ELLE WAS SURE THAT she was losing her mind. If having no memory and hallucinating her past wasn't enough evidence, then hearing voices certainly was.

From the moment she stepped onto the chariot, she heard two voices. They were talking in hushed tones, making it impossible for Elle to make out what they were saying. Elle looked around to see if anyone else heard them, but it seemed she was the only one. It probably had something to do with the stupid flashbacks she kept getting.

They faded once the chariot took off, leaving Elle to assume she simply needed psychiatric help.

Standing by the edge of the chariot, Elle watched the Arizona scenery fly by below them. Her head reeled, and she thought she might vomit. She couldn't remember the exact reason, but Elle knew she hated heights.

Elle jolted in surprise when she felt a warm hand slip into her cold one. Turning her head, her eyes landed on Jason, who was gazing at her with worried eyes — except this time, Elle knew they weren't just for her. He was worried about himself too.

It was comforting; knowing that she wasn't alone in this confusion.

She squeezed his hand once before releasing it. Neither smiled because neither was going to lie and say there was a reason to. They were lost, but they were lost together, and maybe that would be enough.

Elle wanted to get to know him. Maybe they could play one of those cringy icebreaker games. She wanted nothing more than to say so, but Elle knew now wasn't the time.

Feeling as though someone was watching them, Elle looked up to see Annabeth observing her curiously. She was usually good at reading people, but Annabeth had an expression on her face that was impossible for the girl to pick apart.

Her eyebrows were knitted together, lips pressed, showing Elle she was deep in thought — but what she was thinking, Elle didn't know. The way she stood, gripping the hilt of her knife in one hand, and clutching the chariot edge with the other, made it obvious that she was anxious and on edge. Her stormy eyes held confusion and hurt as they scanned Elle up and down.

When she realized that the brunette had caught her watching her, Annabeth didn't shy away. Instead, she said, "So you don't remember anything?"

Elle shook her head. "Nothing. I woke up this morning on a school bus next to Jason. It didn't take long for us to realize that we didn't belong there."

"But that's impossible," Piper spoke up. Just before they'd taken off, Annabeth had passed the girl a First Aid kit and wrapped her sprained wrist. While her hand may have been doing better, Piper clearly felt miserable. She looked distressed from both the Jason/Elle situation and being attacked by literal wind. "You and Jason have been attending the Wilderness School with us since the first day! You just have amnesia or something. We'll fix it."

Elle knew the girl meant well, but she wasn't sure how to tell her that she was in a terrible state of denial. It was clear that Elle and Jason did not attend the Wilderness School, nor were they dating. Whoever Annabeth and Butch were, Elle came from their world.

"Elle... you've been... gone since August," Annabeth said hesitantly.

"'Gone'? What do you mean 'gone'?" Elle's voice raised slightly, and she felt the back of Jason's hand brush her own. "How do you know me?"

"I've known you since we were twelve," Annabeth answered, dodging the first question. Her voice was pained, and she looked like she was going to break down any second.

Elle's heart dropped. It was a terrible feeling, when someone you didn't even recognize knew you better than you know yourself. If Elle's life was a book, it was as though someone had torn out every page. Except for today, where they'd instead taken a pen and scribbled.

The only thing she managed to say was, "But... you're older than me, right? So how could we have both been twelve?"

Annabeth's hand tightened on her knife. "It's a lot to explain."

"This is so cool!" Leo exclaimed, not having heard the previous conversation. "Where are we going?"

"A safe place," Annabeth responded, tearing her eyes from the brunette. "The only safe place for kids like us. Camp Half-Blood."

"Half-blood?" Piper questioned defensively. Her eyes flared red — literally — as she glared at Annabeth. "Is that some kind of bad joke?"

Jason said, "She means we're demigods. Half god, half mortal."

Annabeth looked at the blond. "You seem to know a lot, Jason. But, yes, demigods. My mom is Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Butch here is the son of Iris, the rainbow goddess."

