Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I stared, unsure what to think as I looked at the gift in front of me. I had gotten a couple of birthday presents from my sperm donor, a card with $50 inside, and a new pair of shoes, but this gift wasn’t from him. When I was younger I had asked my sperm donor about my absent mother, and he claimed she had run off and left me behind because she was selfish, irresponsible with money and a cheater. 

The fact that he described traits of his own onto her wasn’t lost on me, and I knew from past experience that he was a liar and a narcissist. I had looked up the criteria for narcissism in people whenever I went to the local library and used the computers, and he had almost every single criteria from what I found. 

I learned to just tell him yes and act like I believed what he said for my own safety, he liked to keep food from me and turn off the hot water supply whenever I did anything he considered disrespectful. 

Part of me wondered if this was some sort of test from him, this gift that was supposedly from my mother, to test my loyalty or whatever mind games he came up with when he wasn’t working and couldn’t find a skirt to chase. It would be right up his alley. 

Part of me doubted this likely possibility since the handwriting on the note attached to the bulky present wasn’t in his handwriting, and my sperm donor’s chicken scratch handwriting was too distinct to be mistaken for anything other than his and the elegant handwriting in front of me wasn’t his at all.

My Dearest Sprout,

I’m so sorry I couldn’t be with you or take you with me, I hope this gift will serve you well. No-one will notice you when you wear these gifts. 

Happy birthday, and all my love,

Your Mother

I checked the time, 03:48. It was way too early for him to be awake and if I was quiet and sneaky he wouldn’t hear me opening the present and I could hide the evidence that it existed. If this was from my mum, then the sperm donor will be furious that I accepted a gift from her. 

It was a beautiful gift, wrapped in dark red wrapping paper with golden flowers that shimmered in the light that peaked through the living room window, and I unwrapped it carefully, stopping every few seconds to listen for my father’s snores to make sure I hadn’t woken him up. The gift was a jacket made of black denim with what felt like a wool lining on the inside, with white flowers sewn all over the sleeves, shoulders, and back of the jacket. 

I had been so used to wearing clothes from second hand stores, and getting hand-me-downs from other members of my father’s family that I had never had anything brand new in this life, other than shoes and what I could make myself from scraps of old clothing that didn’t fit me anymore. I felt something that I hadn’t felt for a long time; excitement. I had something of my own that hadn’t belonged to someone else first, it was mine and mine only. 

When I moved the jacket, something else fell out of it. It was an off the shoulder bag similar to those leather book bags but this one was made of the same faded black denim as the jacket but this time the lining felt like it was made of silk that shimmered gold in the available light. 

It was so beautiful that my eyes started to sting and I sniffed. I can’t cry or my sperm donor will hear me and I can’t answer to explain how these presents appeared in my bed whilst I was sleeping and why they did, so I wiped my eyes and nose and proceeded to creep around the apartment to hide the evidence of the gifts. 

See, we both live in a single bedroom apartment. My bed was the couch that folded out into a bed, and I had a hollow ottoman next to the couch and pressed up against the wall that contained all my belongings; mainly clothes and shoes. I hid the wrapping paper and the new jacket and bag at the bottom, where they wouldn’t be seen. 

Then, I returned back to bed, and glanced at the clock on the little table next to the couch; 04:01. I had one hour and thirty minutes before I would need to wake up and try to use the shower before dad woke up so I could use the hot water for a shower. 

September was coming to an end, and the chill really only set in during the early hours of the morning but it won’t stay that way for long and I need to get into the habit now and be ready for the winter. 

That morning, after I had my shower and my sperm donor grumbled as he got ready for work, I made myself an egg sandwich for breakfast and a second one for him. I learned that once I was able to cook for myself that if I make him breakfast in the morning it puts him in a good mood and he’s more agreeable to me going to the library after school. 

In the early 2000s the internet wasn’t a common thing in households yet, and so if a kid from a normal family wanted to entertain themselves they’d have to play with the other neighbourhood kids, join a club, find a toy to play with or a book to read. 

I often went to the library to read or I would doodle and draw in my sketchbook. It was a small one that I got from a cheap stationary shop and pencils to go with it, and since I used my $25 a month pocket money to buy it, the sperm donor was fine with it. 

I would buy snacks and drinks with the rest of that money for my time at the library, carefully hidden away from the eyes of the librarians and other nosy busy bodies that would visit the library. I don’t buy anything permanent and that I couldn’t easily replace with my pocket money, anything I have can and will be used against me if my sperm donor decides he wants to be a petty bitch at any point. 

It was a good thing that I didn’t have a huge attachment for material things, although that might change with the new bag and jacket. 

The sperm donor looked only a little like me, I had the same pale skin as him but my brown curls, general face shape, green eyes and facial features were everything I got from my mysterious mother. There were days, usually when he had too much to drink, he would yell at me for "looking like her". I usually hide under his bed, the last place he looks for me, when that happens. 

Just like the usual routine, when my sperm donor, Nick, waddled into the joint lounge and kitchen and saw the egg sandwich I had made for him, he smiled. If I wasn’t autistic, I’d say that the smile didn’t reach his eyes and that his eyes looked cold or dead like a fish, but everyone’s eyes are like that to me. It’s part of the reason I found it difficult to look people in the eyes, it’s unnerving and creepy to see eyes on a living person that look like they belong more on a doll or dead fish.  

“Thanks Rose,” Nick thanked me, the perfect, polite mask of a father. He must have a date that he’s going to and wants me to give a glowing review to if I happen to be at home when she is, because he is never that polite to me unless he wants something. I’m not sure if he’s aware that I know this or if he doesn’t care that I know. 

“Can I stay at the library after school dad?” I say, the title tasted like ash in my mouth and I had to resist the urge to gag. “I have some homework I want to work on.”

I did that homework earlier in the week and wasn’t due to have any more given to me until Friday but he didn’t need to know that, it’s not like he cared enough about my schooling to keep track of my school routine beyond when it starts and finishes. 

“Sure, make sure to pick up some pasta, bacon and tomato sauce on your way back,” he said, and watched me as I got the memo pad from the coffee table to make that list and put it in my wallet. “I’ll leave some money on the kitchen counter for it, when you bring it back and put it away you can use the rest to go see a film in the cinema.” 

He would usually give me a little extra cash to go to the cinema if he wanted me gone for the evening so he could bring his date home and cook for them, and he usually impressed that way since he was a great cook. He was the one that taught me how to cook some simple dishes so I could fend for myself whenever he couldn’t be bothered, although it looks like I’ll be saving that portion of lasagna I made earlier in the week for tomorrow.

I was definitely going to stuff my face with popcorn and whatever drinks and snacks I could sneak into the cinema whilst he was busy wooing this new, poor lady he found that pitied him enough to date him. 

“Ok,” I say, not bothering to ask why. Asking why too much was guaranteed to get what little nice things he gives me and permissions taken away, and I didn’t want that. He was a man-child with an ego that didn’t like being questioned, and unfortunately as an eleven year old there was very little I could do about it. 

Complaining to the school was pointless, if I wasn’t told I was a liar then social services would be told and get involved, and I’d either be taken away to stay with a family worse than him or I wouldn’t be taken away and I would be punished for causing “drama”. It happened once, and I learned my lesson the hard way when a school teacher didn’t believe me and told Nick. He made sure the bruises he left on me weren’t in places anyone would notice and if anyone asked, he would’ve said that he went a little over the top with spanking me for being a bad girl. 

I just needed to play his game and keep my head down until I was old enough and capable enough to run away. There were so many homeless people in New York City that one more wouldn’t make a difference or be noticed. 

Nick finished his sandwich and left shortly after, I followed not long after but with my new jacket and bag instead of the usual fraying bomber jacket and backpack that was barely held together with paperclips and hand sewn patches. 

I kept glancing down at my new bag, a little mystified that so much fit inside it with so much room to spare. When I noticed how spacious it was for it’s size, I placed my hand in to reach for the bottom to satisfy my own curiosity, and I stopped when I reached up to my shoulder with no bottom that I could find. 

A magic bag, I had a magic bag just like mary poppins’ one. I definitely need to keep this safe and out of sight from dad. How did a bag like that exist? How did my mother find it and why would she give it to the kid she’s not seen since birth? Was my mother magic? Was it even my mum who gave me this bag? 

This was… beyond any rational explanation. Was I finally going crazy after so many years of Nick’s psychological abuse? If this was real, then was all magic real? Was it like in stories and the movies or more like what the wannabe witches talked about in school, full of rituals and praying to old deities for blessings and assistance?

I mulled over those questions as I walked to school, it was busy on the streets, and people’s gaze slid over me like I wasn’t there which was a huge relief. Almost all my energy went towards keeping up my guard around Nick and keeping my grades to an acceptable level (all Cs except for maths which was a D grade), I didn’t have the energy for interacting with other people. 

It was the same in school, most other kids would usually ignore me unless it was to laugh at my obviously old, second hand clothes. As far as they were concerned, I was a retarded freak for being autistic, and being poor didn’t help either. Some teachers were nice about it, and would take pity on me and try to help with my class work and stuff but most teachers just acted like me being quiet and autistic was a crime against nature and they needed to “make me normal” by using public embarrassment as much as possible. 

It probably would have destroyed my confidence and made my depression and anxiety worse if I didn’t live with a worse bully than them and had the energy to care about their pettiness. I was already doing everything in my power to keep myself safe and alive, although the thought of “why bother” was becoming more and more frequent. 

Why bother when this is as good as it gets? Will it really get better once I am able to leave and get as far the fuck away as possible? I’d gladly sell everything I don’t need and travel to the other side of the united states if that was what it took to get away from Nick and my school. 

Anyway, the students barely noticed me, not even to gossip which was a little unusual until I briefly heard someone talking about one of the teachers dating one of the other students’ mum and silently thanked whatever god was listening that the kids were distracted with that instead of noticing me. The weirdest part was when the teachers didn’t notice me at all, until I spoke up. They would jump, seem a little confused and mumble about how they didn’t notice I was there, and then they would go on with the lesson and just… not notice me. It was almost like they forgot I was there. 

I barely paid attention in classes that day, instead fiddling with my new jacket and wondering if it was magic just like my bag, and that was why no-one noticed me until I spoke. 

For the next few days, I tested what the bag and jacket could do and I figured out that as long as I don’t make massive amounts of noise or speak, no-one would notice I exist when I wear the jacket. Nick didn’t notice, the teachers and students at school didn’t notice me, and the librarians and nosy busy bodies at the library didn’t notice me. 

The bag could fit as much as I wanted inside, although it didn’t stop the process of things like food rotting or sodas going flat inside it. So there were limits on how long things could be stored in the bag and stay good, so as long as it wasn’t food and drink items it could last for ages in there. 

I became excited at the gifts, no longer caring if it really was my mysterious mother who gave them to me or some other magical being, and made full use of them as much as I could. I was able to move more freely around the apartment without Nick noticing me when he was around, and I could roam the streets for as long as I wanted and sneak in anywhere without being noticed. 

