I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Most of them will be about that same length, but this one will probably be shorter.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters (except the OC's) Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, or Trials of Apollo. All of that belongs to Rick Riordan.

2. A One Eyed Girl Attacks Me

"So your dad's really Hercules?" Grover asked as we ran through the forest.

Well, I ran. He sort of clopped his way beside me. Or was it galloped? No, idiot, that's a horse. Yes, he clopped.

I mentally punched myself. Does it even matter? You just found out you have to atone for your crimes in the worst way possible, not to mention with a very limited amount of time, and you're thinking about is whether satyrs clop or gallop?

"Yeah." I answered in between breaths. We'd been running for a while now, the school long gone behind us, so I'd say a few miles at least without even stopping for a break. I'd give it to Grover, he had really good stamina. I expected him to fall after the first mile and beg for enchiladas again, but he proved me wrong.

We dodged and weaved around branches, jumping over stumps, and generally any obstacle in our way. The entire time I thought about how I was going to do this. How I would even find those creatures Hera talked about. Cerberus was easy, but getting to the underworld was not. I didn't have the first idea on how to go down there.

Finally, after another few minutes, Grover slowed down and held up a hand. He was sweaty, and completely out of breath.

"Mind if we...slow down...for a minute?"

I nodded; a bit tired myself. "Yeah, no problem. We can sit down if you want."

He shook his head, inhaling as much oxygen as possible. "Nah, I'm good. We can walk. We're almost there anyway."

Almost there? We had ran a while, but it was only five miles from the school, tops. I didn't think Camp Half Blood was that close. But then again, I didn't know where it was period, so it could be anywhere, I guess.

"So...I know I'm probably a little late on asking, but is there a way we can contact your mortal parent and let them know where you are?" He cringed, "You probably didn't expect all of this to happen on the last day of school, huh?"

"Not really, no." I averted my gaze, "And no, I'm sort of on my own." That was a half-truth. Mom was still alive, definitely, but I doubt she would be up for any phone calls saying her son's at some summer camp for superpowered kids. She'd be like, what son?

Grover nodded at me sympathetically. "I'm sorry. A lot of demigods are like that. Normally satyrs try to get them in Camp early on, usually around ten or eleven, when their scent starts to get stronger." He furrowed his eyebrows, "Were you ever asked to join Camp? You're fifteen, right?"

"Yeah. And...sort of. My mom told me about it. She wanted me to go, but I refused."

Grover cocked his head and didn't say anything for a minute or two, the gears turning around in his head. I wasn't sure what he was thinking about, but I didn't interrupt. Eventually, his face brightened with realization.

"Wait a second, I remember you! Your mom's name is Tracy, right?"

My mouth parted in shock, "How do you know that?"

"Another satyr and I caught your scent a few years ago!" His face turned sheepish for a moment, "At the time, I was sort of on probation, so I had to shadow this older satyr. He told Chiron there was a kid with a powerful smell in the city, so we went to check it out. That must've been you!"

So I technically had a prior connection to this guy. Man, I never knew.

"What happened?" I asked, "I never saw you guys. Did you lose the scent or something?"

He shook his head again, "No, it was your mom, actually. She met us before we could even reach the door, saying that you didn't want to go to camp, and that you would be okay in the city. We tried to convince her that it was for the best, but she wouldn't budge. So we left."

I couldn't believe it. Mom did that for me? That must've been around the time I first discovered my powers and told her I wanted to stay home. She could've sent me off for my own good, but she chose to make me happy.

And it cost her.

If I felt guilty and horrible before, I was basically a maggot crawling in the dirt now. "That sounds like her."

Grover could practically see the dark cloud over my head. He tried to cheer me up, "I mean, it didn't turn out so bad! You managed to do pretty well all these years, even going to school without too much of an incident!"

I appreciated the gesture, but he didn't know the whole story. Still, I forced a smile. "Yeah." That smile turned into confusion when a question came to my mind, "Was that why you were there today? Because you caught my scent?"

He nodded, "Yeah. I've been tracking you for about a week. I saw you kill that young sphinx this morning too with a single blow. I knew you had to be someone special, at least a son of Ares. But Hercules? I never expected that."

"Am I the only one?"

"Probably. I've never heard of a demigod son of Hercules before. But knowing that makes more sense. The Nemean Lion probably smelled your father on you, and wanted revenge."

"That happens a lot." I grumbled.

Grover stopped walking. "Speaking of the Nemean Lion, where's the coat?"

"What coat?"

"When it gets killed, the lion's supposed to drop a coat as a spoil of war. It's immune to weapon attacks."

"I didn't see a coat when I killed it."

He reared his head back, eyebrows knit with puzzlement. "That's weird. It dropped a coat last time."

"Maybe it would've been too much of a boost. Like, maybe Hera made it disappear because it would be too helpful or something."

"Wait, Hera?"

I blinked. He was frozen, he hadn't seen the whole conversation between me and the annoying Queen of Olympus. So I told him what happened. What she said, the whole three strikes thing, the five labors, the times I got mortals killed or hurt, the whole nine yards. By the time I was done, Grover hadn't responded. He was processing it all.

All the while, we were still walking. I swatted a mosquito away and wiped the sweat beads off of my forehead. I looked over the trees, it was close to dark, the sun probably almost under the horizon. I couldn't tell for certain because the trees were blocking my view, but I could see the orange shade of the sky, the clouds reflecting the sunset. What I would give to be on the beach right now, staring at it. I must've been daydreaming, because Grover was waving a hand in my face.

