LITTLE DARK AGE heroes of olympus

campfire shenanigans

Piper hesitated, her mind playing out all the times she'd gotten into trouble. She could lie, but somehow she knew Annabeth would see right through it. Plus, if Annabeth had run away from home when she was seven and still ended up as the head counselor of this magical camp, maybe she wouldn't judge.

"I stole a car," Piper said finally.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, "Just a car?"

"Okay, several cars," Piper admitted. "And, I may have borrowed some things from a jewelry store once or twice. I never kept them! It was just to get attention. I know, it's stupid."

Annabeth nodded like this made total sense. "You wanted your dad to notice you."

Piper's face flushed with surprise. "How did you...?"

Annabeth smiled. "You're not the first demigod with parent issues. We all have them. Trust me."

Piper didn't quite know how to respond to that, so she just nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

The two continued to walk in silence for a moment, passing through a grove of trees that led to an open field. Annabeth stopped and turned, pointing to the amphitheater nearby. "That's where the campfire will be tonight. It's tradition—singing, roasting marshmallows, and usually, new arrivals get claimed."

Piper bit her lip. "Sounds... fun?"

Annabeth chuckled. "It can be. And don't worry too much about getting claimed. I've seen some pretty strange symbols appear. Whatever happens, it's not about what your parent might think of you. It's about discovering who you are. The gods don't define us."

Piper nodded, but she was still nervous. "Okay. I'll try not to think about fiery possums then."

Annabeth laughed. "Good plan. Come on, let's finish the tour."

As they walked, Piper couldn't help but feel a little more at ease. Annabeth seemed genuine, and for the first time in a long time, Piper felt like she might be able to fit in somewhere—even if it was a camp full of kids with parent issues and mystical powers.

Meanwhile, back at the infirmary, Eli was still adjusting to the idea that Hermes was his dad. It felt strange, like suddenly finding out he had another father he never knew about. And the whole "god of travelers" thing made a weird kind of sense. His dad's life had been one long journey, bouncing from place to place, never really feeling like he had a home.

He glanced at Leo, who was now talking animatedly about some new invention he was planning to make with his half-siblings. Eli appreciated Leo's energy—it helped him feel less alone in all this chaos. But he still couldn't shake the feeling that he was an outsider, that somehow he didn't belong here, even if his divine parentage said otherwise.

Eli fiddled with the edge of the blanket, his mind wandering back to that awful voice in his head, the one that had nearly pushed him over the edge earlier. Was it always going to be like this? Was he always going to feel like he was on the brink of some kind of disaster?

He took a deep breath, trying to ground himself in the moment, to focus on Leo's excited chatter and the fact that, for now at least, he wasn't alone.

Leo turned to him suddenly. "Hey, you okay?"

Eli blinked, shaking off his thoughts. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good."

Leo grinned. "Good, 'cause we've got a lot to do, and I don't plan on getting kicked out of here before we've at least fought a few monsters."