Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Prologue

There’s a Girl in Hayden’s Cabin (Not Kidnapping, Promise)

The archery range at Camp Half-Blood was always crowded during the day. Demigods working on their aim and arrows constantly flying, occasionally missing people's heads by mere inches. The archery range was usually overtaken by Apollo demigods trying to show off, occasionally impressing some love-sick Aphrodite kids. However, there were only a few kids there on this day. It was rather late in the day, with the sun setting behind the lake. People didn't come to the archery range at night.

An arrow flew straight towards a target at the archery range and stuck in the bullseye, although it was only on the outskirts of the bullseye. The boy who shot this arrow was a 9-year-old boy named Hayden Stafield. He had black hair, pale skin, and icy blue eyes. His hair had a few white streaks in the fringe, and a scar on his jaw that ran down his neck. Hayden was a son of Hades—the only son of Hades from what was known. 

“Damn, that was a good shot.” A voice came from behind Hayden.

Hayden turned to see Luke Castellan walking up to him, a smile on his face which made Hayden's heart beat slightly faster. Luke was 14 years old. He had always been nice to Hayden, and Hayden happened to have a crush on him, but who didn’t?

“Thanks…” Hayden said faintly. 

Even though Luke was supposed to be Hayden’s friend, Hayden was still not used to talking to people. No one wanted to interact with him since he was a son of Hades. The only people who talked to him were Luke and a girl named Annabeth Chase. Annabeth was Hayden’s other supposed friend.

Luke chuckled softly and nodded, crossing his arms. “You’re probably the best shot at camp.” He said. “Even over the Apollo kids.”

Hayden blushed softly at Luke's compliment, a soft pink dusting his pale cheeks. "I doubt it," he said. "I've only been here for a year."

“Yeah, but you’re out here every evening,” Luke said, grinning amusedly.

“Yeah, I guess I am,” Hayden said, shrugging. Archery has always been Hayden’s favorite activity. He didn’t have a choice on the matter, though. He wasn’t allowed to start sword fighting yet since he was still too young.

Luke chuckled softly and shook his head. “I heard there was a new camper who went missing.” He said then.

Hayden looked up at Luke curiously. “Oh?” He asked.

Luke nodded. “Yeah. Apparently, she freaked out and ran off when she was getting the tour.”

Hayden hummed softly. “I’ll watch for anyone who doesn’t look familiar if you want me to.” He said.

Luke smiled down at him and clapped his shoulder. “That’d be great, Hayden. Tell me if you find her, okay?”

Hayden tensed slightly as Luke clapped his shoulder and a soft blush crept back onto his cheeks. “I will-” He said, nodding softly.

Luke chuckled and removed his hand from Hayden’s shoulder. “Thanks, kid.”

Hayden nodded, said a quick goodbye to Luke, and left the archery range to return to his cabin. Once inside, he closed the door behind him and hung his bow and arrow on their holders on the wall. As he did so, he heard a small noise and turned sharply to look around the dark cabin. Taking slow, quiet steps, he followed the soft noise, which led him to a corner of the room hidden behind one of the bunks. On edge, he cautiously stepped around the bed and saw a girl curled up on the floor. Her back was against the wall, her arms wrapped around her legs, her face on her knees, and her shoulders were shaking slightly. She was crying.

Hayden didn’t like meeting new people. Neither was he good at comforting people, but he took a slow step towards the girl.

“Hi…”

The girl gasped and looked up at Hayden. Even in the dark room, Hayden could make out her features. The girl looked a little younger than Hayden. She had tanned skin and freckles. Caramel brown hair and amber brown eyes that shined with tears. She looked up at him with fear-filled eyes.

Even if Hayden didn’t like meeting new people… or people at all, he slowly sat down on the ground with her. “Um… I'm Hayden.” He said rather awkwardly.

Some of the fear left the girl’s eyes, but she still looked at Hayden silently.

“Sorry,” Hayden said awkwardly. “I’m not good at this-”

A soft giggle came from the girl and she wiped her face. “I’m… Lillian.”

Hayden looked at the girl and nodded. “Are you the new camper who went missing?”

Lillian nodded softly.

Hayden looked at her for a second. “How old are you?” He asked.

Lillian slowly raised her head a bit more, starting to get a little more comfortable with the boy in front of her. “I’m 8…” She said.

Hayden nodded softly. “I’m 9.”

“You look older…”

“I get that a lot.”

Lillian giggled faintly and pulled her hair over her shoulder, running her fingers through it. Hayden noticed that her hair had many tangles in it. He got up, walked over to a drawer, and pulled out a hairbrush. Returning to Lillian, he held the brush out to her. Lillian looked from the brush to Hayden, then slowly took it from him and started brushing out her hair.“Why’d you run away from your tour?” Hayden asked as he watched Lillian brush out her hair.

Lillian looked at him a little nervously. “I was scared…” She said truthfully. “A little overwhelmed by it all.”

“So you hid in my cabin?” Hayden asked.

“I-I’m sorry-” Lillian said nervously.

“It’s okay,” Hayden said, shrugging. “Usually I wouldn’t like it, but I don’t mind.”

A small smile tugged at the corners of Lillian’s lips. “Thanks…”

Hayden nodded softly, his eyes lingering on Lillian’s hair, which was now brushed out. Her hair was long and kept falling in front of her face.

“Do you want me to braid your hair for you?” Hayden asked. “It won’t fall in your face anymore.”

Lillian hesitated, then nodded softly. The two got up off the floor and sat on the bed next to them, Hayden behind Lillian. He then softly took her hair in his hand and sectioned it, starting to braid it down her back.

“You do know that I'll have to take you back to the Hermes cabin once I'm done,” Hayden said as he braided her hair.

Lillian’s shoulders slumped slightly. “Oh…”

Hayden hesitated for a second, then let out a soft sigh. “Or… you can stay in here for tonight.”

Lillian’s face brightened slightly and she looked back at Hayden. “I can?”

Hayden nodded softly. “Sure.”

Lillian smiled softly and nodded. “Okay, but… do you have any lights?”

Hayden looked around his cabin, noting that it was extremely dark. “Uh… maybe.” He said as he finished braiding her hair. 

He got up off the bed and looked around in his drawers. He then found a string of fairy lights. 

“Here.” 

He pulled them out of the drawer and untangled them, then turned them on, light filling the corner of the room he was standing in. He walked back over to Lillian and started to hang them up on the wall near the bed she was sitting on so the corner was lit up.

Lillian looked around at the lights, her mouth open slightly as she did. “It’s pretty…” She said softly.

Hayden shrugged softly. “It’s… okay.”

Lillian smiled softly up at him. “Thank you…”

Hayden hesitated, feeling his heart melt at her soft words. “Uh… yeah. You’re welcome.”

Chapter Text

Chapter One

Lillian Gets Pretty, and it Wasn't Clickbait

There was a dock on the side of the lake in the forest. It was old and slightly worn but stable. No one knew about it anymore since it was hidden by trees and bushes, but two people used it - Hayden and Lillian. Hayden was 12 years old, and Lillian was 11. The two were sparring on the dock, their metal weapons clashing. Hayden fought with a sword, while Lillian used two daggers. Lillian had tried using a sword, but it had been too hard for her to control because of her stature and build, so she switched to daggers.

"Demigods were allowed to start sword fighting once they turned 10. So, on Hayden's 10th birthday, he began learning and training with a sword every day for hours. Although he enjoyed archery more, he was very skilled with a sword. Hayden had been secretly teaching Lillian to work with blades since she was 9." 

The two demigods fought fiercely, their blades clashing against each other. Hayden swung at Lillian, but she blocked and counterattacked. Hayden was prepared, quickly ducking down and kicking her leg out from under her. Lillian fell to the ground, and Hayden stood up, pointing the tip of his sword at her throat.

Lillian looked up at him and then groaned, her head falling back against the wood of the dock. “God dammit!” She groaned.

Hayden chuckled and sheathed his sword, holding a hand out to help her up. She took his hand, and he pulled her back to her feet.

“You’re getting better.” He said. “You know how to block most of my moves. You just need to work on your reaction time.”

Lillian sighed, sheathing her daggers. “I know, I know.” She said, putting her hands on her hips. She couldn’t help but feel proud of herself at Hayden’s compliment, however.

Hayden grinned and rolled his eyes. At 12, he was extremely skilled, being the second-best swordsman at camp, right behind Luke, and an amazing archer. On the other hand, Lillian, at 11, was a terrible shot but extremely skilled with her daggers, and she was great at riding the Pegasi. Despite being at the camp for 3 years, Lillian hadn’t been claimed yet. Over the 3 years they had known each other, Hayden and Lillian became very close and were each other’s best friends, despite their differences. The two knew everything about each other. Their hopes, their fears, their families, how they ended up at camp, and their traumas. And they had a lot of traumas.