"Oh, sorry man. What were you saying?" I scratched the back of my neck.

"I was saying that when we get to Camp, you might want to talk to Chiron, and Rachel. Chiron knows just about everything, and Rachel is the oracle, so if this whole labors thing is a quest, then she can give you a prophecy."

The name Chiron sent my brain into jumbles. When I located the folder of Greek myth knowledge, which is thin, by the way, I realized just who Grover was talking about.

"Wait, Chiron? Like the centaur hero trainer?" More specifically, "The guy who trained my dad?"

"Yep." Grover said proudly. "He's our activities director." My face told him I didn't know what that meant, so he specified, "He's basically in charge of the camp."

"Woah..." I was impressed. That guy's like a legend, and he's head counselor? That's pretty cool.

But my mind backtracked to what he said about the Rachel girl, "Wait, why do you think it wouldn't be a quest? And do all of them require prophecies?"

"Well, I've never seen one that didn't have a prophecy. And yours is kind of a special case, since it was given out by a goddess. Not to mention she sort of placed a curse on you, which reeks by the way."

I leaned down to smell myself, but only sniffed in faded deodorant and dirt. Must be a satyr thing. "So this Rachel girl will tell me if it's a quest or not?"

"She'll give you a prophecy. And if she doesn't...well, then I guess it really is a special case."

There was a lot more to this thing than I thought. I'm sitting here expecting to just grab a shield and some armor and be on my way. But Grover's telling me about quests, prophecies and centaurs. It has my whole thought process mixed up.

Grover was good at reading people. That, or I was just making it obvious. He softened his tone, "I know it's a lot. Trust me, once you get to Camp, get some rest, and talk to Chiron, everything will be much clearer. I'm not really the best guy to explain this kind of stuff."

"You're doing fine." I said, "It's me. Everywhere I go it seems trouble just follows. I can never get away from it."

He patted me on the shoulder, a bit awkwardly, but I could tell he meant the best. Even if we just met. "If it means anything, a lot of kids at this camp know what you're going through. You're not alone."

I nodded, but I didn't say how I truly felt. There may be others in this camp, and they might know what I've been through, but I'm still alone. I can't make friends with them or stay there. I have to atone for my mistakes. Nobody else should get involved.

So what about that vision? My mind countered. You were with other people there.

That's different. That's just a stupid dream.

Is it? That could have something to do with your labors.

Doubt it.

Before my mind could argue further, Grover stopped abruptly, his arms spread out beside him. "We're here!"

All I saw was forest, and a huge tree in front of Grover. It certainly didn't look like a summer camp. I thought maybe all of that nature magic had caused him to hallucinate.

"Uh, dude, this isn't a camp."

He snorted, "Of course it's not! No, we're gonna travel by this tree right here. The dryads love me, so it should be almost instantaneous."

I gawked. We were gonna travel by a tree?! I'd seen weird things and done weird things. I mean, I was literally talking to a half man half goat hybrid, but tree teleportation? I guess that was where I drew the line.

"How the hell are we gonna travel by a tree?" I asked, dumbfounded.

He laughed, "First time tree traveler? That's alright. It's actually kind of fun. Come here, I'll show you how to do it."

I followed him to the other side of the trunk, at the bottom of it, was a giant hole. Like the kind that raccoons and squirrels live in.

"Alright, now crawl in. Don't be shy."

I turned to him, eyes wide. "I can't fit in there! Besides, isn't that where animals live?"

"No, it's our way to camp for today. I figured I'd be bringing back a demigod, so I arranged it with the dryads earlier. All you gotta do is crawl in there and wait until you pop out on the other side. Just trust the nature magic."

I was about to protest, when I remembered that nature magic helped me kill the Nemean Lion earlier. So I kept my mouth shut and crawled into the hole, grumbling.

"You're doing great! Just wait for me on the other side!"

I kept crawling, somehow, I was fitting perfectly. I had no idea if the hole was growing, or if I was shrinking. But I didn't have much time to ponder that, because in the next moment, I felt like I was being plunged upward at lightning speed, then lurched sideways, zooming through like a Japanese bullet train. I passed bark and vines; I noticed a family of bats at the top of one of the trees. This went on for a few seconds, before I felt myself go flying and then landing on the ground.

I had landed in a soft patch of grass, next to a large rock. If I had been thrown a few feet to the left, I might've been a goner.

It was a completely different area. The hill was steeper, and I could see a source of light shining through the night up ahead.

Despite being curious about that light, I leaned up against a nearby tree and waited for Grover. As I waited and the minutes passed, night fell. The sky full of stars and familiar constellations. It had been about twenty minutes when I started worrying.

I didn't know what was taking so long. I hoped right after I left, some other monster didn't attack him.

Nah, I thought. He's probably striking up a conversation with a dryad. I should just go to Camp and find Chiron.

Just in case he showed, I waited an extra ten minutes. When nothing popped out of any of the trees, I pushed myself off of mine and walked towards the light. It looked like it was from a house, but I wasn't sure. It had to be Camp Half-Blood. But why would there be a house in a summer camp? Maybe a light from one of the cabins, or a big campfire at the center. I didn't know how late it was at this point, but maybe the campers sung songs and told stories at night or something.

