"Time to wake up, Supergirl. Rise and shine."

The voice of the person itself was enough to make Tessa groan. She rolled across her four poster bed - which was only about one turn over, considering it was a twin size - until she was on the other side and resting on her stomach, and pulled the pillow over her head. She mentally high-fived herself at the victory of furnishing the tomb-like Zeus Cabin. "Go far, far away," she moaned, her voice muffled.

"Arbutus, if that thick head of yours thinks that you're staying here 'till noon, than you're stupider than I thought."

I didn't know you could even think. Tessa growled as the pillow was yanked out of her grasp.

She could hear another set of footsteps echoing around the cabin, and she guessed that the sound belonged to Malcolm considering he was making his way towards the vast bookshelf. He scoffed. "Stupider isn't a word. It's more stupid."

"Exactly." The other girl ignored Tessa's moans that promised her extreme pain. "Up and at it."

Tessa cracked open a brilliant green eye. She refused to look at the younger girl, and instead focused on the blurry numbers of her wrist watch. 7:16. She pressed her face into the mattress and offered her friend - pain in the ass, annoyance, burden - something cruel in Ancient Greek.

Miranda Gardner scowled. "You say that as though I haven't even paid attention to my classes. 'Kiss my ass', you're not only lazy, you're rude, too."

Too lazy, she thought. But then again, I can solve laziness.

She ripped off the covers that were protecting her older sister of sorts from the cruel, cold outside world. Cruel, I tell you! Cruel! Proving her severity was even crueler than the world's, she snagged Tessa's ankles and flipped her the rest of the way off the bed.

With a horrible yelp from Tessa, Miranda proceeded to rip off the sheets and cover of the now empty bunk. "You horrible, horrible girl!" she mocked from her spot on the floor. "This is my cabin that I rule, my bunk, my covers, and I just so happened to be sleeping in it!" She made a mental note to start locking the hangings around her bed.

"Not anymore," Miranda chirped. She hefted the blue and bronze bedsheets over her shoulder, body in a fighting stance, and flung them high towards the statue of Zeus. They snagged onto the tip of the Master Bolt like it were a sort of enlarged clothing pin on a wire, or a drying rack. She rubbed her hands together, satisfied with her work. "Now, help me find my shoes, I threw them around here somewhere so I wouldn't make much noise when I woke you up."

"So polite..." Tessa grumbled.

"I know, right? Aren't I a great friend?"

"Sure, whatever floats your boat." Your broken down, ridiculous paper and Styrofoam boat held together by toothpicks.

Miranda overturned every article of clothing and piece of furniture as Tessa tugged on a pair of well worn shorts with years old tears and stains. She tied together the sharpie drawn on laces of her converse as her friend just a few years younger than her complained loudly.

"Tessie, I can't find my shoes!"

"Well, maybe you should try looking up your butt," she suggested as she threw on a flannel shirt over the orange. "Your head is already up there somewhere."

"I'll have no problem finding your butt," Miranda hissed, "as you wear it right in your shoulders."

"Neither of you could find your butts with only your hands," Malcolm butted in."You sound like an Aphrodite child, Verandah." The daughter of Demeter scowled at her ridiculous pet name. "You always whine that your turquoise converse high-tops never match with your navy blue denim shorts."

Miranda looked down at her outfit. She scowled at the turquoise converse high-tops and the navy blue denim shorts he had so accurately described.

Tessa snorted. She ran a brush through her hair as Miranda found her shoes and threw them at the back of Malcolm's head with contempt. She cheered when he yelped girlishly, the resounding thud of the Cyfaddasrwydd y Drefn o Gadwedigaeth trwy Ffydd or Compatibility of the Order of Preservation through Faith falling on his foot. It was a Welsh book on theology.

Miranda went on to talk gossip as if nothing had happened. Tessa only managed to catch a few sentences about the new camper who had arrived last night: "Percy Jackson; not much to look at." and "He defeated Pasiphaë's son without any training!"

Home sweet home, she supposed.

"Gods, Tessie! Didn't you listen to anything I taught you?"

Lacey's eyes that made the azure sky above them seem pale skimmed over Tessa's form over the Zeus table. Her elbows were rested on the white cloth, her hair trickling down long enough to reach the purple trimming.

