The Son of the Stars

☆

The first thing Sirius registered was a burning feeling in his gut. As he slowly regained consciousness, the pain unraveled from the left side of his abdomen, spreading into his limbs and coiling in his chest. Sirius felt something soft beneath him, and a pillow supporting his head. He could distantly hear hushed murmurs coming from somewhere in the near vicinity. Sirius couldn’t make out much other than a vaguely familiar voice saying something about “—how he got here?”

Eyes still closed, Sirius let out a low groan. 

“James. Come here. I think he’s coming to.” This unfamiliar voice, which abruptly interrupted the whispered conversation from across the room, came from a lot closer than Sirius was expecting. He would probably have jumped if he wasn’t so tired, and if he wasn’t afraid any movement would make his wound feel even worse. Sirius slowly opened his eyes, squinting in adjustment to the light.

Looking down at him was another boy about Sirius’ and James’ age. He was wearing an orange T-shirt, jeans, and a beaded necklace that Sirius blearily recognized matches James’, although with more beads. His light brown hair was slightly curly, haloed by the bright ceiling lamp above Sirius’ bed. He had a slender face with tanned skin, which made the long silvery scar across his cheek almost glow. His eyes, hazel flecked with gray, bored into Sirius like he was solving a particularly difficult math problem or analyzing a page of a book. Sirius felt like those eyes could reach into his mind and read the writing scratched on the innermost surfaces, picking apart Sirius’ secrets and breaking down his walls. At the moment, though, all the boy’s eyes conveyed in return was slight disdain. 

Without breaking eye contact, the boy simply said, “You drool when you sleep.”

Before Sirius could react, a much more familiar face swam into his line of vision. 

“Sirius! Thank the gods you’re awake.” James looked so relieved that Sirius temporarily forgot about everything else. “You need to have some more ambrosia.” He handed Sirius a small cube. “Eat that. I promise it’ll help with the pain.” James quickly squeezed Sirius’ hand when he placed the ambrosia in his palm and gave him a small smile. Pulling away, he busied himself with inspecting the bandages on Sirius’ left side.

Sirius’ mind was flooding with a million questions, but he popped the cube in his mouth. As he chewed, his mouth flooded with the taste of Effie’s homemade lemonade, which made Sirius’ chest tighten. The pain in his stomach faded to a dull ache, replaced by an empty dread. Effie. 

“Well, at least we know now he definitely isn’t a mortal,” the boy on Sirius’ right said. He shifted his gaze from Sirius to James. “He’s still alive.”

James looked at the other boy with exasperation. “We already knew that, Remus. Do you really think I would feed my best friend ambrosia thinking there was a chance he would burn up?”

“I’m sorry?!” Sirius started. “Was that a possibility?”

“ No, ” James insisted at the same time as the other boy— Remus— said, “Technically.”

“Don’t listen to him,” James told Sirius resolutely. “Remus isn’t a healer, so he wouldn’t know anything about this. Come to think of it, I don’t really know why you’re still here,” he quipped at the other boy. 

Remus’ eyes narrowed. “I was looking for Chiron, and on the way to the Big House, I saw him coming here with Charity talking about how some new kid defeated a Minotaur. You can’t blame me for being a little curious.”

As the two boys bickered back and forth, Sirius shifted to sit up halfway, taking in the room around him. He was in what looked like a hospital bed, one of ten in the room. Two other campers were milling around at the other beds, restocking materials and cleaning. Huge windows let in bright golden sunlight. One side of the building was flanked by tall trees, while a beautiful countryside stretched beyond the other.

Sirius’ eyes eventually fell on the only other person in the room, and he furrowed his eyebrows. “Professor Dumbledore?”

James and Remus fell silent, both turning their heads to the old man in the wheelchair. Sirius’ history teacher smiled and rolled over to Sirius’ bedside. “It’s good to see you, Sirius.”

“How…” Sirius was at a loss for words. What was this place? And why did Dumbledore of all people know about it?

“We have a lot to discuss,” Dumbledore said calmly. “James, is he well enough to get up?”

James turned to him, concern written all over his face. “His wounds are healing well, but it’s up to Sirius. You don’t have to rush out of here. If you don’t feel ready—“

“No,” Sirius insisted. “I want to know what’s going on.” He pushed himself up, swinging his legs off the bed and ignoring the slight pang in his side. 

James didn’t look entirely convinced. “Fine. But I’m not leaving him.” He looked at Dumbledore as if he was daring him to object.

