Sophie Foster

“How much longer now?” Keefe whined as he walked through the forest.

 Sophie hesitated. When the Black Swan dropped them off in New York for the summer, they were constantly getting lost. And, once again, they were lost.

 “Um...I don't really know.” Sophie sighed.

 Everyone groaned. Sophie glanced down at the ground.This was the tenth time it has happened. 

“How are we lost?” Biana asked. “We have been following the path the whole time! Well,except for when Linh saw a fish that reminded her of Tam.” 

Sophie was about to check the map once again when she heard snickering from the back. It was Keefe and everyone knew what he would say.

 “The fish did have some ugly bangs.” He said as everyone groaned.

                                                  Percy Jackson

I sat in my cabin quietly. That was something that barely ever happened. Everything felt so quiet today. Something had to happen. Due to my ADHD, I would go bonkers if something didn’t. I started to think about my mom, Sally, and Paul. They were always so happy together. That made me happy. All of a sudden, Annabeth came in. She must’ve realized the same thing as me. 

“Too quiet?” She asked as I nodded. “Something isn’t right. Somethings gonna happen today and I know it.” 

She was right. Just in time, a boom happened like whenever someone or something entered the barrier. Annabeth and I shared the same expression. The barrier had been breached.

                                                            Sophie Foster

As the group walked through Camp Half-Blood, everyone stared at them in awe, disgust, and fear. 

“Where are we?” Fitz asked.

 Sophie shrugged. She had absolutely no idea.  Sophie knew they had to stay low profile. Keefe, all the sudden, saw a small kid who had black hair and wore a skull shirt under his jacket.

 “LOOK! TAMMY!” Keefe exclaimed. “It's your new bestie!” 

Tam looked down and stepped on Keefe’s foot. The small kid just frowned. Then we came to a stop. A blonde haired girl and a messy haired boy, both in orange shirts, came in front of us. 

“Who are you?” The blonde girl asked.

 Sophie opened her mouth to speak but Keefe did it for her. “Well I am Keefe Sencen! I know, hold your applause!”

 A few people, including Sophie, rolled their eyes. 

“This is Lady Foss-Boss. Then there's Fitzy, Biana, Dexinator, Tammy, and Linh.”

 Keefe said as he pointed to each person. Keefe was about to mention something before Sophie made him be quiet. 

“Sorry about him,” Sophie began. “I'm Sophie. Who are you?”

                                                       Percy Jackson

“Uh, I’m Percy and this is Annabeth.” I replied. 

The group of kids didn’t seem so evil. Then again, Luke didn't seem so bad either so I decided to keep my guard up. 

“Nice to meet you.” Sophie said. “Anyway, we are kind of lost.”

 They were lost and undetermined. They couldn't have entered camp if they werent a demigod. I explained that to them the best I could. Once I was done, Keefe burst out laughing. 

“Yeah pal,” Keefe laughed. “I wish!” 

I looked at Keefe with a worried look. This may take a while.

                                                             Sophie Foster

The “Big House” was chaotic. Dex, Fitz, and Biana were all crying, Keefe was celebrating, and Linh and Tam were just standing there. Sophie was internally crying and partying. Then, a centaur came in.

 “Oh my,” he said. “This is very unfortunate.”

 Everyone turned towards the voice. 

“Hello all of you,” He said. “I am Chiron. Trainer of heroes.” 

Sophie was confused. He was a trainer in Greek mythology, not in real life! But Sophie was still in shock so she stayed quiet. 

“Percy and Annabeth explained everything to me. You will stay in the Hermes Cabin and hopefully be claimed soon.” 

As Sophie walked into the Hermes Cabin, she knew they would be at Camp Half-Blood for a long time. 

                                                      Percy Jackson

Annabeth sat at her desk and sighed.

 “Hey wise girl,” I said as I sat next to her. “What’s up?”

 Annabeth closed her book and looked at me. 

“I just don’t get it!” She complained. “How did they get past the border? Their genetics or maybe they have powers? Oh! Maybe they are relatives of demigods! Yeah!”

 I glanced away nervously. When Annabeth got like this, it never ended well. She liked having the answer to everything. I hugged her and then she started crying. She had a long day, especially with everything else going on.

 “Hey!” I exclaimed. “It’s OK! Everything will be ok!” Eventually she calmed down and we slowly fell asleep.

                                      Sophie Foster 

Sophie just sat there looking at the ground. Keefe looked at her and sighed. 