I used this to save my pocket money so I had a nice supply of cash ready for when I could leave, and used this newfound power to steal little things that no-one would miss like a packet of chips, some candy, pencils and a new sketchbook when my old one was full, things like that. I would also sneak into the cinema late at night to watch older adult movies so I wouldn’t have to be at the apartment for any longer than necessary, sometimes I would hide in the library or cinema to sleep there so I wouldn’t have to go back to the apartment at all and Nick didn’t notice at all.

Granted, sometimes my hygiene took a hit and I’d have to sneak into the apartment or my school to use the showers but it was a fair trade off for a bit of freedom as far as I was concerned. 

It was one of the few nights after I had gotten my new gifts that I was at the apartment, Nick was staying the night at his new girlfriend’s house, when another gift appeared and was left on the coffee table for me. It was a keyring, a keyring of a small, bronze spear.

I picked up the small note attached to it and it read; 

My Dearest Sprout,

You’re growing up and becoming aware of how the world truly is and with that comes dangers. Terrifying dangers far worse than your father and the vile people at your school, and you will need this to defend yourself.

There is a button on the bottom of the spear shaft that will make it expand into it’s full form, and to make it shrink to hide it. 

I’m so sorry I can’t be there with you to teach you this myself but there are forces at hand that will put you in even more danger if I become too involved, this is all I can do for you. 

All my love,

Your mother

I read the note again and again, and then I did as the letter told me to. The keyring changed and expanded into the size of a full spear, it barely missed cutting through my eyebrow and instead cut some hair. I didn’t care, a grin spread across my face at the beautiful spear.The blade at the end is diamond shaped, and the shaft was ingrained with flowers. It was a work of art, and it was mine.

…but what did she mean when she said that there were dangers worse than Nick out there? 

It was time to do some research, I had noticed strange things that I thought were just a trick of the light like some tall people with a single eye wandering the streets, or people with extra appendages or dogs that would look like something else for a split second before looking exactly like a dog again. 

After school I went to a section of the library I didn’t frequent that often, the magic section. There were no how to guides on how to do spells, and most of it was the wiccan crap people liked to sprout that was made up on urban myths on “celtic” traditions, completely ignoring that celtic was a generalized term the romans used to call many european cultures, including the ancient german, french, and british cultures and practices. There were some grains of useful information about gods, goddesses and higher beings. There were mentions of deities related to flowers and plants like the theme of my gifts, it was a start. 

That led me to the mythology section, where I poured over the different myths and legends and made notes of any mythological creature and deity that was related to plants in any way I could find. The easiest to find information about were Greek and Roman gods, and whilst Demeter or Ceres was interesting and a cool deity, nothing of my experience with magic so far really seemed to fit her recorded interactions with humans. 

(If the myths are true and not made up entirely as the ancient equivalent to fairy tales and bedtime stories.)

Hecate the goddess of magic seemed promising since she was a goddess and my gifts were magical but flowers weren’t part of her symbolism… although it’s still possible? There were brief mentions of Hecate’s mother, Asteria the goddess of falling stars, and of other minor deities like Triptolemus and Persephone but there was very little else I could find in the books or on the internet when I used the library computers. 

Books on egyptian myths focused on the more well known gods like Anubis and Isis, and the books on norse mythology were focused more on Thor and his adventures than a whole overview of the parthenon and the myths and stories connected to it, and there was nothing on any of the other european pagan deities. There were a few mythological creatures associated with plants and nature but they were featured in stories mostly focused on how heroes and ordinary people with a moral on how people should behave, and a brief mention on a British mythical creature called the Pantheon which was a mythical deer with the tail of a fox and star patterns on it’s back.

The research left me feeling more confused than before, the biggest lead from what I could find was to do with the deities from Greek mythology, where Demeter and Persephone were associated with plants and since the person giving me the magical gifts is female I can count out the male nature deities. 

It was one thing to think some kind of mythological creature like an elf or nymph was the one claiming to be my mother but a Goddess? That was a whole other kettle of fish. Wasn’t it only gods and goddesses in Greek mythology who had mortal children, not other pathenons? Did that mean I was a demigod or was I jumping to conclusions?

I sighed and massaged my aching temples before finally closing the book and starting to pack away my things, my head was starting to ache and my thoughts were going around in circles and I wasn’t coming to any conclusions. It was nearing closing time, and as I was putting away the last of the books that I had picked out, I noticed some strange noises. 

I tugged my jacket tighter around me and peeked around one of the many towering shelves and froze, a tall man was wandering around and sniffing loudly. Their form kept changing from a tall man with two eyes to a dirty man with a single eye that looked to be around eight feet tall. A cyclops, that was a cyclops like in the Greek myths I was reading about. 

Almost as soon as it clicked in my mind, the cyclops’ form stopped changing and settled onto the cyclops form. I looked around and the other people around me didn’t seem to pay attention to the cyclops other than to give him weird looks for sniffing so loudly and grumbling to himself. He was too far away for me to hear him past the roaring in my ears as fear paralyzed me from head to toe, as if I had been zapped by a taser. 

It was one thing to read about magic and mythological creatures and coming to terms that it’s real but another to see a cyclops for real in the flesh. I swallowed, and when I managed to take a single step back my key ring jingled quietly. I really shouldn’t have since I don’t know how to use it but knowing I have my magic keyring helped to calm my nerves, if by some miracle the cyclops saw me through the magic of the jacket I at least had my keyring to defend myself. 

That’s if it was even looking for me and not someone or something else, maybe it was just looking for a buddy? Better not to take any chances. Tip toeing as best I could, I tried to be as sneaky as possible and with the aid of my magic jacket, the cyclops didn’t seem to see me at all. However, the closer I got to the exit the easier it was to hear what it was saying, and it chilled me to the bone. 

“Half blood, there’s a half blood here, I want yummy half blood meat for dinner,” It grumbled, it’s nostrils flaring as it seemed to be following my scent around the building. I came to this library every day so I’m sure my scent was everywhere, and if it was tracking me by scent rather than sight then the jacket won’t help me much in the future. 

I’ll need to avoid the library for a while. 

I silently prayed to my mysterious mother, there were only one thing in the mythology and legends I studied that could be considered a half-blood and that was a demigod so that confirmed that theory I had been dismissing but which Goddess was my mother? Instinct told me it was Persephone despite Demeter being the one to be more likely to take mortal lovers out of the two in the myths and legends.

Mother Persephone, please help me escape the cyclops and get home safely. I silently prayed as I continued creeping through the library, and when I made it to the door I waited for another citizen to leave and followed to avoid catching attention. 

Once outside I sighed in relief. I escaped. Now, I need to go back to Nick’s apartment. 

The next few days dragged on at a snail’s pace, Nick and the other humans barely noticed I existed unless I spoke up but that’s how I like it. I had saved $100 through using my magic items and storing my pocket money away but I couldn’t fully enjoy it. I was still mulling over the revelation that I might be part god and that supernatural beings from the Greek myths and legends were real. 

Now that I knew they were real, I saw them everywhere. More than I could remember the names of, sometimes they would follow my scent and try to find me only to get confused when they couldn’t, I used my jacket’s power to wait for an opportunity to stab them in the head with my spear. It was easy when they couldn’t see you, and they dissolved into sand so it wasn’t like I had to hide a body. 

Constantly looking over my shoulder for danger was stressful, it was just as stressful as when Nick used to be able to see me but now there was no escape the moment I left the door. I hardly ever took off my jacket now, autumn was setting in and I didn’t mind since it helped keep me warm in the dropping temperatures. The supernatural were coming closer and closer to my apartment, and I even saw some sniffing around the school gates. I wasn’t sure if they would hurt other humans to get to me, there were plenty of monsters that would eat humans if given a chance and I didn’t want to be the reason they were hurt. 

I had hoped to wait until I was older to leave so I could defend myself better but there was no helping it, I couldn’t care less if the supernatural beings got Nick but if he was killed and I survived I’d likely end up in foster care or move in with Auntie Becky and her children and that would just put them in danger. I couldn’t stomach bringing danger to innocent families. 

So with a heavy heart, I packed everything I needed into my magic bag, including my notes on mythological creatures and left home that morning after Nick left for work. That gave me until he finished work to get a head start on finding somewhere to run to, I was terrified but knowing that there was someone out there looking out for me made me feel a little better. 

I stepped out the door at eleven years old, ready to find somewhere safe from the supernatural beings and Nick.

Chapter Text

I had no idea where I was going to go. Am I supposed to just wander around until I find an abandoned building as a temporary shelter? Supernatural beings keep coming back even after I kill them, just like in that old book series I read in my previous life, Jackson something. Having the mind of an adult should be an advantage and whilst I had stayed in a homeless shelter for a while in my past life I never learned any survival skills and this life definitely hadn’t taught me any. 

My odds weren’t great to say the least, I’d need to steal some supplies to survive. A sleeping bag was a must, something to cook with like one of those portable camping stoves. Long Island had a beach so fishing for my own food was possible although I’m not entirely sure how I’d kill and debone my food, something tells me stabbing a crab or octopus I catch with my spear won’t end well. 

I’d have to walk through New York City which was going to take all day, I could get a taxi but I want to save the money I have just in case I can’t steal supplies. 

This was going to be a pain in the ass but it’ll be worth it, and at least the beach will be pretty quiet at this time of year. There were little rental cabins down there, so I could try breaking in and use one as a temporary shelter for a while. Street cameras weren’t that common outside of big cities until the late 2000s and whilst I’m hitting close to that mark I’m not quite there yet so I should be ok.

So I could break into one of the cabins with no-one being any the wiser, especially with my magic jacket hiding me. Instinct or some weird sense of knowing was telling me to go to that place, Montauk I think it was called, and my instincts rarely lead me wrong. 

New York City was massive, and I had managed to avoid all the monsters I spotted by staying in the crowd but after walking almost all day my legs were starting to ache something fierce and I was getting tired. If I found somewhere safe to sleep I could finish the last leg of travelling through New York the next day and make it to Long Island sound. I had by some miracle made it all the way to East Farmingdale, and I rummaged through my bag to look for my map whilst I wandered under a nearby street lamp for better light. My brow furrowed as I looked it over, my fingers a little numb from the cold and clumsily holding the map. 

I had food in my bag but I needed to find somewhere to get a sleeping bag, and if the map is anything to go by then there’s a costco nearby that might have a sleeping bag, maybe. Costco was one of those stores that had a bit of everything, right? With a destination in mind I put away my map and made my way to the costco, passing an adventure park and wandering in with no-one any the wiser. If there’s one thing I’m glad about it’s that everything is open 24/7 in this weird ass country, and I won’t have to worry about breaking into this place. 

I stayed as quiet as possible and I did by some miracle find a sleeping bag, although fitting it into my bag was difficult. I had to stretch it as wide as possible to squeeze it in, and I also got myself a can of diet coke as a little treat too. As I neared the exit I froze, seeing a strange creature that looked like a lady with snake tails for legs wandering in. She was hissing and grumbling to herself, and I waited among the aisles for her to wander further in so I could sneak past her and escape. 

