Beyond reality.

Somehow I've always felt we weren't the only ones existing in this world.

Every small step we took to get to where we are now...

Sometimes I wonder if it's even real.

Drowning in emptiness.

So many questions and such few answers.

How?

Why us?

What now?

Is there a limit?

Yet they still don't seem to realize the cost of keeping it unknown.

PART TWO: WE CAN STILL BE SAVED.

______________________

-From the Lost Cities to Camp Half-Blood... -

Percy:

"We can explain."

"Sure you can," Hazel mumbles

The girl with bright teal eyes shakes her head and then focuses her eyes on me.

"Please," she begs.

I look away, not sure what to say.

Really, this wasn't my choice. Chiron ordered the seven of us to go into the Poseidon cabin away from the other campers and keep our lovely guest in there for the time being. I wasn't very enthusiastic about it, for it was my cabin. Arguably though, it had the most room at the moment-- while the Zeus cabin was keeping Sophie in bed rest.

First, a new prophecy being spoken the day we decide to visit Camp Half-Blood again. Then, a girl falls with a lightning bolt down into the camp boundaries from the sky. Then, we realize she has no memory and then these guys show up and somehow pass the magical borders and make Sophie collapse again because of, supposedly, memories?

Is all of this a coincidence?

I think not.

"Alright, alright," Leo finally says, still staring at our tied-up guest, "I think I know what's going on."

The boy with blonde hair perks up, "Oh really? Sweet. Mind untying us then?" he asks.

Leo eyes him, "Sorry dude. Can't do that yet. But I will say I think we're just over-thinking all of this."

"Over-thinking? Really??" Annabeth asks, "Don't you see any pattern on the events that have happened the past few days? The fact that my mom won't answer any of my prayers, the fact that there was a girl who fell from the sky, the fact that there was a new prophecy spoken--"

Leo waves her off, "Yeah, yeah... no need to restate the past week. But c'mon guys. What if they're just new campers like we were in the last prophecy?"

"That doesn't make sense though," I speak out loud, "I mean... originally they couldn't get past the barriers, right? They could just see it. And technically, the Gods control what happens in this camp. So what if... just theoretically, they let these guys in on purpose because-"

"Let's not go there, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth says, cutting me off, "Remember, our guests are still listening to everything we're saying."

The blonde haired boy makes another loud sigh, "We're not here to do anything to you guys, for the last time. Honestly, I don't even know who you guys are... or how people like you exist in the Forbidden Cities... but the point is we want our Foster back and then we'll leave and never come back again."

"Somehow I doubt that," Jason says, looking up at the ceiling.

"Do you guys really think we're bad guys?" the boy with bright teal eyes jumps in before the other guy can say anything.

I glance at my fellow friends, and try to silently make it clear to them that I really didn't care and that I just wanted them to get out of my cabin so I can finally go to sleep.

"No," Annabeth finally says, her grey eyes speaking the truth.

The boy with strawberry-blonde hair nods, "So I assume you're the smart one around here?"

Annabeth rolls her eyes, "Wisdom does come in handy. But now it's our turn to ask questions. Do you think we're bad people?" she asks, staring straight into the boy's eyes.

He raises his eyebrows, and looks back at his other friends. When they don't give him any support in responding, he sighs and looks at the ground.

"Well..." he says, "Considering that you tied us up and pointed a bunch of knives and whatever at us, I'd say you guys are fully capable of doing whatever you guys want to do to us. But, you guys also are.... well young, as in probably around our age. At least you look it. I'm not saying you are... actually I don't know what you guys are but I'm guessing not just a regular human. Basically.. no, I don't know who you guys are or what this place is. We came here looking for our friend that went missing and Mr. For- er our sorta leader told us to go to Long Island so we did, ended up finding Sophie in this place, and now... we're.. Here."

The boy with blonde hair claps his tied up hands in approval and applaud.. probably for explaining their whole journey in one big ramble for him.

Piper tilts her head, "You never answered the question though."

I don't think she was using her charmspeak, not yet at least, but her voice was definitely firm.

The girl with teal eyes speaks up, "We don't think you guys are bad, or have bad intentions at least. But we'll definitely be cautious."

Piper nods her head, and then looks back at me, probably to continue our interview with our guests.

"So.." I say, rubbing my forehead trying to gather all the information the strawberry-blonde hair boy told us, "There are obviously a lot of questions now... but uh, I mean, we don't know your names yet so-"

"We won't be telling names until we can fully trust you guys." The boy with silver tipped bangs interrupts loudly.

And for some reason, I get lots of Nico-Di-Angelo-Beware-Of-Me vibes from him.

"Okay.." I say, trying to think of the next big question to ask, "So, I guess then can I ask... what are.. you guys?"

They look at me in a weird way.

"As in," I say quickly, "Like... where did you guys come from? It doesn't seem like you guys are from around here."

Then they nod their heads and look around at each other, staring intently into each other's eyes as if they were silently communicating.

