The Olympian Council
The year 1998
10 years before Percy Jackson arrived at Camp Half-blood.

As the winter council began Poseidon new he was in for a rough night. Just an hour before the meeting ended Athena had called for everyone’s attention.

“Lord Zeus, I believe I have found out some interesting news concerning Poseidon,” Athena said smiling evilly.

“What new’s would that be Athena,” Poseidon asked nervously. The only new he had was Percy, his son, but he couldn’t say that out loud for fear of Percy being blasted due to Poseidon breaking the sacred oath he and his brothers took to no longer have kids.

“Well barnacle- beard I have discovered your secret.”

“What secret? What are you hiding from me Poseidon?” Zeus asked suspiciously.

“I’m not sure what she is talking about brother,” He replied hoping that there was a way out of this situation.

“Really brother, are you sure about that?” Hades replied from his makeshift throne.

“Why don’t we ask Sally Jackson then Poseidon, you know her don’t you? I mean she is the mother of your latest demigod child.” Athena smirked triumphantly. A moment of deafening silence, then…

“BROTHER, YOU HAVE BROKEN OUR OATH. YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT,” Zeus and Hades both yelled outraged.

A flash of defiance lit in Poseidon’s eyes daring them to touch him as he said, “What’s done is done you can’t stop my son from growing up Brothers nor can you curse me!”

“Watch me,” Zeus said pointing his master bolt in the center of the room, a flash of bright light, and Percy was there a little child of only 2 years old playing with his toy. “He will perish here and now to ensure our safety. Hades hold Poseidon back.”

Hades grabbed Poseidon as he ran to the child trying to protect him.
“Father isn’t that a bit too much to kill this child, he might be a boy but killing him won’t stop the prophecy,” Artemis said trying to stop the murder of this innocent child.

“Leave the child be dear husband, he has done nothing to you to deserve this fate,” Hera said. But Zeus wouldn’t hear any opposition to his decision. He raised his bolt taking careful aim at Percy.

“Please brother don’t kill him, I’m begging you, please,” Poseidon begged. He couldn’t bear to see his son die for nothing and he couldn’t stop it.

Zeus glared and replied, “this is your own fault Poseidon live with it.” Zeus then fired the strongest shot he could take from his master bolt and watched as the bolt shot towards a now crying and scared son of Poseidon. There was a bright light and an explosion as it hit the helpless child. With a wail of “NOOOOOOOOO” Poseidon dropped to his knees in despair.

As the light died down all the gods and goddesses gasped loudly. Not believing their eyes but not able to ignore the fact that as the smoke cleared away the 4 year old son of Poseidon was still sitting the holding his toy tightly, tears running silently down his face. But what was more shocking was the group of what appeared to be 3 teenagers standing there with weapons drawn. The one in the middle held a shield up. They realized that these three teens had stopped a shot from Zeus’s own master bolt, a feat only typhoon could manage.

“Owww, that hurt,” the boy with the shield said.

“What, are you surprised seaweed brain? You jumped in front of my fathers bolt, of course it’s going to hurt,” the girl said. She was about medium height with black spiky hair and bright blue eye’s that lit up with electricity. She held a spear, the tip crackling with electricity and an aura that clearly demanded respect.

“You did it to yourself kelp head,” the other boy said. He was slightly shorter than the girl. He had a pure black sword at his side, olive pale skin, dark brown eyes and he radiated pure death.

“Shut up you two, I don’t recall asking for a commentary,” The first boy said as he put up his shield and sword. He was the tallest with about a foot on the girl. He had bright sea green eyes, jet black hair, and a powerful aura. “Now, where are we?” he asked. But before they could answer Zeus spoke up.

“YOU ARE IN THE THRONE ROOM OF THE GODS. I WANT TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU ARE DOING HERE. IT HAD BETTER BE A GOOD REASON OR THE THREE OF YOU WILL FEEL THE FULL MIGHT OF THE GODS AND GODDESSES IN THIS ROOM.” Zeus yelled. He was angry. Not only did they stop him from killing that spawn of Poseidon, they interrupted the winter council meeting.

He motioned at all the gods and they each stood up, aside from Poseidon, and pointed their various weapon’s at the three teenager’s, when a sudden bright light shone and before them was a chest. The teens stared at it for a moment then the tallest one spoke up.

“Lord Zeus did you not bring us here?” The boy said baffled at the aggressiveness of the gods that they and so many had fought to protect from the titan’s and the giants.

“No I did not summon you here! Who are you? What’s with that chest? Open it up, see what’s inside, now.” Zeus ordered. The taller boy shrugged and opened it. He looked very confused. “What is in it boy?” Zeus asked.
“They’re books sir, and a note.” He said as he picked up the note and read it out loud.


Dear Olympian Gods and goddesses,
I am certain your wondering who these children are and where they came from. All will be explained in due time. The books in the chest are the adventures of the Champion of Olympus and the adventures of the heroes of Olympus. More demigods will arrive from their time 14 years in the future. The demigods shall reveal their identities before the reading begins. Time will be frozen till all books are done. You shall not harm any demigod from the future and present. We are giving you a chance to change the future for the better, prevent deaths that are sure to come and to get to know your demigod children better. Don’t mess up and do not forget, This is your only chance for a better future!!
Sincerely
The Fate’s

P.S. Listen to the demigods suggestions. They will be most helpful, to you and to the other gods and demigods.


As he finished reading, the boy looked at his partners and nodded. They looked at the now stunned gods who looked like they were shaken up by the note. They never got the chance to change fate and they didn’t know why they were allowed to now. Recovering from their shock, Poseidon was able to send his younger son home to his mother, resolving to do his best to protect his son. The gods sat down in their throne’s and Artemis spoke.
“Well demigods, I guess introductions are in order.” She said.

The three teenager’s looked at each other and the taller boy and girl pushed the younger one up front. “Thanks guys, I appreciate it sooo much” He said before he bowed to Zeus and said “ My name is Nico DiAngelo son of Hades, BUT I was born before world war 2 and I was hidden away in the Lotus hotel and casino for 70 years.” He added quickly seeing Zeus and Poseidon about to yell at his father.

Zeus grumbled but said nothing as he waved the next one to introduce themselves. The girl stepped forward and bowed like Nico did. “I am Thalia Grace,” Zeus jumped at his daughters name and knew he was about to get yelled at by three gods. “Daughter of Zeus and lieutenant of Artemis”. As soon as she finished talking Hades, Poseidon and Hera jumped up and started yelling at Zeus. After a few minutes they calmed down and sat back down in their thrones.

The taller boy stepped forward and bowed to Zeus as well. “My name is Perseus Jackson son of Poseidon and Hero of Olympus” He said before backing up to stand in front of the other two.

Zeus sighed knowing he couldn’t say anything about it any more. He made three arm chairs appear and the demigods sat down. Percy grabbed a book and groaned. He read the title out loud. “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.

Nico smiled evilly and said to Thalia, “I guess we get to see everything from Percy’s point of view.” They both laughed loudly as Percy groaned and said.

Chapter 1. I accidentally vaporize my algebra teacher.

How do I do bold and italisized fonts?

First off, i like how you didn' tcall it blank reads the PJO &HoO series nice title twist. Secondly, This story seems good so far kepp up the good work. Lastly, too bold you do this [ b( ]Insert sentence here)[ /b ]
except dont use spaces. Same thing for italicize except use i instead of b. example:
awesome sauce
cool beans

[b(] thank you very much teamleo )[/b]

-I accidentally vaporize my pre- algebra teacher.-

“What on Gaea made you want to do that, Percy?” Hermes asked snickering slightly.

Percy blushed, remembering the incident and said, “ I wasn’t trying to but she didn’t give me much of a choice.”

-Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood.-

“No one does, seaweed brain” Thalia said sadly.

-If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.-

“Sorry, that wont work at all.” Athena said. She didn’t know what to think of when it came to this. Mostly she was trying to figure out the Fate’s motive for allowing this to happen. But she looked up as Percy kept reading.

-Being a half-blood is dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways. -

At this all the god’s and goddesses that had demigod kids looked down sadly, remembering their children they lost.

-If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.-

-But if you recognize yourself in these pages-if you feel something stirring inside-stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they'll come for you.-

“You make it sound like the F.B.I is after you.” Apollo said giving a short laugh.

-Don't say I didn't warn you.-

“I kinda wish you had warned me Percy.” Nico said. “It would have made some things easier to cope with.” He looked sad and Percy knew he was talking about Bianca’s death.

“I would have Nico, but at the time I was struggling with not strangling you to shut you up.” Percy smiled trying to lighten Nico’s mood. It worked too as Nico laughed.

-My name is Percy Jackson.-

“Uh, DUH, seaweed brain. I’m impressed, it only took you 12 years to memorize your own name. Good for you” Thalia said smirking as Percy stuck his tongue out at Thalia, before grumbling about payback on his evil cousins, as he started reading again.

-I'm twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York. Am I a troubled kid?-

“Not one word you two, I am not troubled,” Percy said looking at his cousins.

“Sure thing kelp head, you keep telling yourself that,” Thalia replied, smirking.

-Yeah. You could say that. -

“See, you even agreed with me,” Thalia said as Nico cracked up at this.

-I could start at any point in my short miserable life to prove it, but things really started going bad last May, when our sixth-grade class took a field trip to Manhattan- twenty-eight mental-case kids and two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.-

-I know-it sounds like torture.-

“What are you talking about, I love museums. They hold a lot of our history, the good and the bad,” Athena said glaring at Percy.

-Most Yancy field trips were.
But Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, was leading this trip, so I had hopes.
Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee. You wouldn't think he'd be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class. He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons, so he was the only teacher whose class didn't put me to sleep. -

“You sleep through your classes? Why would you do that?” Athena said, thinking that maybe she should tutor Percy, before she remembered that he was the son of that sea spawn.

“It’s hard to stay awake in a class you don’t understand, a teacher who doesn’t help you to understand, and a ADHD brain that focuses on what it wants and not what it needs to. I try Lady Athena but it is really hard to focus on my school work. Especially now when I need to keep my eye out for monsters and potential demigods,” Percy replied.

“I am sorry son,” Poseidon said, “for you its worse cause water is constantly in motion.”

“Don’t worry Lord Poseidon, we like Percy the way he is. An energetic, unpredictable, and extremely loyal seaweed brain.” Nico said. He would have said more but he was cut off by Percy who continued to read.

-I hoped the trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once I wouldn't get in trouble.
Boy, was I wrong.-

“When are you ever right?” Thalia muttered. Artemis smiled at her for this but was still concerned for her current lieutenant. What happened to Zoe? I’ll have to ask Thalia later on a break. She thought to herself.

-See, bad things happen to me on field trips. Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this accident with a Revolutionary War cannon. I wasn't aiming for the school bus, but of course I got expelled anyway. And before that, at my fourth-grade school, when we took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool, I sort of hit the wrong lever on the catwalk and our class took an unplanned swim. And the time before that... Well, you get the idea.
This trip, I was determined to be good.-

“I doubt it Percy,” Apollo said laughing hard as he and Hermes clutched their sides.

-All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly, redheaded kleptomaniac girl, hitting my best friend Grover in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich.-

“Eeew, gross, sounds like one of your kids Hermes,” Aphrodite said wrinkling her nose on disgust.

“Don’t insult me beauty queen, I can’t give birth to something like that, my kids might be thieves and pranksters but they aren’t cruel,” Hermes shot back, as Thalia, Nico and Percy looked at each other remembering Luke.

-Grover was an easy target. He was scrawny. He cried when he got frustrated.-

“I’m sure goat boy would love your description of him,” Thalia said laughing.

-He must've been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. On top of all that, he was crippled. He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He walked funny, like every step hurt him, but don't let that fool you. You should've seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria.-

“Ah, stupid satyr, way to blow your cover like that,” Dionosys said.

“You’re listening to the book, D” Ares said, bored out of his mind, and hoping something fun would happen soon.

“Of course im listening, you hot headed idiot, this is our chance to make a better future. Do you think that I would ignore it?” Dionysus said, flipping through his wine magazine as though he was bored.

“Watch it you drunk, insult me again and you will regret it,” Ares shot back, smiling intimidating, as he polished his sword. Dionysus gulped slightly and told Percy to read on.

-Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich that stuck in his curly brown hair, and she knew I couldn't do anything back to her because I was already on probation. The headmaster had threatened me with death by in-school suspension if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip.-

“Even if it wasn’t your fault son?” Poseidon asked. Then frowned as Percy nodded.

-"I'm going to kill her," I mumbled.

Grover tried to calm me down. "It's okay. I like peanut butter."-

“Oh grow a backbone satyr,” Hades grumbled. He was already planning this girls torment.

-He dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch.-

-"That's it." I started to get up, but Grover pulled me back to my seat.-

-"You're already on probation," he reminded me. "You know who'll get blamed if anything happens."-

-Looking back on it, I wish I'd decked Nancy Bobofit right then-

“Do you always hit a woman Perseus?” Artemis asked, a frown on her face.

“Percy won’t hit any woman My Lady, unless they threaten his friends or family.” Thalia said. She knew Artemis didn’t like men threatening women, but she didn’t want Percy to be seen as a bad guy.

“Good, there is hope for you so far Perseus Jackson, but don’t mess up,” Artemis threatened, smirking as Percy flinched from her gaze.

-and there. In-school suspension would've been nothing compared to the mess I was about to get myself into.-

-Mr. Brunner led the museum tour.-

“Hmm, sounds like Chiron, why would he be there watching Pierre?” Dionysus wondered out loud. He wasn’t expecting an answer, but got one from Demeter anyways.

“He is watching the boy to see if he has the potential to be a great hero, you dolt” Demeter said, “ you should know that by now. Maybe if you ate more muffins you wouldn’t forget so easily.”

“Only you would think that wheat could solve everything.” Hades groaned. At least she stopped ranting about how good corn meal is, he thought.

-He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery.-

-It blew my mind that this stuff had survived for two thousand, three thousand years.-

“A lot longer than that sea spawn,” Athena said. She had a feeling she wasn’t going to like him very much. He better stay away from my daughters, she thought menacingly. Percy eyed Athena warily, but kept reading.

-He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age. He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting, but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give me the evil eye.
Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker.-

Hades gulped and summoned his armor, knowing that Poseidon was going to hurt him, once he found out that he had Alecto after Percy. He was curious though, since Percy apparently survived otherwise he wouldn’t be here right now.

-She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown.-

-From her first day, Mrs. Dodds loved Nancy Bobofit and figured I was devil spawn. She would point her crooked finger at me and say, "Now, honey," real sweet, and I knew I was going to get after-school detention for a month.-

“Does she still do the honey thing still?” Percy asked Nico.

“Yes and it annoys the crap out of me,” Nico said.

-One time, after she'd made me erase answers out of old math workbooks until midnight, I told Grover I didn't think Mrs. Dodds was human. He looked at me, real serious, and said, "You're absolutely right."-

“Thanks goat boy that was helpful,” Percy said.

“He doesn’t seem to do his job all that well, you need to train them more, Dionysus,” Zues said.

Dionysus just nodded, not wanting to anger his father by arguing about his training method.

-Mr. Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art.-
-Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, and I turned around and said, "Will you shut up?"-

-It came out louder than I meant it to.-

-The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped his story.-

-"Mr. Jackson," he said, "did you have a comment?"-

-My face was totally red. I said, "No, sir."-

-Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"-

-I looked at the carving, and felt a flush of relief, because I actually recognized it. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"-

“Why did Chiron have to ask about that one? It was a horrible time for us and we don’t need the reminder.” Hera and Demeter moaned.

-"Yes," Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied. "And he did this because ..."-

-"Well..." I racked my brain to remember. "Kronos was the king god, and-"-

“GOD” Zeus yelled.

-"God?" Mr. Brunner asked.-

“Your lucky Chiron saved your butt kid, otherwise father would have blasted you,” Ares said smiling and hoping for the action.

-"Titan," I corrected myself. "And ... he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters-"-

-"Eeew!" said one of the girls behind me.-

“Eeew is right, it was horrible, but better than having to be forced out the other end I guess,” Aphrodite said.

Everyone gagged at that thought, fighting hard not to imagine that happening. Once the naesua passed, Percy read on.

-"-and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," I continued, "and the gods won."-

-Some snickers from the group.-

“I don’t get it, he got the answer right, even if he did downplay our biggest war into a few sentences,” Hephestas said, starting everyone, since he had been quiet as usual.

-Behind me, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids.'"-

“You never know mortal, it is possible,” Athena spat. She didn’t like this girl one bit.

-"And why, Mr. Jackson," Brunner said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"-

“Busted” Nico said.