The idea fascinated me. Demigods having fun together, despite how horrible their lives have been. It was...a very foreign notion to me. The idea of actually being happy and acting somewhat normal around people that get it. I liked that idea.

But my mind refused to let me entertain that. Labors, buddy. You've got the impossible to undertake. Get going.

I sorted out a plan in my head. I wouldn't get distracted by the camp or anyone other than Chiron. If I couldn't find him, I would ask somebody where he was. No idle chit chat, just business. That's how it needs to go.

I kept walking up the hill, the crickets were chirping, the summer breeze blew against the holes in my shirt, cooling off my bare skin. The faintest hint of strawberry smell invaded my nostrils, and I found myself breathing in as much as I could. It wasn't like the scent of sanitizer or an artificial smell, but it was the real thing. I could tell there was an actual strawberry patch nearby, and the idea suddenly made my stomach growl.

To my right, the moon sat, shining down on a shimmering reflection of itself. Squinting, I saw what looked like little waves beating against a bank. It was a lake. They must use it for canoeing and swimming.

The more I saw, the more I started to like this place. This wasn't some prison or settlement for demigods to just sit and avoid monsters, it was a home. A safe haven for them.

At that moment, any idea I'd ever had of this place crumbled. Just thinking about living here brought a sense of peace that I hadn't felt in a long time.

Before, I was nonchalant about coming here. I figured it would be a pitstop on the next two weeks of my life, but after getting a taste of what it's really like...I'm actually getting excited to see the entire thing.

I picked up my pace to reach the top of the hill. A few more steps and I'd make it, able to see the entire thing from a higher perspective.

But just as my head cleared the hill's line, I was attacked.

I felt something tackle me to the ground. No, not something, but someone. It took me completely off guard, and they were strong too, knocking the wind out of me and bringing me to my back with a THUMP.

It all happened so fast. I hit the ground, then felt a knee on my chest, and a knife pointed at my throat, the cool metal against my neck making me shiver. It was barely making contact, but I could tell what it was.

I looked up and caught a gander of my attacker. What I saw, was something I completely did not expect.

It was a girl.

Okay, wait. I don't mean that like I don't think girls can fight. I'm sure there are girl demigods down the hill that can kick my ass. The part that I didn't expect was her appearance.

She was beautiful. I mean, I don't normally pay too much attention to that stuff, but gods, this girl was seriously pretty. I couldn't see her too well in the night, but the moon offered a little light to tell that she was wearing a black shirt with a logo of a Pegasus on it, tight jeans, combat boots, and a necklace with four clay beads at the center. Each one having a small engraving on them, but I couldn't tell exactly what through the darkness.

As for the rest of her...well, I could probably describe it, but I'd have to get the goofy smirk off my face first. She looked almost like a stereotypical goth girl, with smooth, pale skin, long raven black hair tied into a single, thick braid, and next to no makeup, with black eyeliner being the exception. Her body was slim, and if we both stood upright, I probably had her by seven inches. But from the way she tackled me, and how her figure was shaped...I could tell she trained and stayed in peak physical condition.

"Who are you?" She demanded, her voice a bit deeper and tougher than most girls, but still feminine. She inched the knife further against my neck.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to attack or anything. I'm a demigod. I'm with a satyr named Grover."

The wind blew stray locks of hair to the side, offering me a better view of her face and eyes. Her eyes...

I nearly gasped at what I saw. The right eye was normal, light blue, like the color of frozen water, and it seemed to be glaring at me. But the left eye...was completely different. There was nothing there.

As in, no color, no pupil or iris, none of that. It was just...this blank, empty, milky white color. Like it had been capped over from an injury. You know those guys that can roll their eyes to the back of their head? Well, that's what it looked like, and I thought she might just be really talented or something, until she blinked, and it stayed the same.

She glanced down at my necklace, and her glare changed. She looked surprised, and even let out a small breath she'd been holding.

"What is it?" I asked.

She quickly switched her surprised look for the glare again. "I didn't say anything, and I don't see Grover. What did you do with him?"

"I didn't do anything! I swear, he was escorting me here, and he told me to climb in this tree and he would follow. So, I did and got teleported here. I waited on him, but he didn't show up, I guess he got busy or something."

I realized how stupid that sounded. And Grover wasn't with me, so it did seem pretty suspicious. But I figured the fact that I knew his name should count for something. Apparently, it didn't, she only deepened her glare.

"Look, Shark Boy. You'd better start telling the truth or you're not gonna like how this ends. Start talking."

I ignored everything past Shark Boy. She just...called me Shark Boy, like the girl did in my vision!

The gears in my brain kicked into overdrive, trying to spot anything that might further connect her to the girl I saw. She had been a silhouette, so I couldn't match the features up, but I did see her weapons.

Glancing down at the knife, it glowed a bronze color in the moonlight. It was the same exact size as the one that girl carried, but she had two...

I looked up at her waist and saw it. Another knife held in by a leather strap. This was her. The girl from my vision. It had to be!

"Y-You just called me Shark Boy." I probably looked like an idiot, my face bright from putting the dots together. To her it probably looked like I was insane, happy to be threatened with a knife.

She frowned. "Well, yeah. I don't know your name and you've got a shark tooth necklace, so it seemed fitting."

I was about to say something else, when I felt my body go numb. My vision tunneled, and I passed out.

