Young Writers Society

Welcome Campers, to Camp Half-Blood!! We have an amazing summer picked out for you, with Pegasus riding, taught by the lovely Aphrodite Daughters, as well as archery, under the close supervision of Chiron, our camp centaur. (Just avoid Mr. D and you'll be all right)

So where are you from Demi-God? Who is your immortal parent? What skill set can you bring to Camp-Half blood, showing us truly what kind of hero you are! Anything is possible Demi-God! So go forth! And leave your mark on the world! (But try not to break anything big. The Mist is stretched thin as it is.) Now off with you!! I have to get the swords stacked. Again!

Head of Athena Cabin, Beckett Finn






Thank you Demi-Gods for making the decision that will actually probably save your life. Alas, everyone's favorite hero, Percy Jackson, is in New Rome with his beautiful girlfriend (I mean come on, all of us here saw that coming) so no autographs! We don't have many Romans coming this summer, so please be polite and courteous and be sure to smash their faces during Capture the Flag. Half-Blood!!

Reed Mal

Reed felt the ground rumbling underneath her as she ran through a deep woody area. Her breathing was hard, and her lungs burned for air as she searched for a place to hide. A ear piercing squeal came from behind her and she looked at her bracelet. "I hope this works, father..." she muttered and looked around. A harpy flung it's wing toward her and she growled as the nails of the creature dug into her cheek. She held her wrist tight, heating up the bracelet which soon transformed into a helmet.

Reed looked at the harpy who flew around her like a crow on top of it's prey. She placed the helmet on her head as she began running once more.

The world was still the same, but the harpy looked lost. It searched around, it's eyes hungry for Reed. She turned and began running some more.

She she was running, she squinted at an entrance to something. It felt like someone was pushing her to go. She began to walk now, taking her helmet off and letting it go back into a bracelet. She touched her cheek as she walked, feeling blood still trickling down her face. As Reed reached the entrance she looked up.

Her eyes had to adjust to the letters slowly moving in front of her. The letters spelled out "Camp Half-Blood".

Reed looked into the camp and watched what looked like a force-field. She reached out to touch it and her hand went straight through. Reed gasped, immediately snatching her hand back.

She looked around and stepped into the camp, looking around. Dizziness swept over her and her eye sight became blurry. She reached up once more and felt more blood. "Damn Harpy." she muttered, and her legs began to give out. She looked around once more before she fell to the side, everything going black.

Casper Everelka

Casper lie down in the grass, staring up at the sky. She had her hands rested on her stomach as she waited for any commands.

Today was a slow day at camp. She hoped there would be new arrivals so she could introduce them to some people and show them around. Although she's not a regular tour guide, she still likes to meet new people and try to be friendly. She wants them to be welcome.

"Casper!" a voice shouted. She looked around, trying to find where the shout was coming from.

Ash Vallin
Ash was in a tree, just playing her violin/bow thing. It was something she made herself and a blessed object from her father, Apollo. The sweet notes floated out through the trees, calling all of the animals and nature spirits around her to come and watch. Nymphs, dryads, birds, squirrels, rabbits, the lot started to gather around to hear her. Ash didn't really notice, she was too caught up in her playing. She opened her mouth and began to sing.

"Shall thine birds sing
and trees sway
Spread thy wing
And come to stay" A hush had settled over the forest and all eyes were on Ash. Suddenly, there was a violent rustling. Ash put her violin down and stopped singing.

"Who'd there?" she asked. Suddenly, a boy stepped out of the undergrowth and the nature spirits scattered. Ash grinned and hopped down from the tree.

"Roland," she said, running up to hug him, "How did you find me?" Roland grinned and ruffled her hair.

"I could hear you singing from all the way from camp. Come on, let's go back." Roland took her hand and led her back towards Camp Half Blood. When they arrived, Roland caught sight of Casper Everelka, standing in the middle of the Camp.

"Casper!" he called.

Ray Patel

Ray awoke to sound of thunder. He gasped as he jolted up, and looked out the window. He could tell immediately that it was before dawn. The skies above camp were clear as usual, but he could hear the sound of rain in the distance.

Ray tried to go back to sleep, but the sound of the storm prevented that. So he just sighed and looked around the room to pass the time. It was small, but he had it all to himself. The side table was packed with potions and magic powders of all kinds.

He dabbled in magical chemistry in his spare time, and the fruits of his efforts lay on the table. A long table on the other side of the room held his equipment and ingredients.

