Chapter Text
ACT I, SCENE I:
The New Kid Destroys the Bathroom (Again)
EVEN ON GOOD DAYS, the Hermes cabin was too loud.
Every summer, they tried to fit at least thirty campers inside. The little summer cabin was not built for that, and many ended up sleeping on the ground with sleeping bags and the smallest piece of personal space. A strict order was put into place by a former counselor a few years ago. It was based on first parentage and then how long they have been at Camp Half-Blood. Kids from all over the United States found their way to camp, and that meant various different ages, different arrivals at camp, and ways of growing up.
Living with other demigods is never easy, but especially with the Hermes cabin. They were hardwired to create chaos wherever they went and always had something up their sleeves if the situation came to it. As the children of the god of trickers himself, they were given the first chance no matter what. Besides them, all unclaimed campers and children of the minor gods stayed in Hotel Hermes, leading to their issue with overcrowding each summer. As a result of that, the cabin saw many incidents with new magical abilities.
In the corner of the cabin, with her back straight against the wall and eyes closed tightly, Sybil Bardot tried to get herself under control. She counted her breaths: in for four, out for five. Chiron said it was supposed to calm her down after an unfortunate disaster involving magical fire and the girl’s bathroom mirror last summer. Whenever this happened, he reminded Sybil that magic was hard to conquer, but it was a worthy battle to win.
She wore the usual Camp Half-Blood uniform: a bright orange t-shirt with their logo, a beaded necklace showing how long she’s been at camp, a pair of shorts, and beaten-up sneakers. Her hair was dark as night and often pulled back in some way. Some days, she followed the examples of their Greek ancestors and veiled using various pieces of fabric to protect herself from evil magic. On others, she wore her hair in a long braid or ponytail, depending on if she was awake before the alarm went off.
Around her neck was a golden chain with a pendant of a torch, the first and only gift given to Sybil by her mother, Hecate. It was the same symbol that appeared over her head when she was claimed two summers before. The pendant was designed to keep their abilities from going haywire, something about the mortal aspect reacting poorly to it.
Sybil wasn’t so sure. She’s spent her entire life running away from this feeling—digging her torch pendant so deep into her palms that it left half-moons, breath caught in her throat, and a growing lightheadedness as the rush of power went through her. If she was lucky, the feeling never lasted long, and she could get the extra magic into the pendant that held everything together. Other days were not so lucky.
She jumped back at the feeling of someone touching her shoulder. The magic goes with it, causing a burn mark on the cabin’s wall. It wasn’t the only mark; the Hermes cabin was well known for starting prank wars with the rest of Camp Half-Blood, including the ones that stayed in their cabins.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Alabaster. Her older brother is the apple of their mother’s eyes. He shared the same rich green eyes as Hecate; they seemed to glow impossibly bright when he used magic and were filled with feelings Sybil could not identify. He’s only four years older than her, but sometimes it felt like an entire generation separated them. Originally from Louisiana but moving up north as a child, he had the charm of the south and the quick wit of the north. Though he did not want them, he seemed to always have friends in the oddest places.
He’s a close friend of their counselor, Luke, which sometimes comes with perks. When Alabaster wasn’t around, for the winter sessions Luke kept his eyes on Bodhi, her other brother, and promised to keep him safe. He got a few of Ares’s kids to leave Lou Ellen alone after she ‘accidentally’ caused their weapons to be replaced with balloons. Even with Sybil, he was always kind and tried to get her to join activities, much to his dismay each time. That didn’t stop him from trying.
When she didn’t say anything, Alabaster pointed at the newest mark on the wall. It joined various works of art and other magical mistakes. “What’s going on, Syb?”
Sybil shook her head and sighed, irritation already starting to build. “I just woke up feeling restless and needed to get rid of it.”
The easy grin on his face faded and was replaced with a frown and knitted brows. “Restless,” he repeated, like the concept didn’t make sense when applied to her. “This has been happening a lot recently.”
