what we fought for

by read_only_after_midnight

Summary:

marauders x camp half blood AU

Mary, Marlene and Regulus ran away from their hometown in hopes to find the safe space for demigods they heard of, Camp Half-Blood. Just as they arrive, the Oracle sings a prophecy about them.

"Four from the Three have nowhere to be. Stay here, don’t move a limb. Talk, brothers. Set the pride aside. Use the heart. Follow whispers even if they press against the wound. Hands get dirty before you fix the broken."

Chapter 1

"Watch out!” Regulus screamed towards the boy. The dark haired stranger turned around just in time to shield himself from the monster.

 

Regulus had never seen anything like it. Half-man, half-bull , he thought, a minotaur . 

The boy bravely took out a sword out of his belt, realizing that Regulus, Mary and Marlene weren’t the threat here. He fought the minotaur with quick and strong blows.

 

Mary ran to the boy’s side to distract the monster, giving it no thought.

 

Regulus was too weak. All he could do was watch as the two took it out. He fell to the floor and crawled to Marlene’s body. There was blood rolling down her forehead and he didn’t know what to do. Her eyes were closed and Regulus realized he hadn’t seen her this peaceful for years. 

 

As his vision blurred, he looked at the pair one last time, just to see the minotaur falling to his death.

 

*

 

Remus saw as James came out of the woods with a stranger, carrying two lifeless bodies.

 

“Help!” Lily already screamed, terrified at the sight. People from the entire camp started leaving their cabins to give a hand.

 

The second someone took Marlene from Mary’s hands, she slid out of her consciousness. This better be the camp .

 

Remus was halfway to James and the crowd that surrounded him when he saw Sirius retreating. He didn’t look well. Something was wrong. Remus decided to follow him to Cabin XI.

 

No. Enough with the games. It can’t be him . Sirius told himself as he ran. He sat on his bed and let his head fall into his hands. And he let himself cry, again.

 

The nightmares were always a constant, but this was just mean. Someone was fucking with him. As if the guilt he felt seeing his brothers in his dreams wasn’t enough. He had to start seeing him while he was awake.

 

“Sirius? What happened?” Remus asked, trying not to startle his friend. But Sirius didn’t look up.

 

“Nothing. Go away.”

 

“Sirius. Was it a nightmare?”

 

“Lupin, for real, fuck off.”

 

“Sirius.” He said in a deeper tone.

 

Sirius hated when Remus just kept repeating his name. It always fucking worked. 

 

“I saw someone. From before.” Before . Sirius held so much resentment in that word. He wanted to remind himself that everything that happened from before he was 13 was past.

 

Remus knew what ‘before’ meant. Sirius told him what his parents did. Remus felt both proud and sorry for the young boy, out on the streets.

 

“I saw-” His voice cracked as he choked back the tears.

 

Remus took a few steps forward and sat on the bed. “Take your time. Remember to breathe.”

 

“Remus, I lied.” Sirius cried out.

 

Remus frowned. “What about?” Sirius looked into his eyes and he realized he couldn’t tell him. Even if Sirius protected his brother by not bringing him along, he still left him behind. And he didn’t want anyone from the camp to know. Especially Remus.

 

“I- nevermind. I’m having an episode, I’m sorry.” Sirius knew it wasn’t an episode.

 

“Black, come on.”

 

“Piss off, it’s fine. I’m fine.”

 

“Sirius-”

 

“Oh, fuck off, will you?” He snapped. “I’m fucking mad, ok? I’m seeing shit. Nothing fucking new!” Sirius jumped off his bed and left for the bathroom. He locked the door behind him, even though he knew he didn’t need to.

 

“You know I won’t leave until you tell me.” A voice spoke behind the door. Sirius could imagine Remus very vividly, leaned against the door frame, patiently waiting for Sirius’ fit to die down.

 

Sirius then looked into the mirror. He tried to wipe his tears away, but they just kept coming. He hated that Remus could hear his quiet sobbing. He stayed inside until he could muster up the words.

 

Then, he forced himself to drag himself to the door, unlock it and open it. He looked into his friend's hazel eyes.

 

“The boy James carried was my brother.”

 

*

 

James, Lily and Evan carried the three strangers to the infirmary. James was coming back from his morning run when he spotted the three sneaking close to the camp. The boy 

warned him just in time to avoid the minotaur’s horn. He was trying to recall any names he might’ve heard, but he had nothing.

 

“What were you doing alone in the woods, anyway?” Lily questioned, climbing up on James’ desk.

 

“Morning run.” He answered. Evan and Lily shared a look James knew very well. Of course James Potter runs every morning at 7AM .

 

Barty bursted in through the infirmary door. “Who the fuck are they?”

 

Dorcas and Pandora silently followed him. As James explained to the son of Dionysus what happened, Dorcas wordlessly inspected the faces of the strangers and then sat on a spare bed next to Evan.

 

“We have a concussion and two faintings. Probably exhaustion.” James analysed the patients.

 

Pandora brushed her fingers on the bed of the black girl. Her eyes jumped open and she quickly turned to the table where James kept a notebook and pens. Lily saw it, grabbed both pen and paper just as the green smoke started to fall off of Pandora’s lips.

 

“ Four from the Three 

have nowhere to be.

Stay here, don’t move a limb.

T- t- talk, brothers, talk.

Set the pride aside.

Use the he- heart.

Follow whispers

even if they press 

against the wound- the wound.

Dirty - Hands get dirty

before you fix the broken. ”

 

Lily dropped the pen down as if it were a microphone when Pandora was back to normal. “Done.” She announced proudly to the room.

 

“What the fuck was that.” Everyone turned to look at the blonde patient, standing up straight in her bed. It took seconds before all three were awake.

 

“Hello, I am James Potter.” The son of Apollo rushed to the patients. “I was with you in the woods, remember?” He looked at the black-haired boy, but his expression hadn’t changed.

 

“Who are you?” Dorcas asked roughly. The daughter of Ares had no patience.

 

“Marlene McKinnon.” The blonde answered quickly, looking a little scared. “That’s my friend Mary MacDonald, and the boy over there is Regulus Lestrange. We’re demigods. Is this the Camp Half-Blood?” She rambled.

 

“Marlene!” Mary screamed.

 

“What?”

 

“What if they aren’t demigods and they think we’re mad?” Regulus explained.

 

“Well, excuse me for assuming that a camp were barfing green smoke was usual had something to do with the fucking gods.”

 

“This is the CHB.” James said. “How did you find us?”

 

“Reg has a brother that’s been here and his godly parent told him how to find you.” Marlene talked once again.

 

“Who’s your brother?” Evan questioned.

 

Mary looked over at her friend. “You don’t have to-”

 

“Sirius Lestrange.” He said.

 

There was a second in which Regulus saw something behind the glasses of the boy who saved them, but he quickly lost hope.

 

“I’m sorry. We don’t have anyone named that in the camp.”

 

The girls’ faces dropped, obviously mourning the loss of a friend.

 

“He might go under our old last name? Sirius Black?” 

 

Boom .

 

Remus rushed into the infirmary. “Don’t talk to the boy-” He pointed to Regulus, hoping he stopped them before Sirius was forced to admit it all.

 

“Sirius.” The boy whispered. First, Remus realized it was too late. Then, he realized the boy was looking over Remus’ shoulder.

 

“Regulus.” A broken whisper left Sirius’ throat. “You shouldn’t have come here.” Regulus stared in disbelief as his brother looked away. It’s been 4 years since he’d seen him and he just looked away. “James, I have to talk to you.”

 

“Really?” Regulus asked his brother, who avoided his eyes. “You abandoned me for 4 years and you tell me I shouldn’t have found you?”

 

“James, it’s urgent.” Sirius called out again. James was staring at Regulus (at his gray eyes, raven hair, delicate shoulders - just like Sirius’) before his eyes fell on his best friend. The two left the room quietly, leaving Regulus behind.

 

The silence was deafening. “Reg, give him some time.” Marlene tried to comfort him.

 

“Lily, how long did James say he has to stay here?” Barty asked.

 

Lily just shrugged her shoulders. “I’m assuming he can leave. Only Marlene has to stay for a checkup.”

 

“Good, get your things, let’s get you settled.” Barty said sourly. Evan and Dorcas exchanged a glance before Evan took a bag laid next to his bed and Dorcas took a fresh set of clothes from a closet full of those.

 

Remus gave Barty a look. “You can handle the girls, right?” Barty asked him, but Remus just looked away.

 

Pandora helped Regulus out of the bed. The second Regulus stepped on the ground again, a symbol lit up, not only above his head, but Mary and Marlene’s too.

 

Regulus’ grayish light formed a helmet.

 

Marlene’s turquoise light formed a trident.

 

The blue thunder above Mary’s head roared.

 

Pandora was first to drop to her knees, and others followed. “Ave, Mary MacDonald, daughter of Zeus; Marlene McKinnon, daughter of Poseidon; Regulus Lestrange, son of Hades.” The trio stood frozen, unsure of what to do. 

 

“And here they come.” Pandora said, “Three of the Three. Only one left.”

 

Before anyone was able to say another thing, Barty took Regulus’ shoulder and pulled him forward. “Guess we can skip the Hermes cabin. Would’ve been awkward if he and Sirius were together, anyway.” He joked on Sirius’ account in front of Remus to irritate him. 

