CHAPTER FOUR ━━ EURYDICE, COME DOWN

THERE WAS WIND BLOWING IN her ears as Eurydice sat in a white room that looked like a hospital room. It was bright with white light as she looked around in confusion. Her eyes adjusted to the brightness. It almost hurt to see around the bright white hospital room. She was lying in a hospital bed overlooking a huge empty window. The sky was clear and empty, until it turned dark with clouds and thunder. And with that, the room turned dark too. She gasped sharply as she looked around.

All she could see was darkness. She couldn't even feel her body anymore. It was as if she had dissolved into the darkness entirely. It felt like it was constricting her throat, choking her painfully as she desperately tried to breathe. The darkness was choking it painfully, like a once comforting figure killing her. Until suddenly, it stopped as soon as it came. She felt tears pour down her face as she breathed in shakily, she couldn't feel her body in the dark room.

All she could see was darkness and a storm brewing as she heard booming angry laughter. She didn't understand what they were as she stared around with wide eyes in worry. Her fear was shaken by the laughter becoming louder and louder. Until all of a sudden, it stopped. It seemed like something was stopping the nightmare from continuing. Instead there was a comforting presence.

Then she started to hear a voice. The voice wasn't like any of ones she had heard before. "Child of the Underworld. Embrace the darkness, and damn the hands that ever try to dirty you. Be warned of a traitor." Her breath hitched as she heard the dark booming voice. It wasn't like any she recognized. The woman's voice sounded like a warning, a soothing warning she didn't understand. What was going on? Was this just a dream? "The premonitions that have come to haunt you in your dreams will be locked away by me, my dear child. Do not be afraid." She stared at the invisible voice in confusion.

The lights had suddenly turned on as a cut open pomegranate had appeared on the table. She stared at it in disbelief for a second before she felt herself slipping in and out of consciousness. She felt her eyes roll at the back of her head as her head hit the pillows. She drearily woke up with a start, breathing in shakily as she held her hand to her heart. It looked like Percy had already been awake for a while as he was snacking on the blue candy he had in his backpack once she woke up from.

His sleeping bag was across from hers, as she blinked her tears away. That dream was weird. She faintly wondered why that woman, whoever she was called her a child of the underworld. Something escapes her as she tries to remember if there was a god of the underworld. Many thoughts had escaped her lately with everything going on and she didn't know what to think. She sighed to herself as Luke stood up and watched her with concern. "We wanted to wait for you to wake up before we left, let you sleep in a little. But I see you're having nightmares too." He winced.

She blinked in confusion. "Yes... how did you know that?" She muttered to him in confusion, rubbing her eyes tiredly. The older boy hummed. "Percy had one too. And we all do, intense reoccurring nightmares. It's normal here. And the daydreams, the ADHD, and dyslexia." She nodded still in some confusion. "Oh. The nightmares don't sound fun." She didn't want to mention that woman in her dream protecting her to anyone, because she wasn't even sure if she had made it up or not. It had seemed so real. That she couldn't shake it.

Percy looked at her in worry as she rubbed her eyes. Luke continued with his speech. "Demigods just process things differently than humans do." He explained. "So for the first time in your life you're just like everyone else." He finished. That would be comforting if she didn't feel so.. foreign as a new camper. She was sure Percy felt like that as well. "So are you also..." Percy trailed off trying to ask Luke about his parentage. "Do you not know who your—" Luke interrupted him. "Am I unclaimed?" He finished his question, but he shook his head. "No, Hermes is my father. But we're all on the same team here." She nodded. "That... sounds nice." She smiled slightly.

Percy didn't seem impressed. "Why is that okay? Why do they get to bring us here just to ignore some of us?" She couldn't help but agree with him, but angering the gods never ended well. Luke winced. "Spend too much time trying to figure out why the gods do what we it is they do you'll drive yourself crazy." He sounded like he knew from experience. "Sooner you stop worrying about that, the sooner you can enjoy what this place actually does offer." He murmured. "And what's that?" Percy mutters to him in confusion.

