AMARA'S MORNING STARTED like any other. She was at Aiden's apartment again, trying her hardest to drown out Danny and Sam's loud bickering as she helped her older cousin make french toast.

"I swear to all the gods," Aiden said, "if they don't shut up in the next five seconds I'm going to drop kick them off of the balcony."

Amara laughed. "As much as I'd love to see that, I don't want the neighbors calling child protective services."

"Amara, I think the neighbors would pay me to do that."

"You're right." She said, shaking her head.

"I spend the last 7 years of my life taking care of these brats and this is the thanks I get." He pointed his spatula at the pair behind them.

"We can hear you, you know?" Danny looked unimpressed.

Sam took his momentary pause as an excuse to shove him out of the way. She jumped over the couch and made her way towards Aiden and Amara, grinning.

"First of all, ow. Second, why can't you just walk around the couch like a normal person?" Danny said, coming up behind her.

"Normal is boring. You're boring." Sam teased.

"I am not! You take that back right now!"

"What are you, ten?" Aiden gave them a pointed look. "You're fifteen, why can't you act your age?"

"You're just old and bitter." Danny rolled his eyes.

"That's it." Aiden shoved the plate full of french toast at Amara, "Daniel Kim, you are so dead." Aiden then proceeded to sprint toward Danny, chasing him around the apartment.

"And he says we behave like children." Sam rolled her eyes.

"To be fair, you and Danny argue every five minutes." Amara pointed out.

"It's out of love!" Sam defended, "besides, he's wearing my sweater."

"The pink one? I thought you didn't want it anymore."

"I don't." Sam said.

"Then what's the problem?" Amara asked.

"The problem," Sam started, "is that he looks better in it than I did. And that is not okay!"

"Sam, you look good in everything you wear. Just let him have it and stop arguing. Please?"

"Fine." Sam sighed, "only because you get special privileges today."

Right. It was Amara's sixteenth birthday.

"So," Sam took the plate of breakfast away from Amara, grabbing some forks, and dragged her cousin to the table. "How do you feel? Sixteen is a big deal."

"I feel the same way I felt last night, when I went to sleep and was still fifteen." Amara said, "Actually, that's a lie. I feel worse."

Sam frowned, but motioned for her to keep talking.

"It's just... This is my first birthday in a while without Jason here." Amara looked at her hands, " I know, it's stupid."

"It's not." Sam smiled softly at her cousin. "It's completely normal to feel like that, especially after everything."

"I don't know... I just never really got to say goodbye, and, I guess, a part of me was just hoping things would be normal today?" Amara chuckled dryly, "I sound ridiculous, don't I?"

"Mara–"

"Amari! Help me!"

Danny came running around the corner, and was now using her as a human shield. Aiden glared at him.

"That's not fair, stop using your cousin as a shield and deal with your issues."

"No."

Amara took a bite of her breakfast, rolling her eyes at them. "Can we just have breakfast and pretend to be a normal family for five minutes?"

"Amara, sweetie. We all know that's not possible." Sam said.

Amara shook her head, smiling. Aiden and Danny took their seats, silently glaring at each other, and the four of them had a semi-normal birthday breakfast.

༄ ✉️ 🍊

Amara heard the chaos before she saw it. She, Sam, and Danny were making their way back to camp from Aiden's, the twins bickering about something Amara had been too zoned out to remember.

"Amara!" Danny had to pull her back so she didn't trip on a rock.

"Thanks." She shook her head.

"What happened?"

"Spaced out, sorry."

"Let's just get back before you actually fall." Sam said.

They'd been walking in peace for a couple minutes, until Amara heard the watchtower horns sound loudly in the silence of the day.

"What the hell?" Sam had been so startled, she jumped back a couple feet.

The group of three looked at each other for a moment, before sprinting toward the camp gates. Amara hoped it wasn't another monster attack—they'd been getting plenty of those already, and, regardless of the camp's magical boundaries, it was still a nuisance to deal with.

When they finally reached the action, Amara noticed Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque, both members of the Fifth Cohort, in the middle of a fight against two gorgons. Or, better stated, Hazel was getting ready to do something while Frank was being manhandled against his will.