Dumbledore simply inclined his head, his expression never shifting from unperturbed calm. “Remus, would you mind stopping by Cabin Eleven and letting them know they have a new camper coming their way?

Remus’ eyebrow twitched, just for a moment, and he exchanged a fleeting look with James. “My pleasure ,” he replied. There was a slight edge to his voice, but if Dumbledore noticed it, he decided to overlook it. Remus glanced at Sirius one last time and then left the room. 

“The two of you, follow me.” Dumbledore expertly maneuvered his wheelchair to pivot and head for the door, Sirius and James following behind.

They followed Dumbledore through the infirmary door and down a hallway, which opened up into a large sitting room. Sirius sat next to James on a plush couch as Dumbledore settled across from them. 

“So,” Dumbledore said, crossing his weathered hands in his lap, “I suppose I should start by welcoming you to Camp Half-Blood.” 

Sirius registered that this was the first time he had ever heard the name of James’ camp. 

“I’m sure you have countless questions, Sirius,” Dumbledore continued. “Normally, we show an orientation video, but you may be a bit beyond that.” His eyes wandered to the creature’s horn, which Sirius hadn’t noticed yet, propped against the wall by the fireplace.

“Professor…” Sirius paused, not sure where to begin. “What exactly did that horn come from? I mean, what was that… thing?”

Dumbledore’s blue eyes twinkled. “Come now, Sirius. I would’ve thought you paid more attention to my class. You recall when we discussed King Minos of Crete last semester, correct?”

“Yes, but–” Sirius blinked. “That’s not a real story. The Minotaur is a myth. Just like Minos, and Daedalus, and all of those other gods and monsters. They aren’t actually…”

He trailed off as a small smile crept onto Dumbledore’s face.

“I’m afraid I haven’t been completely honest with you,” Dumbledore replied. “The truth is that the ancient gods are very much real, and they are very much alive. The same goes for the monsters and creatures of myth.”

Sirius felt like his brain had stalled out. With all of the things he had seen over the past twenty-four hours, it was almost as if his mind refused to take in this new information. 

The only response he could muster was “That can’t be true.”

“I have something to show you that might be slightly more convincing,” Dumbledore continued. 

“Are you sure?” James said. “He’s still in shock. I don’t know if it’s really the time–”

“No,” Sirius interrupted. “I want to know. Show me.”

James pressed his lips together but inclined his head slightly at Dumbledore.

The old man reached underneath his wheelchair, grasped a small switch, and pulled. Dumbledore rested his weight on the chair’s armrests and pushed himself upward, slowly lifting himself out of the chair. To Sirius’ amazement, Dumbledore pulled himself up to full human height, towering over the two boys. And then Sirius noticed the large, brown body attached to Dumbledore’s waist, still climbing out of the wheelchair. It looked like the flanks of some kind of horse, followed by legs coated in mahogany fur and two large gray hooves. 

It was like a chain reaction went off in Sirius’ mind, moving a mile a minute. The vampire tour guide, the monster in the woods, Effie and Monty, the creature standing in front of him– everything fell into place. He thought back to the story of Achilles and Patroclus, about Achilles’ mentor. Dumbledore had never mentioned him in class, but Sirius read in their textbook about the immortal teacher of heroes, half man, half horse. From somewhere in his subconscious, the name that Remus had mentioned in the infirmary rose to the surface. “ You’re Chiron.”

His equine former teacher sat back on his haunches, a satisfied look on his face. “I suppose you paid attention in my class after all.”

“But why am I here?” Sirius asked. “I don’t have anything to do with gods or monsters.”

Dumbledore– no, Chiron – and James exchanged a glance. 

After a pause, Chiron slowly began. “The gods do not just stay on Olympus, Sirius. They never did. Even in ancient times, they came down to earth and had children with mortals. Those people were still mortal, meaning they could die just like regular humans, but they had special abilities. We called them demigods– half human, half god. Some of these demigods became the most celebrated heroes, or most feared villains, of their time. Hercules, son of Zeus, Aeneas, son of Aphrodite, Theseus, son of Poseidon; they were all half-bloods.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Sirius persisted.

“Even though the home of the gods shifted over time, from Greece to Rome and now here, they still come down to earth and create half-bloods,” Chiron continued. “Some of the most famous people in history are demigods. Galileo was a son of Athena, the Wright Brothers were children of Apollo, and Nikola Tesla was a child of Hephaestus. And that is still true to this day.”

Sirius shifted in his seat, suddenly not sure he wanted to hear more.

