Published: August 6, 2021

Edited: May 25, 2022

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  Dinner that night was pretty average. Percy sat at the overcrowded Hermes table while Annabeth and I chatted with the other kids at the Athena table. I caught a few of the newer campers, (Percy included), staring at  the green-eyed noirette (aka me) at the table of grey-eyed blondes.

 After dinner there were a few quick announcements from Mr. D before everyone was dismissed. As there was no campfire tonight, most cabins headed back to their cabins for lights out. However the two leading cabins for capture the flag got to plan out their strategy. As winner of the drachma flip, the Ares cabin got to use the counselor meeting room and Athena had to meet up in the dining hall after the harpies had cleaned up the dinner mess. We spread out a list off all the campers and their cabins, as well as a map of the forest. 

"Well we obviously want the Hermes kids, they've got all the unclaimed and their the biggest group!" I reasoned, pointing out the list of Hermes campers on our paper.

"You think we could trade them the good shower time in the morning for it?" Malcom asked, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. I frowned at the paper.

"What if we trade with Apollo for morning shower privileges and offer to do Hermes' dish duties for a week? They'd probably do it, they always get one out of five on inspection." Annabeth mused, also studying the papers.

"We could ty to get da Demeter on our side." Eva, a younger girl, suggested. I smiled outwardly but I didn't think much of the idea. Demeter cabin always insisted we give them our dessert privilege's when we asked for an alliance. Not to eat it or anything, instead they used the extra brownies to feed the nereids in the lake. 

"They do have the upper hand in the forest, but none of them are strong enough to do much plant related damage. At least not enough for me to give up my dessert rights!" I admitted, starting to roll up the scrolls and maps.

"So that leaves us with Apollo and Hermes, while Ares has Demeter, Hephaestus, the twins from Mr. D's cabin and Aphrodite." Malcom counted off, marking it on the last piece of paper before I rolled it up.

"The threats there are Ares and Hephaestus. Which is pretty small." Annabeth noted, helping me gather scrolls.

"Don't foget about Katie from Demeter, she's good wit her tomato plants!" Eva chimed in helpfully, looking proud of her input. I smiled at the little girl, internally aww-ing over her lisp. 

"Course not Ev," I agreed, "C'mon it's getting late and we still need to wash up." I stood up and took her tiny hand in my own.

Eva Anthony was different from so many other Athena campers, she wasn't blonde and was the only colored child of Athena at camp. She had neat black cornrows and big gray eyes. She was very shy and had taken a liking to me, perhaps because I had black hair like hers. We walked back to the cabins and gathered our pajamas and our shower supplies. I then lead her towards the showers. We were halfway there when I heard yelling. I turned to see Clarisse LaRue, HBIC of the Ares cabin. She was dragging Percy towards the toilets while her siblings were following and laughing. He was struggling against them but one newbie against six big ugly war children is not a good match. I grabbed Eva's tighter and sped up. 

I rushed into the bathroom to see Clarisse behind Percy who was being forced to kneel in front of the toilet. My blood boiled with anger as all the Ares kids laughed stupidly. Percy growled like an animal. His face was contorted with anger. My fists clenched and everything seemed to shake. Then I blinked, everything was shaking. I realized what was going to happen and shielded Eva with my body just as every toilet and sink in the room exploded. Water was everywhere. Except on me. And Percy. And Eva. Clarisse spluttered in outrage.

"You'll pay for that punk!" She yelled at Percy, who was still kneeling by the toilet. I released Eva from my bear hug and dashed in front of Percy. I whipped out Whirlpool and Clarisse's fist collided with the flat of a celestial bronze blade. She screamed in pain and shook out her hand. She spat at me. Except the spit didn't reach my face. Somehow, the spit had changed direction in midair and hit the daughter of Ares right between the eyes. She screamed in rage again and stomped out of the bathroom. The rest of the Ares kids looked around stupidly before shuffling out. I looked around at the broken mirrors and toilets and let out a low whistle. Percy laughed nervously

"Nedia?" Eva's accented voice called softly from behind me. I turned to see her soaking wet, water dripping off of her clothes and pooling on the ground. She was shivering from the cold and her braids hung limply by her sides. 

"Oh gods Evie! I'm sorry!" I walked over to her and grabbed her hand. I started to towel her off with a paper towel but it dissolved in the amount of water. I looked back at her to find her blinking her big gray eyes in confusion. 

