Percy

                                    

                                          
"Fetch me that, will you?" Keefe pointed at the crystal next to Percy.
                          
As Percy handed Keefe the crystal, he noticed that Keefe's hands were covered in scars and blisters. "How'd you get those?" He asked nodding Keefe's hands.
                          
Keefe glanced at his hands, turning them back and forth. "I, ah, was punished while serving the Neverseen. I said some few things. Probably should've kept my temper," Keefe explained, grimacing.
                          
"I'm sorry," said Percy.
                          
"Don't apologize. It's not your fault." Keefe pointed at Percy's necklace. "What's that?"
                          
Percy fingered the beaded necklace, wondering how to explain Camp Half-Blood to an elf. "I go to this camp-a special camp. For demigods, like me." He missed Camp Half-Blood already. "Each year, we get a bead," he explained. He wasn't sure why he trusted Keefe so much.
                          
Keefe nodded. "That sounds like Exillium necklaces, except it's everyday that you get a bead." He looked at Sophie, who was studying a book in the corner. At first, Percy didn't know why, but when he looked closely, he realized that their was a strand of beads around her neck. 
                          
"How many beads did you have?" Percy asked.
                          
Keefe looked away, running his hands through his hair. "My first months of Exillium were with my friends. Then when I left to join Neverseen, I attended Exillium even more. I couldn't go to Foxfire, you see."
                          
Keefe looked sad, and Percy felt sorry for him. "You know, I used to be a completely different person," Keefe said. "I guess things change." He ran a hand over the scars on his other hand.
                          
"You're right," a voice interrupted behind them. They turned around to see Sophie, brown eyes standing out against her pale colored hair. Sophie rested a hand on Keefe's shoulder. "Things do change."
                          
Keefe looked at her and smiled. "You're feeling so confident. How come?" He asked, using his Empath ability.
                          
Sophie shrugged. "I know we'll rescue Annabeth," she said, glancing at Percy, before returning her gaze on Keefe. "And now you're back."
                          
Percy wanted to go somewhere else, feeling a bit awkward and out of place. He fidgeted. It was obvious that Sophie and Keefe were great friends, or at least had been. "Uh, maybe I should...Um...I'll just go," he mumbled, but as soon as he stood up, Sophie said,
                          
"Wait, stay. You do belong here, you know that, right?" But Percy didn't belong here, in this shimmering world. He wanted to be back at the world he knew, he wanted to be back with Annabeth, who would be safely in his arms.
                          
"Yeah," he said. "I just miss Annabeth."
                          
Sophie's face softened. "I know. We'll get her back. And then we'll get you back to Camp Half-Blood." She smiled. "I know you want to be back. You feel out of place." When she saw the look on Percy's face, she said, "Yes you do."
                          
"Um, she didn't just read my thoughts, did she?" Percy turned to Keefe.
                          
Keefe laughed. "Probably not. She's just a genius," he said.
                          
Sophie returned his grin. "Ready to save Annabeth?" She asked them.