Request: The Nightlight Incident

Drew muttered to herself as she marched from cabin to cabin. She blamed Piper for this. Well, she blamed Piper for everything, but this especially. Chiron had announced that an Aphrodite camper had to do inspection that week and dear Miss McLean had decided to take a vote as to who would be saddled with inspection duty. Drew was elected.

  So she scowled at campers who failed to get their cabins in order in time, scribbled on her clipboard, gave the Athena cabin two out of five purely because Annabeth was dating Percy, and steered clear of Nico’s cabin altogether. He was at Camp Jupiter anyway.

  When she got to Cabin Three, she knocked on the door—as was protocol— and barged in without waiting for an answer—as was her personal protocol. She had things to do anyway and this would only take a minute.

  Surprisingly, Percy’s cabin was almost immaculate. Chiron had said it would take Percy some time to get used to things being so normal, so it was to be expected that he’d treat this place like it wasn’t home. He wasn’t quite used to being back to his normal life, and it was obvious because everything was so… clean. Drew took a brief look around, checked under beds, scribbled on her clipboard and was about to give Cabin Three a five out of five.

  Until she saw the nightlight.

  She stopped short. A nightlight? Seriously? Needless to say, it changed her opinion of the brave savior of Olympus just a little.

  And brightened her mood. Just a little.

  She skipped off to the Big House to deposit the clipboard, after giving Percy a two out of five. The nightlight totally threw off his streak, Drew thought. It wasn’t very manly, now was it?

  “You’re in a good mood this morning, Drew,” Chiron remarked.

  “Oh, you know, just another day at camp.” She suppressed a laugh and wandered off to find Annabeth. This was just too good not to share.

  The daughter of Athena was hiding out in Bunker 9 with Leo, no doubt poring over some lame plan for some groundbreaking invention, blah blah blah. Drew marched in, a satisfied smile on her face.

  Annabeth glanced up, her mind obviously occupied with other things. “What is it, Drew?”

  “No need to be so rude, Annie Belle.” She hopped up on one of the work tables, almost kicking Leo in the face. He jumped back in surprise. “I was just over inspecting the cabins.”

  “That’s nice.”

  “Aren’t you at all interested in what I found in your boyfriend’s cabin?”

  “Not particularly. Percy’s cabin is not a domain I brave often.” She smirked and Leo laughed in agreement.

  Drew inspected her nail polish, making sure the glittery purple paint hadn’t chipped. “Then I suppose you don’t know that he sleeps with a nightlight.”

  Annabeth shuffled through some papers and penned something on a blueprint, clearly not interested. “I’m fully aware that he sleeps with a nightlight.”

  Drew let out a contemptuous laugh. “And you’re okay with that?” She jumped down from the work table, scattering papers in her wake. “Honestly Annie Belle—“

  “Annabeth.”

  “—it seems a little… juvenile.”

  “Uh, Drew?”

  “Not now, Logan.”

  “It’s Leo. I wouldn’t—“

  She turned on him with the full force of her charmspeak. “This doesn’t concern you, repair boy.” Drew made her way over to Annabeth. “Seriously, honey, it just seems a little… weak to me, don’t you think?” Her smug smile broadened. This was just too good.

  Suddenly, Drew felt weightless and a moment later, she was flat on her back, gasping for air. Black dots peppered her vision and pain shot up her right arm. When her eyesight cleared, she was able to make out a dangerously calm daughter of Athena sitting on her chest.

  “Drew—honey—the next time you want to make fun of my boyfriend, just remember that he survived Tartarus. You would have lost your mind and your life in less than an hour. Percy Jackson, my boyfriend, is the bravest hero in the world and if you every make fun of him again, I’ll break your face.”

  As Chiron bandaged Drew's broken arm, he warned her, like he'd warned every camper who'd crossed Annabeth, that to do so again would be unwise. "I hope you've learned your lesson, dear. "Annabeth's had a rough time of things and it would be best not to push her."

  That, Drew had learned, was a understatement.