Zagreus

I woke up with a jolt. I felt like thousands of burning needles were digging at my skin. I was lying on a cot. White curtains divided me from the other cots on my left. I could see sunlight kissing the yellow flowers by the windowsill. I must have been out for a while. My head still throbbed from the strange dreams I had. They may be unreal, I thought to myself as I jogged my memory for the remnants of those visions. If I truly made such mistakes in the past, I did not see the chance of walking into this present.

I shifted my gaze and found Celine sitting on a stool beside my cot. She was asleep, her head lay on her folded arms. I could hear her faint snore. I found it amusing, I'll admit. She must have stayed beside me for a while, waiting until I wake up. I smiled, At least someone cares in this world. I truly hope those visions were not true.

Celine started to gain consciousness and I quickly darted my gaze back to the flowers by the windowsill.

"You're awake," she said, her eyes widening before she could shake her drowsiness.

"Took you long enough," I replied, "Err… were you here -?"

"You were asleep for a day and a half. I-uh stayed in to check on you every so often," she said as she brushed a strand of her hair away from her face.

"A day and a half?! What… was it that long?"

Celine nodded. "Will told us that the energy blast must have drained most of your strength. We've been trying to feed you ambrosia, but you kept shifting a lot while you were asleep."

"Will?"

"Yes, he's one of the camp's healers. We're currently in his Cabin, the Apollo Cabin."

Again, I searched my mind for that familiar god. Apollo, god of the arts and music, probably never got along with him.

There was a long silence that followed. I frowned trying to remember what happened during that day. We were attacked by these ghoulish monsters, eu-eurynomoi. I remembered slowly losing the battle, we were being swallowed by the ground. Until I cracked and used the last bit of my strength to summon Hecate's magic.

"You never told us about that," Celine said, interrupting my thoughts.

"About what?"

"That" she pointed at my pendant, which now hang loosely over my grey shirt.

"What do you mean?" I feigned ignorance. I did not want to explain much at this point.

"They saw it. One of the demigods did. Lou Ellen from the Hecate Cabin told us that that emblem on your pendant is a symbol of her mum's. The entire camp agreed that you must be a child of Hecate. Why didn't you tell that to us before?"

I swallowed the tacky feeling in my mouth. I never really told them about my parentage. I pretended to be a demigod to save myself from explaining what had happened during that dracanae attack. Still, I had a bad feeling that I would be in bigger danger if I told them the truth – that I was a god, a son of Hades, and I somehow found myself in New York. It would only bring more trouble if I told them that I was missing most of my memories – my past, so I did what I felt was necessary. I'm sure Hecate would agree, she herself told me that the gods might be upset with me… for some reason.

"I guess," I said, clutching the pendant. "These energy strains may have blurred my memory too much. It's all unclear"

"Hey, it's alright, don't pressure yourself. At least you know where you belong in this camp," Celine sighed. I could feel she was holding back something.

"What's the matter?"

"No…no… it's just that, I don't even know who my godly parent is," she sadly smiled, "I've never been claimed."

So that was why, I figured. I was always wondering why she and Sabrina ran away from camp. They were stuck in a place where their own origins remained to be blurry. They probably got sick of sticking around to find answers that seemed to be lost. I knew that feeling.

I placed a hand on her shoulder. I was not really good at comforting. I did not know the words that I was supposed to say. But doing that gesture appeared to be enough, until a voice was heard behind the curtains.

"I hope he is doing fine, Cel," the voice said as someone pulled the curtains sideways to enter. He must be the Will boy. He had curly blonde hair, sapphire eyes, and a flannel button up over a Camp Half-Blood shirt.

He shifted his gaze from the clipboard to us. I quickly pulled my hand from Celine and placed it under the blankets.

"You're awake," he beamed. Celine straightened up from her chair and faced Will. "He woke up a few minutes ago, I was supposed to call you, but I was asleep," she smiled sheepishly.

"That's alright, need to do the rounds anyway," he checked his clipboard then addressed me, "I hope you are feeling fine. I'm Will by the way, this is the Apollo Cabin. You've been out for a day and a half. Been trying to feed you ambrosia but you were putting up a fight."

"Hm. Yeah, Celine filled me up about it a while ago. Barely noticed time passing by"

He sighed, "We all are. It's a bit weird lately, not as powerful of a stirring as the recent war, but still…" he was almost lost in his thought until he snapped back again. "No need to fuss about that. You must be low on energy. I saved some ambrosia for you to eat," he pointed at a bowl on the table beside my cot. It was filled with cubes of yellow pastry. Food for the gods, I managed to tell. Being half-divine, demigods were surely allowed to consume ambrosia. A safe start, I guess.

