Hi all, sorry for the long wait for this update. Hope people are still reading at this point. Long time readers will be familiar with this sort of AN. Unfortunately my immune system just sucks and I got sick again for like two months, but I've pretty much recovered and hoping for things to go back to business as usual. Sorry for the wait, hope you like the update.

~secrethalfblood

Jpov

Harper slammed again into the wall and I winced at the 'thud', momentarily concerned, afraid she'd hit it too hard.

I shouldn't have been.

In the second I'd hesitated, making sure she could get up, the floor shudder under me and I was launched off my feet, smacking into the same wall Harper had hit.

I sprang off of it and landed on my feet, dodging the fist flying towards my head and catching Harper's other hand by the wrist, a dagger inches from my abdomen.

"I'm going to call this one a draw." Lucy said sounding bored from across the room.

The training space was wrecked, lights shattered, walls cracked and craters dotted across the floor. Glass was everywhere, but the fragments scattered as I let Harper go and she flopped to the ground breathing hard.

"You don't even look tired." She muttered resentfully and I shrugged, trying not to do anything too committal.

I knew why she was irritated.

We'd increased our training schedule to a several times a week at this point and while Harper was tough, I wasn't exactly an easy sparring partner, especially when we both were taking it seriously. Even if Harper could control the environment inside the library, she and I were pretty evenly matched, and I recovered much faster than Harper. Didn't feel pain the same way normal people did. This sort of training took a much heavier toll on her than it did me.

"We can skip tomorrow if you want."

"Oh how gracious of you." she muttered.

I debated a retort and decided against it, knowing it wouldn't help. Harper had a tendency to be a bit temperamental at the best of times when stressed and things in the mythological world seemed to be getting weird lately. Besides, I really didn't feel like getting pulled into an argument.

She must not have been too upset however, because she took my hand when I extended it, and allowed me to help her to her feet.

Already the room was starting to repair itself, cracks sealing and debris reassembling itself as if there had been a reverse in time.

I barely noticed.

I walked passed my sister towards the stairs, my mind preoccupied, still trying to figure out what the hell had been going on over the past few weeks. Who in the name of the pantheon had decided messing around with monsters was a good idea, how they'd managed to do it, and, more importantly, why?

I'd never seen anything like this, and I'd seen a lot. Despite the insanity of the situation however, I couldn't ignore the nagging suspicion in the back of my mind that the madness had only just started. And of course, somehow, it was my friends and family that were the ones mixed up in it. Like we always seemed to be.

"James!"

I blinked, returning to the present half way up the steps only to see both Harper and Lucy staring at me.

"What?"

"Did you seriously not hear us?" my sister asked raising an eyebrow and I frowned.

"Obviously not."

"God you're even worse than Harper lately," Lucy said rolling her eyes and giving Harper an exasperated look. "Completely stuck in your own head. What are you thinking so hard about?"

I frowned.

"There's a lot going on Luce, if you haven't noticed."

"So you decided to turn off your ears?"

"You remember that we're meeting with the amazons later, right?" Harper asked before I could answer Lucy's question and I nodded.

After everything that had happened in Brazil, we'd sent out information requests to several contacts in the mythological world. Most of what we got back were rumors. But it looked as if the Amazons might have stumbled upon something near one of their warehouses in Europe.

"Libby's going with you, right?" Lucy asked.

Harper nodded and I felt my heart skip a beat.

I forced myself to ignore it and the strange mix of emotions that went through me at the question.

I hadn't been surprised when Harper had wanted Libby's opinion on what was left of the hybrid down in Brazil and I hadn't argued when she'd insisted we bring Libby to our meeting with the amazons. But, having spent a lot of time thinking on situation, and the silent war that it had sparked within me, I'd settled on the fact that I didn't want Libby to be there.

Most of the reasons were fairly obvious. The amazons were a dangerous group of demigods. Hades, this whole messed up situation was dangerous. Mixing with new monsters, the creation of which was throwing everything we knew about them and the divine world into total chaos. But there were other, less… logical, reasons that I wanted to avoid bringing Libby to speak with the amazons. And one of them, strangely enough, was because of how much a part of me did want her there. And I knew I shouldn't.

Somehow, despite telling myself I need to put some distance between me and Libby, knowing I'd spent far too much time with her already, there just never seemed to be a good enough reason to keep that distance when she was around. And when she wasn't, I always seemed to find a reason to talk to her, find time to pick her up whenever she came to the library despite the fact that by now, I really didn't have to. Especially as we were busier than ever.

With the visiting schedule becoming increasingly more transparent, there was almost always some sort of visitor in the library these days, from all of the domains.

I'd thought things would slow down now that Harper was out of school for the summer, but if anything, it was the opposite. We were always darting from one faction of the mythological world to the next, looking for information, making connections, and any time spent between these meetings was spent researching. I felt like I never saw Harper's and Lucy's faces any more, both of them disappearing into literature for hours at a time, chipping away at the massive workload we were all buried under.

And yet, despite this, I wasn't as annoyed about the situation as I thought I'd be. Things like talking to the gods so frequently, and an increase in visitors prowling through the library, weren't bothering me as much as they normally would have.

