I 04. I

𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒔

❝ blood winters ❞

CAMP HALF-BLOOD WINTERS.

The bane of her existence. She hated them. It was usually a time when kids weren't there, more so than during school. At least during school her brothers could IM, but during the winter, they were busy with family.

She didn't have anyone aside from her father, Chiron, Annabeth and Grover. Usually, her father could care less about the holiday and down fifty cans of Diet Coke in an hour. Chiron was off helping other campers, and Annabeth stuck with her siblings that stayed. Grover was off with his satyr friends often, and when Luke was his normal self, he would take care of the Hermes cabin.

Christmas hasn't been a big thing for her. She only fully saw what the holiday was meant to be last year during her first year at an actual school, when Aria showed her. And even then, she didn't fully like the holiday.

Winter was a sucky time because of how cold it was, and usually, her father would let a small blanket of snow cover the ground. It allowed kids to play in it and build whatever they would've liked.

She looked over at the cabins which held the familiar flickering balls of fire strung along the roofs, burning brightly and the Oracle staying warm by the fire in the Big House attic.

"Whoa," Nico said whole climbing off the bus. "Is that a climbing wall?"

"Yeah," Percy said.

"Why is there lava pouring down it?"

"Little extra challenge. Common. I'll introduce you to Chiron. Zoe, have you met—"

Zoe stiffened. "I know Chiron. Tell him we will be in Cabin Eight. Hunters, follow me."

"I'll show you the way," Grover offered. The brunette girl knew he just wanted to stay near the Hunters and Artemis cabin for the sake of being around nature. She let him be.

"We know the way."

"Oh, really, it's no trouble. It's easy to get lost here, if you don't"—he tripped over a canoe and bounced back up whilst still talking. "Like my old daddy goat used to say! Come on!"

Zoe rolled her eyes but let him lead the way, figuring there was no way she could shake him. They shouldered their packs and bows before heading towards the cabins. Bianca leaned over and whispered something Nico, waited for his response, and only left once he scowled and turned away.

"Take care, sweethearts!" Apollo called after the Hunters. He sent Percy and Ariadne a wink. "Watch out for those prophecies, Percy, Ariadne. I'll see you soon."

"What do you mean?" They asked.

He hopped back in the bus, "Later, Thalia. And, uh, be good!" The man gave her a wicked smile before the doors closed and engine revved. A glow alerted them and the chariot took off as the red sports car. "Say hi to Aphrodite for me, Ariadne!"

The brunette raised an eyebrow at the man who disappeared into a ray of sunlight. She glanced over at Nico who still looked grumpy.

"Who's Chiron?" he asked. "I don't have his figurine."

"Our activities director," Percy said. "He's... well, you'll see."

"If those Hunter girls don't like him," Nico grumbled, "that's good enough for me. Let's go."

The three older demigods led him through cami and towards the Big House. There were less people than usual, but most of the year-rounders were there.

Charles Beckendorf was stoking the gorges outside the armory, something she found him doing quiet often during the winter. The Stoll brothers were picking the lock at the camp store, and a few kids from Ares were having a snowball with wood nymphs at the edge of the forest. Clarisse wasn't there for an odd reason, but that didn't mean Ariadne wasn't cherishing the peace.

The big house had been decorated with red and yellow fireballs which warmed the porch, magically not catching anything on fire. Inside, the hearth crackled as the flames danced along the firewood it was eating. She smelled hot chocolate and noticed that her father and Chiron were playing pinochle in the parlor.

Chiron has grown shaggier and reminded her of a hippie from the seventies. He wore a fuzzy sweater with a hoof print design and a large blanket covered his lap, almost hiding his wheelchairs

The centaur smiled at them when they walked in. "Percy! Ariadne! Thalia! Ah, this must be—"

"Nico di Angelo," Ariadne said. "He and his sister are half-bloods,"

Chiron sighed in relief. "You succeeded, then."

Ariadne felt a knot form in her throat as she eyed her shoes with a newfound interest. The girl couldn't speak, Percy having to in her place. "Well..."

"What me wrong?" His smiled vanished. "And where is Annabeth?"

"Oh, dear," her father spoke in a bored voice. "Not another one lost."

His daughter took a deep breath to cover the tears, she didn't want her father to see her like this. He had never really liked Annabeth. And him sitting there in his orange leopard-skin tracksuit and purple running shoes with a golden laurel wreath on his head, wearing a bored look, made her think he hated all of her friends.