Leo choked. "Your mom is a rainbow goddess?" he snickered.

"Got a problem with that?" Butch said.

"No, no," Leo responded, doing a poor job of wiping the smile from his face. "Rainbows. Very macho."

"Butch is our best equestrian," Annabeth said. "He gets along great with the pegasi."

"Rainbows, ponies," Leo muttered.

"I'm gonna toss you off this chariot," Butch warned.

"Do you..." Elle spoke up. "Do you know who my parent is?"

The same anxious expression returned to Annabeth's face. "Elle, you—"

At that moment, lightning flashed, shaking the chariot. Everyone stumbled as Jason yelled out, "Left wheel's on fire!"

Instinct kicked in as Elle tore off her sweatshirt. Without a second thought, she leaned over the side, batting out the white-hot flames. While it put out the fire, the damage had already been done as the wheel broke off the chariot and shattered on the ground below them.

Elle tossed her ruined sweatshirt to the chariot floor. Patting the pocket of her shorts, Elle felt the familiar shape of her pen.

Piper glanced behind them, before frantically looking at Annabeth. Elle followed her gaze to see dark shapes forming in the clouds: storm spirits. "Why are they—?"

"Anemoi come in different shapes," Annabeth said. "Sometimes human, sometimes stallions, depending on how chaotic they are. Hold on. This is going to get rough."

With a flick of the reins, the pegasi put on a burst of speed. Elle stumbled back as the chariot shot forward. Her vision blurred, went black, then returned to normal.

When her eyesight finally adjusted, they were in a completely different place.

Deep grey ocean stretched to their left. The snow covered land seemed to go on for miles, the roads weaving together, the forests seemingly endless. Below them was a green valley, and in the valley were clusters of Ancient Greek-like temples, sports courts, a lake, a big blue mansion, and a rock wall that appeared to be spewing lava.

Elle was struck with a familiar sense of dejá-vu. She knew this place. The closer they got to the snow-coated valley, the stronger Elle's feeling of comfort grew.

Home, she thought. The word felt like an adjective for this place.

Before she could be swept into another vision, the chariot shuttered, and with a loud clunk, the wheels came off and the chariot dropped out of the sky.

Butch and Annabeth tried to keep everything in control, but with the pegasi panicking and zigzagging through the sky, it was a lost cause.

"The lake!" Annabeth yelled. "Aim for the lake!"

At first, Elle wanted to scream Are you crazy?! Then, she realized it was their only option. If they hit the hard ground, the impact would kill them. But if they crashed now, where the water was deep and they weren't too high up, they had a strong chance of surviving.

She shut her eyes tight, bracing herself for what was to come.

Three... two... one — BOOM.

The moment Elle hit the water, panic filled her. She began to thrash and released a scream, fighting for the surface.

A sudden memory struck her. One of water filling her lungs as black spots danced across her vision.

Elle began to kick her way up, keeping her mouth shut tight. She wouldn't risk losing any more oxygen.

Through the murky, green water, faces appeared. Girls with long black hair and glowing yellow eyes smiled at her, nodding their heads in respect before grabbing her shoulders and pulling her from the water.

Gently, they placed her on the shore's edge. Elle was shaking and heaving, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. She stared in horror at the seemingly bottomless lake.

It seemed she was not only afraid of heights, but of the water as well.

The girl had only been out of the water for mere seconds before Jason's hand was in hers, pulling her to her feet.

He was soaking wet. He must have taken the windbreaker off at some point and left it in the lake, seeing as it was nowhere in sight. His shirt clung to his chest in a way that highlighted the muscles in his arms and stomach. Despite being exposed in a rather revealing way, his concern went to Elle.

"You alright?" he asked.

Something about the way his eyes burned into her own made Elle uneasy. Not necessarily a bad uneasy...

Shut up.

She nodded, her heartbeat beginning to slow. The girl offered him a small smile of thanks. "Yeah. Are you?"

He nodded in response before scanning her up and down, searching for injuries. When he found none, Jason said, "We should go get the others."