 

As soon as the four demigods and the Oracle were out of the infirmary, Remus and Lily wordlessly turned to their half-sibling. 

 

Marlene and Mary exchanged scared glances. This was the first time the three were separated since they ran away from their hometown a month ago. They had to find him and decide on the plan.

 

*

 

“Sirius.” James barely managed. “Wha- who was that?”

 

Sirius was panting loudly, still leading James to Cabin VII.

 

“Sirius.” He finally stopped when they were in James’ room. “Was that your brother?” Just then, James noticed Sirius’ tear stained cheeks.

 

“We were supposed to leave together. Run away.” Sirius started to explain, “He was 12, and he hated our parents for what they were doing to me. He couldn’t stand up to them, he was the perfect child, but he said he would run away with me. And that day -” The pair let the words cool, “My father told me I was a bastard. My mother told me what a hard life demigods have. They told me how I should be grateful for them raising me as their own.”

 

James thought about the boy he found on the street, staring at a cyclop. “You see it, too?” He asked him. Sirius nodded and James pulled his mother’s sleeve.

 

“I decided to risk it and run away. Regulus was safer back home. He isn’t a bastard.” Sirius spoke through his teeth. “He shouldn’t have followed me. He wasn’t supposed to come here.”

 

James had thought of Sirius as his brother since they met 4 years ago. The thought of him leaving someone who meant to him as much as Sirius means to James seemed impossible. Even if it was for their protection.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” James finally asked. It always came down to this. The intention. The goal justifies the means. 

 

“Tell my best friend I left my old best friend behind? No word from me ever again? Cut the connection like ripping off a bandage so it hurts less? James, you believe there’s always a way out, but there isn’t. There wasn’t.” Sirius admitted everything. He knew what he did. James had to have known how much guilt weighed on his chest. 

 

James took a minute to take it all in. “Ok. I forgive you, but you have to talk to him.”

 

“Did you not hear what I said? He can’t be here. It’s too dangerous for a mortal.”

 

“He’s a demigod, Sirius. You have to accept that.” Sirius shook his head. There was a loud laugh heard from the outside and James peeked out of his window to see Dorcas, Barty, Evan and Pandora showing Regulus around. “Well, take your time then. He won’t be leaving soon.”

 

*

 

Mary turned to her right to see Marlene’s eyes inspecting the ceiling. “Marls, it’s gonna be ok. We’re safe. Go back to sleep.”

 

The daughter of Poseidon turned to her. “How would you know? Reg just walked away with a shady group of strangers.”

 

“Sirius wouldn’t let anything happen to us.”

 

Marlene sighed. “He wouldn’t even talk to him. Let alone notice us.” Mary laid in silence. “Face it. He changed. He's not the boy who held your hand in the 7th grade.”

 

Mary let out a hearty laugh. “Imagine, when he notices us, his face when two of his exes show up with his brother.”

 

 A corner of Marlene’s mouth twitched upwards. “I can see him staying faithful to the memory of me, even after 6 years.” They both giggled. It didn’t take long for the blonde girl to drift off, but Mary stayed awake. She wouldn’t even be able to close her eyes if she knew Marlene wasn’t asleep. 

 

The memory replayed in her head. 

 

She had left a bar her friends were in to cool off. She stared up at the night sky, admiring, when she heard a loud crash. She ran into the alleyway the sound came from. 

 

“Stay back!” Regulus tried to scare the monster off. She had only known him from the school and Sirius’ house when she used to come over.

 

It had been the same monster, a minotaur, chasing them for weeks. They didn’t know how to kill it until the boy - James, stuck his golden sword into his ribs.

 

In the alleyway, she searched for something that might work as a weapon. And when she couldn’t find it, she turned the minotaur’s attention to her.

 

“Hey! Big Guy! Yeah, you, fuck you!” The minotaur’s eyes followed her. “I know your daddy, and he fucking hates you! I saw your mama on her knees, in front of a stranger, begging to satisfy her when your dad couldn’t.” Mary kept on going, soon deciding that the monster didn’t actually understand what she was saying, it just enraged him that she was there. 

 

“Oh, fucking-” Mary heard a quiet curse coming from behind the monster. Next to Reg was standing Marlene McKinnon, the infamous troublemaker. She had a bag over her shoulder that, Mary knew, contained graffiti sprays. Black was holding a hand over her mouth while she stared up at the creature’s back.

 

Mary quickly looked away so it wouldn’t notice. She realized she was one turn away from the alley's dead-end or the town square. She could take the monster into the dark for him to kill her and her alone or endanger anyone who happens to walk by. She needed a plan. It took one intense stare at Marls’ bag for the two to climb up fire escape stairs.

 

Mary froze. She could’ve run, but she stopped right after the dead-end. She would lead him to the square if there weren’t for a loud crash in the dark. The monster followed the noise, and Mary slipped right under his nose.

 

She sprinted. And when she looked up, there were two shadows following her through the roofs.

 

When the three decided they were far away, they retreated into Marlene’s apartment. “What was that?”

 

“A minotaur.” Regulus said, still catching his breath. 

 

“Where did you find a minotaur?” Mary asked.

 

“It found me.” Regulus said. He explained what his mother said to Sirius, Marlene and Mary’s childhood ex, the night he ran away. How there are monsters, wandering the streets, only attacking demigods.

 

“Why did it follow me too, then?” Mary questioned, and the only thing Regulus could offer was sympathetic eyes. “I’m not a demigod.” Mary replayed, trying to convince herself, too.

 

“You could see it, couldn’t you?” Her mind raced. Thinking of her mom and stepdad, her childhood, her dreams, pieces of puzzle creating a realistic freaky picture.

 

“Well, I could see it too.” Marlene tried to understand, “And I’m not-”

 

“You are if you’ve seen it.” Regulus interrupted again. The demigods stood in a circle, trying to think of what to do next. “There is this camp…” Regulus began.

 

It was 2AM when they met up again, each with a bag full of clothes, cash, some food and whatever weapon they could find. They had a long way in front of them.

 

Mary rubbed her eyes again, hoping she would pass out again, but she didn’t. “Ugh.”

 

“Want a pill? James said I’m not supposed to give you any so you don’t ruin your sleep schedule, but your face calls for desperate measures.” She jumped up in her bed to see a red head girl sniffing around the medical cabinet.

 

“I didn’t notice anyone else was here.” Mary ignored the insult.

 

“I’m Lily Evans. Daughter of Athena.” She introduced herself.

 

“Okay?” Mary said in a condescending tone when Lily gave her a sleeping pill. The curly-haired tried not to look at the girl, but the girl’s green eyes had no issue inspecting Mary head to toe.

 

“It makes so much sense. I could’ve told you you were Zeus’ daughter in my sleep.” She didn’t feel flattered.

 

“And why is that?” Mary asked, trying to seem uninterested in what Evans had to say.

 

“Arrogance, casualness… egoistic, too, if I dare say.” 

 

“Yeah, smarty pants, keep on guessing. I’m not the one standing like there’s a broom up my ass.”

 

“Vulgar, too.” Evans said jokingly. MacDonald felt her consciousness starting to slip away. Damn, these pills were strong , she thought. “Don’t drool while you sleep.” 

Notes:

i have an account on tiktok where i post about my fanfics, so if you're interested, go check it out!

Chapter 2

Remus had left Lily behind to go check up on Sirius after a while. He knocked on his door and waited for an answer. “Come in, Lupin.” Frank Longbottom invited him in.

 

“How’d you know it was me?” Remus asked upon entering. When he looked at the head of the Hermes cabin, he realized Frank was shirtless. Remus had been thankful he finished the sentence before seeing him because he wouldn’t be able to talk after.

 

It had been almost a year since Remus learned he was bi. Even after spending 2 years in the camp, being aware of his attraction somehow made it easier to blush. And he had to tell James and Sirius soon. Lily had been partly aware for a few months now, given the fact she was his closest sibling, but Remus never outright said it.

 

“Sirius isn’t talking to anyone. James walked him here. I knew you would check in on him soon.” He revealed as he put on a shirt.

 

“Huh.” Was the only thing Remus could muster up before continuing to Sirius’ bed.

 

“No pranks in my cabin!” He yelled out.

 

“Unless you’re invited?” Remus said. When he turned around to see if Frank heard him, he found a smug smirk on his face. 

 

“Hey.” Sirius said from under his sheets.

 

“You OK?” Remus questioned.

 

“No.” He managed. “I just wanted Reg to be safe. Or more time at least.”

 

“Sirius, you still have all the time in the world. With him, too.” Remus sat down on Sirius’ bed.

 

There was a silence before Black continued. “I fucked it up, didn’t I?”

 

“You’ll fix it.” Remus tried encouraging. “What did James say?”

 

“He said I should fix it.”

 

There was another silence. James had a wonderful lookout on the world. He tried to help everyone and it worked almost always. But Remus understood Sirius. He knew it took a lot of energy, being happy. So he let things be shit for a while, every now and then. James thought being happy was good and worth the effort, but it tired the pair. Remus had long given up cheering others up when they all had to be down sometimes, and he had a hard time balancing it.

 

“When are they going to bring Regulus here?” It took a second too long for Remus to answer, just enough time for him to realize no one told him. 

 

Sirius wasn’t special to be 16 and unclaimed. In a few years it would be time for him and the others to leave, so that would mean he would have to go out into the world without ever knowing who his godly parent is.

