IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS, Y/N settled into a normal routine. Of course, the fact that he was getting lessons from satyrs, nymphs, and a centaur wasn't normal, but he could look past that.

Each morning, it was Ancient Greek lessons with Annabeth and Percy. Percy surprisingly knew quite a lot about the legends and myths, so he had a bit of an advantage. Y/N discovered Annabeth was right about dyslexia: Ancient Greek wasn't that hard for him to read. At least, no harder than English. After a couple of mornings, he could stumble through a few lines without too much headache. The rest of the day, he'd rotate through outdoor activities, looking for something he was good at.

Chiron tried to teach Y/N archery, but they found out pretty quick he wasn't any good with a bow and arrow. Chiron didn't complain, even when he had to remove a stray arrow out of his tail. Foot racing? No good either. The wood-nymph instructors left Y/N in the dust. They told him not to worry about it. They'd had centuries of practice running away from lovesick gods. But still, it was a little humiliating to be slower than a tree. And wrestling? Forget it. Every time Y/N got on the mat, one of the Ares kids would pulverize him. The only thing he really enjoyed was cooking, which was weird. It wasn't really a skill that was required, but whenever Y/N had time, he helped the Nymphs and dryads with dinner.

Y/N knew the senior campers and counsellors were watching him, trying to decide who his parents were, but they weren't having an easy time of it. Y/N wasn't as strong as the Ares kids, or as good at archery as the Apollo kids. He did have some skill with metalwork, but according to the Aphrodite kids, 'it's impossible to be Hephaestus's son while looking like that.' Which was a bit of an insult to the kids working away in the forges.

Others compared Y/N to the Aphrodite kids, saying that he had the face for it. Which he thought was a... compliment? He'd rather not spend his time smelling perfume and gossiping. Luke told him he might be a child of Hermes, a kind of jack-of-all-trades, master of none. But Y/N got the feeling he was just trying to make him feel better. He really didn't know what to make of him either. Or Percy for that matter.

Percy seemed to be one of his only friends at camp. Luckily, he seemed almost as bad as Y/N was, and they were able to laugh about their lack of skills together.

Despite all that, Y/N liked camp. He got used to the morning fog over the beach, the smell of the strawberry fields in the afternoon, even the weird noises of monsters in the woods at night. Y/N would eat dinner with cabin eleven, scrape part of his meal into the fire, and try to feel some connection to his real parents. Nothing came. Just a comforting, warm feeling.

Y/N also hung out with Lucy a lot. It seemed that she only really appeared at dinner, so he sat with her most of the time. Despite her being younger than him, she often seemed like an older sister. Almost like... a mother. Which Y/N was 100% ok with.

Despite his requests to be claimed, he started to understand Luke's bitterness and how he seemed to resent his father, Hermes. So okay, maybe gods had important things to do. But couldn't they call once in a while, or thunder, or something?

Thursday afternoon, three days after he'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood, Y/N had his first sword-fighting lesson. Everybody from cabin eleven gathered in the big circular arena, where Luke would be their instructor. They started with basic stabbing and slashing, using some straw-stuffed dummies in Greek Armor. Y/N guessed he did okay. But it was clear that a sword was NOT his style. At least, he understood what he was supposed to do, and his reflexes were good.

The problem was, Y/N couldn't find a blade that felt right in his hands. Either they were too heavy, or too light, or too long. Luke tried his best to fix him up, but he agreed that none of the practice blades seemed to work for him. They moved on to duelling in pairs. He decided to pair up with Percy. Despite their little experience, they got quite battered and bruised. Perhaps because of their accidental hits they got on one another.

"Keep your guard up, Percy," Luke instructed. "Good, now parry Y/N!"

Whap!

"Lunge!"

Whap!

"Now, back!"

Whap!

By the time Luke called a break, Y/N was soaked in sweat. Everybody swarmed the drinks cooler. He turned to Percy, who seemed to pour the cup over his head. Instantly, it seemed like Percy got his energy back, and he looked stronger.

"Okay, everybody circle up!" Luke ordered. "If Percy doesn't mind, I want to give you a little demo."