"What do you mean?" Thalia asked. "Who else is lost?"

Grover trotted in with a dreamy grin. He had a black eye and red lines across his face, like he had been slapped. "The Hunters are all moved in!"

Chiron frowned. "The Hunters, eh? I see we have much to talk about." He gave Nico a glance. "Grover, perhaps you should take ohhh young friend to the den and show him or orientation film."

"But... oh, right. Yes, sir."

"Orientation film?" Nico asked. "Is it G or PG? Cause Bianca is kinda strict—"

"It's PG-13," Grover to him.

"Cool!" the boy happily skipped out of the room behind Grover.

"Now," Chiron said to the three demigods, "perhaps you three should sit down and tell us the whole story."

As they explained, Percy had to fill in a few times for Ariadne who stopped speaking due to tears. A weak moment for her, really. But no one blamed her, she had lost her closest friend and a girl she practically considered her sister. But Thalia wasn't almost to tears, and the brunette beat herself up over that fact.

Chiron looked to her father once they finished. "We should launch a search for Annabeth immediately."

"I'll go," all three of them said.

Her father sniffed. "Certainly not!"

Thalia and Percy started to complain, but the brunette knew not to based on the angry purple fire in his eyes. He held his hand up and they'd topped talking. "From what you have told me, we have broken even on this escapade. We have, ah, regrettably list Annie Bell—"

"Annabeth," Ariadne muttered. It angered her that he didn't even try to remember campers names, especially her friends.

"Yes, yes. And you procured a small annoying boy to replace her. So I see no point risking further half-bloods on a ridiculous rescue. The possibility is very great that this Annie girl is dead."

Ariadne grit her teeth and clenched her fists, trying to stay calm towards her father.

"Annabeth may be alive," Chiron said, but he was having trouble believing the idea himself. She knew it was hard for him as he helped raised the blonde. "She's very bright. If... if our enemies have her, she will try to play for time. She may even pretend to cooperate."

"That's right," Thalia said. "Luke would want her alive."

"In which case," her father said. "I'm afraid she will have to be smart enough to escape on her own."

Percy stood from the table, hearing enough. The brunette knew the look in his eyes and knew that he was about to snap.

"Percy," Chiron warned.

"You're glad to lose another camper," Percy said. "You'd like it if we all disappeared!"

Her father stifled a yawn. "You have a point?"

"Yeah," he growled. "Just because you were sent her as a punishment doesn't mean you have to be a lazy jerk! This is your civilization, too. Maybe you could try helping out a little!"

No one moved or spoke for a second. The crackling of the fire increased as her father opened his mouth to say something, "Peter Johnson, I suggest you watch your mouth, or I will—"

Ariadne couldn't take it.

She slammed her hands against the table and her chair flew backwards. The girl was eye-level with her father, on the opposite side of the table. Everyone watched in surprise, even her father did. "Or you'll what?" she growled.

A deep breath in and out was all she needed before speaking. "Go ahead, what are you going to do, turn me into a ferret? You would be a lousy father if you did that. I don't care if you don't like heroes, but could you, for once, listen to us and realize that it's not about you and your stupid punishment to be here?"

Dionysus's eyes widened. "Aria—"

"No. Shut it. I'm your daughter, and Annabeth Chase is my best friend, and if you can't realize that and learn that her missing is hurting me, then I had to much faith in you." She panted with a dangerous look in her eyes, "And if you think you're the first god I've talked back to, then let me tell you something, Dad, you're not."

The girl stood properly before leaving the room, tired of her dad's presence. Dionysus watched his daughter leave, going to say something before Nico barged in and started talking.

Percy and Thalia shared a look, never hearing Ariadne talk with her father that way. Chiron gave them an exhausted look before sending them on a few errands, one including to find Ariadne and make sure she was okay.

The boy was saddened at the fact that Annabeth was gone, but was even more heartbroken that Ariadne was distraught by the missing person.

***

DIONYSUS CABIN WAS COLD. Mainly because of the winter weather, but partly because her brother's laughter was missing. Years when she was there year round, the girl attempted to stay away from the cabin as much as she could when they weren't there, but at some point she always had to go back.

Grape vines seemed to be growing plentifully along the purple walls, the small drink fountain standing in the corner with mugs next to it. During the winter, it would switch form sodas to a variety of seasonal drinks, her personal favorite was hot chocolate.

