Kids were still screaming and running about in panic when Ryker arrived on the scene. Scorch marks marked the earth and several trees had been blown apart. They lay on their sides, their trunks marred and blackened. Standing in the center of the carnage, ringed by several terrified campers brandishing swords and shield, was a woman with the body of a snake where her legs should have been. She smiled at the campers and Ryker saw a small body lying still at her feet with blood leaking from their neck. "Come now," She crooned, swaying in place. "Who wants to be next? Surely one of you delicious morsels are brave enough to come save your little friend here? He doesn't have that much time left!"

"Hold!" A golden haired boy called. "Don't get too close or she will spray you with her venom!"

"She's got Aiden!" One of them screamed. "We've got to help him!"

"His name is Aiden?" The lamia reached down and picked up the boy by his head. She held him in front of her and breathed in his scent deeply. "He smells… delicious."

She opened her mouth impossibly wide and it looked as though the boy was doomed when an arrow shot forward from behind the line and buried itself in the monster's chest. She screamed and dropped Aiden, reeling back and clutching at the arrow. She ripped the arrow from her chest and cast her eyes wide, her tail slamming against the ground in her rage. "Who did that?"

"I did." Ryker said, striding forward with another arrow drawn. He lifted his bow and fired again, aiming for her head this time.

The lamia dodged the arrow with contemptuous ease and hissed at the newcomer. She seemed to sniff the air and a slow grin split her mouth. "Aah," She said, savoring his scent. "What a wonderful bouquet that your scent is. A bit old than what my usual prey is, but I can make an exception for you."

"Ryker!" Jason said, as he ran up behind him with a golden sword drawn. "You alright?"

"Fine." He answered, unconcerned. "Leave her to me."

"Don't be stupid." Thalia said, standing on his other side. "That's not how we do things."

He rolled his eyes and loosed another arrow at the lamia with the same degree of success the second arrow had encountered. "She's not that tough." He argued. "I can take her by myself. You two will just get in my way."

"I guess it's my lucky day, three meals coming right to me." The lamia hissed in approval.

Ryker sighed and looked to the other two. "She hurt the forest. It's my job to take care of this." He said simply. "Stay out of it."

"Maybe it was, but you are a camper here and a new one at that." Jason countered. "As your senior-."

"We're like the same age!"

"As your senior it is my job to make sure that you don't get yourself hurt." Jason continued as though he hadn't heard Ryker's argument. "Besides, you aren't even wearing any armor. Lamias are dangerous."

"To hell with this." Ryker muttered.

"I think you mean Hades." Thalia corrected. "You really need to get your facts right."

Ryker scowled and strode forward. At his side, Thalia and Jason moved right with him. The lamia continued to sway back and forth, her eyes darting from one to another. As he passed by a fallen tree Ryker pressed a hand to the twisted wood and winced at the pain he felt. I will avenge you. He promised quietly.

"I'll take the lead." Jason said. Without another word he charged at the lamia, leaving Thalia and Ryker behind.

"Why you-!" Ryker made to follow but Thalia placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"He's right." She told him as she readied her bow. "You and I are only armed with bows. He has a sword. It only makes sense that we stay back."

"That's no fun." Ryker said grumpily. But he heeded her advice and began to send arrow after arrow at the lamia with deadly precision.

To his credit, Jason was an excellent fighter. He ducked and weaved in and out of the lamia's strike zone with careless ease, infuriating the snake woman. Every time that she was forced to dodge one of Ryker or Thalia's arrows Jason would leap forward and cut her and vice versa. In no time at all the three had sent the lamia back to the Underworld. She dissolved with a wordless scream leaving behind a snakeskin and ashes. Jason reached down and grabbed the snakeskin, examining it with some degree of interest before tossing it aside and turning his attention to Aiden.

The other campers rushed forward as well, a few of them carrying what Ryker assumed was medical supplies. They uncorked a flask of curious golden liquid and began to pour it on the wounds. The wounds smoked slightly but they began to close with impossible quickness. Ryker raised an eyebrow, but he said nothing. Instead, he turned away and wandered back into the camp.

"Hey! Hey, you!" A curious bleating voice called. Ryker turned to see a faun running up to him. Small horns curled from his head, clearly a very recent growth. "You! You… you…." He seemed to be struggling to find the words that would follow.

Ryker waited for what he considered to be an appropriate amount of time before turning away again. "You smell like the forest! Like the Wild!"

"Probably because I was raised there." Ryker said unconcernedly.

"Not like that, you smell like Pan!" The faun insisted.

"Oh, the old guy?" Ryker asked. "Yeah, he taught me how to live in the forest."

"You met him?" The faun asked, awestruck. "You met Pan?"

"Yeah. Like I said, he was the one who taught me about the forest." Ryker paused and tilted his head to one side. "How do you know him?"

The faun simply looked at him with open-mouthed amazement. "I'm gonna go." Ryker said, turning back to walk down the path. He glanced down at his arms and saw the marks receding back up his arm. "Oh, Ryker." Chiron said, trotting up to him. "I was wondering where you'd gotten off to."

"Are monster attacks normal here as well?" He wondered, noting the camp as it calmly went about its way.

