Unclaimed [Percy Jackson]

vi. i watch the newbie being pulverized

FRIDAY had arrived quickly.

Capture the Flag was the activity that most excited everyone.

Amelia thought it was a good way for teenagers with bad tempers to let out their pent up frustration and violence. She thought it stupid, but she was too one of those kids so, who was she to judge?

She had the feeling too that this game in particular was going to be interesting.

Luke informed her that morning about the alliance with Athena, Cabin Six. It wasn't that surprising from the nerd kids to choose the biggest cabin that also had different skills as a team.

Cabin Eleven not only had the thieves, it also had kids with unknown but useful skills. It had some strong claimed kids without their cabin like Lou Ellen whose powers allowed her to do magic because of her mother. There were other kids who had powers that directly hinted at their parents but they weren't acknowledged yet.

Amelia was sure Adelaide King who was also around the same age as her was a child of Demeter if her affinity for plants was any indicator. She had arrived just a few days before Percy, clinging to her father's arm. They were all just waiting for Demeter to claim her so she could join her siblings.

As dinner finished, Lou Ellen and Adelaide stuck by Amelia's side, both girls having mixed emotions running through their faces as they watched two Athena kids run into the pavilion carrying their silk banner.

"Why do I have the feeling this game is going to be extremely violent?" Adelaide asked, bitting her nails nervously. She wasn't really a violent person, not even at training. Flowers sprouted out on her hair as if they were knotted into her braids. She must have been quite anxious to not notice.

"They're all violent" Lou Ellen told her. "You could stick around me. I've sent a few enemies to sleep, specially when Clovis is awake enough to join forces with me"

"Clovis as in the son of-" Adelaide began as they watched Clarisse and her siblings run into the pavilion from the opposite side Athena children entered, carrying their own banner.

"Hypnos" Lou Ellen finished. "Why do you think we all actually can sleep at night? He helps us when we have insomnia. We've all come to him at least once since he was claimed so he could help us to sleep"

"Oh" Adelaide looked surprised then thoughtful. "Is it because of the dreams?"

"Demigods have prophetic dreams" Amelia explained as the three of them hung back, not wanting to be on the middle of the screaming. "Sometimes they're tiring enough, specially if a God pops in to say hi. Some are scary enough that you can't fall back asleep immediately"

She felt the weight of Lou Ellen's gaze in the side of her face, "Speaking from experience?"

"We all have dreams" Amelia told her, raising an eyebrow at her direction. "When I try to fall asleep, I sometimes see one of you sleep disturbers wake up gasping and shaking in fear. I'm talking about what I see"

And that was true. The last few months, every night someone in the cabin would wake up terrified. Amelia would witness that from the safety of the shadows in her corner. The shadows at the cabin tended to energize her more than she would like to when she wanted to sleep, always having to wait a few hours to get used to the surge of strength so she could sleep and while she waited for that, she witnessed several demigod dreams waking up her cabinmates shaking in terror. At first, she didn't think of it much, it was only dreams.

At least until she got her own.

It was always a dark empty desert. There was no living soul miles away but Amelia's affinity towards the shadows would let her body know she wasn't alone. She never was alone in the dream even if she couldn't see anyone physically around her.