CHAPTER THREE: LYDIA
It didn't seem fair that they'd have to do cabin inspection when they just got to camp, but that's the way it worked.
Every afternoon, one of the senior counselors came around with a papyrus scroll checklist. Best cabin got first shower hour, which meant hot water guaranteed. Worst cabin got kitchen patrol after dinner.
The problem for Percy: he was usually the only one in the Poseidon cabin, and he's not exactly what you would call neat. Lydia's siblings probably had everything under control—except Nick, he was still probably asleep in that tree—so she wasn't worried.
She saw an opportunity and she took it. Lydia bounded over to Percy, wrapping her arm around his and saying, "I'm assuming you need my help?"
Percy slumped. "Yes, please." He said, turning to her. "And I'm sorry about Rachel—"
"Ha ha... don't worry about that." She laughed nervously, not letting him finish. If he did, she'd probably explode. Like Kelli did. She always considered herself a girl's girl, but she was having a hard time recognizing herself right now. She was acting insane.
She waved him off. "It's all good."
The cleaning harpies only came through on the last day of summer, so his cabin was probably just the way he'd left it during winter break—and Lydia knew very well how messy Percy could be. His mess would often overflow out of his room and into hers. It was the cause of many disputes...
They raced toward the commons area. Lydia saw her siblings sweeping out their cabin and making fresh flowers grow in their window boxes. Just by snapping their fingers they could make honeysuckle vines bloom over their doorway and daisies cover their roof. They'd never gotten anything below second place.
She hurriedly ducked behind Percy, if Katie saw her she'd probably put her to work, and right now she was a little busy trying to get to first base.
The guys in the Hermes cabin were scrambling around in a panic, stashing dirty laundry under their beds and accusing each other of taking stuff. They were slobs.
Over at the Aphrodite cabin, Silena was just coming out, checking items off the inspection scroll. Percy cursed under his breath. Silena was an absolute neat freak, the worst inspector. She liked things to be pretty, but luckily for him, Lydia knew pretty.
"Don't worry, I totally got this," she said, waltzing into cabin three like she owned the place.
She stopped in her tracks.
Percy bumped into her back, his hands grabbing onto her hips so that they both wouldn't topple over. "Wha—"
They found Percy's half-brother, Tyson, sweeping the floor.
"Percy! Lydia!" he bellowed. He dropped his broom and ran towards them. If you've never been charged by an enthusiastic Cyclops wearing a flowered apron and rubber cleaning gloves, I'm telling you, it'll wake you up quick.
He scooped them both up in a hug, Lydia's legs dangled in the air.
"Hey, big guy!" Percy said. "Ow, watch the ribs. The ribs."
They managed to survive his bear hug. He put them down, grinning like crazy, his single calf-brown eye full of excitement. His teeth were as yellow and crooked as ever, and his hair was a rat's nest.
He wore ragged XXXL jeans and a tattered flannel shirt under his flowered apron, but he was still a sight for sore eyes. Lydia hadn't seen him in almost a year, since he'd gone under the sea to work at the Cyclopes' forges.
"Love the apron, Tyson!" Lydia raved. "You wouldn't mind letting me borrow it, would you?"
Tyson beamed, "of course, pretty girl."
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Fanfiction"Anything for you, Goldie." Lydia Allen didn't think Percy Jackson would crawl into her heart, but Lydia Allen wasn't the type to ever get things right. ❝ She was literally the sun personified; with her hair and her eyes and her sun kissed skin. Her...
