Blessings from Khaos

|Either Way, My Heart Is Yours|

"Will, I'm sorry," Annabeth sighed. "I'll get it fixed, I promise."

Will scowled at his broken chariot. Then he sized up Piper, Leo, and Jason. "These are the ones? Way older than thirteen. Why haven't they been claimed already?"

"Claimed?" Leo asked.

Before Annabeth could explain, Will said, "Any sign of Percy?"

"No," Annabeth admitted. Leaneíras looked away, turning back to Drew as the healers finished their jobs. The daughter of Aphrodite groaned, eyes fluttering open weakly.

"Take it easy," Lee Fletcher smiled. "We managed to get rid of the concussion but you know head injuries are the worst so there's a chance that you'll still feel the effects."

Drew smiled at him weakly.

Mirajane stepped forward—tall, Asian, platinum hair in ringlets, plenty of jewelry, and perfect makeup. She managed to make jeans and an orange T-shirt look glamorous. She glanced at Leo, fixed her eyes on Jason like he might be worthy of her attention, hen curled her lip at Piper as if she were a week-old burrito that had just been pulled out of a Dumpster.

"Well," Mirajane said, "I hope they're worth the trouble."

Leo snorted. "Gee, thanks. What are we, your new pets?"

"No kidding," Jason said. "How about some answers before you start judging us—like, what is this place, why are we here, how long do we have to stay?"

"Jason," Eliza said as she stood to her feet, "I promise we'll answer your questions. And MJ"—she frowned at the girl—"all demigods are worth saving. But I'll admit, the trip didn't accomplish what I hoped."

"Hey," Piper said, "we didn't ask to be brought here."

Drew sniffed as Lea helped her to her feet. "And nobody wants you, hon. Does your hair always look like a dead badger?"

Piper stepped forward as if she ready to smack her, but Annabeth said, "Piper, stop."

Lea sneered, "Seriously, not only do they bark like a collared pup, but they do also whine like one too. How ever do you manage to be saddled with these tiny beasts, Drewberry?"

"Hey," Annabeth said sharply, glancing between the two. "We need to make our new arrivals feel welcome."

Lea scoffed. Her brother was missing and all that she got in return was deadweight.

"We'll assign them each a guide, give them a tour of camp. Hopefully by the campfire tonight, they'll be claimed."

"Would somebody tell me what claimed means?" Piper asked.

The campers backed away as they gasped. Their faces were bathed in a red light, as if someone had lit a torch. Floating over Leo's head was a blazing holographic image —a fiery hammer.

"That," Annabeth said, "is claiming."

"What'd I do?" Leo backed toward the lake. Then he glanced up and yelped. "Is my hair on fire?" He ducked, but the symbol followed him, bobbing and weaving so it looked like he was trying to write something in flames with his head.