It didn't take Eithne very long to realize she was the biggest idiot in the world and needed an annoying laugh track playing at all times. Nothing went the way she thought it would.

Cabin Eleven sucked. She slept in a cold sleeping bag surrounded by sweaty, dirty kids and their sticky (literally and figuratively) fingers. Then, she'd wake up and stand at the back of the line where a fourth grader brake checked her every chance he got. Fun.

The chores sucked. She waded around in horse shit and picked who-knows-what off the dining tables for hours on end. And Mr. D, the sadistic prick, took great pleasure in spilling his Diet Coke just to make her mop it up.

Aksu sucked. Apparently, he was taking a break from monster hunting to do research, so there was no choice but to stand there awkwardly as he avoided her like the plague. Literally. Once, Ak rolled his ankle on the lava wall and hobbled away, shoes on fire, before the Stolls could even ask her to help.

Eithne sucked. Everything she tried failed miserably. Arrows flew haphazardly during archery. Plants withered at her touch. She threw up trying to run laps with the other demigods. The naiads purposefully capsized her canoe and dragged her into the kelp beds. Those fish sticks definitely had some weird fetishes.

Basically, Eithne was stuck in an endless pile of suckitude.

And it wasn't like she could just stop it. She was completely out of her element, too lost and confused to confront Chiron. The other campers acted like he was so nice, but Eithne could only remember that close-eyed smile as he dismissed all her concerns.

You belong here.

Phones are dangerous for demigods.

You'll get used to it.

There's no family out there.

Camp is your home now.

You need more practice.

Stay within the boundary.

Make friends.

He made life here sound so easy, but if she could, she would. Eithne would do anything to rid this suffocating feeling, this isolation. But she was just...stuck. So, Eithne took control over what little she could anymore and made it a point to skip as many lessons as possible.

Technically, she was supposed to meet Katie Gardiner to pick strawberries for the Demeter kids' class. But with a well-practiced pout and a flutter of her eyelashes, she had an Apollo medic writing her a doctor's note in no time. Bonus: he even told her about a secret tree fort he'd built in the woods. It was a makeshift sanctuary of snacks and everything from the mortal world Chiron had forbidden. She fully intended to use it today. If she was going to play hooky, she was going all out.

On her way to the fort, Eithne dragged her feet as if the grass was quicksand. The air was as bright and warm as it was yesterday and the day before, never changing. The sky stretched above her like an endless canvas, a vibrant blue that made the back of her eyes throb. Relentlessly optimistic, the campers laughed and shouted as they ran between activities.

"Bianca never lets me watch stuff like that," one of them exclaimed so loud anyone in a ten-mile radius could hear. "Do all gods sing and dance? Do they lead camp stuff? That'd be so cool! Maybe Mr. D will show us how to make wine or drive people crazy! Percy wo-"

Something barreled straight into Eithne, bouncing onto the floor while she barely lost her balance. It was a boy, all arms and legs with an awkward smile. His messy black hair fell in uneven locks across his forehead, and his dark brown eyes felt like a jolt of caffeine.

"S-sorry!"

"It's fine," Eithne mumbled. Really, what damage did this squirt think he could do? She pulled him up a little too hard, and he fell against her. "No harm, no foul."

If every inch of you could blush, this little thing did. He scrambled away and stood next to a satyr barely taller than her waist. The boy picked at his nails, winced, and shoved his hands into the pockets of his worn jeans.

"I-I didn't mean," he practically whispered, words coming out like they were on a scavenger hunt for confidence. "...it was...it was just an accident."

What did Janie always fangirl about back home? Cinnamon rolls?

A sharp bleat came from the goat man, his purple-painted hooves scraping the dirt nervously. "We're just heading to Cabin Eleven, so-"

"Cabin Eleven?"

God, just mentioning the place made Eithne want to drop a skyscraper on it. She must've looked like it too because the goat shook so hard his hair - fur? - flopped every which way.

