Around 3 Months after Gill's Reincarnation… (September 2001)

2 Months after the Battle of Halfblood Hill…

The Forges…

I watch the sparks fly as I press the metal blade against the grindstone, careful that the angle is right, else I risk the blade becoming dull. I press upon the pedal carefully as the wheel spins, and I make sure that the entire blade is sharpened.

After a few seconds, I lift my foot off the pedal, and take the freshly forged blade away from the grindstone. I stand up, and look at my creation. It was completely mundane, from the materials to the method it was forged by, and it was completely naked, without a hilt or a handle, but I looked at it with pride for it was I who made it. With my own hands.

I take it towards the main forge, with fiery coals blazing, and look to a giant of a man, about 6 feet and 6 inches. Despite the height, he was only 17. In his hands was a hammer, though it would be better to call it a lump of metal on a stick. He was wide-chested and beefy, with a strong top-heavy build created from pounding steel everyday. The light of the fire made his skin seem red, though there were patches of black from ash and coal. His brown hair was cut short, since longer hair often got in the way of forging, and often caught on fire.

He noticed me coming and walked towards me, "Hey Gill, I guess you want me to look at your sword again?" I nod. For the past few weeks, I've spent around an hour a day forging, to level up my Forging skill. The boy that was talking to me was the head councillor of the Hephaestus cabin, Leon Fontana, and despite the cabin practically owning the public Forge area, he allowed me to practise and learn forging as long as I used steel or iron, since they were inexpensive for the camp, and easy to get, unlike Celestial Bronze, which was fine by me since it put less pressure on me.

Leon grabs the blade and brings it up to his face, ignoring that it could hurt him with a single slip, "Gods damn… You're getting better at this every day. Couple weeks ago, your swords couldn't even make it past the heating stage. Now your swords are on the level of an apprentice mortal blacksmith. You've got potential despite being a Cabin 7 brat." He flips the sword into the air, and catches it by the tip, "It's not aerodynamic enough, and it's a little too soft. Are you having a problem with the cooling?"

I rub the back of my head, a little embarrassed by the compliment, "Yeah, I tend to keep the metal in for too long or too short." I was also a tiny bit annoyed at how easy the Hephaestus kids took to the art of forging. A new kid came a couple of months ago, and last Monday he got claimed by Hephaestus. The next day, as soon as he stepped in front of the forge, he became a new man, and crafted a brilliant sword at a level that would take me ages to reach.

Ah well, I can't complain. I've the power of pure light on my side. I thank Leon and begin melting down my steel so I can reuse it tomorrow. Of course, there's a certain amount of times one can do that before it becomes harmful to my progress, but as the steel I used today was new, I was safe to do this.

I smile as I see from the corner of my eye a notification from the System.

Forging Skill levelled up (13 - 14)!

It was far lower than my other skills, but it was good progress considering the increase for the amount of EXP required per level. I was lucky that I could do the forging process so quickly, since normally it could take over a day to forge a proper sword, but all the forges in Camp Halfblood were blessed by Hephaestus himself so that everything would be more streamlined and far faster.

I discreetly place my cooled, solid lump of steel into my Inventory, and look down at my clothes with a frown. They were completely covered in soot and metal dust. Ah, it wasn't much of a bother. With the simple movement of my hand, my clothes and my skin was covered in a golden light. It wasn't too bright of course, any sudden distractions in a forge could hurt someone. The light disappeared, and my clothes were completely clean, and so was my skin. Whilst it may seem like it, I didn't use Photomancy, but rather Photokinesis, which I used to displace the dust and filth with light. It took me ages to learn how to do it, and it unfortunately didn't have any combat applications.

I think once I get my Earthbending high enough, I should be able to clean the Smithing mess off quickly. Earthbending was arguably my hardest skill, because of how it works. There's a reason why they have scrolls for each bending in the Avatar universe. For any bending to work, I had to complete a series of stances and movements, and the number of stances increased depending how powerful the attack was.. Right now, I could only do simple attacks like sprouting a wall from the earth, or creating a projectile earth disc. I knew that Toph's earthbending was based upon a real life martial art, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember. My only hope was that Avatar: The Last Airbender was a real show in this universe, and even then, I would have to wait over 5 years for Toph to appear.