I'm running out of nightshade he thought to himself. I'll get some more when I'm next in the woods.

Suddenly, someone knocked on his door.

"Yes, come in." he called out.

A boy opened the door nervously. "Sorry Ray." he squeaked. "But you asked to be woken up before dawn."

"It's fine, Barry." he said calmly. "Have you lit the corridor candles.?"

Barry was about to answer when Ray lifted up a hand to stop him. "Yes, you have." he muttered, reading his mind quickly. Then he narrowed his eyes at him. "But you haven't categorized our weapons like I told you to yesterday, have you?"

Barry wilted under his glare. "No, Ray, sorry Ray." he muttered. "I'll do it as soon as it's light."

"See that you do." growled Ray before hoisting himself out of bed. "You may leave."

Barry darted out of there, and Ray closed the door before getting dressed. He put on jeans and sneakers before taking out his unique camp half-blood t shirt.

It was unique because it was only one that wasn't orange. Originally Ray had been adamant about not wearing a Camp shirt as he didn't like orange. So, Chiron had a black one made especially for him. "Camp Half-Blood' was printed on the front in white.

Ray then put on a black hoodie and strode out into the common room of Hecate cabin, which was rather large. Seven long tables were in a row across the room, and already his cabin mates had begun to gather there.

Ray had no doubt that all the other cabins were sound asleep at five in the morning (which was the time) but the children of Hecate awoke early, knowing that the hour before dawn was the most potent time for magic.

Striding up to one of tables, he noticed his deputy cabin head hard at work.

"Hi, Lou Ellen." he said with as smile. "How's work been this morning?'

"Well, Ray." she replied with a grin. "I've already managed to make an entire vial of healing potion."

"Impressive work." said Ray.

"Thanks." she replied. "Hey, do you mind taking that down to the infirmary for me? I'm too busy to do it right now."

"No problem." replied Ray, and scooped up the small bottle and plaed it safely in his pocket.

"See you." he said. "If anyone need me, tell them that I'm taking a walk by the camp boundaries."

Lou nodded and he walked out.

The sun was just peeking up from behind the horizon when Ray headed out. Taking a look back at his cabin, he smiled at the deception. No one would guess how large it was inside from viewing the outside for the simple fact that it was far larger, and with far more rooms than it appeared to be on the outside. But so was the power of the magic used to construct it.

Noticing that it was still mostly dark, Ray decided to take advantage of the situation and closed his eyes, merging himself with shadows. When he opened them he was a part of the darkness. He was not just simply invisible, but his body itself become indistinct from the shadows. He moved much faster as a shadow, darting quickly to Thalia's tree.

When he came out of the darkness, he heard a grunt of surprise and tuned to see Chiron.

"Ray." he said, calming himself down. "You startled me."

"Sorry." replied Ray and turned to view the pouring rain just outside the boundary.

"I see you had the same idea I did." said Chiron. "Taking a nice walk along the boundary before the place gets flooded with campers, eh?"

Ray nodded. "It's refreshing." he said.

Peleus heard his voice and lowered his big scaly head down to greet Ray. "Hey." he said, scratched him between the horns, where Peleus couldn't reach, and the dragon gave a low growl of satisfaction.

"Hey, do you see that?" said Chiron peering into the distance. "It's a new camper, and a satyr."

Ray turned to Chiron and looked at him curiously. "Your sight must be better than mine. All I see are two blobs."

Chiron gave him a glance and said, "I'd hope it is, Ray. I've spent three thousand years honing my archer's vision."

Ray nodded before asking, "How do you know they're new, anyway? It's the beginning of summer. It could be an old camper coming back."

Chiron shook his head. "Satyrs don't accompany old campers back. They only bring them here on their first time. In any case, all our satyrs are here apart from those out looking for or protecting new half-bloods."

Ray shrugged and looked out at the two figures who seemed to having some trouble.

"They seem to be in need of some help." Ray observed. "Let me go out."

Chiron raised an eyebrow. "But you have no rain gear." he pointed out.

"That can easily be taken care of." replied Ray, and closed his eyes, envisioning what he wanted to form in his mind before moving his hands to shape it. When he opened his eyes, he was holding an umbrella seemingly made purely of golden light.

Chiron looked at him warily. "You're powerful, Ray. Maybe too powerful for your own good."

