Disclaimer: I do not own Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson books, characters, series, movies, or anything else you may recognize.

Chapter Three

Andee Loses Control

A couple of days later, everyone was back on the regular camp schedule, doing wrestling, foot-races, lava wall climbing, archery, canoeing, and sword-fighting. Everyone seemed to be watching Andee to see how she was doing with everything, even though she was on her own schedule. Andee seemed to be doing well in all of the activities.

When she participated in wrestling, Andee could take down the largest kids at camp with just a few swift moves. She could even beat Clarisse, and that was something no one I knew could do. And of course all the guys came to watch that because…well, its girls wrestling. It's in our nature to be attracted to it.

Stop judging me.

In the foot-races, she sped ahead of everyone like it was a piece of cake. She was the quickest up the lava wall – it probably helped that the lava just slid right off her skin, not leaving a single mark. She wasn't too bad at canoeing, but it was obvious she wasn't comfortable in the water. She refused to do sword-fighting practice, going off to do her own combat practice, which I thought was strange. I mean, using a sword was one of the first things you learned as a half-blood.

When I got to archery lessons, I saw that Andee was already there with a mix of people from all different cabins. "Chiron asked me to teach archery today – he has another obligation to attend to. I'm basically here to give some tips that he might have missed. So just start, and I'll help you if I see you're doing it wrong," Andee said, walking around and fixing people's postures and giving them tips on hitting the target.

"You're doing it completely wrong," Andee said, looking unimpressed and unsurprised.

I held up my hands in a gesture of surrender. "No one ever said I was good at archery – in fact, if you asked, people would say I'm downright terrible."

"Well that's obvious." She let out a sigh of frustration. "Let's start with your stance. You need to stand sideways with one foot in front of the other, not facing the target straight-on."

"Like this?" I asked, purposefully doing it wrong to get a reaction from her.

She rolled her eyes. "No." She moved behind me and put her hands on my hips in an attempt to show me the proper position, but being a foot shorter than me, that wasn't going to work. "Okay, um…" She moved so she was in front of me, her back against my chest. "Move your body to match mine." She took my bow and arrow and held it up. "Put your hands where mine are." I did as she said, pointing it towards the target and notching the arrow. "Relax your fingers and breathe more evenly – you're breathing weird." I tried relax as she said, which got easier once she ducked underneath my arm and stood beside me. "Now release." The arrow hit the outermost ring of the target. "Better. Now you're actually hitting the target."

"All thanks to you," I said and she made a weird noise at the back of her throat before quickly moving on to the next person. I knew she didn't hate me. There was a little part of her that was softer than she wanted me to think.

After lunch and a lot more activities, everyone was gathered in the sword-fighting arena. One of the Ares' guys – Mark – was the first one in the arena, which meant it was a contest to see who could beat him. Admittedly, he was one of the better swordsmen at camp.

A few people went up against him and did pretty well, but they didn't even come close to beating him.

"I want to see just how tough the new girl is," he said and everyone looked over to where Andee sat with headphones in, dancing a little and lip-synching to whatever song she was listening to. She snapped back to reality when she realized that everyone was staring at her.

"I'm good, thanks. I'm not really into the whole sword thing," she said.

"Andee, a challenge is a challenge," Chiron said from across the arena.

She gave me a steely look before saying, "Fine, whatever."

I followed her down to the armory where she was trying to pick a sword and a shield. Annabeth had come down with her and Andee was freaking out, throwing things against walls and pounding her fists against the shields hanging along the wall, making them fall to the ground in a clatter.

"Dee, what's the matter?" Annabeth asked Andee, looking concerned.

"I can't use a sword, okay? They're too heavy and big and stupid. I'm just going to end up embarrassing myself in front of all these people who expect me to be some all-talented bad-ass, which I am not," she said, picking up a sword and weighing it in her hands. "It's too heavy."

"This is the lightest one we've got," I said, holding a different one out to her.

She picked it up and weighed it in her hands before sighing. "Still too heavy, but I guess it will have to do."

"You'll do fine," I told her and she just brushed past me and led the way back out to the arena where Mark was waiting. Whereas Andee had looked so down and upset before, she wasn't letting it show now. She walked up to him with all the confidence in the world, a look of determination.

"On my count," Chiron said, as both of them got into position. Andee was already in bad form and wouldn't be able to defend herself properly with that stance. "3…2…1…go!"