My heart beat erratically in my chest and as soon as I was out of the store I sprinted as fast as I could, my earlier exhaustion forgotten in my fear. That little adrenaline rush disappeared as I neared the adventure park again and I slowed to a walk, my throat and lungs felt raw as I gasped for breath. I kept walking, wanting to put as much distance between myself and the snake lady as much as possible.  My legs were starting to burn and I was struggling to keep my eyes open when I saw the sign for Long Island National Cemetery, I hesitated for a moment but followed my gut and went in. 

In my previous life I was used to small cemeteries that had burials from hundreds of years apart, all with unique headstones from different time periods and some wild flowers growing in between the graves. The cemetery here felt so… alien and artificial. There was a perfectly even amount of space between them, with headstones that were all identical with exception of the names. It felt beyond eerie. I tried not to think about it too much, and instead wandered over to one of the few trees in the area. 

After getting my sleeping bag out of my bag and almost crying at how much effort I had to use to get it out in my exhausted state, I skipped dinner and took off my shoes so I could just go straight to sleep. 

It was still dark when I woke up, my body tense as a bow string and thrumming with nervous energy. My eyes were wide open and scanning my surroundings, and my ears strained to catch whatever sound it was that roused me from my sleep. I didn’t spot it at first but once I did I had to cover my mouth to stifle the urge to scream. Waddling through the rows of gravestones was a hulking beast with multiple heads, and from the weak light of the crescent moon I could see what looked like scales shimmering in an almost iridescent sheen. 

A hydra. A mother fucking hydra? What the fuck was a hydra doing in the grave yard?! 

For a moment all I could do was lay there, terrified and barely able to breathe in fear of attracting the creature’s attention. Even if it couldn’t see me it could still hear and smell me, and I don’t want to try my luck against a hydra. Hydras need fire to be destroyed, and whilst I could use the lighter I stole from Nick and a can of spray on deodorant to make a mini flamethrower I didn’t want to get close enough to be within range of it’s teeth to use it. 

I needed to leave and run, I needed to swallow down my fear and be as quiet as possible. I moved slowly, carefully extracting myself from the sleeping bag and shoving my shoes on. I decided to leave the sleeping bag behind and just get another one, and maybe investigating it might slow the creature down a little. 

Still wearing the same clothes as yesterday and shouldering my bag, I crept out of the graveyard as quickly and quietly as possible, weaving in and around the different graves and silently offering apologies to Hades and Thanatos for being so disrespectful of the graves. I had to start running quicker than I liked when the hydra found my sleeping bag and started nosing through it. 

I prayed to any deity that would listen that it wouldn’t hear me and I could escape with my life. Since Artemis was supposed to be a protector of young girls I focused a lot of my prayers on her in hope against all reasonable hope that they might be answered and I could escape without being eaten. 

I lost count of how long I ran for, I just knew that camping out in the open was a bad idea and fuck walking the rest of the way to Montauk, I was gonna get a train or coach there. I could sneak in and catch a free ride. 

After what felt like a good long while but was more likely just minutes I stopped beneath a street lamp to catch my breath and checked the watch strapped to my wrist, it was 5am. I still had time to get to the train station or find a bus stop, and since trains tended to be more reliable than buses in the USA I settled on finding the nearest train station and going there. 

When I got out my map the nearest train station I could find was in Patchogue, and since I had plenty of time to walk there, I started walking. I ate a sandwich and some chips on the way that I had packed the day before, the sandwich was a little squashed but still edible. 

I mourned the loss of my sleeping bag until I remembered that there were rental cabins with beds at Montauk and at this time of year there would be no-one there to pay any attention to me using them. Hopefully they came with pillows and bedsheets otherwise I might have to get a new sleeping bag after all. By the time I arrived at Patchogue and found the train station I was grouchy and tired, and after checking the place and finding where the train to Montauk would be, I settled down on the bench waiting for the next train. 

I should have done this in the first place instead of walking and roughing it out, panic makes an idiot out of me and I’m going to learn from this. When I can sneak around and money isn’t an issue, public transportation is easily accessible and I need to make the most of it. There’s no need to put myself through unnecessary hardship when I don’t need to. 

Bored after waiting around, I got myself a hot chocolate from a small cafe in the station using some of my pocket money. The worker looked ready to fall asleep on their feet and I’m assuming that combined with my jacket’s camouflage abilities are the reason she didn’t notice I was a kid out and about at an unnaturally early time. 

I sat with today’s newspaper and sipped on my hot chocolate as I waited. I didn’t see any reports of me being missing in the paper so either Nick and my school haven’t noticed I’m gone yet or the police aren’t taking it seriously. Actually, it would be a mix of all three. I don’t think any of them expected a quiet “nerd” like me to be resourceful enough at eleven to get to Montauk on my own. 

It’s not like Nick would know where I’m going, he doesn’t know that I love the sea and that water sounds soothe me, especially since I usually draw flowers and forest scenes. That would be his only clue on where I might go (if he even paid enough attention to even notice that) so he wouldn’t know to look for me at Montauk, thank fuck. When I do eventually have to leave Montauk as the summer comes around, I’ll have to go to another remote place by the water. 

I was incredibly lucky and no supernatural beings found me at the train station, and none found me on the train. I prayed to Hermes for a safe train journey. I was too nervous to sleep and I spent the journey sipping on the can of coke I pulled out of my bag. The fizz and caffine helped to soothe my anxiety a little but I would need proper anxiety medication for a good, long term effective way to work around it. 

When I arrived at Montauk, it was nearing 9am and the skies were grey and windy, blowing my hair everywhere, including into my mouth. I got out my map and did my best to keep a hold of it and follow the directions to the cabins. I might need to get some cleaning supplies later, even if it’s just dish soap and some cloths. I might be squatting in the cabin illegally but I’m not so much of a dick that I’d leave the place dirty and a mess for the next person. 

I did eventually find them after having to backtrack a few times when the wind rippled the map so much it made it difficult to read. The locks on the doors were pretty strong but after rummaging around the cabins I found a spare key and just let myself in. Why the owner of those cabins left a spare key there, I have no idea but their stupidity benefited me so I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. 

The cabin I picked out was small, more like a studio apartment in size or a glorified shed. There was a small kitchen with sink, a couch and a tv, a single adult sized bed, and a seperate little cubicle for a bathroom. This was a huge step up from what I was already used to so I couldn’t complain, hell, I was going to look forward to it. 

There was also a laundrette nearby so I could wash my clothes and the bedding (which thankfully was included in the bedroom). I was tired but got to work unpacking what little I had into my new temporary home. I turned on the appliances, including the fridge and small cooker, and put away the other two sandwiches I had made into the fridge, and some cup noodles into the cupboard. 

I still wanted to try fishing for my own food since I only had £100 and I’d need to save as much of it as possible for drying my laundry at the laundrette and I don’t want to steal too much food to avoid causing confusion and suspicion, and just encase I need to run from monsters and abandon some things in a rush. I’m sure the monsters will follow me here eventually. 

The sheets were clean if a little stale, and my current clothing was all clean except for what I was wearing. I locked the door, showered and changed into a set of pyjamas. The water wasn’t very warm and there was no room for a bath so I’d either have to make do with using some water boiled on the stove so I could do a strip wash to avoid getting sick from so many cold showers in the winter. With that in mind, I curled up in the bed and fell into a deep sleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow. 

When I woke up, I felt a lot better and there was still some light outside so I couldn’t have slept that long. I reluctantly got out of bed and left the cabin to go find a nearby store, when I find it there was hardly anyone there even at the cash register so I stuffed as much dish soap and detergent as I could fit in my bag that wouldn’t be missed, as well as some sponges and cleaning cloths. 

My bag wasn’t wide enough to fit a bucket so I didn’t grab a mop and bucket, I’d just have to make do with scrubbing the floor by hand. I also grabbed some large water bottles since I wasn’t sure if I’d trust the tap water in the cabin to be safe enough to drink, and some instant hot chocolate powder. The walk back was a pain as I fought through the wind to get back, and when I did I prepared myself a hot chocolate and had another sandwich. 

The next few days I mainly stayed in the cabin, cleaning away as much dust as I could and taking stock of what I’d need to get and do. Giving myself at least one little job to do every day would help keep me moving around and warm, and I was scared to turn on the heating and let on that someone was using the electricity here. Using anymore than what I needed to keep the fridge working and to use the hob to make hot drinks and instant food was enough for me. 

After the last cup of instant noodles was used up, I started coming up with a list of things I’d need and could cook for myself making as little noise and using as little power as possible. Boiling water in a pan on the stove was a pain in the ass but it was quieter than using a kettle that would whistle, and I needed to keep the lights off to avoid anyone noticing I was here. Just because people couldn’t see in with my jacket on didn’t mean that they couldn’t see the lights when they were turned on. 

I wanted to try my hand at fishing for myself but the weather was awful and with how small I am now I’m more worried that if I tried fishing I might just get blown away by the wind or the rough seawater so finding other food was a must. There was a microwave here so maybe some microwave meals could be an option as long as I turn the microwave off at the switch the moment I finished using it? 

Instant noodles and pasta pots were an option too, since it only required hot water and a spoon to prepare. I’ll also need to get some spare clothes since what little I had wouldn’t last a week, so going to the laundrette was something I’d need to do soon, and maybe I could steal some tourist clothes or something?

With a plan in mind, I did exactly that. Grocery shopping was first, I went during a busy time of day to avoid anyone noticing the stuff I’m taking going missing. I only took a few microwaved dinners, some bread, instant noodles, butter, and eggs. I could spread out the week with one hot meal every other day and have an egg sandwich for breakfast (or lunch, depending on when I woke up). The next day, I went out to the nearby tourist shops to get some cheap t-shirts and jeans, and washed them alongside my dirty clothes at the laundrette. I didn’t bother with any fabric softener, just wanting my clothes as clean and scentless as possible to make it harder for supernatural beings to find me and managed with very little fuss. 

I would never have been able to do this without my magic jacket and my mary poppins bag, and it was time I really did thank my mother for it. In the past, Hellenic pagans would give offerings to their deities, usually in the form of food. 

On a day that wasn’t raining and barely any wind, I gathered as much driftwood as possible and used my stolen lighter to make a small campfire to make a sacrifice to my mother Persephone. I offered her some fruit I had stolen as a thank you for the gifts and for helping me which I placed in the fire, earning a strong fruity and floral scent to waft off the smoke. 

I did the same for as many sea deities as I could with prayers for good weather and protection in my little beach home, sometimes I got a reaction like when I made my offering to my mother but for most I didn’t. I hope I did it right, and that they liked the offerings. 

That day was the first time I had encountered a monster in weeks, it was one of those ladies with snake tails for legs although I don’t think it was the same one as the one in the costco. It was bound to happen eventually but I had hoped to put it off for a little longer, although I’m not sure if any amount of time will prepare you to face down a supernatural being as an eleven year old. 

The jacket hid me completely and the wind favoured me and kept my scent from reaching her nose but my foot prints were still there in the sand and all she had to do was follow me, and she did. Thankfully I had tied my hair back that day, so I could still see where I was going and I intended to draw her towards the sand dunes and the sharp, brittle grass that peaked out of the tiny grains of rock. 

“Stay still stupid demigod!” The snake lady screeched, chasing my footprints and the disturbed sand. “Face your death like a brave little demigod, stop running like coward!”