-"Busted," Grover muttered.-

“Great, I now think like a goat,” Nico muttered.

“Grover will be very pleased to hear that,” Percy teased.

“Shut up and read,” Nico muttered embarrassed.

-"Shut up," Nancy hissed, her face even brighter red than her hair.
At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears.-

“More like horse’s ears son,” Poseidon said grinning at Percy who grinned back.

-I thought about his question, and shrugged. "I don't know, sir."-

-"I see." Mr. Brunner looked disappointed. "Well, half credit, Mr. Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"-

“I see Chiron’s tactfulness hasn’t improved much,” Apollo laughed.

-The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses.-

“When aren’t they acting like doofuses?” Artemis and Thalia said together. They smiled at each other while Nico leaned into Percy and said.

“Creepy, they dress the same, think the same, and talk the same. You would think they were twins or something.” Percy paled and kept quiet as Nico’s laughing stopped abruptly as he shot out of the armchair. His butt was fried from the lightning Thalia shot him with.

-Grover and I were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, "Mr. Jackson."
I knew that was coming.-

-I told Grover to keep going. Then I turned toward Mr. Brunner. "Sir?"-

-Mr. Brunner had this look that wouldn't let you go- intense brown eyes that could've been a thousand years old and had seen everything.-

-"You must learn the answer to my question," Mr. Brunner told me.-

-"About the Titans?"-

-"About real life. And how your studies apply to it."-

-"Oh."-

-"What you learn from me," he said, "is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson."-

-I wanted to get angry, this guy pushed me so hard.-

“It was for the best. I see that now. And his advice will always be the one I’ll listen to.” Percy smiled thinking of his great teacher.

-I mean, sure, it was kind of cool on tournament days, when he dressed up in a suit of Roman armor and shouted: "What ho!'" and challenged us, sword-point against chalk, to run to the board and name every Greek and Roman person who had ever lived, and their mother, and what god they worshipped. But Mr. Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact that I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I had never made above a C- in my life. No-he didn't expect me to be as good; he expected me to be better. And I just couldn't learn all those names and facts, much less spell them correctly.-

-I mumbled something about trying harder, while Mr. Brunner took one long sad look at the stele, like he'd been at this girl's funeral.-

“Most probably, he has seen many heroes come and go over the millinea.” Nico said solemn.

-He told me to go outside and eat my lunch.-

-The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue.-

-Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than I'd ever seen over the city. I figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York state had been weird since Christmas. We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in.-

“What are you two arguing about now,” Hera sighed exasperatedly.

“I think I know, but for now I’ll be quiet, and observe to see what is going on. I just hope I am wrong for once,” Athena said worried. She didn’t know how Zeus would take the answer, but she knew it was not going to be fun.

-Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing.-

-Grover and I sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. We thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn't know we were from that school-the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere.-

“Hmmm, it didn’t work very well did it aqua boy?” Nico asked before he got drenched in icy cold water. Percy smirked and continued.

-"Detention?" Grover asked.-

-"Nah," I said. "Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean-I'm not a genius."-

“You will share Nico’s problem if you even open your mouth Thalia,” Percy warned her before she could comment.

-Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when I thought he was going to give me some deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, he said, "Can I have your apple?"-

The throne room erupted into laughter at the satyr’s comment. “He certainly is a different one isn’t he.” Apollo said between fits of laughter. Once everyone calmed down, Zeus waved Percy onward.

-I didn't have much of an appetite, so I let him take it.-

-I watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about my mom's apartment, only a little ways uptown from where we sat. I hadn't seen her since Christmas. I wanted so bad to jump in a taxi and head home. She'd hug me and be glad to see me, but she'd be disappointed, too. She'd send me right back to Yancy, remind me that I had to try harder, even if this was my sixth school in six years and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I wouldn't be able to stand that sad look she'd give me.-

“Awww, does the poor baby miss his mommy?” Ares taunted Percy. Instead of getting upset, Percy just smiled and said.

“Yup. I sure do, don’t you miss your’s Ares? Oh, wait, you still live with yours after 3 thousand years. So don’t insult my love for my mother. You don’t know her and you never will.” Ares growled and tried to attack Percy, but before he could stand from his throne, water wrapped around him tying him down as the water froze solid. Poseidon put his hand down and smiled at Percy.

-Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while he read a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized cafe table.-

“Hmmm, I guess I should make him one of those,” Hephestus said.

-I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of me with her ugly friends-I guess she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists-and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.-

“Percy? Do me a favor, and beat that girl up, she needs it.” Thalia growled, protective of her best friend. Artemis nodding in agreement reluctantly.

-"Oops." She grinned at me with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetos.
I tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told me a million times, "Count to ten, get control of your temper." But I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears.-

“Yay, go super freaky cool fishy powers!!” Nico yelled. Apollo laughed at that comment till he and Nico received slaps from Artemis and Thalia.

-I don't remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, "Percy pushed me!"
Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us.-

-Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see-"-

-"-the water-"-

-"-like it grabbed her-"-

“Too bad I didn’t know how to control my powers back then, I would have done worse,” Percy said menacingly.

-I didn't know what they were talking about. All I knew was that I was in trouble again.-

“What else is new?” Thalia asked.

Percy glared and said, “Hey I’m doing good now on the trouble part.”

-As soon as Mrs. Dodds was sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, etc., etc., Mrs. Dodds turned on me. There was a triumphant fire in her eyes, as if I'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester. "Now, honey-"-

-"I know," I grumbled. "A month erasing workbooks."
That wasn't the right thing to say.-

“No Percy, you should never guess your punishment, they will only make it worse.” Hermes said snickering.

-"Come with me," Mrs. Dodds said.-

-"Wait!" Grover yelped. "It was me. I pushed her."-

-I stared at him, stunned. I couldn't believe he was trying to cover for me. Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death.-

“She scares me too sometimes,” Nico muttered.

-She glared at him so hard his whiskery chin trembled.-

-"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood," she said.-

-"But-"-

-"You-will-stay-here."-

-Grover looked at me desperately.-

-"It's okay, man," I told him. "Thanks for trying."-

-"Honey," Mrs. Dodds barked at me. "Now."-

-Nancy Bobofit smirked.-

-I gave her my deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare.-

“Well, if he is anything like his father, then that is pretty scary,” Demeter said. Poseidon smiled at her and said.

“Thank you sister”

-Then I turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn't there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on.-

-How'd she get there so fast?-

“She’s a monster, moron,” Athena said, only to receive two very intimidating glares, and she sank back into her throne.

-I have moments like that a lot, when my brain falls asleep or something, and the next thing I know I've missed something, as if a puzzle piece fell out of the universe and left me staring at the blank place behind it. The school counselor told me this was part of the ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things.-

-I wasn't so sure.-

-I went after Mrs. Dodds.-

Halfway up the steps, I glanced back at Grover. He was looking pale, cutting his eyes between me and Mr. Brunner, like he wanted Mr. Brunner to notice what was going on, but Mr. Brunner was absorbed in his novel.
I looked back up. Mrs. Dodds had disappeared again. She was now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall.-

“Why isn’t Chiron doing anything?” Poseidon asked, suddenly very worried about Percy.

“He won’t make a move till he is certain there is danger?” Dionysus said.

-Okay, I thought. She's going to make me buy a new shirt for Nancy at the gift shop.-

“You wish boy,” Hades said smiling evilly. He frowned as Percy looked at him and innocently smiled, his eyes flickering to his dad and back to Hades, making the lord of the Underworld shiver slightly in fear.

-But apparently that wasn't the plan.-

“It never is,” Percy moaned.

-I followed her deeper into the museum. When I finally caught up to her, we were back in the Greek and Roman section.-

-Except for us, the gallery was empty.-

-Mrs. Dodds stood with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She was making this weird noise in her throat, like growling.-

Artemis’s eyes shot wide open as she realized who the monster was. She looked at Percy and wondered how it was that he lived this at all.

-Even without the noise, I would've been nervous. It's weird being alone with a teacher, especially Mrs. Dodds. Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it…-

-"You've been giving us problems, honey," she said.-

-I did the safe thing. I said, "Yes, ma'am."-

“Since when have you ever done the safe thing kelp head?” Thalia laughed. She was nervous though, she didn’t see how he would survive this attack.

-She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you really think you would get away with it?"-

“Away with what?” Hera asked.

-The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.-

-She's a teacher, I thought nervously. It's not like she's going to hurt me.
I said, "I'll-I'll try harder, ma'am."-

-Thunder shook the building.

-"We are not fools, Percy Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said. "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain."
I didn't know what she was talking about.-

“You never do till its all over,” Nico said.

-All I could think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorm room. Or maybe they'd realized I got my essay on Tom Sawyer from the Internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grade. Or worse, they were going to make me read the book.-

Athena looked like she was having a heart attack, “How could you not read that book, it is a classic?” Percy couldn’t answer and kept his eyes on the book waiting til Athena sat back down.

-"Well?" she demanded.-

-"Ma'am, I don't..."-

-"Your time is up," she hissed.-

-Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons.-

All the gods had to help keep Poseidon back from strangling Hades. “Why would you send them after my son, what did my son do to you?” He yelled as Hades cowered.

“I don’t know what he has done to me cause this hasn’t happened yet,” Hades said calmly as Poseidon sat back down glaring at him harshly/

-Then things got even stranger.-

-Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand.-

-"What ho, Percy!" he shouted, and tossed the pen through the air.
Mrs. Dodds lunged at me.-

Poseidon smiled in relief as he realized what this pen was and knew Percy would be ok.

-With a yelp, I dodged and felt talons slash the air next to my ear. I snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn't a pen anymore. It was a sword-Mr. Brunner's bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day.-

-Mrs. Dodds spun toward me with a murderous look in her eyes.
My knees were jelly. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped the sword.-

“You wimp, I bet I could easily beat you in a fight” Ares said, smiling, but the smile went away as he and the other gods looked at Percy, who was rolling on the floor laughing. Once he caught his breath he kept reading.

-She snarled, "Die, honey!"-

-And she flew straight at me.-

-Absolute terror ran through my body. I did the only thing that came naturally: I swung the sword.-

-The metal blade hit her shoulder and passed clean through her body as if she were made of water. Hisss!-

The gods were shocked to say the least. No training whatsoever, didn’t even know who he was and he dispatched a Fury.

-Mrs. Dodds was a sand castle in a power fan. She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes were still watching me. I was alone.-

-There was a ballpoint pen in my hand.-

-Mr. Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but me.-

-My hands were still trembling. My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or something.-

“I wish it was that. It would have saved me a lot of problems,” Percy said.

-Had I imagined the whole thing?-

-I went back outside.-

-It had started to rain.-

-Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she saw me, she said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt."-

“Who?’ Poseidon asked.

-I said, "Who?"-

“Like father like son,” Hera smiled.

-"Our teacher. Duh!"-

-I blinked. We had no teacher named Mrs. Kerr. I asked Nancy what she was talking about.-

-She just rolled her eyes and turned away.-

-I asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was.-

He said, "Who?"-

-But he paused first, and he wouldn't look at me, so I thought he was messing with me.-

Hermes smiled and said “I need to teach him to lie properly”

"Not funny, man," I told him. "This is serious."-

-Thunder boomed overhead.-

-I saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book, as if he'd never moved.-

-I went over to him.-

-He looked up, a little distracted. "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson."-

-I handed Mr. Brunner his pen. I hadn't even realized I was still holding it.
"Sir," I said, "where's Mrs. Dodds?"-

-He stared at me blankly. "Who?"-

“Chiron on the other hand just needs lessons on changing subjects” Apollo said.

-"The other chaperone. Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher." He frowned and sat forward, looking mildly concerned. "Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you feeling all right?"-

“That’s the first chapter, who reads next?” Percy asked. Thalia took it from him. She looked at the title and paled slightly.

She was about to start when a flash lit the room up and a new kid stood there. When the flash subsided the demigods gasped. It was ….

Oh sorry no parenthesis in the first box! Itsmjust [b]

[b] thanks teamleo [b]

U still don't get it do you? First one is [ b ] then you write what you want to write then it's [/ b ] exceptmno spaces

thanks

You got it!!!!!

Standing there was Grover and Annabeth, both of whom looked a little nauseous. Once they saw me and the other two, they tackled us.

“Where have you three been? Percy disappeared in the middle of his sword training class. Chiron has almost had a heart attack when Clarisse told him. Artemis is going insane, you went missing in the middle of a hunt, and Hades is basically destroying the underworld and Tartarus looking for you Nico.” Grover said bleating. He was upset thinking he lost his three friends.

“Why are we with the Olympians?” Annabeth asked. As Percy explained what was going on and why they were here, they listened very closely. When Percy was done Grover bowed to Lord Zeus and said, “Grover Underwood, Lord of the Wild and finder of Pan.”

“You found my son?” Hermes stated happily. He just didn’t understand why Grover was upset.

Annabeth bowed as well and said, “Annabeth Chase, Official Architect of Olympus and daughter of Athena.” Athena smiled proudly at Annabeth and frowned slightly thinking of why Olympus would need a new Architect.

“Well, now that we are introduced, let’s read this chapter and we can head to bed,” Zeus said. He was tired and getting a little cranky.

Thalia started reading.


“Three old ladies knit the socks of death.

“Percy, you might want to think of better titles, I think your going to give poor uncle a heart attack, which shouldn’t be possible,” Apollo said snickering.

I was used to the occasional weird experience, but usually they were over quickly. This twenty-four/seven hallucination was more than I could handle. For the rest of the school year, the entire campus seemed to be playing some kind of trick on me. The students acted as if they were completely and totally convinced that Mrs. Kerr-a perky blond woman whom I'd never seen in my life until she got on our bus at the end of the field trip-had been our pre-algebra teacher since Christmas.

Every so often I would spring a Mrs. Dodds reference on somebody, just to see if I could trip them up, but they would stare at me like I was psycho.

“You are a psycho seaweed brain” Annabeth said smiling at him.

Percy stuck his tongue out at her and said, “Gee, thanks wise girl, and here I thought my crazy ideas were good sometimes.”

She smiled and replied, “I never said they weren’t, I just said you were psycho”

It got so I almost believed them-Mrs. Dodds had never existed.

Almost. But Grover couldn't fool me. When I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, then claim she didn't exist. But I knew he was lying.

Said satyr blushed and said, “I’ve gotten better haven’t I? I was able to convince Thalia that I thought Green Day was a great band.” Then he gulped and hid from Thalia as she glared at him.

“I’ll get you to listen to them goat boy, whether you want to or not,” Thalia declared.

Something was going on. Something had happened at the museum.

“no duh, Percy, your just too slow to figure it out, among other things,” Nico said meaningfully. He knew they were talking about his relationship with Annabeth. He blushed deep red and told Thalia to keep reading.

I didn't have much time to think about it during the days, but at night, visions of Mrs. Dodds with talons and leathery wings would wake me up in a cold sweat.

“Ah, the beginning of a fun future.” Percy muttered.

The freak weather continued, which didn't help my mood. One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room. A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty miles from Yancy Academy. One of the current events we studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that had gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that year.

Hestia appeared out of the hearth. She had been listening to the story, and she decided to make herself known to the other’s. “Brother, taking your problems out on the mortals won’t help anyone.” Zeus hung his head. Only Hestia could make him feel guilty.

I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. My grades slipped from Ds to Fs. I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends. I was sent out into the hallway in almost every class.

“Good actual fights are happening,” Ares said. But Athena was in horror.

“How is that good. His grades are terrible. You need to be tutored.”

“I am getting tutored Lady Athena. Annabeth tutors me now.” Percy replied.

“Yes, their study sessions are real fun for him.” Nico whispered to Thalia sarcastically. Thalia giggled softly as she continued reading.

Finally, when our English teacher, Mr. Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time why I was too lazy to study for spelling tests, I snapped. I called him an old sot. I wasn't even sure what it meant, but it sounded good.

“It means old drunk seaweed brain.” Annabeth said as she laughed quietly to herself.

Apollo looked at Dionysus and said, “Hey there D, You’re an old sot.” He burst out laughing with Hermes before he got smacked hard.

“Will you shut up you annoying womanizer.” Artemis said crankily.

The headmaster sent my mom a letter the following week, making it official: I would not be invited back next year to Yancy Academy.

Fine, I told myself. Just fine.

I was homesick.

“I love being with my mom, she is the best.” Percy said as Hera smiled. Why can’t my son’s love me like that? She thought.

I wanted to be with my mom in our little apartment on the Upper East Side, even if I had to go to public school and put up with my obnoxious stepfather and his stupid poker parties. And yet... there were things I'd miss at Yancy. The view of the woods out my dorm window, the Hudson River in the distance, the smell of pine trees. I'd miss Grover, who'd been a good friend, even if he was a little strange. I worried how he'd survive next year without me.

