Dancing with Death

Welcome to Camp Half-blood

Eliza braced herself as the chariot plunged towards the Long Island Sound. She really hated Wind Spirits.

The cold water hit her hard, knocking the wind out of her and temporarily disorienting her. After taking a minute to figure out which way was up, she stumbled, coughing and spluttering, onto shore, struggling to breathe.

Jason knelt beside her, heaving long breaths. "You alright?"

She chuckled. "You know, for an amnesiac, you seem to care a lot about us." She met his gaze.

He smiled awkwardly. "So, I'm not allowed to help a stranger."

Her smile fell.

He winced. "Sorry."

"It's okay." She pushed herself to her feet. "I just found out my whole life is a lie. No big deal."

According to Annabeth, all the time Leo, Piper, and Eliza had spent with Jason was a product of something called the Mist - a magical force that prevented mortals from comprehending monsters and gods. It wasn't real.

Annabeth was talking to a few campers when a flaming symbol suddenly appeared over Leo's head. Everyone stared at him.

"Did I do something wrong?" He eyed the crowd confusedly before noticing the fiery emblem floating above him. 

"Vulcan." Jason apparently hadn't realized he'd said it out loud, because he looked surprised when all eyes turned on him.

Annabeth stared curiously at him. "Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaestus."

He cleared his throat and wouldn't look anybody in the eye.

Eliza felt bad for him. Honestly, her first instinct was to call him Vulcan too. Apparently, that wasn't normal around here.

A blonde boy with a satchel slung over his shoulder led Leo away towards the main camp.

The other campers began to disperse slowly.

Annabeth called over a redhead with evergreen eyes then walked over to Eliza. "This is Aubrey. She's going to show you around." Annabeth walked away, approaching Piper next.

Eliza focused on the girl before her - Aubrey. "So... who are you?"

Aubrey smiled, though the gesture came off more forced than she probably intended. "I'm Aubrey, Daughter of Apollo." 

Eliza crossed her arms. "Does Annabeth think I'm a daughter of Apollo?"

"No," Aubrey stated plainly. "She just needed someone to show you around... and I drew the short straw." She turned and walked towards camp.

"Not a fan of babysitting duty?" Eliza followed her closely.

"The people I look after are usually wounded, so... this isn't exactly my comfort zone." She spoke over her shoulder.

"So..." Eliza started. "What's up with the flaming symbol over Leo's head?"

"He got claimed." Aubrey paused by a open-air pavilion filled with picnic tables. "This is the dining hall."

"What does that mean though?" Eliza pressed.

Aubrey sighed. "Basically, it tells you who your godly parent is and let's you know that they want you."

"Do all half-bloods get claimed?"

"Most of them." Aubrey paused by a string of odd-looking buildings. "After Percy Jackson made them promise to claim their kids by 13, a lot of half-bloods have shown up." She gestured to the horseshoe of structures. "These are the cabins. Each one represents one of the gods. Campers are divided based on their parentage."

They kept walking.

Eliza clasped her hands behind her back as she strode after Aubrey. "What if a half-blood never gets claimed?"

Aubrey stopped and shrugged. "I guess they live normal lives, but it doesn't happen that often, never anymore."

"But their are half-bloods that don't get claimed?" Eliza clarified.

Aubrey nodded. "There was a girl... about a year ago now. Anyway, she lived at camp year-round, but she didn't get claimed for... a decade."

"Why not?" Eliza urged.

Aubrey sighed. "Her mom wanted to uphold her reputation as a virgin."

Eliza thought for a moment. "This girl was a daughter of Diana?"

"Umm... Artemis, but same difference I guess." Aubrey corrected.

"Right... Sorry." Eliza apologized. "I'm a dyslexic, ADHD bookworm. Don't be surprised if I mix up my information."

Aubrey chuckled.

"So... what happened to this girl?" Eliza asked. "Is she still around?"

Aubrey dropped her gaze. "No. She left about a year ago. She got a quest from her mom." She sounded hurt. "She just... dropped everything and left. She didn't even tell me why."

Eliza raised an eyebrow. "You two were close."

Aubrey shrugged. "Fairly. Not as close as she was to Annabeth and Percy though."

"The boy who went missing?"

Aubrey nodded. "Those two were best friends, more than friends for a while."

"But I thought Annabeth..."

"She is." Aubrey affirmed. "Now. But there was a time when Percy and Ali were... much closer."

"Aubrey!" A boy with shaggy black hair and deep brown eyes jogged over to the two girls.

Aubrey rolled her eyes as he approached. "Thomas, don't you have a giant robot dragon to deal with?"

"I needed a break." He answered simply. "Besides... you were talking about Pliana."

Aubrey smacked her palm against her forehead. "You're ridiculous."

Thomas smirked. "And you love it."

Aubrey eyed him annoyedly, but didn't respond.

Eliza could feel the awkward tension between them. She noticed something to change the topic. "So, Thomas, what happened to your leg?"

Thomas flexed his bronze mechanical leg, tiny gears and cogs whirring and spinning. "I lost it in the Titan war."

"A giant metal girder sliced it off while he was lying on the ground." Aubrey explained, making Thomas blush.

"Will offered to try reattaching it, but I figured," he lifted the robotic limb. "it fits. Mechanical leg, son of Hephaestus."

"Wait, Hephaestus." Eliza connected the pieces. "So, you're Leo's brother?"

Thomas met Aubrey's gaze in confusion.

She read his expression. "Leo's the new kid. He got claimed by Hephaestus on the beach."

Thomas nodded. "Then yes." A device that resembled a watch blinked on his wrist. He looked down and tapped the gadget. "I've gotta go. Nice to meet you." He rushed away.

Eliza watched him go, enamored by his metal leg. "He didn't even learn my name." She noted.

Aubrey broke into a fit of laughter. "That's Thomas for you. Come on. I'll show you the arena."

Eliza followed her guide dutifully, unable to suppress the idea that Aubrey and Thomas might be more than friends.

A/N
So... Aubrey and Thomas are back!!!!
I loved these characters and couldn't write a sequel without them making an appearance. 😁
Hope you enjoyed.
-Cheshire