"He...he's new. All fresh campers bunk there," he stuttered.

Eithne rolled her eyes so hard they might have achieved orbit. "Oh, really? Thanks for enlightening me, Captain Obvious."

"I just thought I'd—"

"I'm not an idiot," she snapped before redirecting her attention to the adorable kid. "And you don't really wanna go there, do you...?"

"Oh! Uh, Nico."

He hesitated when she stuck out her fist, glancing back at the goat, but hit it nice and firm. Eithne nodded her approval, and the kid preened under her attention.

"You have a weird name, but I like it. It's just..." Nico squinted, head tilting to the side in the cutest gesture she'd ever seen. "What's Eithne even mean?"

"Mean? It's a name. Nothing special."

The satyr bleated in protest. "Names have power! Invoking the gods or monsters by name gives them strength."

Nico perked right back up, eyes sparkling like little jewels. "So, Percy is...?"

"Perseus. He's one of the only ancient heroes with a happy ending."

"That's...that's really cool."

Eithne's stomach bubbled with something warm and acidic. Really? People didn't get happy endings, and from what little she could make sense of during her Greek history lessons, demigods were at the top of that list. Heroes were tortured, killed, and raped only to turn into a plant or have their souls bonded to some rusty weapon if they survived. Yeah, they were probably ecstatic.

She was totally going to call bullshit, but Nico...he was adorable. All puffed up and proud. It wasn't even for himself. How could you not internally aww?

"Yeah...sure," she drawled after a few beats, tone steeped in sarcastic honey, "but mine was just popular in Ireland. Not some ancient prophecy voodoo."

The goat looked doubtful, but Nico nodded enthusiastically.

"Cool! When'd you get here? Did you wear those skirt thingies? They look fun! Why don't you have an accent? Bianca does the best Scottish accent when she reads!"

If his face wasn't so squishable, this kid would be real annoying. Those cheeks were practically begging to be pinched. So Eithne pinched them.

"Hey," Nico shouted, swatting at her hands. Eithne could already picture him with cat ears and a tail, swishing around in irritation.

"You're real cute, you know that," she teased, noting his ears hadn't stopped burning their entire conversation.

"Am not!"

Now, look, the kid made it too easy. He was so expressive and gullible that it was really his fault. How could she not tease him some more?

"Really? 'Cuz Percy loves cute things."

The goat froze, blushing head to toe as he bleated something that sounded like Morse code for ABORT MISSION. Tugging on the corner of Nico's shirt - that absolutely hideous traffic cone orange, of course - he rambled off an excuse about needing to go find some hunters. Nico didn't even blink. He was glued to Eithne's side, taking in everything she said and did.

"You think?"

"Definitely. Sounds like he's got that whole savior complex going on. A small, innocent thing like you? He couldn't help himself."

She wrapped an arm around his shoulders, leading him to the tree house in the woods. It was leagues better than the Hermes cabin. And the only thing he did in protest? Blush profusely and furiously wave his hands.

"Oh, it's not - it's not like that. Percy's a hero. He fights monsters and rescues people just like Mythomagic! He said all demigods do that, and I can have a sword just like his when I start training!"

Mythomagic? Where did she hear that from?

"The card game?"

Nico froze.

"You've-you know it?"

"Yeah," Eithne sighed, trying her best to dust the cobwebs off that memory. "With the cards and the little figurines, right? The ketobleppies have poison eyes, the war dude's a shark, and the lightning bolts-"

"Do 600 damage!"

Suddenly, it was like the sun lived inside of Nico. He was positively glowing as he fumbled around in his pockets, pulling out a battered card deck. Eithne knew why she recognized the game then. Years ago, another boy pulled out the same deck and asked her to play.

"That's so cool! No one else knew it!"

"They're all losers," she snorted. Nico laughed and let her ruffle his hair. "Wanna start a game?"

"Yes!"

"It's been a while, so you'll have to fill me in, alright?"

"Done! It'll be a gas!"