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She sees him by the fire, at night. The demigods are loud and noisy, carrying Percy and Annabeth to the canoe lake, and Rachel ignores the pang in her heart. She is happy for Percy, she is. Really.
The boy is young, with black hair illuminated by the flames, and he doesn't seem bothered at all by the sparks that fall onto his clothes. A whetstone in his hand, sword in the other, sliding down the metal in a repetitive motion that's almost hypnotizing. He doesn't look up when Rachel approaches, green eyes reflecting the flames, but she gets a feeling in her spine that he knows she's there.
There's something different about him. He doesn't seem like a typical demigod, but still destined for tragedy, and stiller than he should be in the night. Too still.
"Hi," Rachel greets, feeling incredibly self-conscious. "I'm Rachel."
He looks up, eyes meeting hers, movements stopping, and the chill in her spine multiplies, colder, running up and down. From here, she can see clearly flecks of silver like stars, making constellations in his eyes. It's like he's judging her with those eyes that are colder than frost, despite his age. They stay open for too long, raking across her, before settling to hold her gaze again. Whatever he finds, he must judge her. "Hello," he says, almost bored, a mere afterthought. Whether that judgement was worthy or not, she has no idea.
"Um. Can I. Sit?"
He nods towards the seat, resuming his sharpening. "It's nice to finally meet you, Rachel Elizabeth Dare."
"How did you - "
"You're the new Camp Oracle. Of course I know your name." The way he looks at her, with not quite contempt but irritation, and with the number of weapons he has on him that are visible, it takes embarrassingly long to clock him.
"Damian," she realises, and he nods. "You're..."
Percy's brother? Annabeth's brother?
"Yes. What did you want?"
She pauses, shrugs. "You seemed lonely. And young."
"I am not lonely."
"I don't know, man. You're kinda moody. Not celebrating their get-together?"
He notices the bitterness in her words. "It's good that he isn't with you."
"Thanks."
"You had no chance," he continues. "Annabeth has known him much longer. Their souls are made for each other."
"You're not really helping."
He shrugs, like, You chose this, and dammit, she did. "What is the use of words to sugarcoat things? It's a waste. I don't mince them for the sake of others."
She laughs. "I like you."
"You're one of the few."
"You're Annabeth's brother, right? You don't look like a son of Athena."
"Charming," he drawls. "I'm not a demigod by traditional means. But you knew that, didn't you?"
She shrugs again. "It's one of the few things Hestia showed me."
"I know. I was there." At her gape, he smirks and adds, "You're not the only clear-sighted here. I was clear-sighted long before any of the demigod blood entered my veins. You may be the clear-sighted mortal to host the Oracle, but I share the gift of Sight. Even if it is limited."
"You have visions too?"
"Not many. Premonitions. A feeling of what's to come. And my instincts are rarely wrong."
"You had something else," she remembers, trying to recall the memory. It was from his point of few, and everything was so colourful. Filled with myriads of shades and half-transparent rainbows.
"Aura-vision." Her nose wrinkles. "Yes, the name needs some work. But I have the ability to see auras and spirits."
"What's mine look like?"
He takes another look at her while sliding the sword into a scabbard. "Green," he deadpans.
"Har-har," she returns.
"Did you really just come here because I looked lonely?" he says after a minute. Rachel tilts her head, nods. He hums. "Interesting." Stands.
"What?"
He slings the scabbard over his back, smirking. She hates that smirk immediately, and that's exactly what it's tailored to do. "Nothing. If you don't mind, I have things to do. Though I would be amenable to continuing this chat tomorrow."
She laughs and smirks back. "Sure. Eleven?"
He hums again, which is neither confirmation or contradiction. Then he vanishes into the shadows.
Rachel looks at the spot where he was and wonders if she'll ever get any answers.