“You gotta stop worrying Foster.” Keefe assured. “Everything will be fine. Don’t worry.”

 Sophie looked up at Keefe and smiled sadly. Keefe put a small strand of hair behind Sophie's ear and then he excitedly gasped.

 “Hey!” Keefe said as if he came up with a great idea. “Wanna listen to some cool human music on your IPod?”

 Sophie smiled. She hasn’t used her IPod in forever! Sophie started playing her favorite playlist and gave Keefe one earbud. At first, Keefe laughed and jammed out with Sophie. Sophie didn’t realize how tired she was until a quieter song started to play. They listened for a bit and eventually, Sophie fell asleep on Keefes shoulder. 

                                                    Percy Jackson

Keefe and Dex seemed to fit in perfectly with the Hermes Cabin. But everybody else didn’t quite look like they belonged. Everyone still stared at them when they walked by and made small remarks about them behind their back. At the campfire, an Ares kid made a joke that went too far. 

“Bet they are just like Luke,” he said. “Nice and sweet but will betray us the first chance they get.” 

Now I didn’t know these kids too well but I knew they weren’t traitors. I glared at the kid and was ready to yell at him but everyone gasped. Each of the 7 demigod-elves had been claimed. Keefe was claimed by Hermes, Dex was claimed by Hephaestus, Biana and Fitz were claimed by Aphrodite, Tam and Linh were claimed by Hecate, and Sophie was claimed by Hera. All the gods and goddesses who claimed the kids appeared out of nowhere.

 “Hello.” They all said in unison. “These are not our children but Percy said everyone must be claimed by age 13. We all decided to choose our favorites. This is a prophecy. We cannot say anything else. Goodbye demigods.”

Then they all dissolved into thin air. I sighed. We had a new prophecy. 

                                                    Sophie Foster

 “What on Earth?” Sophie said when Hera’s symbol appeared over her head. Annabeth gasped. 

“It can’t be!” 

Then she ran off without another word. Leo, on the other hand, yelled with laughter. 

“Come on Dexie! Let me show you the cabin!” Leo said as he led Dex to Cabin 9.

Drew yelled with anger as Piper took Fitz and Biana to their new cabin. Tam and Linh were teleported to the Hecate Cabin by Lou Ellen. But Sophie just sat by the fire with Percy.

“So um…” He said. “Want me to go show you your cabin?”

Percy got up and offered her his hand and Sophie took it. But before she got up she saw Annabeth look out the Athena Cabin window and glare at Sophie. Oh no. Sophie thought. This was going to end badly.

                                                          Percy Jackson

I walked up to the Hera Cabin with a sigh. Hera, being one of my least favorite goddesses, never had a person actually sleep in her cabin. (I think.)  I opened the giant doors with a creak.  The cabin was extremely dark and cold. All that was in there was a single sleeping bag. Inside was an envelope with Sophie's name on it. 

Hey, I thought. What's this?

Then Sophie’s voice filled my head with surprise.

I was just thinking the same thing.

I was caught by surprise and fell onto the cold stony floor as I backed up against the cabin wall. I looked at her with fear.

Sophie chuckled and looked at me. 

“What did you just do?” I asked.

“I’m a telepath so I can talk to you mentally.” Sophie replied. She saw my face and frowned. “Sorry, I thought I told you that.”

I shook my head as I stood up and slowly started to smile. 

“That. Is. So. COOL!” I exclaimed. “Wait, does that mean you're like Martian Manhunter, from the comics?”

Sophie laughed again. She put the envelope in her bag. She looked at me again and waved.

“Bye! See you tomorrow for training.” I said. 

Then I headed to my empty cabin.

                                                               Sophie Foster

As the sun rose over the horizon, Sophie yawned and winced. Her back was now sore from laying on the hard floor all night. Sophie decided to look out the window to see if anyone else was up. Just Percy and Annabeth. Sophie knew it was wrong, but she really wanted to hear what they were saying. Sophie crouched down and lowered her breath so she could hear their conversation.

“Sophie’s really nice, you know.” Percy said as Annabeth frowned suspiciously.

“Oh yeah totally.” she replied. “She and Keefe are really cute together too.”

WHAT? Sophie thought. Keefe is just a friend! Nothing more!

Then Sophie froze. She started thinking and saw all of the little signs. Maybe he does like her? Then Sophie saw she was missing out on the conversation. Sophie focused back on them.