"We're from the Lost Cities," the teal eyed boy finally says, with some sort of pride on his face.

"We're elves," the blonde boy adds hastily afterwards, rolling his eyes.

Annabeth makes a little squeak, Frank looks like he's about to run out of the cabin, and everyone else doubles over with their eyebrows launching off their foreheads. I'm about to ask why they're acting so weird, but then it finally registers that I'm the stupid one, and didn't even realize what they said.

hold up.

Elves?

"Yep," the blonde boy says, narrowing his eyebrows when I realize I'd said it out loud, "And no, we are not from the North Pole... or whatever those conspiracy humans say."

"Elves..." Jason repeats, ignoring everything he said, "Wow. I mean, I guess by now I shouldn't even be surprised-"

"Probably," Piper mumbles.

Jason looks over at her, "Yeah, well... huh. I guess I will say I never really expected this-"

"Wait," I interrupt, holding up my hands. I look over at Annabeth, "Isn't your cousin's friend an elf or something? Or am I just-"

Annabeth nods, "Yes he.. I... this makes so much more sense now," she says breathlessly, "Or partially. What I read... what's happened... what...."

Her voice trails off and then that leaves our guests to talk again.

"So if you're finished," the silver tipped hair boy says plainly, "can we be let go from hostage and do what we came here for, or does my sister have to free us for you?"

The girl with equal silver ends at her hair flicked her eyes towards her brother, and then back at us... silently staring she was capable of doing much more than she looked.

"I'd like to see you try," Leo says, obviously not caring one bit that our elvin guests could have a chance of actually being very powerful, "I crafted your bonds myself- mfph!--"

Piper puts a hand over his mouth to stop him from gloating anymore.

"Really?" The blonde haired boy says, surprisingly sounding interested, "Well... what. What else can you guys do? What are you guys? Why-"

The teal eyed boy elbows him, "Why are you so interested in them? Aren't we supposed to be lying low while we're here??" he hisses.

He gets another eye roll in response, "What's the point of that anymore, Fitzypoo? We know Foster's here. We know they probably won't kill us. And I'd also like to know why I can't really feel any emotions here like I normally would in the Forbidden Cities-"

"Fitzypoo?" I interrupt, as the name he called the teal eyed boy registers in my brain the same time Hazel asks, "Emotions?"

"It's not my actual name.." the teal eyed boy grumbles as the blonde haired boy says enthusiastically, "Heck yeah. I'm an empath... so I can feel feelings, especially Foster's which are mega strong. Though right now everyone's emotions here are so.... muffled."

He says the last word a bit emptily, and I start to wonder about how it feels to feel others' emotions 24/7, but then realize that I probably shouldn't jump to conclusions and believe whatever they say.

"Son of Aphrodite?" Piper suddenly whispers to us.

I look at her questioningly, "They aren't even demigods," I say plainly.

"They seem to have similar powers to demigods," Frank says.

"But then they'd all be sons and daughters of Aphrodite," Annabeth says, "I mean... look at them. Don't they look a little... too unrealistically structured so to say?"

"You think we're hot?" the blonde haired boy translates.

"Anyone but you," the silver tipped bang boy says back to him.

The blonde boy whips his head over to face him, "Have you even looked at your hair though?"

Silver bangs boy scowls, "You're one to talk-"

And then his face gets sprayed with water.

Wait.

"Wha-?!" I say alarmly, and then Annabeth pulls me by my collar to keep me from tumbling into the bunks behind me. But then someone clicks their tongue.

"I see you guys have already gotten to know each other," a familiar voice says amusly from the doorway.

I look over to unsurprisingly see Chiron, who had probably been eavesdropping this whole time, and then look back at the girl who had somehow conjured water from thin air and strayed her brother. Her eyes were now open wide as were everyone else's mouths like thank you for shutting him up but gods why did you have to do that in front of them?.

"D..daughter of Poseidon?!" Frank suddenly yelps.

"No need to be so dramatic Frank," Hazel mutters.

Chiron shakes his head forcefully as he and his horse butt slowly make way into the cabin. I get a glimpse of outside through the doorway and see stars dotting the sky.

"Unfortunately," Chiron says, "They're telling the truth. None of them are demigods."

"Then why are they here?" Leo asks, dragging his hand down his face.

"Have you not been listening to what we've been saying??" The blonde boy asks in the same tone.

Chiron ignores him, "The real question should be why is she here, and why is there a new prophecy?"

He points to the direction of the Apollo cabin where Sophie was being kept, and then gestures back to our new elvin friends. I look at our guests for a response of why they are here but they seem just as clueless as we are.

"We had no intentions on running into you guys, that's for sure," the silver tip banged boy says.

"Neither did we," Leo deadpans.

Chiron strokes his chin, obviously not seeing the sarcasm in Leo's voice, "Yes, well... "

He looks at our visitors in an uncanny way.

"That's because they're not supposed to exist."