CHAPTER FIVE: THE GIRL FROM ANOTHER WORLD

     Everything was just like Nari imagined it and more. Camp Half-Blood, needless to say, was perfect. Sure, Nari typically imagined it in summer, but it was just as beautiful in winter. It was hard to believe that she was even there, and there were so many people that she wanted to meet. Chiron, Silena Beauregard, Charles Beckendorf, the Stoll brothers—even Mr. D.

     But at the moment, all Nari could focus on was the camp itself. A thin layer of frost covered the chariot track and the strawberry fields. The cabins were decorated with tiny flickering lights, like Christmas lights, except they seemed to be balls of real fire—Nari was beyond amazed.

     Nico seemed to share her excitement, "whoa," he said as he climbed off the bus. "Is that a climbing wall?"

     "Yeah," Percy said, nodding his head.

     "Why is there lava pouring down it?"

     "Little extra challenge. Come on. I'll introduce you to Chiron." Nari bit back a smile at that, "Zoë, have you met—"

     "I know Chiron," Zoë said stiffly. "Tell him we will be in Cabin Eight. Hunters, follow me."

     "I'll show you the way," Grover offered.

     "We know the way."

     "Oh, really, it's no trouble. It's easy to get lost here, if you don't"—he tripped over a canoe and came up still talking—"like my old daddy goat used to say! Come on!"

     Zoë rolled her eyes, but it was clear that Grover wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. The Hunters shouldered their packs and their bows and headed off toward the cabins. As Bianca was leaving, she leaned over and whispered something in Nico's ear. She looked at him for an answer, but Nico just scowled and turned away. Nari frowned at the short interaction.

     "Take care, sweethearts!" Apollo called after the Hunters. He winked at Percy. "Watch out for those prophecies, Percy. I'll see you soon." Nari shrugged with a smile, that's true. Then, his eyes fell on Nari. "And... be careful!" He sent her an awkward thumbs up.

     Nari rolled her eyes in amusement. Typical Apollo.

     Percy frowned, going back to what Apollo said about him, "wait, what do you mean?"

     Instead of answering, he hopped back in the bus. "Later, Thalia," he called. "And, uh, be good!"

     He gave her a wicked smile, as if he knew something she didn't. (He did.) Then he closed the doors and revved the engine. Nari made sure to turn away when the sun chariot took off, nearly singeing her arm hair off. She looked back, and the lake was steaming. A bright red car soared over the woods, glowing brighter and climbing higher until it disappeared in a ray of sunlight.

     Nico was still upset, and he subconsciously moved closer to Nari, the only other person he thought he knew. Nari felt guilty, and was dreading telling him the truth.

     "Who's Chiron?" He asked. "I don't have his figurine."

     Nari answered, "he's the best, he's half—"

     Percy sent her a puzzled look as he cut her off. "Our activities director, he's... well, you'll see."

     "If those Hunter girls don't like him," Nico grumbled, "that's good enough for me. Let's go."

     This time, Nari didn't bother lifting his spirits. He had every right to be upset.

     Nari remembered Percy's descriptions of each camper and what they were doing in this moment clear as day, and smiled softly to herself as she figured out who was who. She saw Charles Beckendorf stoking the forge outside the camp armory. The Stoll brothers, Travis and Connor, were picking the lock on the camp store. The others weren't given names, but she could see few campers around, and she knew exactly why that was.

What she guessed was the Big House (it was hard to miss,) was decorated with strings of red and yellow fireballs that warmed the porch but didn't seem to catch anything on fire. Nari eyes widened in awe, and she missed the amused look Percy sent her. Inside the Big House, flames crackled in the hearth. The air smelled like hot chocolate.

     Two people were inside (who technically weren't people). Nari knew them to be Mr. D, or Dionysus, the god of wine (among other things), and Chiron, the centaur. They were playing a quiet game of cards in the parlor.

     Chiron wore a fuzzy sweater with a hoofprint design on it, and he had a blanket on his lap that almost hid his wheelchair completely. Despite knowing how the wheelchair worked, it still confused Nari—the wheelchair sounded incredibly uncomfortable

     Mr. D, however, wore a neon orange leopard-skin warm-up suit and his classic purple running shoes, as well as a golden laurel wreath that was tilted sideways on his curly black hair.