'Great', Y/N thought, cringing. 'Let's all watch Percy get pounded.' The Hermes guys gathered around. They were suppressing smiles. Y/N figured they'd seen this happen before, and couldn't wait to see how Luke used Percy for a punching bag. Luke told everybody he was going to demonstrate a disarming technique: how to twist the enemy's blade with the flat of your own sword so that they had no choice but to drop their weapon.

"This is difficult," Luke stressed. "I've had it used against me. No laughing at Percy, now. Most swordsmen have to work years to master this technique." He demonstrated the move on Percy in slow motion. Sure enough, the sword clattered out of Percy's hand. "Now in real time," he said. "We keep sparring until one of us pulls it off. Ready, Percy?" Percy nodded, and Luke came after him.

As Luke attacked him, Percy seemed different. He countered well, blocking every attempt Luke made. He even stepped forward and tried a thrust of his own. Luke deflected it easily, but Y/N saw a change in his face. His eyes narrowed, and he started to press Percy with more force. Soon, Percy began to stagger. His arm awkwardly held the sword, and he seemed to be faltering.

With a sudden burst of strength, Percy lunged forward. His blade hit the base of Luke's, and Percy twisted, putting his whole weight into a downward thrust. Clang. Luke's sword rattled against the stones. With a blink of an eye, the tip of Percy's blade was an inch from Luke's undefended chest. The other campers were silent.

Um, sorry." Percy muttered bashfully. For a moment, Luke was too stunned to speak.

"Sorry?" His scarred face broke into a grin. "By the gods, Percy, why are you sorry? Show me that again!" Percy seemed tired. The short burst of manic energy seemed to have completely abandoned him, but Luke insisted. This time, there was no contest. The moment their swords connected, Luke hit his hilt and sent Percy's weapon skidding across the floor. After a long pause, somebody in the audience said, "Beginner's luck?" Luke wiped the sweat off his brow.

"Maybe," Luke muttered. "But I wonder what Percy could do with a balanced sword... ."

.

.

.

Y/N settled down on a hill, his gaze fixed on the climbing wall. The scent of wildflowers filled the air, and a content smile played on his lips. The sound of approaching footsteps caught his attention, and he turned to see Annabeth's smiling face as she sat down beside him.

"Hey there," Y/N greeted.

"Hey yourself," she replied, fiddling with the beads around her neck.

"What's it like being a child of Athena?" Y/N asked, catching her slightly off guard. She turned to face him, a warm smile spreading across her features.

"She's the best goddess," Annabeth declared proudly. "And obviously the best mom." Y/N rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"You know, if I had only seen your appearance, I might have mistaken you for a child of Aphrodite," Y/N said casually. She turned her head sharply to look at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she questioned. Y/N shrugged in response.

"Your eyes," Y/N said. "They look cool."

"My eyes look cool?" She deadpanned.

"Yeah. Although your hair is all over the place," Y/N replied. "You should let me braid it." He said nonchalantly.

A moment passed, and an odd surge of warmth passed over them.

Y/N's eyes widened in realization, and he felt his face turn red. "Uhhh... I mean. Never mind. I was just offering-"

"I'd like that," she murmured, still staring at him. She held a weird smile on her face and rested her head on her hand. Y/N raised an eyebrow.

After a moment, she shook her head, her demeanor shifting. She fixed Y/N with an accusing glare, her gaze piercing. "How dare you!" she exclaimed. Y/N stared back, perplexed.

"W-what? What did I do?" Y/N asked in confusion. Her angry expression remained unchanged.

"You tried to charmspeak me!" she growled, her face still flushed. Y/N raised his hands defensively, shaking his head.

"What? I don't even know what you're talking about!" He protested. She continued to stare at Y/N, her eyes locked onto his. Eventually, she seemed lost in thought.

"Don't you dare breathe a word about what just happened!" Y/N quickly shook his head.

"I won't, I promise." Another strange surge of warmth passed between them, and for a brief moment, Annabeth's expression seemed almost guilty.

"Whatever," she huffed, rolling her eyes, before getting up abruptly. "And no, I don't want my hair braided. It's too curly anyway."

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That night after dinner, there was a lot more excitement than usual. At last, it was time for capture the flag. When the plates were cleared away, the conch horn sounded and the campers all stood at their tables. Campers yelled and cheered as Annabeth and two of her siblings ran into the pavilion carrying a silk banner. It was about ten feet long, glistening grey, with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree. From the opposite side of the pavilion, Clarisse and her buddies ran in with another banner, of identical size, but gaudy red, painted with a bloody spear and a boar's head.

