✯

When (Name) woke up the next morning and she was somehow back in Percy's cabin. Her shoes were sprawled across the edge of her bed, and she was still wearing her clothes from last night. Angry red marks from her jeans had been stamped into her torso and her belt buckle had left a nasty cut on her belly. It stung, but she'd felt much worse in the last twenty four hours.

The bag she'd packed the night before was hanging off the end of her bedpost, glaring at her. All she needed to do was grab it and go. But the longer she looked at it, the uneasier she became. Two opposing beliefs were battling it out in her head just like the voices had been. Which was it? Save Camp Half-Blood and get herself killed in the process, or go home to spend the rest of her miserable existence with her parents before she eventually keeled over.

Would she really be able to live with the knowledge that she'd inadvertently gotten people killed? Was it okay to turn a blind eye to a bunch of kids? They had no idea what the future held, or maybe they did to some extent. Judging from Percy's experience with the mythical world, being a half-blood wasn't a walk in the park. Bad things happened to demigods. Danger followed them wherever they went. Camp was probably their only respite from sudden and imminent death.

That had to play on their mind, right? No amount of cheerful disposition could take away from a fact like that. They were just kids after all, godly blood aside, living a life filled with constant unending danger had to be terrifying.

Would she really be okay with abandoning their only safe place?

Albeit, they'd treated her like the personification of all things pathetic. They'd laughed at her. Treated her like a spectacle. Thrown scathing remarks and pitiful looks like she wasn't right in front of them, accepting the brunt of all their judgement. They'd barely given her a chance to prove herself.

The Camp itself wasn't the problem, the people were. And she was sure, just as Percy said, that they weren't all bad. But it couldn't be a coincidence that out of all the people she'd met, only a couple of them treated her like an actual human being instead of some weird, diseased alien fumbling around on the wrong planet.

Their worth felt shaky. She didn't have super strength or amazing sword skills. She was weak and dying. A quest was probably an impossible feat for any mortal, her being cursed was just icing on the cake. The precociousness of the weak, the ugliness of the weak. She'd been unable to accept or separate them. She tried to reject those thoughts, but her vision of want was becoming blurry.

(Name) sighed. Just thinking about it made her head hurt.

She quickly got dressed in the remaining clothes she had and wandered out into the lounge-room. Percy was sitting at one of the couches fiddling with a telescope.

"Sleep well?" He asked, extending the telescope towards her.

She yawned, slapping it away from her face. "I guess."

"You guess?"

"Sleeping in jeans is a sociopathic tendency I do not enjoy," she refuted, taking a seat beside him.

"But there are other sociopathic tendencies you do enjoy?"

"Children falling over and crying will always be funny to me, and there is nothing you can do to change my mind."

Percy laughed, "especially when it's their own fault."

"Especially." She agreed.

A silence befell them. Percy continued to fiddle with the telescope, screwing and unscrewing the magnification. (Name) didn't want to delve too deep into the limits of her fascination, but she was starting to notice just how ADHD Percy really was. He never passed up the chance fiddle aggressively with something until he hit a limit of stimulation and got bored. Nor did he stop fidgeting around. Moving his legs, picking his cuticles, flicking his pen around. He never stopped moving. She wondered if his brain ever got tired, or if he was just constantly in motion, thinking a million things at once with no clear resolution. How exhausting would that be?

"So..." he swung to his feet and (Name) followed him up.

"So...?"

"You still leaving Camp today?" He didn't look at her when he asked, like he was afraid of her answer.

"Agonising over my departure?" She teased.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah right."

"That's too bad then." She sighed. "Our final goodbye...a bitter ending."

His face dropped and he turned to her with a surprisingly earnest expression. "You're really leaving?"

"Relax dumbass," she flicked his shoulder, "...I'm not really leaving, no."

"What changed your mind?" A cautious smile played at his lips. (Name) wanted to say he looked smug, but there was something awfully cute about how happy he was. She stared at the side of his head. Why was that making her happy? He'd kidnapped her! This was not an exception to a felony. She should be mad still, but she wasn't. Maybe she'd gone insane? Or maybe she was experiencing some weird version of Stockholm Syndrome.

