A bit of Faith|| Percy Jackson x Reader

4

The next morning, Chiron moved me to cabin three.

I didn't have to share with anybody. I had plenty of room for all my stuff: the Minotaur's horn, one set of spare clothes, and a toiletry bag. I got to sit at my own dinner table, pick all my own activities, call "lights out" whenever I felt like it, and not listen to anybody else.

And I was absolutely miserable.
Just when I'd started to feel accepted, to feel I had a home in cabin eleven and I might be a normal kid—or as normal as you can be when you're a half-blood—I'd been separated out as if I had some rare disease.

Nobody mentioned the hellhound, but I got the feeling they were all talking about it behind my back.

The attack had scared everybody. It sent two messages: one, that I was the son of the Sea God; and two, monsters would stop at nothing to kill me. They could even invade a camp that had always been
considered safe.

The other campers steered clear of me as much as possible. Cabin eleven was too nervous to have sword class with me after what I'd done to the Ares folks in the woods, so my lessons with Luke
became one-on-one. He pushed me harder than ever, and wasn't afraid to bruise me up in the process.

"You're going to need all the training you can get," he promised, as we were working with swords and
flaming torches. "Now let's try that viper-beheading strike again. Fifty more repetitions. You're getting pretty good. I might have to get you training with Y/N."

Even Clarisse kept her distance, though her venomous looks made it clear she wanted to kill me for breaking her magic spear. I wished she would just yell or punch me or something. I'd rather get into fights
every day than be ignored.

Y/N still taught me Greek in the mornings, she was the only one who really treated me normally anymore.
I asked her about it and she responded
"I know what it's like to be cast out by the people who are supposed to be closest to you, for no good reason."

We had gotten significantly closer, which was nice. But I've noticed something.

Y/N is a very strong person. And not in the same way as the rest of the Ares cabin.

Most of Ares' children are strong as in
"I could pound you to oblivion on a whim."

But Y/N... She's strong as in- tough.
The kind of person who gets knocked down and immediately gets back up, no questions asked, just as strong as before, if not more.

While I've been training with Luke, there have been a few occasions in which Y/N has been off in the background, training in solitude. We don't ever acknowledge each other's presence until training is over, but during water cooler breaks, or when a sparring match between Luke and I begins to move around the arena more, I've seen her. She fights as if her life depends upon it, even though it's just a dummy. She gives a hundred per cent every day. But... I'm not entirely sure she should be.

Whenever she's been in view, or in earshot, she's doing great, don't get me wrong. But if you just take a closer look- you can see just how far she's pushing herself.

Her breathing becomes heavy after a few hours, she slows down and takes a break.
Then suddenly she will shake her head, or scoff, or say something along the lines of

"Come on, L/N. You can do better than this."
And gets right back to it.
She pushes herself to the breaking point every single day.

On Tuesday, I decided to ask Luke.
We were at the water cooler when I finally had to ask.
"Luke, I've noticed something... About Y/N."

We both turned to look at her, practising on a row of dummies.

"What?"

"Well- I'm kind of worried about her. She just- seems like she's pushing herself too far. Every day. She never takes breaks, gets to the end, and she's exhausted."