I nodded and picked up the ambrosia. It has been more than a day since I've last eaten. Don't know if this will top the pizza, I thought. I could not even remember the last time I've consumed ambrosia. Probably that last century I was at. It tasted strangely like those dried pastries I had eaten back then. Couldn't point out when or where, just the taste. My memory keeps getting weirder and weirder.

"If you're up to it, someone's been wanting to talk to you since your arrival. Wouldn't be much of a conversation if you're passed out," Will said.

"By someone, you mean-?"

"Chiron, the head of this camp. Percy Jackson might be waiting there too. They all need answers"

Chiron? Percy? I gulped. I looked at Celine and she too paled up upon hearing Will's words. What am I getting myself into?

Sabrina

I wish these strange would stop. Needed a good night's rest but haven't had one since my first arrival at camp. This place totally sucks.

As usual, I had to stay in the Hermes' cabin. I left Connor hanging from the tree for an hour or so. "You literally spilled my brains out," he said after catching up with me after dinner. I was searching for Celine, but she was probably with that Zagreus boy again (just great). Travis, Connor's brother, managed to hear his distress call and cut him free from his agony.

"That's what you get for messing with me, Stoll," I retorted.

"I was just welcoming you, Anderson. Cheer up will you. At least, you're back in camp. We were all worried about you. Chiron even said –"

I stopped my tracks and immediately faced him, "I don't give a damn about what you're saying so quit blabbering and leave me alone!" I made it clear that I wanted to be alone as I marched off towards the Hermes Cabin. I didn't hear Connor follow me nor tried to talk me through. At least, the imp knows where to close the boundaries.

I opened the cabin and found that no one was inside. Everyone was out having dinner. Still no sign of Celine. I spotted the old bunk Celine and I used to share. It was in the farthest corner of the Cabin, a nook away from the gadgets and traps those thieves always kept. Before I proceeded, I checked the floor for anything suspicious. The Stoll brothers always delighted themselves to set out hidden fart bombs for the newcomers. I looked under the beds and scanned the floorboards, there were none. Hopefully, no sound machine would suddenly blare up.

I lied on the lower bunk, trying to reflect on what happened during that unfruitful day. The son of Hecate was now the talk of the town all of a sudden. So, my guess was right, he was the witch boy. Taking too much attention at his wake. I closed my eyes, trying to squeeze the frustration away. I was supposed to have a new life, away from this mess… away from my past. Now, I was back to zero. The throbbing behind my eyes soon calmed down as I succumbed to sleep.

Having dreams feels strange. It's not real, yet it feels real. It even shows the reality. I was back again in that dark decrepit closet. The old clothes hung from above my head, rough linen scratching my shoulders. I heard the floorboards creak. I held my breath – trying to calm my heart from beating too fast. He must be close, I thought. I hung tight to the tiny piece of string that I had, most of its beads were missing. But I still protected it like it held my life.

I know where I was. I was back in the old apartment in East Brooklyn. I spent most of my life here. My legs were bleeding from the leather that scarred it yesterday. He might be back, out to get me for not following the rules. I should not have crossed the line. He was out to punish me again. I could hear his footsteps. One… two… three, he was getting nearer… until his footsteps changed direction. That made my heart pound even faster.

"No," I muttered in bated breath. My fears were answered when I heard a loud lash followed by high shrills. I suddenly wished he didn't shifted directions. My heart kept racing until one more scream made me burst from my hiding place. Then all faded into nothingness.

Outlines of flames suddenly appeared. Rock spires lined the ceilings of what appeared to be an inside of a cave. There was complete silence, no one was around. Until a booming voice came from the depths of the cave.

"You've done well in handling Iapetus. Torment should suit him to better obey next time," the voice said, echoing across the vast space.

"That wouldn't last for an eternity," someone replied. The voice sounded strangely familiar, but I could not quite place it. It was confident and deep, filled with power that made my nerves clench. I saw a fleeting shadow in the voice's direction. The only bright blue glow of his eyes pinpointed his direction. "We need them after all. Thorough plans lead to fruitful outcomes. Disciplining them is the only way to get through with that"

The voice from the cave chuckled. "I was not wrong in keeping your heart. You will always find your roots. Always…" the voice receded, so did my vision. Everything swirled, until it was all gone.

The sound it made jolted me back to consciousness. I panted, placing a hand on my chest to steady my breath. I could hear the soft snores of everyone in the cabin. The light was off, only bedside lamps lit up the space. I checked the top bunk. Celine was fast asleep, cuddling her old fuzzy blanket.

At least she's back, I sighed and placed on my shoes. I needed some fresh air, being stuffed inside a cabin would obviously not give me that. I knew exactly where to go as I headed towards the river.