❝ I'm a witch. I know, scary. ❞
☆ ☼ ☆
Children of Hephaestus possess many qualities. They can be the quickest tinkers and build anything with just a toothpick. Some can even identify any machine and, by extension, feel when one is near them and what it was made with. A rare ability that no child of Hephaestus has had in a hundred years is pyrokinesis, which gives them immunity to fire and total control over it.
Sheila had been blessed with these abilities at birth, although pyrokinesis had come from her mother's side of the family. To her dismay, she wasn't able to set herself on fire, but still, she could start a fire with only two words. Chiron had warned her never to use this spell unless needed or to start the bonfire since he had seen the damage it could cause. It had bothered Sheila for a long time, but she wasn't as annoyed after learning how to use her other gifts.
But if there was one thing Hephaestus's children, and especially Sheila, were not good at, it was healing people or tending wounds. And so, when Chiron demanded that Sheila look after the boy they had found on the Big House's porch the night before, she instantly expressed how bad of an idea it was. The centaur refused to hear any complaints.
Two days had passed since Sheila was forced to tend to the new kid. The chair she was sitting in was beginning to feel uncomfortable, and her back hurt to move. Leaning back, a yawn left Sheila as she prepared an infusion her aunt once said helped wake people up sooner. She lifted the boy's chin when she finished it, letting the liquid filter past his lips. To her delight, he didn't throw it out and swallowed it instead. It surprised her as the taste of the infusion was horrendous.
Sea-green stared into golden, the boy's fingers moving. Sheila noticed the slight movement, instantly hovering above him to ensure she hadn't hallucinated it. Relief flooded through her when she saw his eyes were opened and his limbs regaining their strength.
A few seconds went by in which neither of them talked. Sheila spoke first. "Tell me what will happen at the summer solstice and what was stolen."
Her answer was a confused look. "Just answer the question," she urged, glancing at the door.
"What are you talking about?" the boy mumbled. "I don't—"
A sudden knock on the door startled them both, Sheila accidentally making the boy pass out. She winced, knowing Chiron wouldn't be happy with this. Greeting Will as he took her place in the chair beside the bed, she warned him about the boy's constant drooling and rushed to exit the infirmary.
Satisfaction filled Sheila as the breeze hit her face. Spending two days in a hot room was not made for her, and she respected the Apollo kids who did this as their daily task. Her eyes scanned her surroundings, a smile making its way to her face when Annabeth approached her. They hadn't spoken while Sheila looked after Percy, both too busy with their respective activities.
"Hey, Annie," Sheila greeted, linking arms with the girl. "Guess what? Even after waiting for two days, the boy is completely clueless regarding the prophecy. He doesn't know anything, or he got a head injury. Either way, next time, I will know not to feed him too much ambrosia."
Annabeth groaned. Sheila chuckled at the desperation written on her face. "Of course, he doesn't know anything. The Fates just had to make things more complicated." She rubbed her forehead before looking at Sheila. "What about while he slept? Did you hear anything then?"
"Nope," Sheila responded. "Nothing at all," she added, although it was a lie. A few words did catch her attention during the first night the boy spent in the infirmary, but she decided not to acknowledge them.
"Figures," Annabeth mumbled. "I'm still one hundred per cent sure. It's him. The description you gave me is extremely similar. It cannot not be him."
While Sheila agreed, she couldn't help but hope they were wrong. The prophecy being fulfilled scared her. "Except we can't ask him because, as I said, he seems to know absolutely nothing. What a shame."
Annabeth snorted. "What do we do now? Don't you have to finish fixing Lee's bow?" Sheila gulped as she remembered her task that was far from finished. "Then go before you have a counsellor mad at you."
Sheila began to walk away but turned around, pointing a stern finger at Annabeth. "Do not try and get more information out of him. I'm watching you." Her eyes were narrowed as she waited for her to reply.
"No promises." Annabeth smirked and made her way to the Sword Fighting Area.