Lillian was Italian and was born in Italy. Pompeii to be exact. She and her father moved to Virginia when Lillian was only a year old, and when she was 3, her father married. Lillian’s stepmom was not a good person. Her father, Luca Romero, was a famous artist, so he was often away with work. Which meant that Lillian was often left alone with her stepmom. Ever since Lillian was 5 years old, her stepmom would treat her horribly. She would lock her out of the house in the middle of the night in the freezing cold, she wouldn’t feed her enough or give her enough water, and lock her in a dark closet for hours on end. Suppose that’s what stemmed her fear of the dark.

Lillian would constantly get sick from the way she was treated by her stepmom, so she spent lots of time in the hospital. Her stepmom would have many different tests done on her to ‘figure out what was wrong with Lillian’ since she was always sick. Her stepmom's treatment probably didn't help. The year Lillian was brought to camp when her dad caught her stepmom mistreating her and promptly kicked her out of the house, her dad took Lillian to Camp Half-Blood to keep her safe. 

Hayden was Hispanic, despite his pale skin. His mom was born and raised in Mexico, and her family moved to the U.S. She lived in California, and that’s where Hayden was born. As Hayden grew up, he was taught to speak English and Spanish fluently. His mom was great to him, and she often had friends over. Her friends were nice to Hayden, bringing candies and gifts sometimes. Hayden liked her friends. Then, one day, his mom had to run out to buy groceries for breakfast the next morning and left Hayden at the house with one of her friends.

Hayden was sleeping in his bedroom when the man snuck in, locking the door behind him. Hayden woke up from the noise and saw the man, who he trusted. But he shouldn’t have trusted him, and when Hayden was only 6 years old, he was assaulted by a 29-year-old man. He never told anyone, not even his mother. This continued until Hayden was 8 when he ran away. Hayden ended up at Camp Half-Blood only a few days after he turned 8. About half a year after he arrived at camp, he started self-harming. He couldn’t get over what had happened to him, and he didn’t know how to deal with it. Of course, when he was 9, he met Lillian, and eventually, she found out about his self-harm. She had helped him through it, and when he was 10, he was completely clean. He started smoking weed when he turned 11, however. How did he get supplied? No one knew. Now, however, he had been clean for 2 years, and he only smoked occasionally.

The two started to walk through the forest, making their way back to the main camp where the big house and the dining hall were. Once they got back and walked over to the dining hall for lunch, they ran into Luke. Luke was 17 now and much taller than he had been at 14. Hayden was still completely smitten with him. Lillian knew that Hayden had a crazy crush on Luke, and she didn’t exactly think it was all that good. But whatever made her best friend happy.

“Hey you two,” Luke said, grinning down at them. “Where’ve you been?”

“Training,” Hayden said, putting his hands in his pockets.

Luke looked at the two of them a little skeptically. Of course, he didn’t think anything was going on between them. No one would. But what Hayden was wearing at the moment wasn’t ideal for training. Lillian had been wearing an orange camp shirt and jean shorts, which was fine for training. Hayden had also been wearing an orange camp shirt, but he was wearing baggy black cargo pants, which would be easy to trip over.

“You can train in those pants?” Luke asked, grinning amusedly.

“Yeah, he can,” Lillian said, crossing her arms and pouting slightly. “Not to mention he can kick my ass in them too…”

Hayden chuckled softly and rolled his eyes. “You’re fine, Lilli. Stop pouting.”

“No,” Lillian said simply.

Hayden laughed and rolled his eyes again. “Whatever.”

Luke laughed softly at the two’s banter. “Well, are you guys gonna come eat, or what?” He asked, his eyes lingering on Hayden.

Hayden nodded gently. "Yes, we're coming," he said. Luke nodded and turned, walking back to the Hermes table. Hayden and Lillian glanced at each other, and Lillian raised a knowing eyebrow at him. Hayden blushed and lightly nudged her with his elbow.

“Shut up, Lilli-” He mumbled.

“I didn’t say anything,” Lillian said, elbowing him back.

Hayden laughed softly and they walked over to an empty table, also known as the Hades table. Lillian was allowed to sit with him since they annoyed Chiron and Mr. D for so long with their begging that they finally gave in.

“So,” Hayden started as they went to get food. “You get any sign from your mom yet?”

Lillian sighed softly and shook her head. “No, not yet.” She said.

“It’ll happen, man,” Hayden said, nudging her softly with his elbow. “I know it.”

Lillian chuckled weakly and shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe.”

The two walked over to the fire pit and Hayden scraped part of his food into the fire.

“To my deadbeat dad.” He said sarcastically.

Lillian laughed softly and rolled her eyes, walking up to the fire as well. She then scraped some of her food into the fire. “To my mom. Whoever she is.”

As if Hayden could predict the future, a large, glowing symbol then appeared above Lillian’s head. The campers looked around and some gasped. When Lillian looked up, she saw a glowing dove floating above her head. The symbol of Aphrodite. Lillian then looked down at her body and her eyes widened in shock. Her camp t-shirt and jean shorts had been replaced by a white silk dress. She had golden bracelets on her wrists and a beautiful necklace. She then ran her fingers through her hair, finding that it was perfectly done and silky smooth. There was a soft pink aura around her practically making her glow.

“Holy shit…” Hayden mumbled as he looked at her.

Lillian looked around at the campers staring at her and all of a sudden felt extremely uncomfortable. She didn’t like this much attention on her. There were whispers and a few curious glances from boys around her age, and a few girls. Just then a hand gripped her shoulder and started steering her away from the crowd. When Lillian looked behind her, she saw that the hand belonged to Hayden. Despite the odd glow around her, Hayden had noticed Lillian’s uncomfortable state. He always did. They went back to his cabin, away from everyone’s eyes, and went inside.

“You okay?” Hayden asked as he closed the door behind them.

“I don’t like this…” Lillian said, looking at herself in the mirror hanging on Hayden’s wall. “Gods, I'm wearing makeup too?!”

Hayden’s cabin had changed quite a lot throughout the three years that he and Lillian had been friends. Many different fairy lights were hanging from the ceiling and a few different fake vines hanging down the walls. Well, maybe fake. Who knows? Hayden had decorated a bit since Lillian was in there a lot and was afraid of the dark.

Lillian turned back to Hayden, trying desperately to mess up her perfect hair. Every time she messed it up, however, it fell perfectly back into place. She then noticed Hayden had been rather quiet and looked up at him.

“Hayden?”

Hayden was staring at Lillian, his mouth hanging open slightly. A soft pink flushed his cheeks as he looked at her.

“...Hayden? Why are you looking at me like that?” She asked.

Hayden then squeezed his eyes closed and shook his head. “Oh GODS! WHY?!”

Lillian groaned and put her face in her hands. “THAT’S WHY YOU WERE LOOKING AT ME?!”

“IT’S NOT MY FAULT!” Hayden said. “DAMN APHRODITE’S BLESSING!”

“EW!”

“I’M SORRY!”

Lillian groaned and fell face-first onto the bed next to her. She then raised her head slightly and banged it on the mattress repeatedly.

“Lilli-” Hayden said, biting back a laugh as he watched.

“This. Is. Horrible.” She said, banging her head on the mattress with each word.

Hayden couldn’t help but chuckle softly as he watched her. “So, do you wanna go see your new cabin?” He asked, grinning amusedly.

“Not at all,” Lillian responded, her words muffled by the mattress.

Hayden laughed and rolled his eyes. “Well, you’re gonna have to sooner or later.” He said.

“I choose later,” Lillian said.

“You don’t get to. Now get up.”

“But-”

“You’ll be fine.”

Lillian groaned dramatically and got up off the bed. “Fine. But I wanna change first.” She said. “There’s no way I’m going back out in this.”

“But we’re in my cabin,” Hayden said.

“I have clothes in here,” Lillian said.

“What? Since when?”

“Since forever?”

“Why didn’t I know this?”

“Cause you’re stupid.”

“Hey!”

Lillian laughed softly and went over to a drawer, opening it and pulling out a pair of jean shorts, a white t-shirt, and a brown flannel-print overshirt. Hayden turned around and flopped down on his bed to let her change, and got up when she was finished.

“Feel better?” Hayden chuckled.

“A bit,” Lillian said, still pouting slightly.

“Aw, you’re fine,” Hayden said.

The two then left Hayden’s cabin and walked over to the Aphrodite cabin. When they got over and knocked, they were greeted by Selina Beauregard. Selina was the head of the Aphrodite cabin, and very sweet. She smiled down at Lillian. “Hi, Lillian!” She said, smiling. “I’m so glad you came over! I’ll be honest I was kinda hoping you’d be an Aphrodite kid.”

Lillian smiled slightly nervously at Selina’s enthusiasm. “Uh, thanks.” She said, giving her a nervous smile.

“You can come in.” Selina smiled warmly and gestured for her to come inside. Lillian glanced in through the doorway, noting the many bunks filled with other children of Aphrodite, all braiding or brushing their hair or gossiping about their latest crush. She then glanced back at Hayden, giving him a slightly nervous look. 