She crossed her arms and stared at the mark on the wall. “Whatever. It’s probably the heat getting to me.”
It wouldn’t be the first time. Besides her summers in Long Island, Sybil spent most of her time on the coast of Maine at Westover Hall Academy, a military school located in Bar Harbor. The weather up there rarely passed above eighty degrees, while Camp Half-Blood always made it up to at least ninety or even one hundred degrees. Sybil spent most of her time outside wishing she was next to a fan or an air conditioner. One day she would figure out some sort of spell to solve this.
He didn’t buy it. Alabaster was harder to trick than Bodhi and Lou Ellen. “You’re pulling more magic than you can handle again.”
“I can handle it.” Sybil’s voice was sharper than she meant it to be. She hated the edge of defensiveness, the one that made her sound like a child. “You don’t have to keep checking up on me. I’m not going to explode.”
Alabaster’s expression softened, but only slightly. “I know.” He paused, trying to find the right words, once again walking on eggshells around her. “I’m just worried about you. If this keeps happening, you should tell Chiron.”
After a tense moment between them, Sybil finally explained, “I keep having that dream. The one about the crossroads… Something’s waiting there.”
He took a step closer, concern flicking across his bright eyes. “The same one?”
She nodded. “I don’t know what it wants from me. And I know it’s not Mom—her energy is different. It’s weak, but I know it’s there.”
“Weak?” He asked. “Did it say anything this time?”
The correct question was what hadn’t the voice said. Sybil didn’t remember her dreams often, but the hair on the back of her neck still stood, and her stomach curled into knots. "Stay ready," the voice croaked in the back of her mind. "Everything will make sense soon, daughter of Hecate."
As she went to answer Alabaster, the voice of their head counselor broke Sybil’s concentration. “We’re leaving for breakfast in a few minutes.” Luke looked between the two of them, and his brows furrowed together. “You guys doing okay? I can buy some time before Chiron notices you’re missing.”
“Yeah, we’re fine,” Sybil said and rose to her feet. She smiled at the blonde, “Thanks, though.”
He just nodded his head and went back to the front of their cabin to join everyone else. Alabaster held out his hand, and Sybil took it, letting him pull her up to standing, and they made their way over to where the rest of them were lined up. Besides the strict bed order, they always tried to walk in an orderly fashion, but it only worked about half the time. They always started in a line and ended up as different groups.
Sybil always walked with her three siblings: Alabaster Torrington, Lou Ellen Blackstone, and Bodhi Walden.
Lou Ellen was eleven months younger than Sybil, with short blonde hair that she always seemed to be changing. Today, streaks of green and red framed her face, and the tones were just dark enough that they didn’t clash too harshly with their orange t-shirts. She had a rough, midwestern way of speaking, having grown up in South Dakota for her entire life. Lou Ellen got along with everyone easily, and that is helped by what Bodhi calls her ‘kind eyes.’ Unlike Alabaster’s dark green, Lou’s green eyes reminded Sybil of the jade in their crystal collection. She was already tanned from spending the days outside, the only child of Hecate that seemed to enjoy being in the sunshine.
Bodhi, on the other hand, had more in common with Sybil. He wasn’t much younger than Sybil either, and in the right lights, they could pass for actual siblings. They both had chestnut-colored hair that contrasted with their pale skin and rounder faces. However, Bodhi has grey eyes that made everyone think he was Athena’s before the torch appeared over his head three weeks into his first summer at Camp Half-Blood. Of all of them, he was the most like Hecate in terms of personality.
Lou Ellen caught her eye and immediately smiled, looking at Sybil like they didn’t spend the entire last week together. “Morning! Did you guys hear that The New Kid is awake?”
The New Kid was the newest local celebrity of Camp Half-Blood. There always seemed to be one camper that caught the attention of everyone for a few weeks before they found someone more exciting. Sybil had been on the other side a few times before, and it never lasted too long. It was mainly lingering stares and whispers each time she passed, nothing she wasn’t already used to.
