𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈.
you know i left a part of me back in new york

ᯓᡣ𐭩

𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 Maisie found herself making the trip to Camp Half-Blood. She knew Annabeth was there, and needed to speak with her.

She walked along the path to cabin six, the place she used to call home, and she greeted some of the campers she was familiar with.

Luckily, when Maisie arrived, Annabeth was right where she thought she'd be, leading the cabin inspection.

She watched silently as her younger sister barked orders to her cabin mates, urging them to make their beds and sweep the floors. She waited for a bit before speaking.

"Cut 'em some slack, Annie." Maisie said, announcing her presence.

Annabeth spun around abruptly, her braids swinging with her. She beamed when she saw who was standing before her, rushing forward to throw her arms around her sister.

"Maise!" she exclaimed, hugging her tightly.

Maisie laughed at how firm Annabeth's embrace was, and attempted to hug back ten times harder.

"Hi," Maisie spoke softly into Annabeth's shoulder. After a few more moments, the younger finally let go.

"Sorry," she said, not sounding apologetic at all. "I'm glad you're here."

Annabeth's words reminded Maisie why she was there, and she took a deep breath to prepare herself for what she was about to say.

"Actually, I need to talk to you about something. Got a minute?"

"Yeah." Annabeth nodded. She pulled aside another Athena cabin mate and told them to finish up the rest of the inspection, then led Maisie outside the cabin. Once they were in a more private location, Annabeth paused and turned to look at Maisie, waiting for her to speak.

"I think Luke's found an entrance to the... Labyrinth," Maisie explained, the words feeling almost foreign in her mouth. She never thought she'd have to discuss the legendary myth with her younger sister.

"Oh." Annabeth sighed. "That's what I feared. How are you sure?"

Maisie froze. She'd imagined coming clean about Luke to Annabeth many times, but no matter how many times she'd mentally rehearsed the moment in her head, she still felt too scared to speak.

"I saw him one day. He was lurking close to camp. Followed him and overheard his plan. He mentioned an easy way to invade this place, and I'm almost certain he uttered the word 'Labyrinth'." The lies easily rolled off her tongue, shame burning in her throat as they did.

"Wow, okay." Annabeth let out a breath, believing Maisie unquestionably. "We found an entrance as well, so there'll be a quest soon."

"Oh, okay," Maisie spoke, a little breathless. "You'll be joining, I suppose?"

"I'll be leading," Annabeth spoke proudly, chest puffed just a little.

"Of course." Maisie nodded, a small smile on her face. "Be careful, won't you?"

"Of course," Annabeth repeated, and the two sisters shared a secret smile.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

"I have to admit, you've gotten slightly better since I last fought you."

Ronan dropped his hand, letting his sword hang from it, the tip of it touching the ground. His expression switched to feigned offence as Maisie smirked at him, satisfied that her words had an effect on him.

"Slightly? Only slightly? Are you kidding? I was so close to winning this, that should count for something," he argued, trying to convince her of his improved skills at swordfighting.

"I'll say you're really better when you beat me. Until then..." Maisie inhaled sharply. "Tough luck."

The smirk was ever-present on her face, making it obvious that she was only messing with Ronan.

"One day, Day. You'll see," Ronan said, mirroring her smirk.

"Yeah, yeah," Maisie dismissed, taking both his sword and her own and placing them back on the wall with the rest.

"I thought daggers were your specialty. How did you even get so good with a sword?" Ronan innocently asked, and Maisie felt her face heat up, though she tried to play it cool.

"Oh, you know. Too much free time and stubbornness. And I like to be ahead of everyone. Surprise them with my multiple skills in combat," she explained, only speaking half the truth.

She couldn't possibly tell Ronan of all people who really taught her swordfighting. Who had challenged her in a duel on his very first day at camp, and with whom she later went on to exchange tactics and tips on fighting.

It seemed that he was a part of her, in many ways that she couldn't even begin to unravel.

"Such an Athena thing to say," Ronan quipped.

Maisie only shrugged her shoulders, bringing the smile back on her face, hoping Ronan didn't notice her nerves from just a second before.

The sun had nearly finished setting, giving the campers a radiant orange scenery to gush over. The birds that sang through the day had been replaced with insects chirping and there was a chill that had started to make its presence known.

"Dinner time," Maisie muttered. "You coming?

"Obviously. I'm starving," Ronan agreed, already taking off towards the dining pavilion, leaving Maisie no choice but to trail behind him.

Maisie was glad there was no bad blood between her and Ronan. She had nearly expected him to avoid her like the plague once she was back, only to be proven wrong when he had greeted her happily and hung out with her.

They were forced to part ways once they reached the dining pavilion (camp rules), which had already started filling with hungry kids.

Maisie sat at table six, greeting all her half siblings. Annabeth was already there, ready to go burn half her food. Maisie followed, then instantly digged into her food once they sat again. She had forgotten how good camp food was.

"Hey, so, bit of an intrusive question, but..." Maisie spoke between bites of meat. "What's up with you and Percy?"

Annabeth almost spit out her drink, looking at her sister with wide eyes, before turning her gaze to the Poseidon table, as if nervous that Percy would have heard her.

"What are you talking about?" the younger girl asked, acting clueless.

"Oh, come on, I've been rooting for you for years, is there no update? Nothing happened?"

Annabeth pursed her lips and kept her voice down when she spoke. "Well, he's kind of slow. I'm trying."

Her words brought a smile to Maisie's face. "That's my girl. He'll come around, I'm sure. I'm telling you, I've been a fan since day one."

Annabeth's countenance seemed to relax as she let a laugh escape her lips. "Don't worry, you'll be the first to know if anything happens."

"Hell, yeah."

───────

dear reader!

more of a filler chapter but i actually really like it