Where You Go ― Jason Grace

vii. off to save the world on happy the dragon

OPHELIA WOKE TO someone shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see Sophie, one of her apparent half-siblings, leaning over her with a grin. "Morning!" 

Sophie was fairly young—if Ophelia had to guess, around eleven or twelve. She was dressed in the orange t-shirt and jeans that seemed to be the unofficial uniform of the camp, and she had a backpack in the hand that wasn't being used to shake Ophelia. 

Ophelia sat up slowly, rubbing her face as she tried to wake herself up fully. Her dream about intimidating she-wolves and ghosts wasn't what she would call a sweet dream, so she wasn't too well-rested. 

"What time is it?" Ophelia asked, reaching under her pillow for her compass. It was still there—it seemed like Connor really was telling the truth about the Hermes Cabin's policy of not stealing from new siblings too soon after their arrival. Or maybe they took pity on her since she was going on a dangerous quest the day after she arrived. 

Probably the latter.

"Eight," Sophie answered. "Breakfast just started, that's where everyone else is."

"Oh," Ophelia said. "Uh, thanks for waking me up." 

"You're welcome!" she said. "Couldn't let you oversleep when you've got a big quest!" She held up the backpack she had. "Jeremy and Travis packed you provisions for the trip—extra clothes, some nectar, ambrosia, bandages. Oh, and we found this jacket in the lost and found, figured your sweatshirt might not be warm enough." Sophie set down the backpack on the foot of Ophelia's bunk, glancing back at Ophelia's sweatshirt and looking back at her with a teasing grin. "It's your boyfriend's, right?" 

Ophelia blinked in surprise. "Uh, I—Piper said it was Jason's, so—" 

"So, yes," Sophie said. "That's so cute! Whenever I get a boyfriend, I'm stealing all of his hoodies. But Travis said I can't date until I'm thirty, and obviously he's not really the boss of me—I mean technically he is since he's co-counselor of the cabin, but whatever, it's not like—" 

"Uh, Jason's not my boyfriend," Ophelia interrupted gently. "I mean, I don't... I don't think he is." But even as she said it, it sounded wrong. She didn't remember anything about him besides his name, but she still felt so close to him. 

If she didn't get her memories back soon, she was going to go absolutely crazy. 

"Well, you're obviously close," Sophie pointed out. "Maybe you guys are together, you just don't remember it." She stood up from Ophelia's bed. "Now c'mon—get dressed so we can get some breakfast. Pancakes are the best way to fuel up for a big quest! I'll even braid your hair! I'm not as good at it as the Aphrodite kids, but I've been practicing!" 

Ophelia couldn't help the tiny smile that tugged at her lips. But it faded after a second. "Why... why are you guys all being so... nice? You don't even know me." 

Sophie's expression seemed to soften. She sat back down on Ophelia's bed, cluing Ophelia in that it wasn't a simple answer. "You're our sister," Sophie said quietly. "Our dad isn't all that involved—I mean, none of the gods really are with their kids. We've always only had each other." There was a hint of a frown on her face. "I've been a year-rounder since I came here. My mom gave me up when I was born, and I bounced from foster home to foster home until a satyr found me about to be killed by a Cyclops and brought me to camp five years ago, right before the Titan War started. I was seven." She looked around at the cabin, smiling a little, though it looked somewhat forced. "This cabin's the only family I have. And that includes you now."