“Too bad they can’t stay.” Annabeth said. “They seem really happy here!

Sophie had to disagree. 

“Yeah,” Percy said. He looked at the sun and looked back at Annabeth. “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you! Sophie must be on our team for Capture the Flag!”

Annabeth looked at him with disgust but curiosity. “Why?”

Then Percy explained Sophie’s unique ability of how she could talk to people in their mind.

Annabeth’s eyes widened and she thought for a moment. “Fine,” she said with a sigh. “She could be useful.” 

Percy pumped his hand up “Yes,” He kissed Annabeth on the cheek. “Now we will win for sure.”

Annabeth just rolled her eyes and the couple continued to walk around the empty camp.

Now all Sophie could think about was, Does Keefe like me?

                                                               Percy Jackson

After Annabeth agreed to Sophie being on our team, we spent the rest of the morning planning our team for capture the flag right by the pond. We obviously needed the Hades Cabin, Zeus Cabin, Ares Cabin, and the Hera Cabin. The other team took the rest, except for the Aphrodite Cabin. We took them and the Hecate Cabin by default. Then I looked at Annabeth. Ever since the campfire, she had been acting weird and protective. Way more than usual. I looked at the smooth water and decided to ask Annabeth.

“Hey,” I said calmly. “What's up with you?”

She looked at me with a slight glare. “What do you mean?”

“Ever since the campfire, you have-” Then I saw a look in her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

We stared at each other for a minute and then she sighed.

“Fine,” She said. “I don’t like Sophie. She's...important. But I don’t think in a good way.”

I paused for a moment to let that sink in. Sophie wasn’t bad. I could tell. But maybe Annabeth picked something up that I didn’t. I just had to stand guard. Only a little though. Maybe Annabeth was wrong. I gave her a hug and we sat there, by the pond, for a minute. Then Leo, Jason, and another camper came over.

“Hey!” Leo said. “You gotta see this!”

We followed them and gasped when we saw what was happening at the training center.

                                                       Sophie Foster

Jason told Sophie to fight Clarisse, an Ares camper, and give her everything she had. Sophie nodded even though she definitely wasn’t ready for this. Clarisse gave her smug smile.

“Prepare to be pulverized, newbie.” Clarisse said. 

Sophie ignored her and looked at Jason. He nodded and started to count. When Jason counted down, Clarisse didn't have enough time to even charge. Clarisse took a breath and collapsed to the ground. Sophie stared at Clarisse’s motionless body. Jason ran over and checked at Clarisse. She was barely breathing and her eyes were frozen, looking forward like she was in a trance. Jason ran off with Leo and another camper. The moment they did, everybody started murmuring. 

What kind of inflicting did you do? Fitz asked, telepathically.

Nothing! Sophie replied. I barely even breathed!

Apparently you did cause, she's not moving. 

But she's frozen, Sophie thought of something. Or paralyzed?

Are you suggesting that it might have been a melder?

Yes! That's it!

Then all of the sudden, Percy and Annabeth arrived. They both looked worried. All they saw was Sophie with a frozen Clarisse next to her.

“What did you do!” Annabeth yelled at Sophie as she ran over to Clarisse.

Uh-oh, Fitz said.

                                            Clarisse La Rue

Listen, I’m not weak! But, I couldn’t even control this! It's like Superfreak paralyzed me! Sure, I could hear, think, see, and breathe. But I couldn't move. I wanted to yell, punch, and destroy that girl. I saw Lightning Boy check my heart rate and pulse and then leave. Then I saw Kelp head and Blondie, with a few of my siblings, surround me. People started yelling and accusing each other. Then fights arose. I was extremely jealous. But the little new princess came and dug her hand into my neck. Pain shot through my whole body. But it stopped as quickly as it came.  I was ready to punch her, but I realized that I could move and talk again. I got up and looked at Superfreak.

“What was that?” I growled, rubbing my slightly sore neck. 

Superfreak looked around her as if she were checking for an enemy. 

“It was a melder. But before you kill me, I didn’t do it.”

                                                         Percy Jackson

“I’m confused.” I said as I held Annabeth back. When it comes to friends, she doesn't listen to reason.

“A melder is something that paralyzes whoever you hit with it.” Sophie explained. “But I don’t have one.”

