creep | percy jackson

4 | luke castellan hate club

Cora had fallen asleep in the woods during Percy's first night at Camp Half-Blood, only waking up at the start of the morning when Grover found her.

"What are you doing?" Grover asked, shaking her as she sat up. "I thought you were dead."

"I am dead," she mumbled, rubbing her eye. "I was talking to my parents last night, fell asleep."

Grover sighed, looking at the two piles of flowers that Cora said were her parents' graves. She talked to them every day, and had taken a large break by being in New York, so it wasn't a surprise that she was there so long.

"Go back to your cabin," he told her as she stood up, pulling twigs out of her hair.

"Whatever," Cora said as she turned around.

When Cora returned to cabin eleven, she saw Percy walking out with Luke and a few other kids.

"Hey," Cora smiled, seeing Percy again.

"Cora, where have you been?" Luke asked, making Cora roll her eyes.

"I was not talking to you, sweetie," Cora said, "I was talking to my friend. Speak when you're spoken to, dude."

"You're really mean," Percy whispered.

"No, I just don't like him," Cora whispered back. "Did I miss anything?"

"No, he's just explaining glory, or something," Percy shrugged, obviously still confused about his situation. "Why are you here?"

"What do you mean?" Cora asked, ignoring Luke's impatient look as he waited for them to finish talking.

"Are you a... half-blood? Like, who's your parent?" Percy asked anxiously.

"Who do you think?" she responded, half-jokingly.

"Aphrodite," he responded quickly, making her laugh.

"Cora doesn't have a godly parent," Luke told him, making Cora roll her eyes again.

"Thank you, Luke, for answering the questions no one asked you," Cora smiled sweetly.

"Wait, you don't have... then what are you doing here?" Percy questioned before he was knocked into by a passing girl. "Hey!"

The girl, Clarisse La Rue, turned around and shoved him to the ground.

"Oh," Cora said, watching Percy fall. She was trying her best not to laugh, considering that he was her friend.

"Hey. Knock it off, Clarisse," Luke said. "It's like his first day, come on."

"Wait, so this is the kid who killed the Minotaur," Clarisse said as Cora pulled Percy to his feet. "Is that right?"

"Yeah?" Percy responded.

"I'll bet," she scoffed. "Look, you want attention around here, dummy? You better be ready for it when it comes."

Clarisse moved forward, like she was going to hurt him, making Percy flinch. Clarisse just laughed and turned around, leaving with her group.

"You better be ready for it when it comes," Cora mocked her quietly in a high-pitched voice.

"Well, she seems nice," Percy said.

"Ares kids," Luke said. "They come by it honestly."

"Why don't they mess with you?" Percy asked.

"They know better," Luke answered.

"They don't wanna catch whatever disease he's carrying," Cora explained.