The dream that followed was completely different from the one before. The same people that stood next to me were gone, the face in the sky was gone, the only similarity was the island. I still remained there, just in a different part. Instead of standing on the shore facing the ocean, this looked like the middle, with a bunch of palm trees and thick green plants surrounding the clearing.

I stared at the back of some man, sitting criss crossed on a mound of sand on the farthest edge of the clearing, just before reaching the camouflage of the forest. He wore no shirt, revealing lean, tan skin, broad shoulders, and a fighter's body. His hair swayed back and forth with a breeze, medium length blonde, reaching just past his ears.

From what I could tell, the guy looked like he could be my age, maybe a few years older. Was this someone else I was supposed to fight with? If not, then how is any of this relevant?

Another figure stepped into frame, emerging from the thicket opposite the shirtless guy. This man was pretty much the completely opposite in appearance. While the other guy only wore pants, this guy wore a black, hooded cloak that covered everything, all the way down to his boots. Even his face was hidden from the shadow of the hood. Strapped to his back, wrapped around the cloak, was this humungous buster sword, long and thick, looking like it could cleave a group of men in half with a single blow.

The man in the cloak walked up to the shirtless guy and got on one knee, bowing his head.

His voice was fairly deep and obedient, reminding me of a soldier talking to his Seargent. "The Nemean Lion was unsuccessful, Master."

Immediately, that caught my attention. The Nemean Lion? Were they talking about the incident that happened today?

The shirtless guy didn't even turn his head, but I saw his muscles twitch in annoyance. "And why not?"

"It found the scent of a demigod. The...son of Hercules, my lord."

Shirtless man straightened. "Hercules has a child?"

"Yes. It would appear that Hera had a hand in guiding his journey towards us. She's tasked him with five labors, each one targeting the monsters you've influenced."

The guy's boss laughed, "So Hera's recruiting a child of Hercules to save her. She really is getting desperate."

Save her? What the hell does that mean?

"My lord...he's quite powerful. And he's on his way to Camp Half-Blood as we speak. What if he gathers companions and sabotages our plan?" His head lifted along with the hood, "Perhaps I should take some of our forces off the Island and-"

"No!" The boss's voice boomed, "Let this play out. There is no need to fret over some petty mortal."

The man in the cloaked nodded, "As you wish, my lord." He bowed again, got up, and started to turn in my direction. But just as I was about to see his face, I woke up.

I was in a bed. A comfortable bed, in a large room with a table, furniture, and a bunch of framed pictures on the wall. It looked kind of like the inside of a farmhouse. I sat up, rubbing my eyes, trying my best to remember everything those two said.

What struck me the most, and confused me...was Hera. They said she was getting desperate, recruiting me to save her. But...that made no sense. She looked fine when I saw her, and that literally happened today! Besides, even if these guys did something to her, or she was somehow in danger, why would she contact me? Why not the other gods?

Who the hell were those guys? I'd never seen them before in my life, yet they knew who I was. They knew about the Nemean Lion thing, yet they seemed to be out in the middle of the ocean. It was all so confusing.

I really needed to talk to Chiron. Hell, anybody at this point just to get it out. I wouldn't mind Grover again, if he were here.

But he wasn't. I was alone. Throwing the covers off me, I saw that I wore the same clothes as before. My red shirt tattered, and my jeans covered in grime. I looked like I slept in the woods for an entire week.

I got out of the bed and noticed that my shoes were beside the door, sitting neatly. I slipped them on and tried to navigate the house, going down some stairs until I reached what I assumed to be the living room. It was even bigger than the room I slept in, and had twice the amount of furniture, with several...odd knick knacks just lying around.

"Hello?" I called out, but nobody answered. Guess it was just me in the house. How many demigods were here, exactly? Was it just a few?

I'd get my answer soon. I walked towards the front door and opened it carefully. Sunlight shone in my eyes, marking a new day. I must've slept all night, then.

Once the blurriness faded, I got my first real look at Camp Half-Blood. And oh boy, was it awesome.

Completely not what I expected. I was thinking there would be tents everywhere, maybe a couple of cabins, with a total of like twenty kids, tops. But this dwarfed that idea and made it look like child's play. It was massive, first of all. Stretching beyond what I could see just from the porch, but what I could see, I liked.

To the far left, was a giant assortment of cabins, probably twenty or so, each one with a unique design. One was all red with barbed wire and a boar's head above the entrance, another was all black with skulls around it, torches next to the door, holding a kindling green fire. I saw another cabin that looked like a plain old summer camp cabin, basic and old-looking. There were so many, I couldn't even take it all in. But the different designs and appearances must've been how they separated the demigods. They got to choose how they painted it or what decorations to put up based on their godly parent. It was almost like...a pride thing more than an identifier. That was so foreign to me, actually having pride in your godly parent. Maybe it's different here. Maybe some of these kids actually connect and bond with their mom or dad.

Further down the camp, sat a bunch of large buildings straight out of Ancient Greece. I thought I spotted what looked like an amphitheater, an arena, and a few others I didn't know the exact purpose of. Campers were walking around, doing various activities. I saw some by the lake, getting in a canoe, I saw some climbing a wall that appeared to be covered mostly with lava, I saw some going into the arena, their weapons in hand and their armor on. I was amazing, like nothing I had ever dreamed of.