Luke smiles knowingly. "Glory. Demigods have always fought for glory. They used to call it kleos." He said. "It like this stuff that attaches itself to your name, makes it bigger. scarier, more important." He explains to the two younger demigods as the Hermes cabin walk outside together at Luke's lead. Eurydice winced. "And that kinda thing matters here?" She asked in confusion.

Luke nodded. "Yep. people listen closer when you talk. They work harder to be your friend. And they think twice about messing with you." She nodded at the older boy. They were walking calmly until a girl with dark curly hair, a lot taller than her and Percy bumped into him. "Hey!" The boy yelled in confusion. She and Luke shared a worried glance, she really hoped that she accidentally bumped into him. It looked like she was completely wrong.

She watched the older girl shove Percy with a gasp. Two of the older boys who looked kind of like twins from the Hermes cabin. Maybe they were one of Luke's brothers pulled her closer towards the Hermes cabin group so that the older girl couldn't target her. She frowned as she watched the curly haired girl shove Percy to the ground. She felt a pang of worry at her chest. They seriously couldn't even escape bullies at Camp? Where they're supposed to be safe? She was right. There isn't anywhere where bullies won't try to make others miserable when they're even more miserable.

She feels bad for the older girl in a way. There must have been something that made her like this, but right now she didn't really like her much. Luke sighed in annoyance. "Hey, knock it off Clarisse. It's like his first day, come on." One of the other Hermes cabin members helped Percy up as Luke reprimanded the girl, Clarisse. A girl beside Clarisse with light brown curls pulled up into a ponytail winced sympathetically as she eyed Percy. She mouthed a silent apology to him as Clarisse stubbornly continued to pick on Percy.

Eurydice helped Percy straighten out his new Camp Half Blood t-shirt as he got up. The creases in his shirt were really bothering her. But Clarisse didn't waste anytime picking on him again. "Wait, so this is the kid who killed the Minotaur, is that right?" Her voice sounded slightly mocking as she stepped towards Percy. "Yeah?" He said in confusion. The girl scoffed. "I'll bet." She muttered. "Look, you want attention around here, dummy? You better be ready for it when it comes. You're lucky I won't hurt your little friend. She's not as much of a hotshot as you." She laughed as she scared Percy almost looking like she was about to pound him, he flinched as all of Clarisse's friends laughed at him.

As Clarisse and her friends started to walk away laughing Eurydice could feel her blood boiling. Percy looked slightly relieved that Clarisse wouldn't target Eurydice. She doesn't think it's right for Percy to get picked on just because of the Minotaur. But she guesses she'd be angry too if a kid with no experience killed a monster on his first try.

What does Percy have to do with Clarisse having issues though? Did she just need a human punching bag to make her feel better. She unclenched her jaw of the deadly glare on her face, even Luke stared at her with concern for a second.

Percy winced. "Well. she seems nice." Eurydice sighed. "Well now you're just lying to yourself Perce." She muttered angrily. Luke sighed deeply. "Ares kids. They come by it honestly." Percy stared at him in confusion. "Why don't they mess with you?" Luke hummed. "They know better."  Another Hermes cabin occupant explained better. "Luke's the strongest swordsman at camp." He said with a smile. She nodded slowly. "That makes... a lot of sense." She hummed in thought. "So. they leave you alone because, 'glory?' So if I get glory Clarisse wouldn't mess with me either?" He asked in confusion, to which Luke nodded at. "Exactly." Percy seemed to finally have the gears turning in his head.

She couldn't help but disagree that the hierarchy here was kind of terrible. Why did you have to prove yourself in order to gain glory? She isn't even sure why Clarisse didn't decide to pick on her instead. She feels guilty for being relieved that she won't have to deal with her, but Percy will have to. And if someone's Percy's problem, then it's hers too. "And people think I'm a big deal?" Percy still didn't seem to be getting how much of a deal him beating the Minotaur was. She couldn't even fathom flushing a dead fish down the toilet.