Then, she saw him.

Amara knew everyone at camp, something she prided herself on. She definitely wasn't close friends with all the campers, but at least she could say she remembered their names (which was a win, if you wanted to know all the drama), and she definitely did not know who this mysterious guy was.

Near the side of the Little Tiber, stood a tall, dark-haired boy with a tattered orange shirt, accompanied by an old woman, who stood hunched down next to him.

"He's hot." Danny spoke next to her. Amara was not about to agree with him, because she really didn't want to give him the satisfaction, but she had to agree with him. Internally. He wasn't exactly her type, but she could still appreciate someone beautiful.

It seemed the mystery boy had a few tricks up his sleeve; he thrust out his hands, and the Tiber obeyed his will. Whirlpools formed on either side of Frank.

Giant watery hands erupted from the stream, copying the guy's movements. The giant hands grabbed the gorgons, who dropped Frank in surprise. Then the hands lifted the squawking monsters in a liquid vice grip.

He made a smashing gesture with his fists, and the giant hands plunged the gorgons into the Tiber. The monsters hit bottom and broke into dust. Glittering clouds of gorgon essence struggled to re-form, but the river pulled them apart just as quickly. Soon every trace of the gorgons was swept downstream.

The whirlpools vanished, and the current returned to normal.

In the middle of the Tiber, Frank stumbled around, looking stunned but perfectly fine. Hazel waded out and helped him ashore.

Then, everything became quiet. Everyone was staring at him. Only the old lady looked unfazed.

"Well, that was a lovely trip," she said. "Thank you, Percy Jackson, for bringing me to Camp Jupiter."

One of the girls behind Amara, Reyna, she noticed,  made a choking sound.

"Percy... Jackson?"

She sounded as if she recognized his name. When Amara turned to look at her, she saw the look on Reyna's face, kind of like she was staring at her worst nightmare.

The old woman laughed with delight. "Oh, yes. You'll have such fun together!"

Then, the old lady began to glow and change form. She grew until she was a shining seven-foot-tall goddess in a blue dress, with a cloak that looked like goat's skin over her shoulders. Her face was stern and stately. In her hand was a staff topped with a lotus flower.

If it was possible for the campers to look more stunned, they did. Reyna knelt. The others followed her lead.

Hazel was the first to speak. "Juno."

She and Frank also fell to their knees, leaving mister water boy—Percy Jackson, to be the only one standing.

"Juno, huh?" he said. "If I passed your test, can I have my memory and my life back?"

The goddess smiled. "In time, Percy Jackson, if you
succeed here at camp. You've done well today, which is a good start. Perhaps there's hope for you yet."

She turned to the other kids. "Romans, I present to you the son of Neptune. For months he has been slumbering, but now he is awake. His fate is in your hands. The Feast of Fortune comes quickly, and Death must be unleashed if you are to stand any hope in the battle. Do not fail me!"

Juno shimmered and disappeared.

Reyna stepped forward, examining Percy warily, kind of like she was tempted to kill him.

"So," she said coldly, "a son of Neptune, who comes to us with the blessing of Juno."

"Look," he said, "my memory's a little fuzzy. Um, it's gone, actually. Do I know you?"

Reyna hesitated. "I am Reyna, praetor of the Twelfth Legion. And ... no, I don't know you."

"Hazel," said Reyna, "bring him inside. I want to question him at the principia. Then we'll send him to Octavian. We must consult the auguries before we decide what to do with him."

"What do you mean," Percy asked, "decide what to do with me?"

Reyna's hand tightened on her dagger. "Before we accept anyone into camp, we must interrogate them and read the auguries. Juno said your fate is in our hands. We have to know whether the goddess has brought us a new recruit ..."

Reyna studied Percy as if she found that doubtful. "Or," she said more hopefully, "if she's brought us an enemy to kill."

Well, happy freakin' birthday to her! Amara could already tell things we're not going to be easy with this son of Neptune in camp. She was looking forward to it.

