Chapter VII

Nico Di Angelo

I stood outside the Nike cabin, staring up at it. It hadn't been hard to find — the place practically glowed, covered in gold and silver like it was trying to outshine the Zeus cabin.

I was not sure why I had even come here. I had spent hours lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to convince myself to go. I did not want to hang out with anyone, especially people I barely knew. But somehow, I dragged myself across camp anyway, just to stand here like an idiot.

The faint sound of laughter spilled out from inside. Voices — easy and familiar with each other. I hated how it made me hesitate.

No. I was turning back. At least I could say that I tried.

I started to walk away, but before I could take a single step, the door swung open with a bang.

"Nico!"

Daphne stood in the doorway wearing pajama pants patterned with stars and a black tank top, holding a can of soda.

Oh, gods. You have got to be kidding me.

"Oh. Hey." I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly, already regretting this.

"Come on in!" She grinned. I braced myself for her to grab my arm, but she only stepped aside and gestured me in. That small mercy almost made me forgive her enthusiasm.

The inside of the cabin shimmered like a trophy case. Bunks lined the walls, but what really caught my eye was the massive golden statue of Nike right in the center — wings outstretched, looking way too proud for a piece of stone.

Around a low table sat three other campers on beanbags and couches, surrounded by dice, snack wrappers, and what looked like a complicated board game full of mini figures that reminded me of Mythomagic.

"This is Ash! Child of Apollo."

My heart dropped. Out of all gods, it had to be Apollo. If Will had told anyone about what happened last night, it would be one of his siblings.

Ash gave me a grin and a lazy wave. Their frizzy green hair stuck out in every direction, like they had electrocuted themselves and decided to keep the look.

"And that's Kai, son of Poseidon."

Of course. Because apparently I had to be surrounded by siblings of people I had awkward history with. Percy was great and all, but I had told him I used to have a crush on him, and, well... we did not exactly talk about it afterward.

Kai seemed kind of cool, though — messy red-dyed hair, wearing a KISS shirt, and looking about as far from "child of the sea god" as you could get. "Hey," he said, raising a hand in greeting.

Delilah was sitting off to the side on a beanbag, quietly eating an ice cream cone. She waved shyly, her freckles catching the golden light from the statue.

They all seemed so comfortable with each other.

Unlike me, I was just hoping no one looked at me long enough to remember I was the "creepy ghost boy."

"Come sit! We'll teach you how to play," Daphne said, motioning to the empty spot at the table.

I hesitated, but eventually sat down. The game wasn't hard to figure out. Everyone created characters and worked through quests — monsters, traps, treasure. Pretty ironic, considering I had lived through the real thing.

Still, I found myself... kind of enjoying it.

Kai was loud and hilarious, especially when his character lost health points and he blamed it on "unfair game design." Daphne was just as dramatic, always trying to make her character do ridiculous stunts. Ash was even worse — every time something small went wrong, they threw themselves onto the floor and launched into a full tragic monologue about fate and doom.

Delilah was my favorite, though. She did not talk much, but when she did, her comments were quietly sharp, usually directed at Kai's stupidity. And sometimes, when she laughed, it made the room feel lighter.

I did not hate it as much as I thought I would.

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