I wanted to pretend I didn't know why, but I did. The more that was going on, the more often Libby was asked to come into the library and I had no idea what to do about it.

I knew I should have been pulling back, limiting my time with her, but I just couldn't. And not only because I didn't want to. We had actual work to do.

We needed her help. Even Harper, one of the most stubborn people I'd ever met, could admit it. And not just for the typical library duties she'd been brought on over the summer for.

"Libby should read these before we meet with the amazons." Harper said as we reached the main level and several scrolls whipped around the corner of the nearest shelf.

They were moving quickly, but I was faster, as I was sure Harper knew I would be.

I caught them easily.

"Alright."

"I'm going to have to send you through to the camp now though, if you're going to pick her up."

She wasn't looking at me, but at a book that was hovering dutifully in front of her, it's pages shuffling every few seconds, presenting her with diagrams of what appeared to be some pretty intense spell circles.

"Now?" I asked glancing at my phone in surprise. "She's still on call in the infirmary."

"Yeah I know, but I've got a meeting with Hecate in like five minutes, and it's going to take a while. She won't have time to read those before we have to leave to speak with the amazons."

"You're meeting with Hecate?" I asked stopping and looking down at her, a jolt of adrenaline surging through me.

Why hadn't I known this?

"Yeah," she said finally breaking from the pages and glancing at me in surprise. "She's coming to take a look at the enchantments on the Labyrinth."

That hit me like a ton of bricks.

"She's what?" I asked incredulously.

Harper frowned.

"Relax James," she said her tone quelling. "It's a routine adjustment. They need to be updated now that Libby's here all the time. I told you that it would be happening."

"When was this?" I asked incredulously, not remembering this conversation.

"Like two days ago." Her frowned deepened. "I reminded you last night."

"I-" I started, brought up short.

I remembered vaguely, Harper mentioning something to do with magic the other day, when Libby and I had returned from a report of something strange over a river belonging to a nymph on the east coast. I turned out to be a drone.

I'd only caught the end of what Harper had said as Libby been laughing about the situation. Thinking back, Harper had mentioned something about a meeting last night as well, but Libby had texted, asking me to pick her up from camp today rather than her apartment as she was covering for one of her sisters, and I'd been in the middle of a response when I'd run into Harper.

'What the hell is wrong with you?' I thought, a cold feeling creeping throughout me.

Judging by the expression Harper was giving me, whatever she was thinking was a long the same lines.

"I thought it was weird you took the news I was meeting with Hecate so well." She said her tone suspicious, and I looked at her.

Her eyes narrowed, as if inspecting me for some sort of injury as she asked.

"Dude where have you been lately? You've been acting weird. Distracted, forgetting things. What's up with you?"

"We've been busy." I muttered.

"We're always busy." She said putting emphasis on the word. "It's never seemed to bother you before."

"Don't you have a meeting to get to?" I asked impatiently and her gaze, even more suspicious now, lingered on me for a moment before saying.

"Uh huh."

"Then let's go." I said nodding towards the stairs that would lead to the doors.

"Don't get me wrong." Harper pressed after a moment, apparently unwilling to let the subject drop. "I'm glad you're not freaking out about it, but I'm kind of surprised you're not trying to stop me from meeting with Hecate without you."

"She's never bothered us before."

"I know that." She said squinting at me, sounding unconvinced. "Are you sure you're alright?"

I knew why she was so skeptical. If given the situation a few months ago, I would have raised hell, refused to take no for an answer and forced Harper to include me on the meeting with the goddess.

'But Hecate had never caused us any trouble.' I thought knowing it was impossible for me to be in two places at once.

I glanced at the scrolls in my hand.

'Harper had said she'd wanted Libby to read these.' An encouraging voice said in the back of my mind. 'To be prepared when we met with the amazons…'

"You said it's routine, right?" I asked as we approached the doors.

"As routine as magic this complex can be." Harper answered with a shrug, crossing her arms and leaning against the archway that lead to the mortal domain.

There was something about her expression that had me hesitating however, feeling suddenly uneasy.

It had me looking deeper into her response than I normally would. It was an evasive answer, the sort of thing her father would have said, and I wasn't sure I liked it.

It made me feel like she was hiding something.

'No.' I thought quickly, feeling guilty at the suspicion. Even a little ashamed.

Harper and I were friends. Best friends. She wouldn't do that, wouldn't hide something important from me.

Would she?

I felt my eyes narrow.

"What exactly is Hecate doing?"

Harper's expression was calm, muted even, but after what had been a pretty rough sparring session and what was already turning into an extremely long week, she might have simply been tired.

She didn't miss a beat however.

"The Labyrinth doesn't just protect us physically James. You know that." She frowned. "We've got another demigod in the orbit of some pretty evil magic. We've got to make sure it's blocked from messing with her head. Hecate's adding a couple of extra layers of enchantment tailored to Libby specifically. Like she did for the rest of us."

Something in my expression must have faltered however because she continued.

"It'll be fine." She continued. "Libby's spending a lot of time here lately, that's all. It's just to protect her from compounding exposure if anything manages to get through."

I nodded.