“Gee thanks Perce, you have so much faith in me,” Grover said.

Percy smiled and said, “Yup I sure do G-man.”

I'd miss Latin class, too-Mr. Brunner's crazy tournament days and his faith that I could do well.

As exam week got closer, Latin was the only test I studied for. I hadn't forgotten what Mr. Brunner had told me about this subject being life-and-death for me. I wasn't sure why, but I'd started to believe him.

“Well at least your believing him, and your studying hard too,” Annabeth said approvingly.

Percy smiled and kissed her. He was about to say something but was cut off by a large squeal piercing every eardrum in the room.

“They look so good together.” Aphrodite said dreamily.

“HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY DAUGHTER THAT WAY YOU SEA SPAWN!!!?” Athena screeched. She was about to attack him. But she was cut off by Poseidon.

“Athena. That’s enough. They seem to be happy together. I approve of their relationship. Let it go. Our problems with each other are our problems, not theirs.” Poseidon said, shutting Athena up.

“Thanks Dad,” Percy said happily.

“Your welcome my boy,” Poseidon replied. Athena was speechless. She wanted to disapprove, but had to realize that Poseidon was right. Our kids have lives of their own.

The evening before my final, I got so frustrated I threw the Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology across my dorm room. Words had started swimming off the page, circling my head, the letters doing one-eighties as if they were riding skateboards. There was no way I was going to remember the difference between Chiron and Charon, or Polydictes and Polydeuces. And conjugating those Latin verbs? Forget it.

“I know the differences now, seeing as I’ve met them both. I am still working on the Latin though.” Percy said happily. Poseidon, on the other hand, looked worried.

I paced the room, feeling like ants were crawling around inside my shirt.
I remembered Mr. Brunner's serious expression, his thousand-year-old eyes. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson.

I took a deep breath. I picked up the mythology book.

“Good, you shouldn’t throw books, that will only lead to trouble,” Hermes said with as solemn a expression he could manage before he burst out laughing, the demigods and Apollo joining him.

I'd never asked a teacher for help before. Maybe if I talked to Mr. Brunner, he could give me some pointers. At least I could apologize for the big fat F I was about to score on his exam. I didn't want to leave Yancy Academy with him thinking I hadn't tried.

“As long as you gave it your best, Chiron would be proud,” Annabeth said cuddling into Percy.

I walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr. Brunner's door was ajar, light from his window stretching across the hallway floor.

I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office. Mr. Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover's said "... worried about Percy, sir."
I froze.

I'm not usually an eavesdropper,

“Yeah, Percy, I’m sure you’re not,” Hermes said grinning widely.

but I dare you to try not listening if you hear your best friend talking about you to an adult.

“Good point,” Hermes admitted.

I inched closer.

"... alone this summer," Grover was saying. "I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too-"

We would only make matters worse by rushing him," Mr. Brunner said. "We need the boy to mature more."

“Still waiting for that day Chiron, still waiting,” Thalia said as the other demigods snickered and Percy pouted.

"But he may not have time. The summer solstice deadline- "

This piqued Athena’s attention. She saw Artemis stiffen and look at her. Artemis nodded and she knew Artemis figured it out.

"Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can."

"Sir, he saw her... ."

"His imagination," Mr. Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that." "Sir, I ... I can't fail in my duties again." Grover's voice was choked with emotion. "You know what that would mean."

Thalia stopped reading and glared hard at Grover. Grover just raised his hands in defeat and said, “I know, I know, sheesh, It wasn’t my fault. You made it known it was your choice.

"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr. Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall-"

The mythology book dropped out of my hand and hit the floor with a thud.

Mr. Brunner went silent.

Hermes looked exasperated and said, “ You never give your position away, Percy. I am going to teach you how to be sneaky, like I need to teach Apollo so he can sneak up on the Hunt…” Hermes stopped talking abruptly.

Artemis looked at Apollo and said, “Step one foot in my hunts camp, Apollo, and we will use you for target practice.” Apollo gulped visibly but Artemis’s threat was not done, “ And I will make sure they aim for your privates.” Apollo and all the other males shuddered hard and paled as the goddesses smirked at each other.

My heart hammering, I picked up the book and backed down the hall.
A shadow slid across the lighted glass of Brunner's office door, the shadow of something much taller than my wheelchair-bound teacher, holding something that looked suspiciously like an archer's bow.

I opened the nearest door and slipped inside.

“Good job, Percy you found a hiding place,” Hermes approved.

A few seconds later I heard a slow clop-clop-clop, like muffled wood blocks, then a sound like an animal snuffling right outside my door. A large, dark shape paused in front of the glass, then moved on.

A bead of sweat trickled down my neck.

Somewhere in the hallway, Mr. Brunner spoke. "Nothing," he murmured. "My nerves haven't been right since the winter solstice."

"Mine neither," Grover said. "But I could have sworn ..." "Go back to the dorm," Mr. Brunner told him. "You've got a long day of exams tomorrow."

“That is the worst thing about being a Keeper, having to do the same grade, and exams over and over again.” Grover complained.

"Don't remind me."

The lights went out in Mr. Brunner's office.

I waited in the dark for what seemed like forever.

Finally, I slipped out into the hallway and made my way back up to the dorm.

Grover was lying on his bed, studying his Latin exam notes like he'd been there all night.

"Hey," he said, bleary-eyed. "You going to be ready for this test?"

I didn't answer.

"You look awful." He frowned. "Is everything okay?"

"Just... tired."

I turned so he couldn't read my expression, and started getting ready for bed.

“That won’t work Pedro, they can read your emotions,” Dionysus said.

“Dionysus, if you don’t want to drown in your bath tonight, then you will start using their correct names,” Poseidon threatened. Dionysus gulped but didn’t say anything.

I didn't understand what I'd heard downstairs. I wanted to believe I'd imagined the whole thing.

But one thing was clear: Grover and Mr. Brunner were talking about me behind my back. They thought I was in some kind of danger.

“The story of my life,” Percy said sighing. All he wanted was to be happy.

Poseidon looked shocked and asked, “ How much danger are you in on a daily basis?”

Percy just looked at him and said, “A lot dad. For four years straight, I had to look over my shoulder to make sure I wasn’t going to be attacked at any second. Poseidon looked about ready to pass out.

The next afternoon, as I was leaving the three-hour Latin exam, my eyes swimming with all the Greek and Roman names I'd misspelled, Mr. Brunner called me back inside.

For a moment, I was worried he'd found out about my eavesdropping the night before, but that didn't seem to be the problem.

"Percy," he said. "Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's ... it's for the best."

“He still needs to work on his inspiration speeches.” Thalia moaned.

His tone was kind, but the words still embarrassed me. Even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids finishing the test could hear. Nancy Bobofit smirked at me and made sarcastic little kissing motions with her lips.

“Gods, it like everything I hate in men in a woman, I didn’t think it was possible,” Artemis said,clearly mystified. It made her start thinking that men weren’t the only bad people out there.

I mumbled, "Okay, sir."

"I mean ..." Mr. Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth, like he wasn't sure what to say. "This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time."

My eyes stung.

“Awww is the poor baby going to start crying?” Ares taunted. Only to get hit hard in the head by Aphrodites purse.

“Shut up Ares, just cause you have no feelings doesn’t mean Percy can’t,” Aphrodite said before turning towards her husband and holding his hand. She resolved to end it with Ares and to make Hephestus feel more loved by her.

Here was my favorite teacher, in front of the class, telling me I couldn't handle it. After saying he believed in me all year, now he was telling me I was destined to get kicked out.

"Right," I said, trembling.

"No, no," Mr. Brunner said. "Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say ... you're not normal, Percy. That's nothing to be-"

"Thanks," I blurted. "Thanks a lot, sir, for reminding me.

“Don’t worry seaweed brain, we are happy you are the way you are, we won’t have it any other way,” Annabeth said kissing him deeply.

"Percy-"

But I was already gone.

On the last day of the term, I shoved my clothes into my suitcase.

The other guys were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They were juvenile delinquents, like me, but they were rich juvenile delinquents. Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities. I was a nobody, from a family of nobodies.

“So I am a nobody, son?” Poseidon said, smiling.

“Of course, I’m glad to hear you finally admit it brother.” Hades said teasing him. Only making Poseidon pout and Zeus laugh.

They asked me what I'd be doing this summer and I told them I was going back to the city.

What I didn't tell them was that I'd have to get a summer job walking dogs or selling magazine subscriptions, and spend my free time worrying about where I'd go to school in the fall.

“Well at least your not kicked out of your last school,” Nico said edgily. He had started going there, but got kicked out. “I mean you kill one monster who pretended to be a teacher and suddenly your not good enough for Goode High.” Nico continued and he would have said more but Thalia cut him off.

"Oh," one of the guys said. "That's cool."

They went back to their conversation as if I'd never existed.

The only person I dreaded saying good-bye to was Grover, but as it turned out, I didn't have to. He'd booked a ticket to Manhattan on the same Greyhound as I had, so there we were, together again, heading into the city.

Percy smiled mischievously and said, “ Wow Grover, way to keep up with a stalker image.” Everyone laughed except Grover who just blushed.

During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. It occurred to me that he'd always acted nervous and fidgety when we left Yancy, as if he expected something bad to happen. Before, I'd always assumed he was worried about getting teased. But there was nobody to tease him on the Greyhound.

“Besides Percy,” Grover grumbled. He was worried cause he never told anyone besides Chiron about the bus ride.

Finally I couldn't stand it anymore.

I said, "Looking for Kindly Ones?"

“Way to make me have a stroke Perce, really, thanks so much,” Grover grumbled.

“Your are welcome, O Great Lord of the Wild.” Percy said sarcastically.

Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wha-what do you mean?"

I confessed about eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner the night before the exam.

Hermes sighed, “Never confess Percy.”

Grover's eye twitched. "How much did you hear?"

"Oh ... not much. What's the summer solstice dead-line?"

He winced. "Look, Percy ... I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers ..."

“Wow goat boy you’re a terrible liar” Thalia said.

"Grover-"

"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and ..."

"Grover, you're a really, really bad liar."

“Some one had to say it, at least I was nice about it,” Percy said seeing Grover look down about it.

His ears turned pink. From his shirt pocket, he fished out a grubby business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer.

The card was in fancy script, which was murder on my dyslexic eyes, but I finally made out something like:

“Dionysus, Change the damn script on those cards, this is the last time ill tell you to,” Zeus ordered. Dionysus gulped and nodded, but he wouldn’t do it. It was funny to see them try to read it.

Grover Underwood
Keeper
Half-Blood Hill
Long Island, New York
(800) 009-0009

"What's Half-"

"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "That's my, um ... summer address."

My heart sank. Grover had a summer home. I'd never considered that his family might be as rich as the others at Yancy. "Okay," I said glumly. "So, like, if I want to come visit your mansion."

“A mansion? Goat boy wishes he had one,” Apollo said snickering. Grover just blushed cause he knew it was true. He did want a mansion. But he knew he couldn’t get one unless he built it. He would talk to Annabeth about it later.

He nodded. "Or ... or if you need me."

"Why would I need you?"

“Wow Perseus, that was a bit mean,” Aphrodite chided as she winked at him. Percy gulped and blushed. He didn’t know what she was planning but he didn’t need anymore problems from her.

It came out harsher than I meant it to.

Grover blushed right down to his Adam's apple. "Look, Percy, the truth is, I-I kind of have to protect you."

“Thank you for that Grover,” Poseidon said.

“Ummm, your welcome, my lord,” Grover stuttered. Not many gods would talk to satyrs, let alone address them by their own name.

I stared at him.

All year long, I'd gotten in fights, keeping bullies away from him. I'd lost sleep worrying that he'd get beaten up next year without me. And here he was acting like he was the one who defended me.

“A very loyal child, I approve of you for now Perseus Jackson, don’t give me a reason to hunt you down,” Athena said. She was trying to let her daughter live her life. It didn’t mean she could mess with the boys head. She smiled as he gulped and paled a little.

"Grover," I said, "what exactly are you protecting me from?"

“You probably should have told him then Grover, maybe he wouldn’t have been such a pain to convince him he was a demigod.” Annabeth said.

Grover smiled sheepishly and said, “I would have but Chiron said not to.”

There was a huge grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs. The driver cursed and limped the Greyhound over to the side of the highway.

After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. Grover and I filed outside with everybody else.

We were on a stretch of country road-no place you'd notice if you didn't break down there. On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand. The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of bloodred cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice. There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen.

“Sounds like a nice little place” Demeter wondered. She liked little fruit stands. Too bad they didn’t sell muffins.

I mean these socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn.

Poseidon passed out right then and there. The other gods looked at Percy with sympathy and wondered how he was alive. Annabeth, however, with Nico and Thalia, rounded on Grover as Percy sat quietly remembering all of this.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE FATES, GROVER? WHY!!!?,” Annabeth screamed, tears in her eyes. Grover just coward and Percy knew he had to stop her from killing him.

“Calm down Annabeth. I am right here and I am alive. Grover didn’t tell you under strict orders from Chiron.” He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and whispering to her to calm her down. They sat down and Thalia sensing the need to get the chapter over with cleared her throat and kept reading.

All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses.

The weirdest thing was, they seemed to be looking right at me.

I looked over at Grover to say something about this and saw that the blood had drained from his face. His nose was twitching.

"Grover?" I said. "Hey, man-"

"Tell me they're not looking at you. They are, aren't they?"

"Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?"

“Not funny seaweed brain, not funny at all.” Annabeth whispered into his shoulders.

"Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all."

If the situation wasn’t so tense Thalia also would have said something. But she decided to zap his butt off later and kept reading.

The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors-gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears. I heard Grover catch his breath. "We're getting on the bus," he told me. "Come on.”

“That wont work satyr, once they cut the thread its over,” Apollo said. He liked Percy. But he didn’t see a way out of this.

"What?" I said. "It's a thousand degrees in there."

"Come on!'" He pried open the door and climbed inside, but I stayed back.

Across the road, the old ladies were still watching me. The middle one cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that snip across four lanes of traffic. Her two friends balled up the electric-blue socks, leaving me wondering who they could possibly be for-Sasquatch or Godzilla.

“Only you would think of something like that Percy,” Nico said. He smiled though trying to lessen the tension.

At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life.

The passengers cheered.

"Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. "Everybody back on board!"

Once we got going, I started feeling feverish, as if I'd caught the flu.

Poseidon woke up, “Nooo, I cant lose my son this way,” he moaned. Percy walked to his father and whispered something in his ear and Poseidon calmed down.

Grover didn't look much better. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering.

"Grover?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you not telling me?"

He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?"

“3 old ladies knitting Grover, weren’t you paying attention,? Hermes said. The mood of the room lightened considerably as everyone started laughing. Once everyone calmed down Thalia continued.

"You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like ... Mrs. Dodds, are they?"

“No child, they are a lot worse than my Furies,” Hades said evilly.

His expression was hard to read, but I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than Mrs. Dodds. He said, "Just tell me what you saw."

"The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn."

He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't. It was something else, something almost-older.

Athena smiled and said, “You are observant, I can respect that.” Percy smiled.

“Thanks for the compliment Lady Athena,” Percy replied. Everyone was stunned. Athena complimenting Percy wasn’t something they were used. Poseidon eyed her suspiciously. What are you up to Athena? He wondered.

He said, "You saw her snip the cord."

"Yeah. So?" But even as I said it, I knew it was a big deal.

"This is not happening," Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time."

Grover yelped as he shot out of his seat. He had been soaked with water then shocked hard. “Sorry guys but I can’t help it.”

"What last time?"

"Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth."

"Grover," I said, because he was really starting to scare me. "What are you talking about?"

"Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me." This seemed like a strange request to me, but I promised he could.

"Is this like a superstition or something?" I asked.

No answer.

"Grover-that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to die?"

“You figured it out?” Thalia asked disbelieving. “I guess you do have a working brain in that kelp filled head of your’s.” She smirked before she got doused in ice cold water. “Damn it Percy. Dry me off now.” Percy smirked before touching her and drying her. Thalia grumbled out the last sentence.

He looked at me mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers I'd like best on my coffin.

“That’s the last of that chapter” Thalia said.

“Very well. Everyone show up tomorrow at 9 A.M. sharp.” Zeus said before the gods flashed out.

“Umm, are we sleeping in here?” Nico asked. Hermes reappeared and apologized.

“Sorry guys, follow me, I’ll show you where you will be sleeping till this is all over.” Hermes said. He led us through a side door and into a small building next to the throne room. This building was simple, but elegant. With many rooms off to each side of the hallway. “Those are the bedrooms,” He said pointing down the hallway. “Sleep tight guys and goodnight.” Hermes then flashed out, leaving them to their thoughts.