Shaking her head with a grin, Sheila ran to join her brothers in the forges. She knew Charlie wouldn't let it slide if she was caught late a second time. While he could be flexible with the rules, he didn't play with punctuality, especially when Sheila had a deadline to repair Lee's bow and had other weapons to fix later on. To be late when Charlie was so stressed was a death wish.
As she burst into the forges, the girl let out a relieved breath when she noticed her oldest brother had yet to arrive. Shane, the youngest of the cabin, chuckled as Sheila panted. Her hands were on her knees, her head hanging low. Her brothers caught a glimpse of her before they all turned back to their respective work. Charlie's absence was obvious as none of them completed any work but mostly gossiped about the next game of Capture the Flag.
"Why are you late?" Shane asked, handing her a hammer.
Thanking him, Sheila wrapped her curls in a bun and settled her stuff on a table. "Got caught up with the boy Annabeth and I found. Will took over for me. Thank the gods for that. Any more time with him would've made me lose all my patience."
Jake rolled over to them on a chair, leaving behind his conversation with two of their brothers, Christopher and Harley. He leaned his head on his fist as his brows furrowed. The curious look in his eyes meant no good.
"You say that as if you have any," he commented, Sheila attempting to hit him with her hammer but missing by an inch. "Hey! No killing in the forges!"
"You can be the exception." Sheila grinned sarcastically, moving her glare onto the bow she had yet to fix. "Now, all of you, stay quiet. Lee will have my head if I don't finish this today."
Her brothers, noticing the urgency in her tone, returned to their original task. It was rare for the forges to be completely silent when Charlie was absent, but the Hephaestus cabin had been drowning in demands due to Capture the Flag coming soon. Every cabin wanted perfect traps and perfect weapons to be assured of victory. Meanwhile, the Ninth Cabin only hoped to be on time for the game.
While tightening the loose string on the bow, Sheila examined the new string Charlie proposed. She hated to admit it, but his judgement had been correct. Compared to the old one, this string was resistant enough to shoot rocks. Maybe Lee wouldn't have to come to her every week now. A lot of her time would be spared if that were the case.
Sheila raised the bow to eye level, analyzing her work closely. Just a bit of sharpening and putting it through the fire test before she was finally done. Smiling to herself, Sheila stole a knife from Shane's workstation. His protests echoed in the forges, his words soon cut off by Jake handing him a new blade. Sheila grinned innocently at him, shrugging to say she didn't do anything wrong. He merely rolled his eyes at her as he pushed his chair back to his table.
The sound of wood being cut felt satisfying to Sheila's ears as she fixed the imperfections of Lee's bow. Sharpening was her favourite part of repairing weapons. Even if it took patience and precision, the result was worth it. It also helped her control the millions of thoughts rushing through her head. When she focused on the knife and the weapon in her hands, Sheila could ignore the voices speaking to her. The forges being silent aided her concentration even more as no chatter disturbed the girl from her task.
It was after twenty minutes that Sheila was satisfied with the results. She momentarily admired the bow, showing it to Jake for approval. He gave her a thumb-up, which brought a smile to her lips. The fire test was her last step now.
Usually, the fire test was just to put a weapon under a source of fire for two minutes at most. But since Charlie wasn't present, they couldn't use anything that could burn down the camp. Sheila glanced around, tilting her head in wonder as she noticed Shane walk away to ask Jake for help. Looking back at the bow, she ensured no one's eyes were on her before muttering a spell. Chiron's warning words about her magic flew out of her head as the bow was put under golden flames. To her luck, it didn't burn or was pressured to destruction by the heat.
But luck wasn't something Sheila had in her life.
One wrong move from her hand was all it took for the flames to spread on the table. Her brothers swiftly reacted, Jake pushing the younger ones close to the exit while he shouted for Sheila to stop. His words ended on deaf ears. Sheila slipped into a trance as her eyes narrowed slightly like she wanted to intensify the spell. She didn't cease to speak its words even when Jake yelled out in pain from being burnt.
