thanks for reading. You guys came really close to a double update. Only 1 away. If you guys can get to 20 reviews by next Friday, I'll probably give you a double update, or i'll update twice that week, depending on when you reach 20, and my schedule. I'll be putting a poll on my profile for what day of the week to update on, so check it out and let me know.

Read onwards, and watch out for bricks.

Chapter 5:

Introductions

"Race you to dinner?"

"You're on."

I take off towards the dining pavilion, gasping for breath after sparring. I look for Percy behind me but I don't see him. I look forward just as a girl crosses my path and I plow into her.

"Oh gods, I'm so sorry. I should have been looking where I was going. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? I can grab Will or Cole or-" I look at this girl and realize I've seen her before. She has dark brown hair with a feather braided into it. She has dark, tanned skin and eyes that seem to be changing color. She was in a few of Percy's memories. I can't get an image of her staring at Percy in horror as he charges towards a boy with blonde hair on a horse made of clouds (I've stopped questioning what I see in his memories a long time ago) out of my head as I look at her.

"Are you okay?"

I snap back to the present and see the girl staring at me with a concerned look on her face. "I'm sorry, what? I kind of zoned out."

"It's just that you looked really pale there for a minute."

"Hey Beauty Queen!" Percy calls, walking towards us.

Piper rolls her eyes. "I told you not to call me that Kelp Head!"

"Hey! Only Thalia can call me that!" Percy whines and I have to stifle a laugh.

"Maybe you'd prefer Seaweed Brain then." Piper suggests. I lean over and whisper a suggestion in her ear, and a devious smile spreads on her face. "I know. I'll call you Guinea Pig."

Percy starts stuttering like an idiot. Piper and I fall to the ground laughing.

"If you call me Guinea Pig you have to call Nico Dandelion." Percy demands over our laughter, causing us to laugh even harder.

After a minute or two I can breathe again. "So why Beauty Queen?"

"I'm a daughter of Aphrodite, and he enjoys annoying me."

"Hey!" Percy shouts, putting his arms up defensively. "Leo's the one who came up with it, not me."

Piper starts laughing. "Do you…remember…when he called…himself…Supreme Commander…of the Argo…II?" She asked in between breaths.

"That was when he got the nickname Repair Boy, wasn't it?" Percy asked.

"No. Jason and I had called him Repair Boy before. That was just the first time you heard it since you were…you know, away." Piper says, a little awkwardly at the end.

"Oh. Remember when he came back from that island with Hazel. His hair was greased back and he'd written 'Team Leo' on his shirt." Percy said.

"Oh gods. That was hilarious. Don't forget the tattoos. Poor Hazel though, Frank looked like he was going to murder Leo." Piper said a bit sadly.

They continue reminiscing, and the entire time I'm just standing there awkwardly. I'm listening to their conversation, but not really understanding much of it. Some of it I'm able to laugh at, seeing it in Percy's memories, but not much. I'm just there. A third wheel. I've had enough after about 10 minutes of it. Then Annabeth comes over, and we both stand there for another 5 minutes or so, until Annabeth clears her throat and they stop to look at us.

"Hey Seaweed brain, since it is dinnertime, do you want to continue this conversation later?" Annabeth asked.

"Why haven't you two joined us?" Percy asked.

"Joined what?"

"Our conversation." Percy said, as if it should be obvious.

"Percy, she wasn't with us then." Piper pointed out.

"I also have no clue who Leo is." I added.

"Percy!" Annabeth and Piper shouted.

"WHAT!"

"You're supposed to be helping her. That includes introducing her to people. " Annabeth said.

"Jeez Kelp Head, you haven't even introduced her to Leo?" Piper asked rhetorically.

"I didn't know it was my job to introduce her to people! I'm sorry." Percy said sarcastically.

"It's not…" I added quietly, but nobody hears, and I want to run to get away from the tense atmosphere.

"Well, since he failed at his job, would you be willing to introduce her to people Piper?" Annabeth asked.

"No, I'm good. I'll j-"

'I'd be happy to. Come on! You can meet Leo, and then I'll introduce you to Jason."

"Really, it's-" I start, but she put her arm around my shoulder and starts herding me towards a table in the pavilion that seats the Hephaestus kids. "Isn't there a rule-"

"We aren't sitting down."

"Then what-"

"Leo!" Piper shouts at the table. A short boy with black curly hair and a tool belt around his waist stands up.

"Hey Beauty Queen. Come to bask in my awesomeness?" the boy says.

"You wish!" she turns to address me. "Chloë, this is Leo, head counselor of the Hephaestus cabin." Piper explains, gesturing to the boy that stood up.