“Well, I am a little hungry, so I am grabbing a bite to eat before I go to bed.” Percy said. Everyone decided to do the same.

yeah finally. i have been trying all day. i will have the next chapter up soon.

“Let me think,” Percy said. He and Annabeth had stayed up after everyone had eaten and gone to sleep. They were talking about the books. About the Fates and about anything they could think of. “The bolt, the fleece, rescuing you and Artemis, The Labyrinth, and the battle of Manhattan. That’s 5 book’s right there. What could the other books be about?”

Annabeth’s eyes turned stormy grey. Percy knew that look very well. Annabeth was thinking very hard. You could almost see the gears turning in her head. “I don’t know Percy, it’s strange. Maybe they are our future adventures? Or the adventures of other demigods? I don’t know for sure but we will find out.”

“I am tired of prophecies Annabeth. If this is our chance to change the future for the better, is it possible that the prophecy will change?” Percy said doubtfully. He knew that prophecies were absolute. Didn’t mean he liked that. If there was a way to stop the rise of Kronos, prevent the deaths of his friends and keep Luke from going to the wrong side he would do it.

“I doubt it Percy, you will still be the child of the prophecy, and you can’t change that.” Percy frowned. He knew she was right. Didn’t mean he liked it. Percy hated that he couldn’t save his friends who died in the war. “We can only do so much seaweed brain. The rest is up to the gods.” Annabeth continued. She knew Percy berated himself for not being able to save everyone.

“Well ,wise girl, I think we should go to bed. It is pretty late and we need to get up pretty early. And I know how you need your sleep. Otherwise you get very cranky.” Percy said. He smiled his crooked smile as the two went to their respective rooms.

Percy lay awake for awhile, thinking. Maybe he could get his request honored sooner instead of after the war. He was broken out of his thoughts as his door opened slowly. He looked up too see Annabeth laying down next to him. She kissed him deeply.

“I couldn’t sleep. Sorry if I woke you up,” Annabeth said. Percy smiled and pulled her close. They held each other for a while and Percy whispered back.

“Don’t worry wise girl. I was just thinking. Anyways let get some sleep, ok?” Percy said smiling his crooked smile. After another long deep kiss, they broke away, and they snuggled closer. Annabeth woke up at 7:30 and went to the kitchen to see everyone there already. Thalia looked up and smiled.

“Hey Annie, how’s it going? Did you get much sleep last night?” Thalia smirked. Annabeth blushed and slapped Nico upside the head. Hard. He face planted into his oatmeal. The result. Nico looked like an oatmeal mummy.

“Owww,” Nico complained. “What did I do? Thalia said it, not me.” He glared at Annabeth. She, like everyone else in the room just laughed hard.

“I couldn’t hit Thalia, Nico. I value my life,” Annabeth said as she caught her breath. She hot some bowls and pans and started to make pancakes. She smiled. Blue pancakes. She knew he would like that. As she was finishing up she asked Thalia to get Percy up.

Annabeth had just sat Percy’s plate down at the counter for him. That’s when she heard Thalia. She went to check out what was going on. Thalia had opened he window to Percy’s room. Then she proceeded to call lightning from the sky to enter the room and hit Percy. Percy jumped straight up out of bed and looked at Thalia. He growled at her. Before he could retaliate Annabeth stepped in front of him laughing softly. Percy calmed down slowly before he smiled and said innocently to Thalia. “Good morning pinecone face,” Thalia was suspicious of Percy’s attitude. She ran to her room and grabbed some clothes and told us she was taking a shower.

“Next time wise girl, please wake me up instead,” Percy asked. He got changed and went to the kitchen. He sat down and started to shovel food into his mouth. Annabeth sat down and started to eat at a slower pace. She looked up for a minute only to see Percy sitting still with his eyes closed. She thought he fell asleep again. Then she heard Thalia.

“Percy Jackson, unfreeze the water NOW!!!” Thalia screamed. Percy Nico and Grover just laughed. Annabeth looked at Percy sternly, but couldn’t help but smile at their antics. Percy sighed and returned Thalia’s shower to normal temperature. They finished eating and Thalia came out glaring at Percy who just smiled back. They looked at the clock. 8:55 A.M.. They decided that it was the best time to get to the throne room.

As they arrived they saw the gods sitting there murmuring to themselves about the book. Once the gods noticed their arrivals they all flashed down to normal human heights. The made armchairs that looked exactly like their own thrones and sat down. Hermes turned to Thalia and Percy, smiled and said.

“Good job on those pranks you two. Your antics remind me of father and my two uncles before they became all serious with their lives.” Hermes smiled and laughed as Hera and Demeter nodded to say it was true. Poseidon pouted, Hades smirked, and Zeus sighed.

“We weren’t that bad when we were young,” Zeus said grumpily. The hearth flame rose up shocking everyone as Hestia stepped out of the fire.

She looked at Zeus and said, “Dear brother, you, Poseidon and Hades were freaking devils when you were you. You pranked everyone and everything. Especially each other. Don’t sit there and say otherwise, you know it’s true.” Hestia smiled as the three pouted. Only Hestia could talk to the three brothers and not get blasted. No one could get mad at her. She was the peace keeper. When she spoke you listened cause you knew it was important.

“Ok sister, you got us,” Poseidon said. “Let’s continue with the books. I am sure to have multiple heart attacks in the next few days and I want to get them over with. Who will read next?”

“I will,” Nico answered. Poseidon passed the book to him and sat back. Nico cleared his throat. “Grover unexpectedly loses his pants.”

Grover blushed at the title while the others laughed.

Awesome posts! Keep up the good work!

I like it a lot! Also because I was going to re-read the series, but I was like, I've read it so many times. I wish it could be just a bit different, and I found it! This very forum! Keep posting!

YEAH! (^_−)−☆

sorry I havent posted yet i have been very busy. Prepare for at least three more chapters tomorrow

Awesome!!!!!! Happy holidays!!!!!

Did u know this forum is on popular content?!?!?!?!?!

“Grover unexpectedly loses his pants” Nico read. The gods and demigods burst out laughing. Grover blushed dark red and glared at Percy.

Percy, upon seeing his glare, raised his hand in surrender and said, “Hey don’t look at me. I don’t name these chapters. It’s whoever wrote this book that does.” Grover just sighed and let it go.

Thalia looked at Grover and said, “You know Grover, leaving the house without pants are a crime. And it’s not something people want to see.” Everyone laughed harder. Even Grover had to grin at that comment. Once everyone calmed down, Nico kept reading.

Confession time: I ditched Grover as soon as we got to the bus terminal.

“Great job at keeping that promise Perce,” Grover glared half-heartedly. Percy just shrugged.

“You were freaking me out dude, what else could my ADHD brain let me do.” Percy replied.

I know, I know. It was rude. But Grover was freaking me out, looking at me like I was a dead man, muttering "Why does this always happen?" and "Why does it always have to he sixth grade?"

“He has a point there satyr. That would freak a lot of people out if you did that,” Artemis said.

Grover just nodded and blushed. Everyone knew satyr’s loved Artemis. And no one was going to let Grover live it down.

Whenever he got upset, Grover's bladder acted up, so I wasn't surprised when, as soon as we got off the bus, he made me promise to wait for him, then made a beeline for the restroom. Instead of waiting, I got my suitcase, slipped outside, and caught the first taxi uptown.

Grover just glared and said nothing.

"East One-hundred-and-fourth and First," I told the driver.

A word about my mother, before you meet her.

“She is awesome,” the demigods shouted. It was loud enough that they woke Ares from his nap. He promptly fell of the armchair and landed head first on the marble throne room floor. Everyone laughed as he got up. A little bit of ichor dripped from his nose. Nico read on quickly though to prevent him from yelling.

Her name is Sally Jackson and she's the best person in the world, which just proves my theory that the best people have the rottenest luck. Her own parents died in a plane crash when she was five, and she was raised by an uncle who didn't care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing program. Then her uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school her senior year to take care of him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma.

“Brother. You need to stop taking your anger out on the mortals. It isn’t fair to them. They aren’t the ones who upset you,” Hestia chided. Zeus just hung his head guiltily while Hades and Poseidon snickered as their brother, the almighty king of the gods, got in trouble.

The only good break she ever got was meeting my dad.

Poseidon smiled as Aphrodite cooed. “He stills loves her. It’s so cute,” she squealed.

Athena tried her best to ignore it, but there it was. A feeling that felt like… anger? Hatred? No. It was jealousy. But she couldn’t figure out why she was jealous.

I don't have any memories of him, just this sort of warm glow, maybe the barest trace of his smile. My mom doesn't like to talk about him because it makes her sad. She has no pictures.

See, they weren't married.

“I tried to marry her, but Sally was to stubborn. She wanted to live her own life. It’s why I love her so much still.” Poseidon said. The love was so thick in his voice that everyone barely had time to cover their ears before Aphrodite’ squeal destroyed their eardrums. As it was Ares who woke up again very much in pain as he held his ear, cursing and yelling. Aphrodite threw her shoes at him before she turned and kissed Hephaestus.

She told me he was rich and important, and their relationship was a secret. Then one day, he set sail across the Atlantic on some important journey, and he never came back.

Lost at sea, my mom told me. Not dead. Lost at sea.

“Why would this woman, who is obviously very smart and talented, choose this barnacle encrusted idiot over here to love?” Athena said surprising everyone. She never made jokes. “What?” She said, “I am allowed to be funny too, you know.”

She worked odd jobs, took night classes to get her high school diploma, and raised me on her own. She never complained or got mad. Not even once. But I knew I wasn't an easy kid. Finally, she married Gabe Ugliano, who was nice the first thirty seconds we knew him, then showed his true colors as a world-class jerk. When I was young, I nicknamed him Smelly Gabe. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. The guy reeked like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts.

Everyone heard teeth being ground. They looked at Poseidon, but saw that it wasn’t him. They then looked at Percy. He was trying very hard not to let himself destroy the throne room before his fight with Kronos. Annabeth started rubbing soothing circles on his back. He slowly started to calm down. Once he was fine Nico kept reading.

Between the two of us, we made my mom's life pretty hard. The way Smelly Gabe treated her, the way he and I got along ... well, when I came home is a good example.

I walked into our little apartment, hoping my mom would be home from work. Instead, Smelly Gabe was in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blared ESPN. Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet.

Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, "So, you're home."

“That’s it? No welcome back? Doesn’t he at least care that your ok?” Hera screeched. She was about to blast this mortal.

"Where's my mom?"

"Working," he said. "You got any cash?"

That was it. No Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months?

Artemis gritted her teeth as well. This mortal is the very thing she hates men for. She looked at Percy as he joked around with Thalia. At least he turned out to be respectable in my eyes, Artemis thought.

Gabe had put on weight. He looked like a tuskless walrus in thrift-store clothes. He had about three hairs on his head, all combed over his bald scalp, as if that made him handsome or something.

“Good us, what is wrong with this mortal? He is terrible.” Demeter said. Everyone nodded to agree with her. Even Hestia wanted to throw something at that mortals head.

He managed the Electronics Mega-Mart in Queens, but he stayed home most of the time. I don't know why he hadn't been fired long before. He just kept on collecting paychecks, spending the money on cigars that made me nauseous, and on beer, of course. Always beer. Whenever I was home, he expected me to provide his gambling funds. He called that our "guy secret." Meaning, if I told my mom, he would punch my lights out. "I don't have any cash," I told him.

“HE BETTER NOT HAVE HIT YOU!!!” Poseidon and Annabeth yelled. They looked at Percy and he just nodded. Percy knew Gabe was in for a rude awakening soon. Next time he was in the shower he will pay, Poseidon thought.

He raised a greasy eyebrow.

Gabe could sniff out money like a bloodhound, which was surprising, since his own smell should've covered up everything else.

Athena gasped and looked at Poseidon. “This Sally is amazing. You can’t attack the mortal Poseidon. She is protecting Perseus by marrying him. The mortals smell is covering his scent.”

Poseidon just gritted his teeth and looked at Grover. He nodded and Poseidon sighed. “Fine, I won’t kill him.”

"You took a taxi from the bus station," he said. Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Am I right, Eddie?"

Eddie, the super of the apartment building, looked at me with a twinge of sympathy. "Come on, Gabe," he said. "The kid just got here."

"Am I right?" Gabe repeated.

Eddie scowled into his bowl of pretzels. The other two guys passed gas in harmony.

The goddesses wrinkled their noses, with a chorus of “Eeews” from all of them.

"Fine," I said. I dug a wad of dollars out of my pocket and threw the money on the table. "I hope you lose."

“Consider him never winning a single game again done,” Dionysus said. Hermes smiled mischievously.

“Consider him to be at the mercy of my kids as well. Anything valueable to him will be lost loss,” Hermes said. Percy just grinned and nodded.

"Your report card came, brain boy!" he shouted after me. "I wouldn't act so snooty!"

“Percy might not be the smartest person but he has more brains than you do you scum,” Nico snarled. Hades smiled at his son and started to plan his own personal torment for this man. Something to do with never ending poker and beer that would burn his throat.

I slammed the door to my room, which really wasn't my room. During school months, it was Gabe's "study." He didn't study anything in there except old car magazines, but he loved shoving my stuff in the closet, leaving his muddy boots on my windowsill, and doing his best to make the place smell like his nasty cologne and cigars and stale beer. I dropped my suitcase on the bed. Home sweet home.

“This is by far the worst definition of home I have ever heard,” Hestia said. She thought highly of Perseus so far and couldn’t understand why he had such a hard life.

Gabe's smell was almost worse than the nightmares about Mrs. Dodds, or the sound of that old fruit lady's shears snipping the yarn.

“That bad?” Thalia asked.

“Put it this way Thals, I would rather grandfather raise me, instead of Gabe.” Poseidon and Hades winced as they thought of how their father raised them. Not exactly comforting.

But as soon as I thought that, my legs felt weak. I remembered Grover's look of panic-how he'd made me promise I wouldn't go home without him. A sudden chill rolled through me. I felt like someone-something-was looking for me right now, maybe pounding its way up the stairs, growing long, horrible talons.

Ares leaned forward, anticipating a fight to come. But as the next line is read he frowns and leaned back.

Then I heard my mom's voice. "Percy?"

She opened the bedroom door, and my fears melted.

“Good. That is how it is supposed to be,” Hera said approvingly. Hephaestus and Ares just rolled their eyes. She only cared about them if they made her happy.

My mother can make me feel good just by walking into the room. Her eyes sparkle and change color in the light. Her smile is as warm as a quilt. She's got a few gray streaks mixed in with her long brown hair, but I never think of her as old. When she looks at me, it's like she's seeing all the good things about me, none of the bad. I've never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even me or Gabe.

“A very patient saint of a woman. She is very worthy of my respect,” Demeter said. She thought Hades was bad, but she would put up with him for eternity instead of one night with that mortal man.

"Oh, Percy." She hugged me tight. "I can't believe it. You've grown since Christmas!"

Her red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelled like the best things in the world: chocolate, licorice, and all the other stuff she sold at the candy shop in Grand Central. She'd brought me a huge bag of "free samples," the way she always did when I came home.

Apollo started to drool as he thought of getting some candy. He looked over at Hermes to see the same reaction. Hermes though lifted a bag of M & M’s out of his pocket and started teasing Apollo with it as he ate slowly. All Apollo could do was glare.

We sat together on the edge of the bed. While I attacked the blueberry sour strings, she ran her hand through my hair and demanded to know everything I hadn't put in my letters. She didn't mention anything about my getting expelled. She didn't seem to care about that. But was I okay? Was her little boy doing all right?

“Awww, that’s so cute. NOT!,” Ares said. He wanted some action and he figured if he taunted Percy enough he would get a fight. What he didn’t see was the gigantic peacock, the large horse and the large crane sneak up on him and attack him.

“Thank you Lady Hera and Lady Hestia and Dad,” Percy said. Everyone was snickering now as Ares started crying for his mommy. But they really burst out laughing when a very large dove took a poop on his head.

“You and I are through Ares. You are nowhere near good enough for me,” Aphrodite said. She turned around and snuggled with Hephaestus who looked very pleased.

I told her she was smothering me, and to lay off and all that, but secretly, I was really, really glad to see her.

From the other room, Gabe yelled, "Hey, Sally-how about some bean dip, huh?"

“Hades? Please set up your worst torture for that mortal.” Poseidon asked through clenched teeth.

“I already have brother. Don’t worry brother he will have fun,” Hades smile maliciously. The other gods shuddered.

I gritted my teeth.

My mom is the nicest lady in the world. She should've been married to a millionaire, not to some jerk like Gabe.