Charlie rushed inside the forges a second later, eyes wide. He hurriedly told Jake to go to the infirmary, then ran toward Sheila. The flames surrounding her didn't stop him. The boy ignored them as he put his hands on Sheila's shoulders. Her eyes fluttered closed, her body stumbling backwards. Whatever trance she was in finally set her free as Sheila glanced around in panic.
"Oh gods," she muttered upon noticing the darkened floor. "I—I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"
Her older brother shushed her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He motioned for the others to return to their workstations, but Jake, who hadn't gone to the infirmary, didn't listen to Charlie. Clutching his arm in pain, he approached Sheila and brought her back to reality. Her eyes widened even more at the sight of his arm. She couldn't believe she had done this to him.
"Jake, I'm so sorry..." Sheila mumbled.
"It's okay," he assured her, yet she didn't calm down.
Charlie picked up on her breathing intensifying, instantly kneeling before her to look at her face. She was close to hyperventilating. He could see it in how her eyes darted everywhere. Gesturing for Jake to go, Charlie walked Sheila into a quiet corner of the forges. It wasn't his first time dealing with the girl losing control and regretting it deeply afterwards.
"Shei, you are back in control now," he told her softly. "You are the one controlling your magic. Your magic doesn't control you."
Sheila heard Charlie, the voices in her head now seeming farther away. If Charlie was with her, then she was safe to be around. If he was in front of her, she didn't hurt him any more than she did before. To have her big brother around meant Sheila was now safe.
"Good," Charlie spoke when he noticed her breathing slow down. "I'm here, Shei. You are not dangerous. I am here and well. You didn't hurt me."
It took Sheila several minutes to calm herself down. Charlie stayed with her, holding her hand and reminding her she wasn't dangerous. His tone reminded Sheila of one a caring father would use when reassuring his child, yet she couldn't say she even knew what her father sounded like. He never tried to contact his children, so none of them truly knew who he was apart from all the tales and stories about him.
When she was younger, not having her biological father hadn't been a bother. Sheila had a dad. That was much better than remembering the one who left after her birth. Then, she joined Camp Half-Blood and was forced to realize Enzo would no longer fill the hole left by Hephaestus' absence. If it wasn't for Charlie stepping up and taking her under his wing, Sheila wasn't sure she would have made it this far.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Sheila gave Charlie a grin. "Thank you, and I'm sorry. I should've been more careful."
He shook his head, dismissing her words. "Shei, I told you many times that you can use your magic anytime. It's your birthright. As long as Chiron doesn't know, it's fine."
"Yeah, I think he knows," Jake whispered, motioning to the ceiling of the forges.
The three looked up, hearing the faint sound of rain falling from the sky. Sheila winced as she could already hear the scolding Chiron would give her. Charlie stood up from his crouched position, instantly getting into his cabin counsellor role. All the tasks the Hephaestus cabin needed to finish were listed off in a minute, the others listening when Charlie separated them equally between his siblings. Sheila wasn't surprised to hear her priority was the Apollo cabin's weapons.
Her mistake from earlier was forgotten rather quickly, much to her relief. Charlie knew what he was doing. Everyone was focused on finishing everything. Taking back the bow that hadn't burned, Sheila examined it more before putting it aside. She could finally give it back to Lee and start to repair other bows. Michael's was next, a smirk forming on her face as she grabbed some paint. Her best friend knew better than to trust her not to do anything to his precious bow.
Sheila went to grab her paintbrush, but Charlie came and forcefully put a heat-resistant helmet on her head. The girl rolled her eyes, but after Charlie told her that Shane was about to perform a fire test, she put it on immediately. Seeing the flames again would stress her out and cause a second accident.
Once she turned her back to where Shane was, Sheila decided to sharpen the bow before applying paint. With a knife in hand, she leaned down, being extra meticulous. Michael had told her he wanted his bow to be as precise as possible, a bit like Lee's. His wish would be fulfilled, though the girl planned to add some details. A little payback for when he tripped her in the lake wouldn't hurt.
During the next hour, Sheila pretended her loss of control hadn't happened. The rain ceased to fall outside as she willed it to, though she doubted the sky was clear. A few grey clouds continued to hide the sun, but no more rain was progress.
