AN: Sorry this took so long. Once again, a shout-out to the talented anonymousHippocampus and my amazing beta reader. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

Update: I went back over this chapter in response to a review, and I hope that this version is better, and you enjoy it. Happy reading!

The rest of the evening was a nightmare. The Athena campers welcomed me with open arms, showering me with food and questions. The food I ate until I felt full, but I didn't answer any of the questions. Several times I tried to slip away, but Annabeth would always manage to block my path and fix me with a fierce glare that sent me right back into the middle of the fray. I only managed to get away from them when Chiron announced that it was time to meet at the ampitheatre, and then only for a moment. I found Pyleria laughing at my predicament, and cut her off. "Can I please have my coat back? The moon is just past half tonight. It should be rising in a few minutes." Without a break in her mirth, she handed it to me, and I left with a frustrated look.

Annabeth quickly found me again, grabbed my arm, and said, "Come on. You have to come to the campfire. Senior counselor's orders." I started to protest, but she glared at me, and I quickly shut up. When we arrived at the campfire, the other campers had already started singing. Annabeth led me right into the middle of the Athena cabin, which was singing a completely unfamiliar song with great enthusiasm.

Since I didn't know any of the words, I just stood there, pretending to sing. I fiddled with my bracelets, tightening the chains. After an eternity of listening to enthusiastic but off-key voices singing songs about grandmothers and armor, everyone seemed to silently but collectively agree that it was time to stop. Orange shirts slowly scattered in all directions, heading toward one or another of the cabins I saw earlier. Annabeth led the way to a blue and gold cabin with an owl over the door. I rubbed my neck, remembering what I had seen in the reflection of the brazier. I slowly walked over to the door, but didn't go inside. Instead, I plopped down heavily just beside the door and leaned back against the wall.

"So, what do you have against us? You don't seem to be surprised to be claimed." Annabeth stood over me, and I had to crane my neck to look at her face. "Well, you shouldn't have been claimed just now. You're too old."

I sighed. "I wasn't. That was just Mother's way of making sure I didn't forget who I belonged to." I looked down, away from Annabeth. "You don't brand people. You brand property." There was no response, though she hadn't moved. "Oh well. You're the senior counselor, right? I guess you're entitled to know my story. I'll tell you tomorrow. I'm tired right now, and I just want to sleep." Without another word, Annabeth turned and entered the cabin. My cabin now, I thought. I don't think I'll ever get used to that. I won't sleep here tonight, but… I sighed again. Tomorrow night, I will. For now, a respite. I reluctantly got up, every muscle in my tired body screaming for rest. I wandered over to the Pegasus stables, and flopped down behind it, in the shadow cast by the moon. After I took off my coat, I folded it and stuck it behind my head. As soon as my hair touched my makeshift pillow, I was out like a light.

I just had to dream. Of course I had to dream. Every demigod has dreams. Not the ones where you skip around on clouds talking to woodland animals, but the dark, threatening kind where you foresee the end of everything you know. This one was no different. I mean, it started out innocently enough, with me accidentally walking out of the showers of the camp without my clothes, but it changed. The warm, sunny atmosphere of Camp Half Blood was replaced with a smothering darkness that surrounded me in every direction. I tried to move, and get out of the blackness, but no matter which way I ran, I still couldn't see anything. Suddenly, silver light surrounded me, forming a cone. Afraid to test it, I looked up to see the source. The moon broke the darkness, shining brighter than it ever possibly could in reality.

YOU ARE IMPURE! YOU ARE NOT WORTHY! I WILL SCOUR YOU OFF THIS EARTH, YOU DISGUSTING BEAST! I WILL NOT LEAVE A SINGLE PART OF YOU TO SULLY THE EARTH WITH YOUR FOUL CURSE! DIE! DIE, FRIENDLESS AND ALONE!

I was driven to my knees by the force of the voice, coming from all directions. It continued to batter me, getting louder and insulting me more until I couldn't take it anymore and yelled out. "Aaaaaaagh!" I sat up, breathing heavily and sweating. I guess I woke myself up, I reasoned. I am not going back to sleep. What time is it, anyway? I grabbed my coat from the ground and stood up. The camp was silent, so I walked to the middle of the courtyard to get a better look at the sky. Is was mostly dark, but telltale rosy light glimmered on the horizon. Dawn would come soon.