Y/N turned to Luke. "Those are the flags?" He yelled over the noise

"Yeah." Luke shouted back.

"Ares and Athena always lead the teams?"

"Not always," Luke replied. "But often."

"So, if another cabin captures one, what do you do - repaint the flag?" Luke grinned. "You'll see. First, we have to get one."

"Whose side are we on?" Percy butted in. Luke gave them a sly look, as if he knew something they didn't. The scar on his face made him look almost evil in the torchlight.

"We've made a temporary alliance with Athena. Tonight, we get the flag from Ares. And you are going to help." The teams were announced. Athena had made an alliance with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins. Apparently, privileges had been traded - shower times, chore schedules, the best slots for activities - in order to win support. Ares had allied themselves with everybody else: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus.

From what Y/N had seen, Dionysus's kids were actually good athletes, but there were only two of them. Demeter's kids had the edge with nature skills and outdoor stuff, but they weren't very aggressive. Aphrodite's sons and daughters he wasn't too worried about. They mostly sat out every activity and checked their reflections in the lake and did their hair and gossiped. Hephaestus's kids weren't pretty, and there were only four of them, but they were big and burly from working in the metal shop all day. They might be a problem. That, of course, left Ares's cabin: a dozen of the biggest, ugliest, meanest kids on Long Island, or anywhere else on the planet.

Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble. "Heroes!" he announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"

He spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, oxhide shields coated in metal. "Whoa," Percy said. "We're really supposed to use these?" Luke looked at him as if he was crazy.

"Unless you want to get skewered by your friends in cabin five. Here, Chiron thought these would fit. You'll be on border patrol." Y/N's shield was the size of an NBA backboard, with a big caduceus in the middle. It weighed about a million pounds. He could have snowboarded on it fine, but he hoped nobody seriously expected him to run fast. Y/N's helmet, like all the helmets on Athena's side, had a blue horsehair plume on top. Ares and their allies had red plumes.

Annabeth yelled, "Blue team, forward!" They cheered and shook their swords and followed her down the path to the south woods. The red team yelled taunts at them as they headed off toward the north. Y/N and Percy managed to catch up with Annabeth without tripping over their equipment.

"Hey." She kept marching. "So what's the plan?" Y/N asked.

"Got any magic items you can loan us?" Percy mentioned. Her hand drifted toward her pocket, as if she were afraid he'd stolen something.

"Just watch Clarisse's spear," she said. "You don't want that thing touching you. Otherwise, don't worry. We'll take the banner from Ares. Has Luke given you your job?"

"Border patrol, whatever that means." Percy muttered.

Annabeth nodded. "It's easy. Stand by the creek, keep the reds away. Leave the rest to me. Athena always has a plan." She pushed ahead, leaving them in the dust.

"Okay," Y/N mumbled. "Glad you wanted me on your team." It was a warm, sticky night. The woods were dark, with fireflies popping in and out of view. Annabeth stationed him and Percy next to a little creek that gurgled over some rocks, with some torches for visibility, then she and the rest of the team scattered into the trees. Standing there alone, with his big blue-feathered helmet and his huge shield, he felt like an idiot. The bronze sword, like all the swords Y/N had tried so far, seemed wrong. The leather grip pulled on his hand like a bowling ball. There was no way anybody would actually attack him, would they? 

Far away, the horn blew. Y/N heard whoops and yells in the woods, the clanking of metal, kids fighting. A blue-plumed ally from Apollo raced past him like a deer, leaped through the creek, and disappeared into enemy territory. He glanced to his side, seeing Percy next to him, clearly irritated.

Then Y/N heard a sound that sent a chill up his spine, a low canine growl, somewhere close by. He raised his shield instinctively; he had the feeling something was stalking him. Then the growling stopped. Y/N felt the presence retreating. On the other side of the creek, the underbrush exploded. Five Ares warriors came yelling and screaming out of the dark.