"I have control of it Chiron, don't worry, Now, please let me go out and help along our new camper. I'm curious to see who they are."

Chiron still eyed him uncertainly but nodded. He lifted a hand and muttered, "I, Chiron, give permission for Ray Patel to exit Camp Half-Blood."

And the boundary became visible, shimmered and a gap opened, just large enough for Ray to pass through. With a nod of thanks, Ray walked through the boundary.

He whistled a tune and held his magical umbrella up high as he walked towards the new camper.

Ash Vallin
As Roland ran off to talk to Casper, Ash wandered over to the hill where Thalia's tree was located. As she got closer, she saw Chiron and-

Ash caught her breath. Ray... What was he doing here? She hardly saw him, much less talked to him. Ash hesitated for a second, but then decided to go say good morning to Chiron. As she walked up the hill, she overheard a part of their conversation.

"-give permission for Ray Patel to exit Camp Half-Blood." Ash reached the top just in time to see Ray run down to a half-blood and a satyr struggling up the hill. The slanting rain wasn't helping either. Once she'd reached Chiron, she was soaked.

"Chiron?" He turned to her.

"Good morning Ash. How are you today?"

"Fine, thanks. What's Ray doing?" Chiron turned his gaze back to Ray, who by now was helping the half-blood up the hill.

"We have a new camper," he replied. Ash looked at the two struggling up the hill. The half-blood seemed exhausted and was dragging their feet.

"What was chasing them?" she asked, "If anything..." Chiron shook his head.

"I don't know, but they'd better get up here quick, incase anything is chasing them." Ash watched for a little bit, then something caught her eye. Another camper, possibly new half-blood, was lying on the ground not too far away.

"Oh no!" She took off running towards the camper. The camper was obviously badly wounded. Ash skidded to a halt and knelt over the camper. She was probably new and by the looks of it, attacked by a harpy.

"Chiron!" she called, "Get Ray and the camper out of there! There's a harpy on the loose!" She turned her attention back to the camper. She began to stir and she opened her eyes a crack.

"Ungh..." she said. Ash put a finger to her lips.

"Shhhh," she said, "What's your name?"

"Reed."

"Well Reed, I just need you to relax." Ash began singing her lullaby to the wounded girl.

"Shall thine birds sing
and trees sway
Spread thy wing
And come to stay..."

It wasn’t the rumors that bothered Don. It wasn’t the stares, sideways glances, or scared expressions either. No, what bothered Don first and foremost about Camp Half-Blood was the overbearing amount of romance in the air.

He understood that they were teenagers, and that hormones were the second most powerful force in the universe, but there was no excuse for the amount of puppy love that the demigods so doggedly pursued. To make matters worse, the majority of these demigods were his half-sisters.

The daughters of Aphrodite sitting on the benches near the volleyball courts, talking and joking with some Ares boys who’d just finished a game. All of them were laughing, and had their arms around each other affectionately.

It would have been a sweet scene had they not literally just met five minutes ago. Don let out an exasperated sigh and turned away. The story was practically transparent from here. They’d all get too passionate, too emotional, make promises they wouldn’t be able to keep, feel trapped in their own obligations, eventually falling apart at the seams, thinking that excessive sorrow is their humanity.

But maybe he was being too judgmental. Jealous, maybe, of their social prowess, their complete ease with each other. Meanwhile, he was here, leaning with his back against a tree, silently watching the world flow by.

He didn’t really enjoy the spot, but it was somewhat of a necessity to stand here. A new camper, a small, brown-haired boy, was walking by, led by a counselor. Don didn’t try to hide himself, instead staring directly at the boy until their eyes met.

The new boy’s eyes fell upon a hideous mask, stitched together with different shades of brown leather, bound to the head of a tall demigod with empty grey eyes.

Really, Don was impressed with him for not screaming. But the boy immediately tugged the orange sleeve of the counselor, pointing a shaking finger in Don’s direction. The counselor glanced over, then gave a polite explanation of the stitch-faced Don, as if he were another stop on the camp tour of lava climbing walls and death-machine arenas. The boy nodded, looked at Don one last time, then moved on in a hurry, pulling the counselor with him in search of comforting death-machines.

Don sighed. Another new camper, looking to escape the monsters of the outside world, really shouldn’t have to see such a terrifying person on his first day. But it was infinitely better than when new people saw Don at night. The last time that had happened, Ares cabin had practically exploded open with demigods rushing to defend the traumatized camper. When they realized that it was just Don, they beat him up anyway.