When the sunlight finally found me, I was deep in the forest. I had found a fallen log and propped it up against a couple boulders to practice on. Hand. Hand. Elbow. Kick. Elbow. Punch. Kick. I fluidly moved through my practice forms, splintering the log more and more with every hit. I finally finished, panting from exertion. The log had several pieces missing, and the bark was gone where I had been striking it, leaving only bare wood. I laid it back down where I had found it, then turned around. "Ree. Morning. How long have you been standing there?" I greeted my blue-haired adoptive sister.

"Only a few minutes. Don't worry, you haven't bored me to death. I came to bring you breakfast, since you probably don't want to face the entire camp right now." She smirked. "And you were taking all your aggression out on some poor, defenseless log. What if a dryad lived in it?"

I took the plate from her, and sat down against one of the boulders. "Thanks. And I made sure to choose a dead log, thank you very much. I wouldn't do that to a dryad."

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh really. What about that time when-"

"Piss off. You know it's not a good idea to goad me. What if I lost control?"

She gave me a flat look. "You never lose control. Well, you haven't for the past five years, anyway."

I raised a forkful of eggs. "Touché. So, how was your night? Did you sleep well in that big old house?"

"Yeah. I did some exploring, though. Guess what I found?"

"A four hundred foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings."

She glared at me. "You're no fun. Fine, I'll tell you. There's this attic just full of stuff! And they don't even care about it anymore! You should've seen the dust!"

"How much did you take?" I asked.

"Just a couple things. You could probably sell them for a good profit!" She smiled broadly.

"Put. Them. Back. With our luck, they're probably going to need them right now, and we're going to get in trouble. Put them back." She looked at me, and tried to give me her best puppy-dog pout. I stared back stoically. "You should probably be getting back to camp now. We don't want Chiron getting worried."

She hesitated for a moment, then patted me on the shoulder and left. I quickly polished off the remains of my breakfast, then headed off, plate and fork in hand, to find the kitchen.

I made it as far as the dining pavilion, then just decided to stack it with the other mounds of dirty dishes resting on a table. I passed the cleaning harpies on my way out, jabbering about how they missed some camper out after curfew.

"What in Hades are you doing over here?" My arm was grabbed roughly, and I was dragged off. I barely avoided tripping over my own feet, and glared up at my captor. A camper, obviously a son of Athena, led the way to the archery range. "Why didn't you sleep in the cabin, you idiot? You got us all in trouble."

He finally let go, and I straightened my clothes. "Well, I'm used to living on my own. It was usually better to sleep outside on hunts, to be aware of monsters. And why would you get in trouble because of me?"

"Chiron was worried you'd run off, and then Mother would be angry with him. I told him not to worry. You still haven't fulfilled the promise you made to me yesterday, but I know you wouldn't go back on your word. I'll call you on it later, but first, archery practice. Since you're both late and a newbie, you get to go first," Annabeth said, cutting in.

I raised my hands and backed up. "No, I don't think that's a good idea. I'm a really bad shot, and it'll be a catastrophe. Trust me, you don't want me to do this."

She gave me her most piercing glare, shoved a bow into my hands, and commanded, "Shoot."

"You were telling the truth after all. How in Hades are you blessed by Artemis, the goddess of hunting, and yet you still can't shoot straight? Honestly, I didn't know it was possible to be worse than Percy. For gods' sakes, you buried an arrow up to the fletchings twenty yards in the wrong direction!"

I patted the air placatingly. "Hey, I told you I was bad. Your fault for not believing me. Anyway, I guess it's time for me to fulfill my promise to you. I might as well kill two birds with one stone and tell Chiron, too, while I'm at it. Let's go to the, ah, Big House."

She raised an eyebrow, but sighed. "Fine. I don't know why you want to keep it a secret. We're all demigods here."

"I realize that, but…" I looked down at my feet. "Once you hear my story, you'll understand."

Annabeth opened the Big House door. "I sincerely doubt it." She led the way inside, where Chiron was finishing up a meeting with Thalia.

"Ah, yes, Thalia. I think that is all I need for now. You just go prepare for the game of capture-the-flag later." He added under his breath, and I strained to hear, "Not that you've ever needed preparation." Thalia nodded at us, and then glared at me as she left. Once she had gone, Chiron cleared his throat. "Miss Chase, if you would be so kind as to lock the doors. I do believe our guest would like assurance of privacy."