Tough luck lady, I am a coward! 

There was a drop among the dunes and I dived into it, reaching for my keyring and pressing the button so it would expand into full spear form. I waited, my heart beat roaring in my ears and trying to keep my breathing quiet and calm so I don’t give myself away.

“You can’t hide from me, little demigod. I’ll find you eventually. You can’t run forever,” the snake lady taunted and my grip on my spear tightened, and my body tensed, preparing for when she would appear above me. When she did, a flash of a chin, hair and scales, I thrust my spear upwards, piercing right through her throat. For a moment her eyes bulged and she gurgled before dispersing into sand and leaving some scales from her legs behind. With shaking hands, I grabbed the scales, and started to separate them into little pieces. I have some thank yous and offerings to make and these scales could make for a fantastic offering.

The weeks passed and winter really started to settle in, and I hardly ever left my beach cabin unless it was to grab more food or wash my clothes and bedding. I mainly just washed my socks and underwear since I didn’t sweat at all during the winter, and I put them in the same load as the bedding to save money. 

I needed coins to get the machines to work and whilst it was one thing to steal cheap instant noodles, bread, and microwave meals, it was another thing entirely to steal money straight out of a cash register. It’s not a line I’m ready to cross… at least not yet, so being careful not to use my money anymore than I have to for laundry was something I’d just have to accept. 

Within the second week of November I gave up on the idea of going entirely without heating and would turn it on for a couple of hours before bed and a couple of hours after I would wake up in the morning so I wouldn’t freeze to death. 

Supernatural beings weren’t as common out here as they were in the big city but they still arrived often enough that I would have to lure them away from my safe haven and kill them somewhere out of sight, and it was getting dangerous in the cold. Whilst I was getting more experience, it only worked out in my favour when I have the element of surprise and my luck would surely run out eventually. 

Or maybe even supernatural beings don’t like the cold either and most of them were hibernating or finding somewhere warm to go too. Regardless, I think I’ll leave once February has been and gone. Staying in one place too long when they can sniff me out isn’t a wise move, and it’s not like mother or any other deities are gonna turn up and strike the supernatural beings down for me if I prayed to them for protection. 

At most they can help at a distance, by providing tools or giving you an advantage in the environment in some way, shape or form. Mother’s note mentioned that I would be in more danger if she directly interacted with me, perhaps it was the same with other deities too? 

It reminded me of the Jackson book series, although I didn’t see any kinds of magical camps at all on my journey to Montauk. I had liked the main character a lot, and I wondered if this is what it felt like to be in his shoes. Living alone and having no-one to answer to and have adventures, going wherever I want was as exciting as it was terrifying but honestly? I would give anything to be a normal human who didn’t have to deal with this shit. 

But since I’m not… does that mean I have some kind of special ability besides being able to see the supernatural? 

Well the only way to find out was to test it so on the days where it wasn’t completely shit weather, I went out to find the nearest plant life and test out what I can do. Persephone is the goddess of spring and the underworld, so I’d likely have either plant powers or some kind of death based powers like necromancy. 

Since there’s no dead bodies besides the occasional dead sea bird and fish that washed ashore, I decided to focus on the plant aspect of my mother’s powers. I found some of the long, prickly grass at the beach and tried to just… will it to move, with no luck. I tried using random words in hope of making it work, I even got desperate enough to try saying “Abracadabra!” 

Then, just as I was starting to lose hope I pictured the grass growing in my mind’s eye and it did, it grew and grew until it was longer than I was tall. I grinned as I figured out the secret to using my powers, now I need to test what I can do with it. I could grow the plants, so I tested what I could do with the grass. I tried using it to lift things like remote control limbs and they could to an extent, anything too heavy was too much and the grass would break. It made sense, grass was rather fragile and easy to break. 

I spent weeks practicing with my powers as much as possible, and as if like moths drawn to a flame the more I practiced the more supernatural beings would appear. It was annoying but it provided me with practice for fighting with my plant powers and with my spear, so I couldn’t complain too much. 

Things started changing when I noticed some other creatures appearing and sniffing around, dressed in normal human clothes but with cloven feet and little horns appearing through their hair and peeking out of their hats. If I remembered correctly, they were satyr and they were peaceful creatures in the myths but that wasn’t what caught my attention so much as what they were wearing; orange fleeces with a black pegasus symbol and the words “Camp Half-Blood” were printed on it in a fancy script. That day I had been about to go get some more food but scrapped that to retreat to my cabin and give myself some time to come to terms with this. 

Either this was an incredibly elaborate joke or Camp Half-Blood was real, and it was 2005. On the winter solstice this year Zeus’ lightning bolt was going to be stolen, and in summer of 2006 Percy comes to Camp Half-Blood and the start of the buildup towards next war between Gods and Titans begins. It’s december, and if the winter solstice hasn’t already been and gone it will soon. 

I’m fucked, so, so fucked. 

It’s been over a decade since I read the books and I can’t even remember everything in the Jackson series, what the fuck was I going to do?

Chapter Text

I did eventually have to leave the cabin to wash my clothes and get some more food, I managed to avoid the satyrs during the laundry rush but not when I was getting my food. They followed my scent into the grocery store, and I didn’t end up grabbing much more than a couple of microwave meals before I had to leave. 

Sneaking around satyrs was harder than sneaking around the other supernatural beings I'd encountered so far, and I was starting to re-evaluate whether it would be worth leaving Montauk now and going somewhere else. I didn’t want to be here when the plot happens, I vaguely recall there being two wars, one involving titans and another involving a primordial of the earth. Gaia? 

I wasn’t sure which came first but it didn’t really matter, I just needed to get out of the area and go to another state entirely. Somewhere with lots of plant life so I can fall back on my powers when I need to, with fairly consistent weather and wasn’t prone to hurricanes or earthquakes. 

…did a state like that even exist? 

Alaska was out, it was too cold and I wasn’t sure if my powers would work too well in a state that was almost permanently in its winter season. Plant life doesn’t exactly thrive in those conditions and I don’t want to limit myself when I don’t have to. 

Anyway, I managed to get a couple of days worth of food before I had to leave again but this time I was resigned to having to leave. I had packed up as much as possible into my bag, including all my clean clothes, soap, shampoo, and a brush, and left to go for one more supply run at the local grocery store. 

I spotted the satyrs again but this time, they managed to figure out where I was. Unfortunately, I was looking behind me to check on the one searching the shop when I literally bumped into one coming in. We both tumbled but they caught me by the arms, and like the polite dumbass I am, I apologised. That broke the spell, and they truly saw me. Their dark eyes widened and their grip on my arms tightened, for a moment we both froze as if in terror. At least to me it was terror. 

“We found you,” the satyr breathed after a moment, relieved. “The source of the strange nature magic, it’s you.” 

I wasn’t sure what he meant but I wasn’t staying around to find out. I kicked them in the leg, hard, making them yelp and loosen their grip enough to let me go and I ran. There was shouting behind me and I prayed to my mother to help me stay hidden from them, I didn’t want to be dragged to the camp and into the plot of the original story series. 

They let harpies eat children that broke curfew! What kind of punishment was that?! At least on the streets I could fight back, I bet you I’d be punished if I fought back and didn’t let the harpies eat me! 

I didn’t bother going back to the cabin and instead made a run for the train station. Well, that was the plan until I almost ran into a cyclops. It frowned as it looked as the sand was disturbed in front of it and my footprints started to show, and the wind blew harshly, throwing my scent right at it. The cyclops grinned, it’s teeth yellow and turning brown near the gum line. “A demigod snack!” 

I made a mistake and yelped as it took a swipe at the place my footprints were at, and it’s big, singular eye locked on me. I ran back in the direction I came from, internally cursing that my luck chose now of all times to run out and the cyclops gave chase. It was too big for me to stab, and there wasn’t enough plant life at the beach for me to use my powers to any real effective degree. Stabbing the head has always been an effective way of killing supernatural beings but cyclops are simply too tall for that to work and I don’t want to risk getting in arm’s reach, even when essentially invisible. 

It wasn’t long until I came across the satyrs who were chasing me, and as much as I didn’t want their attention I didn’t want them to become a cyclops’ dinner either. 

“Run!” I screeched at them, causing their eyes to zero in on me for a moment but they bleated as they caught sight of the cyclops. 

“This way!” One bleated, and with no other option, I followed the satyrs. 

My chest was starting to hurt and my legs felt wobbly but I didn’t dare stop, I visualised the grass peeking out of the sand twisting and forming ropes to trip up the cyclops which earned a bellow of fury but I couldn’t hear them fall so I don’t think it worked. The grass would just break under the force of a cyclops running through it. 

I was starting to wheeze as one of the satyrs grabbed me by the elbow and led me away from the road (when did we reach a road?) and into tall grass and a forest of sorts. I was too tired to feel victorious, and I threw all my intent into the surrounding plants and trees, visualising them capturing and restraining the cyclops and tearing them apart, like how people used to hang, draw and quarter prisoners in medieval times. 

The bellows of fury turned into shrieks and I didn’t dare to look back as the shrieks and screeches from the cyclops were replaced by a wet, tearing sound. At that moment, as the noise was cut off, my vision blurred and my legs gave out. For a moment, everything felt muffled. A face appeared in my vision, one of the satyrs and they were mouthing something but it came out all garbled. 

Then, everything went dark. 

My head was pounding like someone had used it as a basketball, I vaguely recalled a dream about killer goats with one eye bleating about wanting to eat me. I hissed and pressed my aching hands to my head only to regret it a moment later when the pressure made it worse. 

“Hey,” a child’s voice cut through the fog of the pain. I blearily opened my eyes to catch a glimpse of blonde hair and had to close them again when the sunlight hurt my head too much. It felt like a migraine or sensory overload. 

“Can you make the light shut up?” I grumbled, my voice croaky. Nausea churned in my stomach and threatened to pick a fight with my poor, innocent stomach. “Or get me a bucket?” 

I flinched when someone tried touching me, and I lashed out, my hand swiping at someone who yelped in shock. 

“Hey! Hey calm down!” The same voice called out again. “I’m sorry I didn’t warn you but can I help you sit up?” 

With some reluctance I allowed it, and my head flopped as the dizziness and nausea increased, and thankfully a bucket was placed in my lap in time as I spewed out my last meal. My throat and nose stung as partly digested macaroni cheese spewed out of me, a hand rubbed at my back but withdrew when I flinched away from it and almost lost the bucket in the process. 

“You’re ok, you’re safe now,” the voice cooed as if attempting to comfort me. 

Once I was done emptying my stomach I actually felt a lot better, my stomach didn’t feel like it was fighting a war and I could keep my eyes open. The person cooing at me had been a girl with dark skin, and the same person I smacked if the scratches on her face were any indication. Horror clawed at my throat, temporarily silencing me but I managed to squeak out a; “I’m sorry.” 

I didn’t want anyone accusing me of being racist for smacking a black kid that tried to help me. That was something I’d never live down, ever. I might just bury myself in the ground and be done with it. 

“You had a rough day from what I heard, I should have been more considerate when I tried touching you,” the girl replied, gently taking the bucket out of my hands. Instead of soothing my guilt, it just grew instead. “What’s your name?” 