It felt like a home. Like a happy place where kids could forget the real world and have fun. It honestly...eased my bitterness a little. It made me feel happy that other demigods were doing better than I was in some regard.

Ultimately, I shook my head away from my staring session. I could take a tour later. I needed to find Chiron.

Walking along the porch, I eventually found someone sitting alone on a wooden chair, overlooking the strawberry fields. He was thin and short, maybe fourteen years old, with dark, messy black hair at medium length, his skin scarcely shown, but what I could see was olive colored. He wore an aviator jacket, with a black t-shirt underneath, a big skull design right in the middle. On his finger, sat a matching ring, with a skull on top of it. Guess the guy really likes skulls, and black. His jeans were dark, his shoes were dark, and even the sword propped next to him was dark, like pitch black. Just looking at it reminded me of an optical illusion. It almost seemed too extreme.

I approached him and stood at the corner of his chair. His face was hard to read, it had a mixture of happiness, sadness, and anger. His eyes were a little baggy, but I guessed it wasn't from lack of sleep. More like stress.

"Uh, hey. Do you know where Chiron is?"

He looked at me, not even flinching. Just looking into his eyes sent a small chill down my arm. I could practically see through them and into his experiences. They weren't good.

But despite the angry face, he answered rather politely. "He's teaching an archery class right now."

"Oh...who's the next person in command?"

"Usually it's Mr. D, but he's busy. Some problem on Olympus. It must be bad if he's getting off his butt." He muttered that last part.

"Oh, alright. I'll just go to the archery range, then. Wherever that is."

He got up, "You're new, right? I'll show you around."

"Nah, you don't have to. I'll find it on my own."

He shook his head, "Don't sweat it. Follow me, I'll give you the deluxe tour."

I stood there awkwardly. I wasn't great at conversation, the only practice mainly being myself in the mirror, or my mom. So...not a lot of good experience in the social department.

But he seemed nice, and something about him told me that he wasn't good at talking to people, either. I felt oddly comforted by it. "Alright, thanks. My name's Matt by the way. Matt Beckett."

He nodded, "Nico Di Angelo. Come on, I'll show you the cabins first."

Nico and I walked around the cabins. He was explaining which god or goddess they belonged to, a little about the head counselors, how many kids were in a specific place, so on and so forth. I paid attention, some of the gods and goddesses were minor, and I was surprised at how many kids belonged to them. There had to be like two hundred people total, maybe more.

"Is there a cabin for Hercules?"

He paused, looking a little surprised. "Hercules? Why would we have a cabin for him?"

"Well, he's a minor god, and you guys have some minor god cabins. And didn't he kill a bunch of monsters? I figured you guys would have statues of him around here." I didn't think he deserved it; he's a jerk. But these campers didn't know that. To them, he's the greatest hero of our secret world, they probably looked up to him.

Nico snorted, "I mean, yeah, he accepted immortality after he died, but I doubt he had any kids..." He seemed to put the puzzle together, and as he stared at me, his entire face shifted. Eyes opening wider, his mouth making an O shape.

"Don't tell me..."

I nodded. "Yep, I'm his son."

If it didn't dawn on me before that I was the only demigod belonging to Hercules, it sure did now.

"Wow." He said, baffled. "That's just...wow. I mean, Hercules having a kid? You probably smell like the perfect meal to monsters."

"Yeah. They've attacked me like crazy over the years. I figure they want revenge for what my father did to most of them."

"Makes sense." He shook his head, still in disbelief. "Man, you're probably as powerful as a Big Three kid."

"Big three?"

"It's what we call the three sons of Kronos. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades." Thunder rumbled in the distance, but Nico kept talking, "Whenever they have kids, which is very rare nowadays, they're very powerful and dangerous."

I thought about that for a second, and imagined how powerful they must be. What kind of abilities they would have. I couldn't help but let my inner comic obsessed tween come out, pondering the powers. A Zeus kid could probably control lightning and fly, a Poseidon kid could control water and talk to fish, and a Hades kid could control the dead. Each sounded so cool.

"Are there any alive right now?" I asked, "Kids of the Big Three?"

Nico bobbed his head, taking in a deep breath to go down the list. "Yeah. There's Zeus's daughter, Thalia. She doesn't come around much anymore since she joined the Hunters of Artemis, but she's cool. There was...Jason, her brother, but he died about a year ago. There's Percy, the son of Poseidon-"

When he said the name Percy, I felt a jolt go through my body, the image of that man's silhouette on the island flashed in my brain. The other guy next to me facing that storm. It hit me, but it was gone in a second.

"-He visits a lot, but he's busy with college right now. And then Hades, which is my father. He's had the most out of the three. Me, Hazel, and Bianca."

"You have sisters?"

The bags under his eyes darkened, his face full of grief. "Well, Hazel's still around, but Bianca got killed a few years ago."

Jeez, I thought. This guy's been through it all.

I didn't say anything. I didn't want to say I was sorry for what happened, because I knew it would come off as ingenuine. I know if someone said it to me about my mom, I'd get the same vibe.

Instead, I focused on that name. Percy. That name was important somehow, and it had a tiny connection to my vision, just like that girl that tackled me last night. It was all tied together, I just had no idea how.

"Who's Percy?" I blurted.

His eyes seemed to light up a bit from their dark shade. "Percy Jackson. He's a friend of mine. Like I said, son of Poseidon. I could tell you about what he's accomplished and all the quests he's been on, but that would take all day. The guy's done it all. I'll be honest, he's like the modern your dad. Except he's a good guy. He was the first demigod I ever met."