༄ ✉️ 🍊

Evening muster was as boring as ever. Frank tried to stand up for the new kid and failed, Octavian was being an asshole as per usual, and Hazel ended up standing for Percy Jackson, making him the newest member of the Fifth Cohort.

The only exciting thing that had come from said meeting, was that now, Amara knew that night's war games would be interesting.

They were dismissed, and Amara found herself sitting at the First Cohort table, glass of soda long forgotten.

Amara felt like a creep, staring at Percy Jackson interacting with Nico di Angelo, but she couldn't help it. Nico was an on and off camper, so she never really got to figure him out, and Percy was kind of on the same boat for her right now.

She had no idea what to think of the son of Neptune—he didn't know much of who he was, so how was she supposed to? It was confusing.

She narrowed her eyes at the pair, unable to read their lips. She didn't mean to be nosy, but she really wanted to make sense of everything.

How does a demigod as powerful as Percy Jackson (because she had to admit it, just from that display alone, Percy Jackson was easily one of the most powerful demigods Camp Jupiter had ever encountered) survive on his own for so long? And how does he wind up carrying a goddess to camp? It genuinely made no sense to Amara, but that wouldn't stop her from figuring it out.

After all, Amara loved a challenge.

Apparently, she was so focused on figuring out what the heck they were talking about, she didn't notice Danny make his way to her.

"Hey, Amari."

"Holy shit!" Amara was so startled, she lost her balance and fell off the bench.

"Gods, Amara. You're clumsy today." Sam snickered.

"Shut up." She brushed herself off. "What do you want?"

"I was gonna ask what you were thinking about so intensely, but then I saw you staring at the new guy and Nico." Sam pointed out, giving her a look.

"I was just trying to figure out what they were talking about, is all." Amara said. "It's weird, he just shows up and doesn't know who he is, but managed to kill two gorgons like it was nothing?"

"It is kind of strange, but, we're demigods, right? So it shouldn't be that weird." Sam said.

"Who cares." Danny said, sitting down next to Amara. "I brought cupcakes."

"When did you have the time to bake cupcakes?" Amara questioned.

"I didn't. Aiden did, though." He paused to open the pretty box he was holding. "Look! They're pink! I told him to do that."

Amara laughed, "Of course you did." She smiled at her cousins, "Did Aiden leave?"

"Yeah," Sam said, "dropped these off and headed to his meeting. He said to swing by the apartment so we could celebrate properly tonight, though."

Amara nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Danny sighed, "So, miss stalker, what do you think about the new guy?"

Amara shrugged. "Haven't really gotten a good read on him yet."

"But you want to?" Danny asked.

"Have you met her?" Sam asked. "I'm surprised she hasn't matched her way over there already since di Angelo and company just left."

"They what?" Amara turned her attention to the Fifth Cohort table, and noticed Percy, Hazel and Frank sitting in their own secluded corner of the table.

Amara grinned, grabbing the box of cupcakes. She turned to her cousins, "You coming?"

Without looking back, she marched right up to their table.

༄ ✉️ 🍊

Amara didn't mean to just pop up out of nowhere, but she figured it'd be better to introduce herself now and be civil, rather than later. Besides, she was curious, and Amara was determined to figure the new kid out.

"What was that about?" Percy asked. "And what's wrong with Dakota?"

Frank sighed. "He's okay. He's a son of Bacchus, the wine god. He's got a drinking problem."

Percy's eyes widened. "You let him drink wine?"

"That would be a total disaster," Amara said, taking a seat across from Percy and Hazel. "I kinda want to see it though."

"Amara!" Hazel jumped.

"Hi." She smiled, "Cupcakes?"

Frank frowned, "I don't know if I can have that. I'm lactose-intolerant."

"They're vegan." Sam said, taking a seat next to Amara. Danny joined them a second later.

"Aiden's going through a phase." Danny added.

"Aiden went vegan?" Frank asked, taking a cupcake with a smile.

"No," Amara said, "he's just trying to perfect his recipes for when he opens his bakery soon. He's been baking vegan treats for the past week."

"Tell him I'll be there daily, then. These are really good." Frank said, taking another bite.