“Rose,” I reply, checking over myself to find my jacket and bag gone. After frantically checking the room I’m in, I saw them on a small fold out table next to the bed, and my shoes underneath. Relieved, I instantly grab them but don’t put them on just yet. “Where am I?” 

“I’m Billie, thanks for asking,” the girl replied as she set the bucket down and away from the bed. By the time I caught onto the sarcasm, she had moved on, saying; “You’re at a place called Camp Half-Blood, it’s a place for people like us.” 

“Demigods?” I asked, getting a nod from Billie. “How many of us are there? How’re the hostile supernatural beings not crawling all over this place? They follow our scents…”

“Whoa, hold on there!” Billie piped up, waving a hand as she turned her back to me to grab a tall glass of what looked like apple juice from the other side of the room. I took notice of the cots lining the room, and the scent of medicine and anti-bacterial spray and recognised that this was an infirmary of some kind. 

“Have some of this,” Billie offered me the drink, which had a little straw poking out of it. Not wanting to be rude to the one with potential information, I take the drink and sip it only to cringe in surprise. I had been expecting the taste of apple juice but it was more like butterscotch beer, incredibly sweet and delicious. I greedily guzzled it down. 

“There’s a lot of us here,” Billie informed me, watching me drink like a hawk. “But there are magical borders keeping the monsters out of this place, you and your satyr guides were chased here by a cyclops, right?”

“So that’s why the satyrs were following me? They’re guides?” I asked, confirming my nagging suspicions when Billie nodded and took the drink just as I was half way through it. I didn’t say anything but I found it incredibly rude she took the drink from me without letting me finish. 

“This is nectar, food of the gods,” the blonde girl elaborated with a snort. “Get rid of that sour expression, if you drank anymore you’d burn up. Literally.” 

I just nodded and tried to ignore the uneasiness of how easily a kid could die from getting access to that stuff. “Can I get something else to drink, please? My mouth’s dryer than the asscrack of the desert.” 

Billie choked on air momentarily before agreeing to get me something, and as soon as she left the room and closed the door behind her I heard her laugh loudly. I immediately put on my shoes and donned my jacket and bag, my mouth and nose stung terribly and I’m sure I still smell like vomit but I don’t want to be here a moment longer. I just need to find the showers, clean up and get the fuck out of here.  

Once I couldn’t hear Billie’s footsteps anymore I peeked out the door, and took my first look at Camp Half-blood. There were thirteen other cabins other than the one I’m currently in and a large house painted in blue, and what looked like a rock climbing wall in the distance. This was surrounded entirely by a forest or wooded area and I felt a little better knowing I had a possible power advantage if anyone tried to drag me back here. 

Satisfied, I wandered the area a little to figure out where I could go for a shower. The big house had the camp supervisors, right? A centaur and a god, although I can’t remember which one. Either way, going to the big blue house was out of the question. Hermes was the god of travellers right? Surely he wouldn’t mind if I stopped by to use the showers in his cabin? With that thought in mind, I made my way to Cabin Eleven whilst avoiding as many campers as possible although honestly, just moving out of their way was enough. The jacket was doing it’s work and no-one noticed me at all, their eyes sliding over me like I was a background character in a movie set. 

When I found the Hermes cabin, I stopped outside it and eyed the caduceus warily. Deciding to be cautious, I prayed for permission to use the showers in his cabin and waited for a few minutes for a sign of refusal and when none came I went inside. Everything looked old and worn, the wallpaper was peeling from the walls and a brown colour which was odd to me. Weren't the colours associated with Hermes grey and yellow? 

Putting it out of my mind, I made my way through the empty cabin to the attached bathroom. There I quickly showered, brushed my teeth and changed. It was nice to have a proper shower with hot water instead of filling up a sink with hot water for a speed bath or using a cold shower to wash my hair. Part of me was tempted to stay purely for the hot showers, and so I could learn how to use my spear here instead of just stabbing at a monster’s head and hoping my aim was true and that it hit, I’d been lucky with that tactic working so far but I couldn’t really afford to be a one trick pony. 

Indecision clawed at me as I stuffed my dirty clothes and toothbrush in my bag, do I stay or go? On the streets I have my freedom but how long would staying invisible with no combat skills last me, especially in the winter? Here at camp I’d be warm and taught how to use my spear at least, which was marginally better. I still wouldn’t be safe here but at least I’d have more of a chance. 

Although at this point it might be easier just to let the monsters kill me and hope I’m reborn as a normal human again. It happened this time, why not a second time? 

I was just starting to head out of the Hermes cabin when I saw someone outside waiting for me, with purple hair so dark it was almost black with a leopard print sweatpants and matching hoodie. With the exception of the hair colour and outfit, he looked like a middle aged alcoholic drowning out his sorrows.

“Ah, Radish, there you are,” the man spoke up, his purple eyes looking directly at me. I looked behind me just to make sure he wasn’t talking to someone else only for him to snort in amusement. “Your jacket might fool mortals and monsters but it won’t fool the eyes of an immortal, brat.” 

Well there was no point in pretending I wasn’t there. 

“The monsters come back, wouldn’t they technically be immortal?” I question, following when he gestured for me to follow him. 

“Not in the way true immortals are, Radish.” The man informed me, sipping on a diet coke as he led me towards the big blue house. Looks like one of the supervisors found me then. 

“Well that clears things up,” I muttered, sulking a little at being caught. Looks like the choice was being taken from me, at least for now. 

“Bah! The orientation film would explain everything!” The man or god said, taking a big sip of his diet coke. He led me into the house and then stopped just as we passed the doorway. “Go to the third door on the right and press the play button.” 

With that, he waddled off leaving me a little disconcerted. Reluctantly, I do as I’m told. I might find some useful information when watching this film of theirs, something that isn’t covered in the books on ancient Greek myths and legends. 

When I do find it the door creaks ominously, the room is a tad dusty and an old TV sits in the centre of the room with a couch on it that looked like something had chewed on it at one point. Underneath the TV which was placed on a sort shelf, was a vcr player. The tv’s green light was on so like the god said, I pressed the play button and reluctantly sat on the sofa. I sneezed as dust flew up from the sofa, and I watched the film which… didn’t really tell me much more than I already knew besides explaining why the Greek Gods were in America of all places, and where the New Mount Olympus is. All facts that I’ve been told in this film I can vaguely remember the books mentioning now that the information was there to prompt my memory. 

I wonder how much information I had lost and forgotten over the years that could be vital now, would I be safer if I remembered or in more danger? If I remembered and the titans or gods found out, what would they be willing to do to get that information?  Perhaps it was for the best that I don’t remember everything in the books entirely. 

When the film finished I sat there for a little longer, digesting everything and then I left. On the way out of the Big House was a porch where the same God as before sat playing a card game of sorts with a centaur with folded legs. 

“Good morning Miss Rose,” the centaur greeted me, and the God grumbled another “Radish” in greeting. I hadn’t told them my name, that was freaky as fuck. Did they have some kind of mind reading abilities? The centaur gestured to the spare seat beside them and I reluctantly sat, as tense as I had been when I used to live with Nick before the magic jacket came into my life. “You gave Billie a scare when you disappeared.”

I guess Billie told them my name.

“I stank of vomit,” I pipe up and immediately the centaur’s eyes went from being focused on the chair I was sitting on to at me, I hadn’t noticed the difference until now. I didn’t like the reminder that there were people who could see me when I had my jacket on. “And I needed clean clothes after being chased by cyclops and satyrs all day.”

“Those satyrs were chasing you, kid, because you were using your powers and sending off waves of nature magic,” the God spoke up, slapping a card down on the table with a little more force than necessary. What got his panties in a twist? 

“Satyrs are drawn to nature magic,” the centaur explained for me, pausing for a moment to put a card down. “And you were consistently using it for weeks, no-one could figure out why there were bursts of nature magic at the beach in the middle of winter, until you were found.”

Well that explained why there were so many of the Camp’s satyrs looking for me, I must have been like a bonfire and they were like poor, innocent moths hurling themselves at the light. 

“No-one expected a demigod from a nature aligned parent at the beaches,” the centaur, Chiron I think, carried on when neither I nor the God said anything in response. 

“That’s the point,” I say in the end, causing them both to glance at me. “I didn’t want to be found.” 

“You certainly did not, and neither did your mother,” the God pointed at my flower covered denim jacket with a thick, sausage-like finger. “And you were both wise too.”

“Mr D,” the centaur said, his voice lowering a bit. 

“We know what would happen if he finds out little Radish here exists,” the God, Mr D, piped up. He placed another card on the table, and at that moment I wanted to swipe the cards off the table and demand answers. I fold my arms and clasp the sleeves of my jacket to ground myself and resist the urge to do just that. I had to remind myself that most things can’t see me when I wear the jacket and that I’m as safe as a demigod can be right now. 

“You mean my mother’s husband, right?” I say, making the centaur flinch. “Thank you for confirming my suspicions, Mr D.” 

The God huffed, muttering something that vaguely sounded like; “What did I do to deserve this?”

“So you know who your mother is?” Chiron asked me, and then he sighed and set a card down. “I won again, Mr D.” 

The God huffed and guzzled down the last of his diet coke before waddling off to do whatever it is sulking gods do. I turned back to Chiron who had risen to all four legs and had to bow his head to avoid hitting his head on the roof of the porch. 

“There aren’t that many plant goddesses, and I heard a cyclops mutter about demigods when they followed me, it was enough to figure out my mother is a nature goddess of sorts,” I reply to Chiron’s earlier question, following him and being careful to keep a bit of distance so my feet aren’t trodden on by his hooves. Also, I’m not sure if centaurs have the same level of bowel control as actual horses or not so I didn’t want to risk being too close to his back end. 

Chiron grunted in agreement. “Indeed there is not, and I’m sure you know what might happen to you if word gets out about who your mother is?” 

“Well I’ve been praying to her and multiple gods for months now including him, so I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t know already,” I say. I had made offerings to Hades and a few of the other underworld gods on occasion, it’s always better to be on the good side of the people who are in charge of your soul when you die after all. “And that he is either too busy arguing with mum about it or doesn’t care enough about me existing to worry about it.”

“...don’t keep such a careless attitude,” the centaur reminded me, stopping in the middle of camp to say this to me. “A careless attitude leads to death.”

“I survived alone in an environment that puts me in a disadvantage and with no experience for two months. Mr D proved that Gods can see through the magic on my mum’s gifts, so surely if Lord Hades wanted me dead he would have found me and arranged it by now?” I point out. 

Chiron abruptly changed the subject and part of me felt smug, like I’d won the argument. As he started moving again I took off my jacket, the running adrenaline keeping me too warm for it. Almost as soon as I did, a glowing, red light appeared above me. As the centaur and a few campers stopped to stare, I looked up to see a glowing red symbol of a fruit, the pomegranate. 

“A kid of Persephone?” One of the nearby campers muttered, their face so pale they looked almost grey. 

“Oh Gods, Lord Hades will be furious,” another camper stage-whispered. 