The way Nico talked about him in detail, with a lighter tone that the other names he mentioned, I could tell he admired this Percy guy. But there was an underlying tone of affection that meant more than just friendship. It wasn't strong, it was faint. Like a small candlelight.

"Oh, sounds cool." I played it off, "So, I hate to be rude or rush the tour, but is there any way I could see Chiron-"

I was interrupted by another kid running over to us. He had shaggy blonde hair, with a green flannel and an orange camp t-shirt underneath. If the sun could embody a human, this is what it would look like. He had tanner skin than mine, perfect white teeth, and a blinding smile. Below his waist, he wore cargo shorts and flip flops, just casual wear that any kid would put on during summer.

He walked up to Nico and wrapped an arm around him. "Hey, sunshine."

Nico grumbled, but it was obviously out of affection. He let the boy kiss him on the forehead.

"Matt, this is my annoying boyfriend."

He put his hand out, "You must be the new guy. My name's Will, it's nice to meet you."

I shook his hand, it was warm and calloused, like he'd been shooting a bow for years. Either that, or working with metal a lot.

"I'm Matt." I replied, giving him a firm handshake. "Nice to meet you too."

He smiled, and turned to Nico. "Hate to interrupt, but I need to borrow Nico for a moment. There was a climbing wall accident, and I could use some extra hands." He made a point by grabbing Nico's hands.

Nico pulled them away, "I'd love to, Solace. But I'm giving Matt here a tour."

"I'll take it from here, Nico." Said a new voice.

I looked past their shoulders and gawked at what I saw. Walking towards us, was the girl that tackled me last night. And...woah, she looked even better in the daytime. Every feature that I could see last night was turned up to ten. She wore pretty much the exact same thing, only these jeans had tiny rips in them at the knees, and her combat boots had tiny spikes on the front, like somebody from a punk rock band. Her shirt was literally just the black version of the orange ones the other kids wore, same Pegasus logo and inscription. Camp Half-Blood, Long Island Sound.

Her hair hadn't changed either. It was still tied into a thick braid that fell over her shoulder, but it wasn't tied perfectly, because she had a few stray locks hanging next to her face. It didn't seem like she cared about that kind of thing anyway. One look at her expression was enough to make me back up a step. She had this constant scowl and glare on her face, like a mechanism to ward off predators, or in this case, just keep people away from her.

And looking at her eyes...sure enough, the right one was still blue, and the left one was still completely white. I hadn't been hallucinating. Now that I could see it better, it wasn't capped over like I thought. Usually when that happens, you can still see a little outline of the eye inside, but with her, you couldn't see anything.

"You..." I said.

She ignored me. "Go ahead, Nico. I'll finish showing him around."

Nico looked at her like she had three heads. Even Will looked surprised too. "Uh, you want to show him around? Harper, you never give anyone the tour. Besides, Solace here doesn't actually need my help, he just craves attention."

Harper. I thought. That was her name...Harper.

I guess Solace was Will's last name, because he laughed. "Maybe so, but I actually do need help. I got my hands full in the infirmary."

At the thought of her name, I saw a flash of that girl again, the one next to me in my vision, holding the two knives. Just the same way Percy's name invoked a flash. It had to be her.

Harper nodded her head, "Yeah, I'll show him around. He and I have a lot to discuss."

I looked at Nico in a silent plea for help, while Will was cringing for my safety. A look that clearly said, good luck buddy.

Nico just shrugged and said, "Alright, it was nice meeting you then, Matt. Come on, Solace."

He dragged Will off by the hand, who waved at me as he left, "Welcome to Camp!"

They left eyesight, leaving me alone with a glaring Harper. I couldn't tell if she was about to punch me or not.

She crossed her arms, "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Why did you pass out last night?"

I hesitated; I barely knew her. It would be weird to reveal details of my personal life at the drop of a hat. "All that running. I was tired."

"You looked fine when I saw you." She countered, "Tell me the real reason."

"Why does it matter?" I said, a bit annoyed. Jeez, she was being pretty pushy here. What did I do to her?

"Because I was on guard duty and there was a big misunderstanding. The others thought I attacked you."

"Well...you did attack me."

She rolled her eyes, which looked kind of weird with the left one. "You know what I mean."

I contemplated it for a second. Looking at it from the outside, ignoring social norms, maybe this wasn't such a bad idea. She looked like she could fight, so that meant she has experience...maybe she could make sense of all these visions. Or at least, one of them. I didn't think I should tell her about seeing her in one of them yet. Even though eventually I might have to.

"Alright fine, I had a vision. It just hit me out of nowhere."

At that, her scowl softened a bit. "What happened?"

I sighed, "This isn't gonna make any sense, but you can probably make something out of it more than I can." I cleared my throat, "I was on this island, listening to these two guys talk to each other. One was blonde and shirtless, I couldn't see his face, while the other guy had this long black cloak on...also couldn't see his face. They said-"

Harper stopped me in my tracks, "Wait, wait, back up. You said you saw a guy with a black cloak?"

I nodded, unsure as to why that part mattered. I was getting to the good stuff. "Yeah..."

"Did he have a big sword?"

"Yeah." I cocked my head, "Wait, how did you know that?"

