Another chapter! Glad you guys liked the previous one.

Anyways, let's just get straight into it. Enjoy!

CHAPTER 11: ONE THING AFTER THE OTHER

Dinner went by fairly quickly. Sherman engulfed his food before anyone else. It was hard to tell if he was actually chewing. I occasionally shared quick glances with Flip who would casually wave. Valerie seemed intent on simply listening to her half-siblings speak, though I did notice there was always an empty seat next to her. I assumed, at some point during the dinner, someone would come and fill it but nobody did.

The one by the Hephaestus table looked like the fairly quiet type, keeping most of his attention to what I was doing. However, he made no sudden movements, and didn't look necessarily aggressive so I decided to ignore it but still made sure to keep him within my field of view. I couldn't get a good look at his face either, amongst the numerous other heads of eating and talking demigods. He probably noticed I could see him but it didn't seem like he really cared.

As we all finished our meals and slowly began to leave the pavilion, I looked over once more to the Hephaestus cabin. When they all stood up, the boy who had been watching me towered over pretty much all of them. He had a much larger physical stature compared to the rest of his fellow half-siblings, with arms that looked like they could bend metal. He had a very militaristic hair cut, like the ones some of Mom's ranger friends would have; brown, very short and kept tight. I couldn't tell whether his tan complexion was from the sun or from the fires of the forge. The most unique thing about him, however, was that the right arm was completely wrapped in white bandages, from his wrist all the way up and under the sleeve of his camp shirt. There was a small moment when I thought he was going to approach me, but he instead just walked out of the pavilion with the rest of his cabin.

Walking out with Sherman and some of the others from the Ares cabin, we were approached by a group of other campers. Leading them was a quaint looking girl with green eyes and yellowish hair the color of wheat. She walked up to Sherman which looked odd since she stood just below two thirds of his height. Meanwhile, Sherman had this odd expression.

"Sherman," she said, unwavering.

"Hey, Miranda," Sherman replied in the softest tone I've ever heard him use. What was weirder was when the rest of us caught him staring at her for a little too long. He realized we noticed and immediately switched up his posture. "I mean, uh… that's my name don't wear it out."

The rest of our group laughed but the only one who didn't laugh as hard was Sherman.

She rolled her eyes. "Let's just cut to it. Heard you guys were running your mouth saying you guys had the best volleyball team in the camp."

"And?" he smirked as a few high-fives went around. He then pointed to Mark, who was instantly recognisable since he always wore shades, unless it was dark in which case he would wear them backwards like he was doing now. "Mark here is a monstrous outside hitter. His spikes are like gunshots."

"Well we've got Lucy." Miranda smiled, gesturing to a girl ferociously chewing on some gum. "Not a single ball hits the floor on her side of the court. Nothing gets past her."

"I guess we'll have to see then," Sherman said.

"Let's go then. Your team vs mine. Volleyball courts. Right now."

"You're on!"

The two groups started rushing off. As they did, Sherman invited me to come play or at least watch but I respectfully declined since I wouldn't have any idea what was going on and just embarrass myself.

As I watched them go, I heard some distasteful remarks from surrounding conversations. Somebody said 'those Ares kids are just a bunch of douchebags' which, naturally, didn't sit right with me as I was an 'Ares kid'. I couldn't find the exact person who said that, though I wasn't sure what I would do if I did. Nevertheless, I wasn't a fan. It was stuff like that that had the effect of damaging the whole 'welcoming' image of this place.

After leaving my siblings to their volleyball shenanigans, I didn't know what I was going to do in the meanwhile. Apparently we had some more free time after dinner until we all supposedly gathered around the bonfire and sang… again, not super stoked to embarrass myself.

I decided to go out towards the edge of the overlook where the pavilion resided. The sun was no longer above the horizon and the faint moonlight skimmed across the water.

Arthur Pride. What are you going to do?

Despite today consisting of a series of events that could only be described as 'so far so good', the underlying feelings of doubt and uncertainty still lingered. Nate's words, along with the horrifying visions from before, still felt fresh in my mind. As the moon grew higher, those emotions of fear felt more present.

