Chapter nine. Sorry for putting it up so late. It was a mix of writer's block and other obligations. What's the point of summer if teachers give you a ton of work to do during it? Anyway. You know what's funny? Over the past week I've been cut by sharp glass twice (accidently of course), and zapped twice. It hurt. For some reason things hated me this week.

Disclaimer- PJO belongs to Rick Riordan, and so on.

Annabeth POV

"What have you got?" Percy asked.

"Nothing of importance to you," Cassie answered.

"Really?" Percy said.

"Not yet at least," Cassie replied.

"How about now?" he asked.

"No."

"Now?"

"Nope."

"No-"

"So help me, if you finish that sentence I will kick your ass so hard you won't be able to sit for a week," Cassie snapped at him.

"You know you sort of remind me of Clarisse with that attitude," Percy said.

Cassie clutched the little book she had retrieved closer to her body.

"Hey remember how Clarisse can kick your ass in hand-to-hand combat?" she asked slyly.

"Yes?" Percy answered unsure.

"Well so can I," she growled. "So you had better get off my case or I'll make battling Clarisse seem like a freaking picnic."

Percy shut up immediately.

They were walking ahead of me and Max, who gave a little smile at the banter.

"You know Percy's pretty good with a sword. He could probably take Cassie," I told Max.

"I'm not worried about that. Cassie can take him anyday," Max said. "Five bucks says Percy pisses Cassie off."

"Not taking that bet," I told him.

"Let me finish," Max said, "Five bucks says Percy pisses Cassie off and she pulverizes him."

I looked at the pair in front of us. Percy could take Cassie right? Either that or I was about to waste five bucks.

"You're on," I said, shaking Max's hand.

We continued walking down the dock, and the water to the side of us was still at least a few feet deep. There was a splash in the water. I looked up to Percy and Cassie. No. Wait. Just Cassie. Did she-?

Yep. She shoved Percy into the lake. He dragged himself back up onto the wooden planks. Percy would have been soaked if not for his Poseidon powers.

"What in the name of Hades was that for!" he yelled.

"You were pissing me off," Cassie said, as if it should be obvious.

I couldn't help but laugh a little bit. Percy tried to glare at me, but his gaze softened just a bit as I continued to giggle. I took a five dollar bill out of my pocket and pressed it into Max's outstretched hand as he just watched Percy try to tackle Cassie.

Best five bucks I've ever spent.

Cassie moved to the side at the last moment and Percy barreled right into the lake. The water calmed but Percy didn't resurface. He was planning something. A giant wave stretched out of the water and drenched Cassie.

Max and I backed away but got splashed with just a bit of water.

"You have got to be kidding me Jackson," Cassie grumbled.

She began stripping off her clothes. Luckily, a black one piece with red accents was underneath. If there was nothing I think I would've had a heart attack.

Cassie dove in gracefully and the water seemed to gather around her.

Percy began shooting jets of water at her, but she dodged them as quickly as he could send them. Max pulled me to one side and in a few seconds I saw why. Cassie shot a huge blast of water, pushing Percy over the dock, right where I had just been standing.

By the time their little water fight was over, I was as wet as if I had been in the lake too, Percy was hopping up and down trying to get water out of his ear, and Max barely had any water on his clothes. Cassie hopped out, and while she should've been soaked to the bone, she was instantly dry, even her hair. Sorta like Percy. Exactly like Percy actually.

I took out the little notebook I had been using to collect information on Cassie and wrote that in next to powers. I also added that she could walk on water. Something I had never seen done before.

Cassie was still a blank page though. She was in none of the myths. No one knew who she was. Chiron wouldn't tell us anything. Then I had an epiphany.

Maybe she was in the myths. Maybe she just went under a different name or an alias.

Cassie gave me a funny look, probably because I was staring at her. I tried to neutralize my expression.

The mystery woman tugged on her shorts and boots but draped her shirt over her arm.

As we walked back to the cabins, Cassie played with her hair until it was in a braid that had a messy but stylish look to it. I was jealous. The only thing I can do with my hair is put it in a ponytail, and if I'm lucky and use a ton of gel, a bun. The way she effortlessly put it up like that- well I just wish I could do that.

I had another thought. If Cassie was with Max, then chances were, she was staying at camp, but where? One of the cabins? That would give a hint as to who she was connected to. The big house? Probably. Or maybe she came in every morning by bird. That had freaked me out more than I let on. Someone turning from a bird into a human.

In Greek myths there were a lot of tales of people being turned into animals- Odysseus' men, Actaeon, Lycaon- come to think of it, a lot of men were transformed. The point was, there weren't many myths of animals turning into people. If I could find something on that, then Cassie's identity would be revealed. Most likely.

"So Cassie," Percy asked, "are you staying in camp?"

"Yes," Cassie said simply as she hiked across the open landscape.

"What cabin?" Percy asked.

"Epsilon," she answered as if it was completely normal.

"Wait- what now?" Percy stuttered.

I stopped walking as soon as she said that. Percy stumbled and caught my arm in order to stay up.

"Ow," I mumbled.

"Sorry," Percy whispered.

Cassie walked right past the main cabins toward the edge of the woods before taking a sharp turn away from them and towards an open area. The grass was a vibrant green, and the sky a bright blue, but there was nothing in between, yet Cassie walked over to one particular spot.

Percy and I looked at Cassie warily. What was going on with that girl?

Max coughed a little.

"Um… Cassie?" he said, "They can't see it."

"Oh… right," she answered, "give me a second."

I looked over, wondering what she planned to do, when I noticed something very strange. She wasn't walking on the ground. Rather, she was walking an inch above the grass, walking on air.

Before I could point this out to Percy she was directly in front of me. My instincts shouted at me to run, but I was too curious to do so. I didn't completely understand what she did next.

Cassie pressed her index finger into my forehead, so I was forced to look up cross eyed. My vision blacked out for a few seconds. When the colors and shapes made their way into my vision again, directly in front of me, risen high in the sky, was a cabin.

It was a quaint little thing, with window boxes and a small chimney. Above the cinnamon colored door in solid celestial bronze was a word: Epsilon.

"Welcome to the Epsilon Cabin," Cassie said with a little smile.

Cassie POV

At midnight I stood over Camp Jupiter, surveying it from atop Jupiter's shrine. Lights shined out of the praetor's office. Another late night as they prepared for the attack on Mount Tam. War was coming, and nothing good could come out of that, or so I thought.

I leaped off the edge and floated through the air, drifting up and down every so slightly until I reached another small cabin sitting close to the barracks but in midair. I landed lightly on the porch.

Staring up at the imperial gold sign above the door I read the one comforting word: Zeta.

Again, sorry this chapter took so long- writer's block. It was a boring chapter but it needed to be written. The next chapter will be the war, so lots of fighting. Is that good or bad? I'll try to get it up soon, but I probably won't, school starts soon and I still have stuff to get done. So, sorry in advance. Any questions? Comments? Advice?

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