“You see, Sirius, demigods often feel like they do not belong in mortal society. Since their brains are wired to read Ancient Greek, they often struggle with dyslexia. Sometimes, problems happen around them that can’t be explained by simple logic, so they are seen as troubled or dangerous. And once they reach a certain age, monsters are able to detect them. They have run-ins with dark creatures, like the Minotaur in the woods, and they do not always survive. That’s why Camp Half-Blood was created– to give demigods a safe haven, and to teach them to defend themselves against monsters and evil. It was built to keep out anyone who does not have godly blood, so that only gods and demigods can enter the perimeter.”

Sirius thought back to Effie and Monty leaving him at the border of the camp’s property, saying they couldn’t follow him, and pushing him over the boundary. 

“I’m afraid there’s no denying it, Sirius,” Chiron continued. “You are a demigod.”

Underneath his mounting shock and disbelief, Sirius felt the smallest inkling of relief. He had an answer. After all this time, his world finally made a little bit of sense. He thought of all of the times his parents had scolded him for not being a proper Black, and a small smile crept onto his face. Joke’s on you. I was never yours to begin with. 

He turned to James, who had an expectant look on his face. “Are you okay? I know it’s tough to take the news. I’ve been there.”

It suddenly dawned on Sirius what James’ presence meant, why he had been going to camp for all these years, why he was always so secretive about it. “You’re a demigod too?”

James grinned. “Guilty. James Potter, son of Apollo, at your service.”

Sirius had to crack a smile, because that probably made more sense than anything else he had heard all day. God of the sun, music, light, and healing? James Potter was all of those things personified. 

“Eventually, you will be claimed by your godly parent,” Chiron explained. “Unfortunately, there is no telling when that will happen; it could be anywhere from tonight to the end of the summer. Until then, we can try to make a guess, but we cannot know for sure. Before you moved in with the Potters, did you know both of your parents?”

At the mention of Effie and Monty, Sirius’ stomach dropped, and he purposely avoided James’ gaze. For the first time, it fully struck him that he was going to have to tell his best friend his parents were gone.

“Yes,” he said quickly. “Or I thought so at least.” 

“Perhaps something else, then,” Chiron said. “Demigods’ instincts are typically tied to their godly parent. A child of Demeter, for example, would draw strength in battle from the earth and the nature around them. Children of Apollo, like James, are generally predisposed to archery. Over the next few days, as you begin training, pay attention to anything that you are naturally drawn to. That might give us a better idea of who your parent is.”

Sirius nodded. He thought back to the lightning strike at the museum, and the raindrops falling on his face as he dragged himself through the woods. He almost opened his mouth to speak, but something made him hold his tongue. He wasn’t sure what any of it meant, if it meant anything at all, but he had a bad feeling that it wasn’t a good thing. Best to keep it to himself for now. 

“Now, I believe it is your turn to enlighten us.” Dumbledore smiled down at Sirius. “How did you find yourself at our doorstep?”

After a deep breath, Sirius began. He started at the museum about the demon tour guide, which elicited a gasp from James and a furrowed brow from Chiron. He told them everything, describing her flaming hair and cloven feet, running through the exhibit, and Effie’s pepper spray. The one thing he didn’t mention was the lightning. Instead, he told James and Chiron that the pepper spray had incapacitated Kimberly long enough for them to escape.

“The monster you’re describing is an empousa,” Chiron clarified. “They are servants of Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft. They usually travel in groups, so you were lucky that she confronted you alone. We’ll have to make sure that there aren’t any more lurking among the Met’s tour guides.”

Sirius continued, telling them how Effie and Monty resolved to bring him to camp. He felt James stiffen in apprehension beside him, wracking him with another wave of guilt. 

“The monster– Minotaur, I guess– ran our car off the road,” Sirius continued. “We ran through the woods and managed to make it to the perimeter, but Effie and Monty–” His voice broke, his eyes fixed on the dusty wooden floorboards. “They couldn’t cross over into camp. I tried to stay with them, but the Minotaur caught up to us. Monty pushed me over the boundary right before he grabbed them, and…” 

The room was silent. 

At barely a whisper, James hesitantly said “Sirius…”

“I’m so sorry, James,” Sirius burst out. James’ face was unreadable, but as Sirius finally looked into his golden brown eyes, they looked almost shattered, broken. “I couldn’t save them. I tried, but I couldn’t. I should’ve done more, I should’ve run out to meet the Minotaur and fought it before it could ever lay a hand on them, but–” 

“Stop.” James’ voice was soft. “You did everything you could. It’s not your fault, Sirius.”