“I agree, this woman deserves it,” Zeus said. Everyone was shocked. Zeus rarely spoke highly of anyone, let alone a mortal.

For her sake, I tried to sound upbeat about my last days at Yancy Academy. I told her I wasn't too down about the expulsion. I'd lasted almost the whole year this time. I'd made some new friends. I'd done pretty well in Latin. And honestly, the fights hadn't been as bad as the headmaster said. I liked Yancy Academy. I really did. I put such a good spin on the year, I almost convinced myself. I started choking up, thinking about Grover and Mr. Brunner. Even Nancy Bobofit suddenly didn't seem so bad.

Until that trip to the museum …

"What?" my mom asked. Her eyes tugged at my conscience, trying to pull out the secrets. "Did something scare you?"

"No, Mom."

“You shouldn’t lie to your mother, it’s not nice,” Hera chided.

“At the time I thought I was going crazy Lady Hera. I thought it was an illusion or something,” Percy said. Better to try to make friends with her now. Maybe she wont get mad when we read about the Labyrinth.

I felt bad lying. I wanted to tell her about Mrs. Dodds and the three old ladies with the yarn, but I thought it would sound stupid.

She pursed her lips. She knew I was holding back, but she didn't push me. "I have a surprise for you," she said. "We're going to the beach."

Percy and Poseidon smiled. They loved Montauk beach.

My eyes widened. "Montauk?"

"Three nights-same cabin."

"When?"

She smiled. "As soon as I get changed."

I couldn't believe it. My mom and I hadn't been to Montauk the last two summers, because Gabe said there wasn't enough money.

“Maybe if this stupid mortal didn’t blow their money on stupid poker parties then there would be money,” Apollo said. He was still eying the bag of candy in Hermes lap, trying to think of a way to steal it.

Gabe appeared in the doorway and growled, "Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me?"

I wanted to punch him, but I met my mom's eyes and I understood she was offering me a deal: be nice to Gabe for a little while. Just until she was ready to leave for Montauk. Then we would get out of here.

“Good please get away from this man, before I kill him,” Artemis said. She might just give him a visit when this was all over.

"I was on my way, honey," she told Gabe. "We were just talking about the trip."

Gabe's eyes got small. "The trip? You mean you were serious about that?"

"I knew it," I muttered. "He won't let us go."

"Of course he will," my mom said evenly. "Your stepfather is just worried about money. That's all. Besides," she added, "Gabriel won't have to settle for bean dip. I'll make him enough seven-layer dip for the whole weekend. Guacamole. Sour cream. The works."

“Ah good, bribery. I like how she thinks,” Hermes said smiling.

Gabe softened a bit. "So this money for your trip ... it comes out of your clothes budget, right?"

“COVER YOUR EARS,” Athena yelled. Everyone besides Ares did.

“Why?” Ares asked. As if in answer to his question, Aphrodite let loose her anger.

“HOW DARE YOU TAKE HER CLOTHES MONEY AWAY FROM HER. YOU DISGUSTING SLIME BALL, I CURSE YOU TO HAVE THE WORST OF LUCK EVER. NO WOMAN SHALL EVER FIND YOU ATTRACTIVE.” Aphrodite ranted on. She would have kept going but Hephaestus stopped her with promises of building Sally an enchanted dresser that Aphrodite could stock with any clothing she wanted to give to Sally. Aphrodite calmed down then.

"Yes, honey," my mother said.

"And you won't take my car anywhere but there and back."

"We'll be very careful."

Gabe scratched his double chin. "Maybe if you hurry with that seven-layer dip ... And maybe if the kid apologizes for interrupting my poker game."

“Apologize my butt, I didn’t do anything wrong,” Percy snarled. He hated having to relive these memories again.

Maybe if I kick you in your soft spot, I thought. And make you sing soprano for a week.

“For once I agree with a demigod. Please tell me you did it,” Zeus asked. Percy sadly shook his head.

But my mom's eyes warned me not to make him mad.

Why did she put up with this guy? I wanted to scream. Why did she care what he thought?

"I'm sorry," I muttered. "I'm really sorry I interrupted your incredibly important poker game. Please go back to it right now."

“Good. He doesn’t even deserve an apology in the first place. So a little sarcasm is good.” Thalia said.

Gabe's eyes narrowed. His tiny brain was probably trying to detect sarcasm in my statement.

“He will be lucky if can use his brain once I am done with him,” Athena threatened.

Annabeth was shocked. But she was happy. Who would have thought that her mother would have stood up for a son of Poseidon. She smiled and kissed Percy on the cheek.

"Yeah, whatever," he decided.

He went back to his game. "Thank you, Percy," my mom said. "Once we get to Montauk, we'll talk more about... whatever you've forgotten to tell me, okay?"

“She knows something happened at school. She is a very perceptive woman,” Hestia said. Percy smiled at her knowing that she will get some more recognition in the future.

For a moment, I thought I saw anxiety in her eyes-the same fear I'd seen in Grover during the bus ride-as if my mom too felt an odd chill in the air.
But then her smile returned, and I figured I must have been mistaken. She ruffled my hair and went to make Gabe his seven-layer dip.

An hour later we were ready to leave.

Gabe took a break from his poker game long enough to watch me lug my mom's bags to the car. He kept griping and groaning about losing her cooking-and more important, his '78 Camaro-for the whole weekend.
"Not a scratch on this car, brain boy," he warned me as I loaded the last bag. "Not one little scratch."

“He is twelve you moron. He won’t be driving,” Hera screeched. This is why she didn’t like mortals at all.

Percy though looked at Grover and smiled. They knew what happened to his car.

Like I'd be the one driving. I was twelve. But that didn't matter to Gabe. If a seagull so much as pooped on his paint job, he'd find a way to blame me.

Watching him lumber back toward the apartment building, I got so mad I did something I can't explain. As Gabe reached the doorway, I made the hand gesture I'd seen Grover make on the bus, a sort of warding-off-evil gesture, a clawed hand over my heart, then a shoving movement toward Gabe. The screen door slammed shut so hard it whacked him in the butt and sent him flying up the staircase as if he'd been shot from a cannon.

The gods started laughing loudly. “That is epic. Great job Percy.” Apollo said.

Maybe it was just the wind, or some freak accident with the hinges, but I didn't stay long enough to find out.

I got in the Camaro and told my mom to step on it.

Our rental cabin was on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It was a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There was always sand in the sheets and spiders in the cabinets, and most of the time the sea was too cold to swim in.

Poseidon and Percy both smiled widely as Athena and Annabeth both shivered. They hated Arachne’s children.

I loved the place.

“Of course you do seaweed brain. It’s a beach.” Thalia rolled her eyes.

We'd been going there since I was a baby. My mom had been going even longer. She never exactly said, but I knew why the beach was special to her. It was the place where she'd met my dad.

As we got closer to Montauk, she seemed to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the color of the sea.

“I see why you love her Uncle,” Aphrodite winked at Poseidon making him blush slightly. Athena said nothing but if you looked closely you could see jealousy in her eyes.

We got there at sunset, opened all the cabin's windows, and went through our usual cleaning routine. We walked on the beach, fed blue corn chips to the seagulls, and munched on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples my mom had brought from work.

“What is with the blue food?” Dionysus asked. It shocked the campers that he was paying attention.

I guess I should explain the blue food.

Everyone laughed at Dionysus. He blushed but said nothing with his father there.

See, Gabe had once told my mom there was no such thing. They had this fight, which seemed like a really small thing at the time. But ever since, my mom went out of her way to eat blue. She baked blue birthday cakes. She mixed blueberry smoothies. She bought blue-corn tortilla chips and brought home blue candy from the shop. This-along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs. Ugliano-was proof that she wasn't totally suckered by Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, like me.

“Percy, you don’t have a streak. You have a rebellious life,” The demigods and satyr said. Poseidon smiling wide. The sea hates to be restrained.

When it got dark, we made a fire. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom told me stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents died in the plane crash.

Zeus looked guilty. He looked at Percy, “I am sorry.” Everyone was shocked. The proud king of the gods never apologized to anyone.

She told me about the books she wanted to write someday, when she had enough money to quit the candy shop. Eventually, I got up the nerve to ask about what was always on my mind whenever we came to Montauk-my father. Mom's eyes went all misty. I figured she would tell me the same things she always did, but I never got tired of hearing them.

"He was kind, Percy," she said. "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too. You have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes."

“And his apparent knack for trouble and inability to keep quiet,” Hades smirked. Poseidon just laughed. Hades was right after all.

Mom fished a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. "I wish he could see you, Percy. He would be so proud."

“I am proud of you Percy.” His father said. Percy beamed at the compliment.

I wondered how she could say that. What was so great about me? A dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ report card, kicked out of school for the sixth time in six years.

"How old was I?" I asked. "I mean ... when he left?"

“Umm, I did visit once while you and your mom were asleep.” Poseidon said. Zeus grumbled but said nothing.

She watched the flames. "He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. This cabin."

"But... he knew me as a baby."

"No, honey. He knew I was expecting a baby, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you were born."

I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember ... something about my father. A warm glow. A smile.

I had always assumed he knew me as a baby. My mom had never said it outright, but still, I'd felt it must be true. Now, to be told that he'd never even seen me ... I felt angry at my father.

“I am sorry son. The gods are forbidden to visit their children, trust me I wish it was different.” Poseidon smiled sadly.

“It’s ok dad, we understand,” Percy said.

Maybe it was stupid, but I resented him for going on that ocean voyage, for not having the guts to marry my mom. He'd left us, and now we were stuck with Smelly Gabe.

"Are you going to send me away again?" I asked her. "To another boarding school?"

She pulled a marshmallow from the fire.

"I don't know, honey." Her voice was heavy. "I think ... I think we'll have to do something."

"Because you don't want me around?" I regretted the words as soon as they were out.

“You should regret those words child,” Hera said. “She is doing a lot to protect you.” Percy just nodded. He didn’t want to reply and piss her off.

My mom's eyes welled with tears. She took my hand, squeezed it tight. "Oh, Percy, no. I-I have to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away."

Her words reminded me of what Mr. Brunner had said-that it was best for me to leave Yancy.

"Because I'm not normal," I said.

“You’re right Percy, nice to know you finally admit. But don’t worry, we wont want you any other way.” Thalia said.

"You say that as if it's a bad thing, Percy. But you don't realize how important you are. I thought Yancy Academy would be far enough away. I thought you'd finally be safe."

“He will never be safe Sally.” Annabeth said sadly making Poseidon hyperventilate a little.

"Safe from what?"

“Monster’s, gods, Titans, would you like a list? It is pretty long.” Nico said sarcastically. Percy stuck his tongue out but laughed.

She met my eyes, and a flood of memories came back to me-all the weird, scary things that had ever happened to me, some of which I'd tried to forget. During third grade, a man in a black trench coat had stalked me on the playground. When the teachers threatened to call the police, he went away growling, but no one believed me when I told them that under his broad-brimmed hat, the man only had one eye, right in the middle of his head.

Poseidon looked confused, but happy. “I sent someone from the forges to check on you? There must have been a powerful monster nearby for me to do that.

Before that-a really early memory. I was in preschool, and a teacher accidentally put me down for a nap in a cot that a snake had slithered into. My mom screamed when she came to pick me up and found me playing with a limp, scaly rope I'd somehow managed to strangle to death with my meaty toddler hands.

“Just like my son,” Zeus said. He didn’t seem to notice the glare Percy, Thalia and Artemis were giving him.

In every single school, something creepy had happened, something unsafe, and I was forced to move.

I knew I should tell my mom about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds at the art museum, about my weird hallucination that I had sliced my math teacher into dust with a sword. But I couldn't make myself tell her. I had a strange feeling the news would end our trip to Montauk, and I didn't want that.

“That, young man, is how many demigods get killed before they reached camp,” Dionysus said. Percy was about to say something, but before he could Dionysus was hit with some lightning. He stood up glaring at his father, who was laughing his butt off. “why did you shock me father,” He whined.

Zeus just laughed and replied, “That wasn’t me son.” Dionysus rounded on Thalia, who was on the floor rolling around. He would have done something but one look from Zeus and Dionysus thought better of it. He sat down and told Nico to continue with the story.

"I've tried to keep you as close to me as I could," my mom said. "They told me that was a mistake. But there's only one other option, Percy-the place your father wanted to send you. And I just... I just can't stand to do it."

"My father wanted me to go to a special school?"

"Not a school," she said softly. "A summer camp."

Cheers erupted for camp Half-blood.

My head was spinning. Why would my dad-who hadn't even stayed around long enough to see me born- talk to my mom about a summer camp? And if it was so important, why hadn't she ever mentioned it before?

“A good mother never wants to let her children go,” Hera stated. She ignored the glares from Ares and Hephaestus.

"I'm sorry, Percy," she said, seeing the look in my eyes. "But I can't talk about it. I-I couldn't send you to that place. It might mean saying good-bye to you for good."

"For good? But if it's only a summer camp ..."

“Your too powerful. Your scent would carry for miles,” Athena reasoned. She didn’t know why but she was beginning to like the boy.

She turned toward the fire, and I knew from her expression that if I asked her any more questions she would start to cry.

That night I had a vivid dream.

Annabeth shuddered. She has heard to many of his dreams. None were good.

It was storming on the beach, and two beautiful animals, a white horse and a golden eagle,

“Yup, that’s our idiot brothers fighting again,” Demeter said getting a laugh from Hera and Hestia.

Poseidon and Zeus pouted and Hades just laughed at their expressions.

were trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf. The eagle swooped down and slashed the horse's muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagles wings. As they fought, the ground rumbled, and a monstrous voice chuckled somewhere beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder.

“And of course, the morbid jerk is egging it on,” Demeter continued.

“Let it go Demeter. Persephone is happy with me.” Hades griped.

“I won’t let it go, YOU KIDNAPPED MY DAUGHTER. FORCED HER TO MARRY YOU. I ONLY GET TO SEE HER FOR A FEW MONTHS!”

“ENOUGH!!! Demeter, for thousands of years Hades has apologized. Can you at least get over the kidnapping and be happy that Persephone is happy?” Zeus asked.

“Fine, for my daughter I will,” Demeter said reluctantly.

I ran toward them, knowing I had to stop them from killing each other, but I was running in slow motion. I knew I would be too late. I saw the eagle dive down, its beak aimed at the horse's wide eyes, and I screamed, No!

I woke with a start.

“HA!! I WON. IN YOUR FACE BROTHER,” Zeus said triumphantly. Poseidon just rolled his eyes and waved Nico on.

Outside, it really was storming, the kind of storm that cracks trees and blows down houses. There was no horse or eagle on the beach, just lightning making false daylight, and twenty-foot waves pounding the dunes like artillery.

“Really, Poseidon. What has you so pissed off,” Apollo said.

Poseidon just shrugged and said, “I’m not sure.”

With the next thunderclap, my mom woke. She sat up, eyes wide, and said, "Hurricane."

I knew that was crazy. Long Island never sees hurricanes this early in the summer. But the ocean seemed to have forgotten. Over the roar of the wind, I heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made my hair stand on end.

“Tsk, tsk, Uncle, you shouldn’t forget the time of year. It is dangerous for mortals.” Hermes said. Apollo said laughing.

Then a much closer noise, like mallets in the sand. A desperate voice-someone yelling, pounding on our cabin door. My mother sprang out of bed in her nightgown and threw open the lock.

Grover stood framed in the doorway against a backdrop of pouring rain. But he wasn't... he wasn't exactly Grover.

“What are you exactly Grover?” Aphrodite asked knowingly. She whinked at him and Grover fainted. Percy and Annabeth propped him up in his chair and Nico continued with the story.

"Searching all night," he gasped. "What were you thinking?"

“When is Percy ever thinking?” Thalia said smirking as Percy pouted.

“I do think a lot. There is a difference between slow and stupid pine cone face.” Percy said.

My mother looked at me in terror-not scared of Grover, but of why he'd come.

"Percy," she said, shouting to be heard over the rain. "What happened at school? What didn't you tell me?"

I was frozen, looking at Grover. I couldn't understand what I was seeing.

"O Zeu kai alloi theoi!" he yelled. "It's right behind me! Didn't you tell her?"

“I can’t believe you expected him to Grover. Percy isn’t one to tell people about the bad things,” Annabeth said lovingly. Percy smiled and kissed her softly as Thalia gagged jokingly.

I was too shocked to register that he'd just cursed in Ancient Greek, and I'd understood him perfectly. I was too shocked to wonder how Grover had gotten here by himself in the middle of the night. Because Grover didn't have his pants on-and where his legs should be ... where his legs should be …

“Were what Percy? What were you looking for exactly?,” Apollo intoned. He started to laugh but was hit hard upside the head by an arrow with a boxing glove on the tip.

