Keeper of Camp Half Blood

Chapter Two Summer Cramp

Fitz's P.O.V.
Sophie has been acting strange lately. I figured it had to do with the fact that she was rendered unmatchable. It's unfair, but it does make sense. What if her first match was her long lost sibling? Why did she go to the Matchmakers in the first place? It's so unlike her. Then I knew. I pushed her too hard. I acted like matchmaking was the most important thing in the world, but she is.

After a few weeks of her still acting miserable, I went up to her. "Want to do some Cognate practice?" I had asked, "It shouldn't be too hard now that we know your secret." I had added a smile. It seemed a bit extravagant, but my smile is just for her. Smirks are Keefe's thing. She didn't need any persuading. In truth, I think she wanted someone to talk to.
We met under Calla's tree. She brought her Cognate notebook, but I don't think she had really needed it. Her photographic memory let her recall even the smallest details, and when I entered her mind, I felt like I was living in the memories. She plopped down. I could tell something was really off. Not quite as off as her zombified state when her parents were being experimented on, but still not quite herself. I entered her mind.

First off, Sophie transmitted, I want to know how you get into my mind.

I'm aware of my red face. It isn't as cool as you think. It's not something crazy like your former password for the cache. I just say, 'It's me.'

She was blushing just as hard as I was at this point. I decide to change the subject. I don't need Sophie getting all "like, like like" on me again. What's been bothering you lately, Sophie?

Nothing.

Don't lie to your Cognate.

I've just been a bit... nostalgic.

That's okay.

No it's not. Our world is crumbling and I'm homesick. She transmits the word like it's vile.

It's okay, Sophie, I promise.

I stayed for a while before heading home. I found my dad in his office doing some Emissary thing. "Hey Dad?" I asked. He looked up. I begin quickly, stumbling a bit over my words.
"Sophie'sbeenkindofdepressedlatelyandIwaswonderingifyou'dtalktothecouncilaboutlettingusgototheforbiddencitiestocureherhomesickness." He blinks at me.

"What was everything you just said?"

"Sophie's been kind of lately and I was wondering if you'd talk to the Council about letting us go to the forbidden cities to cure her homesickness."

"How about you start with some flowers and mallowmelt?" he laughed.

I groaned. "Dad, this is serious. Sophie's been so out of it. Too much longer and she'll be about as helpful as she was when her parents were in Nightfall."
Surprisingly, the Council cleared our request. I went over to Havenfield and left a note on her windowsill. It read, meet me at Calla's tree as soon as you read this. Then I knocked.

So there I sat on a pile of Panakes petals, waiting for Sophie with a box of chocolates in my hand. She joined me a few minutes later. "I wanted to give you this," I shout, and close my eyes as I shove the red box in her face.

"Fitz, are you for real?" she asks, and wraps her arms around me. "I missed these so much!" I open my eyes to see her crying softly with a chocolate in her mouth. (A/N I think elves actually do have chocolate because of their CHOCOLATE mint ripplefluffs, but I'm pretending they don't for the sake of the story.)

"That's not the best part, though," I say.

"Where are they from?" Realization dawns on her, and she begins to sob.

"Thank you so much, Fitz! You are the best elf ever! I don't even know how to express my gratitude!"

That's how we ended up teleporting to New Yorkie, or whatever it's called. The boy that accused Tam of "shadow traveling" gave him a slightly wary look.
"What's shadow-traveling?" Tam asked.

The boy looked exhausted. "Obviously you didn't if you don't know what that is."

Sophie stepped forward. "What's your name?" She asked it casually, but that's was a hidden calculating side of her only those close to her would pick up on.

"Nico. Nico di Angelo," he said, just as casually.

"Well, Nico, do you think you could show us the way to the Statue of liberty, or maybe long island?"

"I can't show you the way to the Statue of liberty, sorry, but I can show you a very interesting place on long island sound."
Now we're following this mysterious Nico through the streets of New York. He takes us to long island, where we continue to follow him to a collection of cabins.

"Strange," he mutters. "Not one of you needed to be let in. All of you together would have attracted monsters."
We walked into the summer cramp, I believe it's called, and a group of kids approached us.

"Are those all new recruits?" a boy about our age asked. He had raven hair and sea green eyes.

"I think so, Percy," Nico said. "I believe the black-haired boy may be another child of Hades."

"For the last time," Tam said. "I didn't 'shadow-travel' or whatever. Sophie teleported us here. As for controlling shadows, I'm a Shade. Got it?"

A blonde girl that looked like a gray-eyed Sophie stepped forward. "What're your names?"

Sophie responded, "I'm Sophie, that's Tam you were just talking to, this is Fitz, my Cognate, this is Biana, his sister, that's Linh, Tam's twin, that's Keefe, that's Dex, and that's Marella. Who are you?"

"I'm Annabeth, this is my boyfriend Percy, you've already met Nico, that's Jason and Piper, that's Hazel and Frank, that's Thalia, and that's Leo."

"Excuse me?" Leo started. " I'm Leo Mcshizzle, bad boy supreme!"
Tam groaned.

"Well that's cool," Keefe said. "Because I'm Lord Hunkyhair."

"Wait," I intervened. "How do you all know the Enlightened Language?"

"What's that?" Piper responded. "You're speaking ancient Greek."