His hand slipped from hers, but seemed to freeze at the last second. Gently pulling her toward the group, his fingertips still clung to her own.

Gasps echoed through the valley. Elle turned, gaze landing on at least twenty campers, ranging from the ages eight to nineteen. Every one of them stared at the two in horror, eyes wide with shock. Whispers broke out among them.

Elle felt uncomfortable. Shifting uneasily, she pulled her hand from Jason's. There was too much attention on her — she couldn't handle any more.

The two reached Leo, Piper, and Annabeth, who were standing dripping wet with blankets around their shoulders and kids milling around them.

"You guys okay?" Leo turned to her. He didn't look worried, like Jason did. He almost looked... excited.

"I'm alright, Leo," Elle confirmed.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jason added.

At the news that no one had been hurt, Leo broke out in a wide grin. "Wasn't that so cool?!"

Elle and Jason shared a look, as if saying, Jeez, this kid's got a lot of energy.

Before Elle could give a response, Piper whispered, "Why is everyone staring at you?"

Elle spared a glance behind her. Forty eyes stared back at her.

Annabeth looked awkward, like she wasn't sure how to approach this. She swallowed, tilting her chin up, and said, "Why don't we get everyone else dry, and then we'll discuss everything?"

It was phrased like a suggestion, but it was clear Annabeth was giving orders. Even with her hair sopping wet, she was scarily intimidating.

They were orders everyone seemed to follow, seeing as a group of campers ran up to them, carrying a big bronze machine that closely resembled a leaf blower. They blasted the group with hot air, and in about two seconds, everyone was dry.

"Annabeth!" A blond boy made his way through the crowd, pushing and shoving to get to the front. The first thing Elle noticed was how young he was. The boy was no more than thirteen, standing at about five-foot-seven. "I said you could borrow the chariot, not destroy it!"

"Will, I'm sorry," Annabeth sighed. "I'll get it fixed, I promise."

Will scowled at his broken chariot. Then, he sized up the new kids. When his eyes caught on Elle, he did what every other person had done so far and paled.

"I — what — how...?"

"I don't know," Annabeth said lowly. "She was there with them at the canyon. She doesn't have any memory of who she is or what all this is."

Elle didn't like how they were speaking like she wasn't even there. Or like she was a child who didn't understand. She may not have any memories, but she did have ears, and she sure as hell wasn't stupid.

She decided to say as much.

"I have ears, you know," Elle snapped. "So I'd appreciate it if you explained what the fuck is happening instead of talking about me like I'm not even here."

Will shook his head. "Same old Elle," he muttered, demeanor relaxing, although the same anxious fear remained in his eyes.

Annabeth sent her a look, somewhere between pity and hurt. When she spoke, she said it so quietly, no one but the two of them could hear. "Elle, you have to understand, for us to see you here... like this, it's... weird."

"Why?" Elle begged. "Why is it so weird? Who are you people? What is going on?"

The girl was close to crying. She could feel hot tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. Blinking harshly, Elle forced them away. She would not cry. Not here. Not now.

"Any sign of Percy?" Will asked. His eyes were glancing between the two girls, trying to interpret their hushed conversation.

"No," Annabeth admitted.

The muttering grew louder. Elle was tempted to ask who Percy was, but seeing as Annabeth hadn't answered her previous questions, she doubted the blonde would answer this one.

"So these are the ones?" continued Will. "Way older than thirteen. Why haven't they been claimed yet?"

"Claimed?" Leo asked.

Before anyone could give an answer, a girl stepped forward. She was Asian, with long dark hair in perfect ringlets, bold makeup that seemed to draw attention, and lots of jewelry. She was pretty, but Elle could tell by the way she curled her lip at Piper that his girl was not beautiful on the inside.

Elle saw the way she fixed her eyes on Jason before they landed on the girl at his side. She was the only one that didn't seem horrified by Elle's presence, although her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Well," the girl said, shock fading into a sneer, "I hope they're worth the trouble."