Eurydice frowned. "That doesn't sound like a good thing though." She murmured quietly. Luke shrugged. "Well, we all gotta fight to survive here. And yes, they sorta leave you alone after you get the glory but—" Percy interrupted him. "And my dad's got no choice but to claim me." She could see the other Hermes cabin wince just as she did.

But Luke pulled off the bandaid for him. "You can't force the gods to do anything." He told him. Percy formed. "Well, yeah. But... it would make it harder for him to pretend I don't exist, right?" He sounded so confused that it hurt her to realize that he wanted to meet his dad because he was all he had left. While Eurydice wasn't even sure if she wanted to meet hers, if she's being honest. She's scared that everything will change. Not that things haven't changed enough. But she's not sure she can handle anything else changing, she's content with staying in the Hermes cabin forever with Percy if it means that either of them won't ever get claimed.

And maybe that is selfish, but she's never been able to handle change well. Luke frowned slightly at Percy. "Well, maybe." Percy then smiled for the first time in a while. "Well, great. Where do we start?" He asked with a smile.

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The next half of their day was dedicated to help Percy and her see what Camp had to offer. And how they would be able to get glory. Eurydice was hesitant, but Percy managed to convince her with those puppy dog eyes of his. She could never say no to him, maybe she should start thinking things through before she agrees to anything that he wants to do ever again...

They watched an older girl fire a fiery arrow onto a bullseye as Luke explained to them how it'd help them get glory. "A good source of glory are feats of skill. So, we gotta figure out what you're good at." He handed Percy a bow and arrow. Percy sighed. "I wanna be very clear about this. I've never done anything like this before and it looks super dangerous." He rambled slightly. Luke laughed. "And you never killed a Minotaur before either, 'til you did." Eurydice nodded in agreement. "That is true y'know." She muttered.

Percy breathed in slightly as other demigods practiced sword fighting in the background. She was impressed by how good everyone was at what they did. She wasn't sure she'd ever measure up to that. But she wanted to, she really did. She just wouldn't know how to. The girl in the wheelchair was about to light his arrow from him. "I wouldn't." He muttered as he stepped up to try and shoot the arrow. Instead he failed miserably and shot the arrow into the sky, effectively scaring all of the other campers to her down. Percy laughed awkwardly. "Should I try again...?" He muttered. The other campers just all unanimously yelled no.

She winced slightly. "That was terrible Percy." She patted his back in sympathy as the boy stood up and sighed. "How about you try it if you're so high and mighty, Eury?" He scoffed at her, she laughed slightly. She could tell he was just faking it. She shrugged her shoulders and took the arrow from Percy's hands. "Sure, I'll give it a try." She muttered as she started to aim the arrow she grabbed out of Percy's bag. She shakily aimed it towards the bullseye, to attempt to not pull another Percy. She could hear the other campers muttering amongst themselves in worry.

They weren't sure if she was going to be as bad at this as Percy though. She took a deep breath and prayed to all of the gods above, (specifically you Apollo) that she wouldn't be embarrassed in this moment. Her prayers had seemed to have been answered, as she hit the bullseye right on. She sighed in relief, her shoulders. She could hear she cheering from the other Hermes kids and claps from the other campers. She felt pride surge in her chest for a second, and it felt nice.

Luke clapped her on the back sounding proud. "Good one, Eurydice maybe you're an Apollo kid after all. Or you're just really lucky." He laughed as she smiled slightly at the praise. Percy meanwhile pouted. "Seriously? Why do you have to be good at everything!" He complained. She rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not good at everything. You're just dramatic." She laughed. Percy just shook his head at her dramatically. "Nah, you're just naturally good at everything." He flashed her his best smile. She was flattered that he thought so highly of her. "But I've got enough charm for the both of us right?" She laughed. "Yeah, of course you do." She said with a smile creeping its way onto her face.