She grabbed her favorite mug which was purple with a golden 'A' in the middle before holding it under a tap, letting the warm liquid steam into the glass. Once it was at the right amount, she moved the glass and grabbed a bag of marshmallows she had stolen from the kitchens after leaving the Big House. Thankfully, no Harpies were there.

The girl plucked out a few blue marshmallows before letting them drop in the mug, grabbing the handle as she sat on the purple velvet couch against the back wall and across from the bunks.

For an odd reason, she felt colder than ever despite the fire orbs outside which would usually be doing their job. The girl finally had time to think about everything, sipping the warm drink while sighing heavily.

Sleep hadn't even crossed her mind after everything. Nightmares plagued her mind every time she tried and the girl was tired of it, closing her eyes only to see visions of terrifying events that could happen in the future.

Ariadne leaned her head against the wall while taking another sip of her drink, trying to warm herself but it wasn't working. After filling down a large portion, she still felt cold and laced the mug off to the side, standing up and heading towards her closet.

As she flicked the light on, she looked over the t-shirts. The girl had taken all her sweaters and long sleeves with her to New York, her sweatshirts left at home, as well. All she had under her winter coat was a t-shirt because she was stupid.

The girl glanced down at her coat and noticed the large tear in it, and her pants were torn. She grit her teeth in frustration while debating what to do, the girl deciding her only option was ask someone else.

Ariadne opened her cabin fire and swayed in the wind, shutting it as her soaking shoes grudges through the snow in the direction of the Aphrodite cabin.

Aphrodite cabin wasn't as revolting as people made it out to be. She kind of liked it. The deck was blue and white in a checkerboard pattern, with a painted roof and large pure white pillars. The walls were painted a nice grey color, and it was overall very pretty.

The girl hesitated before letting her hand knock against the wood, immediately tucking it back into her pocket. She waited for a second before the door was swung open by the one and only, Silena Beauregard.

Ariadne held her breath as she gazed up at the girl who was absolutely gorgeous in her opinion. Black hair which seemed to flow like a river down her shoulders, blue eyes slight with a sparkle of kindness and a slim body, she was to die for.

Silena gave the girl a large grin, "Ariadne! Oh, how are you?" She hugged the girl tightly while the brunette froze, not understanding why a pretty girl was hugging her. "It's good to see you."

The brunette sent her a strained smile as her ears tinged pink. "Can I-can I come in?"

She shuffled inside as Silena opened the door wider, looking at the pink walls. By the large window covered in white trim and lace curtains were potted carnations. It smelled heavily of every perfume you could think of, but surprisingly, it blended well and smelled sweet rather than overbearing.

The curtains were pastel blue and green which separated the rows of bunks on either side of the cabin, unlike Dionysus cabin which was just open. Boys in one side and girls on the other, but both were neat with chests for each camper. Along the wall were famous Hollywood movie stars and singers, a few personal photos stuck on as well.

Silena has always been a neat freak, so the chocolate wrappers she had heard so much about were missing, and she wondered if they ever drove the Aphrodite girl crazy when her siblings left them lying around.

The gorgeous girl sat on her bed as she watched the Dionysus girl stand there awkwardly. "What can I do for you?"

"Um... I left all my winter stuff in New York. And I was wondering if you had any extras."

Silena nodded, happily standing up and going through a closet before handing her a pair of jeans, a blue sweater and a black winter coat. She watched as Ariadne glanced down and back up, "How did you know my size?"

"Easy," Silena shrugged. "I'm a daughter of Aphrodite, that's why."

Ariadne nodded before looking around even more awkwardly, feeling like she was rat compared to Silena who looked like queen in a pair of sweatpants.

Silena was wearing a pair of grey sweatpants and a black sweatshirt, her hair down as she twisted a strand and watched the girl with a smile. "Anything else?"

This caused the brunette to think, she did need to talk to her about something else, and maybe it was the perfect time to. She nodded and the older girl sat down. The daughter of Aphrodite was fifteen, a year older than Ariadne.

Both of them sat on Silena's bed while listening to the quiet noises of campers talking outside. She gulped before looking over at the raven haired girl, "I, uh, saw your mom."

"Really?" Silena seemed surprised. "When?"

"Well, she appeared in a dream I had last summer. And she told me something really big, but I don't know what to do... you know? I'm kind of scared, actually." The girl looked over at the older one who seemed deep in thought, she immediately felt bad. "I'm sorry. We don't know each other well, I just thought it would be good to tell—"

"It's okay," Silena said. A soft smile crossed her lips. "What did she tell you?"

