The tides uclaimed

Meet and greet

chapter two

I didn't know how long I'd been walking. Time sort of blurred when you're half-dead from exhaustion, but I knew it had to be late—maybe around midnight, or later?
Anyway, the point is, I was officially sick of the woods.
We were almost at the camp now—Camp Half-Blood, they kept calling it—and I should've felt relieved. A safe haven, a place to crash, some food, and a bed that wasn't covered in dirt and twigs. I mean, there was the whole 'monsters trying to kill me' thing, but other than that, it sounded great, right?
Except there was one tiny issue: I didn't want to be here.
Not because I didn't appreciate the hospitality—god, I hated to admit it, but they were being nice about everything. Annabeth's calm reassurance, Jude's teasing but protective nature... They had no reason to look at me like I was worth anything. But they did.
And that scared me.
I wasn't used to people caring. I wasn't used to feeling like I mattered.
That feeling—the feeling that maybe, just maybe, someone wanted me around—felt foreign, and I was having a hard time letting it sink in.
My mother always used to say I was "too much"—too loud, too sarcastic, too annoying. She hated me for it, at least that's how I saw it. And when she passed, there wasn't anyone left to prove I was worth more than the mess I'd made of myself. No one who would care if I cracked under the pressure, or if I got lost and never came back.
I felt that ache in my chest again. The one that wouldn't go away, no matter how many jokes I cracked or how much sarcasm I threw around like it was armor. The emptiness that made it hard to breathe some days. The constant, gnawing loneliness that I wasn't even sure how to explain.
"So," I said, trying to sound light, "when do I get the tour? Or is there a 'demon initiation' I need to survive first?"
Annabeth gave me a sideways glance. "We don't exactly do 'initiation.' There are a few... tests, I guess. But it's not the kind of thing you're going to fail."
"Tests, huh?" I smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Great. I've already flunked the 'get through the woods without dying' exam. Guess I'm doomed, then."
I looked down at my shoes, as if inspecting them for any sign of life.
Jude snorted, walking ahead with her usual swagger. "You'll be fine. Honestly, I'm more worried about whether you'll trip over your own feet when we get there."
I was tempted to snap back, but something in her voice made me pause. She was trying to make me laugh, and I hated how easily I fell for it.
We finally reached the camp, the glow of the lights brightening the path ahead, and as we walked through the entrance, I couldn't help but feel the weight of everything sink in. It was beautiful—this place—but it also felt like it was too muchfor me. Too perfect. Too safe.
I didn't deserve this.
We passed several cabins, each one decorated with symbols I couldn't recognize. Statues of gods—Greek gods, I assumed—lined the path, their stony gazes watching me like they knew everything about me. The last thing I needed was to feel seen right now.
"Don't get too overwhelmed," Annabeth said, as we approached a large, open clearing. "It's a lot at first, but once you get settled in, it's home."
I couldn't bring myself to look her in the eye. "Yeah, sure," I said, my voice slightly shaky. "Home. Totally."
She didn't reply, but I could feel her gaze on me. It wasn't judgmental or harsh—just an understanding that I wasn't okay. That this whole situation was weird and confusing, and that maybe, just maybe, I wasn't as tough as I made myself out to be.
I hated it.
So I did what I did best: I cracked a joke.
"Do you guys always live in... Greek-themed cottages, or is this like a special event? Did I miss the memo about 'exclusive mythological housing'?"
Annabeth let out a soft laugh. "You'd be surprised how often new campers think that. It's a lot to take in, Adria."
I froze. My name—Adria—sounded so strange in her voice. I wasn't used to hearing it. Not like that. Not with kindness attached to it.
"Yeah, well," I said quickly, shaking off the weird lump in my throat, "maybe I'll get used to it. Probably not, but hey, I'm nothing if not persistent."
Jude didn't look back, but I heard her mumble, "That's the spirit."
We reached a small clearing, and Annabeth stopped in front of one of the cabins, her eyes meeting mine. "This is your cabin for now. We're going to introduce you to some of the other campers, get you settled in."
I stood there, frozen.
"Adria?" Annabeth said, her voice soft. "You okay?"
Of course, I wasn't. I wasn't any of the things people seemed to think I was—strong, brave, capable. I was just a kid who had no idea how to feel about any of this, and I sure as hell wasn't ready to let anyone see that.
But I wasn't about to let Annabeth see it either.
"I'm fine," I said with a smile that was a little too wide, a little too fake. "Just... you know, taking it all in. I mean, look at this place. It's like... camp, but with a whole lot more danger and monsters. I'll get used to it. You'll see."
The words were light, but the pit in my stomach felt heavy. I took a deep breath, forcing the fake smile to stay in place.
"Lead the way," I said, voice steady, but inside, I could feel the weight of my own thoughts dragging me down. I had no idea how I was supposed to survive here. How I was supposed to survive myself.
But if there was one thing I was good at, it was pretending. And if I could keep up the act long enough, maybe I wouldn't have to face the fact that I was scared to death of what came next.
I could hear the sounds of conversation and laughter in the distance, and, honestly? It felt kind of comforting.
Annabeth, told some campers she would be back in an hour or so and gestured me to follow her, starting the "tour" I had been waiting for.