Either way, Earthbending would have to be ignored for now.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by the voice of our Camp's newest resident, who had taken up position as Brat #2 (With Annabeth being Brat #1). "Gill! Fight me!" A young girl, my age, demanded, pointing a spear at me. Whilst she lacked the stocky build and intimidating height that she would develop in her later years, the expressions on Clarisse La Rue's face were still quite fearsome… for a kid anyway.

She arrived at camp at the beginning of the week, having been dropped off by her mother. Apparently, her mother was being deployed in Afghanistan, which meant that the Taliban existed in this world. It was probably because of 9/11, which happened a couple weeks ago. Whilst most of the camp was distraught, many recovered the next day. They'd seen monsters far more terrifying than Osama Bin Laden. Fuck… Trump will probably exist in this world as well. Won't he? Well… I'll just ignore that information.

Anyway, Clarisse had heard from the other campers about what I had done on Halfblood HIll a couple months ago. Ever since, she's wanted to fight me, and even more so after she was claimed by Ares. Of course, I acquiesced to her request, and went easy on her. I suppose she could tell, because after I made her taste the dirt, she looked at me with rage, and told me to stop holding back.

Of course, I didn't listen to her. Everytime I fought her, I made sure not to hurt her much. I did feel pity at how determined she was. Even some campers who often came to watch us 'fight' asked me to at least pretend to struggle. And unfortunately, her half-siblings often shook their heads in disappointment, even though we both knew I could probably beat them up… Although, I might struggle against their Cabin Councillor, Marc. I'd seen him spar, and if we were to fight in a sword-only fight, where I don't use any magic, then he may actually beat me.

As Clarisse points her spear towards my neck, all I can do is sigh. "Really Clarisse?" I look at her, with unamused eyes, "We did this an hour ago. Have you even eaten yet?" Judging by the rumbling of her tummy, she didn't care about her hunger. "Have you even bothered training this week?" Judging by her noncommittal grunt. Gods dammit Marc, have you even been paying attention to Clarisse? "Fine. You want to fight. Let's fight. Meet me at the Arena."

She rushes off, completely ignoring the fact that I won't be running there like her. Honestly, I wasn't sure who annoyed me more, Clarisse or Annabeth. At least with Annabeth, I was talking to someone who knew how to count.

5 Minutes Later…

The Arena...

As I enter the Arena, I hear Clarisse's distinctly rough voice shout, "FINALLY! What took so long?" I wonder if that was her ADHD or just her being an 8-year-old. She had her spear ready, and wore minimal armour. It was pretty common for Greek demigods to not wear much armour since speed was more valuable than defence when it came to Camp Halfblood's fighting style.

I sighed, looking at Clarisse. If I remember correctly, this should be our 93rd fight so far. I'd rather it not reach 100 within the week. Perhaps… I should scare her. I noticed that there was a decent audience of demigods who had been sparring. They were still sparring, but I could feel their eyes on us.

Without warning, Clarisse charges at me, her spear ready to thrust right through my body.

But she was so slow.

I swiftly step to the side, and stick out my foot, tripping her up. As she falls, her hands lose grip of the spear, and before she reaches the ground, I grab her by the shirt, and flip her over my shoulder, smashing her onto the ground. I could hear gasps from the others in the arena, but no one interfered.

She slowly gets up, and I notice that despite the numerous bruises, there was a surprising lack of blood, despite the fact that a normal child would have a broken nose. She snarls at me, and seemingly goes feral, and she charges at me with her bare hands, letting out a scream that sounded hilarious in her high pitch child voice.

She leaps at me, but once again, I grab her and smash her onto the ground, causing her to scream. I felt a little bad to beat up a child, but this was for her own good. Before she got up, I grabbed her by the throat, lifting her into the air, and punched her in the stomach.

I could see tears forming around her eyes, and I knew it was time to finish it. "Do you see Clarisse? Do you see how weak you are next to me?" I could see tears falling down her eyes, though she was stubborn enough to not let even a whimper out. "You have potential, but you don't bother training at all. You haven't even attended any of the training sessions on your schedule. How do you think you're gonna get strong?" Clarisse remained silent, not bothering to answer. And then I noticed, she was unconscious.

Perhaps I went a little too hard on her.

10 Minutes Later…

Camp's Medical Station…

I watch as Clarisse's eyes open, and the girl gets up from the bed. I had used my Healing Palms skill, which I got from Vitakinesis, to expedite Clarisse's recovery. She didn't take any real damage, since my attacks didn't really hurt her internally.

