Heir Of Shadows {A Percy Jackson Fanfiction}

Learning to ship Solangelo (subconciously)

I remembered praying for a dreamless night before hitting the sack.

The gods must have been listening, because nothing entered my dreams that night. Maybe the fresher air of the countryside helped too, and I felt refreshed and ready to roll when I woke.

Awesome, right? What a way to kick start yet another fantastic day!

Except someone took it upon himself to wake me with a pail of cold water.

Shrieking, I bolted upright, sending my blanket careening away. Wiping my face clean of water and then glaring at the prankster, I tried to suppress an urge to toss him into Euros Creek. The young man with upturned eyebrows and a sarcastic smile grinned. He seemed a little familiar, almost as if I had seen him before.

Who is he?

Travis, the guy who swapped Percy's shaving cream with bubble bath. The memory popped into my brain.

"Travis, whatcha doing here?" I groaned and slid off the bed I was sleeping on.

The prankster scratched his head. "I'm not Travis. I'm Conner Stoll. Travis is a wee bit taller, but he isn't half as good at trolling people as me."

"Wow, I'm impressed," I said, rolling my eyes. "Get out of my way, Troller. Gotta change into something dry."

Pushing him out of the way, I stumbled over to the door and pulled it opened. A wall of sunlight hit me immediately, prompting me to slam it close.

"The changing room is on this side," reminded Conner, who pointed to an empty doorway on the other side of the room. "And here's some clean clothing for you, courtesy of the Camp store. No need to thank me. I know I'm awesome."

Grumbling, I grabbed the clothing from him and ducked under the doorway labeled 'Ladies'. There was a rack filled with brand new toiletries and towels, so I grabbed a fluffy white towel and a toothbrush with toothpaste.

Quickly brushing my teeth, I towel myself dry before slipping into the clothing Conner gave me. A typical orange 'Camp Half-Blood' T-shirt everyone wear, a pair of jean a couple size too big, and a set of clean underwear. I tried not to think of where Conner got those from.

There was a body length mirror on the wall, and I couldn't help noticing how different I looked from the last time I met a mirror. (For your info, the last time I saw my reflection was half a year ago, in the side-mirror of a police car, with handcuffs around my wrist and a gag in my mouth.)

Someone combed out the rat's nest of black hair on my head and scrubbed the layers of grime and dirt off my body. The few scratches littered on my face had healed already, leaving no trace of their existence. The greyish green eye bags faded into an less scary dull yellow. My skin used to be a deathly white with green veins running just beneath the surface, but the gruesome veins had vanished, leaving me with a smooth, pale exterior worthy of a Maybelline model. The wholesome countryside is definitely healthier than the city.

The only thing that didn't change was my eyes, which were so dark that you couldn't differentiate the iris and pupil unless you stare carefully. I still had the cold, steely look I always had, one that sent shivers down your spine, helped by a small, barely noticeable shadow lurking in the depths of my graze.

As if it realized that I was thinking about it, the Voice stirred. I felt like a chilly hand touched the back of my neck. Blinking rapidly, I rushed out of the changing room, desperate to avoid another conversation with the being inside me. Conner was nowhere to be seen. The cabin was empty, without a living soul inside. Desperation tugged at me - I didn't want to start my day with another ghastly chat.