“Go on,” Hayden said, grinning and crossing his arms. “You’ll be fine.” 

Lillian nodded gently, giving Hayden's forearm a slight squeeze before walking into the cabin. Lillian felt her muscles tense up at the sound of the door closing behind her, her eyes darting around the room. Sure, she had known most of these people for 3 years, but she wasn’t exactly close to any of them. Her only close friends were Hayden and Annabeth.

“We have a couple of empty bunks,” Selina said. “So pick whichever you like.” She then left her to get settled in.

Lillian took a few steps forward, hating the glances she got as she walked toward the back of the cabin. Her eyes eventually settled on a bunk in the very back against the wall. It was more out of sight from the others and provided a small window of privacy. Lillian stepped towards the bed and sat on the edge of it, glancing down and gently swinging her legs in the air for a moment. 

“Hey.” Came a gentle voice,

Lillian looked up, glancing at the bunk across from her. There sat a girl, maybe a year or two older than her. She had lightly tanned skin similar to hers. Genetics, Lillian guessed. She had long, dark chestnut brown hair that fell just above her waist. Her eyes were a warm, caramel-brown color.

“Uhm… hi.” Lillian eventually spoke, her eyes still lowered slightly. 

“You’re… Lillian, right?” The girl asked. “Lillian Romero?”

Lillian responded with a soft nod, gently intertwining her fingers over each other in silence. 

“You got claimed at dinner, didn’t you?” The caramel-eyed girl asked.

Lillian just nodded again, not wanting to say anything. She didn’t want to say the wrong thing.

“Hey, it’s okay.” The girl said, sitting up slightly. “I was nervous too when I got here.” 

“Really?” Lillian said, finally working up the courage to speak. 

“Really” the girl responded with a soft laugh. “You’ll be fine, I promise,” She turned to face her better, revealing a small birthmark on her neck which was essentially a small lighter patch of skin.

“So…” Lillian said, her voice small. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Mia.” The girl said, smiling softly. She had a beautiful smile that seemed comforting, even at the slightest look.

“Mia…” Lillian echoed, her voice soft. “Pretty.”

Mia smiled and laughed softly. “Thank you. Your name is pretty too.”

Lillian couldn’t help but blush softly at the compliment. She wasn’t used to them, especially from older girls like Mia. “Thanks…” She said softly. “Uh… can I ask you something, Mia?”

Mia nodded softly. “Of course, what’s up?”

“This whole… pink- glow, aura thing…” Lillian started. “What is it?”

“The glow, the perfect hair, the makeup, the new outfit you got,” Mia listed. “That’s Aphrodite’s blessing.”

“Aphrodite’s what?”

“Blessing,” Mia said. “Aphrodite’s blessing curses every Aphrodite kid when they get claimed. It basically makes you a walking aphrodisiac.”

“And it’s not a curse .” Came Selina’s voice from her bed. Selina was brushing out her hair for the night. “It’s a blessing . They call it ‘Aphrodite’s Blessing’ for a reason.”

“It doesn’t feel like a blessing…” Lillian said under her breath.

The two girls laughed softly. “Don’t worry, Lillian,” Mia said. “It wears off eventually. The longest it can last is a week.”

“A week ?” Lillian asked, her face full of dread.

“It’s okay,” Selina chuckled softly. “For most people, it only lasts about three days. For girls at least.”

“How long does it last for boys?” Lillian asked.

“For boys, it sticks around for about 6 days,” Selina answered.

“6 days?!” Lillian asked, shocked.

“Yep.” Mia chuckled. “The longest it can last for boys is a week and a half.”

“Oh gods…” Lillian mumbled.

“I guess Aphrodite wanted to torture the boys a bit more than us girls.” Mia chuckled.

“We can hear you guys, you know?” A boy said from a nearby bed. He had shaggy blonde hair, blue eyes, and freckles. “You don’t have to rub it in.”

“It’s not like you guys complain about it.” Mia chuckled. “It means you have girls all over you.”

“And guys,” Selina added, shooting a wink over to the boy who had spoken.

The boy blushed and looked away. “Be quiet, Selina…” He mumbled.

Selina and Mia laughed softly. “You’re fine, Zack.” Mia chuckled. She then leaned over to Lillian. “He and his boyfriend Evan started dating during his blessing.” She explained, receiving an eye roll from Zach.

Lillian nodded and smiled softly, amused by the banter. She was starting to feel comfortable. Mia and Selina seemed nice. So did Zack, but she couldn’t really tell.

“Ignore him, he’s just tired,” Mia added with a slight chuckle as she leaned back on her bunk. “Speaking of, it's been a long day, so I'm going to sleep.” she said as she laid back down on her pillow “You probably should too.”

Lillian sighed softly and nodded, glancing around her bunk for a moment, it was a lot cushier than the bunks at the Hermes cabin, but there was way more people than in Hayden’s cabin. It was kinda crowded. At least it wasn’t as bad as the Hermes Cabin.

Lillian got under the blanket and snuggled into the bed. The bed was extremely comfortable. The blankets were soft and warm. Lillian wondered if they were weighted. She was so comfortable that despite the noise from the campers who were still getting ready for bed, she fell asleep cuddled under the soft blanket.

Chapter Text

Chapter Two

Hayden Gets a “Boyfriend”, and Lillian is Not Pleased

Hayden and Lillian sparred every day. Occasionally at the sparring arena, but usually at that hidden dock. They would get up early and meet up. The sun would still be rising as they started their spar. Hayden swung at her and Lilli blocked, their blades clashing against each other’s. They were taking this round for Lilli to practice something new. Hayden had shown Lilli how to trap his blade between her daggers and disarm him, so she was trying it now. For the sixth time. After a bit of sparring, Hayden swung down at Lilli, but she stopped him with her daggers. 

Hayden looked at where the blades met, seeing that she had trapped his blade. He smirked at her and tried to pull his blade away, but he was stuck. Lillian then pulled back, putting one foot on Hayden’s stomach and pushing him back. Hayden fell back, his blade being pulled from his hands. He tumbled back on to the dock and groaned as his back hit the wood. When he opened his eyes, Lillian dropped down on top of him and held one of her daggers to his neck. Hayden glanced around to see that his sword was stuck in the wood of the dock, 10 feet away from them. Hayden looked up at Lilli, then a wide grin spread across his face.

“Yes!” He laughed. “That was perfect!”

Lilli grinned and sheathed her daggers. “Thanks!” She said, standing up and holding a hand out to Hayden, which he took. 

She pulled him to his feet and he wiped the dust and dirt from his clothes. He then went over to his sword and tugged it out of the wood. He sheathed his sword and turned back to Lilli.

“Christ dude, I'm impressed.” He said, grinning. “I’m gonna have a bruise on my stomach from your kick, but still.”

Lilli laughed softly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to kick you that hard.”

“Nah, it’s okay!” He said, walking back over to her. “You were great, man, but now I really need to go take a shower.”

Lilli laughed and rolled her eyes. “Go, you prissy bitch.”

“Watch your language, child.” Hayden responded, rolling his eyes.

“I’m not a child!”

“Still younger than me.”

“Just go.”

Hayden laughed and turned, walking through the forest and back towards the locker rooms at camp. When he got in there, he was glad to find that it was still empty. It was still pretty earlier in the morning though, so he wasn’t all that surprised. He hung his sword up on one of the hooks and undressed, choosing one of the showers to step into. He turned on the water and let it wash over his body. He was one of those weirdos who could let the freezing water shock his skin and just wait for it to warm up.

About half way through his shower, Hayden heard the door to the locker room open, then close. He sighed to himself as the water ran down his face. He hated being in here with other people. That’s why he always came so early. He continued to shower until he heard a familiar voice.

“Oh, hey Hayden.”

Hayden looked over his shoulder to see Luke entering the shower area, and he felt some tension leave from his shoulders.

“Hi Luke.” Hayden said, running his fingers through his hair to get the rest of the soap out. “What are you doing here so early?”

“Showering?” Luke offered, grinning amusedly. “What else?”

“I guess that’s fair.” Hayden chuckled softly.

Luke stepped closer to the showers, pulling off his shirt and tossing it to the floor. Hayden quickly looked away from him and to the shower floor. He had a massive crush on Luke. He had for years now. He felt a soft blush creep onto his face and just kept showering.

“You alright, Hayden?” Luke asked, stepping in the shower next to the one next to Hayden.

“Uh, yeah, I'm fine…” Hayden said, his face flushed.

Even in the dim light, Luke noticed Hayden’s blush. He smirked softly and laughed. “You sure about that? You seem pretty red.”

Hayden cleared his throat and glanced away. “Yeah, no, I’m fine, i’m just-”

“It’s okay, Hayden.” Luke said, grinning to himself.

Hayden didn’t say anything, but just then he heard Luke’s footsteps on the ground. When he turned around he saw Luke standing only a few feet away from him. Hayden’s face flushed and he quickly looked away, but Luke chuckled softly and tilted his head back up to force him to look at him.