"Demigods are constantly preyed upon by monsters so it is to be expected that they would be drawn to such a large grouping." Chiron reasoned. "Although I would not say they are commonplace, they do happen."

"Hm." Ryker mused. "So what did you want me to do? Apparently I can't leave."

"If you wouldn't mind…"

"What is that smell?" A girl dressed in an immaculate camper's outfit asked as she strode up to Chiron and Ryker. She looked at the newcomer with an expression that seemed equal parts disgust and sympathy.

"Hello Gina." Chiron greeted her. "This is our newest camper, Ryker. Ryker, this is Gina. A daughter of Hygeia."

"We have got to get you out of those clothes and into something that does not reek." She shuddered visibly and took a half step back.

Ryker looked down at his clothes and frowned. He had never considered his clothes to be in any sort of disarray. He also was not very familiar with very many manners of social etiquette.

"Gina!" Jason said as he jogged over to their group. "What's up?"

"Are you responsible for this?" She demanded, poking a finger at Ryker and then glaring at Jason.

"This has a name." Ryker put-in mildly.

"Hey, I didn't do anything." Jason said defensively. "I just met him. What's wrong with him anyways?"

"What's wrong?" Gina demanded. "Look at him!"

"Hey!" Ryker protested, certain that he had just been insulted.

"He's filthy! He looks like he hasn't had a shower in years! The list goes on and on!" Gina threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. "Who's his divine parent? I'm going to have a word with that cabin leader!"

"We don't know just yet Gina." Chiron told her. "He just arrived at camp today. When we find out we will certainly let you know."

"Just get him a shower, alright? Looking at him makes me want to take a wire brush to him." She shuddered again and stormed off casting an angry glance over her shoulder at Ryker.

"Sorry about that." Jason told him. "She's the daughter of the goddess of hygiene. Everyone in her cabin are complete neat freaks. She wasn't joking about the whole wire brush thing. She's done it before."

"Mr. Grace, would you mind checking Ryker into the Unclaimed Cabin? I believe there should be some open beds." Chiron smiled at Ryker and patted him on the shoulder. "Do not worry, I am sure that you will not be in there for long. Campers have been claimed much faster as of late."

"I think the record was Tyler." Jason remarked as Chiron walked away. "He was there for about a week before Ares claimed him."

"Ares?" Ryker asked. "Guessing that is one of the gods?"

"Yeah. Just like Mr. D. You know, the guy you punched. That was awesome by the way." Jason chuckled and extended a fist towards Ryker.

Ryker stared down at the fist as they walked and Jason gave a sigh before letting his hand drop. "You've really been on your own for a while, haven't you?" He asked.

"Most of my life. I don't really remember much from before living in the forest. I remember my dad's funeral, but that's about it."

Jason frowned. "I'm sorry for your loss. I lost my mom too."

"It's fine." Ryker shrugged. "Like I said, I don't really remember him."

"So you gotta tell me, how did you survive for so long?" Jason asked. "I mean, I could feel your power from a ways away. You must have a really powerful divine parent. Monsters should have been attracted to you like catnip."

"Actually, until very recently not really." Ryker admitted. "Up until about a year ago only a few monsters ever came by my forest. Then all of a sudden they started coming at me day after day. It was all the worse because the forest stopped helping me. It was like the earth turned against me."

"Gaea." Jason said darkly. "So she went after you too?"

"Mother Earth?" Ryker remembered something along those lines. "Yeah. I made it through with only a few scratches though. How about on your end?"

Jason's eyes were distant. He came to a stop in front of a cabin that seemed rather bland compared to other cabins. Jason turned back to face Ryker and gave a sigh. "We lost a lot of good people." He said. "I lost a very good friend of mine. He… he was the one who took down Gaea. His name was Leo. We never found his body."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Ryker said. It seemed like the right thing to say.

"Here's the Unclaimed cabin." Jason nodded to the cabin they stood in front of. "Go ahead inside. If you want, I can take your bow to the armory and keep it there so it doesn't get stolen."

"I'll keep a hold of it if you don't mind." Ryker said uncomfortably, looking warily at the cabin. He saw people moving inside and adjusted his grip on the bow nervously. "Listen I really don't mean to cause waves…"

"Don't really want to stay in the cabin?" Jason guessed. "Figured as much. I could ask the Demeter cabin if you can stay with them if you'd like. They are the children of a nature goddess too. They shouldn't mind you too much."

"I'd like that if you don't mind." Ryker said, relieved.

Jason did not mind, but the sons and daughters of Demeter very much did. In fact, they were very opposed to the very sight of Ryker. More specifically, they were opposed to his deer skin jerkin. "OUT!" The cabin leader roared. She grabbed a potted plant and hurled it at Ryker's head. "GET OUT!"

"Friendly aren't they?" Ryker asked once he and Jason had retreated a safe distance.

"Sorry about that." Jason winced. "I forgot that they are very much about nature."

"Apparently my mother is a nature goddess as well." Ryker reminded him. "I really hope that Demeter is not my mother. I don't think I could survive having them as siblings. And they wouldn't survive having me as a sibling."