Don winced, remembering the dark bruises left on his arms. Yep, it was best to get things like this out of the way as soon as possible. Eventually, once the more experienced campers assured that no, Don was not a serial killer, he’d been able to fade into the background, like an ugly stray cat.

Oh, and people had wanted to know who his godly parent was, probably so that they could ask them what in Tartaros were they thinking when they made him. The answer, Don had said without hesitation, was Aphrodite, the high goddess of love and beauty.

And most people found this to be even scarier than the mask.

Well, that was all the past, anyway. Two years had passed for Don at this camp, and he was rather pleased with the results. He was an outcast through and through, left by the world to his own torment of thought.

Don understood two things about humanity: They do not like to be wrong, and are often frightened by the enormity of existence. Because of this, they never question their own motives, only act upon their ingrained “beliefs.”

To come face to face with the truth inside your mind could very well destroy your will to live. But if this was the case, then Don had nothing to lose. So he spent his days wallowing in the world’s darkness, sensing, grasping at the path to utopia for all of humanity.

However, this is all very pretentious, and in truth Don just leaned against trees all day, spacing out and being creepy. The thing about philosophy is, the answer to your great question is often just a different question. He supposed religious leaders were smart like that.

He attacked the idea from all angles, clawing at the its smooth surface, but nothing gave way. For a good minute he sat there, overloading his mind with countless theories, like notes on scraps of paper hung up in his headspace. Eventually, he became frustrated, bored, and hungry, the bane of all genius.

He sighed and pushed off of the tree, heading towards the dining pavilion. Rome wasn’t killed in a day, as the saying sort-of-went. It would take a long time before he reached his goal: to destroy the concept of love, erasing it from the minds and hearts of humanity. His mother would know the true wrath of her own power, and fall to despair.

Don’s tummy rumbled a bit, and he patted it. Today felt like a burger day.

-------------------------------

Don was mumbling an orchestral tune underneath his breath as he walked into the pavilion. He only did this when he was alone, since most people mistook it for satanic chanting. He didn’t judge.

Anyway, the tables were all set up, their purple-trimmed tablecloths swaying in the breeze. Some wood nymphs were busy preparing grapes and cheeseburgers for the campers to eat, but they pretended not to notice him.

Well, this would be a problem if Don wanted to eat. So, he approached them, trying to appear as casual and non-serial-killer as possible. One of the more courageous nymphs took his order, and soon he was munching away at a divine cheeseburger, careful not to get grease on the mouthhole of his mask.

Pretty soon, the other demigods began to file in, talking and laughing jovially. The sons and daughters of Aphrodite burst in like a social hurricane, grabbing their food and swarming over to Cabin 10’s table. Don was still standing, and still leaning creepily against a pillar at the back of the room. And it looked like he would stay this way.

Grabbing his goblet and filling it with black tea (and this straight-up convinced most people that he was evil), he rested against the marble pillar, taking in the sights and sounds of the people there.

Don had realized long ago how to peer past people’s facades. Right, it wasn’t so much their extravagant actions that defined them, but their insignificant ones. A flinch, a hesitation, every insignificant tic they made, he saw and saw through.

And they certainly didn’t mind his gaze, accepting his watchful presence as a simple truth. Don Capulet was creepy, Kronos was evil, and Mr. D was going to take the last cheeseburger no matter what. It was a fact of life.

Of course, some facts are more annoying than others, and nothing annoyed Don more than the fact that Ray Patel, the son of Hecate, had walked into the mess hall, followed by an entourage of six campers. The brown-skinned boy looked serious as always, intimidating without needing to be. Possibly the most powerful demigod on campus since the Seven Heroes, and didn’t he make sure you knew it.

Eventually the group split up to their own tables, but Ray was still greeted loudly at Cabin 20’s table, which Don had, unfortunately, chosen to stand near. He stomached the praises that were showered over Ray by the other campers hoping to earn his favor. It wasn’t his place to say anything, so he just clenched his jaw and tried to focus on his food. Still, it was just so loud, so loud, too loud, please shut up, shut up,-

“Shut up.” Don had always had a distinctive voice, surprisingly pleasant, but threatening when he wanted it to be. His words cut through their chatter like a knife, and the entire Hecate table, minus Ray, turned to stare at him offendedly.