“It’s okay…” Luke said, his voice low. He stepped closer to Hayden, sliding his hand to his cheek, then slowly down his neck.

Hayden shivered as Luke slid hand hand down his neck and to his shoulder. “I… I dunno…” Hayden mumbled.

Luke’s other hand slid to Hayden’s hip and Hayden gasped softly. “It’s okay, Hayden…” Luke whispered, pulling him closer to his body. “Let me take care of you…”

Hayden felt… awkward. Had Hayden enjoyed himself? Sure? He got to have sex with the boy he had had a crush on for years now. But for some reason it left an odd taste in his mouth. He wasn’t gonna complain though. It just made him wonder.

Hayden went back to his cabin and flopped down on his bed. He rolled over onto his back, and after a second the fairy lights in his room flickered on. He sat up and looked around to see Lillian standing by his door.

“A warning could’ve been nice.” Hayden chuckled softly.

“My bad.” Lilli said, grinning.

“You’re fine.” Hayden said, flopping back down onto his back. “What’s up?”

“Not a lot.” Lillian said, sitting on his bed with him. “How was your shower?”

Hayden felt his cheeks warm slightly and he shrugged softly. “It was… good.”

Lilli hummed softly. “Wanna go get some food?”

“Wanna smoke some weed?”

“You know I don’t do that with you.”

“Aw come on.”

“Hayden-”

“I’m messing with you, Lillian.” Hayden chuckled.

“So, what really happened in the showers?” Lillian asked suddenly.

“What?” Hayden said, looking up at Lillian.

“Oh come on, Hayden.” Lillian said, looking down at him. “I can always tell when you’re hiding something from me.”

Hayden hesitated, then sigh softly. “Fine. Something did happen.”

Lillian got more comfortable on the bed and leaned slightly forward, intrigued.

“So… when I was in the shower,” Hayden started. “Luke came in.”

“Luke?” Lilli asked, her eyes widening slightly.

Hayden nodded. “Yeah, Luke. And… we may have-”

“Oh gods, Hayden, don’t tell me-”

“...Then I won't tell you.”

“Haydennn!” Lillian groaned, putting her face in her hand. “Dude, I know you like him, but isn’t he like, 17?”

“...Maybe?” Hayden said, his face flushed.

Lillian groaned again into her hand. “Hayden!”

“What?!” Hayden asked, blushing brightly. “I trust you with this! Just, don’t tell anyone, okay?”

Lillian sighed softly and nodded. “Fine. I won't tell anyone.”

“Thank you, Lilliiii!” Hayden said, smiling up at her.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re welcome.”

The two fell asleep in Hayden’s cabin. They didn’t wake up until 11:45. Lilli woke up first, and when she saw the time, she jumped up and shook Hayden awake. Hayden was reluctant to get up, but he eventually did. They left Hayden’s cabin, Lillian pulling Hayden along behind her, and went over to the dining pavilion for lunch. As they ate, Hayden started waking up from his groggy state, and went back to his normal self.

“Wanna go ride that archery trail with me?” Hayden asked as the two left the pavilion.

“Aw come on, Hayden, you know I'm not good at shooting.” Lillian said. “Let alone while moving.”

“Well, yeah, but you’re great at riding horses.” Hayden said. “Just come down the trail with me. You don’t have to actually do the archery part.”

Lillian sighed and rolled her eyes. “Fine, I'll come.”

“Sweet.” Hayden said, grinning and gently nudging Lilli with his elbow.

The two ran back to Hayden’s cabin to grab his bow and arrow, then went down to the horse stables. There was a brown and white horse there that Lillian always rode named Cookie. Whenever Lilli came to the stables, Cookie was always very excited to see her. Hayden didn’t come to the stables as often, so he didn’t mind which horse he rode. He always liked this black and white horse named Casper, though.

They got to the stables and Lilli went straight over to Cookie, who was neighing happily. “Hey, girl.” Lilli said, petting Cookie’s snout. The horse nuzzled her nose into Lillian’s hand and she smiled. “You feel like going for a ride?

Hayden on the other hand, walked farther down until he found Casper. Casper saw him and calmly turned to face him. Hayden held out his hand and Casper pushed his nose against Hayden’s hand. Hayden smiled softly. “Hi, Casper. You wanna go out? The archery trail?” He said, gently petting Casper’s nose. Casper huffed and stomped excitedly. Hayden chuckled softly. “I was hoping.”

Hayden and Lillian grabbed saddles and harnesses, then went back over to their chosen horses. They strapped the saddles and harnesses on to them, then walked them out of the stables. Technically, campers weren’t allowed to ride the horses until they got to the trails they were planning on going to, but Hayden and Lillian often liked to bend the rules. The two got up on their horses and they started riding them through the campgrounds towards the archery trail, getting a few annoyed yells from campers that had to jump out of the way of the horses.

They got to the trail and stopped right outside of it. The trail was through the forest, and only wide enough for one horse to go in at a time. Single file. Hayden strapped his sling of arrows tighter around his back and held his bow in his left hand.

“You wanna go in first or should I?” He asked, looking over at Lilli.

“You should probably go first.” Lilli responded. “You’ll probably move a lot faster than me.”

“Fair point.” Hayden said, grinning amusedly. He then clicked his tongue and Casper started trotting down the path, followed by Lilli and Cookie. 

Hayden snapped the reins and Casper picked up the pace, starting to gallop down the path and leaving Lillian behind. Lilli had figured this would happen, so she and Cookie just kept up their slow trot. As he sped down the trail, Hayden grabbed an arrow from his sling and loaded his bow. He waited until he saw the first target, which was painted on a tree, aimed, and fired. The arrow stuck directly in the bullseye. 

Hayden got deeper into the forest as he raced along the trail, arrows flying through leaves and sticking themselves in targets. Most stuck right in the bullseye of the target, but he occasionally missed and hit the ring right around it. He was racing along the path when he looked ahead and saw someone on the path. He yelled and pulled back on the reins, Casper rearing up on his back hooves and neighing wildly. Hayden tried to calm Casper down, but he lost his grip on the reins and tumbled off the horse. There was a loud thump as he hit the forest floor and he groaned in pain, holding his shoulder.

“Woah, Hayden, are you okay?” Came Luke’s voice.

Hayden opened his eyes to see Luke kneeling next to him.

“Wha- Luke?” Hayden asked, sitting up and rubbing his shoulder. “Was it you that was standing there?”

“Well, walking,” Luke said. “But yeah.”

“What were you doing walking in a horse trail? Let alone the archery trail!” Hayden asked. “I almost trampled you!”

Luke laughed softly and shook his head. “Yeah, that was my mad.” He said. “I was walking across the trail at the wrong time.”

“That’s why you don’t walk on the horse trails.” Hayden said, rolling his eyes.

Luke chuckled softly, then softly rubbed Hayden’s shoulder. “Are you okay?” He asked. “You took quite the fall.”

Hayden blushed softly as Luke rubbed his shoulder, then nodded. “Yeah… yeah I'm okay.”

Luke smiled down at him, then slowly slid his hand to Hayden’s cheek, holding his face softly. Hayden’s blush brightened slightly as he looked up at Luke. Luke then slowly leaned closer to Hayden so their faces were only inches apart. 

“Luke, what are you-” Hayden started, but he was cut off by Luke.

“Shhh… it’s okay, Hayden…” He whispered. “I know you like me… and I like you…”

Hayden’s blush brightened and his eyes widened slightly. He was about to say something when Luke pressed his lips against his in a soft kiss. Hayden sat there for a second, completely stunned, then his eyes closed and he kissed him back. He slid a hand into Luke’s hair and Luke wrapped an arm around him, slowly pushing him back so he was laying on the forest floor. Luke leaned over him as they kissed, Hayden’s free hand sliding to Luke’s cheek. Luke then pulled back, his forehead pressed against Hayden’s forehead and breathing heavily.

“I want you to be with me, Hayden…” He whispered.

Hayden’s breaths were heavy and slightly shaky. He couldn’t believe what was happening. His long-time crush was actually kissing him, and saying he wanted to be with him. It made his stomach flutter and his heart pound so hard against his chest that he was scared Luke could hear it.

“I-I wanna be with you…” Hayden whispered back.

Luke grinned and pressed his lips against Hayden’s again, this time more aggressive and possessive. Hayden groaned softly as he felt Luke’s tongue slide into his mouth. One of Luke’s hands moved to Hayden’s hip, gripping it softly.

“Are you two serious?” A voice came.

The two boys split apart and looked around to see Lillian staring at them from atop her horse. She looked at Hayden with a slightly disapproving look and he glanced away.

“Hey Lilli-” He said slightly nervously.

Lillian looked at the two for a second, then sighed and rolled her eyes. “Get up off the ground, will you?”

The two boys got up from off the ground and Hayden cleared his throat. He was blushing and not looking at Lilli, lightly picking at the skin around his nails. Luke, on the other hand, was smirking slightly with his arms crossed.

