Michael Yew took a long pause. In moments like this, with heavy blankets draped on him, sharp features illuminated in a fiery light, brown eyes downcast and sullen, he really looked like a grizzled war veteran rather than the teenager he was. Across from him, Piper McLean hesitated, a question forming then dying before leaving her lips. She didn't want to get Yew any more upset than he already was.

"You're thinking I've got it all wrong," the older teen said quietly, "I can see it in your eyes. But I knew her, you have to understand that."

"I wasn't thinking that," Piper replied softly. "But I was wondering...I mean, what happened next?"

"Not much for a few months after that. Summer ended, all the part timers left for the school year. That included Lee Fletcher and my other half-siblings. I was the only full-time camper in Cabin Seven."

"Drew was a full-time camper too?" Piper guessed.

"Yeah."

It was October, meaning the autumn was in full swing, even in the climate controlled area of Camp Half-Blood. With the training regimen having been somewhat relaxed due to there being far fewer campers during these months, those who remained were given occasional free days, which they often used to socialize or explore the camp in general. Today was just such a day. Michael Yew's idea of a day off was giving archery tips to Dryads, not only did it allow him to do what he did best, but it also helped the war effort. With the way things were going lately, the camp needed to bolster its reserves, which included the normally peaceful wood nymphs. They'd been running drills for about half an hour when Yew noticed someone walking towards the range. To his surprise, it was Drew Tanaka. They'd hardly spoken since their first encounter on this same range over three months ago.

That wasn't to say he hasn't heard plenty of things about the new camper. She'd quickly picked up a reputation as a rather flirty person, and many of the others were quick to conclude that she was just a typical valley girl, vanity and all. Michael always believed there was more to her than that. So why was the simple act of talking to her so difficult for he, who had faced monsters in battle with fierce determination? Siena Beauregard could probably answer that. And totally embarrass me in the process, he mentally added.

"Hey guys," Drew said. Her long brown hair was styled perfectly as always, her eyes were like kaeidoscopes, appearing to constantly change color, each more dazzling than the last.

"Hi, Drew," Yew replied. He hoped his voice sounded normal, and not as nervous as he felt.

"Do you mind if I join?"

That definitely wasn't what Yew had expected to hear. Since when was Drew into archery?

"You want to practice with us?" he asked, making sure that was what she was asking.

"Yeah...I mean, if that's alright with you?" Drew suddenly looked very nervous herself. Michael winced, he hadn't meant to come off as condescending.

"It's fine, I just...well, we should get you set up."

A quick trip to the armory later, Drew was equipped with a bow and a quiver of arrows. She was currently struggling, without much success, to get one arrow off.

"Okay everyone, class is dismissed early today," Yew said. The nymphs, ever light on their feet, raced to the armory to put away their equipment. Soon the only ones remaining were Michael and a dejected looking Drew. The Aphrodite camper started to go in the same direction as the Dryads. But Michael had sent the Dryads home early for a reason, he had an idea.

"Wait, Drew."

She looked back at him.

"How would you feel about a private lesson?"

"I wouldn't want to waste your time," Drew said.

"And you won't be. I want to help."

And that's how they spent the next couple of hours. Michael showed Drew everything from how to properly hold a bow, to the correct posture, to nocking arrows, to firing at targets. By the time the session was over, Drew was able to load and fire, albeit not very accurately to say the least. Still, for one day, it was progress.

"You did great today, I just have one question," Michael said as he set his bow aside and sat on the cool grass. Drew sat next to him.

"What is it?"

"Why did you all of a sudden decide to get into archery?"

Drew suddenly looked flustered. "Oh, um...I guess I just wanted to prove to everyone that I'm more than a pretty face."

"You are," Michael caught himself too late. "More than a pretty face I mean."

"Many of the others don't seem to think so."

"Well that's just because they haven't tried to get to know you."

"What about you?"

"I'd love to get to know you," again, Michael had to catch himself. "How about another archery lesson?"

"Do you think there's hope for me?"

"I'll make a master archer of you yet," Michael quipped. Drew laughed softly, it was a melodious sound, one he wanted to hear again and again.

"Then I'd love to."

It was mid-November now, and in the month and a half since that impromptu archery lesson, Michael and Drew had become good friends. Unfortunately, while Yew's cabin mates had taken the winter off, most of the Aphrodite cabin, only the gods knew why, had decided to hang around, so of course it didn't take long for the rumor mills to start churning. Normally he didn't have to worry about this kind of attention, Lee Fletcher was the attractive one, Yew the quiet, unassuming one in the background. Now he knew how his friend felt, constantly under the glare of watchful eyes every time he and Drew interacted. He certainly didn't want people getting the wrong idea about them. After all, they didn't really like each other that way...right?