She turned to look out the window. The sun was already reaching over the ocean and into the sky; the sweet aroma of strawberries roasting in the air. Her nose wrinkled. This place was messing with her head.

"Are you ignoring me?" He accused. "Or do you not wanna answer the question?"

"Someone has a high sense of self-importance."

Percy laughed. He slipped the telescope back into its casing tube and placed it back on the shelf. "By the way, what did you mean by 'not really'?"

"I have conditions."

"Conditions?"

"I want to see my parents and explain to them what's going on. Reassure them that I'm okay and not dead. Contrary to popular opinion, I'm not ambivalent. I've probably given my mother a heart attack."

Percy blinked in surprise. Had it not occurred to him that she would want to see her parents? It had been days since they'd last seen her. They'd probably filed a missing persons report.

Percy suddenly looked very guilty. "That's something you'll have to talk to Chiron about."

At the mention of the centaur, (Name)'s smile evaporated. Percy made haste to the door, anticipating an uncomfortable conversation about his mentor. (Name) followed behind him, saying absolutely nothing, which was arguably worse.

Camp was already bustling with people. The Athena children were re-painting the banner above their cabin, the Aphrodite kids were doing...well nothing really, and Clarisse and her buddies were smacking the shit out of each other with spears and shields. Beckendorf rushed past them in a blur of smoke and stress, making a b-line for the campus bathrooms with a giant vat of liquid metal in his carefully fireproofed hands. (Name) hoped no one was planning on peeing anytime soon because molten rock probably didn't flush down the drain very well.

"What's all the paint and decorations for?" She asked.

"Capture the flag," Percy explained, "everyone's getting ready. Athena, Hermes and Apollo have an alliance against Ares, Dionysus, Aphrodite, Demeter and Hephaestus for the winning banner. Currently, our alliance is winning."

"That seems a little unfair, three against five."

"Well Hermes is the largest house and they have me as well."

"Aren't you special."

Percy grinned. "Kinda."

They passed a bunch of Demeter kids with fruit baskets and flowers. The smell was amazing. Daffodils and lilies and orange blossom all morphing into one.

"(Name)!" She turned at the sound of her name to see Chiron cantering across the field towards her. She scowled. He certainly trotted like a horse, but it felt wrong to consider him a quadruped. She pondered as to whether his arms and hands counted as well. Because in that case, he would have run over on all sixes, which sounded kinda dumb.

He stopped abruptly and his hind legs back-paced to steady him. "Good morning!"

"...er, hi?"

A scrawny kid rushed past with a bunch of paint buckets and brushes in hands. His face was blotched with all different colours and his clothes were in tatters. Behind him followed three Ares boys, all extremely large.

"I'd better hope you're not planning anything sinister," the centaur chastised. All three kids froze in place; guilty and sheepish. They nodded rigidly as the centaur scolded them before they scrambled away.

"Where was all that supervision yesterday," (Name) said dryly.

Percy shrunk into his shoulders a little bit. Chiron was however, unfazed by her jeers.

"Your circumstance was unforeseen and unusually severe, and once again, I do apologise."

"Thanks, it's all better now."

"Ares children are stubborn and often uncomfortable with change. And your dilemma has definitely caused a sudden change."

How was it that he managed to sound empathetic while he also giving her tormentors the benefit of doubt? Her mere presence had antagonised them, is that what he was saying? That it was her fault? She wanted to punch him in his stupidly friendly face.

"I didn't even want to be here. In case you forgot—I was kidnapped."

Chiron's lips curled. "That is something I will never forgot, dear (Name). A massively poor oversight on my half."

"An oversight? Annabeth hit me in the back of the head and dragged my unconscious body into a taxi. You guys are crim-i-nals." She spelled out.

Percy butted in, sensing where the conversation was going. "Why don't you tell her about Clarisse's punishment?"

(Name) blinked. "I thought Percy like...punched them or something."