“But–”

“Do you really think Euphemia and Fleamont Potter would ever let you sacrifice yourself for them?” James looked like he was trying to muster up a rueful smile. “Their job is to protect you, and that’s what they did. And you’re here, and you’re safe, and they would be happy to know that.” 

He reached for Sirius’ hand, clasping it in his own. The tightness in Sirius’ chest squeezed once, then lessened slightly.

Hand in hand with his best friend, Sirius finally allowed himself to cry.

☆

“You’ll be in Cabin Eleven for now,” James explained as he and Sirius walked down the hill from the Big House. “It’s Hermes’ cabin, but it’s where all of the new campers go until their parents claim them.”

As James led them through the camp’s grounds, Sirius spotted dozens of other children, aged from about nine to eighteen, all wearing orange T-shirts that read Camp Half-Blood. In the distance, he saw campers canoeing on the glassy lake, shooting archery and throwing axes at an extensive range, and climbing a large rock wall. Sirius couldn’t believe they were all children of gods and goddesses– some of them, he reminded himself, might be his own siblings. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Sirius had always had a complicated relationship with being a brother. 

“Who do you think my godly parent is?” he asked James suddenly. “I feel like maybe I should have some idea, like I should know deep down inside who my real dad or mom is, but I have nothing.” 

James considered this. “It’s hard to say. Some people make total sense with their godly parent, and some are polar opposites. Just wait until you meet your new head counselor and you’ll see what I mean.” 

“What do you mean by that?” Sirius asked, suddenly curious. 

“Never mind.” James shook his head. “Back to your godly parent. I could see you being a son of Ares, maybe. You do have a temper on you. And we both know you tend towards unnecessary violence.” 

“Hey!” Sirius elbowed James in the side. “Take that back.”

“Why would I,” James replied, “when you’re proving my point?”

“Shut up.” Sirius crossed his arms, feigning offense. James half-smiled in response, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

They hadn’t mentioned Effie or Monty since the conversation with Chiron, but Sirius could tell James was hurting. He would crack a joke or break into a grin, and then falter, as if he remembered that there was nothing to smile about. It was so unlike James that Sirius felt sick. He wanted to do something, anything, to help him. But what could he do that wouldn’t just remind James that Sirius had failed him, letting his parents sacrifice themselves?

The only thing Sirius could think to do was keep James talking, moving, and not thinking. “You were supposed to say obviously I’m Aphrodite’s long-lost son, because of my striking beauty,” he continued teasingly. 

James snorted, breaking slightly from his reverie. “If we’re guessing based on looks, have you considered Hephaestus?”

“Hey!” a girl’s voice called out from their left. “Watch yourself, Potter.”

They were passing a large marble building, with smoke billowing out of chimneys on the roof. From inside, Sirius could hear the dissonant clanging of tools against metal. A girl that looked to be about seventeen years old sat on the front step. Her short, choppy brown hair was pulled back from her round face with a bandana that was about as stained as the rag she was using to clean grease from her hands. 

“Just joking, Alice, I swear,” James said apologetically. 

“That’s what I thought,” Alice answered, crossing her arms. She had the most toned muscles that Sirius had ever seen on a real person. “I figured you were kidding. Because if you weren’t, I was going to bring up that Hephaestus’ daughter bagged the man you and everyone else pined after for two summers.”

James’ jaw dropped. “I was not– I’m not– I was never pining!”

Alice looked at Sirius. “You should’ve seen him. Thirteen-year-old James spent a lot of time in the community gardens. To no avail, unfortunately, because Frank Longbottom only ever had eyes for me.” 

Her eyes gleamed as James’ face turned beet red. She extended her hand. “Alice Fortescue.”

Sirius grinned. “Oh, I like you.” He clasped her hand and shook, her grip firm in his. “I’m Sirius.”

“Lovely to meet you, Sirius.” Alice turned back to James. “And that’ll teach you to respect my father.” 

“Got it,” James croaked out, still grimacing. 

A loud bang sounded from inside the forge, followed by a voice yelling “Shit!” 

Alice sighed. “Pete’s at it again. I need to go deal with this– see you later!”

Once she had disappeared inside, Sirius looked sideways at James. 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” James said resolutely, resembling something like a kicked puppy. 

Sirius smirked, but didn’t press it. “So demigods can date each other? Aren’t we all cousins or something? Like, are children of Zeus not technically everyone else’s uncles and aunts?” 

