The next morning, Percy was almost bombarded with questions about what had happened by Cabin 11, the rest of the camp just as curious about the new arrivals, and the happenings of the night before.

Percy was grateful when Theo eventually dragged him over to their table, seating Percy on the edge, Theo on the inside, as though he was protecting him from the others. Percy all but collapsed on the table, slumped forward as he tried his hardest not to fall asleep.

He felt exhausted.

The girl, Annabeth, he had come to learn as they trudged their way back to the big house, did not take to Percy. At all.

At the time, Percy had been too tired to care, the energy which had been coursing through his body before, and buoying him through those moments had all but disappeared, leaving him exhausted, stumbling along just behind the group as the nightmare and rest of the night finally caught up to him.

When they had arrived back at the Big House, Chiron left them in the same front room Percy had been in moments earlier, his hot chocolate now, sadly, cold.

Percy, in his state of tiredness, really couldn't really remember what he had done, if anything at all, before suddenly Annabeth was yelling at him.

He may have also yelled back. At that point he had been too frustrated, too tired to care. Chiron had come back in at that point, sporting more hot chocolate, the satyr and the older demigod hauling the two of them away from each other as they continued their screaming match.

Then, suddenly, Percy was being dragged out of the Big House, supported by the satyr.

He remembered the anger roaring through his ears, blood pumping, but the cool air tempered it slightly, and that was when he burst into tears.

And they didn't stop.

For a few minutes, the satyr had awkwardly attempted to comfort him, patting him lightly on the shoulder.

When Percy's sobs had died down, the satyr had helped him back to Cabin 11, just in time for Theo to notice Percy was missing.

Curious sleepy glances had looked at, and then dismissed the two as the satyr talked with Theo in hushed whispers.

Percy had let himself be manhandled back into his bunk, uncaring of the mud caking his pjs, before he had fallen asleep for a few more hours, the conch horn an unwelcome sound to Percy's already exhausted body.

Theo had dragged him up and out of the bed, shoving him into the shower, designated only for the cabin counsellor.

The warm water had revived Percy just a little, but its effects had very quickly diminished once he had stepped out of the shower.

At least he was no longer covered in mud.

That was when the barrage of questions had started, and Theo had become his personal bodyguard, keeping Percy close to himself, half dragging, half carrying Percy to the food pavilion.

And so Percy was slumped at the table, blinking blearily as he tried to stay awake enough to eat.

But, much to his dismay, before they could eat, Chiron cleared his throat, the two demigods from the previous night standing behind him.

The pavilion quickly turned into a hush, everyone scrambling to find their seats.

"Good morning, campers," Chiron began, eyes scanning the crowd, the few stragglers finally settling in. "As some of you may be aware, last night, we gained two new campers, but lost another." A pause. "We will be having a shroud burning in the arena this afternoon to honour her passing, and her bravery in giving her life for her friends."

The silence stretched on as Percy shuffled slightly, seeing the sombre looks on everyone's faces, before he made eye contact with Beckendorf, who was giving him a look.

Percy wasn't quite sure what it meant, but he figured if it was important, Beckendorf would ask him later. Or Percy himself would ask.

"Now," Chiron continued. "As there have already been a few rumours which have started to spread, it is true that this demigod, Thalia Grace was a daughter of Zeus." The whispers began, and Percy felt tension rise slightly in the pavilion. He just wanted to know when he could go back to bed. "To commemorate her passing, and her bravery in standing up and protecting her friends, her father turned her into a tree, from which now emanates a magical barrier, which so far, seems to hold against the few monsters left over from their chase. I ask that to honour her memory, none of you-" this glance was sent to a few of the more… mischievous Hermes campers "- deface this tree in any way, particularly as it now serves as a better protection to camp."

Nods were shared, and for once, Percy noticed, even the kids of Hermes seemed to agree. He agreed too. Thalia had been brave, braver than many.

Percy didn't know if he could be as brave as her, didn't know if anyone could. In a way, he supposed he looked up to her for what she had done.