Ariadne licked her lips and tried not focusing on how pretty Silena really was. "I'm supposed to fall in love."

"To who?"

The girl hesitated. "Percy."

Silena seemed to grin, "Well that should be easy, I mean, your dating, so—"

"Dating?!" Ariadne shrieked, shooting to her feet as the clothes felled out of her lap and to the floor. "What do you mean dating?"

"Dating. You know, when two people get together—"

"Silena. What do you mean by Percy's em I dating?"

The raven haired girl tilted her head. "I mean, everyone thinks you are. My cabin always talks about it, saying how jealous they are that two fourteen year olds four their soulmate and they couldn't even have a boy talk to them respectfully at school."

Ariadne was silent for a few seconds. Silena stood up and threw an arm over her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it. I know the truth now. We just assumed you were because the amount of chemistry you all have, sorry."

"It's okay," Ariadne muttered. "I didn't know people saw us that way. I've been... confused, slightly about somethings, and I thought that would be obvious."

"What are you confused about?"

She had been noticing something weird about herself, the girl had been noticing more about girls then she used to, which she thought was normal when she was younger. The girl used to look at other girls and think, she's pretty. And now, it turned more into, I would die if she talked to me right now.

"I've been feeling as if girls are suddenly more pretty then what they used to be, you know. Like, anytime I see one I feel ready to drop and cry because of how pretty they are. I blush easier around them and... I don't know if that's normal or not."

Silena nodded with a small smile. Ariadne changed the subject quickly before she could respond. "You look like her, though."

"My mom?"

"Yeah. You're both..."

The older girl gave her a smirk. "We're both what?"

Ariadne avoided her eye contact, running the back of her head as she blushed. "Pretty," she whispered.

Silena hummed before picking the clothes off the floor, handing them to the girl. "I know why you're confused, and trust me, I know why it means."

"Really," the girl's eyes lit up. "What?"

"I'll let you figure that out yourself."

Ariadne left the Aphrodite cabin feeling iffy, mainly because Silena knew her problem but wouldn't tell her the answer. The brunette trudged back towards her cabin, opening the door to reveal the completely purple cabin, much different from the pink she was just in.

She closed her door before locking it, changing quickly out of her torn clothes. The blue sweater was soft against her skin and slid on easily, she admired the way it seemed to fit her perfectly. Her torn jeans were thrown into the corner before putting on the new pair, they were black fit her perfectly. The black coat was thrown over her shoulders as she let her hair down.

Her hair wasn't as knitted as it should be, it was just wild. She brushed through and heard the conch horn announcing dinner. The girl made her way out of the cabin and towards the dining pavilion alone, like she did most days during the winter.

Torches and braziers lit up the sky as it was turning night, keeping the dining pavilion warm. She noticed that a few cabins like Hephaestus, Ares, and Hermes had more than one camper to sit at the table.

Dionysus cabin wasn't as packed as usual, actually, it was just her. Her father was no where to be seen and she was sure that she had hurt his feelings and he was eating dinner in the Big house. The girl noticed there weren't any satyrs, most of them probably somewhere else seeing as Dionysus wasn't there.

She crossed her arms and leaned her head on them, glancing over at Nico who was trying to be convinced by the Stolls that poker was a lot more fun than Mythomagic. A plate of barbecue and pizza was laid in front of her by a nymph, it floated away towards another table.

Artemis table was the only one having a good time. They were laughing and hollering towards one another with Zoe at the head seat, watching over them. She didn't laugh, but she smiled from time to time, and when she did, the brunette girl took notice of how pretty she looked.

Bianca was learning how to arm wrestle from a large girl who looked ready to pick a fight with everyone. She was being beaten every time but she didn't see me to mind, the girl seemed like she was having a good time.

Percy and Thalia were in the same boat as her, all of them alone at their tables and being forced to sit there due to a stupid camp rule. The brunette girl hugged before stabbing her fork into her barbecue and taking a bite, watching as Percy seemed to watch Thalia throughout dinner.

Ariadne rolled her eyes and ignored the small twinge in her chest before looking over at the Athena table and her heart broke. There was no familiar blonde curls to greet her, no grey eyes to look into her purple, no teasing leaving someone's mouth. It felt boring and lonely without Annabeth, maybe because they were close and hadn't even thought about what it was like with one another.