(Just a note here. I'm really awkward in social situations that include new people. I just get really nervous, and anxious, which makes me stumble over my words or not be able to speak, and that just makes me embarrassed, which makes things worse. So naturally, being dragged to a camp full of strangers was nerve-wracking. Now, having to meet all those new people, let's just say I wasn't ecstatic.)

"Um…hi…" I manage.

"Piper look! I've rendered her speechless!" he shouts.

A girl behind him at the table punches him in the arm. "You wish Leo. It was probably your looks." The girl says.

"It was my looks. I look gooooooood." He says, and I roll my eyes, while looking at the marble floor of the pavilion.

"You okay Chloë?" Piper asks gently, putting an arm on my shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Don't worry. Not everyone is as annoying as Leo." She grabs my arm and starts pulling me towards a table in the front of the pavilion, where the Big 3 tables are. She stops in front of an empty table.

"What are we doing?"

"Looking for Jason," she replies, scanning the pavilion.

"You just missed him." We both turn and see a girl with light brown hair and startling blue eyes.

"Dou you know where he went?" Piper asks accusingly.

"He got an Iris message from one of the Hunters saying they'd be here in a few minutes. And Beauty Queen, I'm not trying to steal your boyfriend, so lay off."

"I never-"

"Thanks Alexa. Piper, let's go meet them at the hill. That's probably where he went." I say pointedly, and pull her out of the pavilion before something can start.

We walk through the camp, taking the long way in between the canoe lake and the amphitheater, over the creek. When we reach Half-Blood Hill, she still hasn't talked to me. I know I should say something, but I don't know her that well. I'm used to playing mediator with friends, not strangers.

When we reach the hill, there is already a small crowd gathered behind Thalia's Pine Tree. I see Percy, Annabeth, the Stolls, Nico, Clarisse, and Leo. There's a few others I don't know. Piper looks around, then runs into the crowd, where I lose her.

I start walking away when Percy calls out to me. Just as I turn back to the tree, a group of girls appear over the crest of the hill. When I see the girl in the front of the group, my breath catches in my throat, and I'm pretty sure my heart stopped. Leading them was a tall girl with black and purple hair, a silver band weaved in. She's wearing all silver, except for a pair of black combat boots. She looks maybe 17, but just looking at her I get the feeling she's a lot older than she lets on. I've seen her in Percy's memories, not many of them are good.

Percy calls me again, but I ignore him. I want to run, hide, to close my eyes and make everything disappear. I want to forget I ever saw her. I want to, but I can't. My feet are frozen, my eyes fixed. I feel like I'm back in elementary school on the playground, back with Ireland, being punched and thrown to the ground, helpless. I feel my legs giving out. I don't do anything to stop it.

I prepare to eat a face full of dirt, but Percy catches me. I see his lips moving, I don't hear it. I hear the laughter of a distant playground. I hear the taunts, the amused laughter. I see darkness. I felt the world shaking. Crumbling down around me. I almost scream. Then I realize what it is. I open my eyes, and Percy's shaking me. Behind him was her.

Before I realized what I was doing, I scrambled backwards frantically, just trying to get away. I put my arm down weird, and fell on my back. Percy helped me sit up, but I just kept shaking my head. I needed to get away.

"Chloë!"

I stop, my head clearing. I look at him, his sea green eyes, the worry filling them.

"Are you okay?"

I try to speak, but it just catches in my throat, so I shake my head. My throats sore from holding back tears already.

"What's the matter?"

I don't even bother to answer him. Everything's the matter. I shouldn't be in a camp filled with children of the gods. I shouldn't be training to kill monsters. I shouldn't be able to see what it was like to fight in a war. Most of all, she shouldn't be here.

I can't hold it back any longer. The tears flood, and I just sit there sobbing. Helpless. She leans down and tries to put an arm on my shoulder, but I push it away. I may be distraught, but I'm not letting her touch me.

"Chloë, it's just Thalia. Let her help. We need to get you back."

"No! Don't let her near me!"

Okay. I honestly couldn't find a stopping point here. Once I got to the hill where she sees Thalia, I just couldn't type fast enough. I feel like its really awkward, but everything is explained in the next chapter, and I've thought this through….sort of…

Anyways, I'll be posting a poll on my profile for what day of the week you want me to start posting on regularly. I can do every day but Saturday, since I usually have a full schedule.

Thank you for those of you who have read my story and reviewed. You guys came to close to a double update this week for comfort, because I have been really limited in writing time, and I had a bit of writers block, but if this chapter is any indication, I think I've broken through for now.

Don't get hit in the head with a brick, question Brason, and help me figure out WHY?