Leo snorted. "Gee, thanks. What are we, your new pets?"

"No kidding," Jason said. His voice was brittle. Whether he was being defensive or was just fed up with everything that happened today, Elle wasn't sure. "How about some answers before you start judging us — like, what is this place, why are we here, how long do we have to stay?"

"Jason," Annabeth said, "I promise we'll answer your questions. And Drew," she frowned at the girl, "all demigods are worth saving. But I'll admit, the trip didn't accomplish what I hoped."

"Hey," Piper interjected, "we didn't ask to be brought here."

Drew sniffed. "And nobody wants you here, hon. Does your hair always look like a dead badger?"

Piper stepped forward, ready to smack her, but Annabeth said, "Piper, stop."

Piper did.

"We need to make our new arrivals feel welcome," Annabeth continued. She sent a pointed glance Drew's way.

"We'll assign them each a guide, and give them a tour of camp. Hopefully by the campfire tonight, they'll be claimed."

"Would somebody tell me what claimed means?" Piper asked.

The words were barely out of her mouth when a collective gasp sounded. The campers backed away. Their faces were bathed in red light, eyes staring wide at Leo's head.

Elle turned to her side and gaped at the sight.

As Leo stood, confused and unaware, a blazing holographic image hovered over his head — a fiery hammer.

"That," Annabeth said, "is claiming."

"What'd I do?" Leo backed toward the lake, frantically trying to glance up. When his eyes caught on the image, he yelped. "Is my hair on fire?" He ducked and weaved, but the symbol only followed.

"This can't be good," muttered Butch. "The curse—"

"Butch, shut up," Annabeth said quickly. "Leo, you've just been claimed—"

"By a god," Jason interrupted. "That's the symbol of Vulcan, isn't it?"

All eyes turned to him.

Elle furrowed her eyebrows. This was the third time Jason had remembered the name of something. Could Jason only remember stuff about gods and monsters? He hadn't had a single hallucination, as far as Elle could tell.

"Jason," Annabeth said carefully, "how did you know that?"

"I'm not sure."

"Vulcan?" Leo demanded. "I don't even like Star Trek. What are you talking about?"

"Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths and fire," Annabeth explained.

The fiery hammer faded, but Leo kept swatting the air like he was afraid it was following him. "The god of what? Who?"

Annabeth turned to the blond boy with the bow. "Will, would you take Leo, give him a tour? Introduce him to his bunk-mates in Cabin Nine."

"Sure, Annabeth."

"What's Cabin Nine?" Leo asked. "And I'm not a Vulcan!"

Will dragged Leo off toward the cabins, leaving Piper, Jason, and Elle some with Annabeth and the rest of the camp.

Annabeth turned all her attention to Jason. She studied him like she would a complicated blueprint, eyes taking in every detail, picking him apart with her eyes.

"Hold out your arm."

Jason obliged, extending his right arm. There, on his right forearm was a strange marking: a dozen straight lines like a barcode, an eagle etched above it, with the letters spqr.

After a moment, Annabeth said, "I've never seen marks like this. Where did you get them?"

Jason shook his head. He looked exhausted. Sighing, he told the girl, "I'm getting really tired of saying this, but I don't know."

Elle understood his annoyance. How hard was it for these people to realize they didn't know anything?

The other campers pushed forward, trying to get a look at Jason's arm. The marks seemed to bother them a lot. Everyone was shifting and whispering, unsettled by Jason's tattoo, or more likely, Jason himself.

Elle leaned closer. At first, she thought it was a tattoo, but now...

"They look burned into your skin," Elle noticed, eyes going wide. She looked up, meeting the electric blue of Jason's irises.

"They were," Jason replied instantly. Then he winced. Elle wondered if it was the same pain she kept feeling. "I mean...I think so. I don't remember."

No one said anything. The campers waited, watching Annabeth, listening for her verdict.

