Chapter Text
Percy had been missing for three days when a chariot crashed into the lake. It was the dead of winter, brittle and cold everywhere else but surprisingly warm and cozy at Camp. It was supposed to be a normal day, a good one even. Annabeth and Butch had left the night before to go on a search for Percy, saying that she received a vision from Hera. Aurelia was decidedly not allowed to accompany them. One missing Poseidon kid was enough, Chiron felt that there was no need to potentially endanger another one (the only other one). And with Dionysus gone, there was no one else left to protest or override his decision, much to her chagrin.
She felt useless. Her brother was missing, gone, just disappeared from their cabin three nights ago, and she was expected to sit and do nothing. It sucked. Every minute she had waited for the Annabeth and Butch to return felt like a millennia.
And then the chariot crashed into the lake. She started running before she even knew what was happening. And then the lake spat out five people. Butch and Annabeth, she recognized, and three others. Two boys and a girl. No Percy.
The three strangers were probably around her age, maybe a year older, she got good at identifying ages at camp. The girl was pretty, a little taller than her. Tanned skin, choppy dark brown hair, eyes that reminded her of a kaleidoscope. She drew Aurelia in without even trying. She had indigenous features, which were a little rarer at camp, maybe Cherokee or Navajo.
One of the boys was the same height as the girl. Even soaking wet, he had a mischievous grin on his face, his hands were constantly fidgeting. He had black hair, curly even when wet, and dark brown eyes that made him look like he had consumed way too many energy drinks. He was Latino, Mexican-American if she were to guess. She’d grown up around a lot of them, and he reminded her of them so much her heart hurt.
The last boy was… well, he was tall. Blonde close-cropped hair, piercing blue eyes that reminded her a little too much of Thalia, and he was built. Like, unfairly so. He looked like a statue had come to life.
“ANNABETH!” She cried out, by the time she reached the shore, there was already a good crowd of campers surrounding them. “BUTCH– WHERE IS HE? I thought–”
She shoved her way through the crowd, grabbing Annabeth by the arms, not even getting a little damp from the water.
“Aurelia, slow down,” Annabeth started, “we didn’t find him. She tricked me. He wasn’t there.”
“Are you serious? You have to be kidding me- what the hell- gods fucking-” Aurelia started cursing under her breath, her hands falling from the other girl’s arms and clenching at her sides. She took a breath, a very shaky one, and tried to center herself, looking at the three strangers who were just… staring at her now. “Who are these guys? They’re way older than thirteen, they should’ve been claimed by now.”
“Claimed?” The shorter boy asked.
Before her or Annabeth could start explaining, Will pushed his way through and guffawed at the wreckage of the chariot. “Annabeth! I said you could borrow the chariot, not run it into the lake and wreck it!”
“Will, shut up, more important things happening right now.” Aurelia snipped at him, he gestured wildly at the wreckage and then just threw his hands up in frustration, stomping towards the wreck to survey the damage.
“Can someone please answer our questions? Like, what is this place, why are we here, how long do we have to stay?” The blonde guy finally spoke up, frustration brimming in his voice.
“Jason,” Annabeth started, okay his name was Jason, good to know, “I promise we’ll answer your questions. And Aurelia, these ‘guys’ are the our newest arrivals. Please don’t bite any of them. I don’t think they’ll wrestle with you like Percy does– did.”
“Okay, that answers like none of my questions, ‘beth. And no promises. But whatever. Alright! You three! Names? Ages? Favorite Star Wars character?” Aurelia turned to them expectedly. “I can’t keep calling you thing one, thing two, and thing three.”
The brunette stepped forward, still shivering but with a look in her eye. “Piper, 15, obviously Satine. Can you tell us what being claimed means? And also who are you?”
“Oh! You know ball! Alright, that’s sweet. My name’s Aurelia and–” She was about to answer the girl, Piper’s question when suddenly they were all bathing in a red light. Gasps wrung out from the campers, and for a second, Piper looked scared. Above the curly haired guy’s head was a blazing holographic image of a fiery hammer. “That- that is claiming.”
“What’d I do?” The boy stammered out, backing towards the lake, before glancing up and yelping. “Is my hair on fire?” He ducked and tried to weave, but the symbol followed him, moving along with him, it was funny.
“Okay, slow down–” Aurelia started, “You just got claimed–”
“By a god,” The blonde, Jason, interrupted. “That’s the symbol of Vulcan, right?”
Everyone’s eyes turned towards him. Aurelia stared at him inquisitively.
“Jason, right?” She started, continuing when he nodded. “How’d you know that?”
“I don’t know.”
“Vulcan?” The shorter guy demanded. “I don’t even LIKE Star Trek. What are you guys talking about?”
Aurelia snorted at his indignation.
“Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaestus,” she said, “the god of blacksmiths and fire. Not a Star Trek reference, I fear.”
The fiery hammer faded, but the boy kept swatting at the air like he thought it was still following him. “The god of what? Who? Lady– you’re making like zero sense right now.”
Annabeth chose that moment to step back into the conversation. “Alright, how about we all calm down. Aurelia, this is Leo. The other guy is Jason. And Piper already introduced herself.” She said, gesturing at each person while she spoke. “Will, can you please take Leo and give him a tour? Introduce him to his bunk-mates in Cabin Nine.”
Will sighed at her. Dramatically. “Sure, Annabeth. You still owe me for the chariot.”
“What’s Cabin Nine?” Leo sputtered. “I’m not a Vulcan!”
“Come on, Mr. Spock, I’ll explain everything.” Will said, placing a hand on the other boy’s shoulder and steering him toward the cabins.
Annabeth and Aurelia turned their attention back to Jason. Aurelia gave him a more in depth onceover, breath hitching when she saw the marks on his arm. Annabeth must have seen them too because she said, “Hold out your arm.”
Jason, for his part, did. On the inside of his right forearm was a tattoo. It was darkly etched and impossible to miss. A dozen straight lines like a bar code, and over that was an eagle with the letters ‘SPQR’.
“What the fuck is that.” Aurelia said flatly. “Where did you get a tattoo? You’re what? 15?”
“What Aurelia meant to say,” Annabeth nudged her, harshly, “is that we’ve never seen marks like this before. Where did you get them?”
Jason shook his head. “I’m getting really, really tired of saying this, but I don’t know.”
Other campers crept forward, clearly trying to get a look at Jason’s tattoo. When they got too close to crowding them, Aurelia made the lake surge a little bit. Which got them to back off a little. But now, Jason and Piper were giving her a funny look.
“They look burned into your skin.” Annabeth noted.
“They were,” Jason said. Then he winced like he suddenly got a headache. “I mean… I think so. I don’t remember.”
That sounded… really suspicious.
“Okay, he needs to go straight to Chiron,” Annabeth decided. “Aurelia would you–”
“Uh– are you sure? I feel like you’d be better suited for this– and plus Chiron likes you better!” Aurelia stammered out, not really wanting to be left alone with the guy. And… she wanted to get to know Piper more.
“Aurelia.” Annabeth sighed, pinching her nose bridge. “What did you do- Never mind. No, I don’t want to know. Take him. I need to give Piper a tour.”
“This is so unfair. What if I want to give Piper a tour?” Aurelia snipped back.
Annabeth rolled her eyes and pushed the two of them forward. “Go, you can talk to her later.”
Aurelia stumbled for a second before catching herself and huffing. “Fine. Okay, monopolize the pretty girl. I see how it is.” She grabbed Jason’s forearm and walked towards the Big House, “C’mon, Captain America. Annabeth’s orders.”