She stiffened and averted her gaze, refusing to look at me. "I've actually been having visions similar to yours. Just...wanted to see if there was a connection, that's all."

I could tell there was more to it, but her saying she's been having visions too piqued my interest more than her connection with the cloaked guy. "You've been having visions too? What about?"

"None of your business."

"It might be." I argued, "If they're connected, both of us could be in trouble."

"Trouble? What are you talking about?"

Throwing caution to the wind, I just came out with it and told her about everything leading up to this point, starting with the Nemean Lion attack from yesterday. I didn't mention anything about my childhood, just that Hera was punishing me for that single attack, sending me to complete those labors. I told her about my vision contradicting that, with those guys saying Hera was getting desperate asking me for help, the whole island thing, the face in the clouds, all of it. She was a total stranger, but I'd been holding it in, and I felt like I was going to explode. I had to tell somebody.

Besides, if that really is her in my vision, which I'm almost sure it is, then she's connected to this whole thing somehow. She needs to know.

And Harper was a good listener. She didn't interrupt with any questions, she just took it all in, maintaining eye contact the whole time. At certain parts, I found myself having to steel my brain and focus on the task at hand, or else I'd start stuttering under her intense gaze. I'd never met a normal person with such a stare. And though I don't want to admit it...part of it had to do with her looks too.

When I finished, I took in a deep breath, regaining the air I'd lost. Harper processed all of it, shaking her head incredulously.

"Sounds like you've got your hands full."

I snorted, "Tell me about it."

"Look, I don't know why you've been seeing me in your visions, or what this Hera stuff is about, but it sounds pretty serious. Like quest level serious."

"What have you been seeing in your visions?"

She hesitated, still putting that wall up. I saw her mind deciding whether to tell me or not, jumping back and forth. It took a few seconds, but she finally came out with it.

"I've been seeing something similar for the past week. Only in mine, I was alone. I didn't see three other demigods, or that shirtless dude you mentioned. I only saw the face in the sky and the cloaked guy. But he was talking to me in my vision."

That was new. "Talking to you?"

"Yeah. He kept trying to get me to join him. It was really creepy."

I kept my thoughts to myself, but inwardly I wondered why mine differed from hers in that way. Why hadn't the cloaked man spoken to me?

The answer was obvious, he clearly had a connection to Harper in some way. She just wasn't telling me. And really, she didn't have to. That was her business.

"You have any idea who he might be?" I asked.

If she was lying, she was really good at hiding it, because I couldn't tell when she shook her head. "Not a clue. I couldn't see his face."

"Oh. Any idea on who those other two kids might be? When Nico mentioned the name Percy, I saw the other dude in the vision. Could that be him?"

"You said he was carrying around a shorter sword, right?" I nodded. "Yeah, probably Percy. And that girl could be Annabeth. Percy's girlfriend."

When Harper said that name, it happened again. A small jolt right through my body, and a flash of that girl on the beach, the one holding the bigger sword. That was her.

"I think you're right. Are they here?"

She shook her head, "Nah, they're at college in New Rome. They used to be campers here for a long time, and I thought I heard Chiron saying they were gonna be senior counselors this summer or something. I don't know for sure."

I didn't know what New Rome was, but I felt a sense of relief. Maybe I could talk to them and find out more. Maybe they've been having visions too.

I nodded, "I'll try to talk to them if they show up. I know I need to talk to Chiron, that's for sure."

She looked behind her and craned her head, "I think he's still teaching an archery class." She turned and looked at me indifferently. "We can kill some time though. You still want that tour?"

I shrugged, "Sure. Lead the way."

We walked along the amphitheater and the fighting arena, she told me about some of the fighting games that they play at camp, she told me about the occasional chariot races, the pegasi, and all kinds of stuff. I was surprised she was talking so much, I took her for more of a reserved person, but even through the stoic, tough exterior, with the way she talked about this place...I could tell she loved it. It was her home.

At some points, she would glance at my necklace, the same way she did last night. I didn't know what that was all about. Maybe something personal, like a shark attack when she was young. It wasn't my business, so I put that thought on the backburner. When she started talking about how at dinner, the campers scrape part of their food into a fire for an offering to the gods, specifically their parent, I asked, "Who's your godly parent?"

Her face darkened. I didn't think it was a touchy subject, since the campers around here seemed to be proud of their divine heritage, but then again, Harper didn't act or look like most people. As we walked around and I saw more of the campers, the more she seemed like the black sheep of the place. From the basic stuff like looks even. I noticed a big contrast in camper's suntans, shorts, and shades to Harper's paler skin, and her dark, more concealing clothes. Not to mention she seemed to be the only one carrying around her weapon at all times, while others just walked casually, the exception being people going in the arena to train.

And as far as a personality difference, that was the biggest margin. Almost everybody was laughing and smiling, upbeat and moving around constantly, while Harper seemed very closed off, only looking at what the focus was at that moment, myself and the buildings. Never smiling, glaring, and generally just in a bad mood.

I knew it wasn't my place to pry, but I was a bit curious as to why that was. What was going through her mind to make her this way? More specifically, what had she gone through? It sort of reminded me of myself, only worse.

She took a long time in answering, and I was about to apologize, when she muttered, "Nemesis."

I thought for a second. I'm not the best at naming gods and goddesses, but that one rung a bell. "The goddess of revenge?"

Her look turned defensive, "Yeah, what about it?"