“It doesn’t work that way,” James replied. “God’s don’t have DNA in the same way that humans do. So Alice and Frank can date, because she’s a daughter of Hephaestus and he’s a son of Demeter, and it doesn’t matter that he’s technically her second cousin or whatever. Anyone is fair game, unless you share a godly parent. Plus, most demigods don't have any full-blood siblings because gods don't typically stick around very long after having children with a mortal, so it would be especially weird to try to date the closest things to siblings that you have. To be fair, Zeus and Hera are married despite being blood siblings, so it’s not like demigods with different parents dating is the worst thing that’s ever happened. I’ve found that it’s best that you just don’t think too much about it.”

“I can live with that,” Sirius said. “My own family tree is pretty much just as bad.”

They walked on, leaving the forge behind them as they approached a large shed. Over the door, two spears crossed behind a shield were carved into the metal archway. 

“This is the armory, where we keep all of our weapons,” James said. “If you want, we can take a look and see if anything seems up your alley.”

Sirius didn’t know how he felt about handling a weapon, let alone other teenagers being trusted with them, but he let James lead the way inside the shed. 

Inside, Sirius gaped as he stared at the sheer number of deadly contraptions before his eyes. The tall walls of the armory were lined with any weapon he could imagine. Spears that were longer than Sirius’ entire body, swords in every shape and size, countless knives, ornate bows and sharp arrows. 

Deep inside the shed, two figures were hunched over what looked to be a bow, muttering amongst themselves. As James and Sirius got closer, Sirius recognized one of the campers as Remus, the boy from the infirmary. The other was a girl about a foot shorter than Remus, with freckled skin and flaming red hair tied back in a clip. She was tightening the string of the bow in front of them, her fingers working quickly as if she’d done this hundreds of times. She stepped back and offered the bow to Remus, who pulled the string taut. Apparently satisfied, he smiled down at the girl, a genuine and grateful smile that Sirius couldn’t believe came from the reticent boy he had met hours earlier. 

“Hey, Remus! Lily!” James called out to the pair. They both turned to face James and Sirius, Remus’ smile fading as he took in the newcomers. “Sirius, you already met Remus Lupin earlier, and this is Lily Evans. They’re the head counselors of the Athena cabin,” James continued. “Lily’s a genius at weapons and battle strategy, what with being the daughter of the war goddess and all that. She’s the best person to find you a weapon.”

Sirius had the feeling that Lily Evans was not to be underestimated. She might have stood about a head shorter than he did, her round face making her look younger than Sirius assumed she truly was, but when her green eyes met his, they contained a dangerous intensity. She shared Remus’ gray flecks in her eyes, as well as his terrifyingly analytical scrutiny. Lily sized Sirius up, then glanced almost imperceptibly at Remus, in a way that Sirius couldn’t be sure if he’d imagined it. Fortunately, Lily did not seem to share Remus’ reserve. Her face broke into a charming smile as she turned back to Sirius. “So this is Sirius Black. We couldn’t believe it when we heard that you were here. James had told us so much about you, but we never thought you were one of us!” 

Sirius’ lip twitched. “Believe me, I was just as surprised myself.”

Lily laughed, a melodious sound that echoed through the cavernous armory. “So, I suppose you’re here to try out our weapons. We can choose something today, but if you go into training and feel like you want to choose something else, just let me know. A lot of demigods don’t commit to one weapon to specialize in, and choose to build their skills with several of our options instead. It’s completely up to you.”

Sirius nodded. “What weapon do you use?” he asked James, the thought having just occurred to him that his best friend was apparently trained in battle.

James wrinkled his nose. “If I have to, I carry a basic short sword. I’m not really a fighter, though. I’m trained as a healer, which is true for a lot of children of Apollo.”

That made a lot of sense to Sirius. He couldn’t really imagine James willingly hurting anyone or anything, monster or otherwise. 

Lily was looking Sirius up and down, deep in thought. “Well, I think you’d definitely be better suited to a lighter weapon. You aren’t built for an axe or a mace. Few are, really, and it isn’t exactly traditional Ancient Greek anyway. You might do better with something like a spear or a knife. Those both work in short- and long-range combat, and allow you a good amount of flexibility in terms of your approach to taking down an opponent.”

“What about a bow?” Sirius interjected, looking at the weapon in Remus’ hands.

“It’s an option, but a bow is much more difficult to master than your other choices,” Lily answered. “That’s why so few campers choose it as their weapon. It’s much less forgiving in actual combat, and if you don’t have sufficient control and experience, you’d be dead before you could even get an accurate shot off. Remus has been practicing for years with his bow. His marksmanship is almost flawless. He can hit a moving target from a hundred yards away, and fire a kill shot with one arrow under the pressure of a monster bearing down on him. You don’t have time to get to that point, considering you’re already attracting Minotaurs to our front door.”