Amara offered a cupcake to Hazel, who gladly accepted, and then turned to Percy.

"I don't think we've actually met yet. I'm Amara." She smiled at him. Danny elbowed her. Amara rolled her eyes, but continued, "These are my cousins, that's Sam. This is Danny."

Percy nodded, gladly accepting a cupcake.

"I'm Percy, but you probably already knew that, after...everything." He shrugged.

Amara nodded, and they ate in silence for a few minutes.

"You asked about the Fifth," Hazel said suddenly. "Why it's the worst cohort. That actually started way before us."

She pointed to the back wall, where the legion's standards were on display. "See the empty pole in the middle?"

"The eagle," Percy said.

"You catch on fast." Sam said, impressed.

Hazel looked stunned. "How'd you know?"

Percy shrugged. "Vitellius was talking about how the legion lost its eagle a long time ago—the first time, he said. He acted like it was a huge disgrace. I'm guessing that's what's missing. And from the way you and Reyna were talking earlier, I'm guessing your eagle got lost a second time, more recently, and it had something to do with the Fifth Cohort."

"You're right," she said. "That's exactly what happened."

"So what is this eagle, anyway? Why is it a big deal?"

Frank looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. It looked like Amara and her cousins were really a part of this now, huh? The power of cupcakes! "It's the symbol of the whole camp—a big eagle made of gold. It's supposed to protect us in battle and make our enemies afraid. Each legion's eagle gave it all sorts of power, and ours came from Jupiter himself. Supposedly Julius Caesar nicknamed our legion 'Fulminata'—armed with lightning—because of what the eagle could do."

"I don't like lightning," Percy said.

"Amara does." Danny muttered.

"Dude!" She stared at him wide-eyed.

"I'm not lying!" Danny defended himself.

"It's literally her birthday, you moron," Sam smacked him upside the head. "You can't be saying things like that, especially not today."

"It's not like she cares–"

"Of course she cares! That's her ex-boyfriend you're making jokes about. Gods, Danny, you need to use your fucking brain sometimes."

Amara covered her face with her hands. This was mortifying.

"Yeah, well," Hazel said, bringing the conversation back to where it originally was "it didn't make us invincible. The Twelfth lost its eagle the first time way back in ancient days, during the Jewish Rebellion."

Amara gave her a thankful look.

"I think I saw a movie like that," Percy said.

Hazel shrugged. "Could be. There have been lots of books and movies about legions losing their eagles. Unfortunately it happened quite a few times. The eagle was so important...well, archaeologists have never recovered a single eagle from ancient Rome. Each legion guarded theirs to the last man, because it was charged with power from the gods. They'd rather hide it or melt it down than surrender it to an enemy. The Twelfth was lucky the first time. We got our eagle back. But the second time..."

"You guys were there?" Percy asked.

They all shook their heads.

"I'm almost as new as you." Frank tapped his probatio plate. "Just got here last month. But everyone's heard the story. It's bad luck to even talk about this. There was this huge expedition to Alaska back in the eighties...."

"That prophecy you noticed in the temple," Hazel continued, "the one about the eight demigods and the Doors of Death? Our senior praetor at the time was Michael Varus, from the Fifth Cohort. Back then the Fifth was the best in camp. He thought it would bring glory to the legion if he could figure out the prophecy and make it come true—save the world from storm and fire and all that. He talked to the augur, and the augur said the answer was in Alaska. But he warned Michael it wasn't time yet. The prophecy wasn't for him."

"But he went anyway," Percy guessed. "What happened?"

Amara winced. She knew that story by heart–it wasn't fun.

Frank lowered his voice. "Long, gruesome story. Almost the entire Fifth Cohort was wiped out. Most of the legion's Imperial gold weapons were lost, along with the eagle. The survivors went crazy or refused to talk about what had attacked them."

"Since the eagle was lost," Frank continued, "the camp has been getting weaker. Quests are more dangerous. Monsters attack the borders more often. Morale is lower. The last month or so, things have been getting much worse, much faster."

"And the Fifth Cohort took the blame," Percy guessed. "So now everyone thinks we're cursed."