 

“They won’t.”

 

Suddenly, Sirius pushed the sheets off his face. “What?”

 

A deep breath. “He was claimed. He’s a son of Hades.”

 

“What?” He said in a harsher tone. “That’s impossible.”

 

“I know it’s rare and he just got here, but half the infirmary saw it.” Remus started getting defensive.

 

“Moony, I-” Sirius didn’t know what to say. It was all happening so suddenly, how could he ever follow?

 

“Take your time.”

 

Tears gathered in his eyes. “He just got here. I thought he - He was supposed to be safe! Back home, not - I made it worse, didn’t I?”

 

Remus shook his head. “Don’t do that Sirius.”

 

“He was in bigger danger than me? I left him in that house for nothing?”

 

“You thought you were keeping him safe!”

 

“But I made it worse!” There was the look in Sirius’ eyes. The look he always had when he thought he was a bad person. And, yes, he often made mistakes, but he has never been evil. It takes him quite a while before he looks at anyone else’s side of the story. Because once he isn’t on the side with the people he considers good, he thinks he’s the villain. Remus could only sit by his side as Sirius crawled into the fetus position. “I can’t talk to him.” He managed between sobs. “Not yet.”

 

Remus nodded, but stayed sitting. Sirius never heard him leave, but when he woke up the next morning, he was gone.

 

However, he did get two guests the same morning.

 

“Sirius Black.” The tall, blonde haired woman said with a smirk. Marlene’s arms were crossed and black eyeliner made her eyes pop. Sirius could hardly recognize her without the ponytail and the pink jacket she tried to set on fire once.

 

Mary Macdonald looked the same as she had always. A kind smile and brown eyes. She did get taller since she was thirteen, though.

 

Sirius stared at girls until he had to rub the bridge of his nose. “You came with Reg? He brought you here?”

 

“Black, we’re demigods, too.” Marls stated. 

 

Sirius removed his hand. “You also got claimed?”

 

“Zeus and Poseidon.” Mary pointed to herself first and then to Marls.

 

“Great.” Sirius sighed. “Everyone before me, huh?” He asked the sky.

 

“You have to talk to him, Black.”

 

“You don’t get to tell me what to do, McKinnon.”

 

“Sirius, please.” Mary pleaded. “He was alone for years. He misses you.” 

 

He slapped his knees before getting up. “Reg can handle it. He survived this long. Trust me, if he got all three of you here it means he learned something from living with our parents.”

 

Marlene and Mary exchanged glances. “You really have to talk to Regulus.”

 

Mary gently placed her hand on Sirius’ shoulder. He looked at it, remembering their little hometown a lot more vividly than he would’ve liked to. He looked back at her, she really didn’t change at all. He remembered the time he would treat her with any candy from the local store she wanted and they would walk around the town and share it. Sirius only broke up with her because he knew he would leave soon, and he never thought of her after that. But what’s the harm of picking up where they left off? She certainly didn’t seem against it.

 

“Black.” Marlene called out. “Will you talk to him?”

 

“I need time.” He answered. “Did you have breakfast? You can join me and my friends.”

 

“No, thanks. We-” Mary started.

 

“I don’t want to sit alone again.” Marlene interrupted her. The two shared another heated eye contact before Mary turned to Sirius.

 

“Who’s gonna be there?” She asked.

 

“Uh, the main medic, James. Remus and Lily.” Mary sighed, but Marlene accepted the invitation. They walked to the pavilion together, where Sirius’ friends waited for them.

 

“Brought some company, Sirius?” James asked with a smile. 

 

“Already?” Lily raised an eyebrow. “Black, you can’t play Capture the Flag with mono.” Remus just carefully scanned the new campers.

 

Sirius ignored his friends. “Guys, these are Marlene and Mary. They’re from my hometown.” 

 

Remus noticed that Sirius didn’t quite specify their relationship. He scanned his posture and how he acted toward them. It was a long time ago , he decided. But he knew as well as anyone that Sirius spent the morning inspecting the daughter of Zeus.

 

“Well, I guess we’re getting more Chimaeras.” James noticed.

 

“Chimaeras? The monsters?” Marlene questioned.

 

“There’s this stupid social construct in the camp. You basically hang out with your role in quests. It’s not a rule, but since the roles got a name it kind of conditions the people into groups.” Remus explained.

 

“What are the roles?” Mary asked.

 

“The Chimaera - person most likely to get chosen for a quest. The popular kids. Strong personalities.” Lupin continued.

 

James whispered. “That’s us.”

 

“The Pegasus - person chosen for guidance. Understands the magic world the best. You’d say smart kids, but it’s usually not necessary. The Cerberus - person to hold the team together. A team player.”

 

“Which one’s Regulus?” Mary asked.

 

The awkward silence lasted a short second. “A Medusa’s snake. They don’t get chosen for quests. They go solo when they decide.” Sirius answered.

 

Mary tried her best not to pay the daughter of Athena any mind, but her pale hands moved so gracefully it felt like a magnet to her eyes. But Lily hadn’t met her eyes once. She arrogantly stared at her bowl of cornflakes, even when her scarred friend nudged her to look up. Mary knew girls like her. A smart girl surrounding herself with popular guys, but the moment other women eat breakfast with them, she throws a fit? A pick-me if Mary has ever seen one.

 

Marlene kept turning around to look at Reg’s table. There was the group from the infirmary, keeping him company there. And a girl, the one with dark braids and gold accessories in them, she glanced back once. She saw Marlene every time she tried to sneak a glance. And it wasn’t that Marlene minded it. She just wished she could talk to her. The group seemed so out-of-reach and magical. And, frankly, the girl looked intimidating. In a good way.

 

*

 

Knock, knock knock .

 

Regulus groaned loudly at the constant noise.

 

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK .

 

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” He screamed and pulled himself out of his bed to the door. He opened the door angrily, ready to curse out Barty when he was the one not letting him go back to his room last night.

 

But to his surprise, James Potter stood in the entrance. “Hey.” He said cheerfully.

 

And suddenly, Regulus was painfully aware of what clothes he slept in and what his hair looked like when he had just gotten out of bed. “Oh. What do you need?”

 

“Just wanted to ask you to come up for a check up this afternoon. I need to see if everything’s OK.” He said so casually.

 

“OK.” He simply replayed. The son of Apollo gave him a smile before starting to walk away. “Wait.” Potter turned around. “Thanks. For saving me and the others in the woods.”

 

Somehow, Potter’s smile got even brighter. “Thank you for the warning.”

 

And once he walked away, Regulus realized he was standing in the doorway and staring. He quickly slammed the door, put some clothes on and walked to the Aphrodite cabin. This was the first time he had entered it, and the stories didn’t disappoint. Every possible style, somehow mixed into a beautiful whole.

 

Evan was half awake, drinking his second coffee of the day. They walked to the Dionysus cabin together, where they both had to shake Barty awake and defend themselves when he started throwing the pillows. When the three went to search for Dorcas, her roommate informed them she had left the room two hours ago.

 

At the end, Dorcas and Pandora were volunteering at the strawberry fields for a few hours by then, but the group ended up going to Reg’s cabin.

 

“How’d you sleep, Crouch?” Dorcas asked, teasingly.

 

“Piss off.” He laughed. They had a fight about how Barty is completely useless on 4 hours of sleep just last night when the girls headed to their bed at midnight and Barty kept the boys at his until 4 AM. “At least we had fun with our boy’s night!”

 

Evan raised his eyebrow at him. “Do not invite me to that ever again if you’re planning on calling it that.”

 

“Whatever.” He sighed. “Your brother talked to you, Reg?” Barty asked. Regulus could see no one in the group liked Sirius or his friends. And he liked it.

 

At first, it was obvious they just wanted to hang out with him out of spite. And he didn’t blame them. As if he wouldn’t find a group of people to hang out with Sirius wouldn’t approve of sooner or later, but they really clicked.

 

Pandora was the one to explain the whole ancient world to him carefully, even though she had been the only one that had no magic blood. Yet, she had still somehow understood it all the best. Every time the subject of Sirius was brought up, Pandora would place a hand on his shoulder lightly, and offer a supportive smile.

 

Evan’s dad remarried to Pandora’s mother, and the two grew up together. They both found their own place in the magic world. He was terrifyingly protective of everyone, but especially of her. He was more quiet and cold-looking, but Reg saw nothing but warmth in his smile.

 

Barty seemed to live in spite. He hated his mother, so he lived in the camp. He hated his father, so he never honored him. He hated the popular kids, so he found their weak spots to tease. That part was quite annoying, yet somehow attractive. But there were moments where Reg knew he was there because it made him, and only him, happy.

 

Dorcas was a mystery. She could show you nothing about herself, but you would think you know her soul. And it worked the other way ‘round, too. You could only read what she let you, and Reg was tempted to ask for more quite often. Still, somehow, he knew that he could trust her. Or perhaps that was just a part of her charm.

 

“No.” He answered. Pandora subtly brushed her fingers against his hand, letting him know her hand was right there if he needed to hold it. “But his friend came this morning and told me I have a check up this afternoon.”

 

“James?” Evan asked. “He’s talking to you, even if Sirius isn’t?”

 

“Yeah, I guess so. Why?”

 

Dorcas rolled her eyes. “Potter and Black are basically inseparable. You don’t see one without the other. I’m surprised he isn’t denying your existence in support of Sirius.”