“Sorry you had to see that, Lilli.” He said. “We’ll be more careful.”

Lillian looked at them for a second longer. “So, what? Are you guys like, dating now, or?”

“I guess you could say that.” Luke said, his smirk widening slightly.

Hayden then looked up at Lilli, meeting her gaze. He silently begged her to not say anything. Lillian looked back at him, a judgemental look on her face, but then she sighed. Whatever made her best friend happy.

“Good for you two.” She said, internally cringing at her own words.

“Thanks, Lilli.” Hayden said, relieved. He knew that Lilli was judging the whole thing, but the fact that she wasn’t scolding him meant a lot to him.

Hayden then went over to Casper, who had surprisingly not run away, and climbed on. Lillian and her horse trotted ahead, and Hayden looked back at Luke.

“Do you wanna climb on behind me?” He asked. “I can take you back to camp.”

Luke grinned up at him, then climbed on to the horse behind Hayden. As soon as Luke was secure, Hayden clicked his tongue and they started down the trail, heading back to camp. When they got back and took their horses back to the stables, as soon as they left the stables they ran into Annabeth.

Annabeth was gorgeous, no one doubted it. She had dark skin and hair with blonde highlights, and stormy gray eyes that could either captivate you or scare the socks out of you. It all depended on how she looked at you. Annabeth was wearing an orange camp shirt and blue jean shorts. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, some strands of her hair falling out and in front of her face.

“Luke! Hayden! Lillian!” She called, jogging up to them. “Where were you guys? Chiron just announced a capture the flag match in a few days,”

“He did?” Hayden asked.

“Yeah, and you would’ve known if you guys were around.” Annabeth said, crossing her arms. “Anyways, my point, you guys are on my team.”

“We are?” Lillian asked, exchanging a confused glance with Hayden. 

“Yeah. You are.” Annabeth said matter-of-a-factly.

“Yeah ma’am.” Luke said, grinning down at Annabeth.

Annabeth nodded, a confident smirk on her face, then turned and looked out at the horizon over half-blood hill. “Looks like a storm’s rolling in.”

The others followed her gaze over half-blood hill and saw the darkening sky. Storm clouds were rolling in their direction, and they could see lightning within the clouds. Of course, Camp Half-Blood had a protective shield around it, so the camp didn’t get affected by the weather outside unless it was needed.

“That looks like a big storm.” Hayden said, his eyes fixed on the dark clouds. “Maybe we’ll get some rain.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Three

New Camper? Or New Problem?

Camp didn’t get any rain that night. They got something better. A new camper. A boy named Percy Jackson. No one had seen the boy yet, but many stories were going around about him, including that he had killed the minotaur. Annabeth had been intrigued by the boy as soon as he arrived, so she had volunteered to take care of him in the infirmary. She had been waiting for years to go on a quest, and Chiron had promised her one day a half-blood would come to camp and she would go on a quest with them. Now, every new camper that came, Annabeth would watch closely.

The day after the camper arrived, talk about him spread quickly through camp. Some 12 year old boy named Percy Jackson had killed the minotaur on his first day at camp. Not even his first day, actually. Hayden and Lillian were walking towards the dining pavilion for breakfast and talking about the new camper.

“He’s 12 and he killed the minotaur?” Lillian asked, her mouth slightly agape.

Hayden nodded. “That’s what I heard, yeah.”

“That’s crazy.” Lilli said. “I can believe a 12 year old did that.”

“I know right?” Hayden said, putting his hands in his pockets. “But it makes me wonder, how did all this information get out? Who told everyone-”

“Grover!”

“What-?” Hayden tried to ask, but Lillian was sprinting away.

Hayden’s gaze followed her and he saw that she was running towards Grover. He was back! A wide smile spread across Hayden’s face and he chased after her.

Lilli sprinted down the hill and slammed into Grover, knocking him a few feet back with a hug. “You’re back!”

Grover laughed and hugged her back. “Hi Lillian!” He said, grinning and squeezing her tightly.

The two hugged for a few seconds then split apart, but then Grover was knocked back again by a hug from Hayden.

“We missed you, goat boy!” Hayden said, hugging him tightly.

A soft blush dusted Grover’s cheeks and he hugged Hayden back. “I missed you guys too!”

They hugged for a second longer than Lillian and Grover had, then broke apart. “When did you get back, dude?” Hayden asked, grinning.

“Last night, actually.” Grover said, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Last night?” Lillian asked, sharing a look with Hayden. “Are you that new camper’s protector? Percy Jackson?”

Grover’s smile faltered slightly and he nodded. “Yeah, I am.”

“What’s wrong?” Hayden asked. “You got him here safe, right?”

Grover nodded and glanced away. “Well, yeah, but…”

“But what?” Lillian pushed.

“His mom…” Grover started. “Well-... she didn’t die. I don’t think. But… something happened to her.”

“What do you think happened to her..?” Hayden asked.

Grover was about to say something when Luke’s voice appeared behind Hayden. “Grover! You’re back! I take it you were that Percy Jackson’s protector, huh?”

Luke put his hand on Hayden’s shoulder and pulled him slightly away from Grover, a charming smile resting on his face as he spoke to Grover. His grip on Hayden’s shoulder was oddly tight. Grover just nodded and cleared his throat.

“Yeah, I am.” Grover said. “Speaking of which, I should probably go back to the infirmary to check on him. Nice catching up with you guys.”

Grover’s eyes lingered on Hayden for a split-second longer before he turned and headed off towards the infirmary. Luke’s grip on Hayden’s shoulder then loosened, and it processed in Hayden’s mind how hard Luke had actually been gripping him. He groaned softly and rubbed his shoulder. Lillian looked from Hayden, to Luke, then back to Hayden.

“I’ll… I’ll see you at breakfast, Hayden.” She said, giving the couple an uneasy glance before turning and walking down towards the dining pavilion.

Hayden then turned and looked up at Luke. “Are you okay?” He asked. “You were gripping my shoulder a little hard…”

Luke sighed and rubbed Hayden’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Hayden. I didn’t mean to grab you that hard.”

Hayden nodded softly and put his hand on top of Luke’s. “It’s okay…”

“Just-” Luke then said. “I don’t want you getting… too close to him.”

“Grover?” Hayden asked. “What do you mean? He’s my friend.”

“Hayden, I just don’t want you too close to him…” Luke repeated.

“I-” Hayden looked up at Luke, and his words died in his throat. “Okay…”

“Good.” Luke said, gently running his hand through Hayden’s dark hair. “Now go off and eat breakfast with Lillian. I’ll see you in a bit.”

Hayden nodded and turned, walking off to the dining pavilion. He walked over to the Hades table where Lillian was waiting for him and sat down. He stared down at the table and sighed. He was lost in thought. Why was Luke all of the sudden being so… weird? Why did he want Hayden to not ‘get too close’ to Grover? He’s been friends with Grover for years, ever since he was 9. Why was Luke all of the sudden acting so weird about him?

“Hey.”

Lillian’s voice snapped Hayden out of his thoughts and he looked around at her.

“Yeah?”

“You’re not eating.” She said, gesturing to the plate of food she had collected for him. It was untouched. “What’s wrong?”

“Uh-... it’s nothing.” Hayden said, shrugging.

Lillian sighed and stood up. “Let’s take a walk.”

Hayden sighed softly, then stood up. The two walked from the dining pavilion down towards the big house. There was a big glass dome on the side of it that kinda looked like a greenhouse, but it was used by Mr. D and Chiron when they played cards mostly. They walked around and Hayden happened to glance over towards the ‘greenhouse’ and see a boy in there talking to Mr. D and Chiron. His image was slightly distorted through the glass, but he seemed like he was around the same age as Hayden, and he had curly, dirty blonde hair. He didn’t look familiar.

“Do you think that’s that boy?” Hayden asked, pointing over to the greenhouse. “The boy who killed the minotaur? Percy Jackson?”

Lillian followed his gaze and shrugged. “Maybe. He seems to be talking to Mr. D… good luck to him.”

Hayden laughed softly and rolled his eyes. Just then Hayden noticed another person within the room. “Is Grover in there too?”

Lillian looked back over and saw that Grover was in fact in the room as well. Just then, Chiron and the boy; who was allegedly Percy Jackson, walked out and down towards the lake where the canoes were. Grover then started walking down and towards Hayden and Lillian.

“Hey man,” Hayden said walking towards Grover with Lillian following close behind him. “Was that Percy Jackson?”

Grover nodded. “Yeah, that was Percy.”

“Is everything okay?” Lillian asked.

“Yeah,” Grover said, nodding again. “Chiron’s just giving him a tour and getting him settled into the Hermes Cabin.”

The group chatted and walked down towards the main campus and the cabins. As they walked they saw Chiron and Percy walking towards the Hermes cabin, and Hayden got a good look at him. Percy Jackson had light skin, curly, dirty blonde hair, and blue eyes that practically glowed in the light. They weren’t the same as Hayden’s ice blue, though. They were more of an ocean blue. Gorgeous none-the-less. And there was definitely something about him that peaked Hayden’s interest.