She turns to me with a look of anger on her face, but that subsides almost instantly. I wonder why? "Do you want to talk?" I ask her, with a soft tone. Now was not the time for brutality, but instead for kindness.

A long silence passes between us, as Clarisse looks away from me. I simply sit there, not moving at all, just waiting for the Daughter of Ares to say something. And finally, she breaks the silence, "What about?".

I smile, "Well… Let's start with a question. Why do you want to fight me so bad?" I knew the answer already, but the more Clarisse spoke, the better. If I was lucky, I could stop her bullying habits when she was older.

She pulls her knees to her face, forming a ball that covers her mouth, "...Because everyone says you're super strong" She mumbles, "If I beat you, everyone will respect me." Though her words are stifled and quiet, I could still make them out.

I sigh, leaning back on the chair I was sitting on, "And who told you that Clarisse?" Man, if it was Ares, then I feel nothing but disappointment in that god. A god of war should know that violence wasn't the way to win respect amongst comrades. Perhaps in Sparta, but definitely not in Camp Halfblood. Though, I suppose Ares is closer to the God of Violence, rather than War. At least, that's how he acts.

Once again, another period of silence sits in the room, before Clarisse breaks it once more, "My m-mom" Hm? Was that a stutter when she said 'mom'? Perhaps her mother had something to do with her actions.

I put a hand on the kid's shoulders, "Clarisse… What's wrong?"

"...Mom said she'd be far away and th-that she might not come back!" For the first time since I've seen her, Clarisse La Rue began to truly cry, tears running down her face. For once, she was being the child she was, with no facade.

Fucking hell. You sure know how to pick 'em Ares. Who tells their daughter that they might die? Though guess the early 2000's didn't really have much of a focus on mental health yet. Though I guess there was a realistic chance that Clarisse's mum might actually die, so I guess she gets to have a pass… Just this once.

"It's gonna be okay, Clarisse." I give the girl a reassuring smile, though I doubt she believed my words. The next few sentences were going to definitely be a struggle for me to say, but hopefully it'll help the Daughter of War, "Look, your dad is the God of War, right?" Clarisse nods, confused, "Your dad is Ares, the great Patron God of Sparta, Father of the Amazons, Saviour of Cities, and The Sword of Olympus! When the soldiers of Ancient Greece called for help, who did they call to? Not Zeus, King of the Gods, or Poseidon, the Earth-Shaker! No, it was Ares they called upon!" Though Clarisse was utterly baffled by my monologue, she stopped crying and straightened her back in pride at the praise of her father. "Now, do you think such a God of War would've loved your mom if she was weak?"

Clarisse gives me an odd look, but still replies, "No"

"Would he have loved your mom if she was a coward?"

"No!" Ooh, she was getting angry.

"Would he have loved your mom if she couldn't defend herself?"

"No! My mom is strong enough to beat monsters!" Yeah, I doubt that kid, but whatever floats your boat.

"Then, why do you think she'd be beaten in a measly mortal war?" Clarisse moves to retort, before she realises… She didn't have a counter-argument. Perhaps if she was Annabeth, then she would be able to deconstruct my logic, but Clarisse wasn't Annabeth. And thank fucking gods for that, because I had no other idea how to calm down Clarisse.

Clarisse ponders the thought, before a large smile that revealed the gaps between some of her teeth appeared, "Yeah! My mom is super powerful! There's no way she'll lose!" As if her Euphrosyne, the Goddess of Joy, had possessed Clarisse, the young girl jumped up and stood on the bed, looking down on me. "Fight me, Gill!"

I grabbed her leg, and pulled it, making her crash back down onto the soft bed. "Do you think your mom and dad got strong by constantly fighting one person?" Clarisse looks at me blankly, clearly struggling to think of the right answer. I sigh, rubbing the sides of my nose, "No, Clarisse, they didn't. They trained, learned, and then tested out the skills." She still looked at me confused. "What I'm saying is, follow the schedule Chiron gave you, and at the end of each month, I'll fight you, and tell you how to fix any mistakes you make during the fight." She begins to open her mouth, but I interrupt, "And you will make mistakes" She shuts up, a little annoyed.

