ANTI-HERO, j.grace

TWO

     As soon as she saw the left wheels of the chariot go up in flames, Annabeth knew that Klein Maddox was going to have her head.

"Annabeth Chase!" Klein bolted towards Canoe Lake faster than she'd done anything in a while, "You just wrecked our fucking chariot!"

The Apollo Cabin's flying chariot crashed into the lake like a cement cannon ball from hell. A loud BOOM! deafened the surrounding area, immediately launching the nearby demigods into action.

Post-war, there was no longer any hesitation when it came to a possible attack. The demigods knew how to fight and they were ready, traumatized but ready.

When they saw that it was just Annabeth and Butch returning to camp, the vicious spirit morphed to one ready to help.

Klein herself was off the picnic bench in seconds, feet hitting the ground running as she beelined straight for the lake, maneuvering around the rambling crowd.

The fucking Chariot. Goddamn Athena kids - worse than fucking Ares spawn.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

And somehow everything always came back broken.

The lake nymphs tossed Annabeth and Butch out of the water, and then one, two, three, more kids came out with an aggravated splash. There wasn't much time to process: a handful of campers pulled everyone the rest of the way up the shore, handing over blankets as they sprouted so many questions that it was almost louder than a concert.

Klein knew that Annabeth would be coming back with new campers as a part of her Hera vision, but she wasn't expecting three teenagers - 'so much for that godly promise', she cursed. From what she could see in their sopping wet states they were a strange trio, protectiveness and unfamiliarity rolling off of each of their shoulders in waves.

The girl stood in the middle, and the way she held herself made it clear that she didn't want you to say that she was pretty - so Klein didn't. She wore a winter jacket that was probably two sizes too big, as if she was waiting for the material to swallow her whole as she gazed up at the blonde boy to her left. She was slightly taller than the boy on her right and had feather braided hair that was just about as unruly as his. The boy to her right was Latino and was the shortest of the group by a couple of inches. He had rather elvish characteristics like pointed ears, and if Klein focused her eyes enough she could see him fidgeting with a handful of bolts and screws. The final boy was looking between the mass crowd and the other two newcomers, his gaze curious but his stance protective as if he was waiting for someone to throw a punch. He was tall, blonde, and had startling blue eyes.

Basically a Abercrombie & Fitch poster child.

If Klein was any less angry she would have spared the trio a little more attention, but she was pissed. Maybe she would have even helped a little more than she was by just yelling out the orders, but she'd been staying as far on sidelines as she could since the war.

Besides, people really listened to what you were telling them to do when they were scarred of just how far down your words could cut them.

"Get it moving, everyone!" Klein shouted, her head counselor voice rippling through the crowd, then growling as she was jostled from the side, "Get the dryers! Let's go - you know the drill!"

A demigod taking an accidental plunge in the lake was anything but a new phenomenon. Klein could personally attest to that with how many times Drew had charmed her to jump right in. Combine that was the weekly accidents... yeah, this was something everyone was used to.