I couldn’t read everyone’s facial expressions and I’m too tone deaf to hear the emotion in their voices but I wasn’t dumb enough not to notice that people were scared of what Hades now that mum has claimed me. I don’t blame them for being scared of the God of the Dead since most humans fear death and dying but I’m more worried about what the people in the camp will do to me than what my step-father will do to me now that I’ve been claimed. 

Instead of staying in the Hermes cabin like I had been expecting, I was taken to Cabin Four, the Demeter Cabin, who had made it known that any of Persephone’s claimed children would be welcome in her Cabin. It turns out Demeter does this for all the mortal children of her deity children, and her husband’s mortal children too. 

So here I was, sharing a large cabin with only four other people, all who were trying so very hard not to show how scared they were. Everyone here seemed terrified of Hades which was weird since he was known as a very fair God in the myths and legends, and it’s not like he’s sent anyone or anything to kill me yet so why was everyone so adamant on treating him like he’s a big, terrifying monster? 

It would make sense for him not to be happy I exist but to kill me outright for existing? That would be extremely out of character for him. Then again, Hades was well known for loving my mother deeply and Gods were known to be very jealous, maybe they think he would be like other deities? But wasn't he cool with her having Adonis or whatever his name was as a live-in lover of hers, even during the time she was in the Underworld with her husband? I don't know what to think anymore.

Cabin Four was overflowing with plants to the point that there was barely any room to walk through it, just tiny narrow pathways among greenery. There were a few bunk beds and I dumped my bag on one of the unused bottom bunks, away from the others. I was greeted by my… half-aunts, all but one, Katie, rather timid. I asked them a bit about camp life and the plants in the Cabin to be polite as I unpacked my things but after getting mostly one-word answers I gave up and decided I’d go find Billie again once I finished unpacking, she seemed to be the only one interested in giving any answers that made sense. 

With that done, I bid my Cabin mates a quick good bye and headed for the door. Once again, someone was outside the door waiting. She had dark skin, curly ash blonde hair tied into a ponytail and startling grey eyes. I had my jacket tied around my waist so she was able to look directly at me. 

“You’re the new girl, right?” She demanded, stepping a little closer to me but stopped when I took a step back. I don’t like people being in my personal space. 

“Yeah?” I reply.

“I’m Annabeth, Chiron asked me to show you around the camp.” The blonde girl, Annabeth, informed me promptly and set off without waiting for me to even take in what she said. 

Kids. 

The name tugged at my brain and I couldn’t think of why, was she important to the book series? It wasn’t a good feeling so maybe she had been a character I didn’t like? I followed after her, ignoring her tapping her feet when she got impatient and had to wait for me to catch up. I was already starting to dislike her, if showing me around was such a bother to her then she could give it to someone else. 

“This is the Big House,” she announced as she led me to the big, blue house I had met Chiron at and watched that weird introduction film. “We don’t go in there unless it’s to receive a quest or for the cabin leaders to have meetings with Chiron and Mr D.” 

“Who is chosen as a leader?” I asked her. 

“It’s decided by the person who’s been there the longest,” Annabeth answered slowly. 

“That’s the only qualification needed? What if they have shit leadership skills or people skills?” I ask her, feeling a little confused by that system. “Or they’re too young to fully understand the impact and consequences of the choices they make for their cabin? Or what if they have a learning disability that makes it hard or impossible for them to make a decision for their cabin with full understanding of what the cons and pros of it?”

Annabeth huffed. 

“Everyone here has a learning disability, Rose,” she said, crossing her arms and staring right at me. Her eyes were grey, not as pale as a fish’s but close enough that the resemblance of dead fish eyes was all my brain can think of and I had to look away. I look at her nose instead. “I bet you have it too, ADHD and dyslexia, and you went to multiple schools too for things that weren’t your fault.” 

“Uh, no,” I reply, a little annoyed that she assumed so much about me without bothering to get to know me. “I have autism, not dyslexia or ADHD. And I've only ever been to two three schools.” 

She stared for a moment, silent as a grave, and then simply said; “What?” 

“I don’t have ADHD or dyslexia, just plain old autism,” I say with a sigh. 

“But that’s impossible, all demigods have them!” Annabeth protested, stomping her foot as she tugged at her curls. 

“I guess I’m the exception then,” I say, dryly. “Look, I’m autistic but I’m not dumb. You’re in a bad mood and I don’t like you acting like I’m a burden or like I shat in your cornflakes for existing so I’m gonna find Billie and get some answers from her, since showing me around is clearly such a huge, hard task for you.”

I didn’t wait to hear what she had to say, and immediately I headed for the infirmary cabin I was at earlier. I don’t know if I just caught Annabeth on a bad day or if she was always such a bad tempered know-it-all but I didn’t have the patience to deal with her. If she’s normally like this then I think I figured out why my first gut feeling when I heard her name was an unpleasant one.

Chapter Text

Billie stared. 

I stared back, looking at her nose. 

Billie stared more. 

“Uh… hi?” I say, unsure what else I could say to the kid. 

“You left,” Billie said, crossing her arms. 

“I stank of vomit,” I say, a little confused why it bothered her so much. “I really, really needed a shower.”

“Why didn’t you do that after I got your drink?” She asked, staring me down. It felt like she was deciding whether I was a wild animal or not, but that could just be how uncomfortable it felt being perceived. 

“I could taste it in my mouth and smell it on me,” I say with a shudder. I didn’t mention that I intended to run from the Camp, I didn’t want to bring any more attention to myself than needed and I have no idea if the other kids would try to make me stay or follow me. I don’t want a deity getting pissed off at me cause their mortal kid died trying to follow me out of camp. 

Billie didn’t visibly react from what I can tell. 

“You were chased by a cyclops and exhausted yourself using your powers, you’re in no shape to be out of bed!” She told me, her arms moving from being folded across her chest to settling on her hips like those angry mums on TV. 

“...but I’m fine?” I point out, gesturing at myself. “I’m alive and nothing hurts.” 

“That’s not the point!” Billie complained. “You left without letting anyone know, what if you had some head injury that hadn’t been noticed?”

Ok, that was an understandable reason. 

“Oh,” I say, feeling a lot less out of my depth. “Sorry I left without saying anything.”

“Just don’t do it again.” Billie said with a sigh, massaging a temple. “Your water is on the table if you still want it.” 

It was, and I greedily drank it down. My throat and mouth felt raw and sore and the water helped to soothe the discomfort a little. A cup of milk tea would be better but I don’t trust an American to make it, they’d probably try microwaving the water for it instead of boiling it like a sensible person would. Speaking of microwaves… 

“Is there a microwave anywhere?” I asked after I was done with my drink. 

“What?” Billie responded, her hands moving from her temple and hip to hang by her sides. 

“I have some microwave dinners in my bag and I can have one for breakfast,” I say, holding onto my bag strap a little tighter. “I’m in the mood for pasta.” 

Billie took a deep breath and stared up at the ceiling for a long moment and then looked back at me to respond; “It’s in the big house kitchens, breakfast is over but you’ll have to join in the main meals the Camp serves.”

“But what about the other ones?” I say, a little annoyed. “I can’t let them go to waste.”

“You can donate them to the big house and they’ll be served at lunch or dinner,” Billie said with a deep sigh, and I’m pretty sure I heard her mutter a prayer to the God of Medicine for patience. “Just… go.” 

My questions weren’t all answered but that was fine, I could try flagging down another Camper or something later. Billie was probably busy and would want to get on with her… work? Chores? Or hang out with her friends, or train, or whatever it was kids did here.

I head up to the Big House and after a little exploring, I find the kitchens. There were some strange people in there, some kind of nature spirits if I had to guess by looking at them. The green skin and the flowers and leaves growing out of their hair gave it away. They stared as I commandeered the microwave. 

“What’re you doing, Rose?” One of the nature spirits asked me. 

“I missed breakfast so I’m warming up a microwave dinner,” I explained. “Oh and Billie said I could donate my spares to the kitchens?” 

The nature spirits exchange glances but take the microwave meals I get out of my bag and offer to them. They were very polite, if a bit touchy, one started brushing my hair whilst I waited which felt a little weird. I wasn’t used to being touched and I wasn’t sure I liked it. I practically ran out of there with my meal when it was ready and guzzled it down. 

Spaghetti and meatballs made a nice breakfast. 

I managed to avoid Annabeth, and I decided to steer away from Cabin Six altogether just to be safe. Child of Athena be damned, a kid just didn’t have great impulse control and I’m not interested in testing whether she would make a scene about me walking away from her or not. 

I put my jacket back on, the cold settling in a bit now that I wasn’t running from supernatural beings or full of that nectar and ambrosia stuff, and I didn’t like the way people stared. People really were making such an unnecessary fuss about me and Lord Hades, and it was starting to get on my nerves. Better to disappear from their line of sight for a while, until they’d had time to calm down. 

I didn’t seek out Billie this time or any of the nature spirits, it still felt too… real to actually talk to them much. Well, more than I already had, at least. 

I hesitated before retreating towards the Hermes cabin again, my intuition telling me to go there for information. The walk to the cabin was short, and I wondered if I should use my jacket to pop over to the nearest DIY store and get some yellow wallpaper for the Hermes cabin, to make it feel more like… well, Hermes’ cabin. 

I didn’t enter but I did peek my head in to see if anyone was in, and there were a couple of people, a girl scribbling in a notebook and a boy dozing in one of the beds in the bottom bunk. 

“Hello?” I called to the girl, not wanting to wake the boy when he was already sleeping. When she looked up at me I saw that she had eerie gold eyes and she was eerily still when she looked at me and if she didn’t blink I would have thought she was dead… or a doll. “I’m new, and saw the orientation film or whatever it’s called but I have some questions. Could you help me?”

“...that depends on what you want to ask,” she replied, closing her notebook and placing her pencil behind her ear. Her dark hair was tied back in a messy bun, and other than the orange camp half-blood shirt, she wore all black. “I’m Ligaya, you’re Lady Persephone’s daughter, right?”

“Yeah, did the gossip travel that quickly?” I ask, half joking. Before entering, I mutter a small prayer to Hermes to ask permission to enter his cabin. I join Ligaya on her bed when she scooted back towards the pillow to make room for me, sitting sideways so my shoes wouldn’t be on the bed. “I’m Rose.”

“What did you want to know?” Ligaya asked when I hesitated. 

“Everything? I’m not sure where to start… where are the alters for offerings to the deities?” I asked, after taking a moment to consider where to start. I’d noticed a lack of them around the parts of camp I saw but they could have been placed somewhere else and I just haven’t gotten to see them yet. “And are we expected to find and gather offerings to them or is there a fund so the kids can buy items to place on their alters?”

I figured there would be some to buy regardless, for things like candles and incense but there were some other things that could be offered that the kids could make or collect on their own, like drawings, shells they could collect on the beach, flowers they pressed, bones, all that fun stuff. That’s what modern pagans did so I figure it would be the same here. 

“Nope,” Ligaya replied, popping the p. “The closest we get to making offerings is sacrificing part of our dinner to the campfire, and you specify who it’s for.”