Taking a stand, knowing there was a high possibility she was going to die… Percy respected her for it.

"Now," Chiron began, the mutterings and whisperings once more coming to a grinding halt. "I would like everyone to welcome our two new campers."

He urged both of them forward, the girl reluctant as she glared down at the ground, like she could burn a hole and sink down into it if she glared hard enough.

For two people who had supposedly been on the run, and just lost a friend, they looked surprisingly okay.

Alright, maybe the girl glaring at the floor, her hair still tangled, borrowed clothes hanging off her frame, the boy staring straight ahead pale and unmoving were maybe not signs of them being okay, but Percy was not going to approach the girl again, no matter what people may try and bribe him with.

She was mean.

"This is Annabeth Chase and Luke Castellan," Chiron said, smiling tiredly. "Annabeth is a daughter of Athena, and Luke is a son of Hermes. Please treat them both with kindness and respect. They've journeyed a long way, and been through a lot."

Annabeth and Luke were then shuffled off to their tables, Luke sitting opposite Percy, Annabeth to the Athena table.

Food was brought out, and for a few blissful moments, as Percy tiredly scooped food into his mouth, everything was alright.

It turned out that a shroud burning was exactly what it said on the tin.

In the few hours between breakfast and the afternoon, the Athena cabin had made one of the most beautiful looking blankets Percy had seen.

It was a deep blue, two spears crossing over each other a pine tree, Percy had come to learn, in the centre.

It almost seemed a shame to burn it.

There were a few words that were said by the satyr, whose name was Grover. Then Luke, before Annabeth said a few words, before they took the torch to the shroud, and they all sat and watched as the flames curled into the sky, leaving nothing but ashes.

Afterwards, Percy followed Theo in a daze, too slow to realise that he was walking towards the trio.

As soon as Annabeth saw him, her eyes rimmed with red, tears gathering at her eyes, she glared at him, which was not at all diminished by the previous factors.

Once more, Percy felt frustration boiling in his chest, wanting nothing more than to lash out at her, already feeling his hands clench.

And it disappeared as she turned on her heel, her blonde hair flying as she flicked it behind her in what was obviously a practised move.

He wanted nothing more than to call her out for it, wanted to pick a fight with her for no reason other than to do it.

"Hey, you good?"

Percy jumped, blinking at the satyr, Grover, he recalled, who was now suddenly standing beside him.

Theo was talking with Luke, an arm slung around his shoulders, gently guiding him back towards the cabins.

Percy shrugged in response, looking down at his feet as he shuffled them.

His brain felt foggy, not all that clear.

"I'm sorry 'bout Annabeth," the satyr hesitantly said. "I'm Grover, by the way."

He held out a hand to shake, and Percy gave him a look, which had the satyr immediately retract it.

"It's fine," Percy mumbled, hesitating slightly, before holding his hand in turn. "I'm Percy."

Grover blinked, before he smiled, his eyes watering with tears, which were already blotchy and puffed.

Grover shook Percy's hand.

"I feel like I should be asking if you're okay," Percy continued, staring at Grover.

"I-" Grover choked, his shoulders shaking, and Percy sat down next to him, as the satyr crumpled. "It was all my fault."

By this point, the arena had cleared out, and Percy sniffled with Grover, letting the satyr sob as they sat there.

He had no idea how to comfort him.

Usually his mom would make her signature hot chocolate and blue cookies, and give Percy the warmest hug possible.

Percy didn't know how to make hot chocolate, nor did he have any of his mom's cookies, but he could give Grover a hug.

So he did.

Grover smelt like… well, like that petting farm Percy's mom had taken him to once for his birthday. They sat there for a little while, Percy just holding Grover, until the shaking stopped, and he pulled away from the hug.

Grover hiccoughed.

"I'm sorry," he said, eyes still watering, tears still streaming. "As a keeper, I'm supposed to be the one protecting demigods and… and Th-Thalia, she…"

Another sniffle, another shake of his shoulders.

But before Percy tried to offer words of comfort, a familiar voice cut through Grover's hiccoughs.