I didn't understand magic on the same level that Harper, or Hecate herself, did. While not born a magic user, Harper had more than enough of it filed away in her brain that she was probably the one person on the planet who understood what Hecate was up to half the time. But I did understand just how subtle the power of the divines could be. How quietly their influence could creep into your mind, affecting you, making you do things without even realizing they were there.

The memory of it brought back the anxiety, and suddenly, I found myself second guessing my decision to leave Harper and Lucy alone with Hecate.

"Do you want me to stay?" I asked as the door to the underworld started to glow and Harper shook her head.

"No. Actually, it's probably better if you go." She said frowning, her eyes darted towards the door. "You know how she gets when you're around. There's so much magic running through you, she'd probably dissect you if she thought she could get away with it."

That was probably true, still, something was nagging at me and I found myself looking at the door to the underworld again.

"Are you sure?"

"It'll be fine." Harper assured me. "Hecate's coming here, it's not like I'll be defenseless."

This did relax some of my concerns.

I trusted Harper's judgement. She was right. Hecate was, ostensibly, coming to help protect the people in the library and had never really seemed to have much of an issue with anyone here. In fact, she got along rather well with Harper, probably because she was someone who would put up with hours long conversations about minute differences in casing enchantments.

Harper would be in her element. She could defend herself and Lucy if she needed to. At least long enough for me to get back if I was needed.

"Alright." I said quietly.

I started walking towards the archway, and just as I'd stepped into the light, I heard a soft, but powerful voice say.

"Have you made much progress since we last spoke Keeper? That for which you've inquired is a complex situation, involving magics across millennia not just my own. Any that could be found here."

I hesitated, wanting to ask Harper what on earth Hecate was talking about, especially as Harper had said this would be routine, but before I could turn the current of the interrealm had grabbed me and tore me away from both the goddess and my best friend. Uncertain I'd made the right call.

….

I was so caught off guard, that for the first time in a long time, when I dropped back into the mortal world, I fell.

I toppled backward, hitting the ground hard only to wish I could have continued to sink through the grass into the Underworld as I saw who was looking down at me from what was, at my vantage point, a truly staggering height.

'Of course.' I thought closing my eyes in irritation. 'It just had to be him…'

"Huh." Ashton said mildly, not sounding entirely smug, but not unamused either. "Harper said you've been off all week. Guess it's true."

"You alright dude?"

I opened my eyes to see Charlie leaning over me, hand outstretched. I took it and got to my feet.

"Thanks mate, and I'm fine. Where's Lib?"

I could tell by Ashton's expression he enjoyed my obvious familiarity with Libby's nickname about as much as I did his pet name for Harper, maybe less if that was possible. But true to form he didn't make a fuss.

"She's still in the infirmary." He said gesturing over his shoulder, and I realized that we were standing not far from the Big House. "We got a few new campers today that were pretty bruised up and needed a fair amount of healing. It might be a bit before she's ready."

"Alright." I said wanting nothing more than to just get away from Ashton before I said something stupid, or worse, that might 'disappoint' his sister.

'This is what you've been reduced to.' I thought running my fingers through my hair as I began to walk towards the Big House. 'Strong armed into holding your tongue in front of one of the most irritating blokes on the planet, by a tiny blonde who likes fluffy fabrics and all things overloaded with sugar.'

'And to shoot you with paint balls.' A voice, scarily similar to Libby's said in the back of my mind, and was so close to something she would have said I almost smiled.

The flash of amusement was quickly extinguished however, as Ashton asked.

"Harper said something about you going to talk to the amazons?"

I ignored him.

"Why?"

I didn't know why I was so irritated with Ashton at the moment, or why he bothered me so much in general. I didn't care what people thought about me usually, and honestly, I didn't care if he liked me or not. But Ashton had always annoyed me, even since I'd first turned up at camp. Even before he'd done anything to warrant it. If he ever even had.

I let out a humorless laugh.

Maybe that was why he bothered me so much. That he was so good. It was hard to justify disliking or mistrusting Ashton. Even if he had hurt Harper years ago. A normal person would have gotten over it. Chalked it up to being teenagers. Forgiven him after years of being the perfect partner to my best friend, after one summer of being such a twat.

But I wasn't normal. I didn't forgive easily. And right now, he was irritating me.

Maybe that was why, when I finally did respond, it was with hostility.

"I don't owe you answers Wells."

"That's my little si-"

But I'd felt him move before he'd even started his rant, and caught his wrist long before his hand had gotten anywhere close to me.

"I'm going to do you a favor, and forget you just did that." I said darkly, throwing his hand down and pushing him a bit harder than I meant to.

He staggered and stumbled back into Charlie, who's eyes had gone a bit wider.

"Take it easy man." He said warily, steadying his best friend.

As usual, when I'd first gotten to camp I'd attracted a fair amount of attention, but now that I was clearly irritated people were scattering, no doubt to avoid being in my path. Like I was some sort of psychotic monster that was about to be let loose on stragglers.

'Cowards.' I thought darkly before looking at the pair in front of me.

"Libby's an adult Ashton." I said annoyed. "If you want to know what she's up to, ask her. Or you fiancée. Or don't you trust her judgement?" I added, sarcasm and venom in the question.