"Thank you for your consideration, sir." I nodded. "Now, what I am about to tell you, you must swear never to tell anyone else unless I okay it." Chiron nodded. Annabeth rolled her eyes, but nodded as well. "All right. My story begins exactly eighteen years and six months ago. March fifteenth, nineteen ninety six. A man by the name of Ryan Matthews ran a very successful architectural company in Las Vegas. He had been happily married for a year and a half, and his wife was extremely proud of his accomplishments. Ryan was very happy, until that day. You see, he had caught the eye of Athena. She was quite enamored of him, and believed that a child born of them would grow up to do great things. She had approached him before in disguise, urging him to have an affair. But he refused her, and she grew angry. So she decided to take matters into her own hands. That fateful day, she inspired herself to bear a child based on Ryan's mind. She had Zephyr, the west wind, carry the newborn boy to Ryan's doorstep, with a note detailing what she had done, and who she was. He found the baby and the note. He read it, and knew it was true, with the intelligence that had so attracted Athena-"

"No! That can't be true! You're lying!" Annabeth rose out of her seat, and pointed the dagger directly at my chest. "Mom would never do something like that!"

"Oh really?" I addressed her, rising myself. "In most of the Greek myths, you hear of some god or other raping a poor mortal woman. Is it really so hard to believe that the reverse can happen as well?" I bit back the rising tide of anger, and busied myself with tightening my bracelets.

Annabeth looked ready to slice me open when Chiron gripped her arm. "Annabeth. Listen to me. I'm afraid what he is saying has some truth to it. I have heard something like this at about that time, but no names were mentioned, and I dismissed it as unimportant." She paled, and looked at him. "I'm sorry. Just hear him out."

I sat back down. "Thank you, Chiron. As I was saying, the baby she had forced on him was sent to his doorstep. He brought it in, but when his wife saw the baby, his marriage fell apart. She suspected him of having an affair, and immediately left him. Soon after, he spiraled into depression. He lost his business and his home mere weeks after it happened. He couldn't take it anymore, and left the child at an orphanage." I met first Chiron's gaze, then Annabeth's. "But that's not all. The reason Athena was so anxious to have a child was because she had gotten into an argument with Artemis. Zeus commanded them to make up, because the mortal world was beginning to be affected, so Athena looked for a peace offering. She finally decided on one of her own children, and Ryan's son was dedicated to Artemis. Now, he could never join the Hunters, but still both Artemis and Athena watched over the boy." I slouched back in the chair. "Since then, I was shunted from foster home to foster home. The longest I lasted was thirteen months. Finally, I got fed up, and decided to run away. My foster family at the time had another child to foster, a girl. Upon discovering that she, too, was a half-blood, I took her when I ran away. That was six years ago, and we've been on our own since. With occasional joining forces with the Hunters, of course." I breathed out deeply. "Oh, wait. I forgot something. As if to add injury to insult, Athena stripped me of the wisdom that was my birthright, leaving me instead with only implanted knowledge of how to fight."

"Oh, poor you. You only know how to fight. How hard that must be," Annabeth said sarcastically.

"You don't understand. You, at least, can plan battles, solve problems, or even weave instinctually. Literally all I can do is fight. I was made for battle, traded as if I were property. That is why I despise Athena. Do you understand now?" I pushed my face as close as I dared to Annabeth's, and locked eyes with her. Chiron coughed, and I broke the gaze. I walked to the door, fiddling with my bracelets as I went. With a flick of my wrist, the door unlocked. I opened it and walked outside to the porch. And stared out, reflecting on my past. Soon, instead of the strawberry fields, I began to see images of the past. The first time I killed a monster. The one demigod foster family. When I got my first real sword. At first, it was all memories from my brief childhood, but my mind quickly drifted to others. Meeting Pyleria for the first time. Watching her practice with a wooden sword. Learning to control the curse. Bleeding on the ground as she fought off monsters. I must have stood there for a while, because the sun was much lower in the sky when Chiron broke my trance.

"Ah, James? It is almost time for capture-the-flag. Are you ready?" he asked.

I jumped slightly. "What?! Oh, sorry. Just lost in thought. Yes, I am ready. Where do we meet?"

"Follow me," he said.

When we arrived, the tables of the dining pavilion were covered in armor and weapons. I looked over it all, but decided on just loosening my sword in its sheath. A person in full armor approached me, and I ignored them until they hugged me. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"Oh! Sorry!" The person stepped back and pulled off their helmet, revealing a bright blue head of hair. "I forgot you couldn't see my face. "

"It's fine. I'm just glad it was you and not that girl who found us-"

"Hi, James! What's up? Hey, do you want to team up for the game? I'm sure we'd work well together!"

"Speak of the devil," I muttered to Pyleria. Then, out loud, "Nah. I think you'd do better perched in a tree, so you can pick off the Hunters with your bow."

She smiled widely. "Oh, I hadn't thought of that! That's a good idea! I'll do that." Cara walked off, hopefully to scout out a perch.