"Cream the punk!" Clarisse screamed. Her eyes glared through the slits of her helmet. She brandished a five-foot-long spear, its barbed metal tip flickering with red light. Her siblings had only the standard-issue bronze swords. Not that that made Y/N feel any better. They charged across the stream. There was no help in sight. Y/N could run. Or he could defend himself against half the Ares cabin. He braced himself, holding out his shield, but they simply ploughed through. As he laid on the ground, he curled up in a fetal position, expecting the worst.

But it didn't come. Y/N opened his eyes, seeing the Ares kid surrounding Percy. Clarisse stood over him, a small expression of guilt on her face. "I'm not after you, bud." She rolled her eyes, strolling over to Percy. They surrounded him, and Clarisse thrust at Percy with her spear. Y/N looked on, his face full of horror. Percy's shield deflected the point, but he saw a weird sensation ripple over his body. Electricity. Her spear was electric.

They continued to bully Percy while laughing, punching, and butting him with their swords. Y/N scrambled in an attempt to help him, but his efforts were in vain. Really? Him, against 5 Ares kids? No chance.

"Wait!" Y/N called out. There it was again. A warm rush passed over him, and he felt the air heat up slightly. The Ares kids seemed to hesitate and pulled away from Percy. "The flag is that way," he pleaded. He didn't want to sound like a wimp, but he also didn't want Percy to get beaten up.

"Yeah," one of her siblings said. "But see, we don't care about the flag. We care about a guy who made our cabin look stupid." He turned back to Percy, grinning evilly.

Percy groaned slightly. "You do that without my help," he told them, which wasn't the smartest thing to say.

Clarisse rushed forward, thrusting her spear straight into Percy's ribs. If he hadn't been wearing an armoured breastplate, he would've been shish-ke-babbed. One of her cabinmates slashed his sword across Percy's arm, leaving a good-sized cut. Y/N locked up, unable to do anything. WHY AM I SO USELESS! he thought, attempting to rush forward. But his body disagreed.

"No maiming," Percy murmured, swaying on his feet.

"Oops," the guy said. "Guess I lost my dessert privilege." He pushed Percy into the creek, and he landed with a splash. Y/N finally moved, rushing forward slightly.

"Clarisse! Please!" Y/N yelled with all his might. The warm sensation returned, and her cabinmates stiffened. "Leave Percy be, please! He's just a kid, like me." Clarisse glanced at him, a look of guilt plastered on her face.

"I have to, Y/N," she replied. "He mocked me." With difficulty, she turned back to Percy, her spear raised.

But Percy was ready.

As the first Ares camper rushed towards him, Percy swung the flat of his sword against the first guy's head and knocked his helmet clean off. Number Two and Number Three came at him. Percy slammed one in the face with his shield and used his sword to shear off the other guy's horsehair plume. Both of them backed up quick. Number Four didn't look really anxious to attack, but Clarisse kept coming, the point of her spear crackling with energy.

As soon as she thrust, Percy caught the shaft between the edge of his shield and his sword, snapping it like a twig.

"Ah!" she screamed out. "You idiot! You corpse-breath worm!" She probably would've said worse, but Percy smacked her between the eyes with his sword-butt and sent her stumbling backward out of the creek.

Then Y/N heard yelling, elated screams, and he saw Luke racing toward the boundary line with the red team's banner lifted high. He was flanked by a couple of Hermes guys covering his retreat, and a few Apollos behind them, fighting off the Hephaestus kids. The Ares folks got up, and Clarisse muttered a dazed curse. "A trick!" she shouted. "It was a trick." They staggered after Luke, but it was too late.

Everybody converged on the creek as Luke ran across into friendly territory. Their side exploded into cheers. The red banner shimmered and turned to silver. The boar and spear were replaced with a huge caduceus, the symbol of cabin eleven. Everybody on the blue team picked up Luke and started carrying him around on their shoulders. Chiron cantered out from the woods and blew the horn. The game was over. They'd won.

Y/N was about to join the celebration when Annabeth's voice spoke up near Percy.

"Nice job, hero." Y/N looked, but she wasn't there.

"Where the heck did you learn to fight like that?" she asked. The air shimmered, and she materialized, holding a Yankees baseball cap as if she'd just taken it off her head.

"You set me up," Percy snarled. "You put us here because you knew Clarisse would come after me, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out." Annabeth shrugged.

"I told you. Athena always, always