Sirius was listening, but his eyes kept flitting to Remus’ hands on his bow. Two of his fingers absent-mindedly ran along the bowstring, testing its tension. “You’re really that good?” he finally asked.

Remus raised an eyebrow. “You sound like you don’t believe it.” He took one hand off the bow to grasp an arrow from a nearby quiver, twisting the shaft between his index finger and thumb. 

“I didn’t say that,” Sirius said with a defensive note in his voice. “I just have a hard time believing anyone’s really that accurate a shooter. It feels like something you would only see in a movie, not something a real person could actually do.”

Remus had stopped twirling the arrow, holding it still. “Have you ever seen anyone actually shoot an arrow before? In real life, I mean.”

“No,” Sirius admitted, “but–”

Remus smirked for a brief moment, so quickly that Sirius could’ve blinked and missed it. In the next second, he expertly notched the arrow between his fingers on the bowstring, drew the bow, and released. The arrow flew directly past Sirius’ head, so close that he could’ve sworn he felt it clip his cheek, and landed on a shield on the wall painted with a dragon. The tip of the arrow was embedded in between the dragon’s eyes.

“Well, Lily, it looks like my issues with aim have been solved,” Remus said airily as he lowered his bow. “Thanks for your help. I’ll see you back at the cabin.” He strolled breezily out of the armory, disappearing before Sirius could close his gaping mouth.

Lily pressed her lips together, in a way that Sirius couldn’t read. It looked as if she was slightly disappointed, but also trying not to smile. James’ eyes were bulging out of his head. It was possibly the first time that Sirius had seen him speechless.

“As I was saying,” Lily finally continued, “I think a spear or a knife would be best for you. I can show you some of our supply, if you’re feeling ready.”

Sirius closed his mouth, then cleared his throat. “Sure.” He followed Lily to a nearby rack, trying to put Remus out of his mind. 

The wall Lily stood next to was stacked with countless spears, ranging from about two feet long to several yards. Sirius noticed that most of the spears, like the majority of the weapons in the shed, were made of bronze, although there were some iron, silver, and gold options. 

“Most of these weapons are made of Celestial bronze,” Lily said, as if she could tell what Sirius was thinking. “It’s a magical material that’s fatal to monsters, but won’t harm a mortal if they come in contact with it. Unfortunately, it can also harm demigods, even though we have mortal blood.”

“So we aren’t immortal, but we can still be killed by weapons that can’t kill mortals,” Sirius murmured as he ran his hand along the weapons on the wall. “Feels like we got the short end in that deal.”

His hand came to rest on a spear that was about four feet long. It had a long, heavy Celestial bronze spearhead shaped like a leaf on its front end, and a shorter spike on its rear. The dark wooden shaft of the spear was webbed with cracks that laced down the body of the weapon. Sirius grasped it and, at Lily’s encouragement, lifted it off the wall and weighed it in his hand. The spear felt comfortable in his grasp, almost like it was humming when it made contact with Sirius’ skin.

“You like that one?” James asked.

Sirius nodded, testing the weight of the spear. It felt incredibly balanced and easy to handle, like it could spring into action at any moment. It was relatively heavy, but Sirius was confident he could easily throw it a considerable distance. 

Lily was watching him with a curious look on her face. Her brow was furrowed, as if she had all the pieces to a puzzle laid out, but wasn’t sure what the finished product would reveal. Nevertheless, she wiped her quizzical expression from her face when she noticed Sirius looking at her. “The type of spear is called a doru, typically used by Ancient Greek infantry,” she said. “It was celebrated for its flexibility, because soldiers could throw the spear in long-range combat, use the large end in short-range fighting, and use the small spike at the other end to finish off their opponents. That spear is a particularly interesting one. It was forged by the same Cyclopes that made Zeus’ master bolt and Poseidon’s trident. Its Greek name is Keraunos, which as a tribute to its predecessor, roughly translates to–”

“–Firebolt,” Sirius finished for her. The Ancient Greek translation came easily to him, his brain automatically supplying it as if he’d known the language for his whole life. He traced the cracks with his fingertip, noticing for the first time how much they looked like lightning strikes.

“You’re welcome to try it out,” Lily offered. “And like I said, if you want to come back and test out a different weapon, just say the word.”

Sirius thanked her, laying the spear back on the rack. 

“Thanks, Lily,” James said gratefully. “I guess we’d better get going. Still need to get Sirius set up with his new cabin and everything.”