A few days ago, he pulled himself and Grover Underwood to safety after killing the Minotaur. Apparently, they were already on their way to camp, and the Minotaur really didn’t want the kid to make it. Late at night, he collapsed on the front porch of the Big House with the Minotaur’s horn, a relic showing off his win. Sybil heard the other girls gossiping about him and wondering who his godly parents might be.
Camp Half-Blood has a weird definition of normal, but Sybil learned quickly that was to be expected when dealing with the children of the Greek gods.
“Really?” Alabaster asked. He looked surprised at the thought.
Bodhi nodded. “Sana says that she saw him talking to Mr. D and Chiron with Grover.”
“Do you think they’ll make him watch the orientation video?”
All four of them cringed at the thought of the infamous orientation video. The film was rated PG-13, mostly because of the mentions of violence and monsters, but they were all forced to watch it when they first came to camp. Sybil was ten years old, and it immediately put her on edge. She hated knowing that monsters could show up and ruin her life at any given moment just because of her mother.
“I hope not,” Sybil replied. “It needs to be remade or something.”
“Right?” Lou Ellen asked from the side of her. “I think the tape is starting to cut out, too.”
“Doesn’t the internet ban include cameras?” Sybil asked.
Bodhi shrugged. “Probably not. I don’t think they’re connected to the internet like phones and the TV are. There’s probably some sort of loophole we can figure out.”
“I was thinking of that over the spring,” Alabaster said as they got closer to the mess hall. “We could probably use some sort of protection charm to enchant analog items…” He trailed off, imagining what they would need to collect for this to work.
Lou Ellen grinned and leaned in closer to them. She was always the physical type, needing to feel someone and just know that they were next to her or heard her. “We have a summer plan, guys.”
Every year they came up with a summer plan—something that kept them busy and could put their magical energy into. Last year was a Slip n’ Slide that never ran out of water to practice elemental magic, and Sybil’s first summer saw them selling Prank Protection Ports that went along with Sybil and Lou learning the basics of magical protections. This would be more of a review, but protection and grounding were some of the most important skills for young magic users with little control.
They follow behind the rest of the Hermes Cabin and take the last four seats at the end of the table. The rest already left the four of them alone enough; apparently they even needed a few extra inches apart. They don’t bite, but their magic might. Sybil sat next to Lou Ellen with Alabaster directly in front of her and Bodhi next to him. They always managed to sit in this setup.
Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor, and everyone fell silent at once. He raised his glass first. “To the gods!”
After two summers here, raising her glass was almost second nature. “To the gods!”
Wood nymphs quickly filed in as they delivered the different options for breakfast, and a few even stopped to catch up with Lou. Sybil took a few pieces of bacon alongside an egg and home fries—the simple breakfast she enjoyed almost every day. When she was in the mood, sometimes there were pastries left, and she managed to snatch one before the rest of the table.
Everyone stood and carried their plates towards the fire in the center of the pavilion. Sybil cut off a piece of bacon and dropped it into the fire below, whispering Hecate’s name before returning to her seat and hoping for some clarity about her dream.
“What are we going to enchant?” Now that Lou had the idea in her mind, she wasn’t going to let it go.
“We should get a CD player,” Sybil offered up.
She mostly wanted it for her own selfish gain, but the idea caused all of their eyes to light up. It was one of the few things they all had in common—listening to new music. Sybil got it from her father, Isaiah, who loved his record player like it was another child. According to him, he grew up in the ‘golden age of rock n roll'. Sybil grew up listening during long car rides with him, singing along to songs almost double her age.
Alabaster ruffled her hair. “This is why we keep you around, Syb.”
“Where do we even get a CD player?” asked Bodhi.
Lou Ellen suggested, “What if we asked the Hermes kids to ‘find’ one?”
“No,” Alabaster shot down immediately. "We'll just ask one of the Hephaestus kids to help us.”
“Beckendorf would do it,” Bodhi agreed. “He owes me for getting rid of that haiku curse from the Apollo kids.”