“So that’s what Percy Jackson looks like?” Hayden asked, his eyes following the curly-haired boy.

“Yeah?” Grover said. “Why?”

“No reason, just-” Hayden continued to look after Percy. “He’s setting off some alarms.”

“What alarms?” Grover said, his mind immediately jumping to danger.

“Well, just that-” Hayden started, but he was cut off by Lillian.

“You think he’s gay?” She asked.

“Bi, actually.” Hayden responded.

The two laughed and the tension left Grover’s shoulders as he sighed. “You guys are ridiculous. I don’t know why I hang out with you.”

“Because you love us.” Hayden said, grinning amusedly.

Grover grinned sheepishly, a slight blush tinting his skin. “Yeah, I guess I do…”

Hayden, who didn’t notice the blush at all, turned and started walking. Lillian however, nudged Grover with her elbow, smirking and raising her eyebrows. Grover just blushed and smiled embarrassedly, pushing her elbow away. Lillian knew all about Grover’s crush on Hayden. That was another reason she didn’t really like the whole thing between Hayden and Luke. Not the only reason, but still. The two started walking after Hayden, who was headed towards the Hermes cabin.

“Woah, Hayden, what are you doing?” Grover asked, hurrying up to fall in stride beside Hayden.

“I wanna get a better look at Percy Jackson.” Hayden said simply. Just before they reached the door, however, it swung open and Percy and Luke stepped out. “Oh, hey.”

Percy looked at Hayden, confused and curious, but Luke had a much different look in his eyes. Suspicious? Upset? He then saw Grover next to him, and there was a spark in his eyes.

“What are you doing here, Hayden?” Luke asked, his voice laced with faulty-sweetness. No one could tell it was fake, though. No one but Hayden.

“Uh… I was looking for you.” Hayden said, smiling slightly up at him, but there was that nervous glint in his eyes.

Luke smiled down at him, his hand on Percy’s shoulder. “Well, here I am,” he said. “And this is Percy. Percy Jackson.”

“Hi.” Percy said, holding out a hand.

Hayden took it, shaking hands awkwardly with the boy. “Nice to meet you…” He said.

Lillian noticed when Hayden spoke. Of course, she always noticed when Hayden spoke, but this time it was different. His voice had been smaller and more timid than it usually is. It reminded her of when they were first getting to know each other. When Hayden had been in a very bad spot mentally. It made her nervous, to say the least.

Percy and Luke eventually walked away; Luke showing Percy the rest of camp. The three watched them walk away, then Hayden spoke up. “I’m… gonna go back to my cabin.”

“Hayden, wait-” Lillian started, but Hayden was already hurrying away.

Lillian and Grover watched Hayden walk away, then Grover looked over at Lillian. “There’s something up with him, isn’t there..?” He asked.

Lillian sighed, still looking after Hayden. “You missed a lot while you were gone, Grover…”

Chapter Text

Chapter Four

Capture The Flag Takes a Turn

Hayden and Lillian became friends with Percy quickly. Percy and Hayden had a similar sense of humor, which is the best way to make friends. Lillian went almost everywhere Hayden went, of course, so she had no choice but to become friends with Percy. She wasn’t complaining, though; Percy was a good guy. A little dumb, but a good guy. 

On this day, the annual capture the flag game was happening. Hayden, Lillian, Percy, and Luke were all on Annabeth’s team. Hayden had been assigned to offense, as he was one of the stronger fighters, while Lillian was assigned to defense. Annabeth had considered all factors for Lillian; her ability to disarm others, as well as the blessing of Aphrodite, which was still sticking around. She knew that Lillian would be able to charm her way out of trouble. 

Before they all split up to go to their stations, Hayden leaned over to Percy, nudging him lightly in the arm. “No toilet mishaps today, yeah?” He grinned.

Percy grinned and rolled his eyes, elbowing him lightly. Hayden was referring to the previous night. Clarisse, the token mean girl of camp, had cornered Percy in the bathroom, and Percy had somehow soaked her and her friends with toilet water. Not to mention Annabeth saw the whole thing, and that was the whole reason Percy was on her team for the game.

They soon all split off to their stations. The offense split into smaller groups, four to be specific. Two went through the outskirts of the forest while the other two went through the middle. The defense split into two groups of seven, one surrounding their flag, the other a ways ahead in the forest. Lillian was in the second group, along with her sister Mia.

“I overheard Annabeth telling Luke about her plan.” Mia told Lillain as she leaned against a tree.

“Oh?” Lillian asked, looking up from where she sat on a large rock.

“Yeah, she’s gonna use that Percy boy as a distraction." She said. “She knows Clarisse and her goons will go after him, and they’ll pretty much have a clear shot to their flag.”

“Wait, she’s gonna use Percy as bait?” Lillian asked.

“Would you expect anything else?” Mia chuckled. “It’s Annabeth; she’ll do whatever it takes to win. Besides, I doubt she’d actually go through with this plan if she didn’t think Percy could hold his own.”

“Yeah, I guess you're right,” Lillian shrugged. “Still seems kinda mean, though.”

“Aw, what do you mean?” Mia grinned. “Annabeth’s the sweetest person in the world.”

The two looked at each other for a moment, then laughed.

“Oh yeah, she’s a ray of sunshine.” Lillian joked.

Just then they heard a twig snap, followed by the sound of someone being hit. They tensed and Lillian immediately stood up. Mia, who was in charge of this group, signalled for everyone to have their swords at the ready. They all looked around cautiously for a moment, then a group from the other team jumped out from the bushes, lunging towards them.

Lillian hadn’t been in combat with anyone but Hayden before, and that was just training. Luckily however, they had been working a lot on Lillian’s defense lately. The boy who came at Lillian swung his sword and she quickly ducked under it. She brought her dagger up, hitting the bottom of his sword with the blade, knocking it up, but not out of his hand. She then stood back up and knocked his sword to the side, sending the boy off-balance. Lillian’s reaction time had also gotten better, so she was moving fast. 

The boy stumbled, but regained his balance and swung again. This time, Lillian used the move she had just learned. She trapped the blade of his sword in between her daggers. The boy looked from the blade, to her, then tried to pull it back, but it wouldn’t budge. She then raised her leg and kicked him hard in the stomach, sending his sword flying. By some amazing luck, his sword was sent perfectly into a tree, the blade lodged in the wood. The boy looked at his stuck sword in shock, then back to her. Lillian gave him a grin, and he quickly retreated, followed by the rest of his group. Mia walked up beside Lillian, panting softly from the fight as she looked up at the boy’s sword still lodged in the tree.

“Damn,” She said, letting out an impressed laugh. “That was fucking badass.”

Lillian laughed softly, also breathless. “The sword getting stuck there was just dumb luck.” She said.

“Still awesome.” Mia responded, nudging her lightly in the shoulder.

Lillian smiled and blushed softly at the compliment. “Thanks.”

Meanwhile, deeper in the forest, Hayden was locked in combat with the defense of Clarisse’s team. He was on the ground on his back, holding a boy back with his sword, their blades pressing against each other’s. Clarisse’s team was always out for blood, so Hayden had no time to relax.

The boy on top of Hayden was grinning, his teeth bared. Hayden’s teeth were bared as well, but in frustration and concentration. They had purposely sent an older boy to fight him, knowing that he was a strong fighter. If they had sent someone Hayden’s age, he would’ve easily overpowered them.  Just then the boy was knocked off him and Hayden could finally breathe a moment of relief. He sat up and looked around, seeing that a boy from the Hermes cabin, Chris Rodrigez, was now locked in combat with the boy from the opposing team. Hayden quickly got to his feet and ran, having a clear shot to the flag. 

He grabbed the flag, holding it up over his head. “Let’s go! Let’s go!”

The rest of his team looked around and immediately ran. Clarisse’s team, taking a second to process why everyone had randomly run from their fights, then noticed Hayden had their flag. They all yelled in rage and gave chase.

Hayden ran close to Luke, but not too close that they got in each other’s course. Arrows were flying past their heads as they ran, the yells of the opposing team getting closer and closer. Hayden heard as their team members were tackled and knocked to the ground. Hayden looked over his shoulder to see that he and Luke were the only two left running, still being pursued by three members of Clarisse’s team. One of the boys was gaining on Hayden, and Hayden had nowhere to go.

At the last second, Hayden passed the flag off to Luke, moments before being tackled to the ground by the boy. Hayden growled and hooked his leg around the boys, flipping them over. He hit him with the hilt of his sword, momentarily stunning him. He then got back up and sprinted after Luke. He was now running behind the two other members of Clarisse’s team, his eyes calculating as he watched them. He knew he wouldn’t catch up with them in time to stop them from catching Luke with sword combat.