I'm not the best at reading people, since I lack practice, but I got the feeling that Harper had been ridiculed and excluded before for being a daughter of Nemesis. I wasn't sure why, I didn't know if Nemesis was evil or something. I guess the whole revenge thing is kind of repelling. And her left eye...that could probably result in some teasing behind her back. Either way, she looked ready to fight me, standing in a guarded manner, like she automatically expected me to be rude and make fun of her.

"I didn't mean anything by it," I said sincerely, "Just asking, that's all. I kinda suck with mythology." I chuckled, "Probably not a good thing, huh?"

She softened, dropping her stiffness. "Oh...okay, that's- I mean, yeah, you shouldn't have a problem with that." She didn't seem to know what to do with herself. She'd actually been expecting a confrontation over nothing. "So, um, who's yours?"

"Hercules."

She raised her eyebrows, eliciting the most emotion I'd seen from her all day. It was pretty cute. "Really? I didn't even know Hercules was a god. I always pictured him as that guy that killed the big lion."

I started to say, oh, you mean that stupid cat? Yeah, crushed it earlier myself, no biggie. But I thankfully restrained myself from looking like an idiot. "Yeah, he got offered immortality after he died. I'm the one and only, I guess."

She nodded. "Cool. So does that mean you're like, super strong?"

I clicked my tongue, "Well, I'm still alive, so I guess. I've killed a few monsters, mainly because they want revenge for my dad. I'm like a walking sack of monster magnets."

"So you're pretty tough?" I swore I saw the smallest hint of a smile grow on her lips, "Couldn't tell based on last night. I brought you down with zero effort."

I knit my eyebrows, "You caught me off guard-" I started to get annoyed, but she actually let out a small chuckle and held her hands up in surrender.

"Relax, Shark Boy. I know. I don't doubt that you could rip off the head of a lion just like your dad."

My face got red at the nickname. "There you go again, calling me Shark Boy. You called me that in my vision, and you called me that last night."

"Well can you blame me? I still don't know your real name."

"Nico literally said it a few minutes ago! Were you not paying attention?"

"Not really."

I rolled my eyes, "It's Matt Beckett."

She considered that, then to my surprise, held out her hand. "Alright, nice to meet you, Matt Beckett. I'm Harper Pierce."

I shook it. Her hand was soft, which I wasn't expecting. I had no doubt she handled those knives of hers frequently, and I figured she'd be covered in callouses. But it was like wrapping my hand around a pillow. Her nails were black, matching her hair.

"Right back at you." I said.

She smirked, "But I'm still gonna call you Shark Boy. Suits you better."

Jeez, I thought. She's annoying. But not annoying in a genuine way that makes me upset. It's more endearing than that, almost like banter between two people who've known each other longer than they really have. She might be a bit reclusive and off putting, but I could tell that once she opened up, she was pretty cool.

Our hands parted, and I looked around the entire camp. "So, since Hercules doesn't have a cabin, where the hell am I gonna stay?"

"Hmm, I don't know. Usually the Hermes cabin takes in new people if they aren't claimed, it has the most campers."

"Do I have to? I usually prefer to be by myself, or just one or two more, I wouldn't mind that."

She nodded, "I get that, believe me. That's how our cabin is. Nemesis doesn't have too many kids, just three besides me. Aiden, London, and Emma."

I suddenly imagined a bunch of kids looking just like Harper. Interesting. "Sounds pretty nice. Does everybody usually get along? In general, I mean."

She shrugged, her nose scrunching up. "Yeah, I guess. I get along pretty well with my half-siblings, and the camp doesn't start a riot. Though if you mess with the Ares cabin that might happen...but usually, things go pretty smooth."

Note to self. Don't mess with the Ares cabin.

"Any place that I could bunk for the night? If my quest turns out to be...you know, a quest, I'll need some sleep."

"I guess if you get Chiron's permission you could stay in Percy's cabin. He's the only one that stays in it, and he's not here. Same goes for Zeus. We haven't had anyone in there in a while."

Before I could say anything, the sound of hooves beating against the ground entered our earshot. I looked behind Harper, finding a half man, half horse, a centaur, coming toward us. He was a middle aged guy from the waist up, a neatly trimmed beard on his chin, and medium length hair, darker brown than mine, and from the waist down, a white stallion. He wore a bow strapped to his back, right next to an empty quiver, probably unloaded on the targets at the archery range during his lesson.

This had to be Chiron.

He galloped over to us and Harper backed up to stand next to me, both of us facing him now. He slowed to a halt and set his eyes on me, his lip tight with anticipation.

"Hello, Matt. I understand you've been looking for me."

"Yes sir. I, uh...well, I've got a lot to talk about."

"I see." He shot a warm smile at Harper, "Thank you for showing our new guest around, Harper."

She nodded at him, a lot of respect in the simple gesture. "It wasn't a problem." She glanced at me without turning her shoulders, "Well, good luck. I'll see ya around."

I lifted my hand up for a tiny wave, which I mentally cringed at. Dorky move, Matt.

"See ya."

She ran off into the distance. I wasn't able to follow her direction, because Chiron walked in my line of view.

"What seems to be troubling you?"

"It's a long story." It came out as a single breath, like a released burden. "I've just got a lot of questions, sir."

He chuckled, "Alright, well then follow me my boy. Let's see if I have some answers."

(000)

Thanks for reading!

Until Next Time.