After the horror of being stuck in the all-girls school in northern Virginia, Lacey had been ridiculously expecting for the magical to have at least listened to her helpful hints of advice.

And she comes back to this.

She pinched at the sleeve of the flannel shirt, which had a small, but visible tear. "The summer was obviously wasted on you."

"They're only clothes, Lace," Tessa informed. She frowned into the steaming cup of hot chocolate - with its ton of whipped cream, sprinkles, and chocolate syrup - and took a slow, savoring, obnoxious gulp. "You have to wear them so you don't get arrested for streaking."

The daughter of Aphrodite winced, as though in pain. "Where did I go wrong?" she murmured.

"She's still a scrawny little punk," Clarisse la Rue said. She strutted up to the table to stand beside Lacey, leaning forward and scrutinizing Tessa with harsh brown eyes. "What's this supposed to be?" She uncrossed her buff arms and tugged on one of her curls. "Long as a girl's!" she crowed.

"I am a girl, la Rue," Tessa said snarkily. "In case you haven't noticed." She ran her fingers through her hair, which was now to the small of her back, and winced. She hadn't really bothered to give her hair a cut after the whole Horcrux hunt.

"Up in a pretty little French braid last night," Connor informed her, sitting beside Tessa. He ignored the looks they were gaining, as campers weren't allowed to sit at other tables other than their godly parent's. He smirked and sneaked one of Tessa's strawberries when she was too busy glaring at the daughter of Ares. She pouted at him with a betrayed look.

"Yeah," Travis added, plopping down on her other side, "she looked real sweet."

"I'll ask Drew for a pretty pink ribbon." Clarisse cackled as she thought about the optimistic tyrant of the Aphrodite cabin.

Jerks, Tessa thought. I'll teach you for messing with me.

"Well," Lacey said. She gave an enigmatic Mona Lisa smile and rocked back on her heels.

"Well," Clarisse agreed, tugging again on Tessa's hair.

"Well." The Stoll brothers gripped onto Tessa's arms in a perfect unison that seemed to have been practiced.

"What the -?" She wriggled in their hold as they pulled her out of the bench. In the corner of her eye, she could see that godsdamned Athena daughter, Annabeth Chase, smirking as she got rough handled. Clarisse gave a roaring whoop that gathered the attention of the rest of the campers and stuck to Tessa's kicking feet.

It dawned on her why they were carrying her out of the pavilion.

"NO!" She was screeching as if she were being skinned alive. "You gotta be kidding! JERKS!"

"It has to be done," Lacey chirped as she walked carefully along behind the flailing teenagers. "You don't have to worry about getting the snazzy outfit wet for too long, seeing as you can just use your powers to dry off."

"Cut it out!" Tessa screamed. "That water's fucking cold! I'm not going in that!"

"You'll probably sink like a stone," Clarisse mused mildly. "Looks like you've turned into a wimp while I've been gone..."

"Wimp my ass!" Tessa snarled. She wrestled in their grips similar to a fish. She tried to shock them, but sadly they were used to it. "It takes three of you take me down, and one of you's an Ares kid! You're all just a bunch of weak juveniles." With grips of steel.

"How far do you think you can throw her?" Lacey smiled, a wicked light in her eyes.

I'll rip out your spines through your nostrils.

"I think it's time to find out," Connor laughed as he swung Tessa's right arm toward the lake. "One!"

You all will be fine without ears.

"Better hold your breath, Supergirl!" Travis hooted. "Two!"

The fingernails will have to go.

"Say hello to the Naiads for me!" Clarisse mocked, tightening her grip on her feet. "Three!"

I will remove your spleens.

Tessa wailed as she slammed into the water, limbs flailing. It was stupid of her to realize that she could have just flown away from them, but she was tired and too welled up in her fear. She knew how to swim of course, but that didn't mean she liked to take a leisurely swim in the lake every once in a while. Being the daughter of the sky god usually meant that she weren't allowed near bodies of water or underground without suffering. Luckily, she never really did anything to offend Poseidon.