He looked shocked at this response, but it rapidly turned to anger as he said.

"I trust Harper."

He put an emphasis on her name, and the meaning was obvious. Who he didn't trust.

"Then call her." I said stiffly. "And stop wasting my time."

I turned and continued to make my way to the Big House, people positively fleeing at this point.

It didn't improve my mood.

I felt eyes settle over me and looked up to see that among the bolting campers, there were two that hadn't moved.

They weren't next to each other, but both looked young, probably newer to the camp. The first, a tall boy with dark hair, the second, a girl, red haired and rail thin.

The boy was frowning slightly, as if in thought.

I was certain I'd never seen him before, and while I was sure I'd never seen the girl either, something about her seemed strangely… familiar.

It had to have been her expression, a wary sort of look of half recognition, as if you weren't certain how or even if you knew the person you were looking at. But felt as if you'd seen them before all the same.

Neither of them, however, looked afraid.

Unsure how I was supposed to feel about this, I looked away and walked towards the Big House knocking on the infirmary door and pushing it open only to hear the sound of retching.

"Is this a bad time?" I asked uncertainly, eyes falling over a group of rough looking kids, ages ranging from about ten to twelve occupying a bed in the infirmary, one boy holding a bucket looking deathly pale as Libby efficiently administered stiches between dry heaves.

"Hey." She said distractedly, eyes darting towards me before going back to the boy. "You might want to wait outside. Nigel here seems to get sick at the sight of blood."

The boy went, if possible, even paler and promptly threw up again.

"Right." I said frowning and starting to back out, before remembering what Libby said, about often being left to do the 'real work' in the infirmary and hesitating. "Why isn't Ashton here?"

I glanced around the room. Granted, most of them looked fairly well patched up, and she seemed to have the situation under control, still… There were a fair amount of kids in here.

"He worked over night with some campers that got run over by a chariot. Can't be stitching people up when you're that tired. Uh, sorry Nigel." She added when he went from white to green at the statement.

"And the rest of your siblings?"

She shrugged finishing the stitches, discarding her gloves, then walking over to a mini fridge set next to the sink and washing her hands.

"They all had activities today, so I figured I'd give them a break so they didn't miss anything."

And just like that, all of the anger and irritation I'd been feeling over the last several minutes died.

Here I was, irritated at Libby's brother because he was too nice, all while she was working overtime for other people. Taking care of terrified kids who looked like they were having a far worse time of it than I was at the moment.

What right did I have to complain?

"Libby, you work a lot." I said frowning as she opened the fridge and retrieved a bottle.

She shrugged again and walked back Nigel, twisting the cap and holding it out to him.

"Drink this. It'll help."

"I don't know if I can stomach it…"

"Drink." She said firmly and he hesitated for a moment, before taking a sip.

"Nectar?" I asked curiously.

"Ginger." Libby said sounding a bit amused. "You know, mortals do have remedies that work James. And it seemed a bit like overkill to bust out the divine drink over a stomach ache."

"Point taken." I said and she smiled. "Do you need help?"

"I think that's pretty much it." she said looking over the beds where the newly healed half-bloods were recovering, some of them looking tired, others frightened out of their wits.

I didn't blame them. I was certain all of their worlds had just been turned completely upside down and I found myself suddenly and unusually sympathetic.

"I just need to finish out the end of my shift." She continued her eyes falling to my hand and I realized I was still holding the scrolls Harper had given me. "What's that?"

"Oh." I said holding them up somewhat lamely. "Harper wanted you to read these before we left."

Her expression fell for the briefest moments, and I could tell she'd tried to catch the reaction but I'd already seen it.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just," she hesitated glancing down at her scrubs which, though, they were a bright shade of neon pink, looked as if she'd stumbled out of a haunted house whose costuming department had decided to make a point. "I was just hoping to get a shower in before we left, but it's fine." She shook her head. "I can just change and-"

"Go take a shower Lib." I said incredulously, but she shook her head again.

"I can't." she said a little helplessly. "Someone needs to be here. Eva doesn't take over until-"

But I cut her off.

"I can't keep an eye on things for you." I said with a shrug and she looked surprised.

"But-"

"It'll be fine Libby, I'm not going to let anyone die." I said rolling my eyes, earning a few alarmed looks from the infirmary occupants, which I ignored. "If something happens I can always find one of your siblings."

She hesitated for a moment, glanced down at herself again, then relented.

"Alright." She said with a sigh, then glanced at me. "Thanks James."

"No problem love."

She smiled, took the scrolls from me, stunning me completely when she stood on her toes and kissed me on the cheek before jogging out of the infirmary leaving me under the wary gaze of several injured kids, most of them who's eyebrows had raised.

"Who are you?" the boy Libby had called Nigel asked his expression suspicious, and I fancied there was something resentful in his tone that at first, I'd thought was because of my reputation at camp.

But then it hit me. These were new campers. None of them knew who I was.

"My name is James." I said honestly. "I'm-" I started, not entirely sure what I was supposed to follow that with.

A son of Hermes, probably, or explain the cabin members I was related to. That was how things worked around camp.