Annabeth got more and more angry with every word. She obviously didn’t believe Sophie. Luckily, Sophie got the message. Sophie looked into Annabeths eyes and they just stared in silence. Then, Annabeth's grip loosened and she nodded as she chilled out.

“Oh my gods,” I said in shock. “What did you do?”

Sophie shrugged. “It's kind of hard to explain.”

Keefe gasped and ran over. “Did you do the Magical Foster Calming Routine?”

I looked at Keefe in extreme confusion. Keefe smiled and put his arm around Sophie, who looked extremely uncomfortable and blushed.

“But right now, we have bigger things to worry about.” Annabeth said.

Chiron galloped over with 2 campers and Mr. D leading him.

“What's wrong?” Chiron asked with a worried look.”I heard Clarisse was ‘attacked by an invisible force.’”

He saw Sophie and Clarisse and his eyes widened.

“Percy, Annabeth, and Clarisse? Bring the 7 elves.” Chiron started.

Mr. D rolled his eyes and sighed. “We must see the Oracle, Miss.Reese Emily Davis.”

Most campers, including me and Annabeth, rolled their eyes at the bad pronunciation of Rachel's name and everybody followed them to the Oracles Cabin.

                                                         Sophie Foster

They all walked up a hill that led to a small cabin. Covered in vines with 2 purple torches in the front, it looked quite scary. Keefe was by her side and Sophie didn’t even realize she was holding his hand until he laughed.

“Scared much Foster?” Keefe said as she jerked her hand away. “Aww don't worry. I won't tell!”

Sophie rolled her eyes as they walked into the cabin. Rachel was painting on a canvas. She had red curly hair, green eyes, and tons of freckles. She wore a paint covered Camp Half-Blood shirt with jeans. Her eyes widened when she saw Sophie.

“I...It's you!” Rachel gasped. She started searching through the cabin for something. She grabbed a cabin and looked at Sophie and looked back at the painting. “It is you!”

Sophie looked at Rachel, filled with confusion.”I’m sorry,” Sophie apologized. “But do I know you?”

Rachel inspected Sophie like she was one of her paintings. Rachel looked at Percy and nodded. Percy sighed and shook his head.

“Not another one,” he said solemnly. “Please, not another one.”

Rachel nodded as Percy stormed out of the cabin with his friends following. They were telling him stuff like, “Maybe it's different.” or “You have to let go. They aren’t coming back.”

“Ummm…” Dex said awkwardly. “Can you explain what's going on? ”

Everyone practically jumped when they heard Dex.

“Deck?” Fitz said. Then he caught Dex glaring. “Erm...Dex...How long have you been here!”

Dex looked at everyone angrily. “Are you serious?” Dex yelled. “I’ve been here this whole time!”

Biana looked at Dex skeptically. “Nah,” she disagreed. “I don’t believe you.”

“I literally light leaped with you guys! Do you seri-”

Rachel cut him off since he had extended his page time. “Sophie,” Rachel began. “You are the leader of the 14. You must take everyone to the place you call home. You must earn and lose. Then, you will battle the hooded villains. That is when you collect the Oracles Lost Orb. This quest has not been completed yet. Many demigods have died. Please Sophie. You’re our only hope.”

Rachel looked at Chiron and started painting again. We left and Sophie walked to her cabin, still in shock about what just happened. 

Me? Sophie thought. How is this possible? Percy or Annabeth would be better! Not me!

Only moments after Sophie arrived in her cabin, Percy rushed in.

“Are you ready?” He said.

“For what?” Sophie was extremely confused, again.

“For the quest!” He said with a brave smile. “We leave tomorrow!”

                                                            Percy Jackson

Sophie was not ready for a quest. With not even a day of demigod training, she was guaranteed death. But we didn’t have much of a choice. Sophie had picked her elf friends and all of my friends. Even though Sophie knew most of the quest, she never said that Rachel’s eyes glowed green. Maybe she was in shock? Chiron said he didn’t pay much attention so who knows!

“Are you sure you’re ready?” I asked Fitz. We became good friends over the course of a day. “Like, really prepared? The world isn’t all cupcakes and rainbows.”

Fitz looked at me confused. “You do know we are going to the lost cities, right?”

Then, it clicked. I knew I had forgotten something! We aren’t going to my world! We are going to their world! I sighed and looked back at him.

“Sorry,” I apologized. “I totally forgot. I honestly should be taking advice from you! Not the other way around.”