“Please, don’t let me hold you back,” Lily insisted. “It was great meeting you, Sirius. Lovely to put a face to the name.”

“You as well,” Sirius said. “I’ll see you around?” 

“I’m sure you will,” Lily answered with a smile. “You’ll be playing capture the flag with all of us tomorrow, won’t you?”

“Capture the flag?” Sirius echoed.

“Yes! The whole camp plays,” Lily said excitedly. “Our version is just like the regular game, except everyone can use any weapons or abilities at their disposal.”

“It’s basically a healer’s dream,” James broke in. “Last year, I had to reattach one of Amos’ toes.” 

Sirius had the sudden urge to bring Firebolt with him, so that he could practice with it for the entire next twenty-four hours. He was pretty attached to his toes, not to mention the rest of his body. 

“It’s Athena, Hermes, Apollo and Dionysus versus Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, and Demeter, so we’ll all be on the same team,” Lily told them. “And just so you know, we will be blowing Cabin Five out of the water. I’ll be damned if we lose to Ares again, because they have no actual strategy to speak of, and their bragging is so absolutely insufferable.”

“I’ll bet you’ve been working on our offensive strategy for days, right, Lils?” James teased.

Lily looked back at James with a stony gaze, jaw set. “Try nine months.”

James’ mouth snapped shut, wiping the grin off his face.

“Letting them win the last game of last summer was the worst decision I’ve ever made,” Lily groaned. “Marlene has brought it up in almost every single Iris-message she sent me throughout the entire year. I cannot let the children of that so-called ‘god of war’ beat us again.”

Sirius wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t see how he was going to help the effort, with his exactly zero years of expertise in combat and battle strategy. 

“Anyway, I’ll see you both then,” Lily said. “Have fun during your time in Cabin Eleven, Sirius. And don’t let Fabian or Gideon Prewett anywhere close to your things.”

☆

James and Sirius made their way to a small circle of twelve buildings, all facing an inner courtyard. The buildings could not have looked more different. Some were more humble, made of stone or wood, while others were grand structures with marble columns and gold detailing. 

“These are the cabins,” James explained. “We have one for each of the major gods.” 

They were approaching the first two cabins, two enormous buildings flanked by huge columns and bronze arched doorways. Neither felt particularly welcoming, and Sirius got the feeling that no one had lived in either of these cabins for a long time, if ever. 

“Zeus and Hera’s cabins,” James supplied. “There aren’t any demigod children of Hera, because she’s only ever had godly children with Zeus, but it would definitely be bad if they left her out.”

“Does anyone live in Zeus’ cabin?” Sirius asked. 

James shook his head. “Not for a long time. A few decades ago, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades decided to stop producing demigod children, because they tended to be really powerful and a little bit reckless. Both Zeus and Poseidon’s cabins have been empty ever since.” 

“What about Hades?” Sirius pressed. “What would happen to his kids?” 

“He lives in the Underworld, so since he isn’t technically an Olympian, he doesn’t have a cabin,” James explained. “Any of his kids would live in the Hermes cabin, even if they were claimed, because they wouldn’t have anywhere else to go.” 

“That sounds horrible,” Sirius said incredulously. “It feels like that would be so isolating. Being forced to live with a whole group of people who are brothers and sisters, and you’re just the odd one out?”

“It happens more often than you’d think,” James admitted. “There are multiple kids in Cabin Eleven who are children of minor gods, but we don’t have cabins for everyone. They’ve been claimed, but they still live with the Hermes kids, because their godly parents aren’t major enough to warrant an entire cabin.”

“So some campers can be consistently treated like outsiders because their parents didn’t get a cabin, but you have these huge empty buildings serving no one?” Sirius asked in disbelief. “That feels like a waste of space.”

Thunder rumbled in the distance, making Sirius’ hair stand on end. The sky was an endless blue, and yet that felt like a very close thunderclap. 

“Careful,” James said warily. “It’s never ended well for anyone on Zeus or Hera’s bad side.” 

Sirius wanted to press the issue, but he could still sense the electricity in the air. 

“Anyway, I heard that the Hermes cabin has a new camper who might agree with you,” James continued. “I haven’t heard much about it yet, but rumor has it Hades broke the pact with his brothers and had a son with a mortal woman.”

Sirius raised an intrigued eyebrow. “What’s his story?” 

“I don’t know much about it yet, but apparently he showed up last fall unannounced and was claimed within the day. It was a pretty big deal, from what I hear from the year-round kids.”

“So some people live here full-time, instead of just the summer?” Sirius asked.