She stares at me, silent, before relenting. "Fine." She agrees reluctantly, "But this doesn't mean I'm weak!" She immediately runs off, clearly to make sure that she gets the last word. What a brat.

I stay in the chair, grinning at my outstanding therapy skills. Perhaps I should start charging for my services. Well I could, if these kids actually had any money.

I look down to my neck, and bring my hand to grab the necklace that is wrapped around my neck. I touch the necklace's singular bead, with a smile on my face. In the original timeline, it was meant to be a bead based on Thalia's tree. Now, it was a sun, my Heliosphere, though it was far more stylised.

So many changes, so little time. What more will come?

3 Months Later… (25th December 2001)

The Mess Hall

"I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

All I want for Christmas is you

You, baby!"

I was on the brink of insanity, oh so tempted to bring Athanatos to my neck. My only lifeline was roast turkey on the table. But why? Why couldn't Rick Riordan make Mariah Carey non-existent in this universe? And why did the books have to take place in the 2000's? Society hasn't developed fatigue from Christmas songs yet!

And it doesn't help that one of the Apollo kids got a stereo for their birthday from our dad. Screw you Apollo. The sooner this month is over, the better.

A lot of the kids around me were talking about what they got for their Christmas present. You see, the camp has a unique gifting system, which aims to make sure no child is left out. Every halfblood were given a piece of paper with someone's name on it, and they were given a small budget of $25 to spend on the gift. Essentially, it was Secret Santa, but the money for the gifts came from deities. Of course, you could get gifts for those close to you, though only if you had the money.

We had to write down on a piece of paper about what gift we wanted to buy and then give it to Chiron, who sent out a satyr or called in help from a demigod who had survived till adulthood, to go buy the gift. Although, if you had the right connections, you could hire the Hermes Cabin to sneak out of camp and nab the gifts for you, which they also did for items outside of the Christmas season. I once tried to get beer from them in October, but one of them told Luke who immediately put his foot down. Prat.

I had about $10,000 to my name which I got from one of my quests, and since most of my needs were supplied by camp, I had plenty of money to spare. I got gifts for everyone in my cabin, and it was pretty easy. Apollo kids tended to be pretty easy to understand, since they're usually either: Medics, Jocks, and Musicians. To be honest, I was the only outlier.

I also got a gift for Clarisse, partially because I knew that her mom wouldn't be able to send her any. For her, I got her some punching gloves. I actually saw her using them on one of her older siblings who was seemingly unfazed by the barrage of attacks.

My Secret Santa recipient was… Annabeth, oddly enough. I wonder just how random the selection was. Anyway, getting her a gift was pretty easy. Though it wasn't really suited for someone her age, I got her a giant book about ancient architecture, ranging from Rome and Egypt, all the way to Ancient Mesopotamia. I actually gave it a brisk read, but a lot of stuff flew over my head. However, judging by the fact that Annabeth was still reading the over 1000 page book, she understood it perfectly. Honestly, she was even slightly more bearable this morning! Hell, she said 'Hello' to me, without feeling the need to call me names.

Funnily enough, all the kids in the Athena Cabin were busy reading their Christmas presents. I guess, despite being children of the Wisdom Goddess, they were pretty easy to figure out.

"Hey, Hey! Gill!" I look to my side, and look at my little brother, Will, who was holding a wooden figurine of a toned man riding a chariot, "I got an Apollo Mythomagic figure!" Ah, a Mythomagic figure. I internally frown. It was pretty much known in camp that Mythomagic figurines were a lazy gift. So Will's Secret Santa was either someone astoundingly lazy, or very new to camp. Let's just hope it's the latter, rather than the former, lest I beat someone up.

I put my hand upon my little brother's head, and mess up his hair, much to his annoyance. I laugh at his pouty expression. I never had a little brother in my previous life, so I might as well enjoy it while I can, before Kronos rises.

I glanced at the Hermes table, where the Undetermined kids sat, and they were uncharacteristically happy. Some demigods attributed it to the Christmas spirit, but it was actually done by yours truly.

When the Undetermined woke up this morning, instead of the single wrapped present they were so used to seeing, they saw a second present by the foot of their bed. When they opened the gift, attached to the item within, was a note, addressed to them, from a person that didn't give them their name, but simply wrote down, "Your Father" or "Your Mother", depending who their godly parent was. The note simply apologised for the kids not having been claimed yet, blaming an 'external conflict' and also said that they were proud of the child and loved them.