He tried not to think about it. Lee had often advised him, usually from personal experience, that relationships weren't always what they were cracked up to be. "Trust me," he would say, "you gotta hold out for the right one".

Without his fellow Apollo campers, Michael was now essentially in charge of all nightly campfire sing along duties. He wasn't nearly the most talented musician or singer in his cabin, but goodwill was high amongst this small group, even in the Ares campers whom he didn't always get along with, and it worked out.

One December night, after the sing along was over, Michael was sitting alone roasting marshmallows, when to his great surprise, Drew walked over and sat next to him. While it was true that winter rules were generally more lax, in all the campfires they'd had over the past few months, she had never moved away from her cabin mates. And the extremely shy Drew he had met two summers ago never would have done it. He slowly allowed himself to look at her. The firelight illuminated everything about her that he, despite his attempts to avoid it, found stunningly beautiful. Her curled jet black hair, her deep brown eyes, her warm complexion, her shy smile, that had never changed.

He tried to think of something to say, anything. But words eluded him, and so they shared the moment in silence, making s'mores with the other campers, all the while drawing knowing glances from Aphrodite campers. For the first time though, Yew found himself not really minding. One sideways glance at the perfectly content Drew told him that she didn't seem to mind either.

The next morning started out with the sun making a crash landing in Camp Half-Blood. Apollo's sun chariot that is. That was odd, gods didn't usually just drop in to visit camp unless...unless there was some serious news, usually of the bad variety. All the campers present knew enough to know that, including Michael, who raced outside along with the others to check out the scene.

Slowly, Apollo's passengers, still undoubtedly shaken by the hard landing, climbed off his smoking bus/chariot. First the sun god himself, followed by Percy Jackson, Thalia Grace, Grover Underwood, a scrawny younger boy, and a group of females whom he had never met but recognized from his studies as the Hunters of Artemis. Something didn't feel right. What was Apollo doing here with the Hunters of Artemis? Who was the other kid? And why did Percy, Thalia and Grover all look so distressed, even grief stricken?

Chiron was already speaking to the group, and from the weary look on his face, the answers to those questions were, if not the worst case, then pretty close to it.

Michael was so distracted that for several seconds he hadn't even felt Drew standing beside him, similarly transfixed. Finally, Apollo departed alone in his chariot, leaving Chiron to shepherd the rest into camp. The Hunters, clearly in no mood to chat, immediately began moving in to Artemis's normally vacant cabin. Percy, Thalia and Grover, all still seemingly shellshocked, followed Chiron into the Big House, along with the mysterious younger demigod . Who knew what they were talking about in there. Like most campers, Michael Yew was not usually in the inner circle, even among cabin leaders, meaning he was often in the dark until the last moment. Michael didn't really know Percy, they had only occasionally interacted with each other in passing, but he knew enough about him to know what hurt him the most, losing someone he cared about.

Dinner that night was a tense affair, as might be expected given the honored guests of the evening. It was no secret that the Hunters didn't care too much for Camp Half-Blood, and for some campers, the feeling was mutual. But the real tension was between Thalia Grace and the lieutenant of the Hunters, Zoe Nightshade. Those two simply despised each other for reasons that Michael suspected went a lot further back than anything that had happened recently.

After dinner, Chiron announced that there would be a special capture the flag match between the campers and the Hunters, apparently a tradition that was observed whenever the Hunters happened to be in town. It didn't seem to be much of a match to Michael. He knew enough about the Hunters to know that they were all highly talented archers, rivaling the aim of any child of Apollo, and incredibly agile in close range combat. By contrast, the depleted campers could only muster, aside from Yew, a few Ares kids, a child of Demeter, and about half the Aphrodite cabin. The campers had a couple of secret weapons though. One was Percy and Thalia, children of two of the big three, they alone, with the right coordination, could probably win this match. The other was the Aphrodite cabin. The Hunters had found the one line you just didn't cross with an Aphrodite kid, true love, and walked all over it by constantly singing the praises of eternal maidenhood and deriding the Aphrodite campers as childish. Silena Beauregard assured the other campers that her cabin was spoiling for this fight.

Soon the plan was set. Percy was to keep a portion of the campers back in defense, Thalia would attempt to take the Hunters by surprise from one flank, Michael and the Aphrodite kids would distract and draw the Hunters' fire from the other.