     He smiled when he saw the group walk in. "Percy! Thalia! Ah, and this must be—"

     "Nico di Angelo," Percy said. "He and his sister are half-bloods." Percy replied, before turning to Nari, "and this is—"

     Mr. D glanced up and raised a brow, "the girl from another world, is it?"

     Nari wasn't surprised that he knew her. Artemis had implied the gods knowledge of her existence, and Apollo had outright said it.

     Chiron sighed, "Mr. D, we discussed that we would talk about this later." Nari hid a smirk at his response, she was expecting the banter between Chiron and Dionysus, but in person it was absolute gold.

     Mr. D didn't spare him a glance, "yes, yes, Apollo said to be careful how we speak. He made it very clear, almost as clear as how much he loves himself."

     To Nari's surprise, a few giggles echoed around the room. Although, she wasn't sure why she was surprised, because that was hilarious.

     Chiron, however, wasn't having it. "Both he and the Fates mentioned it." Chiron mumbled under his breath, but Nari was pretty sure the entire room heard it. She glanced around, and upon seeing the eyes on her, she turned back to face Dionysus.

     Mr. D finally gave in, "yes, yes, the girl has knowledge. She's still just another brat that I have to deal with." His voice made him sound bored and annoyed, but it was clear to Nari that he was the slightest bit unsettled by the idea of the Fates sending some random girl across the multiverse for who knows what sort of messed up reason.

     Chiron breathed a sigh of relief as the small argument faded into a thin layer of tension. He turned to Percy, "you succeeded, then."

     Percy glanced at Nari for a long moment before sighing, "well..."

     Chiron's smile melted. "What's wrong? And where is Annabeth?"

     "Oh, dear," Mr. D said in a bored voice, and Nari detected no falseness this time, "not another one lost."

     "What do you mean?" Thalia then asked. "Who else is lost?"

     Nari knew she wouldn't get an answer yet, as just then, Grover trotted into the room, grinning like crazy. He had a black eye and red lines on his face that looked like a slap mark. "The Hunters are all moved in!"

     Chiron frowned. "The Hunters, eh? I see we have much to talk about." He glanced at Nico. "Grover, perhaps you should take our young friend to the den and show him our orientation film."

     "But... Oh, right. Yes, sir."

     "Orientation film?" Nico asked. "Is it G or PG? 'Cause Bianca is kinda strict—"

     "It's PG-13," Grover said.

     "Cool!" Nico happily followed him out of the room.

     Percy seemed to notice that Nari was still standing there, "what about Nari? Shouldn't she watch it, too?"

     Chiron hesitated, "no, Percy, I think she's all right." Both Thalia and Percy frowned at this, and Chiron gave in. He turned to Nari, "if it's all right, my dear, once these two are finished explaining what happened, why don't you tell them your story."

     Nari nodded immediately, feeling perfectly okay with telling Thalia and Percy. It was Nico she was worried about. "That's fine with me."

     Chiron seemed pleased with her answer, and turned to Thalia and Percy, "now," he said, "perhaps you two should sit down and tell us the whole story."

So, they did. Nari never realized how boring it would be to listen to, and she silently thanked Rick Riordan for skipping over the explanations in the books. When they were done speaking, Chiron turned to Mr. D. "We should launch a search for Annabeth immediately." He said.

"I'll go," Thalia and Percy said at the same time.

Mr. D sniffed. "Certainly not!"

Immediately after, Thalia and Percy both started complaining, but Mr. D held up his hand. He had a purplish angry fire in his eyes, which Nari was lucky to never have to see until now, given that to her it was only words on paper. Now that she was seeing the glare of a god, she suddenly wished she was home. There were meaner gods than him, she knew that well.

"From what you have told me," Mr. D said, "we have broken even on this escapade. We have, ah, regrettably lost Annie Bell—"

"Annabeth," Percy snapped, his glare hard enough to rival even the god's.

"Yes, yes," Mr. D said carelessly. "And you procured a small annoying boy to replace her, and..." he gaze landed on Nari momentarily before he pretended she didn't exist and continued speaking, "so I see no point risking further half-bloods on a ridiculous rescue. The possibility is very great that this Annie girl is dead."

Nari realized that Dionysus was avoiding her gaze because he was aware that she knew Annabeth's fate, and he didn't want to tempt her into speaking it before it even happened yet. Smart.

"Annabeth may be alive," Chiron spoke as calmly as he could, trying to sound upbeat. Nari so badly wanted to tell him what Annabeth was going through right now, but it would only make things worse. "She's very bright. If... if our enemies have her, she will try to play for time. She may even pretend to cooperate."

