( I might make a happier version so stay tuned guys )

The summer sun made the stage look almost too bright — wood polished, banners strung between the trees, the smell of lemonade and salt and campfire smoke all mixing in the air. It should’ve felt normal. It didn’t.

You’d been through worse than most demigods should have to handle. A quest gone wrong. A betrayal that still echoed whenever someone said your name too softly. The kind of thing that leaves you half-present, even when you’re standing right there.

And yet, somehow, Chiron had picked you to help welcome the new arrivals. “Something cheerful,” he’d said. “A little song to show them camp spirit.”

You almost laughed at that.

Now you’re standing just offstage beside Percy, Annabeth, and Will, all of you clutching battered lyric sheets. Will’s humming under his breath, trying to smooth the nerves. Percy keeps bouncing his knee. Someone backstage counts down — five, four, three…

The lights start to rise.

You can see the new campers in the crowd: wide-eyed, jittery, their orange shirts too big, their faces still open and hopeful. The way you used to look before you learned what “demigod” really meant.

You tell yourself it’s just a song. Just a performance. Smile, wave, pretend the nightmares aren’t real. Pretend the scars under your bracelets don’t ache when you lift your hand.

Will leans close, voice low. “You okay?”

You nod. “Yeah. Just… let’s get it over with.”

The music swells.

And as the spotlight hits, you force a grin and step forward, the echo of every memory chasing you into the light.