According to Bodhi, a few weeks before the summer session, an informal prank war erupted between the year rounders. Many did not want to get involved with the pranks, so allies were based on personal relationships rather than following the alliances forged by each cabin. Somewhere along the way, Beckendorf and the other kids attached to the Stoll brothers were cursed to speak in only haikus after stealing their precious sunrise alarms and another gift from Apollo. Now, at least half of the year-rounders owed Bodhi a favor.
Their conversation was cut off by Mr. D clearing his throat as he approached the front of the dining hall. He was the Camp Director and served out a punishment from Zeus for the next few centuries. Sybil didn’t know what happened between the two, but it would have been bad if Dionysus, a literal Olympian, was kicked from Mount Olympus for most of the year. However, Mr. D believed that he was still above the demigods and never bothered to learn their names most of the time. Sybil was cursed to be Sarah Baker for the rest of her life. He sat with his own sons, Castor and Pollux, and Sybil couldn’t help being jealous most days.
She only met her mother once, and it was in a dream. Castor and Pollux saw their father every single day, and he treated them like actual sons most of the time, leaving the rest of them to wonder if that would ever happen to them. Camp Half-Blood was many things, a safe haven for demigods and a training ground, but it was never fair.
“Alright, brats,” he huffed, as if it required any effort. With his usual grace and dignity, Mr. D dismissed them with a wave of the hand. “Yes, the new kid is alive. No, I won’t tell you about him. Stop asking about it and get back to your cabins for inspection.”
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Cabin inspections always started like this: trading clothes back with Lou Ellen, helping the younger campers make their beds with corners sharp enough to rival a hotel chain, and looking for stolen items. Between breakfast and the first activity, they had an hour break to make sure cabin inspections were completed. With nine cabins having permanent residents, each cabin was given about five minutes of attention from the senior campers on duty. Senior campers were most likely the eldest and most powerful, chosen by Chiron, with many of them close to aging out of Camp Half-Blood within the next year.
Luke always gave them a few extra points for managing a mostly clean cabin despite having double or even triple the amount of campers assigned. His partner for the session was Mila, a daughter of Apollo that smiled just as brightly as the sun and had a warmth to her that caused even Sybil’s darkest feelings to spill out sometimes. Sybil imagined her father and Mila looking like twins—golden blonde hair, eyes blue as the sky, and a talent for archery that made everyone jealous. She also gave them some pity points but also promised that this would be the last time it happened. She’s been saying that for three weeks now.
Sybil learned to keep her space small from a young age. Westover Hall’s weekly dormitory checks were capital-S Strict because they were a military school and prided themselves on order and cleanliness—a speech she’s heard a million times over at this point. She only had her backpack and duffel bag full of her most important items and enough clothes to last the entire summer. The rest of her things were from Chiron: an old grimoire from the ancient days, organza bags filled with her favorite herbs, and a little Mythomagic figurine of Hecate she found while walking through Bar Harbor last year.
Inside of her sleeping bag were her nightly essentials, including her favorite stuffed polar bear named Vanilla, after the ice cream flavor, of course. She also kept a vial of emergency herbs that would help her sleep if a nightmare came. She placed the bag of lavender petals under her pillow alongside some chamomile and lepidolite.
“Woah, is that lepidolite?” Lou Ellen asked, causing Sybil to jump and turn around quickly. Her sister was mere inches away and looked at the purple stone expectantly. “Where did you find it? The stores near me never have anything good.”
“Portland,” she answered, rolling the stone around her palm. “During winter break, I saw my dad, and we went downtown. There’s a store right in Old Port that always has crystals I’ve never seen.”
Lou Ellen smiled; it wasn’t often she got information from Sybil without having to ask for it. “When I visit, you have to take me there. And the Porthole, too.”
Sybil nodded, and warmth spread across her body. They have been planning a trip to visit each other during winter break since last summer, when they made their fathers meet and trade contact information. “Definitely. The bus can take us into town, and we can get milkshakes or something. The beach is right around the corner, too, and my dad could drive us to Acadia."