"He needs to be taken straight to Chiron. Drew—"

"Absolutely." Drew stepped forward, lacing her arm through Jason's.

"Take Elle too. Chiron will know what's happening and how to help." This last part was added directly to Elle.

Drew frowned. She looked ready to complain, but after seeing the stern look in Annabeth's eyes, decided she valued her life more than getting alone time with Jason.

"Fine."

The girl began walking, dragging Jason in the direction of the blue mansion. "This way, sweetie. I'll introduce you to our director. "He's an... interesting guy."

Elle trailed behind them, pretending not to notice the way everyone's eyes followed her as she walked past.

While Drew talked Jason's ear off, Elle took her chance to try and jog her memory.

The camp was familiar — there was no doubt about that. Occasionally her eyes would skim over something, and she would look back. Her vision would grow foggy and everything became muddled.

The first time this happened, she had been walking past the cabins. She was observing each one closely, trying to find one that stood out from the rest. When her gaze landed on one particular cabin, in the bottom left row, she froze.

Her feet were rooted to the ground. Her eyes glazed over. Laughter echoed in her ears. Her laughter, mixed with the familiar laughter of three boys — Could one of them be Percy? she wondered — and a girl's — Annabeth? Flashes of pillow fights, late-night talks, and playful arguing appeared before her eyes.

"Hurry up!" Drew snapped.

Elle was pulled from her vision. Turning, her eyes landed on Drew, who was glaring back at her impatiently. Jason was watching her helplessly, clearly overwhelmed by the girl beside him. She kept stroking his arm and whispering in his ear, lips brushing his skin. Occasionally, she'd run her fingers through his hair or down his side. He sent Elle the same 911 look Piper had given them before, but the brunette was too busy trying to collect herself to notice.

The three continued walking, but Elle made sure to walk as slowly as possible. Anything she could do to infuriate Drew.

The second time, Elle noticed a volleyball court. Specifically, a boy on the volleyball court. He was tall, maybe a little over six feet. His hair was rusty brown, swooping behind his ears. He was grinning ear to ear, diving and jumping as he hit the ball. The part that caught Elle's attention the most was his eyes — they were deep purple. So purple that they almost looked red.

A vision clouded Elle's mind. An image of two teenagers sitting on the edge of a dock. They were talking in hushed voices, kicking their legs gently in the water. Although she could only see their backs, she recognized the girl as herself. With closer examination, Elle realized the boy was the same one from the volleyball courts.

The boy wrapped an arm around younger-Elle's shoulders, and she leaned into his side. They were discussing something serious, but Elle couldn't hear. Her vision wasn't focusing.

Blinking heavily, Elle pulled herself away from her foggy mind. Sending one final glance toward the courts, Elle noticed the boy watching her in confused surprise. His eyebrows were furrowed, squinting in the sun. As she turned and hurried after Jason and Drew, she heard a boy yell.

"C'mon, man! Let's play!"

Laughter followed, but Elle was too far away to hear it.

"Here we are!" Drew announced cheerfully. "The Big House, camp headquarters."

For the headquarters of a camp where they train children to become killers, it didn't look very threatening. It was just a four-story manor with peeling white and blue paint. It had a wraparound porch with lounge chairs, a card table, and an empty wheelchair. Wind chimes hung from the surrounding trees, turning in the breeze.

A memory of standing here struck her. Standing here, next to the same green-eyed boy from her other visions, Percy — she now recognized him with ease —, looking out at camp, filled with dread.

But this time, Elle wasn't filled with dread. She felt... home.

Apparently, Jason didn't feel the same. He was white as a ghost, glancing between Drew, Elle, and the house.

"I am not supposed to be here."

Drew giggled, tracing circles on his bicep. "Oh, please. You're perfect here, sweetie. Believe me, I've seen a lot of heroes."

Elle's eyes found the girl's collarbone, where her Camp necklace rested. Flatly, the brunette said, "You've been here two years."

Drew's cheeks burned red, although Elle assumed from anger rather than embarrassment.