When she reached up to the surface, she hoisted herself up and leaned onto the deck, supported only by her arms. She moved a hunk of dripping hair back behind her ear, and looked up to the Big House. There, a young boy - probably at the peak of his teenage years, judging by his height and lanky form - was watching them, head cocked to the side. Since he was so far away, she couldn't tell if he was looking on with something like interest or jealousy, or the color of his eyes, facial features. But she can see a head of black gravity-defying hair, and she could tell he was the newbie on the topic of gossip because he had no orange camp shirt. He was also holding a white shoebox, which she assumed was where the Minotaur's horn was.

Tessa grinned wolfishly. She never liked to participate in Clarisse's initiations; it reminded her of when the older kids at the orphanage would go "Tessa Hunting", as they had so affectionately called it. But it was amusing to watch the new demigods on how they would handle the situation. Even more so when they used their powers.

"Clarisse." she jerked her head to the boy, who was now walking off with who was probably a satyr. "Newbie."

Clarisse laughed gleefully.

She was pissed.

Tessa ran across the volleyball court, waving the large, plastic neon water gun in the universal sigh of hi when the players - Apollo vs. Hermes - called out to her. Her bag slapped against her back, filled with the boxes of flowers she had promised to get Silena and others. She was sopping wet, again, thanks to Clarisse, again. She knew she and her buddies were running somewhere ahead of her, armed with her own water gun they had stolen from the camp store.

Her anger fueled when she caught the sound of maniacal laughter.

"You're dead now, la Rue," she muttered.

She was extremely uncomfortable. She was running - no, flying. Her toes were barely skimming the tips of grass blades as she ran, hovering and in her anger not completely acknowledging it. Her wet hair was sticking to her cheeks, and her clothes were attached like a second skin. There was sand on her back and her distrust towards the Naiads for throwing her into a dune on the beach increased even more.

She could hear the gruff voice of Clarisse as she rounded the corner of the facility building, and she aimed the water gun for the first figure she could see.

A high-pitched scream that definitely didn't match the counselor of the Ares cabin almost popped her eardrums.

"Oh, shit," she mumbled, rubbing her ears dramatically.

Annabeth fisted her hands and glared at Tessa. "You - you Airhead!" she yelled. She wrung out her shirt, creating another mini puddle of water beside her foot. "Have you gone insane?"

Tessa pulled an offended look. The only people she knew who were insane were Pollux and Castor. And their father, of course. "You got caught in the crossfire," she explained, though she couldn't figure out how she managed to confuse Clarisse's bulky form with Annabeth's slender one. She pointed the nose of the water gun to the ground, putting her hands up in surrender. "And this proves that...there are no innocent bystanders in war?" She glared at the Ares' girls who started to howl loudly.

"Which proves," Annabeth spat out, causing the boy beside her to take a step back, "that some adults with toys can be complete idiots."

"Hey!" Tessa protested. "This is no toy; it's a Maximum Blaster 5000." She paused. Reaching into her bag, she brought out a simple white box that was tied with a royal purple ribbon. "I got you flowers... I'm sorry?"

She could see the boy - possibly the new kid, Percy Jackson - eying the water gun with interest.

Annabeth's cheeks reddened with anger, her grey eyes hardening like steel. "Well, you can take your flowers and your Maximum Blaster 5000 and shove it up your -"

"Language, Owlet!" Tessa chided, clicking her tongue in disapproval.

Clarisse grinned smugly at Annabeth. "We'll pulverize you." She said this as though she had already said it before. She turned to Percy. "Who's this little runt?"

"Percy Jackson," Annabeth gritted out, and Tessa gave her self a pat on the back, "meet Clarisse, daughter of Ares. This -" she waved a hand to Tessa, who smiled as charmingly as she could "- is Tessa, daughter of Zeus."

Percy decided not to comment on Tessa's godly parent, as he had just witnessed what she did to Annabeth, even if it was on accident. So, he turned to Clarisse instead. "Like...the war god?"

"You got a problem with that?" Clarisse sneered, reminding Tessa eerily of Malfoy.

"No," Percy said. He raised his black brows, looking pleased with himself for some reason. "It explains the bad smell."

Tessa covered her snort of amusement.