“Oh my gods, please,” Lou’s eyes practically sparkled with delight, and she beams at Sybil. “I still have that photo you sent me from Acadia in December.”
Sybil didn’t know how Lou remained so positive all the time. She always seemed to be smiling and laughing with whoever entertained her. Once she caught Mr. D in a twenty-minute-long conversation about the magical properties of grapes and what the different colors meant. Green was symbolic of prosperity and luck, and purple fell in line with imagination and spiritual power, trying to convince him that the camp needed to sell green grapes to earn more money from mortals. They were amazing strawberries; it couldn’t hurt to extend their crops.
On the other hand, Sybil only had her siblings. After the mirror incident, the other demigods remain wary of Sybil… and the incidents that followed after. Magic was heavily tethered to her emotions, and sometimes, the grounding techniques didn’t have enough to block it out completely, leading to these strange moments. The Ares cabin has taken to even calling her cursed, and the Demeter kids didn’t want her around their plants in fear of her killing them with a single glance. They never said it out loud, but it was always lingering beyond the surface. Eye contact was avoided each time she entered a room; whispers followed across the cabin areas, trying to get her magic to explode when Chiron or the senior campers weren’t looking.
”Really?” Sybil sent the photo without much thought. It was something she threw in for fun, to show Lou Ellen what Maine looked like in response to her sister’s descriptions of South Dakota’s expansive prairies. “It’s just Acadia.”
”Yeah,” Lou Ellen said like it was obvious. “But it was from you.”
As they had been talking, they migrated around the cabin, picking up anything they could and helping the few that asked. Sybil stood in the doorway and glanced to see if Mila was coming towards them. Luke had taken the cabin inspections earlier in the week and was instead helping out his siblings avoid any extra chores because of their messy spaces.
Across the yard, Annabeth Chase from the Athena cabin led a boy towards them. Sybil could only assume this was The New Kid. Knowing Annabeth, they were discussing the many rules and traditions of Camp Half-Blood, which she had memorized long before this moment. She was like Chiron’s little shadow—always looking for the next big thing to finally get her own quest.
Sybil watched as Annabeth pointed out the Hermes Cabin, located at the right end of the horseshoe shape, with the Hephaestus Cabin right next door and the Dionysus Cabin directly across. The boy did not look like much. Considering the circumstances of his arrival—the Minotaur and all that—Sybil thought he would be something more… exciting. Instead, he was a regular twelve-year-old. The first thing she noticed about him was his eyes. Unlike Lou and Alabaster, he had eyes that reflected the ocean and seemed to hold the nerves he’s currently feeling, with some mischief lingering in the background. His hair was as dark as the night sky and fell just above his eyes, as if he hadn’t cut it in a while.
Just as she was about to turn back to Lou Ellen, the new kid caught Sybil looking at him. He was confused, too tall for his nervous posture, with damp hair and a hoodie that was too big for him, no doubt given clothes from the camp store or just from the lost and found. She froze as they made eye contact. Confusion, recognition, and something unknown flickered across his eyes, and he startled as Annabeth tried to get his attention again. She gave him an annoyed look upon noticing that his attention had strayed elsewhere.
Sybil immediately dropped her gaze as her cheeks warmed. She could feel his gaze linger, and it felt like a sunbeam angled directly at her, her heartbeat filling her ears. But then, he smiled; just the corner of his mouth pulled up and paired well with the mischief in his eyes. She found herself returning the tiniest nod before she could stop it.
Lou Ellen was cut off by Luke clapping his hands together to get the rest of the cabin’s attention. “Great job cleaning up, everyone,” he praised and grinned at them. “Annabeth and Chiron are coming over in a few minutes, so we’ll have the cabin inspection after that. Do some finishing touches while we wait.”
The cabin often did a ‘call and response’ thing to show they were actually listening to Luke or whoever was in charge. Whatever the task was, they had to repeat it. So, as Sybil went back to her space, she answered with everyone else and sat next to Lou Ellen. Alabaster and Bodhi followed close behind them.