"Campers, are you ready?" A loud cheer. "Hunters, are you ready?" Chiron asked.

"We're always ready to win!" Thalia yelled.

She was booed by the campers, but looked unfazed. Chiron cleared his throat. "You know the rules! No maiming or killing, and the creek is the boundary! Begin!"

The campers and Hunters split, and each group ran off into the forest. I followed the campers, with Pyleria close behind. Once I had passed the border, I turned to her. "Guard the creek. You can react quickly if they try to get the flag over to their side. Don't let that happen. Okay?" She nodded, and took up a position right next to the water. I faded back into the forest to wait until the Hunters made an attempt on our flag. After about a minute of waiting, I heard a horn being blown. It must have been a signal, because Hunters rushed out of their territory and over the creek. From my hiding place in the bushes, I watched as they ran by. When they had gone, I stood up and invaded their territory myself. I noticed a rise in the ground, and I followed it to a small hill. At the top of the hill, I saw the Hunters' silver flag. I began to run towards it, but an arrow embedded itself into a tree trunk next to my face.

"Give it up, James! You know you can't beat my arrows! Just surrender now!" Thalia yelled. I ducked behind the imperiled tree for cover. After a few seconds, I popped my head out. Another arrow whizzed past my face, and I pulled my head back just in time, but not before I pinpointed where the arrows were coming from. I unsheathed my sword, gathered my courage, and stepped out of cover. I swung the sword into a shaft of setting sunlight and directed it right toward the hidden archer. I was pleasantly rewarded with an, "Auuggghh!" of pain. I took the opportunity and sprinted for the flag, jumping over tripwires as I went. I grabbed the flag, and headed back the way I came. Arrows followed me, scant millimeters from punching through my skin. I was almost to the creek when Thalia jumped down in front of me, bow drawn and pointed directly at my chest. "Don't move. Drop the flag and then back away."

Before I could say something sarcastic, like, "Well, which do you want?" I caught a glimpse of movement behind her. Without visibly moving, so as to not give away my plan, I tensed up, ready to fight. Thalia opened her mouth, presumably to deliver another ultimatum, when I threw my sword. It clattered off a tree thirty feet behind her, leaving her untouched. But my plan had had its intended effect. The gryphon paused in its stalking of Thalia, and stared directly at me. Our eyes met, and it let out a great screech as it launched itself towards me. Dammit. I just threw away my weapon. Guess I'll have to- I threw my arms out in front of me and flicked my wrists. I caught the gryphon in its headlong charge, and was bowled flat. I laid there for a moment, stunned, and then the monster exploded into a cloud of dust, revealing my hands- and the weapons they held. Now exposed to the light were twin short swords, each with a fanglike point. Not even the campers who had rushed in moved, until someone else shattered the silence.

"Yeeeeeaaaaaaah! Artemis!" A Hunter yelled, bursting out of the trees toward the creek. Just as she was about to cross, a figure blurred along the creek and plowed into her, knocking her back onto camper territory. I took advantage of the sudden distraction and dashed towards the creek. I took a flying leap over it, and landed on the other side, flag in hand. Everyone watched, stunned, as the flag turned from the Hunters' silver to the orange of the campers' shirts.

After a moment, the campers rushed toward me and lifted me up. They tried to carry me around, but I grabbed a branch and swung myself out of their grip. I tossed the flag down to them. Whap. "Ow! What the hell was that for?" I yelled, clutching the back of my head.

"That was for killing the gryphon. I was perfectly able to handle it myself, and you had to go and kill it." Whap. "And that one was for winning and betraying the Hunters," Thalia said as she stood over my curled body.

I purposefully rolled off the branch. "Well, it's not like I'm even accepted, so I wouldn't count it as betrayal. Plus, it's just capture the flag." I tightened my bracelets with a false relaxed air.

Whap. "What in Hades was that? I thought you came clean!" Annabeth almost yelled.

"Hey! You can't do that! Only I can!" Thalia yelled, following my lead and coming nose to nose with Annabeth. "He disgraced us! Ruined our perfect record!"

While they were distracted yelling at each other, I quickly signaled to Pyleria, and escaped before either could actually get their hands on me. I met her just outside the forest barrier, next to the creek. "Nice job, Ree! She was really surprised. Thanks for setting the stage so I could bring the flag across." When she didn't reply, I looked at her face. She appeared to be staring over my shoulder. Fearing the worst, I flicked my wrists, ready to defend myself against the lieutenant Hunter and the counselor. What I actually saw was slightly more surprising: the black-haired camper from the arena leaning against a tree.

