BLOODSHOT . . . piper mclean

03.

EDEN HATED IT HERE.

The tour was shit. She didn't even know what the fuck Camp Half-Blood looked like. Just because she spent the past like fifty years here doesn't mean that she had to know the place by heart.

Besides, the only places she had to know were her cabin, the mess hall, and the Big House where the car was so her, Connor, and Travis could commit arson.

Clearly Annabeth wasn't into the tour either, judging by the tears in her eyes and the way she disinterestedly described all of the amazing things in camp.

Amazing my ass, Eden thought bitterly. Her bitterness rose because of this stupid camp, making her blood run colder than it already did.

Annabeth explained how Camp Half-Blood was mostly a summer camp, but some kids stayed here year-round, and they'd added so many campers it was always crowded now, even in winter.

"Like Eden," Annabeth offered halfheartedly. "She hasn't been out since the middle of August."

Piper frowned at Eden. "Seriously?"

"You haven't been paying attention, Annabeth," Eden snorted. "Too caught up in your boyfriend. Did you not hear Chiron yelling at me and the twins? We commit arson at least once every week."

Annabeth glared at her. "I am not caught up in Percy."

"Look in a mirror and tell me you aren't," Eden retorted, going to leave, but Piper took her arm. Right. They needed to "talk".

"The valley is protected from mortal eyes," Annabeth rambled on, wiping at her eyes furiously. "As you can see, the weather is controlled, too. Each cabin represents a Greek god—a place for that god's children to live."

Eden turned to stare at Piper, but not in the way that she was before. She was staring at Piper to see what her reaction was. When Eden had figured out that her dad was a god, she'd freaked out and almost killed someone. Great times.

"You're saying Mom was a goddess." Piper said really slowly, and it sounded kind of hot. Shit, Eden was such a simp. She wanted to punch herself, or punch Piper, or punch Annabeth, whichever came first in annoying her.

Instead, Eden nodded at her before looking down at her horrid nails. She definitely needed to plan a mall trip with Connor — Travis never liked getting his nails painted. "You're taking this awfully calmly."

Piper took a shaky breath. "I guess after this morning, it's a little easier to believe. So who's my mom?"

"We should know soon," Annabeth said, explaining things as if she knew more than Eden did — she did, especially about the camp, but still. "You're what—fifteen? Gods are supposed to claim you when you're thirteen. That was the deal."

"The deal?"

"They made a promise last summer . . . well, long story . . . but they promised not to ignore their demigod children anymore, to claim them by the time they turn thirteen. Sometimes it takes a little longer, but you saw how fast Leo was claimed once he got here. Should happen for you soon. Tonight at the campfire, I bet we'll get a sign."

Piper frowned, looking over at Eden, as if expecting that she would know shit. "Why thirteen?"

"The older you get," Annabeth said, and Eden thanked Beyoncé that Piper didn't make her talk. She only worshipped certain gods. "The more monsters notice you, try to kill you. 'Round thirteen is usually when it starts. That's why we send protectors into the schools to find you guys, get you to camp before it's too late."

"Like Coach Hedge?"

Eden nodded, glad that she at least knew something to some extent. "He's — he was a satyr: half man, half goat. Satyrs work for the camp, finding demigods, protecting them, bringing them in when the time is right."

"What happened to him?" Piper asked. "When we went up into the clouds, did he . . . is he gone for good?"

"Hard to say." Annabeth's expression was pained, as she was thinking about Grover or something. Eden missed him. "Storm spirits . . . difficult to battle. Even our best weapons, Celestial bronze, will pass right through them unless you can catch them by surprise."

"Jason's sword just turned them to dust," Piper remembered.

"He was lucky, then. If you hit a monster just right, you can dissolve them, send their essence back to Tartarus."

"Tartarus?"

"A huge abyss in the Underworld, where the worst monsters come from. Kind of like a bottomless pit of evil. Anyway, once monsters dissolve, it usually takes months, even years before they can re-form again. But since this storm spirit Dylan got away—well, I don't know why he'd keep Hedge alive. Hedge was a protector, though. He knew the risks. Satyrs don't have mortal souls. He'll be reincarnated as a tree or a flower or something."