But it didn't feel right. I wasn't a normal demigod, and acting as if I was felt tantamount to lying.

"I'm a friend of Libby's." I said figuring it was truth enough and while this seemed to appease most of the campers, I noticed Nigel still looked a little annoyed, but I thought I knew now as to why.

He liked her.

I grinned, a little amused at this discovery, but before anything else could be said, the door to the infirmary burst open and a voice said.

"Got another one for you Lib- oh."

I turned to see the boy who'd been staring at me earlier was supporting a short girl with long curly brown hair that was clutching a towel to her face that was stained with a fair amount of scarlet.

"What happened to her?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"Slipped on the climbing wall, nicked her cheek on a spike on the way down."

"Lucky it wasn't an eye." I said frowning rummaging through the cabinets until I found a familiar plastic container labeled 'Ambrosia', packed with squares of the divine food in neat little rows.

I took one, breaking it in half and offer a piece to the girl who reared back, almost toppling both her and her friend as she backed away.

"Oh don't be ridiculous." I said stiffly. "It's not going to hurt you. See?"

I held up the remaining half for her to see, before eating it myself and after a moment's hesitation, she took the ambrosia.

Well aware I had an audience, I closed the container, expecting the familiar flavors of chocolate and cream from my favorite dessert, the Banoffee pie my mother used to make every christmas, but I didn't.

Instead, I was caught completely off guard by the taste of sugar and vanilla, and strangely… cinnamon.

Confused, wondering how long this had been going on and when this had changed, I thought back to when the last time I'd needed to take any ambrosia.

It had been years since I'd needed proper healing. Having so much magic going through me, I rarely ever was injured and never got sick. In fact, the last time I remembered tasting anything close to this was…

'Libby's place.' A voice said softly in the back of my mind.

She'd been baking the first time I'd ever picked her up from her apartment, when her roommate had all but kicked me out.

'The hell is that about?' I thought distractedly as I closed the cabinet and looked back at the pair, the girl still looking anxious, but the boy strangely… curious.

"Something you want to say?" I asked raising an eyebrow as the girl removed the towel from her face.

The cut was deep, slashing from her jaw to her temple just above the hair line, but already it was healing, looking several hours old.

"You should disinfect that before it seals." I said tossing the boy a first aid kit from the counter.

"But-" He started, obviously confused.

"Just do it." I said testily, remembering what had happened to Isabella and how sick she'd gotten.

Judging by her reaction to me simply handing her medication, I doubted the girl would let me get close enough to touch the injury.

He hesitated, giving me a final glance before shrugging and opening the kit.

It was a relatively easy fix, and the girl was out of the infirmary within ten minutes. She was out so quickly, I very much doubted she'd have so much as a scar despite the size of the wound. If she did, it wouldn't be a bad one.

I glanced down at my own skin, very aware of the injury record it provided, wondering how many scars could have been prevented if a healer had gotten to them in time.

A memory flashed through me, Mel reaching out to put a hand over a scar and I winced, dropping my hands without conscious thought and looking away, trying not to remember how different it had felt when Libby had done it, or think about why it hadn't bothered me.

I hadn't forgotten about the boy, well aware he was staring at me, as I repacked the first aid kit.

I ignored him hoping he would just go away, but when I'd finally closed the box and he still hadn't moved, I turned.

"Can I help you?" I asked irritated.

I expected him to jump or look embarrassed. Maybe apologize and scurry away like frightened campers always did, but, despite the fact I was nearly a foot taller than him, he didn't look intimidated.

"What do you want?"

I noticed the newer campers, who obviously hadn't heard much about me were looking a little confused, clearly wondering why the boy was staring at me and why the girl earlier had been so freaked out, but he didn't look all that wary.

His eyes were narrowed slightly, as if he was thinking, assessing me even, before he caught me off guard completely by asking.

"Are you Libby's boyfriend?"

That caught my attention.

"What?"

It was pretty obvious where this kid belonged. Even if he wasn't the spitting image of his father, though, obviously much younger, I was amused to see that he looked quite like Libby's roommate, Anna. A legacy of Dionysus.

"Are you Libby's boyfriend?" he repeated sounding stubborn. "Are you guys like, together or something?"

I looked at him for a moment, trying to see if he was serious, and when it appeared he was, figuring out what the hell I was supposed to say in response to a question like that.

"I'll be honest mate, you seem a bit young for her."

"Not like that." He said in exasperation, rolling eyes, and I felt an eyebrow dart up.

Again, I waited for him to apologize or sound embarrassed but he didn't. He just… kept staring.

It was honestly a bit unnerving. I couldn't get a read on the kid at all.

"No." I said honestly, trying ignore the strange feeling that accompanied the response, a heavy, unsettled sort of emotion. It wasn't disappointment exactly, but I wasn't quite sure what it was. "Why do you ask?"

"Well," he started, as if my answer hadn't been one he'd expected. "Why else are you here covering for her? You don't have other stuff to do?"

I looked at him for a moment, but didn't answer, instead crossing my arms over my chest and leaning against the counter that ran along the wall under the cabinets.