 

He’s quite nice to me, actually , Reg wanted to say, but Barty spoke before he could.

 

“He is living with James and his mom when he isn’t in the camp. They’re literally brothers.” Reg didn’t see the look Pandora gave to Barty or hear the sound Barty made when Evan elbowed him. He simply observed the grass and tried to forget what he heard.

 

They arrived at Cabin XIII and walked in. “They’re major assholes.” Dorcas said. “James has been trying to get into Evans’ pants for years and Sirius contains half of the camp’s saliva.”

 

“Sounds about right.” Regulus managed. “The girls that came with me are both Sirius’ exes.” 

 

The group laughed at that. “Well, maybe, if you’re lucky, Sirius has a different godly parent. Then you wouldn’t have to share a cabin with him.”

 

The thought amused him. “Maybe his godly parent is his mother so we aren’t siblings at all.” There was a quiet moment. They all knew he didn’t mean it, but he would like it if they could pretend he did. “Dora? Can you explain to me about the song you recited? In the infirmary?” He asked to change the subject.

 

“Oh.” She said, “It was a prophecy. About you and the girls.” She said so casually.

 

“What?”

 

“‘Four from the Three.’ Four children of the Big Three. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. Mary, Marlene, you and someone else.” She repeated. “‘Have nowhere to be. Stay here, don’t move a limb.’ You all have to stay here. ‘Talk, brothers. Set the pride aside.’ I would guess this part is about you and Sirius. ‘Use the heart. Follow whispers even if they press against the wound. Hands get dirty before you fix the broken.’”

 

Regulus had gotten used to craziest things being said to him with no warning. “And you don’t know what the rest means?” He guessed.

 

“Nope.” She said.

 

“Don’t kick yourself trying to find out.” Dorcas advised him. “Most of it doesn’t make sense until it’s too late.”

 

There was a second knock heard that morning. The whole group stared at the door as it opened. 

 

“Reg?” Marlene called out. Her face froze when she saw Regulus wasn’t alone. “Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Her gaze had been focused on eyes that weren’t Reg’s, causing him to turn around.

 

“Yeah?” He asked, turning back around with no luck.

 

“Can I talk to you?” Marlene fidgeted. “Privately?”

 

“Sure.” The two walked out and hid behind the cabin. “What’s this about?”

 

“Are you ok? Do you feel safe here?” There was panic in her voice he had never heard until a month ago when they distracted the minotaur so Mary could run.

 

“Yeah.” He said, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

 

“Good.” She gulped. “Other campers treating you ok?”

 

“They’re not treating me at all. I’ve only talked to them since I got here.” Reg gestured to the inside of the cabin.

 

Marlene looked around, taking her sweet time, trying to figure out how to tell him something. “Alright. It’s good you like it. I just - I heard stories.”

 

“From who?”

 

“Not important.” Marlene answered too quickly.

 

Regulus inspected her expression. “Sirius and his friends?” Marlene opened her mouth to explain herself, but Reg let out a sigh. “Oh, come on!”

 

“Listen, I heard awful things about children of Hades.” He looked up at her. “A lot of stupid fucking shit. And a lot of assholes believe it. I just wanted to make sure no one was treating you badly because of it.”

 

Regulus’ head fell down. He carefully inspected the outline of his shoes as the image of scared and disgusted eyes of other campers followed him flashed in his mind. “Right. Is that all?”

 

Marlene pulled his chin up. “Mary told me to ask you what your friends’ names are. She was supposed to come with me, but she has that check up with James.”

 

He managed to hide his smile. “And whose name do you want to know?” Marlene blushed and playfully placed her hair behind her ear.

 

“The girl with braids, maybe?” She whispered.

 

Reg’s smile was gone. “Dorcas? Why do you need her name?”

 

The two stared at each other, confused, for a minute. “Take a wild guess, Reggie.”

 

“She isn’t dating anyone.” Regulus replied, still rather lost.

 

“That’s good to know?” Marlene said, watching Regulus struggling to understand which boy in his group Marlene is interested in. “Regulus, I’m gay. Homosexual. Lesbian.”

 

“What?” His eyes widened. “But you dated my brother?”

 

“Yeah. He helped a lot in the process of becoming.” Reg stared at her for a few more seconds before bursting into laughter.

 

“Oh, gods, that’s great!” He managed before regaining his composure. “Khm. Yes, Dorcas Meadrows.” He told Marlene again. A smile grew on her face as he did.

 

“Good to know.” She said, “See you later.”

Chapter 3

Later that day, the raven-haired boy walked into the infirmary.

 

“Hey Regulus! Sit on any empty bed.” The son of Apollo instructed him, and Reg did as he was told. The brunette boy walked over to the bed and sat across from him. “So I’m just going to ask you some questions.” He looked down at his notepad, but Reg could still see he was uncomfortable.

 

“I don’t want to talk about Sirius.”

 

“Oh, no, the questions are medical.”  James tried explaining.

 

“But you want to ask me about Sirius.”

 

The boys looked at each other. James inspected Reg’s eyes. If he had to describe them, they would sound like Sirius’, but they didn’t look the same. Reg’s eyes were prettier, at least in James’ opinion.

 

“I’m sure he told you more than enough.” Reg continued.

 

James woke up from his daydreaming. “Uh, have you experienced any headaches recently?”

 

“No.”

 

“Any pain in your back or limbs?”

 

“No.”

 

“Alright, that’s good.” James scanned the paper. Reg looked out of the window to see the sun setting. It was in just the right angle to hit James’ eyes. Honey brown , Regulus thought. “Any night terrors that aren’t some form of godly message?”

 

“Not if you don’t count being alive.” James laughed at his joke a little too loud. “Any more questions?”

 

“Ahh…” James ran his finger over the page as if he was reading it again.

 

“You really want my side of the story, huh?” The tanned boy finally looked up.

 

“If you want to tell me. I guess you heard I’m close to Sirius, but I know he can fuck up majorly.” Regulus took his eyes off of James, and quietly stared at an empty corner. “He told me a little about your parents. You both should talk about everything.”

 

“Oh, I tried. You should know, you were there.” Reg’s eyes started welding up in tears. “He looked away. He stays away. I’m not trying to ignore or avoid him, he’s the one pretending I don’t exist.”

 

James looked away, too. Now, each boy was looking at his own wall. Until Black got up, about to leave.

 

“I think you’re right, for the record. Even from what Sirius told me.” The boy didn’t look back at Potter because he wouldn’t be able to hide the little twitch in the corner of his lips, pushing it upwards. So he just walked out.

 

But James Potter noticed how the boy’s steps froze for a moment and something told him it was a good sign.

 

*

 

Remus watched Lily put on her armour. Her grip on the sword was harsh, as if it might escape.

 

“I don’t understand how you could hate her so much.” He said with an amused smile.

 

“Please. Like you need more than one conversation to know someone’s a dick.” She told him.

 

“I need less. But, I guess I just don’t see what’s so wrong with her.” Remus had only talked to Mary MacDonad twice, but she seemed caring and effortlessly pleasant. Her smile was warm and her eyes friendly. He couldn’t deny it just because Sirius stared at her for so long. Way too long .

 

“Well, everyone’s been kissing her up the ass. She doesn’t even see it, it’s bound to inflate her ego. I’m just making sure she stays grounded.” Lily finally admitted.

 

“Maybe they’re just being nice.”

 

“Yeah, the same people are nice to Mary purely because she is a person and doesn’t deserve to be prejudiced, and say those things about Regulus.” Lily said sarcastically.

 

And Remus knew she was right. He felt sorry for Sirius’ brother because he understood what he was going through. “You’re still bullying her.”

 

“Oh please. I’m not beating her up in the toilet with five other people. I insult her and she insults back. I’m letting her know not everyone likes her. That she doesn’t just get everyone’s respect served on a silver platter.”

 

“Fine then, have your little power play. But once she proves to you she isn’t an egoistic asshole, will you stop?”

 

Lily let out an annoyed sigh. “Nevermind. Forget it.” She left the cabin in a rush. 

 

Remus watched sunlight against her auburn hair. Some kids jumped away in fear of the angry ginger woman dragging her sword through the grass. He smiled to himself just before remembering the kids looked at him with more fear. Horror in their eyes while they inspect every scar they can see, retelling themselves whatever legend they heard about him.

 

Remus’ favorite was the werewolf one. It sounded cool and was the closest to the truth. He liked the nickname Moony his friends gave him. It was geeky and cute. And he really liked that his friends didn’t completely deny the other side of him, even when it was bad.

 

At the arena, older campers gathered for training. Remus was approached by James, who nodded toward Sirius, standing by himself, inspecting Regulus’ group. More known as the Medusa’s snakes.

 

“Be my pair?” He asked, and Remus returned him a smile.

 

The crowd started to get broken down into pairs. Evan and Barty, Reg and Dorcas. When Sirius noticed, he approached Mary and Marlene.

 

“Perhaps we can be a trio?” He asked, looking at Mary, while Marlene was giving him a stink eye. 

 

“I can be with you, MacDonald.” A voice said behind Mary’s shoulder, but she didn’t need to turn around to know it was Evans.

 

“Oh, yes, right. That would be a great honor for you.” She replied through her teeth.