Mark immediately went to jab at her and she jumped back, holding her own sword at him. If she had a dagger, or even her bow and arrows, I knew he would've been down already. It went on for a while where Andee just evaded him as much as possible, but then Mark swiftly hit the hilt of her sword with the blade of his, knocking her sword to the ground and out of Andee's hands.

"You're not nearly as strong as they say you are," Mark said. "You're pathetically weak."

"I'm not weak," she snapped, her voice shaky as he began to corner her. She held out her shield in a feeble attempt to protect herself.

"You can't even use a sword to protect yourself! You're weak!" he shouted at her.

"I'M NOT WEAK!" she roared at him, a ring of fire appearing around her and Mark.

What she did next shocked everyone.

She threw her shield aside, momentarily distracting Mark and using that moment flip him to the ground. She grabbed his sword, put one foot on top of his chest and held him down, pressing the sword right over his heart. "Dead," she hissed in such an icy voice that it felt like it had actually started to snow outside, despite the ring of fire in front of us. No one would have expected that kind of coldness from a child of Apollo, let alone the happy, care-free Andee (well, apparently she was those things when she wasn't near me, but I saw it every once in a while). "And killed with your own sword."

She pressed the blade against his chest, blood seeping through his shirt as he struggled to get away from her. "Who's weak now?" she hissed, a smirk on her face.

"ANDEE!" Chiron bellowed. Andee blinked a few times like she was coming out of a trance and the fire disappeared. Once she saw what she was doing, she dropped the sword and fled the sword arena as everyone came down to check on Mark.

"I'm fine – it's just a flesh wound," he said, taking off his shirt so that Chiron could take a look. I heard a few gasps and I can tell you right now that they all came from the female population of Camp Half-Blood, and none of them had to do with the gash on Mark's chest. It really was only a flesh wound.

"You shouldn't have antagonized her," Lee came through the crowd and shoved Mark. This was a side I hadn't seen of Lee before. He was very chill and laid-back and all about having fun – to see him angry and protective was new.

"It's no one's fault," Chiron said loudly, standing in between the two of them before things could progress further. "Percy and Annabeth, I'd like you to find her as soon as possible and bring her back to the Big House. Mark, go to the infirmary so we can make sure that no real damage was done."

Annabeth and I checked in Andee's cabin and in the Apollo cabin, but she wasn't in any of the obvious places. "Uggh…anywhere else, and I'd know where she'd gone. Keep looking, and I'll see if anyone has seen her," Annabeth said, running off. How would I know where to look for her? Then I remembered how she went she went to Fireworks Beach that first night when she wanted to get some privacy, so maybe…

I jogged over to the beach and saw Andee sitting a few feet away from the water, her shoes sitting beside her as she dug her toes in the sand. I walked over and sat down beside her, but instead of acknowledging my presence, she continued staring at the ocean.

"Hey."

"Hi."

Silence.

"Are you okay?"

"Peachy."

"You have really pretty eyes," I blurted out, attempting to spare us from another awkward silence, but I think I made it more awkward.

You're a genius, Jackson, a real Albert Einstein.

Andee looked over at me, a weird look in her eyes. They really were pretty. There were a light green, kind of like jade, but they had little gold flecks in them when you looked close enough. I hadn't noticed that before.

"You should really stay away from me," she said. "I almost killed him."

"I'm sure you didn't mean to, Andee," I told her.

"Well, you're wrong. I fully intended on hurting him. I couldn't control my anger and I was going to kill him," she said, her voice completely devoid of any emotion. "If Chiron hadn't yelled my name, I would have stabbed him."

I honestly didn't have anything to say about that. I knew she was more than capable of killing him, and that she very well may have had Chiron not stepped in. But Mark was also egging her on. I didn't think she knew Mark from any previous time, but I think he triggered something in her.

"I lost control," she said, still not showing any emotion.

"I know you wouldn't have killed him."

"How could you know I wouldn't?" she asked.

"I don't know, I just feel like you wouldn't."

"You don't know anything about me!" she yelled as she got to her feet and threw her shoes into the ocean. "I'm a monster, okay? If you really want to know me, that's what I am! I am no better than the sludge that comes out of Tartarus!"

"You're not a monster," I told her calmly. She collapsed on the sand beside me, holding her head in her hands. I summoned the waves to bring her shoes back to her, the pair of her gladiator-style sandals landing at her feet. "Andee, you're not a monster."

"You haven't even seen me at my worst," she mumbled. "I hope you never have to."