I felt a bit bad that I was essentially playing with the Undetermined's emotions, but they were happy, and I doubt the gods I was impersonating actually cared if they hadn't claimed their kids yet. Were the Undetermined older, I'm sure they would've been suspicious as to why they hadn't received such a gift before, but the kids were far too happy to actually care. I could feel Chiron's eyes on me. Did he know? Judging by how he often knew what mischief everyone was up to, I guess he did know. Ah, I doubt he'd tell anyone though.

I was suddenly broken from my thoughts as I wrapped inside a headlock. Though surprised, I slipped out of the grapple, and got out from the table. I sigh as I see who the assailant was. "What is it now, Thalia?" I ask with a sigh. The daughter of Zeus had taken the camp in stride, and was easily one of the more popular kids at camp, and was non-stop bragging to me about how she was a teenager now, after her birthday that happened a couple days ago. She is 13 now… Only 3 years left until prophecy has its eyes on her. I remember Hal's little palm-reading session, and one of the things he saw in Thalia's future.

'The moon will be your saving grace, and one day you will find the Grace you had once lost.'

Of course, the last part was talking about her little brother, Jason, who was currently in Camp Jupiter. But it was the first part of that sentence that intrigued me. It must be about Artemis's hunt. However, it was still one of her possible fates. But I suppose The Hunt is her best option. If I remember correctly, she was happy in the hunt, and she fit in perfectly despite having been made lieutenant despite never having any experience in the Hunt. Plus a life of fighting monsters and leading people into battle suited her.

But those were thoughts for another time, for an older Thalia. I had to deal with a younger, more childish Thalia.

"Wanna have a Christmas Fight?" She grins, causing me to groan. At least with Clarisse, I only had to fight once a month. Thank fuck she agreed to my idea when she was in the medical bed. But with Thalia, there was simply no convincing. She was far too headstrong and stubborn.

I could sense the annoyance of everyone who heard what Thalia said, just radiating off of them. I knew where they were coming from. Whenever Thalia and I fought, it usually got very out of hand, to the point where Thalia would subconsciously summon lightning bolts from the sky, and at that point, it would be downhill for me. Until I got more MP, or had better stats, Thalia would win any fight, much to my chagrin.

"No, Thalia. I'm busy." I lamely excuse myself. Hmm… How could I escape from Thalia? The ocean? Nah. Maybe the woods?

Before Thalia could respond, a powerful presence covered us, the music stopped, and a familiar scent filled my nose. I'm pretty sure most of these kids didn't recognise it, but I was very much used to it from my previous life. The intoxicating scent of alcohol, though this was closer to wine than beer. Of course, this meant one thing. Mr D was here.

The illustrious Camp Director didn't show up as much as he probably should. He was only really seen during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Although I do sometimes see him by the strawberry fields, using his powers to increase the crop yield. I haven't actually talked to the guy at all. I was meant to meet him when I arrived at Camp, but apparently he was busy doing something for Zeus that week, so I never met him. I think my only reaction with him was noticing him staring at me, though I didn't say anything at the time. I assume it was because of when I made that giant Heliosphere.

"Tory Grass, take a seat at your table." He commands the only person standing, Thalia. I snicker at the nickname, though Thalia glares at me with her hawkish eyes as she walks back to the Cabin 1 table.

The God of Wine rose from his seat at the head table, lazily waved his hand as if making a grand gesture, "Hello, puny demigods!" He says, his voice echoing throughout the pavilion. "I begrudgingly stand before you today to address this festive occasion called Christmas. Yes, the season of merriment, twinkling lights, and annoyingly cheerful carols has arrived. As the director of Camp Half-Blood, I suppose it's my duty to acknowledge this holiday.

Now, let me make one thing clear. I may be the god of wine and parties, but Christmas is not exactly my cup of nectar. The thought of jolly elves, fat men in red suits, and endless sugar-filled treats makes me want to hurl more than a bad batch of Dionysian wine. But alas, I digress.

In the spirit of this occasion, I'll try to muster a few words of sentimentality, or at least what Chiron pleaded with me to say." The mentioned centaur covered his face in embarrassment, as Dionysus pulled out a sheet of paper, and began reading off it.