"Grover, we need to have a talk," Chiron said, his shadow almost feeling like it was looming over them. Then, he turned his attention to Percy. "Percy, Theo is looking for you, if you could return to your cabin now."

Percy nodded, squeezing Grover's shoulder, before he left, many questions burning in his chest.

He just hoped Grover would be okay.

Just like that, camp returned to normal.

Mostly.

More people showed up to camp, and the Hermes cabin continued to fill.

Percy continued to avoid Annabeth, despite other efforts to get them to hang out. Annabeth appeared to be in agreement with him, glaring at him every single time they accidentally walked past each other.

Just because they just so happened to be the same age, did not mean they had to be friends. Percy was most certainly not going to extend the hand of friendship after she was being mean to him.

He had told Beckendorf as much, who had merely shrugged, nodding as he went back to whatever he was building.

And then there was Luke.

Percy wasn't quite sure if he liked Luke.

Sure, he seemed nice, but there was something off about him, although Percy was going to give him the benefit of the doubt because he had just lost his friend.

Percy couldn't imagine losing Beckendorf like that, although he wondered if it would be different, considering that Beckendorf was Percy's only and first friend.

Which was kind of sad, when you thought about it, but Percy preferred having only one friend than being friends with such a meany pants as Annabeth.

But then at least Percy knew where he stood with her.

Luke left Percy slightly off balance, felt like everytime he was in his presence he was off kilter, thrown by his actions.

Which happened a lot, considering they were in the same cabin, and since they were both the newest members, they were always paired together in activities for the most part.

It had all started with sword lessons a few days after Luke and Annabeth had arrived at camp.

Percy had gotten slightly better at fighting with the knife, even though it never felt quite right in his hands. But both Theo and Chiron had said that this would help build up strength for when he would finally be allowed to use his sword. They had also said a lighter weapon would be better suited for allowing his arm to fully heal.

Percy supposed they were right as his arm throbbed dully, holding the knife loosely in it.

Theo was talking, demonstrating a new move to the campers, and Percy swore he was trying to concentrate, but his arm just hurt.

It was rarely like this, but one of the Apollo campers said that it would be like this for a few weeks, even after the arm had been fully healed by the nectar and ambrosia.

Phantom pain, she had called it.

Percy just wished his arm would stop throbbing.

Maybe he could try and fight with his left hand. That would be cool, wouldn't it? Learning how to fight with both hands?

"Hey, kid," Luke had said, suddenly standing next to Percy, almost making him jump out of his skin. "You're with me apparently."

Percy nodded absently, once more trying to focus on what was happening. He shuffled half-heartedly into a fighting stance, waiting for Theo to say go.

Luke was quick, quicker than Percy had been expecting, barely managing to raise his knife in time to block the blow, which sent a blinding pain through his arm.

He cried out, stumbling back, clutching his arm, trying to hide the pain.

"I'm sorry," Luke said, reaching out, gently touching Percy's arm, checking it for Percy didn't know what. "Was your arm already hurting? Why didn't you tell me?"

Percy tensed, heart racing.

He couldn't say anything, images of Smelly Gabe and… and the stairs and the hospital. He wanted, he needed to…

Percy gasped for breath, hands on his shoulders as he looked into Theo's eyes, the older teenager's mouth moving, but the noise seeming to be so far away that Percy couldn't hear it.

Theo turned and called something out to the others, before dragging him away, his arm wrapped securely around Percy's shoulders, guiding him gently.

Percy let him do it, let Theo drag him wherever he was being taken.

The infirmary, as it turned out, Theo dragging an Apollo camper over to them, who immediately began checking Percy's arm, before leaving, handing Percy a square of ambrosia.

Theo sat on the bed next to him.

"I've got to get back to make sure the others are okay," he said, nudging Percy's shoulder. "But next time, if your arm hurts, you gotta let me know, okay, kid?"

Percy nodded numbly, nibbling at the ambrosia square.

He wasn't sure he deserved this much attention, part of him wondering when they would realise that he wasn't worth this much effort.