"I'm dry?" She looked at me curiously. Indeed her clothes were dry as the Sahara and the water around her feet was gone, leaving a circle of dry floor around her. I shrugged in confusion but decided not to question it. I got up from kneeling on the ground. I released Eva's hand and turned back to Percy to help him. From behind me Eva wailed.  I whipped around to see her dripping water again. I blinked in surprise. 

"Okay kiddo, lets just go get a towel." I decided resignedly, picking her up. "Oof, you're getting big." I joked, shifting her to my hip. "See ya Perce." I called back to Percy as I walked out.

 I carried Eva all the way to the Athena cabin. I pushed open the door and her small murmur let me know that she had fallen asleep. I laughed to myself and set her on her bed. She rolled over and breathed deeply. I smiled fondly at her soft features and lifted the covers over her. I changed my clothes and climbed into my bed. I sighed and let the dream take me away.

  '•'

 I was standing outside camp, on half-blood hill looking down on the cabins. Luke was standing beside me, but somehow it wasn't Luke. His eyes were green instead of blue and his entire demeanor was more confident and strong. Not-Luke began to speak, but it wasn't Luke's voice. The voice was familiar yet alien. He put his arm around my shoulders and gestured towards the camp. 

"Remember this when they ask you to join them small one. You must spy on them, use these. Give one to your brother." I was confused, I didn't have a brother.  Who was talking through Luke in my dream? Not-Luke pressed two bracelets with small trident charms into the palm of my hand. 

"Wait what?" I asked frantically. I tried to turn my head to look at Not-Luke but my body wouldn't seem to move. Not-Luke continued to speak in the voice that was not Luke's own.

"Trust the time in which things happen Neridia." He warned. Then everything dissolved, the camp and the hill streaked away until I was faced with nothing but infinite darkness. 

I sat bolt upright in my bed, my left hand clutched into a fist. The dream had left me shaken and confused. I brushed my hair away from my face with my right hand, still clenching the left. Then I realized that something hard and cold was pressing into my palm. I uncurled my hand to reveal the two glimmering trident bracelets. I gulped. 

'•'

After breakfast I changed into my swimsuit and athletic shorts and bounced down to the lake for canoe races. As I approached the canoes I heard the rest of the competitors sigh. Everyone at camp knew that I always won the canoe races. Other than sword play, it was the only thing I was exceptionally good at. I walked to the white canoe I always rode in. It was clean and the knot was perfectly tied. I quickly unraveled the rope and stepped into the canoe. I paddled to the starting line. Percy was floating there, sitting with Grover in a green canoe. 

"Hey Percy!" I called to him, pulling my canoe in beside his. Percy grinned and waved at me.

"You think I got any shot at winning?" He called back teasingly. Grover laughed, it sounded like a goat's bleat.

"Nah bro, 'Dia's got this in the bag. She's never lost once!" Grover told him. I flashed a toothy smile at the pair and shrugged. Percy laughed good-naturedly. 

"Well I guess I'll settle for second" He joked. I giggled and gave him a thumbs up.

 A nymph standing on the edge of the lake blew her whistle twice, telling us to get to the starting line.  I positioned my canoe in the middle of the line of preparing racers. I noticed a girl from Aphrodite cabin, the one who usually came in second place, glaring at me. I rolled my eyes at her attitude. The nymph's whistle blew again, shrill and short. 

I immediately began paddling. Unlike the majority of the campers, I didn't frantically paddle forward. instead I took long, strong strokes through the water, moving swiftly as a motorized boat. I completely ignored the other competitors and pushed forward. I began to hear cries of shock and outrage from people behind me. I quickly reached the finish line and turned to see what was wrong. Aside from Percy's and my canoe, every racer was moving backward. The water was seeming to fight against them. Percy and Grover, however, were moving through the water as though the current affecting the others wasn't bothering them at all. They quickly finished in second and everyone else gave up fighting the current and let their boats drift back to the far shore.

Word about the bathroom incident from the night before and the canoe race spread through the camp like wildfire. Soon enough people were staring and pointing at me and Percy, who was (much to Annabeth's dismay) hanging out with me as he didn't know many other people. Rumors were rife about Percy and I's godly parentage and if we were somehow related. I had taken to hiding my face and keeping to myself to avoid awkward questions from people. I was also avoiding the Ares cabin at all costs, waiting for the moment that Clarisse decided to get even with me or Percy. Or worse, both of us. Of course Annabeth had to completely ruin my 'avoid Clarisse plan' by coming up with a new strategy for capture the flag. Just great.

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Word Count: 1857