“Wait, so this is a camp full of demigod children of Greek deities but there’s no hellenic worship?” I ask, flabbergasted. It was one thing for the demigod children that dedicate themselves to another religion not to do it but for those who do… there was no good reason not to have those opportunities available for those who want to do that. “How does that even work?”

The more questions I asked, the worse I felt about this place. The kids were pretty much expected to raise each other, and other than the bare minimum of a roof over their head, food, water and self-defense training there was very little else for the kids here. It was gross and severe neglect, and inexcusable. 

…and it was true that the harpies were the ones allowed to catch and eat any children out of bed when they’re out past curfew. Fuck!

“Thanks, Ligaya, you’ve given me a lot to think about,” I say once I’d asked all the questions and gathered all the information my brain could handle. 

“No problem,” she said, already returning her attention back to her notebook again. 

I leave the Hermes cabin feeling disheartened, things couldn’t just continue as they are. No-one seemed happy here, unless they were training if the shouts I heard from the sparring courts were anything to go by. I hope those are happy shouts or I might just walk out of this camp and take my chances on the streets again.

Without even meaning to, I found myself wandering towards the woods that sneaked past the border. The sounds of birdsong and leaves crunching beneath my feet helped to soothe and ground my mind, and the cold air helped to rouse my mind from the familiar lethargic feel that came with overstimulation, and the sensation of my skin feeling unsettled started to fade away. 

As much as I want to leave, I can’t, at least not until I’ve learned how to use my spear properly and how to make the best use of my plant powers. It was really nothing short of miraculous that I’d lasted so long, and I wouldn’t have even lasted a day without the jacket my mother gave me.

Thinking of her… even if the camp didn’t have it’s own alters dedicated to the deities, that didn’t mean I couldn’t make my own. I could keep it here, in the forest, for a bit of privacy. I should make one for Lord Hades too, since he and my mother are often worshipped together. It just… felt right. 

I need to find somewhere suitable for the alter, first, and then figure out how I want it to look… and then gather some materials to make it. Perhaps I could start off with something small until I have the skills to make something nicer and bigger? It was worth a try. 

“You may not have a cabin here, mother,” I prayed as I walked through the seemingly endless trail of green and brown. “But I will make sure you and your husband at least have an alter.”

Finding a spot was actually not as difficult as I had thought it would be, my intuition helped again with finding an old tree stump that was almost perfectly flat. The tree was life and part of mother’s domain but now it’s a stump and it’s dead, becoming a part of Lord Hades’ domain. It was perfect meeting of their domains. 

I wandered a little more but finding something that could act as some kind of wall or roof to protect the tree stump was a fruitless effort, it’s not like there was a load of old building rubble around to reuse here. Well, not in the woods but maybe at the camp…? The Hephaestus, Athena and Apollo cabins were very artistic and crafty, maybe they’d have something I could use? Like some old scraps and some unwanted paint? 

It was worth asking about, at least. 

With that in mind, I walked back to the camp. Once the cabins were in sight, I made a beeline for the Hephaestus cabin. Since they were children of the god of crafting and engineering, I figured they would be the best to ask. I knocked on their door and peeked my head in but didn’t try to enter. 

“Hello? Anyone home?” I called, breaking the effect of my jacket temporarily. 

A couple of kids looked at me, one fiddling with a notebook that looked to be full of mathematical equations and scribbles of some kind of design that I couldn’t make heads or tails of, and the other was fiddling with a knife. I decided not to ask about the knife. 

The kid with the knife, an older kid with arms like tree trunks, set the knife onto a bedside table and rose to his feet. “Yeah?” 

“Hi, I’m Rose. I was wondering if you guys have any scrap wood and wood paint you don’t need or want that I can use?” I asked, feeling a little awkward to ask a teenager I don’t even know for help and supplies. 

“Uh, yeah, we probably have some stuff you can use in the workshop,” the teenager replied, and I stepped back as he approached the door. I have enough sense to move out the way when someone wants to pass through the door, I wish more neurotypical people had that sense too. “I’m Beckondorf.”

“Nice to meet you,” I say politely, following him as he walked through the camp. I felt a bit silly, like a lost puppy following the nearest bigger person for guidance. 

We didn’t say much other than that, he led me towards another building close to the big house where the sounds of banging and clanging rang through, and a wave of heat washed over me as we neared the workshop. I followed him inside, trying not to flinch or cover my ears as we passed a few kids hammering, sawing and smelting away. As we neared the back, Beckondorf opened a narrow door which led into a larger room full of wood and metal scraps, all different types of wood and metal, and some collections of almost empty paint cans. There were a few small paint cans, the ones usually bought for testing paint colours on walls and wood. 

“Feel free to take whatever you like,” Beckondorf said, chuckling a little as I immediately went to check the wood and what looked like a selection of slate. “What’re you planning to make?”

“A little alter for my mum and her husband,” I say as I inspect the wood, trying to remember what woods and trees were associated with Persephone and Hades, and seeing if there was any of that among the scraps. “Since they don’t have a cabin and they’re often worshipped together throughout history, it feels right to make an alter for them both. Are there any bits of white poplar or other poplar wood?” 

“The small pile to your left,” Beckondorf answered, his voice a little quiet. 

Not paying it much mind, I mutter a little “aha” as I look over what’s available. The wood didn’t look like it was white poplar but that was fine, other poplar trees were associated with my mother so they could work too. Now how was I going to carry all these materials to the site…?

“Do you have a wheelbarrow, by any chance?” 

Turns out that the Hephaestus cabin didn’t have a wheelbarrow but there was one in the garden shed that was rusting and would be chucked out in the spring and replaced so I grabbed that one. When I returned to the workshop, Beckondorf helped carry the materials I wanted into the wheelbarrow, offering his advice on what would work as a design. 

He’d even followed me as I waddled along with my wheelbarrow full of wood, hammers and nails, and sandpaper. The paint had been left behind for now, since there was no point in painting it at all until it was built. 

Beckondorf seemed a bit off kilter when I lead him to the large, perfectly flat tree stump if the way he stuttered was anything to go by but seemed to take my explanation for why I chose it with ease. Either that or he thought I was insane and decided not to ask anymore questions on the why, which was fair. 

“The walls and roof are going to need to be bigger,” he said, crossing his arms as he looked over the tree stump. I wasn’t sure if like Trevor he had an usual hair colour and his coily hair was dark from soot and fumes from the workshop or if his hair was naturally dark, but I didn’t ask. People could get a bit funny if you ask questions about their hair. “The roots make the ground around it too uneven.” 

I hadn’t considered that, I usually just problem solved as I went. 

“Good point,” I said, considering my options. “Could they be cut down a bit to make them flat?”

“Even if you did, they’d still get in the way of making a sturdy wall.” Beckondorf pointed out, taking a plank of wood and trying to press one end down into the earth. The left side sank in easily but the right didn’t get far before the root got in the way and prevented it from getting any deeper. “See? Unless you dig them out they’ll get get in the way even if you did flatten the visible ones.” 

“So I’ll either need to dig them out and cut them or build the walls a bit further out from the tree stump,” I conclude. Making it a bit bigger wasn’t a bad thing perse but I wasn’t sure if there would be enough poplar wood to make an alter or shrine that big, although it did mean that there would be more room to leave offerings around the tree stumps or to leave boxes of candles and matches available for use. 

“Digging them out would take too much time and effort,” I say, thinking more of what was the best option for now. I can come back and redesign it later, if I need something better later. Besides, I doubt mum and Hades are expecting much from an eleven year old. 

“Then marking out where you want the wood to go is a good place to start,” my new… friend? Acquaintance? Replied, taking that same piece of wood as we wandered around the tree stump, trying to figure out how far out the walls would need to be. 

The sun was starting to set by the time we figured out where to start placing the walls, and Beckondorf placed that piece of wood back in the wheelbarrow once we’d used it to mark the areas we planned to put the wood. He’d also brought a tarp with us that he placed over the rusty wheelbarrow and supplies, protecting them from the cold. 

“Thanks for coming with me and helping me,” I thanked the tall boy. I had to resist the urge to ask him why he was helping me but I didn’t dare ask, I didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth as the saying goes. 

“Sure, it’s an interesting project,” Beckondorf said, his teeth a gleaming white when he smiled. “Alters for Gods without cabins is a pretty good idea.”

“Well, that’s what pagans have done over the millenia so I figured I’d just take their lead,” I said, shrugging off the compliment. It felt weird to get compliments. “I have no idea where I’d get the candles, matches and incense for them though. Is there like a shop or mail order catalogue I can look at to get some?” 

“Let’s get the alter built first,” the teenager said with a chuckle. “One thing at a time.” 

The rest of the walk back to camp was really nice, mostly quiet with the occasional question and brainstorming. It was like having a friend again, which felt weird after going almost all of this life without one. Weird but nice. 

Chapter Text

Dinner was a little lacklustre, Katie showed me how to offer part of my dinner as a sacrifice by throwing it into the fire, and we were able to drink whatever we wanted by speaking our intent to the cups. I picked a milk tea sweetened with honey, much to the bemusement of the Demeter kids. 

I picked out a hot vegetarian lasagne for my dinner and an almond baklava as a dessert, I had sacrificed part of my lasagne to Lady Demeter and a second baklava I had picked up I had torn in two, offering one half to mother and the other to my step-dad. The latter earned me a few stares but I was starting not to care. 

The jacket did its work when I didn’t talk, keeping other people from noticing me so I was able to eat in peace. I’ve been here a little over twenty-four hours if you count the time I was unconscious, and I was already fed up with how people demonized Lord Hades. Being afraid of death isn’t an excuse for rudeness.  

Sleep came quickly and easily that night, my dreams were peaceful and filled with the sweet, soothing voice of a woman. I couldn’t recall what she said but when I woke up the next morning, I woke up happy and feeling oddly at peace. No-one else in the cabin was awake when I woke up so I used this chance to use the showers first, once I changed I grabbed my bag and left to carry on where I left off. 

It carried on like this for the next few days. Beckondorf would often join me with another one of his siblings occasionally joining us to help build the shrine. Figuring out how I wanted it to look and putting that into practice was hard, since I usually went off visions and constructions in my mind which didn’t really translate well into actual design plans. By the fourth day, the outer walls and roof of the shrine had been built and sanded down. 

Deciding what to do for flooring was tricky, and in the end I decided to leave it and just let the tree stump be the place where offerings were placed. The tree stump was sanded down too so objects could sit evenly on it, and all that was left was painting the shrine. Choosing colours was hard, and we only had a limited palette to choose from since there was only so much wood paint available and most of it had to go towards more practical things to help the demigods in the camp survive, which was understandable. 

That didn’t make it any less frustrating when I had to figure out what to pick out of the available colours we had. In Hellenistic religion, Persephone was associated with the colours black, purple, green and white, and for Hades, he was associated with red, purple, white, black, and metallic colours. Both had a few of the same colours so I wasn’t sure what to pick. 

…maybe the outside could be black, and the inside could be red with white bones and flower patterns? That could work. 

When I voiced my choices to Charles and the other Hephaestus kids, they seemed a little amused by my ideas but helped with it. It took most of the day to paint the entire outside black in an even coat and then to cover the colour in a protective layer of varnish, and another to do the same to the inside in red. 