As he ran, he sheathed his sword and drew out his bow, which had been on his back, along with an arrow. He sped up his running, getting closer as the members of Clarrise’s team, and Luke, started running out of stamina. He managed to get close enough to take his shot. He stopped in his tracks, aiming his bow and arrow. The two were still running after Luke, so they were getting farther, but Hayden was a near perfect shot. He released his arrow, sending it straight through the fabric of the shirt on the person on the left. The force of the arrow pulled them slightly and the arrow stuck in a tree, trapping them there.

Hayden grinned triumphantly and started sprinting again, chasing after the other person. He drew another arrow as he ran, but he wouldn’t catch up to get a proper shot like he had last time. He just had to take the shot. He kept running, but swapped arrows, pulling out an arrow that Annabeth had given him before the game. This arrow was modified by the Hephaestus cabin; when you shot it, a net would spring from the end of it, trapping whoever it was headed towards.

Hayden stopped running, aiming his bow. This was a long shot, and he had no idea if this would really work or not. Despite his doubts, he took the shot. The arrow soared through the forest and towards the opposing team member. The end of the arrow then sprung open and a net wrapped around the person’s body, tripping them up and making them fall hard to the ground. 

Hayden yelled in jubilation, hurrying past them to try and catch up with Luke. He was a little too far behind however, so by the time he caught up, the conch was being blown and Luke was planting the flag in the rocks by the lake. Everyone was cheering, chanting Luke’s name. Hayden took a moment to catch his breath before hurrying down to the riverside, throwing his arms around Luke and yelling happily.

Luke grinned and wrapped an arm around Hayden’s shoulders, hugging him in return. “Thanks for the help back there.” He said, grinning down at Hayden.

Hayden smiled up at him, clearly just as excited about their win as anyone else. Luke laughed at his expression, then lifted Hayden up onto his shoulders, cheering himself. Eventually the cheering died down and Luke set Hayden back down on his feet. There was then a loud splash, drawing Hayden’s attention.

“Wbat is wrong with you?!” Came Percy’s voice. Percy was sitting in the lake, having been pushed by Annabeth.

People started looking over at the interaction, watching as Percy stumbled to his feet in the water. They then watched in surprise and confusion as the cuts and scratches on Percy’s body started to heal themselves, disappearing from his skin. Percy looked just as confused as anyone else, watching in shock as his cuts disappeared. Percy looked from his now clean arm to Annabeth.

“I don’t understand…” He said, looking at Annabeth as if she had the answer.

As if on cue, a glowing trident appeared above Percy’s head, earning gasps from the crowd watching.

Annabeth looked at the trident above Percy’s head, a slight smile forming on her face. “Your dad’s calling.”

Percy looked from the trident, to Annabeth, over at Hayden and Luke, then to Chiron.
“You have been claimed by Poseidon,” Chiron began. “Earthshaker, Stormbringer.”

Everyone was looking at Percy in shock, some people’s mouths slightly agape.

“Percy Jackson; son of Poseidon.”

That night, Hayden, Lillian, and Grover were in Hayden’s cabin. There was then a knock on the cabin door and Hayden quickly jumped up, opening the door. Percy stood there, looking slightly disheveled.

“About time you got here.” Hayden said, ushering Percy inside.

“Sorry,” Percy said, sitting down on the floor beside Grover, his back against the frame of Hayden’s bed. “Chiron wanted me to move all my stuff from the Hermes cabin.”

“How is the new cabin?” Lillian asked, who was sitting on the floor across from Percy and Grover.

“It’s… empty.” Percy sighed. “And kinda cold.”

“You wanna tell us what happened back in the forest, or?” Hayden asked, sitting up on his bed.

“Oh yeah,” Percy said. “So basically, Annabeth left me stranded in the forest without telling me what I was supposed to be doing.”

“Sounds about right.” Hayden commented, earning chuckles from Grover and Lillian.

“I was out there for what felt like hours, when Clarisse and her band of bullies showed up and decided ‘oh look! The new kid! Let’s beat the crap out of him!’” The three laughed softly at Percy’s sarcasm, then Percy continued. “So we got down to the beach and I broke Clarisse’s staff thingy-”

“You broke her spear???” Lillian asked, her eyes wide in shock. “Dude, that was like, her pride and joy. She’s gonna be out for blood now!”

“Oh, wow, great. Thanks for making me feel better.” Percy said sarcastically. “Anyways, once the conch blew, Annabeth turned out to have been there the entire time, just watching instead of helping me.”

“Yeah, seems about right.” Hayden said. “She’s had her eye on you, man. Turns out she was right.”

“What do you mean?” Percy asked.

“Annabeth watches every new camper like a hawk,” Hayden explained. “She was told when she was younger that some day a camper would arrive, and she’d go on a quest with them.”

“A quest?” Percy asked.

“A Hero’s Quest.” Lillian said. “It’s where three campers are sent to do the bidding of the Gods. She’s wanted to go on one since I met her.”

“Oh,” Percy said. “Well, I guess that explains why she’s been stalking me.”

Hayden then got up from his bed, reaching under it and dragging out a cooler. “Well, since you’re our friend now, and in case you don’t wanna sleep in your new, cold cabin,” He opened the cooler and grabbed a Dr Pepper can, handing it to Percy. “How about staying in here with us for the night?”

“Like a sleepover?” Percy asked, cracking open the soda can. “I’ve never had a sleepover before.”

“Aww, baby’s first sleepover!” Hayden teased, earning a punch in the arm from Percy.

The group stayed up for a while, talking and sharing their capture the flag experiences from the day.

“You used that disarm on someone??” Hayden asked Lillian, clearly excited.

“Yeah!” Lillian said. “And his sword got stuck in a tree!”

“Dude, that’s sick!” Hayden said, wrapping an arm around Lillian’s shoulders proudly.

Hayden then told them about his crazy shots with his arrow, earning shocked gasps.

“Dude, through the shirt?!” Grover asked. “Did you hit them?!”

“No!” Hayden said, shocked with his own skill. “It literally just went right through the fabric!”

After a while, and after many sodas drank, Percy and Grover fell asleep on the floor. Hayden and Lillian were still awake, lying together on Hayden’s bed. Hayden had his arms around Lillian’s waist, her back pressed to his chest.

“Hayden?” Lillian asked, her voice soft as to not wake up the other boys.

“Yeah?” Hayden responded.

“...Are you okay?” She asked. “You know… with Luke?”

Hayden looked at her, slightly surprised at the question. “What do you mean?” He asked.

“Well, just… the day we met Percy, you two had this… tension between you two.” Lillian said. “You seemed… scared, I guess.”

“Oh…” Hayden said, remembering the interaction.

“Look, I'm not trying to assume anything,” Lillian said softly, turning to look over her shoulder. “But… is everything okay..?”

“Everything’s fine, Lilli.” Hayden said. “Really…”

Lillian looked at him for a moment, then sighed and turned back over. “Okay…” There was a moment of quiet before Lillian spoke again. “I love you, Hayden…”

“Yeah…” Hayden responded, his voice soft. “I love you too…”

Chapter Text

Chapter Five

Hayden and Lillian Sneak Out. You Know, For Fun

“Percy’s selection ceremony?” Hayden asked. “That’s going on right now?”

“Yeah,” Lillian said as she cleaned one of her daggers. “He’s going on a hero’s quest to save the world and junk, it’s probably a good idea for him to bring some friends.”

Hayden chuckled softly, sitting up on his bed. “Oh no, cause I was thinking he could go alone.”

The two were in Hayden’s cabin, windows all closed, but fairy lights illuminating the room. They had just finished picking up all the soda cans and snack wrappers from around the cabin. If they didn’t know any better, they’d think someone threw an impromptu party the night before instead of just a sleepover.

Despite his better judgement, Hayden was a little nervous about Percy’s selection ceremony. He had a feeling Percy was gonna take Annabeth with him on his quest, and Annabeth wasn’t the easiest person to get along with. He didn’t exactly want the new kid to be driven crazy the week after he got to camp.

“Oh come on, she’s not that bad.” Lillian said, as if reading Hayden’s thoughts.

“Dude, how do you always know what I'm thinking?” Hayden asked.

“It’s a gift.” Lillian replied, grinning amusedly.

Hayden chuckled and rolled his eyes. As if on cue, Annabeth burst through the doors of Hayden’s cabin, making the two jump.

“Gods, Annabeth!” Lillian said, her hand over her heart. “You scared the shit out of us!”

Annabeth didn’t say anything, but she closed the door behind her. She turned to look at the two again, who were looking at her expectantly.

“...Well?” Hayden asked.

“I’m going.” Annabeth said, holding back her true excitement. “I’m going on a quest.”

“Oh my gods, I knew it.” Hayden chuckled.

“Yeah, it’s uh…” Annabeth said, clearly struggling to find appropriate words.

“It’s okay, you can be excited.” Lillian said, grinning. “You know, before you have to be all mean and bossy when you leave.”

“Okay good,” Annabeth said, letting out a breath. “I have been waiting for this for years! I knew he was gonna be the one to take me on a quest! I knew as soon as he blew up that toilet in the bathroom!”

