𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐒𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐈𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍. Freak storms meant more monster attacks and less of a chance to win them. Raya had volunteered most of her time on guard duty, fighting off an assortment of monsters.
She'd had been back at Camp for a total of three days, right before the summer session officially started. She'd already fought off a few dracaenae, giant scorpions, and a hellhound the size of a tank.
"The rain is insane," Beckendorf said, trying to see.
Raya nodded, "Did you hear anything from the satyrs?"
"Not a thing," he shook his head. "They're keeping this way too hushed up."
"Based on experience, that's never a good thing," Raya shook her head lightly.
There was a flash of lightning, barely illuminating the night around them.
Raya — along with every other camper — was trying to find out why these storms were happening. The only thing they'd managed to piece together was that something was stolen, and the Gods were fighting. Chiron and the satyrs talked about it a lot, but they had so far managed to keep the campers from hearing.
"Has anyone from Hermes tried listening in?" Beckendorf asked after a moment's hesitation. "Those sneaky rascals could manage it."
"Travis and Connor have been trying for a while now," Raya sighed. "Whenever they get close, Chiron manages to hear them. It's like he's grown a sixth sense whenever they're nearby."
"Everyone should grow a sixth sense when they're around," Beckendorf muttered. "You know, they stuck shaving cream in my mattress! They're not even from the Hephaestus Cabin! How'd they manage to get inside without triggering a land mine?"
"They've managed to steal your land mines, and you're wondering how they got by without triggering a few?" she laughed. "Charlie, I think we need to send you back to school."
"Shut up."
Raya laughed harder, but a clap of thunder raised the hairs on her arms. She picked up Denebola, Beckendorf wielding his own sword. Then, in the distance, Raya could just hear the sounds of fighting.
"You hear that?" she asked.
"Another monster?" Beckendorf sighed resignedly.
Raya tilted her head, enhancing the sound waves to hear better through the rain. She could hear three voices: one was roaring and grunting, one was yelling something about ground beef, and the last one was moaning, "Food."
"I think we've got a demigod in trouble," she switched out her sword for her bow and arrow, tapping her charm necklace. "I need you to go get Chiron, or tell him at least. I think one of them is injured."
"Raya, wait!" Beckendorf grabbed her hand. "You can't seriously go by yourself."
"I'll be fine," she promised, shaking out of his grasp. "Just tell Chiron."
Raya raced past Beckendorf, climbing down the hill to approach the monster. She froze at the sight of a half-bull, half-man. His back was facing Raya, but she already knew what it was.
A small boy — barely the size of Raya — jumped towards the Minotaur, kicking off his neck like a springboard, turning midair and somehow landing around his neck.
The Minotaur was outraged, slamming forward into the tree. The boy managed to stay on.
"Food," a satyr groaned from the ground near Raya's feet.
Raya blinked out of her daze, aiming her arrow at the Minotaur's butt. Considering her position, it was the only place she could aim without accidently injuring the boy as well.
Raya let her first arrow fly, a look of indignation coming over her face when the arrow disappeared with a hiss of gold.
The boy looked towards her, just hearing the noise over the pounding rain. Raya wasn't sure if he managed to see her properly through the storm, but she pulled out another arrow, aiming once more.
Again, it disappeared.
"Okay, that's not fun," she muttered.
Trying again, she pulled out a throwing knife, pausing once the Minotaur's roar echoed through the base of the valley. Raya watched as the Minotaur threw the boy off, but the boy was now holding something bone-white in his hands.
He managed to break off the Minotaur's horn.
Raya had no idea who this kid was, but she was impressed.
She flung a throwing knife in the direction of the Minotaur, frowning when it also disappeared with a flash of gold before it could cause any harm to the monster.
The Minotaur approached the boy, who seemed dazed from the hit he took.
Raya pulled out Denebola, running towards the Minotaur. She wasn't thinking clearly. All she knew was that she needed to distract the Minotaur from the boy.
Jumping up, Raya brought her sword down in a deadly arc that should've cleaved the monster in half. Instead, it was as if she hit a solid gold wall.
The impact threw her back a few feet, clutching her right shoulder. She didn't think she dislocated it, but it was definitely sore.
The Minotaur charged at the boy again, and Raya watched in shock as he rolled to the side, coming up in a kneeling position. Without hesitation, he sunk the monster's own horn in his side, slashing upwards.
The Minotaur roared, clutching his side as he began to disintegrate.
Raya was breathing heavily, but she put her sword away as she approached the boy. He was rolled up on his side, clutching his Minotaur horn and crying. Near them, the satyr — who Raya now recognized as Grover — was still calling for food.