"How'd you do that? Sliding across the creek, I mean. Even I can't do that, and I'm a son of Poseidon," he said, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"Hello, Percy Jackson," His jaw dropped, and I continued, "What? You just told me you are a son of Poseidon, and the only hero by that description is Percy Jackson. You're famous, you know. You shouldn't expect anonymity when you're about as powerful as a minor god." Percy started mouthing "anonymity," but stopped.

"Wait, what? I'm as powerful as a minor god? No, I'm just a normal-"

I crooked an eyebrow. "Normal what? Hero? Child of Poseidon? You just happen to be the most powerful hero in over two hundred years. Come on, you've fought Titans on almost equal footing and you're trying to tell me you didn't notice?" Percy's eyes and mouth widened as comprehension dawned across his face. "I mean, really. You've out-heroed Hercules, basically the most famous hero of all time."

He stared at his hands in shock, then found his voice. "But, but Dad never said anything! He never said that I was special! Well, he did, but not that special!"

"He's a god," I deadpanned. "He's had hundreds of kids, with all kinds of different power levels. For example, in the myths, Perseus and Theseus were never documented with anything like what you or even Jason can do. You're powerful, Percy." I patted Pyleria's shoulder. "She's just skillful. Anyway, I'm James, and my cerulean-haired sister here is Pyleria. And the reason she can do what she did is-"

"I'm the daughter of a sea spirit." Pyleria brushed me aside. "I can kind of 'skate' across water's surface, among other things."

Percy perked up. "Would you mind showing me? I haven't really met any other half-bloods that can do anything like I can. It would be really cool. I'll show you what I can do!"

"Yay, you're both water people. Go have some water fun. Meanwhile, I'll be finding a safe place to hide from Annabeth and Thalia. Bye." I waved curtly, and ran off. The Pegasus stables? No, too open. Under the dock? No, I don't want to get wet. Then I got a brilliant idea. I laid false trails- a footprint here and there- and then snuck to my newly chosen hiding spot. I opened the door, looked inside to make sure neither girl was already there, and quickly shut it behind me.

"So you decided to move in after all. Now we won't get in trouble anymore," the camper from earlier said. "Welcome to Cabin Six."

Yup, this was my brilliant plan. Hiding where neither would think to find me. My dear mother's cabin. There was no way this could go wrong.

"Well, Annabeth isn't here, but you can take this bunk. It's empty, even during the summer. As far as I know, no one has ever used it. I'm Malcolm, by the way." Malcolm waved me over to a bunk two over from his. "Make yourself at home. Because you are home."

Not likely. This is just a place I have to rest my head at for a little while. I sat down on the bunk, and paper rustled. I slipped a hand between the sheets, and came out with a piece of parchment. So not paper, then. Odd. And then I read the words upon it. It was a prophecy.

Wisdom's child, spawn of Olympus' shun/ The sea god's scion, the cursèd wolf-king's son/ The daughters of the healer and forgotten one/ Will stop the rise of the wild, moon and sun/ But if they fail ere autumn's done/ Hope is lost; peace granted to none.

In the margins, someone had written notes, apparently trying to interpret the prophecy. Things like: spawn of Olympus' shun = Nico? Or Who is the cursed wolf-king? What does it mean by his son? Or the wild, moon, and sun? Why are they rising? Then understanding dawned on me. "No. No. Nononononononono. This can't be happening. This can't be happening! NO!" I stared at the piece of paper in horror.

A hand landed on my shoulder, and I felt a pricking sensation on my neck. "You had better have a very good explanation for why you have that. You have ten seconds. Ten, nine, eight…" Annabeth growled.

"First off, it was in my bed. Secondly, I know what the prophecy is talking about." I tried to keep my voice calm, so as not to antagonize the person holding a knife to my throat.

She immediately dropped it. "What." Her voice was hard and cold. I opened my mouth to elaborate, but she cut me off. "Save it. Whatever you know, it can wait until a full meeting of all the head counselors. If you do know anything, you're going to share it with everyone." The hand on my shoulder flipped me around, and Annabeth pushed me out the door and to the Big House. She forced me to sit down on a couch, directly facing Dionysus. "Stay here. I'm going to get the other head counselors. Mr. D, would you please keep an eye on him? He may have some information pertaining to the prophecy that we've been struggling with." She left abruptly, but not without fixing me with a glare. I sat still in my seat, twiddling my thumbs until she was out of sight.

Dionysus looked at me, although his was one of evaluation, not irritation. "So, boy. What is this fuss all about?"