“Choose your words a little differently there.” Hayden said, grinning amusedly.

Annabeth just groaned in excitement. “You have no idea how important this is to me!”

“Oh, I think we have an idea.” Hayden said, grinning amusedly over at Lillian, who grinned back.

“Where do you guys have to go?” Lillian asked, looking back to Annabeth.

“We have to get to the Underworld.” Annabeth explained. “It’s in California. We think Hades stole Zeus’ lightning bolt.”

Hayden groaned softly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Of course…”

“Grover also thinks Percy’s mom is in the Underworld.” Annabeth said.

Hayden and Lillian looked up at her, surprised.

“In the Underworld?” Lillian asked. “Like, alive in the Underworld?”

Annabeth nodded. “He said that when the minotaur ‘killed her,’ her body crumbled into dust.”

“Oh yeah, that’s not normal for a mortal.” Hayden said.

“I know,” Annabeth said, her words calculating. “We think that Hades saved her life before the minotaur could kill her.”

“And zapped her to the Underworld.” Lillian said, nodding softly. “Yeah, that would make sense. But why would he do that?”

“I don’t know,” Annabeth said. “Maybe for leverage. Or bait for Percy.”

“Well, if it’s bait, what would his plan be?” Lillian asked.

“I don’t know.” Annabeth responded. “Maybe a threat? Or a trade offer? Like, he keeps the bolt and he gives Percy back his mom.”

“Yeah that’d-” Lillian started, but she was cut off by Hayden.

“Okay, can we please stop talking about my dad?” He asked, running an exasperated hand through his hair.

“Oh, right, sorry.” Lillian said sheepishly.

“It’s fine…” Hayden muttered, glaring down at the floor. He already hated his dad enough to hear more about how horrible he was.

There was a moment of awkward silence between the three until Lillian broke it again. “Uh, do you know who the second person Percy’s gonna bring is?”

“He’s bringing Grover.” Annabeth answered.

Hayden looked up, raising his eyebrows in surprise. “Grover???”

“Yeah,” Annabeth said. “He’s his best friend, and his protector. He thought there wasn’t a better choice.”

“Oh yeah, I guess that makes sense.” Hayden said, but there was a hint of nervousness in his voice.

“Yeah, well, I should probably get packing.” Annabeth said, headed towards the door. “I’ll see you guys when we get back.”

“You seem awfully confident.” Hayden said, smirking slightly at her.

“As long as they listen to me, we’ll make it back alive.” Annabeth said before leaving the cabin and closing the door.

There was a moment of silence in the cabin, then Hayden turned to Lillian.

“You know we’re going with them, right?”

“I would expect nothing less.”

Hayden and Lillian packed bags that night, having to be rather stealthy about it. Only three Demigods were technically allowed to go on quests, so they were breaking some rules here. Hayden was packing his bag when there was a knock on his cabin door. He jumped and quickly shoved his bag under his bed before going over to the door and swinging it open. He looked up to see Luke standing there.

“Oh, hi Luke.” Hayden said, stepping aside and letting him inside.

“Hey,” Luke said as he stepped inside. Hayden closed the door behind him, then Luke grabbed his hips and pulled him close. “I never got to properly thank you for your aid in the capture the flag game.” He said,  grinning down at Hayden.

Hayden chuckled softly, then Luke pressed his lips to his. Hayden gently kissed him back before pulling away. “Well, you’re welcome.” He said.

Luke released his hips and looked around the cabin, noticing the bag sloppily shoved under Hayden’s bed. “What’s that?”

Hayden’s eyes widened and he quickly kicked the bag farther under his bed. “Nothing-”

Luke raised an eyebrow. “Hayden…”

Hayden looked up at him slightly nervously, then sighed. “Okay, me and Lillian are following Percy and Annabeth on their quest-”

“You’re what?” Luke asked, shocked.

“Please, please, please don’t tell anyone!” Hayden said, grabbing on to Luke’s shirt. “We’re going to help them, they’re our friends.

Luke looked down at Hayden, his eyes calculating as he slid his hands to Hayden's hips. “You know, Grover’s going with them…”

Hayden felt a small pang of nervousness in his stomach. “Uh… yeah, I know-” He said, feeling Luke’s grip on his hips tighten. “But I’ll stay away from his as much as I can, I promise-”

Luke looked down at him, his eyes slightly cold. Hayden could feel a lump in his throat as he looked up into Luke’s dark eyes. Luke then sighed and his shoulders slumped slightly.

“Fine. You can go.” He finally said.

Hayden breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, wrapping his arms around Luke in a hug. “Thank you.”

“But you better keep your word,” Luke said, holding him tight against his chest. “Stay away from him…”

“I will, Luke…” Hayden said softly.

“Good.” Luke said before letting him go and holding his shoulders instead. He ran his fingers through Hayden’s dark hair. “I won’t tell anyone about you guys leaving.”

Hayden smiled softly, leaning in to Luke’s touch, “You’re the best…”

Just then someone cleared their throat and the two looked around. Lillian had slipped into the cabin without them even noticing.

“How long have you been standing there?” Hayden asked.

“Long enough.” Lillian said.

Luke laughed softly and released Hayden’s shoulders. “Well, good luck you two.” He said, heading towards the door. He gave Hayden a quick smile before slipping out of the cabin and closing the door behind him.

Lillian watched him go, then turned back to Hayden. “Seriously?”

“What?” Hayden asked, grabbing his bag from under the bed.

“‘Fine, you can go?’” Lillian quoted Luke, dumping her bag on Hayden’s bed. “Now he’s telling you what you can and can’t do?”

“What? No, of course he’s not!” Hayden said, trying to brush Lillian’s words off as a joke.

“He’s telling you what you can and can’t do, and trying to keep you away from one of your best friends!” Lillian said, exasperated. “You’re not actually gonna stay away from Grover, are you?!”

“No, of course not!” Hayden said. “My boyfriend doesn’t tell me what I can and can’t do.”

Lillian cringed lightly at the word ‘boyfriend.’ “Gods, Hayden…” She mumbled under her breath.

“What?” Hayden asked defensively.

“Nothing.” She muttered.

“Fine.” Hayden said, zipping up his bag as he finished packing. “Let’s just go to bed so we’re ready for tomorrow…”

“Fine.” Lillian muttered back.

“Come on, come on.” Hayden said in a hushed voice as they hid behind trees and bushes.

They followed Percy and Grover at a distance as they headed out of camp, stopping near Thalia’s tree. Annabeth was standing near it, probably saying bye. Hayden and Lillian hid behind nearby, overgrown bushes and trees, trying to listen in on what they were saying.

“The most powerful being in the universe’s best idea to save his daughter’s life…” They heard Percy start. “Was to turn her into a tree?”

Hayden let his head fall forward as he heard that, Lillian rubbing the bridge of her nose.

“She was the bravest demigod I ever knew.” Annabeth said, walking up to the boys. “She fought valiantly, and she met a hero’s fate.”

“She met a pinecone’s fate.” Percy responded.

“Oh, Percy, no…” Hayden mumbled under his breath.

“Forbidden children are always in danger,” Annabeth said, clearly upset now. “Even the strongest ones, even Thalia. And you are not Thalia.” She glared at Percy. “Do exactly as I say, and maybe you survive this. Are we clear?”

There was a moment of silence before Annabeth turned and started walking.

“...Does she think she’s in charge?” Percy asked as he and Grover started following behind Annabeth.

“Who’d you think would be in charge?” Grover asked.

“I guess I assumed we’d do a show of hands or something.” Percy shrugged.

Their voices started growing quieter, so Hayden and Lillian knew they were moving. They waited for a moment before starting to follow them.

The trip back to New York City was kinda long, a lot of walking, not to mention the struggle of getting a taxi to follow Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, all while not being seen by them. Once they got to the city, they got out of their taxi and continued their pursuit on foot.

“I feel like such a stalker.” Lillian said as they walked.

“But isn’t that the fun of it?” Hayden joked, grinning amusedly.

Lillian chuckled and elbowed him in the arm. “So, when are we gonna reveal that we’re here?” She asked.

“When they can’t send us back to camp and have no choice but to take us with them.” Hayden grinned.

The moment came pretty soon, as they ended up following them to a bus station. They stayed at a distance until the three got on a bus headed towards California. They quickly went over and got on the bus as well, Grover being the first one to notice them once they sat down.

“What are you two doing here???” Grover asked, drawing the attention of the other two.

“Hayden? Lillian?” Annabeth asked, her eyes widening. “Why the hell are you guys here???”

“Road trip?” Hayden offered, grinning.

“Oh, hell yeah.” Percy said, sharing a high-five with Hayden over the back of his chair.

“You guys can’t be here,” Annabeth said. “You have to go back to camp.”

As if on cue, the bus doors closed and they started to move. “A little too late for that now.” Hayden grinned.

Annabeth looked from Hayden, to Lillian, then to Percy and Grover. She then groaned and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms.

“Guess there’s no turning back now.”