“My, my o great god of prophecies, didn’t see that coming did you? I think you need to work on your powers more,” Artemis said as the other gods laughed hard. With a newly formed black eye he told Nico to continue.

My mom looked at me sternly and talked in a tone she'd never used before: "Percy. Tell me now!"

I stammered something about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds, and my mom stared at me, her face deathly pale in the flashes of lightning.

She grabbed her purse, tossed me my rain jacket, and said, "Get to the car. Both of you. Go!" Grover ran for the Camaro-but he wasn't running, exactly. He was trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly his story about a muscular disorder in his legs made sense to me. I understood how he could run so fast and still limp when he walked.

Because where his feet should be, there were no feet. There were cloven hooves.

“About time you spit it out,” Dionysus said.

Percy just blushed. “That’s it for that chapter,” Nico said as Annabeth took the book from him. Annabeth flipped the page and paled. She knew Poseidon and Percy weren’t going to like this chapter.

“Chapter four. My mom teaches me bull fighting.” Annabeth said. Percy stiffened and she saw him get mad fast. Just as she was about to read a flash and bright light appeared, blinding everyone one again. As the flash disappeared, standing there was…

Standing before the gods and demigods was Chiron and Clarisse. They looked startled. Clarisse’s spear was in her hands immediately. She didn’t not see Chiron and the gods or demigods. Once her eyes landed on her father she quickly bowed.

“Father, why am I here?” She asked Ares. Then she noticed the demigods. “Prissy. What are you doing here?”

Zeus cleared his throat. He explained why we were here. Clarisse listened quietly. She nodded her head and bowed to Zeus.

“Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares.” She stepped back as Chiron bowed as well.

“My lords. As I hope you all know who I am, let us continue with the story then.” Chiron said. Apollo snapped his fingers and a couch appeared for Clarisse. Annabeth cleared her throat and started reading.

“My mother teaches me bullfighting” she started.

We tore through the night along dark country roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashed the windshield. I didn't know how my mom could see anything, but she kept her foot on the gas.

“My kind of driving. Nothing is fun if it is not dangerous,” Ares said smiling.

“Yet your bike always ends up in my shop and you in the infirmary. You would think you would learn from your lessons, but I guess that requires thinking and we all know how you hate to do that,” Hephaestus said. Everyone laughed. Ares was furious.

“Why you crippled fre…,” Ares didn’t get to finish before he drop to his knees in pain. Hephaestus sent a blast of fire at him. Ares biker pants caught fire. His privates were burnt and Ares was moaning. “Mommy, little brother hurt me,” Hera sighed and looked at Poseidon. He shrugged and blasted Ares with a high pressure water blast. Everyone laughed as Ares went flying through the room into a wall.

Apollo flashed to his side and healed him. Ares was passed out. Apollo took a tape recorder and laid it next to Ares. “What? It’s for evidence and blackmail collection,” Apollo said defending himself.

As if on cue Ares said, “I love my ponies. They are sooo cute.” Everyone laughed at this as Apollo sat down. Annabeth regained her composure and kept reading.

Every time there was a flash of lightning, I looked at Grover sitting next to me in the backseat and I wondered if I'd gone insane, or if he was wearing some kind of shag-carpet pants.

“Are you Grover?” Nico asked.

“Gee what do you think?” Grover replied sarcastically.

“I knew it. I want a pair,” Nico said. Grover just face palmed.

But, no, the smell was one I remembered from kindergarten field trips to the petting zoo- lanolin, like from wool. The smell of a wet barnyard animal.

“I resent that Percy,” Thalia said. Grover smiled. “He is a wet petting zoo animal.” Thalia continued smirking. Grover’s smile left and he grumbled.

All I could think to say was, "So, you and my mom... know each other?"

“Kid has a way with words doesn’t he,” Hermes smiled.

Grover's eyes flitted to the rearview mirror, though there were no cars behind us. "Not exactly," he said. "I mean, we've never met in person. But she knew I was watching you."

“And now you sound like a stalker satyr.” Dionysus said. When the lipstick hit he glared at Aphrodite.

“Be nice to him,” She said. “He is a good goat.” Grover blushed and Dionysus rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath.

"Watching me?"

"Keeping tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn't faking being your friend," he added hastily. "I am your friend.”

“Sure are g- man,” Percy said. Grover smiled and bumped fists with him.

"Urn ... what are you, exactly?"

"That doesn't matter right now."

“You should have known by then that Percy’s mouth is hardwired to his brain,” Annabeth said. Percy pouted but said nothing.

“Actually he wasn’t so bad then.” Grover said.

"It doesn't matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey-"

“I would be careful about who you say that to, Patricia. Satyr’s will trample you hard for that,” Dionysus said. He didn’t have much time to react to the ice cold water dropping on his head. He glared but knew better than to piss his uncle off.

Grover let out a sharp, throaty "Blaa-ha-ha!"

I'd heard him make that sound before, but I'd always assumed it was a nervous laugh. Now I realized it was more of an irritated bleat.

“You know, you wouldn’t make that noise if you ate more muffins,” Demeter said inciting a groan from everyone who heard her. Hades looked at Annabeth and gave her a “please read and shut her up before she starts lecturing us” look.

"Goat!" he cried.

"What?"

"I'm a goat from the waist down."

"You just said it didn't matter."

"Blaa-ha-ha! There are satyrs who would trample you underhoof for such an insult!"

"Whoa. Wait. Satyrs. You mean like ... Mr. Brunner's myths?"

“Not myths Percy, they are real,” Chiron said as he smiled warmly at his student. Percy smiled back.

“I know too well how real they are,” He said. Poseidon looked scared and wondered how many monsters his son has fought.

"Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a myth, Percy? Was Mrs. Dodds a myth?"

"So you admit there was a Mrs. Dodds!"

“Figures that he would mention that,” Thalia said laughing.

“Hey for a long time I thought I was going insane. Leave me alone,” Percy pouted.

"Of course."

"Then why-"

"The less you knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract," Grover said, like that should be perfectly obvious. "We put Mist over the humans' eyes. We hoped you'd think the Kindly One was a hallucination. But it was no good. You started to realize who you are."

“Took a lot of convincing to get you to understand who you are,” Chiron said. Percy just grimaced cause at the time he didn’t want to believe it.

"Who I-wait a minute, what do you mean?"

The weird bellowing noise rose up again somewhere behind us, closer than before. Whatever was chasing us was still on our trail.

O wonderful, what is it this time? Poseidon thought as he took to Bayer asprin.

"Percy," my mom said, "there's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you to safety."

"Safety from what? Who's after me?"

"Oh, nobody much," Grover said, obviously still miffed about the donkey comment. "Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions."

“Grover!!! Your just going to scare him,” Annabeth said. Grover mumbled an apology.

"Grover!"

"Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. Could you drive faster, please?"

“Yes please,” Poseidon said.

I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening, but I couldn't do it. I knew this wasn't a dream. I had no imagination. I could never dream up something this weird.

My mom made a hard left. We swerved onto a narrower road, racing past darkened farmhouses and wooded hills and PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES signs on white picket fences.

“They are close to camp, this is a good thing,” Hestia said. She was worried about Perseus and she didn’t want him to get hurt.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"The summer camp I told you about." My mother's voice was tight; she was trying for my sake not to be scared. "The place your father wanted to send you."

"The place you didn't want me to go."

“Perseus,” Hera said, “You shouldn’t say things like that. Your mother is upset enough.

"Please, dear," my mother begged. "This is hard enough. Try to understand. You're in danger."

"Because some old ladies cut yarn."

“Very much so young Percy,” Apollo said. He like a lot of the gods was warming up to him. And to his insanely funny commentary.

"Those weren't old ladies," Grover said. "Those were the Fates. Do you know what it means-the fact they appeared in front of you? They only do that when you're about to ... when someone's about to die.”

“Thanks Grover, thank you so much for scaring the crap out of me,” Percy said. He knew whose string it was. But until he found out he thought it was his.

"Whoa. You said 'you.'"

"No I didn't. I said 'someone.'"

"You meant 'you.' As in me."

"I meant you, like 'someone.' Not you, you."

“Wait, what?” Hermes asked. He was confused now.

"Boys!" my mom said.

“Boys exactly,” Artemis said approvingly.

“Awww, come on little sister. You know you care about us.” Apollo said.

Artemis raised her hand to slap him. Apollo covered his head quickly. That was his mistake. Artemis jumped straight up in front of him. Grabbed her bow. Notched the arrow. And sent it flying. The boxing glove arrow that Artemis shot at him hit dead center. Every male in the room paled, winced and shuddered as Apollo fell to the ground holding his manhood, a small squeak leaving his mouth as he curled up in on himself. Artemis sat down and Annabeth decided it was safer to read on.

On the other side of the room Ares still slumbered. “No mommy, I don’t wanna eat my vegetables. I wanna eat my brownies I made.”

She pulled the wheel hard to the right, and I got a glimpse of a figure she'd swerved to avoid-a dark fluttering shape now lost behind us in the storm.

"What was that?" I asked.

“A monster? Which one?,” Poseidon asked. But he didn’t get an answer.

"We're almost there," my mother said, ignoring my question. "Another mile. Please. Please. Please."

Yes please. Just get there safely. Poseidon frantically thought.

I didn't know where there was, but I found myself leaning forward in the car, anticipating, wanting us to arrive.

Outside, nothing but rain and darkness-the kind of empty countryside you get way out on the tip of Long Island. I thought about Mrs. Dodds and the moment when she'd changed into the thing with pointed teeth and leathery wings. My limbs went numb from delayed shock. She really hadn't been human. She'd meant to kill me.

“Of course. She wasn’t there to plan a sleepover,” Hades said. He was curious to know what was going on. He never sent the furies out unless it was important.

Then I thought about Mr. Brunner ... and the sword he had thrown me. Before I could ask Grover about that, the hair rose on the back of my neck. There was a blinding flash, a jaw-rattling boom!, and our car exploded.

“WHAT?!!!,” Poseidon said. He was really scared for his son now.

I remember feeling weightless, like I was being crushed, fried, and hosed down all at the same time.

“Interesting way to put it,” Hera said.

I peeled my forehead off the back of the driver's seat and said, "Ow."

"Percy!" my mom shouted.

"I'm okay... ."

I tried to shake off the daze. I wasn't dead. The car hadn't really exploded. We'd swerved into a ditch. Our driver's-side doors were wedged in the mud. The roof had cracked open like an eggshell and rain was pouring in.

Lightning.

The throne was quiet for a few moments. Zeus started to scoot away nervously knowing his brother was going to try to kill him. The other gods and demigods were watching Poseidon closely. Only Percy and Hades could see the overflowing amount of anger growing in Poseidon. Zeus made it to his throne before all Hades broke loose.

“ZUES. I WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR THIS.” Poseidon yelled. He summoned his trident and took off after Zeus. It took the combined effort of the gods (minus Ares) and demigods, satyrs and Chiron to stop him.

Percy stood in front of his father to reason with him. “Dad I know your mad. I am too. But do you see me stooping to his level? You allow his and Hades children to cross your domain. You even allow your most bitterest rivals children to do so. You are better than him so please calm down.” Percy pleaded. Poseidon looked at the demigods, the gods and then his son. He sighed but said nothing as he sat down.

Zeus calmly sat back down. “I am sorry brother, it wont happen in the future. I have let my pride and power go to my head. Percy has shown me that. From here on out yours and Hades children will have the same priveleges that my kids get from you. I swear on the stix.” Thunder boomed sealing his promise.

Poseidon smiled and said, “Thanks brother. That is all me and Hades wanted was respect for our children.” Zeus nodded and Hestia smiled. Annabeth let loose a breath and continued.

That was the only explanation. We'd been blasted right off the road. Next to me in the backseat was a big motionless lump. "Grover!"

He was slumped over, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. I shook his furry hip, thinking, No! Even if you are half barnyard animal, you're my best friend and I don't want you to die!

Then he groaned "Food," and I knew there was hope.

“Yup the apocalypse starts when Grover is not hungry,” Thalia laughed. Grover pouted but laughed as well.

"Percy," my mother said, "we have to ..." Her voice faltered.

I looked back. In a flash of lightning, through the mud-spattered rear windshield, I saw a figure lumbering toward us on the shoulder of the road. The sight of it made my skin crawl. It was a dark silhouette of a huge guy, like a football player. He seemed to be holding a blanket over his head. His top half was bulky and fuzzy. His upraised hands made it look like he had horns.

“You have the worst luck I have ever seen in a demigod,” Athena said. She knew who this monster was now. The minotaur.

I swallowed hard. "Who is-"

"Percy," my mother said, deadly serious. "Get out of the car."

My mother threw herself against the driver's-side door. It was jammed shut in the mud. I tried mine. Stuck too. I looked up desperately at the hole in the roof. It might've been an exit, but the edges were sizzling and smoking.

"Climb out the passenger's side!" my mother told me. "Percy-you have to run. Do you see that big tree?"

“O joy I am mentioned now,” Thalia said sarcastically. Zeus was curious but didn’t ask.

"What?"

Another flash of lightning, and through the smoking hole in the roof I saw the tree she meant: a huge, White House Christmas tree-sized pine at the crest of the nearest hill.

"That's the property line," my mom said. "Get over that hill and you'll see a big farmhouse down in the valley. Run and don't look back. Yell for help. Don't stop until you reach the door."

"Mom, you're coming too."

“She can’t child, I am sorry,” Hestia said sadly. Percy smiled at her to let her know it was fine.

Her face was pale, her eyes as sad as when she looked at the ocean.

"No!" I shouted. "You are coming with me. Help me carry Grover."

Very loyal to his mother indeed, Hera thought. She looked at Ares and sighed. She walked to him and shook him awake. He woke up with a start. The look on Hera’s face though told him not to start anything. They both sat down to finish the chapter.

"Food!" Grover moaned, a little louder.

The man with the blanket on his head kept coming toward us, making his grunting, snorting noises. As he got closer, I realized he couldn't be holding a blanket over his head, because his hands-huge meaty hands-were swinging at his sides. There was no blanket. Meaning the bulky, fuzzy mass that was too big to be his head ... was his head. And the points that looked like horns …

“The minotaur? Really? How can you have this much bad luck?” Demeter asked. Percy just shrugged his shoulders.

“It gets worse. A lot worse,” He warned his father. Poseidon sighed sadly. This was the fate of his son.

"He doesn't want us," my mother told me. "He wants you. Besides, I can't cross the property line."

"But..."

"We don't have time, Percy. Go. Please."

I got mad, then-mad at my mother, at Grover the goat, at the thing with horns that was lumbering toward us slowly and deliberately like, like a bull.

“Slow much?” Nico asked. Thalia slapped him though and Nico pouted.

I climbed across Grover and pushed the door open into the rain. "We're going together. Come on, Mom."

"I told you-"

"Mom! I am not leaving you. Help me with Grover."

“I love your loyalty to your mother Percy. It’s so cute.” Aphrodite squealed. Percy smiled at the compliment as Annabeth glared at her.

I didn't wait for her answer. I scrambled outside, dragging Grover from the car. He was surprisingly light, but I couldn't have carried him very far if my mom hadn't come to my aid.

“Ok Grover, you are going on a diet,” Thalia said.

“I am a vegetarian, what kind of diet can I go on?” Grover said indignantly.

Thalia smiled and replied. “The nothing but actual vegetables. No tin cans, no furniture, no bark. Just real human food.” Grover shuddered at the thought.

Together, we draped Grover's arms over our shoulders and started stumbling uphill through wet waist-high grass.

“I’ll send your campers some hi tech lawn mowers Chiron,” Hephaestus said. Demeter smiled in approval.

Glancing back, I got my first clear look at the monster. He was seven feet tall, easy, his arms and legs like something from the cover of Muscle Man magazine-bulging biceps and triceps and a bunch of other 'ceps, all stuffed like baseballs under vein-webbed skin. He wore no clothes except underwear-

Nico opened his mouth to comment on this but Thalia clamped her hand over his mouth. “Don’t say anything stupid, Nico, Lord Poseidon looks like he is about to have a heart attack.” She warned him.

I mean, bright white Fruit of the Looms-which would've looked funny, except that the top half of his body was so scary. Coarse brown hair started at about his belly button and got thicker as it reached his shoulders.

His neck was a mass of muscle and fur leading up to his enormous head, which had a snout as long as my arm, snotty nostrils with a gleaming brass ring, cruel black eyes, and horns-enormous black-and-white horns with points you just couldn't get from an electric sharpener.

“You child have some weird comparisons,” Artemis said. Percy shrugged and said.

“My comparisons are weird, true. But a lot better than Apollo’s poetry for sure.”