"That's right," Thalia said. "Luke would want her alive."

The first time Nari heard one of the demigods speak his name, Nari was panicking. She wasn't in the right mentality to process that she was in the same universe as him. She wanted to throw up at the thought, given how much she disliked him. She'd heard mixed opinions on Luke, but she didn't care for them. She never liked him.

"In which case," said Mr. D, "I'm afraid she will have to be smart enough to escape on her own."

Percy got up from the table.

"Percy." Chiron's tone was full of warning. But Nari knew better than anyone, aside from Percy, that the son of Poseidon was too angry to care.

"You're glad to lose another camper," he seethed. "You'd like it if we all disappeared!"

Mr. D stifled a yawn. "You have a point?"

"Yeah," Percy growled. "Just because you were sent here as a punishment doesn't mean you have to be a lazy jerk! This is your civilization, too. Maybe you could try helping out a little!"

Nari only stared, knowing if she spoke, the god would be mad at her, too.

And for a second, there was no sound except the crackle of the fire. Mr. D opened his mouth to say something, when Nico burst into the room, followed by Grover.

"SO COOL!" Nico beamed, holding his hands out to Chiron. "You're... you're a centaur!"

Chiron managed a nervous smile. "Yes, Mr. di Angelo, if you please. Though, I prefer to stay in human form in this wheelchair for, ah, first encounters."

"And, whoa!" Nico turned to Mr. D. "You're the wine dude? No way!"

The wine dude, Nari couldn't help but snicker at the nickname.

Mr. D turned his eyes away from Percy and gave Nico a look of loathing. "The wine dude?"

"Dionysus, right? Oh, wow! I've got your figurine."

"My figurine." Mr. D repeated slowly.

"In my game, Mythomagic. And a holofoil card, too! And even though you've only got like five hundred attack points and everybody thinks you're the lamest god card, I totally think your powers are sweet!" Nari bit back a smile at Nico, who was unaware that he had just insulted a god in the strangest way possible, while also complimenting him.

"Ah." Mr. D seemed truly perplexed, "well, that's... gratifying."

Chiron turned to Nari, and she finally remembered that he was meant to tell Thalia and Percy to leave while Mr. D listened to Nico's rambling. He seemed conflicted, unsure of what to do. Eventually, he spoke, "Nari, if you would, please tell us your story."

Nari didn't want to anymore, because Nico was in the room. He was no longer rambling about Mythomagic, as Dionysus had turned his attention back to the card game on the table, but it was clear he was now listening to Nari, completely forgetting about Percy and their argument.

Nico was watching Nari with a frown, "your story?"

Nari turned to Chiron, who seemed to understand her hesitance, and was about to interrupt, but the girl held up a hand. She knew that if she didn't say anything now, she wouldn't be able to say anything at all. "Yeah," she nodded, hoping that the guilt of Nico's fake memories would stop eating away at her once she got this off her chest.

"So," she inhaled, while the other's waited patiently, Chiron being the most patient, and Nico being the least. "I'm, how do I put this..." she was genuinely confused. It wasn't just something you could tell people. Her story was complex, and it didn't completely make sense, and it still could very well be a dream—but she was there, and she had to speak.

Surprisingly, Percy spoke first. "What was it that Mr. D said?" He asked, and Mr. D raised a brow. "I mean, uh, the girl from another world? What does that mean?"

Nari was glad he gave her something to go off of, "right." She nodded, "so, well, this is gonna sound absolutely ridiculous, but I guess I'll just explain how I got here." She shrugged. Percy looked confused, but she didn't let him speak, "I was having a terrible day at school, but for weeks before that, I don't know... I just, wasn't feeling my best? I couldn't focus, I couldn't read... which was very unlike me. Anyway, after that one bad day in particular, I waited at the bus stop, because it was my only ride home, but for some reason the streets were empty—and I mean completely empty. There were no people walking, no cars, nothing. And the bus wasn't on time either."

The others listened intently, and Nari made an effort not to look anyone in the eyes. She feared their judgmental stares for when she finally got the full truth out. "I thought I would read while I waited, and—"

Thalia frowned, "I thought you said you couldn't read?"