From what I saw in those visions, these people– Camp Half-Blood… were 'the enemy'. Whatever that means.

The thought of them made my spine chill. I did not forget the pain I felt as I was impaled by a spear or the feeling of my chest being crushed as they cheered. The hopelessness of being hunted like prey, looking into the eyes of someone who can't be saved no matter how much you want to save them.

"You know, they were only nightmares, Arthur," Dienekes softly spoke.

"No. Nightmares are monsters under your bed and ghosts in your kitchen. This is different."

The spartan stayed silent.

"Don't you think it's a little too coincidental? All of this happening all at once?"

"It's hard for us to have a say in anything the world throws at us, Arthur. The best thing we can do is be ready for it."

There was another moment of quiet.

"This is probably nothing to you, right? Great Dienekes. Ancient warrior. Done it all, seen it all."

I expected a laugh or a retelling of some great battle but there was only silence, not even a grunt.

"I know of war, yes. Fighting to survive," he said. "But, truthfully, the gods, Olympus, half-bloods… these are all things we heard in stories and our prayers. You are the first child of a God in this family. I have as much real experience in them as you."

"Did the spartans worship the gods?"

"Of course, as did all Greeks. The Goddess Athena was our patron. Artemis, the Huntress, also found her praise in Sparta."

"No room for Ares?"

He chuckled. "Surprisingly, we spartans did not worship the God of War as much as you would expect. We found his ways to be too reckless and bloodthirsty at times… no offense."

"None taken."

Another moment passed as I sat silently, staring at the glistening sea.

"So you've been in my family all this time?" I asked, clutching at the spartan pendant around my neck. "Like, you knew my grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great grandfather, and so on."

"Great-great grandmother, actually, but yes. I am not sure what powers have placed me here, all I know is that we all share the same blood and so it is my duty to stand by you till the very end."

I just smiled. It was a comforting thought.

"Arthur," Dienekes' tone shifted. His usual objective, monotone manner changed. "I have seen this family through many battles and countless conflicts. Yet, with one so young as yourself, it is–"

There was a slight pause in his speech, before continuing.

"I was thrust into war as a child, along with many of your ancestors. That was my world, but it is not yours. Though some of your challenges may seem… foreign, I will do my best to help you overcome them just as I did for your mother."

Those words filled me with a sense of gratitude and I had a feeling Dienekes already knew that.

"I appreciate that a lot, Dienekes… D. Is it alright if I call you D?"

"Is my name too difficult for you?"

"Not necessarily… but saying it all the time can be a little frustrating."

"Hmph… I suppose–"

"D, it is."

The old spartan sighed.

The rest of my time at the overlook, I simply watched the water as it subtly waved in the night breeze. I thought back to the new life I had been introduced to. I picked at the grass at my feet recalling my tour with Travis, the strange yet heartwarming welcome into the Ares flock, the fun little incident with Flip and Val.

They're not so bad, huh?

I looked back at the dining pavilion. The assembly of campers had dispersed a while ago and now only a few groups and stragglers remained in the area.

I should probably go see what everyone else is doing.

My alone time was over. I went back down to the cabins, hoping to find somebody that I knew. Campers were already slowly huddling around the massive campfire in the middle but there were still plenty in and out of the cabins, wandering and talking amongst themselves. Nobody said anything as I walked by them but it definitely felt like they wanted nothing to do with me, usually just shifting to another spot as I got close. Some just looked annoyed that I was there whilst others looked like they were afraid I was going to hurt them.

I'm accepted into one group but it looks like it only rejected me from the rest.

It was the end of the day. Everyone seemed to have been tapped out from their rigorous training and lessons, whilst I had still yet to get a taste of what a full 'day-in-the-life at camp half-blood' was like. Looking around, I managed to spot Travis, along with Val and some others hanging outside the Hermes cabin.

I walked over. Thankfully Val noticed me and comfortably inserted me into the conversation so I wouldn't have to. I hate awkward entrances.