“That’s right,” Apollo said. He thought about what Percy just said and frowned. “Wait a minute. My poems aren’t bad.” Artemis and the others were laughing though. Apollo’s words were lost in the noise.

I recognized the monster, all right. He had been in one of the first stories Mr. Brunner told us. But he couldn't be real.

I blinked the rain out of my eyes. "That's-"

"Pasiphae's son," my mother said. "I wish I'd known how badly they want to kill you."

Athena smiled. “Your mother is an exceptionally bright woman. Tell her next time you see her that she has my blessing.” Percy was shocked.

“Yes my lady. I will.” Was all he could say.

"But he's the Min-"

"Don't say his name," she warned. "Names have power.”

“Good Sally, beat it into him. Otherwise it won’t have any effect.” Thalia said. She blushed as she realized she was talking to a book.

The pine tree was still way too far-a hundred yards uphill at least.
I glanced behind me again.

The bull-man hunched over our car, looking in the windows-or not looking, exactly. More like snuffling, nuzzling. I wasn't sure why he bothered, since we were only about fifty feet away.

“He goes by smell and hearing son, his sight is terrible.” Poseidon said. Athena was shocked cause she was about to say the exact same thing. Maybe he does have a working brain under all that kelp, she thought.

"Food?" Grover moaned.

“The one time Grover that I wanted you to be quiet, all you could do was say food,” Percy said half heartedly. He knew what was coming up and looked at Hades. Hades saw Percy’s look and knew Poseidon was not going to be very friendly soon. He flashed his helm into his hands and got ready to put it on to protect himself.

"Shhh," I told him. "Mom, what's he doing? Doesn't he see us?"

"His sight and hearing are terrible," she said. "He goes by smell. But he'll figure out where we are soon enough."

As if on cue, the bull-man bellowed in rage. He picked up Gabe's Camaro by the torn roof, the chassis creaking and groaning. He raised the car over his head and threw it down the road. It slammed into the wet asphalt and skidded in a shower of sparks for about half a mile before coming to a stop. The gas tank exploded.

Not a scratch, I remembered Gabe saying.

“Well it isn’t a scratch technically, so I didn’t mess up,” Percy said laughing. Everyone laughed with them.

Oops.

That made everyone laugh even harder. Apollo and Hermes were rolling around on the floor.

"Percy," my mom said. "When he sees us, he'll charge. Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way- directly sideways. He can't change directions very well once he's charging. Do you understand?

“Nice strategy lady, but it wont work forever,” Ares said. Every one was shocked cause they didn’t think he knew any strategies at all.

"How do you know all this?"

"I've been worried about an attack for a long time. I should have expected this. I was selfish, keeping you near me."

“It is not selfish to want your son near you my dear.” The Queen of the gods said. She admired this woman and sent her a silent blessing.

"Keeping me near you? But-"

Another bellow of rage, and the bull-man started tromping uphill.

He'd smelled us.

“O wonderful,” Poseidon grumbled.

The pine tree was only a few more yards, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker, and Grover wasn't getting any lighter.

“Ok fine I’m going on the stupid diet Thalia,” Grover said quickly. Thalia smirked and snickered.

The bull-man closed in. Another few seconds and he'd be on top of us.
My mother must've been exhausted, but she shouldered Grover. "Go, Percy! Separate! Remember what I said."

I didn't want to split up, but I had the feeling she was right-it was our only chance. I sprinted to the left, turned, and saw the creature bearing down on me. His black eyes glowed with hate. He reeked like rotten meat.

“Disgusting,” Aphrodite said. She wrinkled her nose and snapped her fingers bringing forth an air freshener. She started spraying as if she could smell the minotaur.

He lowered his head and charged, those razor-sharp horns aimed straight at my chest.

The fear in my stomach made me want to bolt, but that wouldn't work. I could never outrun this thing. So I held my ground, and at the last moment, I jumped to the side.

Thank you Sally, Poseidon thought. Percy would be fine with his mother there to guide. Poseidon was sure of it.

The bull-man stormed past like a freight train, then bellowed with frustration and turned, but not toward me this time, toward my mother, who was setting Grover down in the grass.

Poseidon looked in horror at Percy who had tears silently going down his face. Annabeth saw it too and kissed him softly.

We'd reached the crest of the hill. Down the other side I could see a valley, just as my mother had said, and the lights of a farmhouse glowing yellow through the rain. But that was half a mile away. We'd never make it. The bull-man grunted, pawing the ground. He kept eyeing my mother, who was now retreating slowly downhill, back toward the road, trying to lead the monster away from Grover.

"Run, Percy!" she told me. "I can't go any farther. Run!"

Everyone saw Hades walk over to Percy. “I am sorry Percy. I too can make sure I wont send anymore creatures after you in the future.”

Percy smiled a small smile and said, “Thank you, uncle.” Poseidon smiled and calmed down. He knew this would change in the future.

But I just stood there, frozen in fear, as the monster charged her. She tried to sidestep, as she'd told me to do, but the monster had learned his lesson. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the neck as she tried to get away. He lifted her as she struggled, kicking and pummeling the air.

Hades, you better keep your word brother, or I will make you pay, Hera and Demeter thought at the same time.

"Mom!"

She caught my eyes, managed to choke out one last word: "Go!"
Then, with an angry roar, the monster closed his fists around my mother's neck, and she dissolved before my eyes, melting into light, a shimmering golden form, as if she were a holographic projection. A blinding flash, and she was simply ... gone.

Hades was confused but said nothing. He was too intent on finding out what happened and didn’t want to upset his brother.

"No!"

Anger replaced my fear. Newfound strength burned in my limbs-the same rush of energy I'd gotten when Mrs. Dodds grew talons.

“Cue attack mode Percy,” Nico said. The tension which was so thick a second ago lifted slightly. Some smiled some laughed. The rest were too worried.

The bull-man bore down on Grover, who lay helpless in the grass. The monster hunched over, snuffling my best friend, as if he were about to lift Grover up and make him dissolve too.

I couldn't allow that.

“Your personal loyalty is going to get you hurt one day child,” Athena said. She liked his flaw but it was the worst one you could get.

I stripped off my red rain jacket.

"Hey!" I screamed, waving the jacket, running to one side of the monster. "Hey, stupid! Ground beef!"

“A little work needed on the insults needed. Good try though Percy.” Hermes joked.

"Raaaarrrrr!" The monster turned toward me, shaking his meaty fists.

I had an idea-a stupid idea, but better than no idea at all. I put my back to the big pine tree and waved my red jacket in front of the bull-man, thinking I'd jump out of the way at the last moment.

But it didn't happen like that.

“It never works the way you want it too does it?” Annabeth teased lightly.

The bull-man charged too fast, his arms out to grab me whichever way I tried to dodge.

Time slowed down.

My legs tensed. I couldn't jump sideways, so I leaped straight up, kicking off from the creature's head, using it as a springboard, turning in midair, and landing on his neck.

“Not bad kid. I like that move you made.” Ares said. Everyone was leaning in. They never heard how Percy beat the minotaur.

How did I do that? I didn't have time to figure it out. A millisecond later, the monster's head slammed into the tree and the impact nearly knocked my teeth out.

Thalia rubbed her side. Percy saw this and mouthed Sorry.

The bull-man staggered around, trying to shake me. I locked my arms around his horns to keep from being thrown. Thunder and lightning were still going strong. The rain was in my eyes. The smell of rotten meat burned my nostrils.

As if on cue, more febreeze was sprayed around by Aphrodite.

The monster shook himself around and bucked like a rodeo bull. He should have just backed up into the tree and smashed me flat, but I was starting to realize that this thing had only one gear: forward.

“Good once you know his weakness it will be easier for you,” Athena approved

Meanwhile, Grover started groaning in the grass. I wanted to yell at him to shut up, but the way I was getting tossed around, if I opened my mouth I'd bite my own tongue off.

“I am sorry Percy, I wasn’t exactly in good condition you know.” Grover apologized as Percy teasingly glared at him.

"Food!" Grover moaned.

[b[The bull-man wheeled toward him, pawed the ground again, and got ready to charge. I thought about how he had squeezed the life out of my mother, made her disappear in a flash of light, and rage filled me like high-octane fuel. I got both hands around one horn and I pulled backward with all my might.[/b]

“Nice try kid, but that wouldn’t work even for me,” Ares said. He didn’t know why the demigods started laughing at him afterwards. “What are you laughing at?” Ares demanded. To answer Annabeth read the next sentence.

The monster tensed, gave a surprised grunt, then-snap!

Ares scowled and ground his teeth. They were making a fool out of him.

The bull-man screamed and flung me through the air. I landed flat on my back in the grass. My head smacked against a rock. When I sat up, my vision was blurry, but I had a horn in my hands, a ragged bone weapon the size of a knife.

The monster charged.

Moron, Athena and Annabeth thought.

Without thinking, I rolled to one side and came up kneeling. As the monster barreled past, I drove the broken horn straight into his side, right up under his furry rib cage.

“Amazing. Your son is going to be a great hero brother,” Zeus said.

Poseidon smiled finally and said, “He already is.”

The bull-man roared in agony. He flailed, clawing at his chest, then began to disintegrate-not like my mother, in a flash of golden light, but like crumbling sand, blown away in chunks by the wind, the same way Mrs. Dodds had burst apart.

The monster was gone.

The rain had stopped. The storm still rumbled, but only in the distance. I smelled like livestock and my knees were shaking. My head felt like it was splitting open. I was weak and scared and trembling with grief I'd just seen my mother vanish.

The goddesses were crying. Sally so far had seemed a wonderful selfless woman.

I wanted to lie down and cry, but there was Grover, needing my help, so I managed to haul him up and stagger down into the valley, toward the lights of the farmhouse. I was crying, calling for my mother, but I held on to Grover-I wasn't going to let him go. The last thing I remember is collapsing on a wooden porch, looking up at a ceiling fan circling above me, moths flying around a yellow light, and the stern faces of a familiar-looking bearded man and a pretty girl, her blond hair curled like a princess's.

Annabeth looked at Percy who just smiled. If only you weren’t so cute, She thought.

They both looked down at me, and the girl said, "He's the one. He must be."

“You knew he was the on for you then Annabeth?” Aphrodite asked.

Annabeth just blushed and replied, “At the time, no. I meant that in a different way.” Aphrodite frowned but thought of ways to play with their love lives.

"Silence, Annabeth," the man said. "He's still conscious. Bring him inside."

“That is the chapter,” She said. “Who will read next?”

“I will child,” Hades said. He reached over and took the book from her.

Before he could start though, Apollo said, “When do we get lunch father,” Apollo whined.

“Idiot. There are more important things than your stomach,” Artemis said hitting him upside the head. Zeus just sighed.

“After this next chapter we will eat our lunch.” He said. He knew how annoying his sons and brothers were when they were hungry. He didn’t want to hear the end of it from Hera.

Hades looked down and chuckled. “I play pinochle with a horse.”

“I hope you don’t see me as a horse anymore child,” Chiron said amused. He and Percy smiled at each other. Chiron was a second father to him and he would not let anyone insult him.

“Of course not Chiron. I am not Tyson who thinks of you as a pony man,” Percy teased back. Chiron just smiled and chuckled. Annabeth for her part rolled her eyes, and laughed.

Even the gods seemed amused by their teasing. They respected Chiron deeply. Hades though cleared his throat and began.

I had weird dreams full of barnyard animals. Most of them wanted to kill me. The rest wanted food.

“Grover, you know I find it weird that you appeared in those dreams. I had to fight the urge to pet you the next time I saw you.” Percy said.

“Ha ha Percy. At that point you were too weak to move.” Grover reminded him. Percy smiled as they fist bumped. Hades rolled his eyes and continued.

I must've woken up several times, but what I heard and saw made no sense, so I just passed out again. I remember lying in a soft bed, being spoon-fed something that tasted like buttered popcorn, only it was pudding. The girl with curly blond hair hovered over me, smirking as she scraped drips off my chin with the spoon.

“You know seaweed brain. I never spent much time in the infirmary til I met you,” Annabeth said. Percy laughed and shrugged.

“You know I don’t try to be in there to begin with, wise girl, trouble just finds me.” Percy replied. Poseidon paled as Percy said that.

When she saw my eyes open, she asked, "What will happen at the summer solstice?"

“You expected him to know something like that? Why?” Thalia said.

“I thought maybe he heard something from Chiron. Don’t worry I learned that he doesn’t know much to begin with unless I explain it to him,” Annabeth said smirking as Percy pouted and everyone laughed at his expression.

I managed to croak, "What?"

“Typical answer too,” Nico commented.

She looked around, as if afraid someone would overhear. "What's going on? What was stolen?

Everyone looked at Zeus who gasped. He figured out why he was angry. “Who stole my master bolt?” Zeus asked. Everyone was surprised to see he was calm about it.

“I think it is best to read on my lord,” Annabeth said. “So that you don’t jump the gun on the issue.” Zeus sat back down and grumbled.

“Can you answer this though? Is he blaming me? And did Hades steal it?” Poseidon said. Percy thought for a second.

“To the first question yes. To the second. You have to read to find out.” Percy said. Poseidon just sighed and nodded. Not much changes about him in the future, Poseidon thought.

We've only got a few weeks!"

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, "I don't..."

Somebody knocked on the door, and the girl quickly filled my mouth with pudding.

Aphrodite giggled. “That’s a sure fire way to shut a man up. Good job Annabeth,” Aphrodite commended. Annabeth smiled and kissed Percy.

The next time I woke up, the girl was gone.

“He misses her. How sweet,” Aphrodite cooed. She looked at Percy making him blush.

A husky blond dude, like a surfer, stood in the corner of the bedroom keeping watch over me. He had blue eyes- at least a dozen of them-on his cheeks, his forehead, the backs of his hands.

Hera smiled at the mention of Argus.

* * *

When I finally came around for good, there was nothing weird about my surroundings, except that they were nicer than I was used to.

“Well that’s a nice change,” Poseidon muttered.

I was sitting in a deck chair on a huge porch, gazing across a meadow at green hills in the distance. The breeze smelled like strawberries. There was a blanket over my legs, a pillow behind my neck. All that was great, but my mouth felt like a scorpion had been using it for a nest. My tongue was dry and nasty and every one of my teeth hurt.

“Apollo, awesome god of medicine at your service,” Apollo said with a goofy grin. Percy rolled his eyes and nodded at Artemis. She got the hint and slapped Apollo hard. “Ow sis, that hurt.” Apollo said. But he shut up quickly at the look he got from his sister.

On the table next to me was a tall drink. It looked like iced apple juice, with a green straw and a paper parasol stuck through a maraschino cherry.

Percy smiled. He like every god and demigod loved nectar. Too bad the demigods couldn’t have too much.

My hand was so weak I almost dropped the glass once I got my fingers around it.

“Wimp,” Clarisse muttered. She looked a bit uneasy as Percy smiled at her nicely.

"Careful," a familiar voice said.

Grover was leaning against the porch railing, looking like he hadn't slept in a week. Under one arm, he cradled a shoe box. He was wearing blue jeans, Converse hi-tops and a bright orange T-shirt that said CAMP HALF-BLOOD. Just plain old Grover, Not the goat boy.

“Nope still a goat boy to me,” Thalia said causing Grover to frown.

So maybe I'd had a nightmare. Maybe my mom was okay. We were still on vacation, and we'd stopped here at this big house for some reason. And …

“I really wish it was a dream,” Chiron said. He felt sorry for Percy.

"You saved my life," Grover said. "I... well, the least I could do ... I went back to the hill. I thought you might want this."

Percy smiled. He was glad Grover got him the horn.

Reverently, he placed the shoe box in my lap.

Inside was a black-and-white bull's horn, the base jagged from being broken off, the tip splattered with dried blood. It hadn't been a nightmare.

"The Minotaur," I said.

“And of course he doesn’t think before talking,” Thalia said.

"Urn, Percy, it isn't a good idea-"

“It never is with Percy,” Grover said. Percy just laughed.

"That's what they call him in the Greek myths, isn't it?" I demanded. "The Minotaur. Half man, half bull."

Grover shifted uncomfortably. "You've been out for two days. How much do you remember?"

“Everything, buddy. I just wish I had stopped it,” Percy said.

Annabeth glared at Percy, “You could not have stopped it from happening seaweed brain. Stop blaming yourself.” Percy just nodded admitting defeat as usual.

"My mom. Is she really ..."

He looked down. I stared across the meadow. There were groves of trees, a winding stream, acres of strawberries spread out under the blue sky. The valley was surrounded by rolling hills, and the tallest one, directly in front of us, was the one with the huge pine tree on top. Even that looked beautiful in the sunlight.