"Christmas is said to be a time of giving, a time to embrace the company of loved ones, and a time to spread cheer. And while I'm not particularly fond of any of those things, I must admit there is something nice about the camaraderie and warmth that fills the air during this season.

For those of you gathered here at Camp Half-Blood, I acknowledge your tireless efforts and unwavering dedication throughout the year. You face countless monsters, embark on perilous quests, and endure my brilliant supervision. Your bravery, resilience, and undeniable stubbornness continue to astound me… Astound? Seriously, Chiron? Anyway, many of you remind me of myself, back when I was a demigod. When I fought giants and the warriors of India, in great battles. I hope you all aspire to achieve such greatness, though you never will." Chiron gave a cough, possibly because Mr D was sidetracked.

"So, in my own unique way, I raise my metaphorical goblet of grape juice and toast to each and every one of you. May your swords remain sharp, your wits remain keen, and your victories be plentiful, even if they sometimes involve clumsiness and accidental destruction. Remember, demigods, it's all worth it if you get to Elysium.

Now, let's get this celebration over with, so I can retreat to my personal stash of unfortunately non-alcoholic bottles of flavoured nectar. May you all have a tolerable Christmas and a somewhat less irritating New Year. That is all."

There is silence after the speech. No one was sure how to respond. It… was heart-warming, I suppose? There were definitely parts where Mr D went way off script, but I like to believe that he was somewhat honest about most of it. Even if Chiron wrote it.

Eventually somebody began clapping, and the rest of us fell suit. Mr D sat down, and began drinking his non-alcoholic eggnog, which was weird since eggnog, even if it was alcoholic, fucking sucked.

We took it as a sign to begin eating, and as always, after taking some of the festive food, we sacrificed to the gods. This time, I gave some food to Ares. As much as I didn't want to, I needed all the help I could get. I still haven't figured out how to use Shinseina Kenjutsu. No matter how many times I asked Sasaki, he didn't have any answers as to how I could 'recognise my own existence and affirm it onto the world'.

Although, he did say something that didn't really make sense. 'Think of the Earth as if it had its own will. What you must do to affirm your own existence is to leave your mark upon it's will.' But that still didn't help me much.

Ah well, I can think about that later. Now was the time to eat turkey, before someone plays that annoying song again.

"Oh, baby, all I want for Christmas is you"

Too late.

4 Months and 20 Days Later… (May 14th 2002)

The Sky…

"WOOOHOOO!" I cheer, as the winds rush through my hair. It felt as if I could touch the sun, and as I was hundreds of metres in the air, I felt like I was the sun. From my viewpoint, I could see the entirety of Camp Halfblood, its verdant forests, azure ocean, and joyful demigods. I spread my arms, directed light to my fingers, and created light trails as we flew. Man, I wonder what that would look like from below.

I could see why Zeus wanted to rule the skies so bad, even though there were no kingdoms or people for him to rule over. Because those in the skies were truly free, and the one who ruled the skies was the most free of them all. I let out a laugh, as the heat of the sun kissed my skin, the Summer warmth was truly beginning to set in.

The ivory pegasus I was atop of gave a neigh, so I took a sugar cube out of my Inventory and threw it in front of him. The winged horse swoops down and eats the cube in one bite, letting out a neigh of joy. "Thanks for the snack bro!" It says, in his weird horse language. Yeah, I could speak to animals. Turns out Allspeak allowed me to talk to animals, though that didn't mean they would listen to requests or talk back. Thing is, a lot of animals are really racist (speciesist? ), and thought of all humans as nothing but destroyers, corrupters, and polluters. I mean, I can't blame them though. I also tried talking to fishes, but it turns out that I couldn't talk underwater, and even if I were to talk through a fish tank, sound doesn't travel well between air and water. I guess I'll leave the fish-talk to Percy.

Suddenly the pegasus swoops, and goes right through a cloud, causing my whole body to be drenched in water, but instead of being upset, I laughed in joy. Perhaps it was my inner child, but this was exhilarating. In this life and the previous one, today had to be one of the best birthdays I've had.

Several Hours Later…

Near the Big House…

After that fun time riding the pegasus, I went to the Arena and began sparring with Luke. It turns out that he was an astoundingly good sword-fighter. I had thought the books were overstating his abilities, but no, he was easily superior with the sword than even the Ares cabin. The fact that he was this good despite being a child of Hermes, who tended to be more sneaky and roguish, was fascinatingly impressive. Sure, his demigod physiology had a hand in it, but at his level, it was clear that much of his talent came from hard work. How on Earth was Hermes even permitted to fumble this kid?