"Andee, if you were a monster, you wouldn't be anywhere near as funny and beautiful and smart and talented and kind as you are," I told her earnestly and she smiled a little. "Well, I'm guessing a bit on the kind part, because you're kind of mean to me, but I've also seen how kind you are to others, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt." She laughed a little, leaning in closer and resting her head on my shoulder. "No one here blames you for what happened. Me, especially."

"Why can't you just hate me? It would make everything so much easier."

"I don't under –"

"Andee! There you are!" Annabeth shouted, running over and hugging her. "I've been so worried, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Annie," Andee said, returning the hug tightly.

"Chiron wants to talk to you, whenever you're ready," she said.

"I kind of figured he would," she sighed before standing up. She glanced over at me and as soon as her eyes met mine, she averted her eyes. "I guess I'd better head over there."

"I'll walk with you," I offered and Andee didn't respond, but I could see her cheeks start to redden. Annabeth looked between us before giving me an odd look, but I pretended not to notice. As we walked across camp, more than a few people glanced over, giving Andee an accusatory glare. She ignored them for the most part, but there were a few times she would glare right back at them, making them turn away and pretend they hadn't done anything.

When we reached the Big House, Chiron was waiting at the door to usher her in before signaling Annabeth with a slight nod of the head.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain, there's a lot you need to know," Annabeth said, leading me away from the Big House. "Andee, as you know, is very special and tends to have some…differences from other half-bloods. Andee and I both found out what we were when we were only six, but she had been dealing with her powers since the moment she was born.

"When she was born, the gods didn't know what to do with her. They had never had a problem like her before. Before her sixth birthday – which is when she met her dad and found out who she was – she caused thirteen major forest fires and thirty city-wide power outages. And that's not mentioning all the smaller incidents. And all of that was before she found out who she was.

"So to the gods, she was a liability. She couldn't control her powers, and it only got worse once she finally found out who she was. The gods decided that she would take a test when she turned ten, and if she passed, she would continue on with her life as normal. If she failed, she would have to die," Annabeth explained.

"They were willing to kill their own daughter and granddaughter?" I asked in outrage. I mean, I knew the gods were jerks, but that was going above and beyond. "She was only six – and then ten! And they were willing to kill her for not having control?!"

"It was an extremely difficult choice for them to make, Percy. You have to understand that they didn't want to do it, but they had to do what was best for Western Civilization. So Aunt Val trained her, using all of her previous knowledge with some help from a few outside sources so that when Andee took the test, she passed with flying colors. She still has rare moments when she loses the control she's worked so hard for, but she has the ability to control most aspects of her life.

"But, because of who her father and grandfather are, she has a severe temper…which, as you might have seen, is putting it lightly. Think of a brutal thunder and lightning storm mixed with the unforgiving heat of a drought…that is the closest to an accurate description that I can give you.

"Andee's fatal flaw is control, as you may or may not have figured out from this conversation. Hopefully you did, but I never know with you," Annabeth said, shooting me a grin so I pushed her playfully. "Andee struggles to control her powers, emotions and her life but she doesn't like people to see that side of her. It's like a war constantly being fought within her. After the incident today, Chiron wants to help Andee by giving her lessons to help her learn better control. She's an amazingly skilled fighter – probably the best anyone has ever seen – and she's mature beyond her years but her lack of control will probably be what gets her killed for good."

"Has she died before?" I asked and she looked back at me.

"What makes you ask that?" Annabeth asked suddenly, looking as if she had said something she wasn't supposed to.

"Some of the things she's said…and now you, it seems like she's died before."

"Well, technically she has 'died' before, but it's more like her soul temporarily leaves her body," Annabeth said.

"So she can never die?" I asked. That would be cool. She could be made into a minor god and never have to worry about dying. But that would mean watching everyone you loved growing old and dying while you stayed the same…so maybe not so cool after all.

"As far as anyone can tell," Annabeth said. "But seeing as she does age, we're pretty sure she'll be able to die of old age."

"So nothing can hurt her?" I questioned.

"That's…that's something she'd have to talk to you about herself. She had a really traumatic experience a few years back, but she's very sensitive about it," Annabeth said. "But Percy, please don't tell anybody what I just told you – especially Andee – because it's no one else's business but hers. I feel guilty for even telling you this much but Chiron thought it would be good for you to know, and obviously, I trust you to keep it to yourself."

The rest of the afternoon went by somewhat smoothly, but Andee stayed locked in her cabin with Annabeth, Lee and Silena. I don't know what they were doing that whole time, but they only came out at dinner time, and then all went to their respective cabins afterwards.

I was in my own cabin that night, trying to sleep, when I started hearing things.

Go to her, Perseus. She needs you.