Conversations continued around the cabin. Most focused on their newest addition and wondering what he could be like. The introduction process was never easy. With so many campers that were not claimed by Hermes, tensions often ran high as they got used to each other. Many still treated Sybil like she was brand new despite living there for two full summers at this point. The door opens with a creak, and Chiron quickly shuffles Percy into the cabin, patting him on the back. He takes one look at the suspicious faces of the campers and turns to make his exit.
“Well, then,” Chiron said. “Good luck, Percy. I’ll see you at dinner.”
Chiron then galloped away in the other direction. Ah, yes, the usual Hermes Cabin drop-off. Their activities director did not stick around long enough, leaving Luke in charge of making sure that Percy got settled in well. The kid looked across the room, making eye contact with each one of them as if preparing for a fight. His eyes found her again and remained for a second too long. His attention also brought Alabaster’s; he glanced at Sybil with a questioning look, to which she just shrugged off and hoped he wouldn’t bring it up later.
“Well?” Annabeth prompted, and that annoyed look on her face returned as she looked at Percy. Time was very precious to Annabeth, and this introduction was taking her away from studying. “Go on.”
The entire cabin watched as the new kid, Percy, stumbled and tripped coming inside. His foot got stuck under the door frame, and luckily, he was able to regain his footing as he stepped further into the cabin. Some of the other campers snickered, but no one said anything. They instead glanced at each other, waiting to see who would say something first, and many were already coming up with gossip to spread about this moment. She heard Joey and Angelica snickering about his misstep already. Sybil almost felt bad for him.
Annabeth interrupted their mind games with a sigh. “Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven.”
Someone asked from the bunk beds, “Regular or undetermined?”
“Undetermined.”
That caused groans to ring across the room. Another unclaimed kid they had to house, and there was a chance he would never leave. They didn’t even know who Percy’s mortal parent was and were no closer to figuring out his godly parent than they had been three days ago. With how much of a spectacle Percy made of his arrival, Sybil knew he wouldn’t be a child of a minor god. The Olympians would never give something that powerful to someone unknown. The gods loved attention, even if it had nothing to do with them, and were known for their dramatic ways to get things done.
Though the rest of the cabin were annoyed with the prospect of another camper, Luke Castellan was not. He walked with such confidence that he easily held the attention of everyone inside—a feat that very few people have achieved. He towered over the boy but showed no threats as he grinned brightly at him. Percy and Luke were completely opposites at first glance. While Luke was bright like the sun, Percy was the reflection of the ocean at night. Percy’s apprehensive as he accepts Luke’s handshake while the rest of them look on, wondering what could happen next.
“Now, now, campers. That’s what we’re here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there.” He pointed at the spot on the floor next to the other newest camper, Nicole, who was also unclaimed. The girl moved her things over and tried to look friendly. Sybil thought she was a child of Ares, so it was more of a grimace.
“This is Luke,” Annabeth introduced. “He’s your counselor for now.”
“For now?” Percy asked, glancing between them.
Just like every camper that came before, Percy was caught in the cycle of confusion. The first forty-eight hours at Camp Half-Blood were the worst. Everything you’ve ever known about the world was suddenly wrong and attributed to the gods.
“You’re undetermined,” Luke explained patiently. He had given this spiel close to a hundred times. “They don’t know what cabin to put you in, so you’re here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors, and outsiders. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers.”
Percy looked back at the rest of the cabin before turning back to Luke. “How long will I be here?”
“Good question,” Luke said. “Until you’re determined.”
“How long will that take?”
The question causes almost everyone in cabin eleven to laugh. The correct question was if he would even be claimed. Many of them were still waiting for their parents to reach out even after two summers. Annabeth huffed and grabbed his wrist, dragging Percy back outside as the laughs continued behind them. Sybil felt bad, but they were all jaded because of the god’s treatment over the years. He was new and didn’t understand what was going on. That wasn’t Percy’s fault.