Nari shrugged, "only sometimes. It happened rarely. I mostly couldn't focus, so I was hoping for the best when I got the book out." She explained, to which Thalia nodded. "Anyway, I decided to read a book..." she almost let the title slip, but she realized that it was a spoiler to the future, so she left that part out. "For some reason, I wanted to start the book over, so I did. I read the chapter title, and the first few sentences... but then I got really dizzy. The more I tried to read, the worse it got. Then, the letters started moving around the page, and getting all warped. A few seconds after, I collapsed, and before I passed out..."

     "What?" Percy asked, leaning forwards. "What happened?"

     Nari knew they wouldn't react well to it, but she had no choice but to speak. "I saw three old ladies watching me from across the street."

Percy went pale, like many others in the room did. "And then?" He asked.

     Nari knew that this was where the story would start to sound made up, and she ignored her racing heart. She quickly realized that a lot of her memory was blurry at this part of the story, and she was unsure why. Panic, probably. Maybe shock from switching realities, but she didn't much care. She explained it the best she could.

"I woke up standing, and it's all kind of blurry here," she frowned, "but I was suddenly in a school gym." She avoided everyone's gaze. They knew which gym she was speaking of, but still, they didn't know the full story. "I remember feeling... confused, and I was panicking a lot. Um... then Nico and Bianca were there, talking to me. I couldn't really focus on what they were saying, I was too busy trying to figure out where I was. Then, you guys came in the gym." Nari gestured to Percy and the others.

She continued, her gaze downcast at the cards on the table. "I started to realize where I was, but I denied it. I pretended I didn't understand, I guess. That I was dreaming." Nari inhaled nervously, "I was all the way across the gym, but I knew what you were talking about. I knew who you were, I just didn't know how I got there. Things kept happening, and I was expecting them." Nari paused to gather her thoughts, and Thalia took that as a good time to ask the question that everyone had been wanting to ask.

"Nari," her voice brought Nari out of her spiralling thoughts, "how did you know?" She asked, surprisingly more gentle than Nari would've expected from her. She knew the girl was kind, but she was more closed off than others, and guarded herself around strangers.

"The book—" Nari hastily got out, "the book I wanted to read on the bench was about you, all of you..." but mainly Percy, she thought. She didn't want to drop that on him just yet. "I knew what was going to happen, and still know, because where I'm from this is just a book series. This is just fiction."

It was silent for a long time.

"So..." Nico's voice was unbearably soft. Nari couldn't look at him. "Then how do I know you?"

Chiron was the one who answered, "the mist, dear boy. It will be explained to you in time, but right now we need to help Nari adjust—"

"To what?" Thalia interrupted, clearly in disbelief. Nari didn't blame her. "To a new world? A new universe?"

"Yes." Chiron answered immediately, despite Thalia's thick sarcasm. "Yes, Thalia, a new universe."

Percy slowly shook his head, "Chiron, I've seen a lot of weird things but that isn't possible."

Chiron took their shock with ease, "I didn't think so either, but I fear it is now."

Thalia turned to Nari. "All right," she decided, "if you know our future, tell us one thing."

Nari opened her mouth, "Thalia, that's dangerous. I can't—"

"One thing." Thalia insisted. "And I don't mean to sound rude, but until it happens, I won't believe you. You do know how crazy this sounds, right?"

Nari nodded, "I do." She sighed, "I can hardly believe that I'm here right now, talking to you." Thalia looked taken aback. Now, Nari was slightly amused. "Don't sell yourself short. You're pretty cool."

Percy seemed to be taking this better than Thalia, "if this is all a book to you, doesn't that mean you know our backstories?" Percy asked, "I mean... you can't jump into a fictional world without context, right? Were there books before this."

Nari nodded, her eyes widening. "Oh, that's right!" She said, glad to have good proof. "I know all about your previous quests."

Percy frowned, pointing a finger to his chest, "mine?"

Nari raised a brow, "yes, yours." Mr. D snorted in amusement at Percy's dumb comment. She was going to wait, but she had no choice but to say it now. "You're the main character."

Even Mr. D looked shocked. Thalia's eyes were as wide as saucers, "him?"

Nari nodded, "shocking, I know." She joked half heartedly. Percy looked offended. "Point is, I can give you proof. In The Lightning Thief, the first book, you, Annabeth and Grover go on a quest. It's right after you find out you're a demigod. To name a few things that happened: you met Ares, you fought Ares, you went to the underworld, uh... you said hi to a poodle. Should I say more?"

Percy stared, wide eyed.