"Where'd you go off to?" she asked.

"Decided to chill at the overlook, it's a pretty good view."

"Sounds boring."

I looked at her. "What's wrong with boring?"

She just shook her head in a combination of amusement and disbelief.

I felt a hand tap my shoulder as Travis gave me one of his signature grins. "Arthur! How was dinner?"

"It was alright." I shrugged. "Bet I could make something better though."

"You cook?"

"Better than anyone," I replied.

Hey, I'm proud of my skill set, okay?

"Woah, don't let the dryads hear you sayin' that. Though… Now that you've said it, you definitely have to make something for all of us."

Now that he mentions it, I do have a few recipes in mind.

"Just nothing dairy," Travis went on to say. "I'm lactose intolerant so I'd rather not mess up the toilets. I'm already constantly changing my bed sheets every morning. I'm still a bed-wetter."

I was taken aback by the sudden bluntness. I stared at him in confusion, with an ever so slight hint of revulsion. What's weird was he looked proud. I could see all the other Hermes kids just giggling, even Val.

"Oh." I struggled to make eye-contact. "I mean that's cool. There's nothing wrong with tha–"

All of a sudden I hear a guttural yell in the distance. Stomping his feet up to the Hermes cabin was… Travis? But then who's– oh right.

"CONNOR!" The Hermes boy shot his brother a look. "What did you tell him!?"

"Nothing bro, I swear. Just that you're lactose intolerant… and you wet the bed."

"My brother, ladies and gentlemen. He's hilarious isn't he? Arthur, please don't listen to him. He's lying."

"It's all good, Travis, I know he's just joking." A smile crept on my face. "One question… who replaces the sheets?"

The rest of the Hermes cabin bursted into laughter as Travis' face lit up like a tomato. Soon, however, he quickly joined in. Who is he to get mad at a good ol' fashioned prank. Val and Travis took the time to introduce me to some of the other cabin members. A lot of them seemed apprehensive, especially when he got to the 'Ares' part. It was clear that they felt unsure of me, maybe even a little intimidated. Travis had to tell them there was nothing to worry about which put me off a little. It was the same way you'd tell a guest 'don't worry, the dog doesn't bite'. I mean I get the Ares cabin is a bit of an unorderly bunch and I've heard the term 'bullies' tossed around here and there but upon meeting them, they weren't so bad. That could be a little biased of me but not every cabin can be perfect, right?

I sensed the group discussion started to get more and more awkward so I quietly took my leave. Val seemed to be the only one who noticed – or cared.

"Got better things to do?" she said as she jogged alongside to catch up.

"Hm, nope. Just felt like I wasn't needed."

"You don't have to be needed in a conversation, just welcomed."

"Then… maybe I didn't feel welcomed."

"Is that what you think?"

I just shrugged, not really sure how to give a proper answer.

"Well that conversation was getting too slow for me anyways." She tapped a little drum beat on the side of her legs. "So am I welcome in this conversation?"

"Sure."

The two of us continued our stroll, making our way to the massive campfire in the middle. We initiated some basic small talk that quickly grew into a mini-game of icebreakers. I told her about the constantly changing living situation in between Georgia and Los Angeles, until finally moving to New York. Told her a little bit about my Mom, a little bit about high-school, a lot about cooking. I stayed clear of the not-so-flattering side of recent events, for obvious reasons. Then Val told me a bit about herself. She came from a fairly upper-class upbringing until coming to camp half-blood at a very young age. She told me that she ran away, which was apparently common for many of the campers here and her main obsession has always been fencing.

"It's just something about it that's so fast-paced," she said. I could see her eyes light up as she went more in to detail. "...a few seconds is all it takes."

"I guess that explains the fidgeting." I gestured to her finger, tapping on the hilt of her dagger at a consistently fast rhythm.

She looked at me with slight surprise, then acknowledgement. "Most people tend not to notice that… but yeah. I don't know. I just like being fast. Get things done quicker. It's probably a Hermes thing but I seem to have it a lot more than the other guys."

"Does it bother you?"