Before she could mention it to her siblings, Luke beat her to the punch. “I know that was a stupid question, but we’ve all been there before. The first day is never easy on any of us, so lay off him.”
He gave this talk every time a new camper was introduced, but it never changed the reactions. There was never enough room for them, and none of the other gods would let an outsider stay in their cabin to keep their images.
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Sybil wasn’t supposed to be outside when Clarisse la Rue dragged Percy Jackson into the girl’s bathroom. She was supposed to be in arts and crafts with the rest of her cabin, but that lasted a whole five minutes before her hands started shaking. It was only supposed to be a short walk around the perimeter of the Arts and Crafts building, waiting for the humming of magic to quiet down and let her return to mundane activities.
Magic didn’t work like that.
It lingered everywhere, though Sybil felt it most inside of her body, starting in her sternum and extending through the rest. A game of push and pull, there is always something bigger that her magic wanted. A light pressure is held beneath the atmosphere, like the moment before lightning touches the ground. It rises slowly up her spine, deliberate as if something powerful were waking.
Their understanding came from Aristotle and his belief in Aether, a fifth element that was incorruptible and eternal. The ancients believed it had a tendency to move in perfect circles and was unchanging, a representation of the spiritual world in a concrete definition. Compared to the other elements, Aether is a purer state of being and was used to describe theories of unknown concepts. Aether was the power behind not only the gods themselves but also their abilities as well, as it often described things like lightning and shadows.
Aether was the power behind magic, but it still needed intent to work properly. Without it, magic would backfire and harm whoever was using it. When creating a new spell, Sybil had three things to keep track of: precision, will, and an offering. Precision ensured that nothing would go wrong as she intently researched meanings of herbs, colors, and even the days of the week. Will is the emotional force behind magic, almost acting like a multiplier. Finally, they needed an offering to the gods, either godly parents or whoever they were trying to get the help of. Hecate enjoyed honey and wine, keys, dark flowers, and the fur of dogs.
When she reached for magic, the air responded all at once. Shadows stretched a fraction longer, sharpening as if recognizing their mistress. Colors brightened unnaturally, crisp and edged, like the world had slipped into a higher resolution meant only for her eyes. Even the wind seemed to hesitate, waiting for her decision.
The feeling led her further away from arts and crafts. She followed the pull back to the cabins and towards the bathroom; there she could see multiple people in the area. Annabeth was there, arms crossed, watching Clarisse circle Percy like a shark smelling blood. She slowed her steps, trying to tell herself she was only passing by. She was just observing. She just—
“Errete es korakas,” Annabeth cursed. The translation—go to the crows—came to Sybil after a moment, and Sybil realized the dilemma she had caught herself in. Whatever Clarisse was going to do would not be good. “You don’t stand a chance.”
“We’ll pulverize you,” Clarisse said, her eye twitching. She turned towards Percy and asked, “Who’s this little runt?”
“Percy Jackson,” Annabeth introduced, probably for the millionth time today given the exasperation in her voice. “Meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares.” As Sybil turned around to go back to Arts and Crafts, Annabeth spoke again, giving Sybil a pleading look, “And Sybil, Daughter of Hecate.”
Percy blinked, the reality of their situation still not settling in and giving him a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look. “Like… the war god?”
Clarrise’s nostrils flared. “You got a problem with that?”
“No,” Percy defended. “It explains the bad smell.”
Sybil couldn’t help the way her palm flew to her face. This kid had a death wish.
“We’ve got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy.”
“Percy,” he corrects. Yep, he had a death wish. Was the Minotaur experience not enough already?
“Clarisse—” Annabeth tried to cut in.
“Stay out of it, wise girl.”
Sybil glanced between the three of them, wondering who would make the next move. Though Clarisse towered over Percy, he still held his ground and looked up to meet her gaze dead on. Demigods were some of the most stubborn people she had ever met. Part of her wanted to say something, defend Percy from whatever vendetta Clarisse made up about him, but her body wouldn’t move. The feeling of being stuck at a crossroad, it was something she knew well. Whatever she chos was about to set her on a specific path.