"Hey, you okay?" she asked the boy, kneeling next to him. "You kicked ass, by the way. Don't know why I wasn't able to actually intervene. I'll have to talk to Chiron. Let's take you to him. Come on."
The boy looked up, his sea green eyes staring into her own bright grey ones.
Raya's breath caught as she remembered the warning her father had given her. The boy with jet-black hair, and sea green eyes. This was him.
She must've been staring, because the boy sniffled, wiping his eyes. "What's going on? What is this place? Where'd my mom go?"
"Hey, hey," she said softly, using a bit of her powers to calm him down. She was still horrible at it, but he needed it. "Let's go inside and talk about it. It's not safe here. I hurt my shoulder a bit. You wanna help me carry Grover in?"
The boy took her hand, shakily getting to his feet.
"How do you know Grover?" he asked as the two slung the satyr between them.
"Food," he moaned.
"I've been spending every summer here for a very long time," she told him. "You'll learn everyone's name quickly. Speaking of names, I'm Raya. Raya Newbrooke."
"My name's Percy Jackson," he said, swaying slightly.
Raya carried most of Grover's weight up the hill and towards the Big House, "Well, Percy, it's nice to meet you. I meant it when I said you kicked ass back there. Not many kids could take on the Minotaur."
"Like... from the myths?" he sounded tired.
"Let's get you looked at," she said. "Then I'll explain everything."
On his first day at Camp, Percy flooded the girls' bathrooms.
It had something to do with Clarisse and her being a bully. Raya didn't manage to get the full story, but still... flooding the bathrooms was not a good sign as a demigod.
Raya — along with practically every other kid at Camp — watched Percy eagerly, hoping for something he excelled in. Besides canoeing and that one time he beat Luke in a sword fight, he was pretty much a flop.
"Chiron said I need a size five for armor," Percy came up to Raya right before Capture-the-Flag. "I was hoping you could help me find it."
"Sure thing," Raya zipped up her infirmary kit and placed Loki on her shoulder. "Let's head to the armory."
Raya led the way, occasionally adjusting Loki as she made small talk with Percy.
"Cute cat," he muttered, putting a hand out to pet him.
Raya leaned down a bit, smiling as Loki didn't object. He wasn't always open to meeting new people, but he liked Percy just fine.
"Thanks. His name's Loki. I found him in a fireplace," she grinned.
"Uh, what?"
"It's a long story," she laughed. "I'll tell you about it another day. Anyways, what team are you playing on?"
"Uh, I don't know," he shrugged. "Luke just told me I'm playing for the Hermes Cabin since I'm unclaimed." Raya might've made a face at Luke's name, because Percy asked, "What's up with you two? Whenever you two are nearby, you're always skirting around each other. And some of the Campers have bets going on about you guys, but they won't tell me what."
"It's — well, there's nothing really to tell," she told him simply.
"Clearly there is," Percy was unconvinced.
"For a ten year old, you're quite stubborn."
"I'm twelve," he corrected. "Also, you're trying to stall. It won't work."
"Okay, fine—"
"—They were in loovee," Will screeched, running between Raya and Percy.
"William Andrew Solace!" Raya grabbed the back of his shirt, tickling the nine year old. "What are you doing here gossiping? You're supposed to be helping Noor and Leila with the med-kits."
"I'm gossiping because I wanna gossip," he grinned cheekily. He turned to Percy, "It's the most tragic love story you'll ever hear. Two best friends, destined to grow old together—"
"Will!" Raya grabbed him again, tickling him relentlessly.
"Stop, stop," he giggled, trying to get away.
"Not until you stop gossiping," she said.
"Okay, okay, I promise," he gasped.
Raya tickled his once more for good measure, before pulling away. "Now get lost or I'll sell your toys."
"I'll sell Ellie!"
"Get lost," she raised her fingers as if she was going to tickle him.
With a shriek, Will ran away.
Percy, who'd been watching with an almost fond expression, laughed, "Am I supposed to believe him, or are you going to tell me the truth?"
"He's not far off," Raya shrugged. "We dated, and then we broke up. So it's a little awkward, I suppose. Look, we're at the armory."
After fixing Percy for his armor, Raya set off to work as Medic. Before the game started, she stood next to Chiron, waiting for him to finish his start-of-game speech.
"Heroes!" he announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and members of Apollo Cabin as battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"
The Campers went forward, grabbing shields and sword and all other weapons that were set up for them.
Raya spotted Percy in a helmet with a blue plume. She waved, laughing as he managed a clumsy wave back.
The teams went to their bases, setting their flags, defenses, and even a few traps up. Chiron blew the conch horn, signaling the start of the game.
