AN: *Sips tea* What? I wasn't slacking.
*Looks at calendar and chokes on tea* What? Why didn't anyone tell me it was November already?
Sorry about that. Anyway, big thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited! It's really encouraging.
P.S I changed the rating. I didn't like it. If you have any complaints, please let me know.
The girl's name was Felicity.
Felicity now had a problem.
Was it normal for strangers to appear like this? It didn't seem normal. Why hadn't she been taught how to deal with these things? Nobody told her anything until it was too late.
She took a few deep breaths. It was simple; there had to be at least several people at Camp Half-Blood with experience in this. All she had to do was bring him to the main office, the "Big House", and the matter would be over quickly.
Felicity secured her ponytail and began to carry the boy. Her limbs quivered a bit, but she kept on going. She went two feet, then five, struggling, but still believing she could make it...
After ten feet, she collapsed under the weight.
She sat up and sighed. She should have known this would happen. She wasn't as strong as the other girls, being new and all. She glanced over at the cabins in the distance. Surely someone wouldn't mind helping, right?
She called out, but no response came. She tried a few more times, but to no avail. She flopped into the soft grass. What was the point? People were too busy getting ready for bed, anyway. It was best not to bother them anymore.
She relaxed a bit. She could just sleep there. It would be easy. The night was pleasantly warm, and the ground was only a little wet from a recent rain. She thought about it for a while, but decided against it. The mosquitoes would bite her all night, and she couldn't leave the kid all by himself.
She got up and stood over him. She couldn't see very well, but she could tell that he had to be about fourteen or fifteen. He actually looked kind of peaceful despite being scratched and messy.
No point in standing here, though. She would just have to carry him inch by inch, no matter how long it took. Felicity stooped down. She was about to lift him for the second time that night when a girl's voice behind her said "Hey, did you need something?"
Felicity whirled around. She didn't know the other girl personally, but she knew her name.
Her name was Bridget.
"Hey, are you in there?" Bridget asked. "You were the one yelling, right?"
Felicity realized that she had been silent. "Oh, yeah," she said "I'm trying to get this kid up to the Big House, see..."
Bridget examined the boy. "Is he a friend of yours?" she asked. "I don't think I've seen him around."
"It's complicated," Felicity explained. "Help me out, and I'll explain on the way."
Bridget agreed. "You know," she said, "There's actually something I've been meaning to try, and this is the perfect chance."
Bridget mysteriously held an arm up. Felicity realized that she was going to use magic.
Bridget had inherited the raven hair and deep emerald eyes of her mother, Hecate. Hecate was the goddess of magic, and Bridget also seemed to have her power.
Bridget wasn't the only one with a goddess for a mother; nearly everyone at Camp Half-Blood was the offspring of a god. The camp itself had been designed to protect the young demigods from the flesh-hungry monsters that prowled the outside world. Peleus, the dragon, was supposed to guard the Golden Fleece, which in turn kept danger at bay.
Felicity had been thinking about Peleus. Had the boy been messing with the Fleece? If so, why? And if not, then why was Peleus mad?
Meanwhile, Bridget had successfully managed to cast a levitating spell. The boy slowly flew four feet in the air and bobbed in place.
"That ought to do it," she said. "Let's see how long this works."
The two girls walked along, the boy floating ahead of them. Felicity told the story about how he had fallen down the hill, then Peleus' attack, and finally what she had been doing just before Bridget arrived. The other girl listened intently.
"It's amazing that you were there just in time." Bridget said. "Imagine the mess we'd have if you hadn't."
"Actually," Felicity explained, "I don't think it was just coincidence. I kind of... sensed him there. Like he was a magnet pulling at me."
"Hmm." Bridget lost herself in thought. "Now that you mention it, there does seem to be something off about him. I can't place it though."
They continued in silence. They soon passed the cabins. Twelve were beautifully decorated to honor their respective god, and eight were still unfinished.
The only thing Felicity knew about the unfinished cabins was that some goof named Percy Jackson had requested they be built for the children of the minor gods as his reward for winning the Second Titan War. She always laughed a bit at the thought; she had seen Percy at camp, and it seemed a little impossible that such a person could order the gods around like that. Still, she was grateful, so she couldn't complain.
She always sighed when thinking about it. She hadn't been claimed by a god yet, but she knew it would happen soon. Percy had also made sure of that.
Right now, something caught her interest. "Hey, Bridget," she said. "Why aren't you staying in Cabin Eleven with the other minor demigods?"
"I thought it made more sense to stay in the Hecate Cabin," said Bridget.
"But it doesn't even have a roof yet!" Felicity said
"I know," said Bridget. "But that's the exciting part. I'm all by myself, and it makes for good magic practice. For example, I recently discovered a way to keep rain away. It's a small spell, but it'll be useful someday, you'll see."
They passed Cabins Five, Four, Three, Two, and then finally Cabin One. Eventually they arrived at the building known as the Big House.
Bridget lowered the body on the front porch. "Look," she said, "I'm gonna go now. This place kind of makes me feel uncomfortable."
"That's okay," Felicity said. "Thanks again for your help."
"Hey, don't mention it," Bridget said. Maybe it was just the bad light, but a second later Bridget walked away and vanished. Felicity was alone.
She didn't know why knocking on the door felt like such an effort. Maybe it was the fact that she didn't know the people behind the door very well. Maybe it was the fact that the boy's presence could mean so much for Camp Half-Blood. If that was the case, hesitating wasn't going to make things any better. She worked up her courage and knocked.
The door was opened by a centaur. It was Chiron, the activities director at Camp Half-Blood. Felicity felt hopeful. If anyone would know what to do, it was him.
"I'm in a bit of a situation," she explained, gesturing towards the body on the porch.
They brought the boy inside, and set him down on a couch. As Felicity repeated her story, she became aware of one peculiar detail. Earlier she had blamed it on the dimming light, but now she could see it clearly.
The boy had green hair.
It didn't look dyed; this was a pure, deep color that was spread evenly across the top of his head. She supposed it could be dyed. After all, she had no experience. Her dark brown hair wasn't easy to color.
Despite this distraction, she was able to finish her tale. Chiron sat quietly for a while. "I'll need some time to think." he finally said. "Come back tomorrow, and I'll give you my opinion."
"Thank you, sir!" she said. She exited the building and strolled out into the warm night air.
Despite the uncertainty, Felicity found she was growing excited. She stopped walking, and looked back at the Big House. She smiled and whispered softly to the boy, as if he could hear her.
"I hope we can get along, no matter what happens." she said. "Goodnight!"
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