By the third day of decorating, it was complete. 

I was tired and covered in paint by the end of it but very satisfied, and my first offering was a drawing of Mum and her husband. I based the designs of what I imagined they would look like, and placed it and a tealight candle that Charles gave to me to finish it off. It wasn’t much but it was a start. 

The sun was setting over the horizon as Charles and his brothers helped me to gather the leftover supplies and return them back to the workshop. He was pushing the wheelbarrow whilst I browsed through my old notebook full of notes on all the different deities I’d researched before I left Nick’s home, looking for ideas on offerings I could give to them. 

“Pomegrantes aren’t available at this time of year so maybe I could offer some drawings of them or some flowers for mum?” I mused aloud, not actually expecting much input. “Some coins for Lord Hades are definite, I have some spare from my time being homeless that I don’t need anymore.” 

Most of the money I’d had during my two months of living alone was gone with only a little change left but with my jacket and mary poppins bag it wasn’t that much of a problem if I needed to acquire more items, in all honesty.  

In ancient times, people would make offerings to deities based on things to do with their domains, and in Hades’ case, coins were an easy one since he was a god of wealth and money was a part of wealth. Mum would be offered flowers, pomegranates, flowers and like every deity, pretty stones and crystals associated with them would be offered too. 

Hmm, maybe I could offer them some cool rocks I find whilst wandering the woods? 

“You were homeless?” Charles questioned, his voice raising a little as he did. 

“Yeah,” I reply as I look at him, now a bit distracted from my thoughts. “Monsters kept hanging around my dad’s home to look for me so I had to leave, and it was only for a couple of months until the satyrs found me.”

“Only a couple of months, she says,” he says with a snort and a shake of his head. 

“Well yeah, I’m an untrained demigod so there’s no way I would have lasted much longer,” I point out, feeling a little defensive. It’s not my fault that Nick wouldn’t let me learn how to defend myself, and it’s not like there’s classes on how to use a spear on the streets. 

“That’s not what I meant,” Charles said with a sigh. “It’s a miracle for any demigod to last that long alone, let alone untrained.” 

The defensive feeling washed away and was replaced with embarrassment. I really need to stop assuming people mean the worst when they’re commenting about what I do or have done, not everyone is like the teachers and bullies in school or like Nick.

“Oh, sorry. Yeah, if it weren’t for the jacket Mum gave me I wouldn’t have lasted more than a day,” I freely admit, looking down to the sleeves of my jacket that was covered in embroidered flowers. “If I’m quiet, no-one notices me when I wear it.”  

Things went quiet between us after that which was fine with me, I had ideas to think about. 

By the time I reached one week living in Camp Half-Blood I was already getting sick of the other kids, people didn’t point anymore or stare when they could see me but whenever I spoke up I could feel people staring, looking, and sizing me up. Being treated like some kind of bizarre alien was getting old, fast.

This was the most common during sparring matches when I had to leave the jacket in the Demeter cabin so I wouldn’t soak it in my sweat, learning how to use a spear was hard as hell. It required a lot of repetition and practice, and coming from a kid who had spent months skipping gym classes and didn’t enjoy sports, it was very demanding on my body. 

Unfortunately there was no cheat code for learning how to fight, so I was stuck doing something I really didn’t like but needed to do for my own safety. There were no demigods past the age of 18 here, and there had to be a reason. When I eventually had to leave I wanted to learn all I could to protect myself, but that still meant a life having to run from monsters and facing homelessness in this world, since normal mortals can’t see monsters they would never accept any explanation I give. 

Getting and keeping a home and job would be impossible, unless there’s a way to ward off monsters. Plenty of pagans use smoke cleansing to ward off supernatural beings and bad energy, perhaps something similar could be done here? 

“Get up you pansy,” my current sparring partner, Clarisse, drawled whilst she spun her spear around her fingers effortlessly. She was older and more experienced, and unfortunately, one of only three other people who primarily used a spear instead of a sword or bow and arrow. So I was stuck with her being one of my three sparring partners, and she didn’t hold back at all. 

I groaned from my spot on the floor of the training grounds and did just that, I felt sore all over and I knew that the moment this training session was over I was having a hot shower to soothe the bruises. Fuck the schedules, it won’t be the end of the world if I have a shower and change, and turn up a few minutes late for the Demeter cabin’s allotted time for the arts and crafts station. 

“What did I do wrong?” I asked her, mentally bracing myself for every single flaw in my stance to be pointed out and rubbed in my face. It was annoying but useful, Clarisse was good with a spear and I really needed to learn, even if it meant letting a kid lord it over me. Pride has no place in the life of a demigod. 

Like I expected, she did point out every flaw in my stances, and even helped me to correct them. Usually by smacking the part of my body with the blunt end of her spear in the spot where my stance was bad but you had to take what you could get. 

By the end of the training session I was covered in bruises, and I retreated to the Demeter cabin to have a shower and clean myself up. The warm water and some bruise salve kept in the first aid kit in the cabin helped to soothe the bruises enough that my pride was soothed enough to be in a good mood when I joined the rest of my cabin in the arts and crafts section. 

We were joined by the Aphrodite cabin, the love goddess’ children were having fun painting and making jewelry. I hesitated, starting on a small painting of bones and flowers as I internally gathered up the courage to ask them for help. There was something I’d wanted to do for a long time that Nick had refused to let me do and I wanted to do it soon before I chickened out.

All too soon, my painting was done and had to be left to dry, and there was only a small amount of time left until we were free to do whatever we wanted for the rest of the afternoon, until dinner. 

If I don't do it now, I’ll never get it done. 

I took a deep breath and approached the Aphrodite cabin, who all went quiet (and one of them jumped) when I greeted them. “Hi, sorry to be a bother but do any of you know where I can get a cut and dye in this camp?”

“...for your hair?” One of the Aphrodite girls, a girl with long black hair, asked me as she put her paint brush in a cup of water. 

“Yeah,” I say, feeling more and more awkward by the minute. 

“We can help with that,” the same girl said again, a smile spreading across her face. “I’m good at dying hair.” 

“I’m pretty decent at hair cuts,” a dark skinned girl with cheery red hair said, her voice soft and quiet, almost meek. “I’m Callie.”

“Oh! I’m Selena!” The first Aphrodite girl that spoke up said to me, it looked like she was perking up like an excited puppy. I think she was one of the first people I saw when I first came to camp. “Come to the cabin with us, and we can sort out your hair.” 

I wasn’t sure about letting kids cut and dye my hair but at this point it was becoming more and more apparent that there were no adults to rely on other than a bored, uninterested centaur and a sulking god, and out of those options I think I’d rather risk having the kids help me with my hair. 

“Won’t your mum be upset if I go into your cabin without her permission?” I ask as another one of Aphrodite’s daughters, Drew, she introduced herself as, linked her arm in mine as she and her siblings surrounded like that I was a sheep that was part of a flock and they were the flock. 

“As long as we invite you then it’s fine,” the boy from before, Michael I think he name was, said as he fiddled with the sleeves of his fleece. “Mom’s nice.” 

Well, that was a relief. I’m glad I’m not going to get smited for pissing off a goddess. 

I was ushered into the Aphrodite cabin, the inside was full of Aphrodite’s colours; pink and white, and there were lots of dove, pearls and shells decorating the walls and furniture, with some pretty, intricate lace curtains. The curtains looked handmade, and I wondered if Aphrodite was the one who made them for her children, it sounds like something a goddess of love would do for her children. 

“What shade of pink are you thinking of getting?” Selena asked as she immediately wandered over to a set of chest of drawers whilst Drew lead made to a pink beanbag in the middle of the room, and she grabbed a towel that Michael gave her and placed it around my shoulders. 

“A pastel pink,” I say after taking a moment to think it over, feeling a little shy at just how nice the aphrodite kids were being.

“Pink would suit you,” Drew said with a sharp nod and a sniff. 

I felt a brush running through my hair, and I glanced behind me to see Callie, her cherry red hair tied back into cornrow braids. At least I think they’re called cornrow braids? There were some pretty hair charms and beads laced into the braids, in the shapes of hearts and arrows. It looked like she was dressing up for Valentines day, even though that was two months away. 

“What style do you want?” Callie asked me. 

“Shoulder length hair?” I say, not entirely sure what styles can be done with curly hair. In my past life I had straight hair and only paid attention to those styles, and Nick never let me do anything nice with my hair in this one. “No particular style, I just want to get rid of the split ends.”

“Callie’s great at cutting hair,” Silena praised her sister with a bright grin as she sat in front of me, on another bean bag. “You’re in good hands, Rose.”

I wanted to ask how she knew my name but since I’m the only child of Persephone and was claimed literally in the middle of camp, I guess I left an impression and made it easy to remember me. Fan-fucking-tastic. It's going to be impossible to keep a low profile here.

“A basic cut?” Callie inquired as she continued brushing through my hair. She didn’t comment any further when I confirmed what I wanted, and she started cutting once she finished brushing my hair. I tried not to think about it too much, I don't like shark things near my ears.

It was dinner time when the Aphrodite cabin was finished with me and my hair was cut, dyed, washed and dried. I couldn’t stop smiling at how soft and pretty my hair looked now that it was taken care of, Nick had always hated letting me have my hair cut unless it was starting to resemble a bird’s nest. The dick always acted like it was my fault too. 

Now I could get it done and there was fuck all that he could do about it. 

I retreated to my cabin to grab my jacket before joining everyone else for dinner, I noticed some of the Aphrodite kids looking around the pavilion but I didn’t think too much about it. It’s not any of my business what they do at dinner time. 

“Vanilla coke,” I said to my drink cup after sacrificing my roasted potatoes to Lady Demeter, Mum and Lord Hades. I gladly tucked into my roast turkey, potatoes and root vegetables, covering it in a thick layer of gravy. It was the closest I could get to a traditional Sunday roast here, and I was in dire need of something that reminded me of my old home. 

A camper I wasn’t familiar with found me days later whilst I was visiting the shrine I made for Mum and Lord Hades, lighting a red candle and placing some pretty rocks and some animal bones I had found and washed onto the tree stump surface. I hadn’t noticed her come by until she cleared her throat sharply, making me jump. 

“You’re the one who made this shrine for Lady Persephone and Lord Hades, right?” The girl asked, her hands stuffed deeply into the pockets of her fleece jacket as she stared at me. She wore a white tennis skirt and green tennis shoes, despite the cold weather she didn’t seem cold at all. Her brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her brown eyes were sharp, like needles.

“Yeah?” I respond as I rise to my feet, not sure where this was going. The girl didn’t seem cold at all despite the weather, maybe she was the daughter of a fire deity? 

“I’m Jenny, and I need your help to make a shrine for my Mum,” the girl, Jenny, said as she tapped her foot. She couldn’t stay still or not fidget for long, and I was starting to think Annabeth might have a point about most of the demigods having ADHD. I’d noticed some of them acting similarly. 

“Sure. I got most of the stuff I needed and some help from the Hephaestus cabin, so that would be a good place to start,” I say, wiping my hands on my jeans. 

The girl smiled. 

“Good, then we’re making a shrine for Nike.”