Next they tried blacksmithing, to which Percy failed terribly at. He had ended up setting a bunch of paper on fire instead, she could admit that it wasn't one of his best moments. Luke ushered them away and stopped the fire before it could spread. And then they were all sitting by the dining pavilion eating their lunch. While Percy sighed again to himself, at least for the hundredth time today. "Is there a Greek god of disappointment?" He said to the others with a sigh. "Maybe someone should ask him if he's missing a kid..." He muttered miserably.

She winced and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "Hey, Perce. It's okay. We'll find something you're good at. Okay? We probably just won't find it right away." She tried to comfort him. But he still seemed down. Chris winced and answered the boy. "Oizys... but she's a goddess. And her whole thing isn't really disappointment it's more like failure." He shrugged as he picked at his food with a fork. Eurydice made a face at his explanation, taking a bite out of her food.

Luke smiled at Percy reassuringly. "Eurydice's right you know, we're gonna find the thing that you good at Percy. I know it." He sounded so sure that she believed it herself. The bell suddenly chimed in the dining hall, and she realized rhys she had barely finished her lunch. "Our turn." Luke announced quickly. "What?" She muttered in confusion, trying to finish her food quickly. "Our turn for what?" Percy also asked in confusion as Chris and Luke stood up from their table.

Luke and Chris held their plates as they stood up. She blinked in confusion. "Burnt offerings." Luke answered nonchalantly. "The gods like the smell. So it gets their attention before you say a prayer." Eurydice narrowed her eyebrows at them in confusion. "Oh... that's..." She had to bite her tongue to stop herself from saying something she'd regret. "They like the smell of burnt mac & cheese?" Percy murmured. Chris chuckled. "They like the smell of begging." He said.

Eurydice winced. "So... we weren't supposed to eat it..." She smiled nervously. Luke patted her shoulder. "It's alright. You didn't know, I'm sure whoever your godly parent is, they'll take mercy on you." He smiled at her, but all she could feel was embarrassment. She really hoped that her dad was forgiving of her eating a little of the food she was supposed to offer to him. "You burn what you'll miss the most. Then they know you really mean what you're about to say, so they listen." He finished explaining.

She sighed as she stood up with her half eaten plate in hand. "Well, guess I'll just get this over with then..." She sighed as she stood up with her plate in hand. Percy didn't move right away, but a few seconds later he followed behind her. She offered her food silently to the fire and, though it was selfish. Prayed that she'd never be claimed by her father. She apologized mentally to the man as she offered her burnt mac & cheese.

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CAPTURE THE FLAG was a sacred game at Camp Half Blood. She realized as she stood in front of a gigantic state of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and warfare as the entire camp were huddled together in formations. The night before Percy arrived back to the Hermes Cabin late like something significant had happened that she missed. She had been trying to pretend to sleep but that was hard when Percy had left abruptly in the middle of the night, taking the bag of blue candy he had with him.

But, from Luke who she had learned earlier in the day that competition meant a lot to Camp Half Blood. If a game of capture the flag meant so much to the camp, she was worried about how many underlying issues they all had. She agreed that the game sounded fun in hindsight when it wasn't entirely a war game. But in the eyes of the other demigods, this was all out war. And Eurydice wasn't sure that she was prepared for that. The entire camp were in formations reminiscent of real battle ones.

She hadn't been told until this morning By Percy that Annabeth wanted him and Eurydice on her team. Apparently she had heard about what she did with that bow and arrow, and was impressed. Still she couldn't shake the thought that the other girl made her nervous for some reason. It was like she had turned into another Percy! Except not as bad, just so weirdly socially awkward that she hated herself for it. Now that she thought about it, everything made sense about what she knew of the girl now.

Her mother was Athena, the goddess of wisdom and warfare. Of course she would be watching others to see if they'd be good for her team. She had to swallow down how oddly nervous the girl made her today so she could at least not tarnish her image in front of her as much as Percy had already did. When he had told her about Annabeth and the drooling incident, she won't lie about how loudly she