"Eh, not really. It's just how I am. It's useful in most situations."

"Well, you're lucky." I looked into the crackling firewood. "You got speed and I got temperament issues."

For a moment she seemed perplexed. "Really? You look pretty calm and well-adjusted to me."

I laughed halfheartedly. "That's thanks to years of practice and management. The reality is, at least for me, it's not that I'm always throwing tantrums; it just comes out at the worst possible times…"

My mind drifted back to the memory of that fight in the cafeteria. I don't think I'll ever forget it.

Valerie sighed. "Yeah, I get that. Note that I said being fast is useful in 'most' situations, and that's only for me. It's not always great for the people around you."

"How so?"

She let out a nervous chuckle. "Well I wasn't the most law-abiding child. Took some things I didn't necessarily pay for."

"Ooo, she's a criminal."

"Oh and I was a pretty good one too," she grinned proudly. "My mother bought me anything I ever wanted, but it never felt earned. So I took what I felt was earned. I always felt bad afterwards, but the rush and effort it took to just take something for myself rather than it being handed to me felt good. The best part? They were never able to catch us."

"Us?" I asked her.

The smile on her face quickly faded as her whole expression shifted. For only a moment, there was a small glint of vulnerability in her eyes before she quickly transitioned back to her usual stern enthusiasm. Her head glanced in a direction slightly to my right.

"Here he comes, ladies and gentlemen. Phillip Ganzorig!" Val called out in a mocking tone.

The nonchalant stride of Flip dropped as he slumped over, trying to use the collars of his jacket to hide his face. A few snickers were heard among the groups of demigods.

"I seriously regret telling you my real name," he grumbled.

"Oh, I'm making sure of that." Val smirked.

"'Sup, Arthur."

"Yo, Flip. What've you been doing?"

"Ah, just hanging out with my half-siblings. Chiara had a lot of gossip today. They were also very interested in our little forest escapade earlier."

"What'd you tell'em?" Val asked.

"The truth; I came up with a magnificent plan and saved the day."

She scoffed. "You mean how it took you more than 10 minutes to calm the horse down and even then you did it in the most dumb way possible?"

"You mean how I managed to find the horse before you did?" he rebutted.

"Your name's funny."

"You smell funny."

I sighed.

The three of us sat by the fire as the massive flames lit the entirety of the area surrounding it. Pretty much everyone had arrived for the nightly bonfire sing-along, to which I was genuinely surprised to hear was actually pretty good. Of course, the Apollo cabin did most of the work with their harmonies but everyone else held their own. Even the ones who could use a bit of tuning (like me) still seemed to be having fun. All the while the embers sparked a golden hue as the campfire endlessly burned. Everybody around me kept singing whilst I took a moment to scan the crowd of campers.

I wonder if that guy was still watching me…

"Who you lookin' for?"

To my surprise, Flip was no longer caught in the rapture of the sing-a-long and looked at me as if he had been analyzing my every move. Made me wonder if he ever sung in the first place.

"Nobody."

"Yeah… you're not good at that."

Well, at least I tried.

"Come on," he said. "Tell me."

"Alright, there was a guy eyeing me throughout all of dinner," I answered. He then became very intrigued. "I'm just trying to see if he's still around."

He rubbed the underside of his chin. "Got any idea of what he looks like?"

"Oh yeah, he's pretty hard to miss," I replied. "Big dude, his whole right arm is bandaged up, I think he's in the Hephaestus cabin as well."

"Ah."

"You know him?"

He nodded. "Only by name. Emile Forrester."

Emile Forrester. I'll remember that name.

Flip continued. "You're right about one thing, he is hard to miss. Spends a lot of his spare time in the forge, even for a child of Hephaestus. All I know is that he usually keeps to himself, doesn't like to bother people or be bothered. Especially after Beckendorf passed. He was the Hepheastus counselor before Jake. To be fair, that was a hard hit for everyone."

"I'm... sorry to hear that."

"Don't be." Flip quickly moved on from the subject. "In terms of what he has to do with you; Well, everyone heard about how you came into camp…"

"Yeah?"