"We should send a vanguard to take out any possible sentries the Hunters may have posted to guard their flank," Michael advised the group. "I'm the only one here with any training in long range combat, I'll go."

"All right, then I'll-"

"I'll go with him."

Silena looked back in surprise, Drew Tanaka volunteering for something like this? That was strange to say the least, but she nodded her acquiescence.

"Okay then, Michael and Drew will be the vanguard. It's up to you to clear the path for us."

Michael ducked behind the tree just in time, Drew following closely behind. They'd found the Hunters' lone, unsuspecting sentry. Michael readied his bow, loading a non-lethal flat tipped arrow, standard issue for capture the flag matches. But before he could take aim, Drew's cool hand touched his arm.

"Can I take the shot?" She whispered.

Michael looked at Drew skeptically.

"I've been practicing! I can do this."

He still wasn't completely sold, until he saw the look in her eyes, she was absolutely sincere and determined. It was a risky move, it might cost them the match, he was the best archer in Camp Half-Blood, it would be very easy to just take the shot himself, he was used to working alone. But maybe it wouldn't hurt to trust someone else for a change. He quietly handed the bow to Drew.

"Wait until she looks away," Michael whispered as they peeked around the tree.

The sentry was disinterestedly examining her hunting knife, suddenly a faint rustling noise from the forest seemed to catch her ear. "Who's there?" She held her weapon in a defensive posture, and for a precious few moments, forgot about watching for the enemy.

"Now!"

Drew stood up and nocked an arrow, exactly as Michael had once shown her, and let loose. The sentry turned just in time to receive a direct hit to the forehead. Michael softly dashed over to the fallen enemy, Drew following closely behind. He checked the Huntress for a pulse, they didn't need any deaths, accidental or otherwise, on their hands.

She'll be fine," he said, then he conducted a quick scan and determined that the path was clear.

Now assured they were safe from imminent attack, Michael allowed his guard to go down and unabashed excitement replaced his usual stoicism.

"Drew, you did it! That was amazing, I can't even believe-"

Before he could stop himself, he realized he was embracing her. He quickly pulled back, an embarrassed smile on his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- you know-"

"I couldn't have done it without you," Drew said. Her smile was warmer and brighter than Apollo's sun chariot.

Michael knew this was a pretty bad time, they were literally in the middle of a capture the flag match, what if someone saw? What if Silena and the other Aphrodite kids had decided to move forward without waiting for the signal? They'd never hear the end of it. But right now, all of those worries seemed meaningless. And as their lips met in a tender kiss, for just one moment, they seemed to vanish altogether.

The rest of the match seemed to go by in a blur. While Michael, Drew, and the Aphrodite cabin were engaged in battle with a small group of Hunters, Percy had apparently decided on his own to try to take the Hunters' flag, leaving the campers' own flag inadequately defended. The Hunters managed to overwhelm the campers and take the flag and the victory.

Michael was still too busy thinking about the moment with Drew in the forest to be upset. Thalia in the other hand, was absolutely furious at Percy for going off-script. It looked like the two of them were about to try and kill each other when suddenly the ancient, mummified Oracle of Delphi appeared before them. Everyone fell silent, this had never happened before. The Oracle hovered over to Zoe Nightshade and uttered something that sounded an awful lot like a prophecy. Michael had a feeling the Hunters wouldn't be staying long after all.

The prophecy had apparently called for five to go on a quest to rescue the goddess Artemis, a combination of campers and Hunters. The debate over who was going to go was, as expected, heated. Percy was practically inconsolable about being excluded from the group (not the first such outburst Michael had witnessed, but unlike most of them, he had a feeling that this wasn't just about some desire for glory, Percy seemed to have a deeply personal stake in it). The younger demigod, who Michael had learned was called Nico di Angelo, was also upset that his sister, Bianca, a Huntress, was going and leaving him behind. Nonetheless, with this order of business apparently concluded, Michael decided this was a good time to retire to his cabin for the night.

He drifted off, thinking not of the arrival of the Hunters, or the remarkable capture the flag game, or even the unprecedented prophecy issued for the first time on the green grass of Camp Half-Blood and the imminent quest. Instead, he found himself replaying those few moments he'd had alone with Drew Tanaka, the girl he'd tried so hard not to like. Because he couldn't trust a daughter of Aphrodite, because he couldn't afford to start a relationship while a war was going on, because he had no idea what you were supposed to do in a situation like this. And yet that kiss continued to vividly replay in his mind as sleep finally overtook him.