Unclaimed [Percy Jackson]

ii. becoming unimpressed by the new kid

AMELIA was woken up by laughter.

Horrible and disgusting way to wake up, by the way.

As she jumped from her tree, startling some campers, she couldn't help but snicker a bit at the wary looks aimed her way when she was recognized.

Making her way to Cabin Eleven, Amelia heard a lot of awed murmurs about a new camper having faced the Minotaur and that he somehow lived to tell the tale.

All that was in Amelia's brain was that if this new guy wasn't claimed yet, the Cabin was going to be extra crowded. Again.

§~§

Luke was there to greet her back when she arrived.

His arms were crossed over his chest and the expression of his face was a mix of exasperation and amusement as he noticed Amelia making her way inside.

Amelia paused, expression unreadable. "What?"

"You weren't here last night" Luke pointed.

"So?" Amelia shrugged, walking past Luke and towards her corner of the Cabin, missing the way Luke's face softened.

Luke Castellan, Cabin Eleven Counselor, son of Hermes and Amelia's biggest pain in the ass.

Since the moment she arrived to Camp around three years ago, Luke had been there, a shadow to make sure Amelia wouldn't need anything. The first year at Camp, he had been tolerable, he had helped her, made sure she settled well at his father's cabin and held her when she exploded her anger against a parent who screwed up any shot at any sort of normalcy she could ever have.

That had been the only time Amelia allowed herself to be emotional and care for a parent who would never love her. She was ten.

Since then, Luke had become some sort of unwanted and annoying guardian or who he insisted as an older brother figure for her and all the unclaimed children.

Amelia liked her space, she didn't like being babied by anyone, and Luke fell into that category, he suffocated her, yet because of the careful mask she's crafted since that night she allowed herself to break, she couldn't tell the boy to leave her alone.

It wasn't like she cared.

To everyone, Amelia was but a doll with only one face and zero feelings. And that's exactly what she wanted everyone to see.

If no one was around, then the less she'd be disappointed.

It was hard to shake Luke off. He was insistent. He wasn't a quitter. As much as that impressed her, it also annoyed her.

"I want to make sure you are okay" Luke said, watching Amelia pick up a new change of clothes, seeing her make a face at the orange shirt, one momentary slip of her mask before it was back in place before she turned to face him with an eyebrow raised, "I tend to notice you mysteriously disappear from the cabin whenever there's a claiming" if possible Amelia's face turned even more unreadable, blank. "Sue me for worrying a harpy caught you"

"They never have" was only Amelia's reply as she made her way towards the bathroom.

Luke sighed, pursing his lips. "We have a new camper"

There was no response and with a slump of his shoulders, he knew that was all he was going to manage out of Amelia that morning.

But he was nothing but a patient person. He was going to manage to get past her walls, make her trust him.

It was a matter of time.

§~§

It was only two days later when news of the Minotaur Destroyer waking up reached her ears.