"And other than Beckendorf, Emile only really talked to one other person."

"Who?"

"Birch."

My stomach sank. Shit. That was my instant reaction. The guilt and regret came piling in after. I realized I couldn't have only been the one to know the cop-flick loving, jolly satyr. I realized that not only did I fail to protect my friend but I failed to protect someone else's, which is arguably worse.

Who knows how many others I let down?

I tried not to think about it but the idea was already planted in my mind and it wasn't leaving anytime soon. Once more, I looked around for any sign of Emile but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Don't worry about it," Flip said. "I doubt he'd hold a grudge… probably."

Some wise words and encouragement from the son of Tyche, everybody. Well, to be fair, he's not a son of Athena.

I just proceeded to look into the flames as the singing slowly became white noise in the background.

Just when I thought things were starting to mellow out a bit… It's just one thing after the other. More reminders of how I spectacularly stuffed up. Good job, Arthur. Good fucking job.

"What's going on? What's happening?" Val whispered, catching on to our small conversation.

"I don't even know anymore…" I croaked.

"He's having a moment," Flip told Val.

"Shut up." I exhaled an additional breath of dread. I began the process of slowing my mind down.

"Ooft, there's going to be a lot of those." Val slapped me on the back.

"Thanks guys."

The sing-a-long went on for another 15 minutes or so. Suffice to say, during my little crisis, I discovered a whole new array of songs such as; 'This Land is Minos' Land', 'My Achilles' Heel', 'Fell in with a Nymph' and 'Reflection' – not the Mulan one, but about a guy who died upon literally seeing his reflection. Flip and Val managed to cheer me up slightly, though it's hard to distract yourself from your own brain.

After a while, the songs began to die down as the atmosphere gradually became quiet. Not one word was said but somehow I could tell the mood had shifted and I was the only one that was out of it. I looked around at everyone's faces. They all sat and listened to the cracking of firewood and the chirping of the night crickets. I was under the impression that gathering around the campfire was purely for sing-a-longs and smores but what came next was entirely different. There was a collective subtle change of expression. I felt out of place very fast. The whole thing was pretty surreal and it took me out of my mind for a bit. I did the only thing I could do, I just listened…

"So…" began Travis, "he disappears all of a sudden, and finds himself in a Roman Camp Half-Blood–"

"Camp Jupiter," another voice said.

"–right, sorry Jason– Camp Jupiter, which is in a rather undisclosed location on the other side of the country."

"Doesn't get more Percy than that," Connor added.

"I know," replied the girl named Annabeth, from before. "I'm going to kill him."

Clarisse chuckled. "I definitely wanna see that."

"Who's Percy?" I whispered, hoping for either Val or Flip to reply but the both of them just shushed me.

"Should we really be discussing this?" a girl piped up.

"Well, it's not exactly a secret, Katie."

"Yeah!" another voice joined the fray. This time it belonged to a rather enthusiastic smile on a kid that reminded me of Travis but smaller and somehow more troublesome. "Otherwise, how else would you know how my masterpiece is coming along."

"Our masterpiece, Leo," somebody said to him. "You're not the only one building it."

There were a few more murmurs on his side as he nodded.

"Right, right, thanks, Nyssa." He then stood up, like he was making an announcement. "Okay, everyone, do any of you remember the safety rules regarding Bunker 9?"

Campers started scratching their heads and looking towards the ground.

"Ay, me cago en la leche… alright I'll remind you– again," he cleared his throat. "Starting with code: Five dash Two Zero–"

There was a loud groan that reverberated throughout the entire audience of demigods.

"Okay fine!" Leo exclaimed. "Just don't touch anything without explicit permission. Especially Festus… or his head –which is technically the same thing– or you're all in for a Valdez special. We're talking shaving cream. We're talking… jelly. We're talking… oil. We're talking second degree burns– we're talking third degree burns. We're talking gum in all of your furniture but not like the ones that are a day old but like the really crusty, dried up one's in all the cracks where you gotta really get in there and scrape– "

"Thank you, Leo, I think we got it," Annabeth said with her best attempt at a reassuring smile.