Clarisse growled threateningly. "We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy."

"Percy."

"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you."

Annabeth tried to intervene. "Clarisse -"

"Stay out of it, wise girl."

Annabeth looked as if she wanted to say something else. Percy sent her a look, and Tessa knew just by that one gesture he had to be incredibly stubborn. Even more so than her.

Percy handed her the shoebox he was carrying. He set forward, as if he actually had a chance against Clarisse, and in an instant was being dragged into the girls' bathroom in a headlock. Annabeth followed behind them slowly. Tessa handed her the box of flowers.

"This isn't the time for -"

"Just open it, Owlet."

She glared at the nickname, but otherwise took out her bronze knife and cut away the ribbon. It fluttered to the ground, and Annabeth's eyes softened. A bouquet of Calla Lilies sat in the tissue paper, waxy blooms the color of eggplant. Tessa had gone to the Demeter Cabin after her little dunk in the lake, and the counselor Katie, Miranda's older and full-blooded sister, had helped her choose the perfect flowers.

Intelligent, sophisticated, practical-minded, still badass, and a soft gooey center, she had said. Perfectly Annabeth Chase.

Tessa dragged Annabeth by the arm into the bathrooms before she could get all teary-eyed. Inside the cinder-block building, the group of Ares' daughters were laughing at Percy's misfortune, who was kicking and punching as much as he could with Clarisse pulling at his hair.

"Like he's 'Big Three' material," Clarisse guffawed. She set a smirk to Tessa, remembering when she had unleashed her full sparky fury years ago and earned Clarisse's respect. "Yeah, right. Mintotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid looking."

Annabeth huddled in the corner, watching the scene play out between the stems of the flowers in front of her face. Tessa pouted, thinking that she should at least appreciate the flowers by protecting them. Not to mention that she had dried Annabeth off from the water, and herself.

She couldn't completely see Percy because of the stalls, but she could imagine him huddled over the toilet bowl, hands pressed to the rim and refusing to go in. Then the ground started to shake. Water shot of the occupied stall in a perfect arch, and Tessa screeched, flying up to the corner of the ceiling and pressing herself against the walls. The water aimed for Clarisse and her siblings, causing them to fall onto the tiles by the strong force of it. Percy himself was sprawled on the floor, but perfectly dry.

The light bulbs bursted in a shower of sparks in Tessa's terror when the six other toilets started to explode, along with the showers and the water faucets. She maneuvered the air to make a shield around her, forgetting about Annabeth beneath her, who was curled into a small protective ball. The Ares' girls were swept out of the bathroom in the river of plumbing water.

The water eventually stopped, but Tessa didn't move from her spot. Percy looked down at himself, amazed to find not a drop of water on his skin. He looked at Annabeth, who looked like a drenched kitten once again and up to Tessa, who was still itching away from the water making its way down the walls. He stood up slowly, legs shaking visibly.

Annabeth studied his dry form. "How did you..."

Percy was just as perplexed as the rest of them. "I don't know."

They waked outside, where Clarisse and her sisters were lying in the mud. Tessa tapped Annabeth's shoulder absentmindedly, and the daughter of Athena was met with a blast of air. Her blonde curls were then left fluffy, face flushed pink and clothes still wrinkled. She nodded her thanks.

Clarisse scrambled to her feet, hatred clear on her face. "You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead."

Percy had a smug little smirk on his face. "You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth."

The crowd made way for the Ares' kids like the red sea, some choking on their laughter and others looking horrified.

Annabeth stared at Percy with a strange look on her face.

"What?" Percy demanded hotly. "What are you thinking."

"I'm thinking," she said slowly, like she couldn't decided if she were going to praise or regret her next words, "that I want you on my team for Capture the Flag."

Tessa clapped a hand to Percy's shoulder. He looked up at her in surprise. "You are so in my good books kid," she stated, grinning widely. "But I'm still going to beat you in CTF."

Tessa sat at the Aphrodite table, having to thank the Love goddess for her allowance. Silena was seated right in front of her, cooing over the flowers she had gotten her - tulips in a soft pink hue. Warm, simple yet exotic - if that makes any sense - sweet but not all that sappy, and a spine of steel, Katie had grinned. Sturdier than it looks.

