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None of them are quite sure who first came up with the name. It may have been one of the younger campers or Leo, and though it could've been the Stoll's too, this time they probably weren't at fault given that the ones the name belonged to were actually the last to find out about it. It could've come from a movie or an old story or might've just been picked up somewhere unknown. It didn't really matter how it started, what mattered more was who the name now belonged to.
There was a group of campers that the others all looked up to. They were the oldest, the most experienced, the bravest and fiercest. They were the ones who'd been through the most. They'd kept Camp Half Blood alive throughout the wars, even when hope should've been impossible. They were the campers who were the first to rise to the defence of their home. They were the camp's leaders and they were its spirit. Even after the legendary seven had completed their quest, these campers were still the real guardians of camp. Though they'd once craved the Glory of heroes, it now seemed such an inconsequential thing, knowing what really mattered was preserving their home. These were the campers who had stood blood soaked and battle weary on the streets of Manhattan, willing to fight to their deaths to protect what they held dear. When Percy Jackson handed Pandora's jar to Hestia, it was the spirits of these campers that kept the hearth burning with hope. These campers were the first line of defence against any threat to their camp, and, as their enemies always learned, they were the only defence really needed anymore. These campers were The Old Guard.
It was clear to all the newer campers, 'new' being anyone who arrived at the camp since the Battle of Manhattan had ended. These were the campers who only knew of stories of the first war, campers who'd never had to sleep on the floor of the Hermes cabin for years, campers who didn't know what it was like not to have cabins for minor gods or to be left unclaimed their entire lives. The new campers knew the stories of course, the others made sure everyone did, it would have been a dishonour to their fallen friends not to, but the fact was, they hadn't been at camp before it changed, and so they would always be a little seperate from those old timers.
They watched them the way all younger kids watch those they think are cooler, copying them and learning from them, which is the way new traditions are born and change is passed down to younger generations. Once kids at camp were taught by their elders that Glory was what mattred most and heroes needed to stand out, to stand apart, to be the best, for them to ever mean anything. An idea that led to bullying and backstabbing, cabin rivalries and resentment of their parents. These older campers let those thoughts die with the war. Now, the younger campers learned more important things from them - respect, loyalty, friendship, honour. The old timers may not have been aware they were passing on such ideals, but one day they would become their legacy.
It started as a nickname, but it stuck, and soon everyone at camp knew exactly who The Old Guard were. They were the campers that were always the last to leave the campfire when curfew drew near after the smores were eaten and the songs were sung. They'd sit around the fire, occasionally joined by Chiron, and the flames would be low but no less bright as they talked. The other campers weren't too sure what they spoke about, but they knew sometimes they'd laugh and sometimes they'd mourn, but regardless, the fire would never dim.
Percy Jackson was their leader of course, alongside Annabeth Chase. Clarisse LaRue was one of the toughest, and Travis and Connor Stoll were the loudest. Chris Rodriguez was quiet for a son of Hermes, and Katie Gardner who seemed like the stereotypical daughter of Demeter was dangerous when her loved ones were threatened. Will Solace was almost always smiling around the newer campers, but sometimes he looked the saddest of all of them. The newer campers didn't really know Pollux Atropolos, he kept to himself and the older campers, but he always looked a little lost. Malcolm Pace was as great a strategist as his sister but sometimes it seemed he'd rather be doing anything else. Jake Mason carried himself like he was always waiting for bad news but was still daring to hope things could get better and Rachel Dare seemed to fit in seamlessly with all the rest despite her lack of godly blood. Nico diAngelo seemed to be one of the group as much as anyone else, and the rest seemed to genuinely want him with them. Even Drew was often seen to sit around those fires, staring sadly into the flames, her tough facade momentarily shed as they listened to Grover play his panpipes or laughed at Thalia's jokes whenever she visited.
These were the demigods who'd kept Olympus and the camp going. Where Hestia was the last of the Olympians, these were the last of the campers. They were Camp Half Blood's soul. They were also its future.
When whispers of New Athens started to grow, it was these campers who started to build it. It was they who marched to Olympus, heads held high and demanded the gods cast a protective barrier around the village that would one day become a city for demigods and legacies. They were the first demigods to reach adulthood and stay at Camp Half Blood, venturing to the mortal world for college and jobs but ultimately putting down their roots at New Athens where they continued to train and help new demigods.
Charlie Jackson was the first legacy, and his birth seemed to cast a wave of hope over all of them, finally letting them believe they could have peace and safety not just for themselves but for those who came after them. Charlie was followed a year and a half later by his sister Zoe, who was born just weeks after Silena Rodrigues-LaRue. Then Bianca DiAngelo-Solace came along, followed by her brother Michael-Lee. Katie and Travis' daughter, Lucie, had the mischievousness of her father and uncle. Castor Atropolos was a quiet boy who looked like his mortal mother but took after his namesake.
Within ten years there were enough legacies born that it forced Chiron to question where they'd all stay when they lived at camp during the summer. The issue first arose with young Charlie when they realised that while the legacies could stay in their grandparents' cabins, for a legacy who was descended from rivals like Athena and Poseidon, it was bound to cause trouble. A younger camper suggested the Hermes cabin, but the older campers were quick to turn down the suggestion. Though times had changed they would always still associate the Hermes cabin with the unclaimed and forgotten and they couldn't bring themselves to let their children be the ones sleeping on overcrowded floors as it once again became overwhelmed with children who weren't even the offspring of the god.
The solution, of course, was Annabeth's idea. After the Battle of Manhattan during the building of new cabins, Annabeth had originally planned to build an honory one for Hestia. The goddess had turned down the offer, claiming the space and effort could be put to better use given she had no children who needed it (and unlike Hera she didn't have an ego). They had later built a temple instead. Annabeth had not thrown out her old plans however, so she pulled them out, claiming that the goddess of family would be the best patron for their children and the others readily agreed.
One might have been led to believe with the way these older campers embraced a life of domesticity that they'd forever hung up their swords. Any of their enemies who thought this and tried to take advantage were quickly proven wrong. They may not be able to fully protect their kids from the lives of demigods and all they entailed with quests and monsters, but they'd protect them as long as they could and train them for when they couldn't. Because they were not the Romans and when danger came to camp half blood they didn't hide behind their children, they stood in front of them.
They were The Old Guard, camp half bloods first and last line of defence.