Don cursed his slip of tongue, and a part of him knew that he could be forgiven for being so chaotic and rude. But then they would go back to the same old thing, so he spoke on. “Quit kissing up to this guy and eat your food. That’s what lunch is for, if you’ve forgotten.” Locking their gaze, he took another bite of his cheeseburger.

Ray looked up from his food, staring calmly. “They can do what they want to. Leave them alone.”

“Yeah! Leave us alone!”

Don cocked his head. “That’s odd. Do you hear an echo?”

“An echo?”

Not really amused, Don turned back to Ray. “And they’re not doing what they want, they’re doing what you want. All because you’re ‘the most powerful magic user of the century.’ It’s degrading, and idiotic.”

“It’s not just my powers that impress,” Ray responded, bending his plastic fork casually. “I’ve also gone on one quest, which is one more than you’ve taken, Don.” The campers smirked in agreement, offering Ray high-fives that were not returned.

“Besides,” the son of Hecate continued, staring straight into Don’s horrid mask, “there’s nothing wrong with having powers. Especially when those powers can take you apart.” He waved the bent fork around for emphasis, and Don could feel Ray peeking into his mind, spilling his deep dark secrets open for his own viewing.

Don ignored the feeling, instead saying the next thing that popped into his mind. “Ray Patel, you’re an oxy.”

The demigod blinked, the comment throwing him off of Don’s mind. “An...oxy?”

“A contradiction. A hypocrite. A tyrant claiming benevolence, ultimate power that weakens your mind. You’re an oxy.” Don’s mask hid his face, but he imagined that he must have looked pretty smug.

Ray’s eyes flashed with understanding. “You mean an oxymoron, you dolt.” Don could feel Ray’s anger rising at his jabs, and now it was time for the finishing blow.

He leaned forward, thrusting his hideous mask in Ray’s face. “Well, the moron part was inherent.”

Just then, the air exploded beneath his chin, hitting Don like an uppercut. He stumbled back and crashed into the pillar, sliding to the ground. Ray hadn’t moved, but his glare revealed his actions.

By now, most of the nearby campers had turned to look at the two. Ray, still in his seat, and Don, battered and lying on the ground. He imagined that the new camper must be passing out from fear by now.

Don pulled himself into a sitting position, a smile growing on his face. “I thought you would do that,” he said. “Care to show me your other amazing powers? After all, you’re one half Hecate, one fourth Pluto, one sixteenth drakon, the reincarnation of King Arthur himself-”

Ray stood up sharply, silencing the entire room. His head was down, and the twin-swords pendant hung from his neck.

“But hey,” Don said, shrugging casually, “I get how hard it must be, following your own power like a dog chasing its tail. Just keep getting stronger and stronger, until it defines you, and play the game like everybody else!”

“What are you babbling about?” Ray was trying to keep his composure, but Don was just too...hateworthy. “You seem jealous, son of Aphrodite. Are you lonely?”

“Are you?” Don shot back, then smirked. “Why would I be jealous of you? Take away the strength, the intellect, the entourage, and what do you have? I’d like to find out.” He clawed at his eyeholes, making his whites maliciously wide.

Ray ripped the twin-swords pendant from his neck, and it began glowing with magical light. The insignia grew and solidified into stygian iron, until Ray was holding two swords at Don’s neck. “I have my swords,” he said simply.

“Good for you,” Don agreed. “And I have a personality.”

Ray’s eyelid twitched, his arms clenching. “I challenge you to a duel, Don Capulet,” he said. “To defend the honor of my family and friends.”

“You say that, but you wanted to kick my face in the moment I started talking to you. I really don’t like lies, Ray.” Don pushed the swords away and rose to his feet. He straightened his camp shirt nonchalantly; then he hesitated.

“Or maybe,” he admitted, checking his nails, “you are sincere, and I’m more the monster for calling you a hypocrite. Whatever the truth is, I’m eager to find out.”

The leather-faced monster gave a genuine smile. “Of course, I’ll accept.”

Ash Vallin
Ash struggled down the hill and to the mess hall with the unconscious demigod's arm around her shoulder.

"Come on Reed," she said, "I'll get you to a bunk or at least a bench..." Ash's knees almost buckled under Reed's dead weight. Ash wasn't necessarily the strongest, but she was definitely agile. Due to her slim frame, she could doge around any opponent. However, that didn't matter. Once she reached the mess hall, she stopped in her tracks. Ray and Don were nose to nose, glaring at each other. When she entered, all heads swiveled to her.