Of course, just because Luke was good, didn't mean he was better. If I were to be generous, I'd say he was my equal in sword-fighting. Of course, I'd sweep him were it a real fight and I could use magic. So far in our spars, I've had 44 wins, 39 losses, and 79 draws. But honestly, it was like Luke had the Gamer ability as well, because after everytime we fought, he also got better. The only reason I was winning was because I actually did have the Gamer ability.

As I walked to the Big House, I noticed a white feather attached to my golden hair, which was now down to my neck. I pull out the feather, and realise it was from the pegasus I rode. I smile at the recent memory. Chiron didn't often let the campers ride the pegasi, due to safety concerns, but he allowed it on birthdays. Honestly, I can't wait until next year.

I'm at the door of the Big House, and knock on the door. No response.

"Chiron?" I shout. No response.

I take a deep breath, and open the door, fearing the worst. The lights were off, but I could feel that someone was here.

Suddenly, the lights flash on, and several people jump out of hiding spots. And they all shout at once, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Out of a gut reaction, I pull out Athantos and extend my Guardian Shield, which I always kept on me despite the weird looks I got (and the salivating looks from the Hephaestus Cabin). A hundred arrows of light surround me, ready to be fired.

Awkward silence filled the room, as I realised what they had said, and who they were. Thalia, Luke, Clarisse, Chiron, Will, and a surprising amount of other demigods were here. Hell, even Annabeth was here for some reason, though obviously she looked reluctant.

The silence was broken by a chuckle, from my little brother no less! And then that chuckle became a full on laugh, and soon the entire room was in laughter. And I couldn't resist joining them. I put Athanatos away, retract the Guardian Shield, and dispel the arrows, as I walk towards everyone.

I was quickly put into a headlock by Thalia, as she chuckles, "Damn squirt, you wanna have a fight on your birthday". No Thalia, that's the last thing I want. I personally would love clear skies for my birthday.

"Nah, I'd rather not have to whoop your ass again" I grin, getting out of the headlock. I could see the annoyance in Thalia's face. A couple days ago, Thalia had challenged me to another fight, and this time, I managed to beat her, simply by taking her out as quickly as possible, before she could summon lightning from the sky. As easy as it sounds, it was hard as shit because of how durable Thalia was. But by pulling out all the tricks, including some basic Earthbending, which I used to block her regular lightning attacks. Using pure light attacks to blind her when I managed to get enough hits in, I rushed her, and knocked her out with a punch to the face. If I remember correctly, the battle was so surprisingly intense, that when I beat Thalia, I came out of the fight with only 400 HP and 60 MP.

I managed to do a similar tactic when she asked for a rematch, but I doubt I'll win a third time, which was why I was gloating while I still can.

Before Thalia could challenge me again, Luke put a hand on her shoulder, and said to me, "Come on Gill, you should see the cake we got!" I decided to buy into his clear attempt at changing the topic.

And so began the night of festivities. We had all the classic games, like 'Pin the tail on the Donkey', and 'Pass the Parcel', which Clarisse won the latter. We also watched a movie from the Big House's TV (And the only piece of technology in camp barring my Gameboy Advance), and ate a shit-ton of ice cream. I struggled to stifle a chuckle when Leon got a brain freeze.

However, Thalia and I did get into a fight, though Chiron put a stop to it before it got anywhere.

I later learnt of Luke's insatiable love of cakes. The boy ate so many servings that I was very worried for his health, physical and mental. Thalia even had to hold him back, much to his chagrin.

Something that interested me was the scent of alcohol that I could smell from the older demigods that were at the party. With a careful eye on one of them, I found their hidden beer stash. I wonder, was the party so unbearable that they needed to be drunk to enjoy it, or did the use the party as an excuse for drinking? Either way, I finally had access to the nectar of the gods.

Nabbing one, I left the party under the pretence of needing a breath of fresh air.

I sit out on the porch stairs of The Big House. I open the can and hear the familiar sound of beer bubbles fizzing. Trust me, it sounded different than soft drinks. I took a sip of the drink, and had… very mixed emotions about it. To my young, uncultured taste buds, it tasted vile, which truly was a curse, but on the other hand, it tasted so familiar, that it overtook the bad taste.