"Eat the rest of that," Theo said, patting him on the shoulder. "Then go back to the cabin and get some rest, okay?"

Percy nodded again, and Theo smiled, patting his shoulder once more, before leaving Percy alone with his thoughts.

He let the silence wash over him, taking a few deep breaths.

Percy didn't want to feel this anymore, constantly on edge, like he was minutes away from breaking down.

He wanted his mom.

Wanted her to wrap her arms around him, run her fingers through his hair soothingly. Tears slipped down his face as he nibbled on the ambrosia more.

It tasted exactly like his mom's cookies.

He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, slamming his face into the pillow on the infirmary bed.

He was not going to cry, he wasn't!

The tears slipped out anyway, as he tried to take deep breaths, his nose clogging up with snot.

Percy attempted to press his face further into the pillow, but had to stop, his chest heaving as he almost suffocated.

Why?

Why was his life like this?

It was so unfair!

He slammed his fists against the pillow, over and over again.

He slumped, body drained, wrecked from the anger and pain and fear, finally too overwhelmed to feel anything.

Percy embraced it, staring at the ceiling above him, letting himself drift, like he wasn't a part of his body anymore.

His eyes flickered shut…

The darkness surrounded Percy as he pushed himself to his feet.

He stumbled, blinking as he tried to figure out where his feet were, his heart leaping to his throat when he realised he couldn't see his body.

He flicked his gaze up, and almost jumped, the person standing in front of him familiar, their back turned.

Percy stopped, breath stuck in his throat as he realised who it was…

"Luke?"

His voice echoed through the darkness, bouncing off of invisible walls.

Luke's head tilted, and Percy gulped, suddenly feeling the urge to take a step back.

But he was frozen, watching as the Luke-shaped figure slowly turned, an eerie grin on its face.

And then it opened its eyes.

Gold filled every corner of Percy's vision and he screamed.

Percy came to, breathing in and out harshly as he pushed himself up, falling off the infirmary bed in his rush to get away.

He… he…

What had he been dreaming about?

He blinked his eyes, rubbing them to get the sleep out of them.

Percy's heart finally started to slow, as he pushed himself to his feet, swaying slightly.

He should get back to the cabin, that's what Theo had told him to do.

Yeah…

He shivered, turning around to look behind him.

Why did he feel like he was being watched?

Percy shook his head, ignoring the gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach, the world finally righting itself as he walked out of the infirmary, blinking in the sunlight as it almost blinded him.

Percy felt dazed, still not feeling quite right.

Get back to the cabin. That was his goal.

He didn't make it very far.

Percy turned in the direction of the cabins, and began the half walk, half stumble back, when he ran right into the one person he wanted to avoid.

The collision was rough, jolting Percy's arm, pain once more throbbing through it as he caught himself from falling flat on his butt.

"I'm so-" he began, not really looking at who he was talking to, when he was interrupted, the frustration in his body immediately rising.

"Watch where you're going," Annabeth hissed at him, her dark grey eyes now almost stormy.

Percy might have been scared if he wasn't so tired, if he wasn't already slightly grumpy.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," he snarked back, not caring anymore. "I didn't know running into someone only involved one person… maybe you should also watch where you're going."

"Ugh," Annabeth said, disgust crossing her face as she glared down at him. "You're the most useless person here. You couldn't even do anything when Thalia was forced to save your ass!"

Her voice had started off loud, but it only got louder.

Percy growled, shoving himself to his feet, the pain in his arm drowned out by the thumping of his heartbeat in his ears.

"I didn't ask to be there!" he yelled back, and it felt good.

Percy had been raging for a good fight with someone since he had come to camp, and it felt good, thrumming through his veins, his blood singing.

Annabeth's face started to turn red with rage, her fists balling.

Good, Percy thought, chest heaving as he let all of his anger boil over.

Anger at Gabe for what he had done, for the good people he had ruined.

Anger at his mom for sending him here, to this place.

"Oh, sure," Annabeth responded, snark dripping from her high, annoying voice. "You didn't want to be there. You just wanted to play hero, but instead, you ended up getting one of my friends killed!"
Percy felt his mouth open, gaping at her, as he tried to process what she had just said.

