*This is the fall before Percy goes missing*

I was shaken awake at 3 AM, by Malcolm, which usually only happens if one of three things happens,

Monster Attack

Percy was having a nightmare

A new kid arrived and needed help.

In this instance, he said it was 1 and 3, a hoard of monsters were following a little girl that was running for her life. I grabbed my denim jacket, shoved shoes on, grabbed my dagger, and ran out of the cabin.

I got to the crest of the hill right as she ran through the border, there were kids fighting monsters everywhere, and I could have helped them, I really could have, but then I saw her, she was tiny, shoeless, and shivering. She also had tangly curly blonde hair and stormy grey eyes, in other words, she looked like my sister, like me.

I knelt in front of her, staying several feet away, I put my jacket on the ground next to me, and removed my sheath, so she would see that I wasn't a threat, I started talking, telling her about camp and my life, but she still looked wary, so I started humming a new tune, Dear Theodosia from Hamilton by Lin Manuel Miranda, she calms if only just a little, then I start to sing softly

"I thought I was so smart

My father wasn't around (my father wasn't around)

I swear that

I'll be around for you (I'll be around for you)

I'll do whatever it takes

I'll make a million mistakes

I'll make the world safe and sound for you

You will come of age with our young nation

We'll bleed and fight for you, we'll make it right for you

If we lay a strong enough foundation

We'll pass it on to you, we'll give the world to you

And you'll blow us all away

Someday, someday

Yeah, you'll blow us all away

Someday, someday"

The girl eventually stepped closer to Annabeth and grabbed her hair.

"Can I carry you to my cabin? You are barefoot, so it might hurt you to walk that far."

The girl nods and Annabeth wrapped her jacket around her and grabs her into her arms.

"Mal, show Will into the underground, ya?"

"Yeah Annabeth, I will." Malcolm nods. Annabeth rushes into Cabin 6 and whispers,

"Are you scared of tight spaces?" the little girl shakes her head no, so Annabeth opens the secret elevator to the Cabin 6 bunker, basically just an underground set of rooms for all of the Athena kids, and carried the girl to her room, 7th door on the left.

Malcolm soon followed with Will, and the girl immediately tensed, not liking the new people.

Annabeth convinced her to let Will look at her feet first. The girl's tiny feet were cut up and bruised, but toughened, probably barefoot for some time.

It took a while, but the girl was healing in Annabeth's arms on her bed, and Annabeth was trying to get her to talk, starting with some basic questions.

"Okay, okay, umm... is your favorite color... Neon green?"

The girl giggled and shook her head again

"How about pink?"

The girl once again signaled that it was not. This went on for 8 more colors, until...

"How about... Lilac?"

The girl nodded her head, that's it, lilac. Annabeth immediately picked out several lilac things they have in the storage closet for new rooms to go into this girl's room. Annabeth had already mentally assigned her the empty room in between her and Malcolm's rooms.

"Okay, new question, what is your name?" Annabeth asked softly.

The girl surprised Annabeth by whispering in a raspy voice, "Lizzie."

Annabeth almost teared up at her little voice, "Lizzie, is that your full name?"

"No, it's Elizabeth Cheyanne Mason," Lizzie said, voice sounding week from lack of use.

Annabeth got her name, and her favorite color, just one more question.

"And how old are you Lizzie?"

"I'm six."

Annabeth's heart squeezed, this girl so like the one holding her close was younger than Annabeth was... They both fell asleep soon after and had a relatively peaceful sleep.

(A/N) 684 words.  Did y'all enjoy it? Vote and comment or whatever.

My full inspiration was Dear Theodosia btw...

thx,

xoxo Annabeth