Then, Sheila felt a tap on her shoulder. With a hammer now in hand — she had let Michael's bow dry and moved on to fixing a sword — she faced the newcomers, a smile forming at the sight of Annabeth. It soon morphed into a frown as her eyes settled on the boy she spent two days trying to heal.
"I didn't know Drool Face had awakened," Sheila spoke, taking off her helmet. No flames were in sight, luckily.
The new boy opened his mouth to reply but couldn't speak. His eyes stared at the familiar face in front of him. Sheila didn't speak up about his weird staring, but she hoped the boy wasn't recognizing her. If only she knew that he was thinking about how her eyes were as bright as the sun.
"Princess over here probably already told you my name, but in case you had head trauma and forgot, I'm Sheila Bennett," she introduced herself, not bothering to shake his hand.
"Wanna join me on the rest of the tour?" Annabeth asked, hoping Sheila would pick up on the urgency in her tone.
Fortunately, she did. "Sure," Sheila agreed despite not wanting to. "I finished Lee's bow anyway."
. • ° ✧ . • °
It turned out that Annabeth hadn't shown Percy most of the camp except for his cabin, which was Hermes' since he hadn't been claimed yet. Every unclaimed kid ended up in this cabin until their godly parent manifested, but that didn't happen often. Sheila doubted the new demigod would have that much luck, considering all the events which occurred to him in the last two days.
Once they left the forges — Sheila had to show Percy around them instead of Annabeth as the latter didn't even know which door led where — the three demigods walked toward the volleyball court. Sheila grinned when a ball landed by her feet. She swiftly bent down and picked it up, a sudden urge to play taking over her. It had been long since her cabin had had access to the court due to an argument with the Hermes cabin, and the girl longed to play a real volleyball game against the other cabins.
Throwing the ball up with a smirk, Sheila hit it as hard as she could. One girl from the Demeter cabin attempted to grab it mid-air, but it went over her head and landed on the other side of the volleyball court. A gush of wind followed the ball's landing, a castle forming. Annabeth shook her head, smiling at her best friend showing off one of her favourite tricks in front of Percy.
"How—" Percy frowned, his words stuck in his throat.
"I'm a witch," Sheila announced. "I know, scary."
Annabeth knew Sheila was satisfied with the surprised look on Percy's face. While she hated to be described as someone dangerous, scaring new campers was a pastime of hers. However, Annabeth didn't miss the slight amazement in the boy's eyes. She raised a brow but stayed quiet. To see someone who finally appreciated the sight of Sheila's magic was a rare occurrence.
Shaking her head, Annabeth remembered the matter at hand. "Jackson, you have to do better than that."
Sheila snorted, covering her mouth with her hand. She didn't have a personal opinion of the boy yet, but Annabeth had made her judgement about him.
"What?" Percy's frown deepened.
The girls locked eyes and simultaneously rolled them, Annabeth mumbling under her breath, "I can't believe I thought you were the one."
"What's your problem?" Percy inquired. His features showed he was starting to feel angry. "All I know is, I kill some bull guy—"
"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth scolded him. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"
"To get killed?"
Sheila understood now why Annabeth didn't like him, though she remained neutral. "To fight the Minotaur. What do you think we train for? Certainly not to do roleplays."
The clouds invading the sky turned a darker shade of grey. Percy shook his head, trying to ignore the weird weather. "Look, if the thing I fought really was the Minotaur, the same one in the stories..."
"Yes," Annabeth responded.
"Then there's only one."
"Yes," Sheila confirmed, her tone shifting to annoyance. She had dealt with newbies before, but Percy got on her nerves more than the previous ones.
"And he died, like, a gazillion years ago, right? Theseus killed him in the labyrinth. So..." He eyed the witch carefully, observing the butterfly flying above her head. He could have sworn it wasn't there a moment ago.
"Monsters don't die, Percy," Annabeth informed him.
Sheila added, "They can be killed. They don't die." She glanced up at her winged friend, grinning. It flew once more around her head before settling on her extended hand.
