"Hey! Who stole my pen?!" an outraged voice screeched over the usual chaos of Cabin 11.
"Borrowed," one of the Stoll brothers corrected; Percy still couldn't tell them apart. The small girl who'd first discovered her missing pen now narrowed her eyes, and the brother was quick to add, "And I didn't touch it."
She looked seconds away from launching herself at him anyway, and the Stoll brother backed away nervously despite her much smaller size. Percy couldn't really blame him; the girl looked a bit feral, like she might well go for the throat. And in a camp like this one, who knew what kind of powers her tiny frame hid. Luke didn't look inclined to do anything to help his brother, either.
"Aren't you going to rescue your brother?" Percy asked. He was still new enough himself to feel uncomfortable at just how…feral the camp could feel. Like the grownups didn't just ignore the violence but encouraged it. They had actual weapons training and kids climbed a literal death trap for fun. Cabin mates did tend to look out for each other, Percy had noticed, but Cabin 11 was in a rather unique position. Unlike the others, it wasn't full of half-siblings who had some common bond. Well, a few were Hermes' kids. The rest were a mess of conflicting talents and interests whose only commonality was being an unclaimed half-blood. Though, very likely, even if they weren't all siblings they were probably still family in some way or another. The more Percy learned about the family tree, the more he wondered how children of the gods all ended up with cool powers instead of horrific birth defects. The limbs of the family tree were so entwined that it wasn't so much a tree as a ladder.
Luke only shrugged at Percy's question and said, "Connor got himself into this; he can get himself out." And Luke probably had a point; there was a very good chance in fact that the Stoll brother, Connor apparently, had stolen the girl's pen. It still made Percy uncomfortable. The girl was chasing him around the cabin and looked ready to draw blood.
Luckily for Connor, more voices joined in across the cabin.
"Has anyone seen my pillow?"
"I had my knife right here, and now it's gone!"
"My wallet!"
Once the cries started going up, new cries joined them as everyone started checking on their stuff and in every corner, someone found something missing. Luke rolled his eyes up to the heavens and sighed.
"Alright!" he shouted across the cabin, "I'm starting a list! Everyone check your things, and if anything is missing, it goes on the list! And Connor…stop playing with Ellie and go bring in the mail."
Percy didn't really have his own stuff to check, just a borrowed sleeping bag that was more holes than bag, and a couple changes of clothes curtesy of the camp store. He didn't really care if it went missing; it would be annoying, but the stuff didn't feel like his anyway and he could probably get replacements. So instead of hurrying to the bit of ground he'd claimed, he followed Connor. He'd never seen mail delivered before; the last time it had come he'd been away from the cabin, and he was slightly curious how it worked. Even though he knew none of it would be for him. Smelly Gabe didn't have his address even if he'd been inclined to write and his mom…his mom wasn't going to be writing him.
Percy had a vague idea that either they'd have to walk to the Big House or that there was some kind of mailbox he'd missed. Instead, there was just a stack of letters and packages right outside the door, with a rock over the letters to keep them from blowing away. It was just as well Percy had followed, because there was a lot and Connor immediately took advantage of his shadow by dumping half of the mail in Percy's hands.
"What's going on?" Percy asked Connor as they went back into the cabin where pandemonium still reined as everyone took inventory of their things. "And couldn't the mail have waited?"
"The mail is why all this is going on," Connor explained, grinning as if he found the whole thing one big joke. "Dad delivers the mail. He usually looks in on the cabin then, too. And when he checks in on us…things go missing."
"Hermes," Percy started to say, meaning to say something like 'steals from you?!' only for Connor to interrupt him to hiss, "Lord Hermes." Connor wasn't the first to autocorrect Percy when he forgot the honorific, but it was startling to have someone as companionable as Connor correct him so seriously. Percy stared at him with wide eyes and Connor sighed.