The boy in overalls shot her a double thumbs up before jumping back down next to the boy I knew as Jason, who shook him approvingly on the shoulder, and one other girl I didn't know the name of. There was another moment of silent murmuring amongst each other, kind of like an intermission, until it was quiet again.

Then Will broke the silence, once more. "After surviving nearly one impending destruction of Olympus, we've got another one… and it's much worse."

There was a resounding ensemble of sighs and 'yeps'.

"Would anyone like to hear the prophecy again?" A red-haired girl spoke up.

And then a resounding ensemble of groans and 'nopes'

"How long's it been?" Jake Mason asked.

"Almost 6 months," Clarisse answered, staring blankly into the fire.

Then came a dead silence. It was hard to believe that only a few minutes ago, everyone was joyfully singing songs and laughing with each other. I watched as the flames flickered slightly, like a broken light-bulb. For a split-second, bits of the flame shimmered to a dark purple before reverting back to its bright gold.

I was waiting for an explanation but nobody spoke. Usually, any sane person with respectable social skills would see this as the perfect time to keep your mouth shut but then you have someone like me…

"6 months since what?" I said.

Ooft, tough crowd.

Travis, Will, Clarisse and the like understandably gave a hesitant smile but some of the others looked at me in just pure disappointment, kind of like a 'really man?', whilst the rest were just astounded that somebody asked.

"He's new," Flip nervously chuckled, doing his best to reassure everyone.

"Sorry," I sheepishly said, "I wasn't aware it was a touchy subject."

"Don't be," Annabeth spoke up. "It's all in the past. Anyways, if you're going to be a part of this strange family, you should probably know about it. And as much as it may hurt us, it's something we shouldn't forget… no matter how much we want to."

The blonde-haired girl looked towards the rest of the crowd of campers as they solemnly gazed into the fire.

"The Second Titan War," she began, "for a lot of us, it was simultaneously the worst and best part of our lives. There were a lot of victories… and our fair share of defeats."

That last part sounded like something had got caught in her throat. Like there was a sudden bad taste in her mouth she couldn't get out. It reminded me of how Mom would react when I asked her questions about some of her not-so-flattering experiences during some of her tours.

"It ended with the Battle of Manhattan," Will went on to say. "That was 6 months ago."

Once again, something seemed to have cut through the air and the atmosphere changed into a more grim mood than before. I glanced at both Valerie and Flip and they had grave expressions on their faces. They wouldn't even make eye contact. Flip stared at the ground whilst Val looked straight into the fire.

"We won," Will said, "but lost a lot of good friends."

The purple colouration grew more vibrant around the edges of the flames. It didn't take a mind-reader to tell what everyone was feeling. Even Clarisse, when I looked at her, showed vulnerability, maybe even more so than others. People did their best to keep the overall composure but I could tell some were not able to hold back a few tears.

"The most messed up part," Travis spoke, in the most sincere manner I've heard him speak, "was that we fought our own."

Suddenly, Val got up out of her seat and walked off without saying a word…

"I think that's enough of a history lesson for one night," the voice of Chiron uttered.

I didn't even notice he had been standing close by, listening to the discussions around the campfire. The wise centaur watched as the flames slowly died down and the purple embers drifted away. He glanced in my direction and gave me a slight smile and a quick nod before assisting in putting a close to the campfire session. One by one, campers began to return to their cabins as Chiron made sure to remind everyone of the nightly curfews. As I watched people start to leave, I felt rather guilty about how the night as a whole ended. I felt like I just reminded everyone of the last thing they wanted to remember.

I turned to Flip. "Hey, is Val alright?"

"Don't worry, she'll be fine," he replied.

"And you?" I watched Flip's expressions as he seemed to space out for a moment. It was hard to read any emotion on his face. He looked his usual self but there was something different in the way he composed himself. "How are you feelin'?"

"Yeah." He smiled, taking the silver coin out his pocket and flipping it once more. "We've all got things to think about don't we?"