"Um," she said awkwardly, Reed still slumbering on her shoulder, "Am I interrupting?"

Beckett Finn

"All right Demi-gods, let's get a move on!" I shouted. The Athena cabin slowly came alive as campers began to wake up. Just a little to slow for my tasted however. I turned to Derek, my second in command, and with a grin, nodded at him.

With a smirk, he began banging to pans together that we had "requisitioned" together. This got my people moving in a hurry. I glanced around at our cabin. It was simple. All the bunks were shoved to one side, and the rest of the structure was dedicated to maps, desks, various projects and weapons. It would make any Demi-God child of Athena jumpy with excitement.... But we were all ADHD, so that might be it as well.

Once everyone was done with their chords of making beds, organizing armor and weapons, we began the long march to the mess hall, as some of the kids began making jokes at one another. It kind of all changed the instant we stepped into the mess hall.

The atmosphere was ready to explode. I could feel it in my bones. The laughing faces of my siblings were replaced with curiosity. As to what was happening, and what I was going to do. Camp Half-Blood didn't have elected leaders so to speak, but I was one of those few that everyone listened to, and obeyed with no question asked. Usually because we had Ares cabin backing us up. Their head counselor, Samuel Arclay, was silently eating his breakfast, watching me curiously. It surprised me, because he was usually the cause for these fights... Or stand offs. As a son of Ares, he was really good at stirring up trouble.

The head counselor for Hecate cabin, Ray Patel, was having a glaring match with Aphrodite's son, Adonis Capulet, an interesting Demi-God. That's when Rachel, our camp oracle, stood up from the main table, glaring at the two. Our oracle was a fiery redhead, who honestly scared the bejeebies out of a lot of people. The oracle of Delphi is not someone you want to anger.

With her hands on her hips, she spoke up." All right you two, sit down. I don't care about your pride, your both demigods. Have your duel in the arena, if that's your wish. But quit being so dramatic." It was hard to hide the chuckle that came out of my mouth. Rachel sure knew how to put people in their place. I froze when her head swiveled my way, her eyes glaring into my soul.

"Something funny Beckett?" She growled at me. I peeped out a "no ma'am", before scurrying to my table. My 16 siblings followed suit, more because they were hungry than anything. I quickly thought up my favorite breakfast, and glanced happily at my plate of breakfast deliciousness.

I walked up to the brazier, and slide off a delicious waffle. "For the gods." I intone, as I return to my table, and begin munching happily. I was nearly tackled by Randolph, one of the resident satyrs. He let out a chuckle as I saved my plate at the last moment." Great reflexes Finn!!" I turned to glare at him, but his cheesy smile evaporated the anger I had.

I smiled." What's up Randolph?" I ask. He grins." Nothing much bro. I hear the Roman visitors are coming today. Wonder if they got any hotties with them." He winked at me as he skipped off to pester someone else.

I smiled and turned back to my meal as more and more cabins began filing up towards the pavilion and begin grabbing breakfast. And than my eyes fell upon her. Amelia Yates, the daughter of Nike. What we had was interesting to say the least.

My thoughts were interrupted as Chiron entered the pavilion. The talk and chatter quieted down as he slammed a hoof against the ground to get our attention. "Heroes! Heroes! I need some quiet." He smiled as the campers slowly began to calm down. "As you all know, our guests from New Rome will be arriving today, as well as your new instructor on Roman warfare. I'm sure you'll all make them feel welcome. Also, much to everyone's excitement, this Friday is a game of capture the flag!"

I let a smile split my face. Capture the flag always made the summers fun. Chiron nodded as the campers quieted down. He continued his speech." As we all know, our director is still in Olympus on business. But that doesn't mean we can relax. I expect your duties to be done just the same. Finish your breakfast and begin the day's activities."

The chatter began as Chiron walked towards me." Beckett, I need you to get a couple of our friendlier faces to greet our compatriots from the west. They'll be here around noon. Have an excellent day now." He walked off as I turned to Derek." Lead the cabin in our activities while I get the welcoming committee ready." I finished my meal and left to gather my group of campers, when I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I turned around with a smile.

Reed Mal

Reed heard the sound of steps as she lie on the ground, still struggling with her muscles aching. Her lungs burned as she breathed. What's happening...?