"You have to respect the gods. My dad probably wouldn't do more than give you a look since you're still a kid and all but…there are gods out there who would smite you dead where you stand for forgetting the 'Lord' or 'Lady'. Better to always use it. Always. Well, maybe not with your own dad. I can't speak for him, but my dad always gets a funny look on his face when one of his own kids calls him 'Lord Hermes'. Sometimes Luke does it on purpose; it's hilarious. But seriously…respect the gods."
"Right…Lord Hermes," said Percy, and then was so sidetracked he forgot what he had been about to say. At any rate, Connor started shouting out names and passing out the mail while Luke went around with his 'list', so the chance was lost for the moment.
None of the mail was for Percy. He knew it wouldn't be. He still got a lump in his throat as the last of the mail was distributed. He wasn't the only camper with nothing, but…watching others tear into their letters and packages just reminded him of how alone he was. He retreated to his own spot on the floor, swallowing back an embarrassing urge to start crying. It would be such a stupid thing to cry over, and he didn't want the attention. He didn't want the pity.
Only, when he got to his bit of floor, he couldn't find it. There was no ratty sleeping bag full of holes. There was no pathetic pile of basic clothes. Or rather, there was the latter, but it took him a moment because someone else's stuff had been dumped over the clothes. There was a folded-up camping cot over which sat a brand new sleeping bag and a building backpack.
"Hey!" he shouted, "This was my spot! Who put their stuff here?!"
No one nearby answered his accusations or claimed the items smothering his only clothes into the dusty floor. And what about his sleeping bag? It wasn't much, but it was still better than absolutely nothing. Turns out, he did care if his pathetic little pile of stuff was stolen. Oddly enough, the urge to cry diminished instead of increased at this casual cruelty. He was angry. He eyed every passing kid, waiting for someone to confess so he could launch into them. But no one gave the things on the floor a passing glance.
Finally, when no one came forward, he went to Luke to complain.
"Someone stole my sleeping bag," he started but couldn't finish his outraged complaint when Luke just picked up his pen and mumbled, "sleeping bag-Percy" as he wrote it on his growing list.
"No," Percy tried again to explain, "It's not like the rest it's…someone else tried to take over my spot!"
"Tell them to move off," Luke said absently, and then turned to shout over the whole cabin, "I'm taking the list! If anyone notices something missing after I leave, they will have to search the Nest themselves!"
And Luke left. This time, Percy did not follow, instead going back to glare at the pile of junk left in his spot. Scowling, he decided fair was fair and went snooping in the backpack. If whoever owned it hadn't wanted him to open it up, they shouldn't have shoved it in his spot. Besides, maybe there would be a name.
The backpack was mostly filled with clothes, regular clothes, though there were four official camp shirts stuffed in. There seemed to be an entire wardrobe's worth of attire: t-shirts and shorts, jeans, cargo pants, underwear, socks, pajamas, swimming trunks, even a jacket. Percy wasn't sure how it had all fit once he dumped the entire load out over the cot. There was also a small bag which turned out to have toiletries: a toothbrush, some toothpaste, and a bottle of all purpose soap. All Percy's snooping had taught him so far was that whoever had left it there was probably a boy, based on the clothing choices, particularly the underwear, and must be about his own age since all the clothes would also fit Percy.
"Oh, hey, you finally got some more clothes, then?" Connor asked, showing up again suddenly. "I thought we'd have to raid the store for you soon after what happened to your other shirt."
"They aren't mine," Percy explained, with perhaps a hint of bitterness, because Connor was right. After the lava had managed to burn a hole in his only still pristine shirt provided by the camp, his clothing situation was starting to look desperate. And now there was some kid his own size who had a whole backpack full, and the privileged little brat dumped it right over Percy's meager supplies.
"Did you steal them, then?" Connor asked, sounding delighted rather than judgmental. He studied Percy more closely. "You don't look like another brother, but, I suppose, welcome to the clan anyway." And he threw out his arms to give him a hug. Percy allowed it, cautiously, but the comforting weight felt stolen, and he stayed stiff until Connor backed off again.