I'd decided just to stop talking and wait him out when suddenly, there was a flash of silver and I'd caught the dagger before I'd even registered what it was.

There was a gasp from several of the injured campers, eyes wide as they stared at the kid.

"What was that for?" a girl with a sling asked but the boy was grinning.

"So it's true then." He said nodding towards the dagger, my hand curled around the sharpened blade. "The rumors, everything people say about you? Weapons can't hurt you."

"You're not getting this back." I said darkly thrusting the dagger through my belt and he shrugged.

"I can get another one."

"You going to chuck that one at me too?" I asked annoyed which he seemed to ignore.

I was starting to really regret offering to cover the end of the shift for Libby. All the new campers were goggling at me, clearly searching for some sort of explanation for what was going on.

"I heard you used to teach lessons in the arena." He said still smiling for some reason and I felt my eyes narrow, not entirely sure where this conversation was headed.

"For a little."

"Have anything you can teach me?" he asked eagerly and I frowned at the boy, recognizing a hint of something in his expression that promised adventure and something else… something almost wild.

It was almost like looking into the past, and I was certain I could see the same sort of trouble in this kid that I'd grappled with myself. It suddenly occurred to me that while Dionysus was mostly remembered for his affiliations with theater and wine, there were several other things that fell under his domain, including madness.

The camp was going to have trouble with this kid if someone didn't keep an eye on him.

"Fancy yourself a bit of a thrill seeker do you?" I asked and his grin grew.

I had a feeling I knew what this kid wanted from me, and it had very little to do with training.

Before he could answer, the door opened and one of Libby's sisters stepped into the room.

Libby must have given her a heads up, because she didn't question as to why she wasn't here. Just spared me a wary glance before reaching for the chart at the foot of the nearest bed and started working.

"You know, having power isn't always as fun as it might seem." I said glancing at the boy. "What's your name?"

"Martin."

"Martin." I repeated with a frown, then gestured for him to follow me out of the infirmary. "Come with me."

"Why?"

"I want to show you something."

He looked confused, but didn't argue as I stepped out into the hallway, and hesitated for just a moment, before following me up towards the attic, poking his head nervously around a shelf as I scanned the dark room, searching decades worth of spoils.

"Here we are." I said picking up a glowing jar, blowing off what looked like years worth of dust before thrusting it at his chest. Green flames sputtering angrily at the motion. "Hold this."

"Ok…" he muttered uncertainly as I continued to pick through weapons and armor, chariot parts as well as rare magical items.

I handed him another container, this one labeled 'acid' no doubt from some sort of monster, and continued to search.

'Finally.' I thought picking a small vile of blown glass, as dark as night and holding it up for him to expect.

"Look at this."

"What is this?"

"Gorgon blood."

"From which side?" he asked hesitantly.

"No idea." I said with a shrug and holding it out to him. "Drink it."

"What?"

"Drink it." I insisted brandishing it towards him again but he took a hasty step back.

"What are you crazy?" he asked indignantly. "I'm not going to drink that. It could be poison!"

"It could also be a powerful healing agent." I pointed out and he stared. "But you're right." I continued shaking my head, my tone thoughtful. "There's a chance it might not hurt you."

I set the vile on a shelf and grabbed the acid, opening the lid and holding it in front of him.

"Put your hand in this."

"Excuse me?"

"You want to be invulnerable?" I asked him raising an eyebrow. "You've got to pay the price. That's what it feels like taking a dive into the Styx. Like acid burning your skin off."

"I'm not putting my hand in that."

"You're right, it would be much more realistic if I dumped it over your head."

I made to lift the container and he staggered back, eyes wide.

"What is wrong with you?" he asked.

"I thought you wanted to learn something." I said flatly.

"Yeah, cool magic or some fighting moves, not to have acid dumped on me you psycho!" he almost shouted and I raised an eyebrow.

For the first time, I saw a hint of wariness enter his eyes, as if he was suddenly remembering all the rumors I was certain he'd hard about me, and was now starting to rethink his choices. Wondering if maybe it was more than just the rumors about my abilities that were true.

I felt both a stab of bitterness and a surge of satisfaction go through me simultaneously as I set the acid next to the gorgon blood, before letting out a sigh and turning to look at him.

"You know, I used to be a lot like you as a kid." I said crossing my arms over my chest and giving Martin a speculative look. "I liked messing with people. Running off doing stupid things, getting in over my head, trusting gifts from strangers when what they were offering seemed fun."

He hesitated, clearly starting to identify the point I was trying to make, and I decided to drive it home.

"What would you have done if I'd decided I did want to dump acid on you Martin?" I asked. "Or I didn't like your attitude, and thrown this dagger back?" I asked pulling the weapon from my belt. "You let yourself be isolated by a total stranger. One far more powerful than you are. If I'd wanted to hurt you, you couldn't get away from me." I gestured towards the door behind him. "No one is coming to help."

"You're not a stranger." He said stubbornly. "You're friends with Libby." He added when I scoffed. "She likes you."

"Libby likes everyone."

"You didn't go after me, even when I threw a weapon at you." he insisted.