For the first time, I looked up into the night sky. "Yeah."

The both of us made our exit. I insisted on walking with him to his cabin before saying our farewells for the day.

"I'll tell you what, Arthur," he said to me, "we've got one hell of a 'how we met' story."

"You're definitely right about that." I chuckled.

"Have a good one, chief. I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, man." I began walking back to my cabin before calling back to him. "Oh and can we stop with the nicknames?"

"Whatever you say, slick!"

As I made my way back to the Ares cabin, I saw somebody coming towards me. It was hard to tell from this distance and at night, but I suspected it to be Sherman. However, as they approached me, I was surprised to find that it wasn't Sherman or anybody else from the Ares cabin for that matter. It was Jason. The boy I saw in the combat arena earlier today. My mind froze for a moment but my body kept on walking. I wasn't really sure what to do as this was the first time today someone actually approached me unprompted. He proceeded to wave at me as he broke into a light jog.

Man… seeing him up close was so much more different.

We were about the same height and I could now see he had some rather regal attributes to him. His blue eyes sparked with electricity, but that could just be me, and I bet that scar on his lip has a pretty tough backstory to it. His good looks were almost intimidating, so to have him all of a sudden walk straight towards me was a little unnerving. Of course, I made sure I didn't show it.

"Hey… Arthur?" he asked.

"Yep, that's me."

"Chiron told me a little bit about you when I asked."

"You asked?" I looked at him a bit dumbfounded.

"Yeah. I'm Jason, by the way." He took my hand and shook it. "Thought I'd take the opportunity to meet you and wanted to let you know that what you did earlier was pretty brave of you."

"Really?" I replied. "I think I dug up some unnecessary trauma for everyone. I kind of feel more like a dick."

"Don't be. You had no idea. I didn't either, at least for a while. It's understandable. I mean, I've only been here for a few weeks."

"Oh, so this demigod stuff is all new to you as well, huh?"

Jason scratched the back of his head as he chuckled. "Uh… yes and no."

I decided not to bother questioning him any further.

"I saw the look on your face as you walked out, and I'm just saying don't feel too bad. You don't need to have it all figured out on the first day. I, for sure, didn't."

As imposing as this guy looked, he was extremely kind. There was a sense of an unspoken recognition between the two of us. Like he understood my problems and I understood his.

"How do you do it?" I asked him.

"To be honest with you, I have no idea."

At that instant, I could hear voices in the distance calling to him as he turned towards their direction.

"I gotta run, but it was nice meeting you. I'll see you around."

He gave me one last nodding smile as he made his way over to two figures by the campfire.

Once I was back in Cabin 5, half of the guys were getting ready for bed whilst the other half were very much still up and about. I for one was definitely ready for some rest and climbed up into my bunk. The constant rock music was thankfully turned off whilst I began to wind down. It was the last hour of the day and I spent the rest of it just having some casual conversation with Sherman who was in the bunk below me. He told me about some of the training we'd be doing tomorrow but more importantly, he was excited about my first experience playing Capture the Flag at the end of the week. I guess we were just going to have to see.

The time for 'lights out' had finally come around and for the first time, the Ares cabin was silent. Of course there was still the whispering conversations and giggling but it was relatively quiet compared to how it was during the day. I laid still, looking up at the ceiling.

I'm a son of a Greek god, monsters are real and I'm walking around with a talking dead spartan who happens to be my ancestor…

What… a fucking… day…

And that's only scratching the surface. I also can't forget about Birch. I just can't. I'm going to get him back, somehow. I don't know how but I will if it's the one thing I do right. It's what Mom would do, it's what she taught me. I can't disappoint… not again, not anymore…

I clenched my fist tightly as I felt the sudden urge to hit something. There was a tightening in my chest as I felt something build up from the bottom of my stomach to my throat.

'Phalanx', I repeated in my mind and gradually my breathing slowed down.

I need to sleep…

I shut my eyes, wondering what the next day would bring and where this new life was going to take me. I had hoped for a peaceful sleep, but all I got was nightmares.