pjo · hoo · camp half-blood · demigod · mystery · thriller · ensemble cast · greek mythology · betrayal
The campfire had collapsed into a bed of glowing coals, painting the amphitheater in long, trembling shadows as the last of the heroes trudged toward their cabins. The night smelled of pine sap and woodsmoke, a scent that usually meant home but now felt fragile, like a thin sheet of ice. Leo Valdez shattered the quiet first, his voice gratingly bright. "I'm turning in." One by one, the others mumbled agreement, their footsteps swallowed by the dark. Only Annabeth stayed behind, her storm-grey eyes locked on the embers. "I'll head to bed soon," she said, the words deliberate, almost defiant. "I'm going to try reaching my mother." Then she was alone—or so everyone thought. Morning arrived not with light, but with a scream that shredded the dawn. A nymph stood rigid by the cold fire pit, h…