 

“Of course. I don’t get to beat a child of Zeus every day.” The two approached each other, leaving Marlene and Sirius alone.

 

“It isn’t wise to celebrate your victory so soon, daughter of Athena.” Mary played with the sword in her hand, turning it around with her wrist. “I know I only have a few weeks of practice, but I can still surprise you.”

 

“You can try.” 

 

Mary jumped forward with her sword, but Lily pushed it away without a struggle. They looked like they were dancing, each movement one made the other was ready for. Mary was struggling to keep up, but Lily just couldn’t finish her off. They were focused on each other’s bodies and aware of every breath. Lily stole a second to catch a glimpse of Mary’s eyes. She was sweating and focused on nothing but staying on her feet. Still, her curls fell on her forehead so gracefully. Her beauty really is effortless , Lily thought before looking down again to hide her flushed cheeks.

 

When the bell rang for the end of the match, everyone rushed to take a break. “OK, good job everyone.” Chiron yelled out. “Drink some water and then change your partner.”

 

Mary approached Lily after the break. “Ready for another round?”

 

“Chiron said we’re changing partners. Don’t you listen?” 

 

Mary raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t beat me yet.”

 

Lily sighed and picked up her sword.

 

The next round, Marlene fought with James Potter. She tried her hardest to drag him closer to The Medusa’s Snakes and James didn’t seem against it. Everyone used their own style of sword fighting. It would’ve been a lot more appreciated if anyone had had the time to look around.

 

After the second break, Marlene made her move quickly. She walked up to Dorcas and tapped her shoulder. “Hi, can you be my partner?” She asked with a mild smile on her lips as if the woman hadn't caught her staring every single time.

 

“Uhh, OK?” She answered rudely, but all McKinnon heard was that she agreed. Regulus watched them in expectance. He gave Dorcas a small smile for which she gave him a confused look.

 

“Is Cas blushing?” He whispered in Evan’s ear, while the boy emptied his bottle. Evan looked over at his friend and nodded.

 

“What did I miss?” The son of Aphrodite asked, closing his water bottle. Regulus just shrugged his shoulders as if he hadn’t noticed Marlene’s proud grin.

 

The pairs rearranged once more. Noticing the son of Hades was left alone, Potter jumped at the opportunity to get closer to the boy.

 

“Wanna be my partner?” He asked casually, as if the boy’s eyes didn't make his stomach roll in the best way possible.

 

Reg shrugged, but picked up his sword anyway.

 

Remus and Sirius starred as Mary and Lily took over their positions and began the third round, both still undefeated. Boys looked at each other again, forced to fight again.

 

“You like Mary?” Remus asked while attacking Sirius.

 

“Yeah, kind of.” Sirius said with no filter.

 

“Why?”

 

“Well, she’s nice. And friendly.”

 

“So is Lily, but you’re not trying to make out with her.”

 

“Lily isn’t nice or friendly.”

 

“Sirius.”

 

He considered a thought for a while. “Mary’s hot.” He admitted.

 

Remus noticed a burning feeling in his chest. His first thought had been: that’s what I get for smoking as a thirteen year old. Second thought was mad. It was impossible, to be exact. He knew Sirius for years. He couldn’t like him. He didn’t. 

 

“The poet you are, Black.” Remus joked and Sirius let out a giggle, a sweet one, as Lupin kicked his side and threw him on the floor.

 

The Marlene girl intrigued Dorcas. She obviously fit in well with the Chimaeras, and those were not Dorcas’ kind of people. The Pegasuses or the Cerberuses? Sure, these are all social centers in the camp she can handle, but the Chimaeras were so fucking unbearable. What could possess Marlene McKinnon, a girl who’s friends are Potter, Evans, Black and Lupin, to acknowledge she breathes the same air as a Medusa’s snake?

 

Dorcas could see her staring. At first, she just thought she didn’t have any manners. Then, she talked to Reg and Dorcas decided she was keeping an eye on him. But as the time passed, the daughter of Ares couldn’t not notice Marlene’s eyes always focused on her, specifically.

 

And as the match between the two started, Dorcas realized Marlene was having fun with her. How did that happen?

 

“How long have you been in the camp?” The daughter of Poseidon initiated small talk.

 

“Since I was fourteen.” Cas gave in. “How are you liking it so far?”

 

“It’s cool. Better than my hometown, for sure.”

 

“So I’ve heard.” 

 

During the match, Dorcas had been a little too hard on Marlene. She was a beginner, and Meadows was a highly trained child of Ares. Marlene ended up with a few deeper cuts, so James pulled her to the infirmary after. Mary and Remus tagged along since the practice was over.

 

“She could’ve cut my legs off, I’d still thank her.” She told Mary, who smiled at her friend.

 

“Seriously? Meadowes?” James asked jokingly.

 

“Have you seen her?” Marlene went into a defensive mode. “She might as well be a goddess.”

 

“Watch where you’re going with that.” Remus pointed up.

 

“I guess I understand you.” The main medic spoke while tapeing Marls up. He thought of someone particular, very similar to Dorcas. “Yeah, I get you.” 

 

“Mr. Potter? Since when do you have a type that doesn’t start with ‘L’ and ends with ‘ily Evans’?” Remus teased his friend.

 

“Uh, since I’m not 15?”

 

“Evans? Seriously?” Mary asked, her face showing utter disgust.

 

James just shrugged his shoulders, but Remus continued with a smile. “Oh, she’s not a big fan of yours, either.”

 

“Yeah, I got that.” Mary mumbled. “Is she that unfriendly to everyone?”

 

“You probably just touched a nerve you didn’t know was there. Don’t worry, she’ll come around.” James explained, but Mary didn’t really care about the daughter of Athena to come around. Anyone who treats a stranger like Lily treated her is a bad person.

 

*

 

Lily watched James swing his arms in different directions as the pair walked out of the infirmary. He signed them up to work together in cabin checks two years ago to try and get in her pants, but his plan backfired horribly and now the two were friends, doing the chore together as a tradition. 

 

“James, I feel like you are trying to show off your ADHD to the entire camp. Stop pretending to be a fucking helicopter.”

 

“Oh, you’re right, let me just turn it off .” James teased.

 

“Oh, come on!” Potter and Evans had always been campers’ favourite topic. Even as twelve-year-olds, everyone found out about James’ crush so they had been the ‘will they, won’t they’ couple of the camp for years. But when they were fifteen, they both decided to keep the relationship platonic and it worked better than ever.

 

“What’s with you and Mary?” He asked, but Lily just let out an exhausted sigh. “Lily, the woman doesn’t even know why you’re treating her like she killed your entire family.”

 

“I’d actually treat her nicer if she killed Petunia.” 

 

James let them walk in uncomfortable silence for a minute before Lily was ready to talk. 

 

“She’s a daughter of Zeus. You can’t deny everyone’s been treating her like camp’s princess.”

 

“Probably because she kind of is one. Being the only demigod daughter of the king of the gods and all.” Lily gave James a death glare. “Sorry, continue.”

 

“I can see them inflating her ego like they’ll make a balloon arch out of it. And her going on Sirius, the camp heartthrob, the second she walked in? I don’t like her.”

 

James thought about what Lily was saying. “I don’t see it, though. The special treatment doesn’t really affect her and she’s showing less interest in Sirius than, like, Evan Rosier.”

 

“That’s because you see the best in people. I just see people.”

 

*

 

The Chimaera group sat together at Marlene’s table at lunch. There were rules that said you should sit with your cabin, but no one really paid attention to it since some old campers became such legends that they defied it and now everyone ignored it. 

 

Opposed to every meal they ate together until now, Sirius didn’t pay attention to Mary. He was completely in his own world, staring at his brother across the pavilion. He thought about it for a while now, but he was finally ready. And he didn’t waste a second.

 

“I’m going to talk to him.” He announced to the table, got up the same time Reg did to give Hades an offering, and marched toward him. His friends’ warnings and pleas for him to think about it first were a cry, growing distant in his mind.

 

Regulus’ back was turned toward him. He was about to throw food into the flame.

 

“Regulus.” 

 

His body froze. The boy slowly turned around to face his brother. “Sirius?”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

The silence between the boys was deafening. Other campers hadn’t noticed the reunion yet.

 

“What about? Leaving? Leaving without me? Not calling me after leaving? Ignoring me when I found you?”

 

“Reg-”

 

“No, don’t tell me. I waited long enough. If you were sorry, you’d say it by now.”

 

“I am.” Sirius had tears in his eyes. Regulus had nothing in his.

 

“You lived 4 years without seeing me, and now a month watching me and you didn’t miss me until now.”

 

“I did, I thought I was protecting you!” People started turning their heads.

 

“So you left me in that prison alone? Great job. What were you protecting me from? Freedom?” Regulus took a step closer.

 

“Being a demigod is dangerous!”

 

“More than years of emotional and physical abuse with no one by my side?”

 

“Our parents liked you! They didn’t beat you!”

 

“They just hated me a little less than you.” Regulus took another step closer. “And when you left, there was no one to compare.” 

 

There was a broken look in Sirius’ eyes. He thought of everything he had gone through before with Regulus by his side. If he had been alone…

 

“And I just hope Orion is your true father, because that would mean you aren’t and never were my brother.” Regulus spat out his words. Sirius’ cheeks were stained with tears. 