Raya, along with a few members of the Apollo Cabin began their patrol, ready to serve as Medic if needed. She stumbled through the edge of the woods, freezing at the sight of Luke. She watched from behind a tree as he ran across into enemy territory.
Once he was gone, Raya continued walking by.
She had no idea why she was avoiding him, except that it was awkward. She didn't like being around Luke for so long. He'd changed, and so had she. It was best that they weren't together anymore.
Being with Luke was an adrenaline and a spark of something great. Being with Kayse is grounding and warm. It took her a while, but she's realized that what she needs right now is stability. And that was Kayse.
Raya continued past the creek, where she heard screaming.
"Ah!" a girl — Clarisse — was yelling. "You idiot! You corpse-breath worm!"
Raya arrived at the clearing in time to see Percy smack her between the eyes with his sword-butt, and send her stumbling out of the creek.
A second later, screams and elated cheers filled the air. Luke was running over the boundary line, the red team flag held high in his hands. She watched as it shimmered, before the boar symbol changed into the caduceus for Hermes. The conch horn sounded, signaling the end of the game.
"A trick!" Clarisse yelled. "It was a trick."
"Shut up, Clarisse," Raya walked past her.
While Clarisse may be slightly injured, Percy's arm was red and bloody, and she was pretty sure it was her blade that cut him.
Raya waded into the water, ripping out an antiseptic cloth from her bag.
"Your arm," she said to Percy, who held it out without question. He seemed to be in a bit of a daze.
Raya wiped the blood away, frowning at the sight.
"What the Hades?" she muttered.
The blood on his arm was gone after Raya wiped it. Where the huge cut had been, there was only a thin white scar, which was also healing.
Percy looked down at his arm, almost terrified of what had just happened.
"I — I don't know — I—"
"Calm down, Percy," she said. "Let's get you out of the water. We'll figure out what this means later."
Raya led him out of the water, nearly collapsing as Percy fell over on her.
"Oh shit," she muttered, helping him up.
His talent with canoeing, healing and being stronger in the water... if he was any of the Big Three's kids, it would be—
A canine howl ripped through the forest.
Immediately, the Campers stopped celebrating, everyone alert.
Chiron yelled in Ancient Greek, "Stand ready! My bow!"
Raya followed his lead, pulling her own out and towards the direction of the howl.
There on the rocks just above them was a black hound the size of a rhino, with lava-red eyes and fangs like daggers.
It was looking straight at Percy.
Nobody moved except Raya, who in her scrambled state of mind managed to yell, "Percy, run!"
She tried to step in front of him, but the hound was too fast. It leaped over her — an enormous shadow with teeth — and just as it hit Percy, as he stumbled backwards, there was a cascade of thwacking sounds, like forty pieces of paper being ripped one after the other. From the hound's neck sprouted a cluster of arrows, a good number of them belonging to Raya.
The monster fell dead at Percy's feet.
"Di immortales," Annabeth said from somewhere in the crowd. "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't... they're not supposed to..."
"Someone summoned it," Chiron said. "Someone inside the camp."
Clarisse yelled, "It's all Percy's fault! Percy summoned it!"
"Yes, because everyone appreciates being attacked by a hellhound," Raya rolled her eyes sarcastically.
"Be quiet, child," Chiron told her.
The Campers watched the body of the hellhound melt into shadow, soaking into the ground until it disappeared.
"You're wounded," Raya said to Percy, noticing the claw marks over his armor. "Quick, get in the water."
"I'm okay."
"No, you're not," she said. "Besides, I think everyone needs to see this."
Tired, Percy stepped back into the water. Raya watched in awe as the visible cuts began to close up. A moment later, the hologram of a glowing green trident spun over his head. Some of the Campers gasped.
Apollo's message to Raya made a little more sense.
"Look, I — I don't know why," he said, trying to apologize. "I'm sorry..."
"Percy," Raya said slowly, pointing. "Um, you might wanna look up."
Percy looked up in time to see the trident fade.
"Your father," Annabeth murmured, coming up to the front beside Raya. "This is really not good."
"If it's any of theirs, it's better than the other two options," Raya shrugged slightly. She knelt on the ground, bowing her head slightly
"It is determined," Chiron announced. All around, Campers followed Raya's lead and started kneeling.
"My father?" Percy asked, completely bewildered.
"Poseidon," said Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."
REY WRITES!
that last sentence gives me shivers no matter
how many times i read it. was gonna make it longer
but decided not to bcz i rlly like this ending
also ik this is the pjo tv show cast but i just realized i'd
been using book descriptions... so i'm gonna keep
doing that. you can imagine the pjo cast if you want
but it's not a big deal
thoughts?
comments?
questions?
headcanons?
theories?