"How'd you know that?" Jason asked, tilting his head.

Pointing to her necklace, Elle answered. "The beads. At the end of every summer you've spent at Camp, you get a bead." Her hand reached up, fingers delicately gliding over her own. "I have four."

A frown crossed her face. Annabeth said they met at twelve, and the blonde had to be close to seventeen. That would mean Elle had been there for at least five years, but she was only fifteen... wasn't she?

The confusion caused Elle's mind to swim, and in her silence, Drew spoke once more.

"So, Sweetie," she giggled, tracing Jason's bicep as she batted her eyelashes. "Have you ever had a girlfriend before?"

Jason looked guilty as he slipped his arm away gently. "Look, I appreciate—"

"Is it that girl?" Suddenly, Drew's overly sweet attitude dropped, as did her arms. The girl rolled her eyes. "Oh, tell me you're not dating the Dumpster Queen."

Dumpster Queen? Please. Elle could come up with a better insult than that in her sleep.

"You mean Piper? No, I'm not." Jason parted his lips to say something else (Elle assumed to defend Piper) but ultimately decided against it.

Rolling her eyes again, Drew said, "Let me help you decide, sweetie. You can do better. A guy with your looks and obvious talent?"

As she spoke, Drew's eyes remained glued to the spot right above his head.

"You're waiting for a sign," Jason guessed. "Like what happened with Leo."

Drew didn't look the slightest bit embarrassed. She grinned sweetly, giggling as she let her fingers stroke his palm. "Of course! Just by looking at you, I can tell you're pretty powerful. You're going to be important at camp, so I figure your parent will claim you right away. And I'd love to see that. I wanna be with you every step of the way, sweetie! So is your dad or mom the god? Please tell me it's not your mom. I would hate it if you were an Aphrodite kid."

"Why?"

Drew gave another high-pitched giggle. She swatted at his chest. "Then you'd be my half-brother, silly! You can't date somebody from your own cabin. Yuck!"

"But aren't all the gods related?" Jason asked. "So isn't everyone here your cousin or something?"

"Sweet—"

"The godly side doesn't count," Elle interrupted. She wasn't sure where that information came from — it just struck her. "The gods, they don't have DNA. Their blood is golden ichor. Unlike us, we have normal red blood and DNA, seeing as we're half-mortal."

Drew was glaring daggers at the girl.

Jason cocked his head to the side like a lost puppy. "Where'd that come from?" he questioned.

"I don't know," Elle answered truthfully. "It was like the storm spirits... or the beads and the sword — I just knew." She paused before saying, "Remember when I asked if it was all coming back when we were at the museum?"

Jason nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, it's all coming back to me here. Now. I know this place." The brunette glanced around, searching for something else that would trigger another memory.

"Of course you know this place," Drew drawled. The sweetness of her tone was gone when she spoke to Elle. "You live here. Well, you used to."

Elle's head snapped over to the girl. "What do you mean used to?"

Drew flashed her a sick smile and turned her head away. "So, Jason, is it your mom or dad?"

Elle got the message: I know something you don't, but I won't tell you unless you stay away from Jason. It was pathetic, really. Elle didn't even know Jason — she didn't like him like that. Even if he was insanely attractive.

The sound of footsteps saved Jason from answering. No, not footsteps — hooves.

"Chiron!" Drew called. She tried to pull her arm through his again but Jason gently yanked it back. "This is Jason. He's so amazing!"

Jason backed up so fast that he almost tripped.

Rounding the corner of the porch was a man, no, not a man — a centaur. From the waist up he was human, with curly brown hair and a well-trimmed beard. But from the waist down, he was a white stallion.

Chiron started to smile at Jason, then his face went slack. He looked from the boy to Elle and all color drained from his face. "You... you should be dead."

a/n: i was going to make drew much nicer than she was in cannon, but as i was writing, she turned as waaayyy more of a bitch. and if you don't think this is bad, just wait.

thanks for reading!