Hazel glanced at Amara before she started speaking. "We've been the outcasts of the legion since...well, since the Alaska disaster. Our reputation got better when Jason became praetor—"

"The kid who's missing?" Percy asked.

Amara pursed her lips slightly, suddenly taking interest in her hands.

"Yeah," Frank said. "I never met him. Before my time. But I hear he was a good leader. He practically grew up in the Fifth Cohort. He didn't care what people thought about us. He started to rebuild our reputation. Then he disappeared." He paused for a moment, before adding, "Sorry, Amara. I know that's a... sensitive subject."

Amara shook her head–sure, it was still a fresh wound for her, but she wasn't about to make a big deal when she knew Frank and Hazel meant no harm.

"Which put us back at square one," Hazel continued. "Made us look cursed all over again. I'm sorry, Percy. Now you know what you've gotten yourself into."

"Hey," Amara said, "The Fifth isn't so bad. Idiots like Octavian like to pretend like they're better because they're 'above you', or whatever, but, if there's anything this camp has had to learn over the years, it's to never bet against the Fifth."

Frank gave her a thankful look.

"Besides," She continued, "The First isn't that great, if I'm being honest. We have Octavian..." She scrunched her nose up.

Percy sipped his blue soda–Amara had only just realized it was blue, which made her wonder if it was a sweet flavored one, and gazed thoughtfully across the dining hall. "I don't even know where I come from...but I've got a feeling this isn't the first time I've been an underdog." He focused on Hazel and managed a smile. "Besides, joining the legion is better than being chased through the wilderness by monsters. I've got myself some new friends. Maybe together we can turn things around for the Fifth Cohort, huh?"

A horn blew at the end of the hall. The officers at the praetor's table got to their feet.

"The games begin!" Reyna announced. The campers cheered and rushed to collect their equipment from the stacks along the walls.

"So we're the attacking team?" Percy asked over the noise. "Is that good?"

Hazel shrugged. "Good news: we get the elephant. Bad news—"

"Let me guess," said Percy. "The Fifth Cohort always loses."

Frank slapped Percy on the shoulder. "I love this guy. Come on, new friend. Let's go chalk up my thirteenth defeat in a row!"

Amara laughed, "I look forward to the games. I'll see you three out there." She grinned.

"Amara." Hazel deadpanned, "Don't pretend like you guys aren't gonna win."

Amara smiled, "Hey, that's not necessarily true. You know how it was before. With, you know..." Jason.

War games with Jason were always fun. Amara remembered the first time they'd ever truly faced each other out on the fields–Jason was good, really good, but Amara still beat him. She managed to distract him somehow, and he tripped over his own feet. That was Amara's first time winning the mural crown. The first of many.

Amara usually won, maybe she'd let Jason slip through one or two times, just to change things up a little, and maybe, just maybe, she liked seeing the bright smile on his face when he actually got to beat her. She'd make up for it by winning the next five games in a row, but, still. But, in actuality, Jason was a great leader and an amazing fighter, Amara was just born to win.

Her smile faltered as she thought of him. She really did miss him–the only people she'd ever really talked to about how she felt were Sam and Aiden; Sam because she actually understood heartbreak, and Aiden because he was always there. She would've talked to Danny, but... he was a little less serious than she was when it came to the romance department (which was funny, since he and Sam were like the complete opposite in their views of love—like 2 different aspects of their mom).

Whatever, Amara would have the time to be sad later. Now, she had to be serious.

She shook her head, then focused her gaze on Percy. "Besides, something tells me this one will be a challenge. And you know me."

"You never say no to a challenge." Hazel grinned. "See you later, Amara. And, happy birthday!"

"Thank you, Hazel. See you around."

༄ ✉️ 🍊

hi!!!

hope u enjoyed

i love the kims sm
aiden opening a bakery
jsut made sense to
me don't ask me why

i have so much fun
writing the family scenes
like genuinely some of
the most fun i've had
with character dynamics

amara my bday queen we love u

the jason content
for this act will
be through dreams
and memories so
be ready for that
soon :)

- risa