"Well, Annabeth," he hissed back, just as sharp, just as biting as her. "I don't know if you were on the same hill I was, but I'm pretty sure that Thalia made that choice herself. And I'm not sure I don't blame her, if she claimed you as her friend."

The words were out before Percy could stop them, but as he saw the way her face fell, her hand clasped to her mouth, regret suddenly filled him.

He didn't know why he felt bad now, particularly since she had started it, but-

"Annabeth," he reached out a hand, trying to stop her. "I'm sor-"

She interrupted him before he could finish, the steeliness back in her eyes as she pulled herself back in, shoulders back, looking down her nose at him, "No, no, I get it. Why would anyone want to be friends with me?"

And then she was gone, her shoulder harshly brushing against Percy's as she left, leaving him reeling.

Fine.

If that's what she wanted, he didn't even know why he had felt bad before.

Percy glared at the ground, kicking the closest rock, hissing in pain when it actually hurt.

Yeah, he would be caught dead before he became friends with her.

It was Grover who found him, slumped on the docks, letting his feet hang in the water, staring distantly into the blue depths.

"Theo asked me to find you," he had said in way of explanation, before slumping down next to Percy with a deep sigh.

Percy hummed, the anger ever present, but for now, just a flicker. He decided to ignore it.

"What did Chiron want to talk to you about?"

Silence followed this question, and he looked up at the satyr, who was pointedly looking into the lake's waters.

Percy nudged Grover's shoulder, trying to get his attention. He wanted to know what was bothering him.

Grover sighed, before smiling tiredly at him, sniffling as tears watered his eyes.

"I…" he trailed off, going back to staring into the waters. "I want to become a searcher."

"Searcher?"

Grover nodded, wiping away the tears with his hand, "It's always been my life goal, my dream, to go searching for Pan… But now? I don't know if I'll get that opportunity."

"Why?" Percy asked, confused. "What things do you have to do to become a searcher?"

Grover laughed miserably, tilting his head up to look at the skies.

"I have to bring a demigod back to camp safely," he said.

"But didn't you do that?" Percy asked, tilting his head.

"No," Grover said, shaking his head. "I was supposed to bring Thalia back, by herself. My orders were to leave the other two demigods behind… But I couldn't do that, and well, Thalia wouldn't have agreed to leave Annabeth and Luke behind anyway… and since Thalia died? I failed."

"I think that's stupid," Percy retorted, the anger starting to be rekindled. "That's completely unfair! You managed to bring three demigods to the camp's borders, safely. Thalia's death should not be on your head! She chose to protect her friends, and she clearly trusted you with making sure Annabeth and Luke got here safely. I think that deserves more than… than being punished! According to others here, it's nearly unheard of that a satyr brings more than one demigod into camp!"

Grover smiled, "Thanks, Percy. But unfortunately, that's not the way my bosses see it. Nor the way Lord Zeus sees it. And someone has to be punished for his daughter's death. And he can't attack Lord Hades for it, 'cause of rules and stuff."

"Hades?" Percy whispered, shivering as a cold wind suddenly blew through them.

"Yeah," Grover whispered back, shivering also, his eyes flickering around in fear. "Those hellhounds? Hades sent them. He wasn't happy that Zeus broke their oath, had a kid with a mortal woman. And he couldn't go after Zeus, so-"

"He went after Thalia instead," Percy finished, anger, hot and red slamming through his body.

He took a few steadying breaths, trying to push down the tears as the anger made way for horror.

"Poor Thalia," he whispered, as he reached over and pulled Grover into a hug.

"Poor Thalia," Grover agreed, squeezing Percy back.

A/N Percy, in this fic: I don't like Annabeth, she's mean, and frustrating

Percy, a few months after this: I've only had my best friend, Annabeth Chase for a few months, but if anything happened to her, I would kill everyone in this camp and then myself

Also Percy, in this fic: *sees Grover* if not friend, then why friend-shaped?