Fitz laughed. “No worries,” he said in his crisp accent. “It's fine! You just have to be careful there with us. The Neverseen are really evil. They don’t care if you die or get hurt. They will stop at nothing to get what they want.”

I nodded as he explained all of these evil people and how they want us dead. I was all too familiar with that. Then I sensed something. I got a weird feeling that somebody was watching us.

“Hey,” I said. “Do you...Do you feel like somebody's watching us?”

Fitz got real quiet and looked around. He nodded. Then his face twisted from fear to straight up anger.

“Biana!” He yelled. 

Biana yelped and appeared out of thin air.

“What the heck!” I screamed. “She just appeared….like she was invisible…What is going on!”

Biana laughed. “I’m a vanisher...Wait...we never did tell you we have abilities...did we?”

I shook my head and started to listen so closely I’m pretty sure I looked creepy.

Biana started to tell me what ability everyone had. Everything was so confusing but started to make a lot more sense. It’s the reason why Dex was in the Hephaestus Cabin and why Sophie seemed so special. When Biana eventually finished, we all decided to continue packing. Despite missing Capture the Flag, we went to bed so we could be well rested for our quest.

     Sophie Foster

After hours of Keefe trying to convince Sophie to sleep, she finally gave in. But usually Sophie had nightmares about the world burning or her friends being kidnapped. This was far from different. There was Fintan,Gethen, and another person Sophie couldn’t see. 

“Our plan is going into action,” Fintan said. “They won’t know what hit them.”

Gethen nodded. “The farther ahead we are, the better. Now, about the fight. Here's the plan-”

Gethen stopped and looked into the other person's eyes like they were talking telepathically. The other person was about to turn around towards Sophie. Sophie was filled with excitement. She really wanted to know what mystery person was with the Neverseen. The person was only an inch away from revealing their face, but they froze. They whispered something to Gethen and Fintan who looked straight at Sophie.

“Looks like we have a little nosy enemy…” Gethen growled. “Spying isn’t very nice.”

Fintan’s hand ignited with flames. Sophie could almost feel it’s terrifying heat on her body.

“Maybe we should teach you a lesson.” Fintan laughed as the flames shot towards Sophie. 

She woke up in a cold sweat and felt around her face and body for burns. Sophie sighed with relief once she realized no fire had actually touched her. She looked out the window and saw that the sun was only barely rising. Sophie was about to turn on a light when Keefe came in. 

“Good morning Foster.” Keefe teased. “Looks like you had a nightmare too. Mind if I came and hung out with you for a little while?”

Keefe was clinging onto Mrs.Stinkbottom so hard she looked like she might explode. Sophie saw a scared look in his eye so she flipped the light switch and motioned for Keefe to sit down. 

“What’s wrong Keefe?” Sophie asked, hoping it wasn’t like her terrible dream. 

Keefe chuckled and shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

Sophie looked at him like she didn’t believe him, which she didn’t. Eventually Keefe gave in. 

“Fine,” He sighed. “I had a nightmare about-”

Annabeth, Frank, Dex, Jason, Leo, Percy, and Fitz ran in the cabin. 

“You guys have to see this,” Fitz demanded. “NOW!”

Sophie and Keefe both got quickly dressed in their cabins and headed to the Healing Center. 

“Oh my gods-” Keefe said as they entered the room.

  Percy Jackson

Now, I have watched people die but nothing terrified me more than this. Piper,Nico, Hazel, Biana, Tam, and Linh were all in the healing center and shivering. We all decided to go get Sophie and Keefe and bring them, which turned out to be kind of awkward. We found them in Sophie’s cabin together talking about something and, not gonna lie, they looked like they may be in love. Anyway, when Sophie got to the healing center, she nearly fainted. Keefe had to hold her steady when she saw Biana.

“Wh….who did this?” Sophie growled. “What made them like this?”

Fitz clenched his fists. “I woke up right before they were going to poison me.” Fitz stopped for a second to keep his cool. “But it was the Neverseen who did this.”

Sophie and Keefe were extremely startled when they heard the word, “poison.” Elves had a fragile mind so anything violent could shatter their minds completely. 

“Was it…my mom?” Keefe asked as he started to shake. “Was she involved?”

Sophie grabbed Keefe’s hand as Fitz looked at the ground. I looked if anyone was watching but Frank was by Hazel’s side, Dex and Leo were with Tam and Linh and Nico, and Jason was holding Piper's hand. 