Reed groaned as someone leaned over her, helping her up. "Shhh..." the female whispered. "What's your name?"

"Reed," She mumbled, her voice extremely low.

"Well, Reed, I need you to relax," the small girl whispered. She began singing something that soothed Reed. She listened carefully.

"Oh shall the birds sing
and trees sway
Spread thy wing
And come to stay..."

Reed eventually felt her body become limp again as she fell back into unconsciousness.

Later on, she found herself stumbling across a camp with people staring at her odd. She shot them glares and continued to try and help the girl that was helping her by attempting to walk. ""Come on Reed," she said, "I'll get you to a bunk or at least a bench..." Reed noticed the girl struggling and tried to help her some more.

As they managed to make it to the mess hall, the two girls ran into two other campers who weren't so happy. The girl chuckled, "Am I interrupting?"

The two males both flicked their heads toward the two girls. Reed grumbled as she felt her numb body against the other girl's. She was slightly dizzy and her vision wasn't clear but she could just make out the two males standing before her and the other girl.

Reed chuckled at the two males, "They seem so..." she coughed hard, feeling her throat burn and her cheek sting, "dumbfounded..." she tried to make sense of everything going on around her but she was slightly clueless. "W-Where am I?" she croaked.

I shoved my bunk into the corner framing out my own little cave area. My 5 other siblings had done the same in their own little fashion, some even in groups. I had my camp maps and all of my weapons and sports equipment lined up against the wall. I pinned my maps up and started sorting through my junk. All of the weapons got hung up and everything else got stored under my bed. Perfect.

I turned around to see how the others were doing and they were all sword fighting or racing around the room with each other. I rolled my eyes and hopped down from my bun with a thud getting their attention.

"Lets roll" I announced as everyone scattered to get themselves together and get out the door.

The younger ones raced each other towards the pavilion, while the older ones dribbled a soccer ball or tossed frisbees to each other. once inside my eyes locked with Beckett. My heart instantly jumped and a smile as big as the ocean spread across my face. I started over to him but Chiron entered ending all fun and games. We quickly hurried to our seats no wanting to interrupt.

At the mention of Capture the Flag our entire table started hooting an hollering. I started looking around picking out the more athletic kids while the rest of my cabin started warming up and stretching. I laughed at them as Chiron finished his announcement. This was my chance. I jogged over to Athenas tabled and gave Beckett a tap on the shoulder. His big smile send a ray of warmth through me.

He stood up and opened his arms as I fell into him giving him a huge hug.

"I missed you so much." I whispered into his chest his strong arms squeezing me tight.

We broke apart still smiling like two big idiots. We started talking about our year and the battles we fought when my youngest sibling Lila tugged on my arm.

"Oh shoot sorry I gotta get my cabin to activity." I said ruffling her hair

I turned and gave Beckett a quick kiss on the cheek leaving him blushing before racing Lila outside to the rest of our cabin. We dashed over to the volleyball courts and split into teams of 3. We started our very quick paced game all being much to serious about the fun little game. Soon an hour had passed and my watch beeped 12 o' clock.

"Hey Tyler you're in charge." He saluted me and I ran off to welcome the new kids.

Ash Vallin
Ash knelt beside Reed.

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood," she said, "My name is Ash." The girl tried to sit up, but Ash pushed her back down.

"No," she said, "We need to get you to the Apollo cabin." She looked around and locked eyes with someone who just entered the mess hall. Amelia.

"Help me with this," she said, "I'm not strong enough to get her to the cabin."

Leon still remembered the day he'd arrived at Camp Half Blood. He remembered the monsters, he remembered the slow agonizing trip to the camp, and most of all, he remembered his dads back as he stood facing the monsters....no, empusai. Leon wasn't sure how he'd known the name, it'd clicked when he'd first seen the monsters, but he'd felt like he'd known it all his life. His dad had told him to get to Long Island Sound no matter what, and that's what he'd done, but the thing that haunted him most was that he'd never looked back. The next few days were mostly being cooped up in the Athena bunker -Athena had appeared the night he'd reached the camp- and recovering. Now he felt ten times better than he had when he'd first reached the camp, but still, the thought of his father and the house he'd lived in all his life clung to him like a shell. He couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to go back there. He needed to come to terms with what had happened. He needed to say goodbye.