"That was your test?" I asked incredulously. "Martin don't be so naive, not everyone that wants to hurt you is going to do is physically. There are a lot of nasty things in the mythological world looking to trick idiot little demigods who are looking for power or adventure. Who are banking on kids who have no idea what they're doing, or the sort of price they'll be paying for it."

"Is that what happened to you?" he asked quietly, and I nodded.

"Yes. And I don't want to see it happening to you, or anyone else."

He looked down, and though my vision was better than most in the dark, in the shadows it was hard to tell if his expression was one of disappointment, or maybe a little ashamed.

"What's this for?" he asked lifting the jar of flames apprehensively and I looked at if for just a moment before saying.

"Greek fire."

I tapped the lid, and almost immediately, the flames which had dulled into a soft flicker sparked into life, practically exploding within the glass, raging in a miniature inferno.

He jolted in surprise, dropping the glass as it heated red hot.

I caught the jar before it hit the ground, and set it on a shield the metal warping slightly under the heat, cooling eventually as the fire settled.

"That's what it feels like," I said allowing a burst of energy to release through my palm which started to blister as I turned it to him. "Every time I use that power you all here at camp like to talk about. My body is like that jar."

I said nodding towards the mason jar that was still flickering, settled into a divot it had melted into the shield.

"One slip, one wrong move, and it could explode." I said picking it up and examining it before looking at him. "My life isn't fun Martin, it's under rigid control. Power like this isn't a game, and what's worse is it can hurt other people if something goes wrong. Most likely more than it hurts yourself."

I held up my palm, which had already healed.

He didn't answer this at first, but took the jar of fire and frowned at it.

A few minutes passed before he said.

"Why would anyone do this to themselves?" he asked quietly.

"They wouldn't." I said and his eyes darted to me. "Not unless someone forced them to."

"You didn't have a choice then?" he asked handing me back the jaw sounding uncomfortable. "In what happened to you, becoming... well, whatever you are?"

"Not really, no." I said softly, realizing it was the first time I'd ever said it out loud. To a random kid, of all people.

"I'm sorry that happened to you." he said quietly his brow furrowed. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" he asked. "Everyone here at camp. They think your powers came from some sort of deal you struck with the Titans. If they knew the truth…"

His sentence faded, and I figured he was even less certain about what sort of reaction the 'truth' would have gotten from the camp then I was.

I remembered what Libby had said about isolation, and the illusion of options. Somehow, it still felt like my fault.

"I guess it's a good thing you're friends with Libby." He said suddenly, and I looked at him.

"You think so?"

"Yeah." he said with a nod and he appeared certain.

"Why do you think that?"

"She's a healer, right?" he asked with a shrug. "Well if you ever accidentally hurt someone or yourself, she'll be right there to help fix it."

"It's not Libby's job to clean up other people's messes."

"Yeah, but you're friends." He said. "That's what friends are for right?"

I didn't answer this and he shot me a sly look.

"You like her, don't you?"

"Don't talk to strangers." I said pressing the hilt of his dagger into his palm and starting to walk away.

"Oh come on," he said and I could tell from his tone he'd rolled his eyes. "You can tell me. I'm not going to tell her."

I ignored Martin and made my way back to the ground floor only to run into Libby almost immediately.

"Hey." She said brightly. "I just went to the infirmary but they said you'd left, where were you?"

"In the attic." I said and she made a face.

"Why?" she shuddered. "It's so creepy up there."

"Just giving some life advice." I said lightly and she raised an eyebrow.

"I'm almost afraid to ask."

"Dunno what you're talking about Lib." I said with a sigh and she smirked. "I told you, I'm pretty boring."

She let out a noise of blatant disbelief and I couldn't help but smile a little.

"Right." She said sarcastically.

We stepped out of the Big House and into the summer weather when, for what felt like the hundredth time today, I felt a pair of eyes on me.

I looked up to see the same girl as before, red hair shining in the sunlight, something strange about her gaze, though for some reason, I couldn't quite figure out what it was.

She was too far away to determine quickly, and the moment my eyes met hers, she looked away.

Confused, I stared after her and Libby noticed.

"What?" she asked curiously and I shook my head, feeling a bit rattled.

"Nothing." I said thinking back over my conversation with Martin, suddenly remembering something he'd said.

'Why didn't you tell anyone?'

I frowned for a moment, and looked at Libby, feeling suddenly a little reckless.

"Libby?" I asked and she turned, and only when I noticed that she'd stopped walking, did I realize that I had as well.

"Look, I-" I started, but a movement caught my eye, another flash of red in the light, but this time when I looked at the girl, I recognized her and the wary expression that crossed her features.

It was Libby's friend. The one she'd been speaking to outside of the stables who clearly hadn't trusted me. And she wasn't the only one. Several people were watching, obviously keeping an eye out for Ashton's little sister, and that brief moment of recklessness died.

Hadn't I just warned Martin away from doing stupid things for Hades's sake? Had I learned nothing?

"Never mind." I said shaking my head and looking away. "I forgot what I was going to say."

"That doesn't seem like you." she frowned but when I continued walking by her, she caught my hand.

I felt my heart rate shoot through the roof at the contact and I looked at her in surprise.