“C’mon, Clarisse,” Sybil tried, all three of them and the other girls from the Ares cabin turning their heads over to her. “Just leave him alone.”
“Oh,” Clarisse mocked. “The little witch wants to get involved for once.”
“As if she could do anything to help,” one of the other Ares girls rolled her eyes.
“Hey!” Annabeth went to defend, but Clarisse and her sisters were dragging Percy away from them again.
Sybil already knew this was going to end with someone getting hurt. Percy handed the Minotaur horn to Annabeth and took a step like he was ready to fight Clarisse, but she was quicker. In a second, she had Percy by the neck and was dragging him towards the bathrooms. He moved in all directions and body parts, trying to get one of them to slip up and let go, wriggling like a fish out of water. The girls snickered as they brought him into the toilet bowl.
“Like he’s ‘Big Three’ material,” Clarisse sneered as she pushed him towards the toilet. Percy gripped the sides with all of his might and kept fighting against her grasp as she spoke. “Yeah, right. Minotaur probably fell over laughing; he was so stupid-looking.”
Sybil was used to insane things happening. She used magic almost daily to bend and shape the things she wanted into existence, but she had never seen anything like this. Right before Clarisse was about to dunk Percy’s head into the water, the plumbing started to rumble and the pipes shuddered. Then, water shot out of the toilet, perfectly arched to go over Percy’s head and towards the Ares girls. It pushed them down, and the wind was knocked out of them; Sybil could only watch as the girls attempted to regain their breath and stand back up.
All demigods are given powers from their parents. Some were physical, like the rare fire users from Hephaestus or light wielders claimed by Apollo. Others were less noticeable, like the beauty of an Aphrodite kid, the brawn of an Ares kid, or the intelligence of an Athena kid. Just like her own magic, it required the use of precision and will. The will came from Percy’s anger and fear of being dunked into the toilets, causing such a large reaction, but he wasn’t precise about what he wanted. Sybil knew well that flight-or-fight moments made that impossible.
“Oh my gods,” Annabeth muttered as she took in the scene. Her eyebrows draw together, and she tries to find the original pipe that burst. She was looking for a mundane explanation for this. That wouldn’t be possible. “That couldn’t have happened unless…”
Sybil couldn’t find words to reply as the scene continued. Clarisse’s sisters moved to comfort her, but then the other toilets exploded, and six more streams of toilet water forced them back. The showers followed not far behind. Together, all the fixtures sprayed the girls right out of the bathroom, causing them to spin around like a t-shirt stuck in the rinse cycle.
The entire bathroom was flooded and, of course, another broken mirror. She looked at herself in the cracked glass and wiped the dark hair from her eyes. She’s drenched in toilet water and would need a shower before dinner started. Annabeth hadn’t been spared either, while Percy was completely dry, standing on shaky legs and shocked at the state of the bathroom.
Annabeth stuttered on her question. “How did you…”
“I don’t know,” Percy said frantically and looked between the two of them. “I’ve never done that before!”
Before Sybil or Annabeth could even respond, there was a gasp outside, and the three of them quickly followed. Outside, Clarisse and her friends were sprawled in the mud, and a bunch of campers gathered around to gawk. Her hair was flattened against her face, and her camouflage jacket was sopping. The rest of her sisters didn’t look much better, and they all smelled like sewage water.
She glared at Percy as they passed. “You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead.”
Sybil was learning quickly that Percy had a death wish. Instead of letting things go to survive the summer, he continued to taunt, “You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth.”
Her sisters had to hold her back and dragged her back towards cabin five. The rest of the campers moved out of their way to avoid facing Clarisse’s wrath or continued staring at the three of them. Annabeth was included in that, and from the smile that was beginning to grow on her face, she was thinking of a plan.
“What?” Percy demanded. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking,” Annabeth said, “that I want you on my team for capture the flag.”