Leon awoke to the sound of a banging pot and the sight of Beckett and Derek at the front of the room. Groggily, he got out of bed like the rest of the campers. For some reason he still had his clothes on from yesterday, shrugging, Leon made his way to the cabin door only to be stopped by one of his half-brothers.

''Hey help us organize the armor bud.''

Leon vaguely registered the armor crammed at the back of the cabin. Why did they have those again? Leon stood for a second, confused. A look of recognition spread across the camper's face.

''Oh, you're the kid who came in a few days ago. Hey, take it easy, we'll stack the armor. You go take a walk, maybe get some coffee or something.''

Leon nodded numbly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

The sky outside was cloudy, that is, outside the barrier. Sometimes Leon wished they could have some sort of weather within the camp. He didn't remember much from his childhood, but one memory had stuck with him. It was that of a gray rainy day. He was inside covered in blankets on the daybed they'd had in the living room. He remembered staring out at the clouds blotting out the sky. His mother was next to him. That may have been the reason why he remembered it so well, that was the last time he'd seen his mother. She'd sat next to him and watched the skies with him, and although she'd only sat there, Leon had felt something human in that moment. It was the only memory he had of his mother, so needless to say he enjoyed rainy days.

Leon waited around by the forest until he spotted his cabin making there way to the mess hall. Leon would've gone there himself, but he didn't quite know the way yet. Leon met up with the rest of the Athena cabin at the entrance to the hall. They stood stock still. Leon didn't bother trying to peer over, he was more focused on the food than he was whatever was going down between the campers. Eventually someone calmed the campers down and Leon got a chance to sit down at the Athena table. He didn't know how to get food, so he sat there like an idiot for a few minutes until someone explained he had to think of the dish he wanted and it would appear for him. Leon vaguely recalled liking cream cheese bagels when he was little. When he looked back at his table a bagel with a cream cheese spread had appeared. Leon quickly thought of some mint tea -the thought of hot minty stuff in the morning appealed to him- and began on the bagel. In the middle of the meal, Chiron, the head of the camp at the moment, got up and made some announcements which Leon vaguely listened to as he ate. He was still imagining the possibilities of being able to wish himself any meal he wanted. Chiron stepped down and in another few minutes, people began walking up to a fire pit at the front of the room. Someone nudged him and explained that the firepit was for offerings. Leon didn't bother. If anything, he thought a chunk of bagel and some tea as appreciation was more of an insult than anything. Leon spotted a guy in a creepy mask staring at him from across the room. He nodded at him, if that was the weirdest guy in the camp, Leon could deal with that. No one was who they said they were, Leon was beginning to believe that more and more as he listened to the conversations around him. People played the game of the social life, meaning that there was always something they wanted, whether that was attention or to boost their ego. Leon had made up his mind a while ago not to judge, but to accept that people were people, and this game was a small piece of humanity.

''Hey new guy.''

Leon turned, snapping out of his thoughts. Beckett Finn, at least Leon thought that was his name, stood over him, a smile lighting up his face.

''How's your day so far? It sure is early huh.''

Leon enjoyed this guy for some reason. He seemed very open, Leon liked when people were open, it made for an easier conversation. It made for great friends.

''What were your first days like Beckett?''

Beckett's smile grew sad.

''The first few days are the hardest?''

''I feel hollow.''

Beckett put a hand on his shoulder.

''Come on, we can talk while I give you your tour.''

Leon felt a glimmer of hope.

Roland
Roland ran up to Casper and greeted her.

"Hello, Casper," he said, "How are you today?" Casper nodded and smiled at him. Roland felt a twinge of sympathy for this girl. It seemed like no one ever noticed her.

"Do you want to come for a walk through the forest with me?" he asked her.

Casper

Casper stared at the boy with sparkling eyes as he approached her, "Hello, Casper," he said, "How are you today?"

Casper nodded and gave a smile, "I'm good." She rubbed the back of her neck and sighed, brisking her feet against the ground gently.

"Do you want to come for a walk through the forest with me?" he asked her. Casper looked up and nodded, "Of course!" She grinned. She loved walks and finally seeing Roland again was great.

Roland
HE held out his hand and smiled at Casper. She looked at him, but hesitantly took it. The two walked into the woods. For how quiet she was, Casper sure kept up a strong conversation. They talked about what they were doing during camp and predicting the capture the flag teams. Roland was in the middle of his prediction when his voice stopped.

"Do you hear that?" he asked.