The daughter of Zeus still had some sucking up to do, knowing Silena after all. "The torchlight is great here," she noted. "We could do some outdoor work. We can do watercolors, pastel, oil, charcoal. I'm assuming you have some long flowy thing, right? Sleeveless, or strapless, to show off your shoulders. Strong, they go with your face."

"Well, that's lucky for me, isn't it?" Silena flashed a dazzling smile.

Tessa took a sip of Gillywater. She was still upset that she couldn't have Blishen's Firewhiskey, as alcohol wasn't allowed. She couldn't even have Butterbeer, no matter how small amount of alcohol was contained. She wasn't even a fan of Gillywater, but it tasted better than regular water and Pumpkin Juice. She still didn't have it very often, especially after the Italian Gryffindor Rodolphus Vane had tried to give her a glass spiked with a Love Potion. She knew his twin sister, Romilda, had helped him with it.

Continuing the long sip, she stood up, seeing a familiar person at the end of the line for the brazier. Silena followed her.

"What've you been doing?" Tessa asked Will Solace, a son of Apollo. His blond hair curled where it met the collar of his shirt, and it was still as shaggy as ever. "You've missed out on too much."

"Mooching," was his simple answer.

'Who's the victim this time?" Tessa asked.

"Why can't you people just say something simple for once?" Silena sighed. "Like, 'Hi, it's nice to see your beautiful face again'?"

"Hi," Tessa echoed. "It's nice to see your ugly face again."

Silena pouted. "That's not what I said."

"Close enough."

Will rolled his cerulean eyes and turned to the brazier. As he gave a piece of his steak to Apollo, a pair of familiar arms encircled his waist from behind. Tessa leaned over so she could rest her head into the crook of his neck, seeing as she was taller than his 5'3 frame.

"I miiiiiiissed your ugly face," she said, her voice muffled by the fabric of his camp shirt. "Along with everybody elses', of course."

From behind Silena, Michael mock sniffled. "Gods, I'm tearing up. This moment is so touching."

"Don't make a sentimental fool of yourself," Silena advised.

Tessa pressed her lips tightly together to keep in the smile. She took Will's place in front of the brazier and reluctantly dropped the fattest strawberries into the flame. "Zeus," she mumbled, staring down at the flames that had eaten the rest of her favorite fruits in slight jealousy. She then sacrificed her still warm roll. "Apollo." The chopped up peaches were next. "Athena." And for the Hades of it, she scraped off a slice of beef. "Dionysus, but you're still an asshole." She would have given something to Hestia - who she knew was the little girl who often poked at the hearth at the center of the cabins - but she knew that Hestia took a small part of each tribute.

She smirked cheekily up at said man. The firelight gave off the illusion that his curls were purple, and his equally amethyst eyes glared down at her. It was rather forced though, she noticed, once he caught whiff of the heavenly scents.

She strutted back to the chatting Aphrodite table, extremely pleased with herself.

A few minutes later, Chiron stamped his hooves against the stones to gather their attention.

Mr. D sat up with a sigh that could rival her father's theatre attitude. "Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next Capture the Flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels."

The Ares kids pounded their fist onto the table, roaring at their victory reminder.

"Personally," Mr. D droned on, similar to Professor Binns, "I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, we should tell you that we have a new camper today. Peter Johnson."

Chiron leaned over, muttering something to the god of insanity.

"Er, Percy Jackson," he corrected, looking as if he didn't really care about his mistake. "That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on."

He waved his pudgy hands at them, as if he were swatting at a pesky little fly. Or Wrackspurts. Any works.

A son of Aphrodite - Mitchell - waved Tessa over. He stood proud and tall next to her, an amused air around him. "Come, Arbutus Evans," he joked in a commanding king's voice. "Let us go and sit at the amphitheater like men."

At her raised eyebrow, he shrugged. "Well, you are like a tomboy, not all girly flowers and pink glitter."

She rolled her eyes. "Doesn't mean I'm a man." She gestured to her body. "No man should have boobs and curves."

"Whatever." He stared her down bravely. "Let's poke fun at Mr. D then."