 

Neither of them would talk to each other ever again if Regulus hadn’t decided to still bring his offering. As the last bit of food from the plate fell into the fire, Hades’ cap appeared once more in its gray light. This time, above Sirius Black’s head.

Chapter 4

Remus was sitting in his room, alone. Lily and James were helping Sirius pack his stuff and move to the Hades cabin, but Remus couldn’t handle any more socializing that day. He was getting worse. And just everything that was happening with Sirius, his crush… He needed a break urgently.

 

There was a knock on the door. He ignored it.

 

“Umm, Remus? Lily said you’d be here and I kind of want to talk to you about something. It’s Marlene.” Remus placed his head on his desk to collect all the energy he had left in him. 

 

“Come in.” And she did. He could see her playing with her hair nervously.

 

A few days ago, she had openly admitted liking a girl, which itself was brave, but Remus felt as if he wasn’t alone for the first time. He had spent more time observing her and found she’s a very laid back person. Mary would easily win over anyone’s affections, but Marlene could just as effortlessly stay herself and confident. She could make anyone laugh.

 

“Hi, can I sit on your bed?”

 

“Sure.” She sat down and started fidgeting.

 

“I need to ask you a personal question and I’m not sure if I should just ask it or do the socially acceptable thing and become your close friend first?

 

“I don’t have a lot of time so ask the question now. I’m sure we can become close friends after.” He said, happy to be outright honest with someone.

 

“So, I’m gay, right?” She said, pointing to herself.

 

Remus had barely stopped himself from widening his eyes. She couldn’t know.

 

“Do you know other people that are queer in the camp?”

 

Remus’ head rushed. He needed someone to throw under the bus. “Uhh. Pandora, since you have to be asexual to be an Oracle...”

 

“Anyone else?” She stared at Remus’ eyes. He was avoiding hers.

 

“I don’t know, but I can promise you you’re not alone.” Marlene leaned forward and took Remus’ hand in hers.

 

He wanted to tell her, but he was scared. And he barely knew her. “Remus. Can I ask you-” 

 

Oh, fuck it . “I’m bi.” He admitted, “Nobody knows.”

 

Marlene escaped a smirk. “Ok. That’s good to know. I’m here for you.”

 

Remus nodded, proud of himself. Then, he ran his hand through his hair and let out a sharp breath. “I never said it out loud before.”

 

“Congratulations. You did well for the community.” She tried comforting him.

 

“I think Lily might know. She knows me so well, but I never actually told her.” He began rambling. He told Marlene about what James might say and how Sirius might react, and she listened. She told him about how she came out to her mortal parents. Her mom didn’t take it well, but her stepdad was supportive.

 

Remus left to sleep as soon as Marls was gone. He didn’t wait for Lily to come back because he would have a breakdown and Lily could always tell. She would tell James, and James would tell Sirius. He didn’t want to worry her and the others.

 

*

 

Marlene was happy. She found other gays in the camp which was amazing. She was scared this would turn into Bible camp, totally missing the original point, but turns out it was just an average camp. 

 

Remus was the typical bisexual guy, has male friends he’d never tell, but his sister knows. She felt sorry for him, knowing how fast he could lose his friends if he let it slip. But at least James didn’t seem like he would ditch him for something like that.

 

Dorcas casually came out to Marlene when they were walking back from practice one day with the rest of Medusa’s snakes. People probably avoided her more because they were scared of her, not because she’s a lesbian. But Marlene was not smooth about it. She ended up awkwardly acknowledging her crush’s sexuality which would probably make her seem homophobic if Regulus hadn’t told Cas Marlene was gay too.

 

So, basically, she was casually flirting Meadows into a relationship. It became a fun little joke for them to be partners in duels, so when they had the knife fight training, and they couldn’t choose their partners, Marlene was a little disappointed. She walked into the arena with Mary to look at the pairs. She felt a little better when she saw she was paired up with Remus.

 

“They’re fucking with me.” Mary cursed through her teeth. Marlene looked over to see Mary got Lily again. They walked over to the stands and Mary started putting on her armour.

 

“OK, but she’s really not that bad.” She grew worried that this fight might be more intense than the ones before.

 

“She despises me for no reason! Why would I be nice to her?”

 

“Maybe she has problems at home.” Marlene whispered in her ear.

 

“I don’t give a fuck. If I hadn’t done anything to upset her, that means she could treat anyone like that. I can defend myself, but not everyone can.”

 

Across the arena, Remus and Lily were having a similar conversation. “Lily, go easy on her.”

 

“I wanted to do that last time, but she came at me like a maniac. She just wants to look down on everyone and I’m not letting her do that with me so she wants to beat me.” 

 

“You were threatening her.”

 

“That was just foreplay. You know I do that with everyone.”

 

“But she doesn’t.” Lily sighed. “I think you’d actually quite like her if you could grow up.”

 

Then, Sirius and James walked into the arena. Mary’s eyes escaped to them.

 

“What’s with James and Evans? Did she really lead him on for attention?” Mary asked.

 

“I don’t know, but I think -” Before her friend could finish, Mary was done putting on her armor and left the stands. Lily joined her, but not before noticing Mary wanted to fight in front of Sirius to show off.

 

Every step they make echoes throughout the arena, and suddenly, everyone goes quiet. Mary takes her knife out first and attacks Lily violently. 

 

Remus and Marlene then knew that neither would go easy.

 

Lily pushed Mary’s arm away and swung her knife a little too close to Mary’s face, leaving a red cut on her cheek. Mary let out a scream and grabbed Lily’s hand with the knife. She tried twisting it so Lily would let go of her knife, but Lily punched Mary’s side. Mary still didn’t let go, but she was too weak to keep her own knife safe.

 

When Lily took her knife, the sky went dark. Mary ripped Lily’s knife out of her hand. Thunder roared above them. “Your dad’s watching.” Lily breathed out.

 

“No, I think that’s me.” Mary said before gripping Lily’s shoulder and throwing her on the ground.

 

“Of course it is.” The daughter of Athena pushed herself back to her feet with a sigh.

 

“What is it with you?” Mary asked, but Lily attacked her. Mary stepped away and missed Lily’s knife by half an inch.

 

“What is with you? Why are you trying so hard?” Lily screamed. Out of nowhere, it started raining. Mary swung her knife across Lily’s chest, protected by a piece of metal.

 

She gave Lily a moment to gather herself. “What?”

 

“Why are you trying to prove to everyone that you’re this amazing leader, fighter and a friend? Huh?” Lily jumped forward with two calculated movements of the blade. “I know how much effort that takes.”

 

To avoid them, her opponent took a step back, but fell. “I don’t-” 

 

“You do, I see it. Do you think that’ll get Zeus’ attention?” She rolled away from Lily and got back up on her feet.

 

Mary walked closer to Lily, but she didn’t attack her. “And why are you pretending that you know everything, making assumptions about people you don’t know to belittle them.” 

 

“I’m not the one putting myself above others!” The child of Athena tried stabbing Mary in her stomach, but Mary pushed the weapon away, cutting Lily’s forearm pretty seriously.

 

Lightning lit up the sky every few seconds and the sound of thunder never stopped. “I have never done that! Tell me why you think I did!”

 

“Every child of Zeus becomes like that eventually. Someone has to keep you in line.”

 

Mary managed to get her dagger just under Evans’ jaw, pressed against her throat. “So you’ve been treating me like that the whole time so I don’t get too egoistic? Before even getting to know me? And what did you mean by ‘trying too hard’?”

 

Lily forced the words out. “When I first got to the camp, I wanted my mom’s attention. I did my best to be nice, smart and assertive…” While Mary was distracted, Lily cut her side and twisted her arm away. Her nemesis fell to her knees with a loud cry, the battle seemingly finished. “I gave up, so I’m smart and assertive, but I’m not nice. No one can handle it all. Not even the charming daughter of Zeus.”

 

Another lightning appeared in the sky. The blue line stretched down until it reached Mary. Her eyes literally lit up and her wounds got a little bloodier. In seconds, she was back up, ready to continue and the lightning died out. “We’ll see about that.”

 

Once more, the two engage in an epic fight. Lily’s every move is thought through and quick, but she couldn’t keep up with the new-found energy in Mary. Her attacks were fierce, yet Lily found all her weak spots.

 

In a moment, Mary felt another lightning hitting her. Adrenaline ran throughout her entire body. Before she knew it, her knife was already flying through the air. It was a stupid decision. Lily would avoid it gracefully and Mary would be weaponless.

 

But instead, Mary saw Sirius, running to Lily. She couldn’t see it clearly from the rain, but there were a lot of white stains behind him.

 

Then, she felt a grip on her own shoulder, pulling her away. She didn’t turn around, but she saw Marlene’s hair fly past her cheek in the wind. 

 

Mary felt the rain stop.

 

And in an awful moment, Regulus appeared. Right between Lily and Mary. He just appeared, black smoke circling him. He was turned toward Lily, so he couldn’t have seen Mary’s knife. The blade cut right into his shoulder.

 

“Regulus!” Sirius screamed, almost letting go of Lily, but James ran past him to tend to the child of Hades.

 

“He needs to go to the infirmary.” Potter announced. The white stains slowly got clearer, and Mary had realized they were moving skeletons. They picked Regulus off the floor and started carrying him to the infirmary with James following.