"Hey. Are you ok?" she asked.

"Fine." I said trying to keep my voice steady and control the shock of emotion that had shot through me.

I tried to pull away, but she tightened her grip.

"What happened to your hand?" she asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowing as she inspected her palm.

"Nothing." I assured her but she shot me a dubious look and I couldn't help but laugh a little at it.

"You are the worst liar."

"I'm a very good liar thank you very much."

"Why do I put up with you?" she asked throwing her hands up in frustration and continuing to walk.

I grinned and followed her.

"Well." I said again remembering my conversation with Martin. "We're friends, right?"

She shot me a sidelong look as I caught up to her.

"Yeah." She said quietly, glancing away. "Friends."

I thought I caught an edge of disappointment in her tone, though I wasn't sure if it was because it was actually there, or because a part of me might have wanted it to be.

I continued to look at her for a moment, debating if I thought she was upset or not.

I knew I probably wasn't the best judge, about what was normal between people and what wasn't. My relationship with my best friend had never exactly been normal, but it hadn't been all that difficult either, all things considered. Despite the madness of how we met, friendship with Harper had just fit. As effortlessly as it had knowing that Lucy was my sister. No matter if we disagreed or argued sometimes, or even got on each other nerves, my relationship with Harper had never felt complicated. Friendships weren't supposed to be complicated, were they? And when I was around Libby, it usually didn't feel that way. In some ways, like being around Harper or my sister, things just felt like they fit. It was comfortable, easy.

But then there were moments like now, where things felt unsettled. Uneasy. Where things were far from comfortable. When comfortable didn't feel like enough.

I didn't spend my whole day checking my phone to see if Harper had texted me, or debating what to text back. I didn't spend what felt like all my time that wasn't spent with Lucy, wondering when it was that I would see her next, even as I tried to push it to the back of my mind.

And when the corner of Libby's lip quirked up slightly in half a smile as she tilted her head to look at me, a shock of emotion went through me that felt as if I'd touched a live wire.

'No.' I thought distractedly. 'Friends didn't feel like that.'

"What?" she asked as I raised an eyebrow at her. "Why are you staring at me?"

"No reason." I said shaking my head and looking ahead of me.

"Oh c'mon." she said incredulously. "You can't just not tell me."

"It's nothing." I insisted, shaking my head again. "I just…" I hesitated, uncertain how to phrase what I wanted to say, and I looked back at her as I continued. "I don't think I've ever had a friend like you before."

A look of confusion crossed her expression, and while even a few weeks ago, I was certain a statement like that would have had her anxiety going to pieces, she didn't fall apart.

"Is that a good thing?" she asked a little uncertainly, her eyes meeting mind and I considered the question.

If anyone else had asked, I probably would have said no. I liked being around Libby. I liked it far too much and spending time with her now felt a little dangerous. It was distracting, disruptive to the routine I'd settled into in life and Harper had already been hurt once because of it.

I didn't get along with her brother, and a friendship with Libby had me in and out of camp more than ever. She'd managed to lodge herself firmly in the back of my mind, even when she wasn't around. I worried about her, wondered what was on her mind, what she was feeling. Felt anxious if she was ever upset.

'Gods.' I thought.

I was no better than Ashton.

"I dunno." I said quietly.

We'd stopped walking at some point, I honestly wasn't sure when, or how we'd turned to face each other.

"Even if it isn't though, I don't think I really mind."

She bit her lip, trying and failing to hide a smile and I could have sworn she flushed a little.

For some reason I wasn't surprised however, when there was a flash of gold and a body toppled out of what appeared to be thin air, interrupting whatever she'd been about to say.

"Afternoon mate." I said looking down at Harper who was scowling at the smudges of grass and dirt on her palms.

"Did you two both throw your phone into the lake?" she asked getting to her feet. "We were supposed to meet with the amazons ten minutes ago!"

"Oh." Libby said her cheeks definitely going red as she pulled her phone out of her back pocket, only to see the screen was full of missed calls and texts from Harper. "Sorry."

"It's fine." She said shaking her head. "But we need to get going. Did you read the scrolls James brought you?"

"Yeah. I actually had a question about the one detailing potential migration patterns for harpies. Is that a verified source?"

I checked out as the girls debated the authenticity of the scroll and the credibility of it's author, letting my mind wander. But as we approached the encampment of the amazon, a short sword on Harper's belt an Libby's bow slung over her shoulder, I couldn't help but reflect, once again, on how much I both did and did not want her here.

'Complicated.' A voice warned anxiously in the back of my mind.

Trying to keep Harper alive was one thing, that was simple enough even if it wasn't exactly easy, but navigating the minefield that came with spending time with Libby…

Her eyes went wide as she saw the warehouse and I almost laughed at her expression.

"Wait, like the webstore?"

"Yeah." Harper said shaking her head. "I try not to think about it too much."

"This is so weird." Libby frowned. "I've bought bunny costumes from them."

Harper shot Libby a curious look while I laughed.

I couldn't help but think as Libby gave me a small, but slightly embarrassed smile that I didn't care how 'complicated' spending time with Libby would turn out to be. No matter what happened, moments like this, it was worth it.