. I don't bite…much" the girl said with mirth in her voice.

Annabeth shook her head in annoyance and sighed. "You fought like a berserker back there, but you also fought with skill and strategy. It got me thinking…what do you fight for?"

Saber cracked a sea-green eye open, pinning the girl with a critical look. "What do you mean by that?"

Annabeth swallowed. She was obviously trying to ask without pissing her off. "Anyone who trains as hard as you obviously do to be able to move the way you do needs to have something pushing them forward. A cause or a dream. Grover told us that you preferred to be a loner when you first arrived at Yancy, but didn't hesitate to step in and look after him when people started bullying him. So, what exactly are you fighting for?"

Saber grinned wistfully as she looked away from Annabeth and out across the Long Island Sound. Several minutes passed as Saber considered the pros and cons of telling her the truth. She made her decision.

"A dream," said the black-haired girl quietly, so quietly that Annabeth had to strain to hear her. "I fight for a single dream, a wish if you will. To be the one to push the monsters back into the pit they crawled out of once and for all, never to return."

She looked to the blonde, and Annabeth looked to be quite surprised to see tears in the corners of the girl's eyes even as the girl gave a bright smile.

"Not for glory or revenge," Saber continued. "But so that no one ever has to go through the pain I did, so long ago. That's why I fight. To save the future generation from suffering the way I did."

Annabeth looked shock, which made Saber laugh.

"Weren't expecting that were you? I know I can come across as vulgar, rude, prideful and sometimes just a bit self-centered. But I do care about what happens to others…even if I have a hard time showing it." Saber cleared her throat and wiped her eyes. "Y'know what? I think I will hang around for a while. This place seems like it has potential to be more than the gods made it. I'd like to see if it can actually get there."

Annabeth seemed to be beyond surprised. Saber didn't comment on it and instead looked out over the water with a smile. "I've always loved the ocean. So beautiful…always helped me clear my head when I was angry or confused." She shook her head and stood up, slipping her feet into her boots as she did before she turned to the blond next to her. "Come on, let's go talk to Chiron."