“We don’t know it for sure!” I said. “It might not have been her! It could have been another cloaked villain...with long hair...and asking about you...I’m going to shut up now.”

Sophie glared at me as she held Keefe’s hand. She looked at Keefe and reached for his other hand.

“Trust me,” Sophie said with sadness in her eyes. “Please Keefe. They are probably trying to trick you. To ruin you so you won’t be on your best game when the fight comes. Please.”

Keefe looked at her with sadness and anger in his eyes. Then he looked away. 

“Fine,” He said. “But only for you Foster. Nobody else.”

All of the sudden, Will ran in and saw Nico lying on the cot. 

“Oh my gods,” Will gasped as he ran over to Nico. “Who did this?”

Will looked around the room to see if anyone in the center would fess up.

‘Listen Will,” I began. “Some bad people did some bad things. Again. We have a quest that we have to do or else the world will end. We are trying to defeat the person who did this so all we need you to do is make sure they don’t die. Ok?”

Will paused for a moment and nodded. That was good. We all grabbed our half-packed bags and said goodbye to everyone.

When we started to walk out of camp so we could ‘light leap’ I stopped. I took Annabeth’s hand and looked at Camp Half-Blood one more time. I had a feeling we wouldn’t be home for a while.

                           End of Part 1 & Beginning of Part 2

Sophie Foster

This is a terrible idea. Sophie thought as the demigods moved and thrashed as they light leaped. Mortals weren’t supposed to go to the Lost Cities, much less light leap. But, they had to do the quest. They didn’t want anything bad to happen to either world. When the light dimmed, Sophie opened her eyes. They were in an unfamiliar dark room. Sophie heard soft breathing and when her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw the most horrifying thing ever.

“Elwin,” Sophie whispered.Tears began to form and she clinged onto Keefe’s hand. “He’s…”

Sophie let go and ran over to him. The gag looked painful and the cuts on him were new. The ropes holding him down were imprinting on his skin. Sophie gasped as she saw what was on Elwins wrist. The same branding Dex got when he fought back during his and Sophie's kidnapping. Sophie stood up and Keefe had to resteady her so she didn’t fall down. 

“It's ok Foster.” Keefe comforted. “We can fix this. We will fix this.”

Sophie looked at Keefe with her teary eyes and quietly added. “But why him?”

Percy turned on a flashlight and Elwin groaned. 

“Oh my gods,” Annabeth said. “W..we need Will. These look really bad.”

Sophie shook her head. “We can’t go back. Or light leap again with Elwin barely conscious.”

Dex rummaged through his bag. “I might have something that could work. Maybe some wound wipe and a bottle of youth.”

Percy held up some ambrosia and nectar. “Can he have this?”

Annabeth smacked his hand. “Are you insane? We don’t want him to die!” 

Percy looked down at the floor. “Sorry.”

Dex looked at Annabeth with curiosity. “What do you mean? How will Elwin die with ambrosia and nectar?”

Frank spoke up and made everyone jump. Frank had been so quiet since they left. “Ambrosia and nectar will kill anyone if they aren’t a demigod. That's pretty bad.”

Everyone nodded as Sophie checked her pockets for her home crystal. She patted her pockets over and over again. Once she had realized the harsh reality, she slid to the floor against the wall and started to breathe heavily.

“What's wrong Foster?’ Keefe asked as he sat next to her.

Tears began to form even though Sophie tried to hold them back. “I lost my home crystal.”

Percy Jackson

“What do you mean lost?” I asked. “And what the Hades is a ‘home crystal’?”

Annabeth glared at me as she ran over to Sophie. I probably said the wrong thing at the wrong time, again. 

Fitz walked over to me as he watched Keefe and Sophie hold hands and talk to each other. “A home crystal is a leaping crystal that takes us to our home. Nothing special.”

A nodded and stared back at Sophie and Keefe. I looked at Fitz who I expected to be mad but surprisingly he wasn't; he was sad.

“Are you ok with this?” I asked him.

“What do you mean?” Fitz answered as if he didn’t know what I was talking about.

“This.” I pointed to Sophie and Keefe. “I thought you and Sophie were a thing.”

Fitz looked at the ground. “Not anymore. Just forget it.”

Fitz put his hand in his pocket where a lump was that wasn’t there before. I stared at him skeptically and then let it go. It was probably nothing.

“Hey,” Leo sighed as he walked over. “Does something feel..off..to you?”