"That was a rather...off-the-books form of vengeance. Something Camp-Half-Blood doesn't condone," he shot Percy a withering look. "I hope that a week of toilet cleaning duty will suffice as punishment for what Clarisse did to you?"

"Yeah, not bad."

"On another matter, is there something you would like to discuss with me, (Name)?" Chiron asked.

She raised an eyebrow. "What, are you a mind-reader now?"

Chiron smiled. "I'm merely interpreting the situation is all. I very much doubt you would tolerate my presence for anything other than necessity."

(Name) let out a laugh. "I guess you're right."

"So what is it you wish to say?"

In hindsight, (Name) probably should've thought about implementing some form of strategy into her deal. A fail-safe to make sure Chiron stuck to his word and didn't lead her around by the nose instead.

"I have a conditions for this deal—if you want me to stay and do this stupid prophecy, I get to see my parents and explain everything to them. Keeping them in the dark is wrong, especially considering how dangerous this is. They deserve to know the truth."

Chiron nodded dutifully. "That is a reasonable request by any means. We will organise a ride with Argus. Discussing our current arrangement with your parents is a good idea. It would also be an appropriate time to collect any personal items you might require. Percy, you can accompany her." Chiron didn't look the least bit amused. His tone was severe. "I can't say I'm displeased with your answer, dear (Name), but do not mistake my duty with complacency."

(Name) swallowed down a scathing remark, "spare me your apologies, Chiron."

He offered her a wry smile. "As to be expected. Make sure you're back by lunchtime. We're having pizza," the centaur then turned and galloped away.

"Well...we better get moving if we want to get back by lunchtime," Percy murmured. There was an uneasiness in his inflection. (Name) would've liked to think he was just annoyed at having to chauffeur her around again, but the worried dip in his eyebrows told a different story.

They wandered through the forest towards the Camp's exit. Somehow Argus had gotten the message, and was waiting for them on the curb side in a minivan. Dozens of tiny eyes dotted the backs on his hands as he gripped the steering wheel. One slit opened on his neck and he blinked at the kids.

Percy opened the car door and (Name) clambered inside, fumbling with her seatbelt. The air inside the van was stuffy and hot, and she felt herself starting to swelter. She always got car sick sitting in the back, but she wasn't about to volunteer to sit shotgun with Argus. She was sure he was nice and all, but her brain was already overwhelmed with Camp sightseeing. Sitting next to a one hundred-eyed mute man wouldn't do her mind any favours.

Argus didn't say anything, just pulled the car into gear and set off down the bumpy road. (Name)'s limbs were still aching from the beating she got, and just like Percy, she couldn't really sit still. She glared at the open fields through her window, wishing everything wasn't moving so fast.

The trip wasn't long, but it was a struggle not to vomit all over the back of Argus' seat. Whether that was from motion sickness or nervousness, she couldn't decide. If Percy noticed her queasiness, he didn't let on. He was content to sit and fidget in silence the entire way. (Name) wondered what he was thinking about, but his blank expression didn't really elude to anything.

Argus dropped them off right outside her apartment. (Name) trampled over Percy trying to get out, sliding the van door open with an unnecessary amount of gusto. She ran up the sidewalk, ignoring the aghast expressions of the people around her. She took the stairs to her apartment two at a time and slammed her first down on her door. A moment went by and nothing happened, so she banged again and then once more for good measure.

The door swung open and her mother's tired face greeted her. Time came to a skittering, grinding halt as her mother's eyes swelled with recognition. They stared at each other, eyes locked and heavy with emotion. She didn't get a chance to say anything before she was suddenly wrapped up in a hug, the air punching it's way out of her lungs. Her mother's embrace was warm and safe and (Name) sunk into her side, finally feeling at ease. Exhaustion suddenly swept through her. Three days worth of adrenaline finally tampering off in her bloodstream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to collapse onto the floor her legs were so sore, but she managed to hold it together.

"Where have you been (Name)?" Her mother suddenly blurted out. "What happened to you? Are you okay? Is everything alright? Did they do something to you?"