Percy stepped back warily. "Oh, thanks. That clears it up."
The ground burned slightly under Sheila's feet as Percy's ignorant tone aggravated her. She agreed with Annabeth's opinion now. He was an annoying newbie. He seemed so careless about all that was happening. Annabeth put a hand on her shoulder and explained to Percy monsters didn't own souls like mortals. While they could be dispelled, they would eventually reform. A certain Chimera popped up in Sheila's mind.
"You mean if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword—" Percy wondered.
"The Fur... your math teacher is still out there, probably plotting her revenge. Good luck with that, by the way," Sheila explained briefly as she spotted Michael by the lake. Using a spell to splash water at him, she innocently smiled when he glared back.
"How do you know about Mrs Dodds?"
Sheila sighed. "Because you talk in your sleep. Thanks very much, by the way. I haven't slept in two days, and I'm blaming it on you, Drool Face."
Percy rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore her. "You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?"
The girls glanced nervously at each other, then at the ground, as if they expected it to open up and swallow them. Sheila wished it would. Once upon a time, she had her fair share of Kindly Ones. No one used their real names unless it was necessary, though. To speak about them meant something could maybe happen. Sheila chose to inform Percy of this to avoid an accident.
"Look, is there anything we can say without it thundering?" Sheila thought Percy sounded whiny, her eyes narrowing at that. "Why do I have to stay in cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks right over there."
He pointed to the first few cabins, and Annabeth stared at him blankly. "You don't just choose a cabin, Percy. It depends on who your parents are. Or... your parent."
They stared at him, waiting for him to get it. "I should've stayed in the forges," Sheila complained and began to walk away, only for Annabeth to grab her arm. If she had to have this discussion, so did Sheila.
"My mom is Sally Jackson," Percy stated. "She works at the candy store in Grand Central Station. At least, she used to."
"I'm sorry about your mom, Percy. But that's not what we mean. We're talking about your other parent. Your dad," Annabeth specified.
"He's dead. I never knew him."
Sheila sighed as she rubbed her forehead. "Why am I even here?" she whispered, looking back at the clueless boy. He went on with wasting her time even when awake. "About that, your father is not dead. Surprise."
"How can you say that? You know him?" he asked as she scoffed and voiced, "Of course not."
"Then how can you say—"
Annabeth cut him off. "Because we know you. You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us."
"You don't know anything about me," Percy denied.
"Wanna bet?" Sheila challenged. "Let me guess. You moved around a lot and often changed schools due to behavioural issues. You were diagnosed with dyslexia and probably ADHD. How do we know that? It's the main sign proving that you're one of us."
"The letters float off the page when you read, right? That's because your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek," Annabeth informed. "And the ADHD — you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom. That's your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, you see too much, Percy, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course, the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are."
"You sound like... you went through the same thing?"
"You can say it comes with a demigod's luck. Ask all the kids here if you want, but most of us did," Sheila spoke, a slight crack in her voice. "If you weren't like us, you wouldn't have survived my terrible healing, much less the ambrosia and nectar."
Percy repeated her last words in an interrogating tone. Sheila went on to explain they were the food and drink demigods use to get better and that it would have killed a normal kid. If Percy hadn't been like them, his blood would have turned to fire and his bones to sand. In simpler words, Percy would have dropped dead.
A voice that made Sheila sigh in despair disturbed their conversation as she finished her sentence.
"Well, a newbie!"
Annabeth and Sheila internally groaned as they turned around, the sight of Clarisse, daughter of Ares, deranging the former. She had three other girls behind her, all wearing the same camo jacket and signature clothes of the fifth cabin. While Sheila didn't have a real problem with Clarisse or her siblings as she had crafted them new weapons recently, Annabeth never got along with them.
"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"
"Sure, Miss Princess," Clarisse replied. "So I can run you through it Friday night."
"Alright, let's not start anything here," Sheila interrupted instantly. She knew these two could be intense when arguing. "Percy, this is Clarisse, daughter of Ares. The war god, if you didn't know that, too."
