Warmth from the thermos seeped into the bones of my hands. It stayed there, not moving up through the rest of my arms, though I didn't mind. My fingers were almost always cold now. Steam swirled up to dance around my face, leaving behind a veneer of moisture.

I took a sip. Then a deep drink. Heat settled in my gut and spread slowly through my body, unwinding tension and soothing me until I melted into the desk chair. I might've curled there and fallen asleep had Chiron not smiled and urged me to drink the rest.

"I am a healer, Percy. Try to remember that, it's going to be on your first test." He tapped his fingers. "It would be impressive to forget something so quickly, even for you." 

Those last dregs of tea, the ones almost bitter instead made sweet by nectar, hit my tongue. The thermos clunked on the desk.

"I did forget."

"What the queen of the gods does is not a reflection on you."

"Why. . . are you here?" The unspoken: is there another like me?

"It seems as though a young satyr picked up your scent, I came here, and once I saw your name on my roster, it was simple reasoning that this will earn a favor or two in return." He tilted his head slightly. "Your father is quite generous to Camp when we do things he approves of. I haven't had to drop a cow into the ocean in years."

"Sounds like Dad." I folded my arms. "Mm, Chiron?"

"Yes?"

"Can I have another hug?"

His hand ended up in my hair again, nails tenderly dragging over my scalp. It was more touch than he usually offered, but I wasn't going to complain. Not when there were so many reasons why he'd offer it; they weren't things I'd want to discuss. It almost made me laugh. Alone with maybe the only person I could talk to without worry, and I didn't want to ruin it because he was scratching my head like he would with Seymour.

"Are you okay?"

"No."

I was caged in by tight arms.

"Do not admit that," he whispered sharply, then he cursed. "I'm very glad you told me but..."

"The gods." I shuddered. Dad was safe to let know. The other gods probably wouldn't be as understanding or lenient. Chiron tucked me closer to his chest, attempting to hide me within his own presence. I wasn't sure how that worked, exactly, but Chiron should have been an Olympian by right of birth.

Was he forsaken because he didn't fit Hera's perfect mold? Or had there been another reason, one mirrored in why he was the only of Kronos's children to be accused of poisoning the pine?

Any thing else, any other thought, didn't matter because he curled around me and let me pretend I didn't exist.

"Percy?" Bruce opened the door.

I waved from my spot where I sat filling out instructions for Camp. Ever since I showed up, canoe maintenance had been my responsibility, as well as making deals with the naiads to not drown people. Chiron could handle them, but this allowed me to feel like I was doing something useful.

"I'm doing stuff," I said.

His shoes clicked on the tile floor, and his cold hand brushed hair from my forehead. "You know we've been ready to leave for ten minutes?"

I blinked up at him. My vision swam a bit, so I bit down bile and kept scribbling instructions. Need to get this done. Need to get this done. Be useful or the gods will get rid of you.

"Percy." Dick pressed his hands on my shoulders. "You shouldn't stress yourself by redoing that."

"Oh," Chiron said, probably looking up from his papers the way he would at Yancy. "She's working on something else actually. Percy has some familiarity with the coursework--though she does continue to insist on switching two names."

"One you could ride, the other gives you a ride."  Before I could continue with my rationalization of why I did it again--in a way that wouldn't sound completely suspicious--Bruce interrupted.

"This time?"

"Percy was a student of mine quite a few years ago. She's a bright girl when she wants to be. Ah, my dear, can you grab the papers from my satchel please? Thank you."

"What are these?

"If I ever take the children to a museum, it's safer to have these signed." I peered over Bruce's shoulder. A few clauses were slightly hazy, shimmering and shifting. One gave Chiron permission to do what he deemed necessary for safety purposes.

A safe and easy way to ensure I could make it to Camp.

"I'll let my lawyers look at them first. Most teachers don't tend to give me contracts."

"Perfectly fine, of course." Chiron's grin was easy, and I wondered how thickly he'd applied the Mist. Did he have Mr. D help him? "

"Why did you stop working at Yancy, exactly?"  Bruce's hands were in his pockets, one clenched. I was sure Chiron noticed that too.

"I was a substitute teacher , and they phased out their Latin program soon after. So even if they had extended me a permanent position, it wouldn't have mattered."

"Plus he didn't terrorize the kids enough. The math teacher I had there made me stay until midnight erasing answers out of textbooks for fidgeting. He gave me a pen."

"You..shouldn't be that happy with getting a pen."

"It's a lucky pen." I pulled Riptide out and spun it around my fingers. Chiron swallowed, and I knew he was thinking about whatever fates had claimed the previous wielders. He'd never told me how my dad had gotten it, and I didn't want to know. Blood stained the history of any weapon in Camp's arsenal, and with the start Riptide had, I couldn't see how things would be different after Heracles.

"Bruce," Dick whined. "The ice cream shop is going to be closed, hurry up."

Quick goodbyes. Sneaking papers to Chiron. Being ushered into the hall and out the front doors into the car.

"What did he give you?" Bruce's eyes were wide. Almost panicked. He touched my neck, then my wrists and fingers.

"Tea." I flinched away when he pulled out a penlight. "Bruce, Yancy was very much a 'doesn't matter if you're sick' school. Mr. Brunner made it a point to bring extra cups for people who were. Honestly, his tea's almost godly. I haven't felt this awake in a week." I really needed to ask if this was the result of brewing the leaves with nectar instead of water. "Though I'm probably going to pass out for a week after this." I didn't miss that there was a hint of chamomile.

"And what did he want you to stay back for?"

"He's done a lot for me." My hands clenched. I stared at my white knuckles. "I...probably wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for him." That was the wrong thing too say. The thumping of my heart moved into my throat.

Dick frowned and moved closer to me, leaning over Bruce's lap. "Do you mean that because of your illness or mental health?"

Vomiting, thankfully, kept me from answering.

I uh
Am not dead?

Sorry for the wait on this chapter, and sorry if this chapter is bad, i made the mistake of reading until 3am last night and my brain is fuzzy rn but apparently that means enough focus to actually write a chapter

I do have a plan in place for this story, a lot is just getting the motivation to work on my fanfics without neglecting the original stories I'm working on

See yah