I nodded and motioned for Jason to come over. “Bro,” he said. “What is it?”

We told Jason all about our weird feelings and about how everything has been going wrong. He just laughed. 

“Are you kidding?” He said as he laughed again. “This place is awesome! By the way, Fitz makes great snacks!”

Leo and I just stared at Jason as he walked away. Yep, something was definitely not right.

                                                   Sophie Foster

“How could I be so stupid?” Sophie asked Keefe. “I lost something that could put Grady and Edaline in serious danger!”

Keefe sat next to her, holding her hand. “You probably left it in your cabin. Everything is OK! How many times do I have to tell you this, Foster?”

Usually, that remark would make Sophie smile. But she was so scared and worried. Smiling now felt like a gift.

“Hey guys!” Fitz said as he made his way over to the group. “This is cute and all, but how do we get out of here?”

Sophie was confused by the way Fitz talked but she was even more confused by his accent. It was just gone. Keefe got up and slowly walked towards Fitz like he was trying to approach a dangerous animal.

“Who are you?” Keefe asked. “And what did you do with my friend?”

Fitz just laughed and put his hand in his pocket. “Come on Keefe,” Fitz smiled like he had the perfect plan. “I am your best friend. Don’t you remember?”

Percy, Leo, and Frank all ran over. Percy was next to Annabeth, getting ready to fight. Leo’s hand ignited with fire and Frank turned into a grizzly bear. Sophie jumped up with her Suckerpunch ready. This wasn’t Fitz. Sophie looked around for Jason but he was sitting in the corner, shivering and knocked out.

“Who are you?” Sophie asked Fitz, one final time. “Just tell me.”

Fitz looked away from everyone, with his hand still in his pocket. “Fine, I’m-” Fitz pulled out a melder and tackled Annabeth. He put the melder next to Annabeth. “That wasn’t too hard. Very easy to disarm. Now, do what I say or the girl gets hit with this. Trust me, you do not want me to hit her more than once.”

Percy trembled, his sword shaking in his hand, “Who are you?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Perseus Jackson.” Fitz said as he looked at Percy with an evil smile.

Leo’s flames stayed strong as he glared at Fitz. “Listen buddy, I don’t know who the Hades you are but you are going to put Annabeth down and surrender your weapon or else you eat flames. Got that?”

Fitz laughed, a usually beautiful sound. “I have that power demigod. Pyrokinesis? Yeah, I wouldn’t do that.”

Everyone but the demigods gasped. 

“Fintan,” Sophie whispered. “But..how?”

Fintan/Fitz laughed and smiled. His eyes flickered from teal to sky blue. The same color as Fintans eyes. “Well, I was about to poison Fitz when he practically begged on his knees for me to spare his life. He had already joined the Neverseen but I had other plans. Every once and a while I speak through him because our new member with a rare ability helped me out. He did all of this willingly. You can’t trust anyone Sophie. They will just betray you.” His eyes flickered back to teal, still smiling. 

Sophie's eyes watered. The boy she had a crush on for so long was the unthinkable.

“You’re the spy,” Sophie gasped. She was extremely ready to inflict but she couldn’t risk Annabeth's life. “It's you and Alden. You’re with the Neverseen.”

Fitz smiled like he was waiting for Sophie to find out. “Join me Sophie. We can be together forever. Defeat the council and create a utopia together. Just take my hand.”

Fitz had put the melder down to offer Sophie his branded hand. Sophie was very tempted to take it but instead she motioned for Percy to attack Fitz from behind. Still trembling, he hit Fitz’s head with the back of his sword. Fitz crumbled to the ground, unconscious but breathing. 

Sophie started to breathe slowly and tears raced down her face. Then she fell to the ground, crying her eyes out. Sophie couldn’t hold it back anymore. Her entire life, every moment she spent with Fitz, was a lie. A trick, to get her to give him information that he could use against her. 

Everyone backed away so they could untie Elwin, help Jason, and tie up Fitz. Sophie thought everyone had gone to the other side of the room when she looked up. The only person left was Keefe, sitting next to her and holding her hand.

“You good Foster?” Keefe said as he added a sad smirk. “Or do you need another minute? Either way, I’m here for you.” 

Sophie stared at Keefe. She hadn’t realized it but he had always been there for her. He had done everything for her and was always willing to wait. Sophie gave him a hug and started to cry on his shoulder. Keefe was more than a friend, he was the one.