 

Mary felt frozen. She couldn’t see where Marlene was dragging her to, but it was somewhere warmer and with a bench. She didn’t know how many people were left on the stands or if she should leave, too. She wanted to go to the infirmary, but her wet clothes felt like a harsh reality check.

 

It was my fault, wasn’t it? Even if I didn’t know Reg would appear, I still threw that knife at Evans. It was a reckless and a dangerous move. I shouldn’t have done it. And what if it had hit Evans? We were both protected by armour, but we didn’t have a helmet nor something to protect our neck, legs and upper arm. I could’ve killed either of us.

 

“It’s not your fault.” Mary turned to her right, just then noticing the beat-up Lily Evans with a blanket. Then, Mary realized she had one wrapped around her shoulders too. “He shadowtraveled. No one even knew he could do it, let alone that he would.”

 

“But I shouldn’t have thrown my knife at all. I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s ok, you got a little carried away. I would’ve avoided it, anyway.” Mary giggled a little, probably from the shock more than anything else. Lily looked at her and suddenly noticed how different Mary looked than she did in the infirmary. The daughter of Athena compared her current wounds to the ones she arrived with. Blood rolled down her dark cheeks, and laughter proved that she had not yet collected her breath from the recent events.

 

Lily felt her own cheeks growing warm. She quickly looked away and cursed herself.

 

“Will somebody tell me what that was?” Marlene yelled, only two feet away from the pair.

 

“What was what?” Sirius asked.

 

“Oh, I don’t know, let's go chronologically. Mary getting struck by thunder, you raising a dead army, Mary getting struck by lightning again and Regulus teleporting.”

 

Sirius looked around before sitting down. “I don’t know. I guess those were just our powers manifesting all at once when we needed them.” He fidgeted in silence.

 

“Did you talk with him?” Lily asked.

 

Sirius shook his head. “He’s avoiding me. He genuinely hasn't said a word to me since I got claimed.”

 

“Go to the infirmary.” Mary suggested.

 

“He doesn’t want me there.”

 

“Fuck that, you know he does.” Marlene yelled. “This whole thing is because he wanted you with him and you thought it was better if you were away. Get your ass to the infirmary.”

 

Sirius thought to himself for a few seconds before his eyes returned to Marlene. “You’re dry.”

 

Marlene looked up from the floor, confused for a moment. “You’re not that hot.” She answered sarcastically.

 

Lily was the one to tell her. “It’s raining.”

 

“Well, it stopped.” Mary noted, but quickly became aware of the constant noise of raindrops hitting the ground. Her eyes flew to a window to confirm her thoughts, and then back to Marlene. “I couldn’t feel it after you touched me.”

 

Her friend stood still, frozen for a few moments. Only then did she realize the humidity in the air. Marlene suddenly knew that this was what kept her rested. Even though she just ran 10 feet and basically carried her friend back, she didn’t feel like she needed to take a moment to catch her breath. 

 

She became aware of the heavy breaths other people took and how, compared to her, they were a complete mess.

 

Without another word, the daughter of Poseidon walked out into the rain. She looked up to the sky and inspected it. She could almost see Zeus’ angry face. And then she imagined her father. Poseidon, god of seas, feeling there was a corner of the world that the rain didn’t cover. She imagined staring deep into his eyes, wondering if they were green like hers.

 

“Get inside, McKinnon!” Dorcas screamed from the stands. Marlene turned around to see her struggling to drag some weapons to a dry place. 

 

She ignored what the daughter of Ares commanded and ran up to her to help. She wasn’t sure how she did it, but raindrops stopped falling on the weapons.

 

“That’s a handy trick you got there, McKinnon.”

 

“You should see what else I can do with my hands.” A grin crept up on Marlene’s face. Dorcas simply gave her a little smile and shook her head.

 

“Help me carry this armour, I hope.” 

 

“Mhm. Sure.”

 

The two had been used to each other’s presence by now. Marlene quite liked that she could crack Dorcas’ serious persona with just a smile. Although she would still keep the act up sometimes, it still made Marlene’s head spin.

 

Dorcas was very confused at Marlene’s behaviour. Thousands of girls came to camp, just like her and any of them would jump at the opportunity to be in the same company as Sirius The Casanova Black or James The Jock Potter, yet it was Dorcas’ whose eyes Marlene looked for in every room. She thought it might be one of those flirty girls that tease her friends for fun so she came out to her hoping she would quit it.

 

And she was sure she would when Marlene began stuttering, but Regulus nudged her and informed Dorcas of Marlene’ sexuality. Then, the thought that she might actually be interested in Dorcas hit her like a tsunami. The intimidating daughter of Ares almost fell backwards.

 

Dorcas would never admit it, but she couldn’t flirt. She could just smile and playfully roll her eyes at Marlene’s vulgar pick-up lines while she’s actually dying on the inside.

 

*

 

James had no idea if the skeletons wanted Regulus alive. They could just take him into the ground and James could do nothing. But they followed James to the infirmary without a word, laid Regulus down on one of the beds and waited for next instructions.

 

“Keep everyone out until I tell you you can let them in.” James ordered while rushing through the supply cabinet. The skeletons left, but he still couldn’t find the anestesy. “Fuck!”

 

“What?” Regulus asked from his bed.

 

“We’re out of anesthesia!”

 

“Are you fucking with me?”

 

“Ok, ok, ok… Um, I have an idea. So either I stitch you up while you’re awake, which is painful and takes a long time, or I do some Apollo magic, and it's a lot more painful but faster.” James counted down nervously.

 

“Wow, what great fucking options!” Reg cursed.

 

“Which one, Reggie?!” James screamed, still running through the cabinet.

 

“The magic shit!” He screamed, bright red from the sound of his new nickname.

 

“Ok, you need to focus on something really hard to feel it less.” James thought for a second. “If it’s too much, squeeze my hand, I have a backup plan.” He sat by Reg’s side, took his hand and placed his other hand on Reg’s wound. “Ready?”

 

At that moment, Regulus thought his shoulder was set on fire. The burning was so strong he let out a painful cry and immediately squeezed James’ hand. Without a second thought James pressed his lips to Regulus’.

 

At first, it felt like he was pinning him back, but when Regulus placed his palm on the back of James’ neck, tilting his head a little, James relaxed. He let himself enjoy it while still trying to heal Reggie as soon as possible. Reggie, his best friend’s brother. The guy he only met a month ago and is now kissing. And he can’t tell his best friend about it because it’s his brother who he secretly liked since he first saw him. 

 

Regulus let out another cry, causing James to break the kiss to look at how the wound was healing.

 

“It’ll be over soon-” Reg pulled James back to his lips.

 

After a minute more like that, Regulus pulled back. The two looked at each other, James’ lips still parted and Regulus’ eyes fixed on them.

 

“It doesn’t burn anymore.” Reg explained. James removed his hand to see a single healed scar.

 

“Good. Um.” He scratched the back of his neck and walked over to the entrance. 

 

Sirius leaned against the wall, waiting. 

 

“You can let him in.” 

 

The skeletons turned to Sirius, who nodded and the skeletons were immediately swallowed by the earth. James and Sirius looked at each other. 

 

“Didn’t know you could do that.”

 

“Neither did I.” Sirius admitted and pushed past his friend to enter. He looked at the bed his brother was lying in. “Regulus? Are you ok?”

 

Regulus looked at James, not giving his brother the satisfaction of meeting his eyes. “I don’t want visitors.”

 

“I’ll leave you two alone.” Regulus raised an eyebrow at the medic. The medic gave him a little smirk before exiting the infirmary.

 

Regulus looked up at the ceiling. “I’ve been better.”

 

Sirius didn’t hide his smile at his brother’s response. “Can we talk about it?”

 

Regulus sat up with a sigh. “Why didn’t you take me with you?”

 

“They said I was a bastard and it made sense.” Sirius began explaining. “They hated me and I thought it was all because I wasn’t theirs, but after you were claimed I lost the only reason that made it all make sense.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Sirius shrugged his shoulders. “They simply hated me. It wasn’t because I wasn’t dad’s. It was because of who I was.”

 

Regulus stared at his brother. “I don’t think dad knew about me. But why did you think you would be special? You know they love nothing. Not even each other.”

 

Sirius gave him a confused look. “Why do you say that?”

 

“Sirius, they got divorced.”

 

The older brother frowned. “What?”

 

Regulus moved closer to Sirius in his bed. “After you left. I’ve been going by Regulus Lestrange for years.” He looked him in the eyes. “Why didn’t you call?”

 

“I did.” He blurted out.

 

“You didn’t.” Sirius stayed silent, watching carefully as Reg connected the dots. “Oh, gods.”

 

“It was just one letter. Telling you goodbye and explaining I left somewhere you can’t follow me to. Little did I know you could.” 

 

The silence was deafening. Both brothers looked down in their own laps, memories of each other getting realer than they ever thought they would be again. 

 

“I’m sorry.” Sirius finally confessed.

 

“I forgive you.” Regulus said.

Chapter 5

Lily got dressed carefully. James didn’t have time to check her injuries the day before so she 

improvised and taped herself up with toilet paper. She walked alone to breakfast because Remus’ bed was empty when she woke up. She assumed he was already there with James, Sirius, Marlene and Mary.

 

But when she arrived, his seat was empty. She stopped dead in her tracks.

 

“Lily! Where’s Remus?” James asked, and others turned to look at her.

 

“His bed was empty. I thought he was here.”

