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Percy sat alone at his own table in the diving pavilion. Earlier on the beach, the glowing blue trident above his head had signified he was no longer like the other kids at Camp Half-Blood. He was the son of Poseidon, a forbidden child, which now made him stand out even more than he had before. He had been made to pack up what little belongings he had from the Hermes cabin and move them to his new home in the Poseidon cabin.
The cabin was dark and dusty, feeling abandoned in a way Percy hadn't really felt before. The past couple nights that Percy had spent with the other kids in the Hermes cabin had been strange, but it had also felt warm and welcoming. Now, entering the new cabin, the feeling was cold and intimidating. The walls were stone and ocean motifs covered every square inch of the place. There were bunk beds, but none of them looked like they had been touched in a long time, and only one of them had sheets.
Hesitantly, Percy walked to the made bed and set down his items. He spread his sleeping bag over the mattress and set his toiletries on the ground. Sure, it would be nice to have some space to move around without stepping on people, or to be woken up by Chris Rodriguez snoring in the middle of the night, but this empty cabin felt crushingly lonely. A knock on the door pulled Percy from his ruminating thoughts.
"Coming," he called as he walked to the door. Upon opening it, he found Luke standing on the top step to the cabin. He had just finished saying something to a camper at the other end of the path before turning to Percy.
"Hey Percy," Luke greeted, his eyes crinkling with a smile. "Just wanted to check how you were settling in the new cabin." Luke peered over Percy's shoulder to look inside the cabin.
"Oh, uh, yeah," Percy stumbled. "It's going great, feeling like home already."
"You sure you won't be too lonely in here?" Luke asked, a light teasing tone in his voice. Percy shook his head. "If you say so. Don't be afraid to let me know if you need anything. Once a Hermes cabinmate, always a Hermes cabinmate." Luke gave Percy a reassuring pat on the head. A loud crash sounded from outside and Luke whipped his head towards it.
"Travis! Conner!" He shouted. "I'll catch you later, Percy." With that, Luke ran off.
That night, Percy lay in bed feeling restless. The cabin was too quiet to be comfortable. What he wouldn't give for anyone else to be in the room with him, even someone like Clarisse. That's how Percy knew things were feeling desperate. Percy sat up from his bunk and swung his legs off the side. He simply couldn't sleep here. He stood up and walked towards the door, peering out into the night air. Percy knew there were harpies around that were enforcing curfew, but the coast looked clear.
Hesitantly, he stepped out of his cabin, down the stone steps, and gently onto the dirt path. Still no sign of any harpies. Carefully, Percy walked along the the line of cabins, hugging tight to the structures in case he needed to hide quickly. On the other end of the line was the Hermes cabin. Percy knew it was a long shot, but he wanted to ask Luke if there was any chance if he could spend the night in there again, just one more time.
When Percy approached the steps, he climbed up, making sure to not step on the board he knew was creaky and pushed open the door to the Hermes cabin. Inside, campers were scattered all over the floor. There was a general idea of a path through the cabin, but in the dark, it would be difficult to maneuver. Taking his time, Percy carefully walked through the cabin, stepped over various limbs and nearly tripping on a girl's sleeping bag as she rolled in her sleep. Finally, on the opposite end of the cabin was Luke. Percy felt lucky that Luke slept on the lower bunk.
With shaky breath, Percy poked Luke's shoulder. He knew Luke could get him in big trouble if he wanted, but Percy didn't care right now. Luke gasped quietly with surprise and his eyes fluttered open.
"Huh?" he said quietly, his eyes adjusting to the dark.
"It's Percy," Percy whispered, kneeling next to Luke's bed.
"Percy? What are you doing here? You should be in your new cabin." Percy opened his mouth to explain, but then Luke cut him off. "Never mind, I know why you're here. Get in." Luke held open his blanket to Percy, who gratefully climbed in. Luke must have either been expecting Percy or this was a routine he had been through before with other campers because he seemed to have truly expected Percy to come.
Percy settled onto Luke's mattress, wrapping his arms around him and pressing his face against his chest. Percy breathed deeply and exhaled. Now that he wasn't alone, he felt like he could finally sleep. Lazily, Luke stoked Percy's hair and yawned.
"Were you expected me?" Percy asked quietly against Luke's shirt. Luke hummed affirmatively. "Sorry to barge in like this."
"Don't even worry about it," Luke assured him. "I get it." Someone shushed Luke from the bunk above. Luke huffed. He leaned in close to whisper in Percy's ear. "You're welcome here anytime, Percy. Once a Hermes cabinmate, always a Hermes cabinmate." Percy smiled, held himself closer to Luke, and closed his eyes.