James nodded. “It depends on how powerful you are, and your living situation at home. Remus and Lily, for example, have lived here year-round for longer than probably anyone else, but most people only come for the summer.” 

They had passed the next two cabins, one with weathered wood, gray stones, and seashells scattered along the walls, and the other entirely covered in plants, complete with a grass roof that sported multiple variations of flowers and herbs. On their left, Sirius could see the next building, a gray house with red paint splattered haphazardly against the walls and an enormous boar’s head hung over the door. On the porch, a girl with shaggy blonde hair sat sharpening a long knife, her legs propped up on the railing. 

“That’s Marlene McKinnon,” James pointed out. “She’s head counselor of the Ares cabin. Probably one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met, besides Lily Evans. You’d never know they’re great friends on any day when Ares and Athena cabins are competing, because they will battle it out until the bitter end.”

Sirius could hardly look at the next cabin. As the sunlight struck it, it gleamed so bright that Sirius had to squint. He could make out a young girl tuning a guitar on the front porch, and could hear faint music playing inside.

“This one is obviously superior to all the rest; Apollo’s cabin,” James said, smiling directly at the building as if the sun didn’t bother him a bit. 

Beyond Apollo’s cabin, there was a small brick building that would look unassuming, if not for the black smoke billowing from the chimney. The door also looked out of place; a large circle of metal that was connected to several sets of gears. Sirius doubted he could make it budge with all of his strength. The cabin directly across the courtyard could not have been more different; it was painted a light cream color with pink and blue accents, and several beautiful flowers in the windowsill.

“Hephaestus and Aphrodite?” Sirius guessed.

James nodded. “Polar opposites.”

He began approaching the door of the next cabin, the last one on the left, and Sirius followed. This cabin looked the oldest out of all of them, with small signs of disrepair throughout. It was a simple brown color, with paint chipping and signs of rust peeking out. The emblem above the door depicted two snakes wrapped around a staff.

“The Hermes cabin,” James explained. “Your new home, for now.”

He pushed open the front door, revealing a giant room packed with bunk beds. The entire cabin looked cluttered but not dirty, in a way that suggested that someone was attempting to keep it tidy, but the sheer amount of children living in the room meant that their belongings were sprawled everywhere. There were several campers in the room, many of which turned to look at Sirius and James as they entered. 

One of them was an older boy, probably around eighteen or nineteen years old. He had pale, sallow skin and dark eyes that matched his chin-length hair. His mouth was set in a stony line, which did not align with his bright orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt. Unlike everyone else, he didn’t seem to be looking at Sirius. His eyes were fixed on James with a very thinly veiled disdain that made the hair on the back of Sirius’ neck stand up. He instinctively shifted closer to James, seeing the same dislike reflected on his friend’s face. Oh, okay. This is not our friend.

“Severus Snape,” James muttered. “He’s head counselor of the Hermes Cabin. This is your newest camper, Sirius Black.”

At the mention of his name, Sirius heard murmurs among the other campers in the room, sensing some moving around to whisper to others. He saw something flash in Severus’ eyes as they shifted to him. Even though they were the same height, Sirius got the feeling that Severus was looking down at him. “You aren’t one of us, I assume? Unclaimed?” 

The cool undertone of his words was not lost on Sirius. “Not yet,” he replied. “No need to worry, though. As soon as I’m claimed, I’ll be out of your hair.”

Severus nodded. “You know, I’ve heard a bit about you, Sirius Black. You’re quite the topic of conversation recently. I hope you know how your fellow campers feel about you.”

“Look, I’m not looking for praise,” Sirius retorted. “I know people are talking about the situation with the Minotaur, but that was self-defense. I’m not interested in being put on a pedestal, I’m just trying to make sense of all of this.”

Severus smirked, crossing his arms. “Good to hear, but that wasn’t exactly what I meant.”

Sirius only had a moment to process his words before he felt James’ hand on his arm, gripping it tight. His face had gone blank. “Sirius.”

Sirius followed his stare to the back of the room, where he realized that many of the campers were also looking. The first thing he saw was a broad-shouldered blond boy who was glaring at Sirius with open fury, more unprovoked anger than Sirius had seen on a child’s face in a long time. And next to him…

It was like Sirius’ head was underwater. He felt like the world around him was muffled, his vision swimming, his lungs screaming for air. He would know that face anywhere, even after four years of distance and change had hardened its jaw and sharpened its angles. That face, which had become so unreadable when Sirius was eleven, was trying to remain impassive but was given away by the betrayal and anger in its eyes.

For the first time since he left him behind, Sirius met the gaze of Regulus Black.