Chiron made the customary toast to the gods once they finished eating, welcoming the Hunters to camp. There was a half-hearted applause until he announced a capture the flag game for tomorrow night, which earned a real reception. Ariadne rolled her eyes at the idea of a capture the flag game when they should be finding Annabeth, it seemed stupid in her opinion.

They had an early, winter lights out and headed towards their cabins. Ariadne heard her name being called and looked around, she didn't see anyone who was calling for her. At first, she assumed it was Percy or Thalia, but they had already headed towards their cabins.

She was left standing in the night and fallen snow while hearing her name called and whispered from every direction. The girl spun around before reading it was coming form her cabin, taking hesitant steps forward before opening it, seeing nothing in there.

As she stepped in and closed the door, the girl removed her coat and immediately fell onto her bed in exhaustion. It wasn't comfortable to sleep in jeans, and thankfully, she had left a pair of shorts in her closet to change into. The girl wore a t-shirt and slid under her warm covers.

Her eyes closed before hearing her name whispered directly into her ears, the girl shooting your and seeing nothing in the small glow of the fairy lights she had hung up around the cabin. She swallowed a lump in her throat before laying back down, eyes closing once more and being catapulted into a nightmare.

Annabeth stop on a dark hill surrounded by fog. It renowned Ariadne of the Underworld, and she panicked thinking Annabeth was truly dead. But she realized it was only dark because they were in what seemed like a cave of complete darkness, no sign of the sky above.

The blonde was struggling up the large hill. There were broken Greek columns of black marvel scattered around, as if it was once a building before being blasted apart.

"Thorn!" Annabeth cried. "Where are you? Why did you bring me here?" As she scrambled over a broke wall the girl gasped.

Luke was on his knee while trying to rise, in pain as the dark seems to be heavier around him and his shoulders, fog swirling. His clothes were torn and tatters while scratches and sweat covered his face.

"Annabeth!" he called out. "Help me! Please!"

Ariadne swore she saw someone else there with them, but she wasn't sure. The girl tried screaming for the blonde to leave and turn away, to not help the boy who had betrayed them all.

But she ran forward with tears in her eyes. She reaches down as if to touch Luke's face but pulled back at the last second. "What happened?" she asked.

"They left me here," Luke said. "Please. It's killing me."

He was being squashed by something she couldn't see, an invisible force was pushing down on him with a heavy weight.

"Why should I trust you?" Annabeth asked, knowing she could be getting hurt.

"You shouldn't," Luke said. "I've been terrible to you. But if you don't help me, I'll die."

Let him! Leave, Annie, was what she was shouting, but her voice was silent in the dream. Luke didn't deserve Annabeth's kindness.

Luke was crumpling you the ground as the darkness pressed harder, black rock falling in large chunks. Annabeth rushes through and into a crack that appeared, the whole ceiling dropping to her shoulders.

Somehow—in someway—Annabeth held it up when she should've been crushed. She was stronger than Ariadne gave her credit for, but the pain her heart was there.

Luke rolled feee before gasping, "Thanks."

"Help me hold it," Annabeth groaned.

Luke caught his breath, face covered in grin and sweat. He rose unsteadily to his feet with shaky legs. "I knew I could count on you." The teen turned and began to walk away as the black was threatening to crush the blonde girl.

"HELP ME!" she pleased.

"Oh, don't worry," Luke told her. "Your help is on the way. It's all apart of the plan. In the meantime, try not to die."

Annabeth was pushed against the ground as the darkness crumbled to the ground.

Ariadne heard her name whispered once more before shooting awake and covered in sweat, her nails scratching the sheets while she looked around. The girl took quick breaths as she noticed the clock on the nightstand read midnight,

A hoot outside alerted her before she sprung from her bed, walking towards the window and noticing an owl perched onto the windowsill. She opened it slowly as the owl flew in and dropped a small roll of paper on her bed before leaving.

As soon as she closed her window, the girl ran over and grabbed the paper before unrolling it, seeing nothing but two words in the middle:

Save her

Ariadne looked towards the window once more and felt colder than she had all that night, knowing someone wanted her to save Annabeth quickly.

She held the paper tightly as her propel eyes glowed and the vines twisted and grew tighter along the walls. Luke was going to pay for whatever he had done to Annnabeth.

And if she had to kill him, she would.