"Do something to me?" A hysteric laugh bubbled up (Name)'s throat. "I'm fine mom, I promise."

"You're okay?"

"Yeah."

She grabbed (Name)'s arms and examined them. Turning them over with her palms to the sky and then flipping them back again. She checked (Name)'s face, turning her neck back and forth.

"...you're okay." She seemed to believe it this time.

"What did you think happened?"

Her mother rubbed the ring of tears clinging to her eyelashes and sighed. "When I couldn't find you Wednesday night, I called the cops. I thought there'd been a break-in, but when I realised nothing had been stolen..." she shook her head. "The police filed a missing persons report and put out an APB...but there were no signs of a struggle, so the police were mystified. Then I called your father and—"

"Dads home?"

Her mother frowned. "Of course sweetie. You were missing!"

"Well you better call the police and tell them I'm alright."

"So...you weren't being held for ransom?"

"Uhh...no?"

Her anguish evaporated. "Do you know how worried your father and I have been? You are in so much trouble young lady! You can't just run away whenever you please! You're grounded for forever!"

"I didn't run away!" She exclaimed. "I was...stolen."

Her mother blinked. "Stolen?!"

"Well, it was more like kidnapped, but I—"

"(Name)?"

They both turned towards her father, who was standing in the hallway, stunned. She couldn't find the will to respond after being blasted with so many questions by her mother. Her mind was in fragments.

"I...was at...well...it's hard to explain, maybe we should go inside?" She was hoping Percy would help her out somehow, and explain it better then she could. But he just stood there awkwardly, saying nothing.

Her father's eyes widened. Recognition swept across his face, but as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. He nodded and pushed past his wife to usher (Name) inside. He guided her into the lounge room and sat her down. She spotted her tortoiseshell cat Jinx sitting near the fireplace, and even though it wasn't lit, she was still stretching out like she was getting warm.

"What's going on?" Her mother demanded.

"Honey," her dad said softly. "Do you remember that nice man that came to settle (Name)'s adoption papers with us. The lawyer?"

At first, her mother was was confused, but then her expression melted. "The bearded man in the wheelchair?"

(Name)'s mouth fell open. No way. There was no way that her parents had met Chiron and never bothered to mention it.

"Do you remember what we talked about?"

She blubbered in confusion. "You mean...when he explained what happened to her birth parents?"

"Yeah," her father swallowed hard, like the memory was causing him physical pain. "A couple months later, when (Name) started showing symptoms, he came back."

"Back? To the house?"

"You were at work, and (Name) had whooping cough at the time. I wasn't sure how he knew she was sick. I didn't really know what to think. I settled on letting him explain himself. He said some very strange things..." he flinched at the thought. "...he said there was a very high chance that one of (Name)'s biological parents was a god. A real god. I thought he was a lunatic. I tried to kick him out of the house, but then he...." her father moistened his lips. "He transformed into a centaur. A mythological creature, Holly. He said everything we'd been told about mythology was a lie, and that it was real."

"You're not being funny," her mother seethed. She looked pissed.

"I'm not joking. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to stomach. It went against everything I'd ever known. Mythology being real? To think that not only one god exists, but multiple? I almost had an aneurism. But it was hard to lie to myself with a centaur in my lounge room."

(Name) muscled down a laugh. It felt wrong to be amused while her mother was having a mental breakdown. And as strange as it was to hear her father retell a story that she'd had absolutely no knowledge of, it was even stranger that he was talking about the mythological world with such calmness. It made the tall order of explaining it herself much easier.

"Chiron is a good man," he promised. "He only wanted the best for (Name). He was trying to protect us."

"From what!?" Her mother yelled, "what is he protecting us from? Other centaurs? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?"

"I know, I know. It sounds insane. But it's the truth. Chiron was very thorough in his explanation. He told me that when she got older, monsters would come after her. That they would try to kill her. I...I didn't know what to do." He took a deep breath. "He said the only way she could be protected was if she stayed at his special Camp."