Nari continued, "in The Sea of Monsters you snuck onto a quest with Tyson and Annabeth. It was actually Clarisse's quest, but whatever. You went to get the Golden Fleece to save Thalia's Tree, as well as rescue Grover. You were turned into a guinea pig by Circe, and you fought a Hydra. Um... should I say more?"

The others weren't sure whether to wait for Percy and Grover to confirm Nari's claims, or to laugh at Percy for being turned into a guinea pig.

Chiron turned to Percy, "Percy?" He asked gently.

"Yeah," the boy nodded slowly, "that's... true."

"Well," Dionysus sighed, as if it was a big waste of time. "Best we don't ask her for any more of her knowledge. The last thing we need is her messing up the future."

"Isn't that why she's here?"

Everyone turned to the small voice. It was Nico. He looked uncomfortable under all their gazes, and Nari pretended not to see the sadness in his eyes. The guilt had only grown. "I mean, why else would she be here. Not that she'll mess things up—no! I mean... she'll fix things, right? Won't you, Nari?"

Nari had never felt so put on the spot, "that's... a lot of trust to put into one person, Nico."

Percy's promise to Nico echoed in her mind.

"I know." He nodded, "but I trust you."

Nari was silent for a moment. He trusted her even after learning his memories were fake?

"I'll try." She nodded. "There's a lot that I want to fix, to be honest. I don't know if I can, but I'm gonna do my best."

Nico nodded, "that's good enough for me."

It was as if a switch had flipped, and everyone was back on script, "Percy," Chiron said, "you and Thalia go down to the cabins. Inform the campers we'll be playing capture the flag tomorrow evening."

"Capture the flag?" Percy asked, his eyes flicking between Chiron and Nari. "But we don't have enough—"

"It is a tradition," Chiron said. "A friendly match, whenever the Hunters visit."

"Yeah," Thalia muttered. "I bet it's real friendly."

Chiron only sighed, glancing at Nari. She realized he wanted to talk to her alone. "Run along now."

"Oh, right," Thalia sent Nari a wary gaze, like she still wasn't sure if the girl was telling the truth or not. "Come on, Percy."

     The others left soon after. Now it was just Nari, Chiron and Dionysus. (Nari still couldn't believe she was in the same room as them.) "Nari," Chiron said, "I'm sure you know, but it's best not to tell anyone else. I suppose we could tell the Apollo cabin, given that they are your..."

     "Pretend siblings?" Mr. D offered.

     Chiron didn't seem happy with it, but he nodded, "sure. But other than that, it would be best to keep this to yourself. I believe those who know won't tell anyone, but if you could let them know this as well, it would be appreciated."

     Nari nodded. "Sure."

     "Also, my dear, we would like to let you know that if there is anything you should say, don't be afraid to say it. You know what you can't say, I take it?"

     Nari nodded, horrible things that the future holds floating through her mind, "I know. But I can try to fix it, can't I?"

     Mr. D nodded, "oh, it's encouraged. By all means, save us from our terrible fates."

     Nari's heart dropped to her stomach as she stared at him. She had to save his son, but how? His death wasn't written in detail, was it? How was she meant to explain that if Castor did die?

     "Of course." Was all that Nari could say.

     Chiron, who always seemed to know what to say, could see right through Nari's calm facade. "Don't put to much pressure on yourself." He said. "It's a lot to handle, and surely you didn't expect this when you first started reading the series to begin with. Try to relax if you can. You know what's coming, you know when you can take a break from things. And of course you can't say anything directly, but if you would like to talk, I'll always be ready to listen."

     Nari nodded slowly, "thanks, Chiron." She managed. She wanted to say that she would never be able to relax with the coming war looming over her head, and she would never be able to go home and be the same as she was, if the Fates even allowed her to leave. Once everything was over, she would surely be a different person altogether.

     And her mother? Was she meant to lie to her? Act like nothing ever happened? It felt impossible. Was time still moving in her world? Would she wake up at the bus stop or in a hospital bed?

     Nari couldn't remember much of what she and Chiron talked about. It must not have been important, as Chiron sent her off upon seeing her dazed state. He sent her to look for someone she knew—personally, anyway. Someone who could introduce her to the Apollo kids.

     She found Thalia first, but decided to go to Percy instead. She knew Thalia didn't completely trust her, and didn't want to bother her by asking for help. Percy, however, seemed to trust her more. He believed her, anyway, and that was enough.