 

“What?” Sirius jumped out of his seat. “Where is he?”

 

“I don’t know.” Lily managed, her heart and mind slowly racing.

 

“Did he say something last night?” Sirius raised his voice and rushed to Lily.

 

“I don’t remember-”

 

“Well, fucking remember, Evans!”

 

“Sirius, calm down.” James told him and jumped out of his seat, too.

 

“Don’t fucking tell me to calm down, Moony’s missing!” Sirius started pacing around. “We have to go. Now.”

 

“Maybe he’s in another cabin.” Marlene suggested. “Why are you all freaking out?”

 

“Lily, check the cabin again, I’ll go look around-” James started planning until Sirius walked away. “Sirius!”

 

“He’s outside! He always is!” He screamed at the top of his lungs. “I’m getting my sword and going to see if I can catch up with him!”

 

“Sirius!” James screamed one last time before giving up and turning back to Lily. “Go to your cabin. Find him or whatever helps in finding him.”

 

“I’ll check what clothes he packed. You just pass through some cabins he could be in. Can you two help?” Lily asked Mary and Marlene, to which they nodded. “Mary, go to the Big House, tell Chiron we don’t know where Remus is. Marlene, split the cabins with James.” 

 

They all ran in different directions. Marls and James didn’t find him, Mary informed Chiron who organized a search party. All three meet up in the Athena cabin where Lily went through Remus’ closet.

 

“He packed one mortal jacket, a change of clothes and all his money.” Lily counted down. “He left outside.”

 

“Can somebody explain what’s happening?” Mary asked.

 

“Remus is bipolar. Sometimes, when it gets bad, he runs away. Last time was more than a year ago.” James said. “We always noticed beforehand. He gets easily irritated and tired. How didn’t we see it?”

 

Lily looked down, guilty. “A lot has been happening recently. We must’ve missed it.”

 

“Sirius always sees it.” James said.

 

“He’s probably freaking out.” Lily guessed.

 

*

 

“Remus!” Sirius screamed from the top of his lungs. “Remus, please!”

 

No answer. His heart was beating fast. What if Remus was already too far for him to follow? What if he got into a fight again? If he hurt himself? If he’s lost, and cold, and hungry? 

 

Maybe he’s in the camp and Lily just missed him. Sirius knew he wasn’t. He felt it this morning when he woke up. It was the first night he slept in Hades’ cabin. He used the excuse of the moving taking longer than expected, but the truth was that he only brought one thing a day into the cabin, and only when he was sure Regulus wasn’t there. He was giving Reg space and since he forgave him the day before, it wasn’t necessary anymore.

 

When he woke up with a bad feeling, he assumed it was a child of Hades thing, but when Regulus smiled at him on his way to the bathroom, Sirius knew they didn’t share the same feeling. He walked to breakfast, hoping to be wrong.

 

“Remus!” Nothing.

 

Sirius heard a distant vroom. The traffic. He was close to the road.

 

He was too late. Remus was somewhere outside.

 

How did I miss him getting worse?

 

*

 

Remus couldn’t remember which drink he was on as he downed it. “Another.” He said to the bartender. 

 

“Remus, I’m not giving it to you.” Grant said.

 

“Why?” Remus asked, intoxicated.

 

“You’ll make a mess.”

 

“If I give you a kiss?”

 

“Remus.” Grant told him. “Go home. It’s late.”

 

“I can’t. I have nowhere to go.” Remus said with a smile. “I think my father realized I’ve been sneaking around the town so I can’t risk him catching me in my old bed.”

 

“What about your grandparents’?” Grant suggested.

 

Remus focused on the wooden bar. “Too many pictures of Hope.” Grant walked away to serve the other customers.

 

Remus ran his fingers over the bar’s end. He knew he got all he could from this town. He hated it and he hated how it made him feel. Yet, for some reason, he always came back. And each night he would go to a different bar, get drunk, and begin a fight. He never tried in the fight. He just let himself get beaten up to feel something. 

 

Remus stood up and walked over to a guy he didn’t know. He tapped him on the shoulder and punched him as hard as he could. The guy hit him back. He didn’t remember the rest, except that Remus was the first one to break a bottle against the man’s head. The new scar he got was from his collar to his ribs and completely his fault.

 

He ended up on the bathroom floor, with his head in his hands. He was angry. And tired. He wanted to punch something, but he wasn’t sure if he could stand up. He probably fell asleep for a while, but the night was blurry. 

 

Remus was pretty sure he dreamt, too. The gray eyes. He was calling him.

 

Remus, Remus…

 

“Remus.” 

 

“Fuck off.” He growled.

 

“Moony, look at me.” He didn’t want to, but the boy placed his finger below his jaw and pushed it up. Remus didn’t let the gray eyes change his expression. “Let’s get you back.”

 

“No.” He grumbled.

 

“Moony, please-”

 

“You didn’t notice I was gone until after I left.” He pushed Sirius’ hands away.

 

“We know. And we’re sorry. I’m sorry.” Sirius admitted. “But I miss you.”

 

Remus forced himself to face him again. He saw Mary, standing behind Sirius in the doorway. Then, he looked back down at his friend. “You don’t think I see you, laughing behind my back. You don’t miss me, you miss mocking me, you think I’m fucking stupid!” He got in Sirius’ face, expecting him to flinch. He always used to flinch. It gave Remus a reason to yell at him for thinking he was crazy and aggressive.

 

Sirius didn’t even blink. He grabbed Remus’ wrist the second he thought about slapping him. “You know that’s not true. Come back home with me.”

 

And Remus wanted to. He wanted to believe Sirius. That if he comes back, Mary will be the last thing on his mind. And maybe she would be, but he can’t hope Sirius will magically turn bisexual. That, out of nowhere, Remus will be the one Sirius wants to kiss in the sun. Or in the dark. The one Sirius wants to kiss. The one Sirius wants.

 

He would never want anything like he wanted him. Sirius Black was simply perfect. He wasn’t good. He had his faults. But they made him himself and he was perfect.

 

Mary wasn’t in the doorway anymore. Remus gave up, too tired to fight. His head fell into his lap. Sirius carefully helped him in the car. As the scenery changed, Remus fell asleep and woke up a few times, each time more aware of his situation.

 

Sirius carefully watched his friend. He saw him in this state more times than he could remember, but he never minded. Sirius cared about Remus more than he ever said out loud. He would never be able to forgive himself if something happened to him. It was just that Remus always understood Sirius in a way no one else did, but Sirius struggled to return the favour. Only after years of watching, listening and reassuring him was he able to actually raise his spirits.

 

And after all these years, he missed it again. Remus had an awful couple of days and Sirius didn’t see his best friend struggle. Actually, that’s not true. James was his best friend, but Remus was different. Although they were friends, Sirius felt a different connection to him than with James. Closer, but not close enough.

 

“How long was I away?” Remus asked, his voice raw and full of shame.

 

“3 weeks.” James said from the driver’s seat.

 

“Don’t worry, you’ll be OK.” Mary turned around to give him a supportive smile.

 

Remus raised up his hand to massage the bridge of his nose. “I’ll kill myself.”

 

“Gods,” James sighed, “I missed hearing you say that and knowing you don’t actually mean it.” 

 

Remus was tired and still a little dizzy, so he didn’t care when he let his head fall onto Sirius’ shoulder. Seconds later, he was already asleep again and he didn’t feel the son of Hades wrapping their fingers together.

 

*

 

“Remus!” Lily called out at the sight of her brother being helped out of the car. Sirius let go of Remus just in time for Lily to squeeze him.

 

“Ow! Lily -”  Remus whined, still in a sleepy voice.

 

“Sorry.” She let go of him and placed his arm around his shoulder. She helped Remus back to their cabin.

 

He kept apologizing the whole way and all she could do was whisper it's ok. She could feel eyes on them, but at the same time she couldn't care less.

 

When Remus was safe and all tucked in, he started quietly sobbing.

 

"Everything will be ok, Moony. You're safe."

 

"I'm sorry. I'm too sensitive. I can't handle real life and I keep running away like a baby. I'm sorry you have to take care of me. I'm sorry." He cried.

 

"It's ok, Remus. Taking care of you is nothing compared to not having you. And you're so strong. I'm so proud of you taking back control."

 

"I'm broken. I'm messed up and I'll drag all of you down with me."

 

"Don't say that. You're my brother." Lily commanded. "I love you. You're perfect."

 

Remus looked at her. His eyes were red and swollen. He was thin and shaking.

 

"Why is it so hard?" He hid his face in his pillow.

 

"I don't know, Moony." Lily caressed his head, "But maybe I can help?" She asked carefully, letting Remus decide whether we wanted to tell her.

 

"Can you make me straight? Or at least not in love with Sirius?" His words were muffled from the pillow, but Lily couldn't make a sensible sentence by changing a few letters.

 

"Oh." She said, deciding not to criticize him for the Sirius part or stress over him finally coming out to her. "Trust me, it will be ok."

 

"You don't know that, Lily." He finally looked up at her.

 

Lily gave him a smile and hugged him. He was cold, but he pulled his arm out of the covers and placed it on Lily's back.

 

"We have each other. We always will."

 

There were a few moments of silence.

 

"I know it's still a little too early, but really? Sirius Black?"

 

Remus let out a laugh that sounded a little too much like a sob. "Yeah," He said. "I know.”