I jolted awake, trying to find the source of the voice but there was no one there. I got out of bed and for some reason, just left my cabin. Something was pulling me forward and I ended up at Fireworks Beach, where someone was sitting on the pier, crying.

"Andee?" I asked cautiously, my hand automatically reaching up to my hair, trying to tidy up even though it was always a hopeless cause. I looked down and realized I wasn't wearing a shirt. Or pants. Or shoes. Just a pair of boxers. That was a little embarrassing, especially because I wasn't ripped like Mark or Lee. If I was…well, maybe I would find it easier to ask Andee out or kiss her or something.

"Go away," she mumbled, waving her hand in a shooing motion at me.

"Are you okay?" I asked, ignoring her and sitting down beside her. Her normally piercing green eyes looked much softer now that they were surrounded by the red leftover from crying. I tentatively wrapped an arm around her and she leaned in, crying on my shoulder. I rubbed her back, trying to comfort her.

"I'm sorry about this," she said quietly, sitting up straight and wiping her eyes after a few minutes. "It's that stupid nightmare. It never goes away, no matter what I do. I used to go sleep in my aunt's room but it's not like I can do that here. I mean, like, I could try to go to Annabeth's but like, with all her brothers and sisters, it would be weird to just go on in. And with my brothers, I don't know, I just don't like worrying them. They're all so overprotective as it is, I don't want to make them even worse."

"You could come sleep in my cabin," I suggested.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Andee said hesitantly.

"Well, as I see it, you need someone right now and I'm right here," I told her.

Her eyes met mine and she sighed. "Thank you," she said quietly, accepting my hand and letting me lead her to my cabin. She looked so fragile and vulnerable, just like the first time I saw her. When she was like this, there nothing I wanted more than to scoop her into my arms and protect her from everything that wanted to hurt her.

When we got inside my cabin, she looked around, gently running her hands over a few different things, obviously intrigued by them but it seemed like she was afraid of breaking something. "It's very beachy – I like it."

"Me too. The water really helps me relax," I said as she looked at the fountain across the room from my bed. She nodded, agreeing with my statement before hopping onto my water bed with a big grin on her face.

"That's my bed, you know." She just smiled and patted the spot beside her. I faux-rolled my eyes at her and laid down beside her. We both turned so that we were facing opposite directions, and Andee whispered, "Thank you, Percy."

"You are always welcome, Andee," I said before falling asleep.

I was woken up by a high-pitched scream. I was startled so much that I fell out of bed and when I got my bearings, Andee was screaming and thrashing in her sleep, tangled in the sheets. "Andee, it's me – Percy. Come on, Andee, wake up," I urged, trying to get near her but she was kicking and swinging her arms so violently that it was near impossible. When I noticed the large, deep cuts appearing and healing all over her arms and legs, I started freaking out. I managed to get close to her, and the moment I touched her, she woke up and collapsed in my lap. She immediately started to cry and I held her tightly. It took a while for her to calm down, and when she did, she busied herself with the task of wiping her eyes.

"You must think I'm so pathetic and weak," she mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

"That's what triggered you today, isn't it? Mark call you weak," I said and she nodded, her hands fiddling with her nightshirt.

"I was close to someone for a while that made it their job to tell me how weak I was, especially if I cried like this," she said, focusing on the movement of her hands.

"Whoever said that is mind-blowingly stupid," I said and she smiled a little. "Anyone with a brain knows you are crazy strong." She smiled a little more. "Was the nightmare the same thing that I saw?" I asked, my hands moving to her thighs where some of the worst cuts had appeared.

"The only difference was that you weren't there this time," she whispered. "You were here, but just not there."

"Well, I promise that I'll always be here to protect you from everything, no matter what happens and no matter how much you want to hate me," I told her.

She immediately hugged me, burying her face in my neck and shoulder. I returned the embrace, taking in every detail of the way she felt in my arms. "I really wish you weren't so amazing, Percy."

"Let's go back to sleep, okay? I won't let anything happen to you, I promise," I said and she nodded, letting me help her back up. This time when we were getting comfortable in the bed, she didn't face away. She got as close to me as she could and took one of my arms and put it around her waist, while she held the other one tightly in hers. I liked how her hand felt in mine – it was so small and soft. She fell asleep easily after that, but I stayed up for a while watching her. She looked so peaceful and serene when she slept – when she wasn't having that nightmare, that is.

I gently pressed my lips against her forehead, being careful not to wake her up (because she would probably kill me). "Sweet dreams, Andee."