     He was surprised when she walked up to him, after he had finished telling everyone about capture-the-flag, he was planning on going back to his cabin. Nari felt guilty for stopping him, because she knew she didn't belong in this world. He had a life, and she wasn't meant to be part of it.

     "Nari," he said, "how'd the talk with Chiron and Mr. D go?"

     Nari shrugged, kicking at the snow, "it was fine. He said not to tell anyone else about where I'm from, and to let you know as well."

     Percy nodded immediately, "yeah, of course." There was a small pause of silence before he spoke again, "so... you know the future, right?"

     Nari raised a brow, "yeah." She nodded. "Why?"

     Percy hummed, "we got any chances of winning capture-the-flag tomorrow night?"

     Nari smiled in amusement before shrugging, "can't say."

     Percy's jaw dropped, "oh, come on. It can't be that important for the future."

     Sure, maybe the game itself wasn't that eventful, but it tied itself pretty well into the story as a whole. Not to mention, the oracle was meant to make an appearance after Thalia and Percy's argument, which only even happened because the campers would lose. Still, Nari didn't want to risk changing things.

     "How about this," Nari proposed, "after I get used to this whole... being in a fictional universe thing, and I get how it works, I'll think of one thing I can tell you. Something small... that won't change anything." Percy looked hopeful, "but I'm not risking this." Percy frowned.

     "Deal." He sighed, before raising a brow, "was there something you needed?" He realized that Nari had been the one to come up to him.

     "Chiron asked if someone could show take me to the Apollo campers—my pretend siblings." Nari quoted Mr. D. Then, she held up a hand, "if you want to, anyway. I know you're busy."

     Percy looked just about ready to say, I'm not busy, as a subconscious response, but remembered that Nari knew that he in fact was busy.

     He thought it over before nodding, "sure." Then he took her to the Apollo Cabin and Nari thought over what to say, preparing herself for what she was about to get herself into for the second time that day.

Nari was glad that the Apollo kids eventually believed her, and the conversation went (surprisingly) more smoothly than it did with the others. Each kid promised not to tell anyone, too. Nari figured they believed her quicker because their father was the god of prophecy, and Nari's newfound 'power' was somewhat similar to that. She was just glad to have a group of people who she could talk to about it, without feeling like a freak.

Nari was immediately welcomed in at dinner, and was amazed by all the food they had, despite reading about it so much. But it didn't beat her mom's cooking. Hana Seong was a fantastic cook, and while Nari preferred baking, she knew a thing or two about cooking based off what her mother had shown her.

     Still, the barbecue, pizza, and never-empty soda goblets was just as delicious, and Nari was quickly finding comfort in her temporary home. The torches and braziers kept the outdoor pavilion warm, which Nari loved. Nari did however feel bad for Percy and Thalia, who had to sit alone.

     She figured that she would be allowed at their tables if she wanted to sit there, because she wasn't actually a demigod, but as a way to not raise suspicion, she enjoyed her time with the Apollo kids.

     Nari glanced at Nico every so often as he spent his time talking to the Stoll brothers about poker and Mythomagic. He seemed to be in better spirits, but he still looked sort of down. Nari hoped it wasn't her fault, but still felt bad about the whole Bianca-being-a-Hunter situation.

As Nari expected, the most lively table was Artemis'. The Hunters drank and ate and laughed like one big happy family. Zoë sat at the head like she was the mama. She didn't laugh as much as the others, but she did smile from time to time. Her silver lieutenant's band glittered in the dark braids of her hair. Bianca seemed to be having a great time as well. She was trying to learn how to arm wrestle when Nari had glanced at her, and lost every time, but her smile never faltered.

When they'd finished eating, Chiron made the customary toast to the gods and formally welcomed the Hunters of Artemis. The clapping was pretty halfhearted. Then he announced the "good will" capture-the-flag game that would be taking place the next day, which earned loud cheers of excitement.

Eventually, the night came to a close. Nari tried not to think about how Percy would dream of Annabeth holding up the sky, and Luke being the reason why she had to do such a difficult thing. She tried not to think about how her mother was universes away, and how she had no way to contact her.

But most of all, she tried not to think about the horrors that the future held, and how she—a girl trapped in a fictional universe—had to be the one to fix things.

—————
lizzie speaks...

FINALLY they know who she is. i hope i wrote it well. i found this chapter rly hard to write lol

also! i got a comment recently asking if nari would have a love interest, and the answer is no because that would lead to manyyyyy complications and nari knows that