Suddenly, I hear footsteps behind me, to which I quickly shove the open beer into my Inventory. Thank fuck for pocket dimensions.

I look around and raise my eyebrows in surprise at the sight of Annabeth. She seemed to be holding something behind her back. "Hey Annabeth." I greet, "Everything okay back in there?"

She didn't look into my eyes, but nodded, "Yeah, everything's okay. Chiron found out that the older kids were drinking beer." Haha! Lucky me! This is what they get for not offering me any beer on my birthday?

"So what's up? Did you see someone using a book as toilet paper?" Though Annabeth and I's little rivalry had cooled after last Christmas, I couldn't resist the opportunity to mess with her. Consider it part of her eternal payback for kicking my balls last year.

A panicked look crosses her face, "What!? Who?" Before she could go inside, I broke my facade and snicker, turning panic into annoyance. "Oh, ha ha! You're soo mature" She says sarcastically, which made me laugh harder because I was getting sassed by a fucking 8-year-old.

I quickly calmed down before Annabeth could think about trying to fight me, so I turned my expression into a serious one, "Ok, ok. Sorry, Annabeth." Thankfully, she turned to a neutral face, "So tell me, what's up?"

I was met with a box thrown at me, though I caught it with ease. It was wrapped in what was clearly left-over Christmas wrapping paper. A birthday present. "We're even for the Christmas gift."

I- I did not expect this at all today.

I sigh, "Annabeth, there's nothing to get even for. It's a Christmas present. Seriously, no one else brought gifts, because they didn't need to. I enjoy their company more than any gift. Even yours, no matter how bratty you are."

Annabeth ignored the brat comment, and argued with, "You only got me the present because you had to. I don't take pity presents." I frown. Did she seriously think like that? Was it a cynical world view, or a lack of self-worth? Probably the former, considering her fatal flaw.

"It's not a pity present Annabeth. It's just a present." I sigh, before a question comes to mind. Before Annabeth could retort, I asked her, "Wait, where did you get the money for a gift."

"Really that's your question?" She says, an eyebrow raised. "Well I get money by doing some of the Greek Literature homework."

That… That's a genius fucking idea! Why hadn't I thought of it?!

"And before you get any bright ideas, the Athena Cabin has a monopoly on the Camp's Homework industry, so if you try to step foot into our territory, Samuel is going to have to have words with you"

…Ya'know, perhaps I don't need to do it. Even though I could beat Samuel in a fight, that guy still scares the shit out of me for some reason.

Annabeth turns around and begins to walk outside, "Anyway, accept the gift. We're even now, whether you like it or not. See ya' Sunshine!"

"Screw you… Goldilocks!" I shouted, insulting her back. Gods damn, I needed a better insult for her.

I look at the wrapped box and sigh. Might as well open it. I rip off the paper, and open the cardboard box within. Inside the box was a… yellow mug? I take the mug out of the box, and give it a look. On one side, in white Impact text was written:

"WORLD'S DUMBEST IDIOT"

I stare at it for a minute… and laugh. I love it.

Author's Notes: Ya'know... I am really tempted to do a Gill X Annabeth ship. Even though when I made this fic I believed I would keep the Annabeth X Percy ship, the dynamic between Gill and Annabeth is really my vibe. Idk... What do you lot think of it?

Also, I hope you enjoyed how I wrote Dionysus and Clarisse. I had a little fun with that, especially the speech. Anyway, a whole year has passed for our MC, and he has gotten a lot stronger. Just how much will he grow?

And remember, didn't Gill get an item called the Familiar Egg, on the day after he arrived in this world? I wonder... How long was the egg meant to take to hatch?

Anyway, I'd like to thank all of you for the love this fic has been getting! We've crossed 900 followers and 700 favourites, which is INSANE! Thank you all so much for the support! Here's hoping I don't get run over by a truck, meaning I won't be able to finish this fic! Though... If I do get hit by a truck, I can get sent to another world!

Anyway here is Gil's Player Profile:

Name: Gilgamesh Ashford
Age: 9
Level: 42
Title: Halfblood Resident

HP: 6390/6390
MP: 6720/6720

Stats
Strength: 206
Agility: 200
Endurance: 131
Charisma: 205
Intelligence: 200
Willpower: 203
Luck: 155

Stat Points: 0