"I didn't steal it," Percy tried to explain better this time. "Someone took my sleeping bag, and all this stuff was dumped in my spot." Then, remembering Luke writing about the sleeping bag on the list, "Did Lord Hermes steal my bag? He…he steals from kids?"
And smiting or no smiting, it was really hard not to say exactly what Percy thought about that.
"Oh, we get it all back," Connor assured Percy. "That's what the list is for. If Luke doesn't find it, you can go look in the Nest."
"Nest?" Percy asked, as confused as ever.
"Well, not really a nest. That's just its name. The Magpie's Nest. If something goes missing…or if you find something lying around, you go to the Nest. It's where lost stuff…turns up. And it's not always Dad taking stuff; it is just the Lost and Found, really."
"Still…" Percy said, because it wasn't right, even if he did give it back. But he didn't voice all that, still remember Connor hissing at him, 'Lord Hermes' and not wanting another lecture. So instead he concentrated on the newest affront. "And who dumped their stuff in my space then? That wasn't Lord Hermes because he doesn't sleep here and, anyway, the clothes are my size."
Connor gave Percy a really weird look, then said, in a slow and careful way, "So…a bag of clothes that are your size were left in your spot…"
"Yes!" Percy shouted, glad that someone was getting it, even if Connor was still giving Percy a look. Almost like he thought Percy a bit slow.
"Percy…" Connor started, stopped, then grinned. "Well, I say finders keepers. If they're in your spot, they must be yours now."
From across the room, a girl that Percy only vaguely knew exclaimed, "Oh, yeah, a cot! No more floor!"
There were a few similar cries, around the room. New sleeping bags, new shoes, even a new pair of glasses. It was almost the exact opposite of the earlier cries of dismay. Connor clapped Percy on the shoulder.
"Dad doesn't just take stuff; sometimes he leaves stuff, too," he said with a wink, and then went over to his own bed where he gave an excited cry once he'd searched under his pillow. Percy was left staring at the pile of new clothes and things, feeling very, very confused.
Were they meant for him? But…if they came from Lord Hermes…why? How would the god even know what Percy had needed? And why would he give Percy anything even if he did know? Was…was he actually Percy's dad? All of Hermes' children had a certain elfin look that Percy was sure he didn't share, but…why else would a god go out of his way to give so much? Percy had almost gotten used to how grudgingly the grownups of the camp had offered him anything he needed. Sure they made sure he had clothes…the bare minimum, and a place to sleep…in a ratty old sleeping bag on the floor. Percy didn't need more, anyway. Not really. He had always been a 'go with the flow' kind of kid, at least until the flow got too hot, and then he'd find his own way even if he had to fight the current.
This made no sense. Luke said…Luke insisted that the gods didn't really care about any of them. And the overflowing cabin of unclaimed kids supported this. The gift…if it was a gift…the gift did not. Slowly, Percy stuffed the things back into the backpack, somehow making it all fit again, then unfolded the cot and sat on it. His old clothes remained in a squished heap on the floor, looking like rags left behind on cleaning day more than proper clothing.
No one ever tried to claim the bag, cot, or new sleeping bag. His old sleeping bag never turned up again, not even when Connor and Ellie showed him the way to the Magpie Nest. Just as stated, it wasn't a nest at all, but a large chest kept at the Big House on the porch. Next to the mailboxes. Each cabin had its own box. Apparently, for any cabin besides Cabin 11, to get their mail they had to come all the way to the Big House.
On the other hand, Cabin 11 was the only cabin that had to make a 'list' on days when the mail arrived, so Percy wasn't sure how much of a privilege it was to get the mail direct. Though, once he'd fully accepted the new stuff as his own…whatever Luke thought, Percy donated some of his dinner to Hermes, the god of thieves. And the god of wayfarers.
And perhaps, for the first time, he felt a little bit less alone, like a visiting stranger, and more like a fellow half-blood who had found his way home.