Percy didn't think before he said, "Explains the smell."
"Alright, I'm done with this kid," Sheila muttered, stepping back.
It didn't take long for Percy's smart mouth to put him in a harsh situation. Clarisse grabbed him by the neck as he gave Annabeth the minotaur horn and dragged him toward a cinderblock building, which was the bathroom. Sheila merely shook her head, praying Clarisse wouldn't be too hard on him.
"You're gonna stand there and watch to see if he can help us. Aren't you?" Sheila asked Annabeth despite knowing the answer already.
Annabeth nodded, entering the building and leaning against the wall. Sheila followed her lead, crossing her arms over her chest. They watched Clarisse grip Percy's hair tightly, snickering with her friends.
"Like he's 'Big Three' material," Clarisse mocked as she pushed him toward one of the toilets. "Yeah, right. Minotaur probably fell over laughing."
The duo stood in the corner, Annabeth staring expectantly at the scene and Sheila mentally supplying Clarisse to stop. She didn't. Instead, she bent Percy over on his knees and pushed his head into the toilet bowl. Percy tried to resist. Guilt filled Sheila's chest. Bullying would never be something she tolerated, and yet here she stood, watching a poor boy get mistreated by Clarisse.
Listening to the small voice in her head, Sheila went to use a spell against the Ares' kids, even if it could anger Clarisse. She began to mutter a random incantation, not even sure if it would work or not. She immediately stopped upon hearing the plumbing rumbling and the pipes shuddering. Annabeth gave her a curious look, Sheila silently telling her she wasn't the one causing this.
Clarisse's grip on Percy's hair loosened. Water shot out of the toilet, making an arc straight over Percy's head, and next thing, he was sprawled on the bathroom tiles with Clarisse screaming behind him.
Percy turned as water blasted out of the toilet again, hitting Clarisse straight in the face so hard it made her fall to the ground. The water stayed on her like the spray from a fire hose and shoved her backwards into the wall. Sheila's jaw dropped in disbelief. This was something she hadn't expected.
Clarisse was struggling and gasping, and her friends started coming toward her. As if they sensed them, the other toilets exploded, too. Six more streams of toilet water blasted the other Ares' kids back and separated them from Clarisse. Instinctively, Sheila shielded her eyes as the showers joined the toilets and acted up. The three other girls who accompanied Clarisse were sprayed outside and spun on the ground, Clarisse soon following them.
The water shut off as soon as they were out of the door. The entire bathroom was flooded, and Annabeth and Sheila hadn't been spared. They were both dripping wet, standing in the same place. They stared at Percy in shock, considering he didn't even have one drop of water on him. Shakily, he got on his feet.
"How did you even —" Sheila asked.
"I don't know," he responded.
Sheila stared at him expectantly, and then her eyes went to her curls. They were dripping wet, making her sigh. She would have to ask someone from the Aphrodite cabin to help her detangle them and Annabeth's later today.
The three walked to the door, a gush of wind twirling around Sheila. Her clothes dried a little, but she knew she had to change still. Outside, Clarisse and her friends were sprawled in the mud, circled by other campers who had gathered around. Sheila couldn't restrain a gag at the odour of sewage from the Ares' kids.
Clarisse gave Percy a look of absolute hatred. "You are dead, new boy. You are dead."
He probably should have let it go, but he still spoke, "You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth."
Her friends had to hold her back. Other campers avoided being in their way as they dragged Clarisse toward the painted red cabin with a large boar's head over their door. There was no doubt in Sheila's mind that Percy would regret his actions in the following days, maybe years.
Sharing a look, Annabeth and Sheila then stared at Percy. "What?" he demanded. "What are you thinking?"
The girls had a knowing look on their faces. Sheila started, "We're thinking —"
"We want you on our team to capture the flag," Annabeth continued.
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A/N ⁓ I know the first chapters are mostly like the book, but once the quest starts, Sheila will have a storyline of her own alongside the original book plot.
Good day to all you readers ;)
-voidheda