My mother was gone. The whole world should be black and cold. Nothing should look beautiful.

Aphrodite and Hera sniffled. They could see so much love for Percy’s mother in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Grover sniffled. "I'm a failure. I'm-I'm the worst satyr in the world."

Thalia glared at Grover. “You are the bravest satyr there is Grover. Never doubt that. Cause if you do then I will get you.” Thalia growled. Grover paled and nodded causing the gods to laugh.

He moaned, stomping his foot so hard it came off. I mean, the Converse hi-top came off. The inside was filled with Styrofoam, except for a hoof-shaped hole.

"Oh, Styx!" he mumbled.

Thunder rolled across the clear sky.

As it was now.

As he struggled to get his hoof back in the fake foot, I thought, Well, that settles it.

Grover was a satyr. I was ready to bet that if I shaved his curly brown hair, I'd find tiny horns on his head.

Grover glared at Percy. He remembered when the Stolls did that him. “Don’t even think about it Perce. Ill do the same to you I did to the Stolls.” Grover warned. Percy just smirked. He remembered that and Grover with no hair was kinda creepy looking.

But I was too miserable to care that satyrs existed, or even minotaurs. All that meant was my mom really had been squeezed into nothingness, dissolved into yellow light.

“Why did you take his mother uncle?” Athena asked. She wanted to know so badly that it was driving her mad.

“I don’t know. It must have been a bad reason to otherwise I wouldn’t have taken her,” Hades said.

I was alone. An orphan. I would have to live with ... Smelly Gabe? No. That would never happen.

“Never in a million years,” Percy said angrily.

I would live on the streets first. I would pretend I was seventeen and join the army. I'd do something.

“You are too runty, they wouldn’t believe it,” Clarisse pointed out.

Grover was still sniffling. The poor kid-poor goat, satyr, whatever-looked as if he expected to be hit.

I said, "It wasn't your fault."

“I stand by that statement then and now,” Percy said as Grover opened his mouth to say it was.

"Yes, it was. I was supposed to protect you."

"Did my mother ask you to protect me?"

"No. But that's my job. I'm a keeper. At least... I was."

"But why ..." I suddenly felt dizzy, my vision swimming.

"Don't strain yourself," Grover said. "Here." He helped me hold my glass and put the straw to my lips.

I recoiled at the taste,

“Why? Nectar forms to your tastes. How could it not be good?” Artemis said.

“He didn’t say it wasn’t good,” Apollo said. “He probably wasn’t expecting the taste.” Artemis was about to snap at him, but realized he was right. 3 millennium and he finally outsmarts me, amazing. There might be hope for him, Artemis thought.

because I was expecting apple juice. It wasn't that at all. It was chocolate-chip cookies. Liquid cookies. And not just any cookies-my mom's homemade blue chocolate-chip cookies, buttery and hot, with the chips still melting. Drinking it, my whole body felt warm and good, full of energy. My grief didn't go away, but I felt as if my mom had just brushed her hand against my cheek, given me a cookie the way she used to when I was small, and told me everything was going to be okay.

Thalia smiled. Then frowned. This is how a mother is supposed to be. Not like my mom. She thought.

Clarisse though said, “Wimp.” Before she got drenched in icy cold water.

Before I knew it, I'd drained the glass. I stared into it, sure I'd just had a warm drink, but the ice cubes hadn't even melted.

"Was it good?" Grover asked.

“Duh goat boy,” Hermes said. Everyone laughed as Grover blushed from his comment.

I nodded.

"What did it taste like?" He sounded so wistful, I felt guilty.

"Sorry," I said. "I should've let you taste."

“Please drink some. One less satyr to deal with.” Dionysus said. As soon as he finished he looked up to see two swords, a knife, 2 spears and a trident pointed at his throat. He gulped and said, “Father a little help please.”

“No Dionysus, I have seen how you treat demigods and satyrs for centuries. It is about time you’re taught a lesson. Next time you disrespect a demigod for the remainder of this book, you will be sent to Hades and Poseidon’s realm to serve a punishment from one of them.” Zeus said. Dionysus paled pure white. He nodded as everyone put their weapons away. They sat down glaring holes through Dionysus.

His eyes got wide. "No! That's not what I meant. I just... wondered."

"Chocolate-chip cookies," I said. "My mom's. Homemade."

“Sally’s cookies are awesome.” Nico said. Poseidon smiled and knew Sally would come back.

He sighed. "And how do you feel?"

"Like I could throw Nancy Bobofit a hundred yards."

“Translation: Good.” Thalia said. Thalia knew how powerful Percy was and was glad he was her friend.

"That's good," he said. "That's good. I don't think you could risk drinking any more of that stuff"

"What do you mean?"

“I didn’t want my best friend to be a pile of ashes.” Grover said sarcastically.

He took the empty glass from me gingerly, as if it were dynamite, and set it back on the table.

"Come on. Chiron and Mr. D are waiting."

“O good. Let’s see how he views Chiron and Dionysus.” Hermes said snickering. Somehow he knew this was going to be good.

The porch wrapped all the way around the farmhouse.

My legs felt wobbly, trying to walk that far. Grover offered to carry the Minotaur horn, but I held on to it. I'd paid for that souvenir the hard way. I wasn't going to let it go.

As we came around the opposite end of the house, I caught my breath.

We must've been on the north shore of Long Island, because on this side of the house, the valley marched all the way up to the water, which glittered about a mile in the distance. Between here and there, I simply couldn't process everything I was seeing. The landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture

“It is Greek architecture seaweed brain,” Annabeth said smiling.

-an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, a circular arena-except that they all looked brand new, their white marble columns sparkling in the sun. In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school-age kids and satyrs played volleyball. Canoes glided across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts like Grover's were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range. Others rode horses down a wooded trail, and, unless I was hallucinating, some of their horses had wings.

“How is Blackjack doing? Nico asked. He liked that Pegasus.

“Last time I saw him he was fine. Still annoying but fine.” Percy said.

Down at the end of the porch, two men sat across from each other at a card table. The blond-haired girl who'd spoon-fed me popcorn-flavored pudding was leaning on the porch rail next to them.

“So your first impression of me was that of a regular blonde?” Annabeth asked.

Percy just gulped and replied. “No. I didn’t know your name and your hair was the only thing I had to go on. Sorry if I upset you.” Percy said the last part quickly. Annabeth smiled at his answer.

The man facing me was small, but porky. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple. He looked like those paintings of baby angels- what do you call them, hubbubs? No, cherubs. That's it. He looked like a cherub who'd turned middle-aged in a trailer park.

Dionysus started to say something, but remembered his fathers warning. He decided to just sit there and glare as everyone laughed at his expense.

He wore a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt, and he would've fit right in at one of Gabe's poker parties, except I got the feeling this guy could've out-gambled even my stepfather.

“Damn right I can out gamble any mortal.” He said.

“Except me,” Chiron said smiling. Another few rounds of laughter caused the god of wine to get angry.

"That's Mr. D," Grover murmured to me. "He's the camp director. Be polite. The girl, that's Annabeth Chase. She's just a camper, but she's been here longer than just about anybody. And you already know Chiron... ."

He pointed at the guy whose back was to me.

First, I realized he was sitting in the wheelchair. Then I recognized the tweed jacket, the thinning brown hair, the scraggly beard.
"Mr. Brunner!" I cried.

“He just said Chiron, Percy,” Apollo said.

The Latin teacher turned and smiled at me. His eyes had that mischievous glint they sometimes got in class when he pulled a pop quiz and made all the multiple choice answers B.

That is both a great and bad idea. It would be simple to pass but the students would think they messed up and eventually mark the wrong answer,” Athena thought.

"Ah, good, Percy," he said. "Now we have four for pinochle."

He offered me a chair to the right of Mr. D, who looked at me with bloodshot eyes and heaved a great sigh. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to be glad to see you."

“Better clean your act up Dionysus.” Zeus grumbled. Dionysus didn’t say a word. He was scared of upsetting his father.

"Uh, thanks." I scooted a little farther away from him because, if there was one thing I had learned from living with Gabe, it was how to tell when an adult has been hitting the happy juice.

“I wish I could,” Dionysus grumbled. Zeus just glared at him and muttered something about a nymph. Hera heard him and glared at Zeus. Zeus seeing this looked at Hades and said to keep reading.

If Mr. D was a stranger to alcohol, I was a satyr.

"Annabeth?" Mr. Brunner called to the blond girl.

Annabeth looked at Percy with her eyebrows raised. He just shrugged and whispered sorry into her ear.

She came forward and Mr. Brunner introduced us. "This young lady nursed you back to health, Percy. Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now."

Hermes sighed and looked at the other gods. I wish they would claim all their children. Maybe my kids would be comfortable for once, He thought.

Annabeth said, "Sure, Chiron."

She was probably my age, maybe a couple of inches taller, and a whole lot more athletic looking. With her deep tan and her curly blond hair, she was almost exactly what I thought a stereotypical California girl would look like, except her eyes ruined the image.

“Excuse me? What do you mean by that?” Annabeth said. Percy looked scared as he waved Hades on hoping for a little help.

They were startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty, but intimidating, too, as if she were analyzing the best way to take me down in a fight.

“Good. Nice save seaweed brain.” Annabeth said. Percy just let out a breath and thanked the gods he was saved.

She glanced at the minotaur horn in my hands, then back at me. I imagined she was going to say, You killed a minotaur! or Wow, you're so awesome! or something like that.

Annabeth laughed at Percy. “Did you really think I would have said something like that? You don’t need an ego boost.”

Percy pouted, “I know but it would have been nice to hear that.”

“Tough cookies,” Thalia said sticking her tongue out at him.

Instead she said, "You drool when you sleep."

The gods and demigods burst out laughing. Percy flushed with embarrassment, couldn’t help but smile. He forgot how he used to drool in his sleep. He tried for years to stop for Annabeth.

Then she sprinted off down the lawn, her blond hair flying behind her.

"So," I said, anxious to change the subject. "You, uh, work here, Mr. Brunner?"

“Yet again, Percy shows us his great way of breaking the ice.” Apollo snickered.

"Not Mr. Brunner," the ex-Mr. Brunner said. "I'm afraid that was a pseudonym. You may call me Chiron."

"Okay." Totally confused, I looked at the director. "And Mr. D ... does that stand for something?"

“Yes, it does,” Dionysus said. He was trying to ignore the reading going on. It means I am going to torture you when you reach camp.

Mr. D stopped shuffling the cards. He looked at me like I'd just belched loudly. "Young man, names are powerful things. You don't just go around using them for no reason."

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

"I must say, Percy," Chiron-Brunner broke in, "I'm glad to see you alive. It's been a long time since I've made a house call to a potential camper. I'd hate to think I've wasted my time."

“Time is the one thing you have to waste Chiron,” Demeter pointed out. Everyone jumped since she had been so quiet. “What” She said seeing the faces looking at her. “I have been busy making muffins for everyone.” The gods and demigods all groaned.

"House call?"

"My year at Yancy Academy, to instruct you. We have satyrs at most schools, of course, keeping a lookout. But Grover alerted me as soon as he met you. He sensed you were something special, so I decided to come upstate. I convinced the other Latin teacher to ... ah, take a leave of absence."

“You made it sound like you killed him Chiron,” Hermes and Apollo snickered. Chiron just rolled his eyes and ignored them.

I tried to remember the beginning of the school year. It seemed like so long ago, but I did have a fuzzy memory of there being another Latin teacher my first week at Yancy. Then, without explanation, he had disappeared and Mr. Brunner had taken the class.

"You came to Yancy just to teach me?" I asked.

“Yet again another boost to his ego,” Nico said. He was soaked as the last word left his mouth.

Chiron nodded. "Honestly, I wasn't sure about you at first. We contacted your mother, let her know we were keeping an eye on you in case you were ready for Camp Half-Blood. But you still had so much to learn. Nevertheless, you made it here alive, and that's always the first test."

"Grover," Mr. D said impatiently, "are you playing or not?"

"Yes, sir!" Grover trembled as he took the fourth chair, though I didn't know why he should be so afraid of a pudgy little man in a tiger-print Hawaiian shirt.

Better be afraid of me, Dionysus thought.

"You do know how to play pinochle?" Mr. D eyed me suspiciously.

"I'm afraid not," I said.

"I'm afraid not, sir," he said.

"Sir," I repeated. I was liking the camp director less and less.

“Your not the only one child. I must find a different punishment for him.” Zues said.

"Well," he told me, "it is, along with gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, one of the greatest games ever invented by humans. I would expect all civilized young men to know the rules."

“Gladiator fighting was barbaric,” Athena said. “How could you allow something like that?”

“It was entertaining to me. Especially when they got drunk.” Dionysus replied like it was obvious.

"I'm sure the boy can learn," Chiron said.

"Please," I said, "what is this place? What am I doing here? Mr. Brun-Chiron-why would you go to Yancy Academy just to teach me?"

Mr. D snorted. "I asked the same question."

The camp director dealt the cards. Grover flinched every time one landed in his pile.

“Do not be afraid of him Grover. He wont harm you with me protecting you.” Poseidon smiled. Grover smiled back not used to gods being this nice.

Chiron smiled at me sympathetically, the way he used to in Latin class, as if to let me know that no matter what my average was, I was his star student. He expected me to have the right answer.

Chiron smiled at Percy, “You still are my star pupil child.” Percy smiled back. “Even if you never know the answer” Chiron finished. Percy’s smile went away as everyone laughed at him.

"Percy," he said. "Did your mother tell you nothing?”

"She said ..." I remembered her sad eyes, looking out over the sea. "She told me she was afraid to send me here, even though my father had wanted her to. She said that once I was here, I probably couldn't leave. She wanted to keep me close to her."

"Typical," Mr. D said. "That's how they usually get killed. Young man, are you bidding or not?"

Hestia surprised everyone by smacking Dionysus. “Grow a damn heart and you will get some respect.” Everyone stared at her shocked. For the most peaceful being on Olympus, Hestia looked mad.

"What?" I asked.

He explained, impatiently, how you bid in pinochle, and so I did.

"I'm afraid there's too much to tell," Chiron said. "I'm afraid our usual orientation film won't be sufficient."

"Orientation film?" I asked.

“No wonder I had a hard time explaining this to him. He didn’t watch the video. He had no idea what was going on.” Annabeth complained.

"No," Chiron decided. "Well, Percy. You know your friend Grover is a satyr. You know"-he pointed to the horn in the shoe box-"that you have killed the Minotaur. No small feat, either, lad. What you may not know is that great powers are at work in your life. Gods-the forces you call the Greek gods-are very much alive."

“Damn right we are. And don’t you forget it.” Apollo said. Artemis just shook her head and ignored him.

I stared at the others around the table.

I waited for somebody to yell, Not!

But all I got was Mr. D yelling, "Oh, a royal marriage. Trick! Trick!" He cackled as he tallied up his points.

“Do I finally beat you?” Dionysus asked. Chiron shook his head and Dionysus sighed.

"Mr. D," Grover asked timidly, "if you're not going to eat it, could I have your Diet Coke can?"

"Eh? Oh, all right."

Grover bit a huge shard out of the empty aluminum can and chewed it mournfully.

"Wait," I told Chiron. "You're telling me there's such a thing as God."

"Well, now," Chiron said. "God-capital G, God. That's a different matter altogether. We shan't deal with the metaphysical."

"Metaphysical? But you were just talking about-"

"Ah, gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Olympus. That's a smaller matter."

“How is that smaller? We control nature. Don’t you think that would be bigger?” Hera said. Chiron chuckled but said nothing.

"Smaller?"

"Yes, quite. The gods we discussed in Latin class."

"Zeus," I said. "Hera. Apollo. You mean them."

“You never listen do you?“ Zeus asked. He had to admit. Perseus was doing great as a hero with out even knowing who he is.

And there it was again-distant thunder on a cloudless day.

"Young man," said Mr. D, "I would really be less casual about throwing those names around, if I were you."

"But they're stories," I said. "They're-myths, to explain lightning and the seasons and stuff. They're what people believed before there was science."

“Careful Percy, some do not like being compared to science,” Poseidon said. Percy nodded and reminded himself to listen a bit more in the future.

"Science!" Mr. D scoffed. "And tell me, Perseus Jackson"-I flinched when he said my real name, which I never told anybody-"what will people think of your 'science' two thousand years from now?" Mr. D continued. "Hmm? They will call it primitive mumbo jumbo. That's what. Oh, I love mortals-they have absolutely no sense of perspective. They think they've come so-o-o far. And have they, Chiron? Look at this boy and tell me."

“Owww.” Dionysus jumped straight up as the hairbrush hit him hard in the eye. Aphrodite just looked away. She hated that Percy was upset. And mean old Dionysus wasn’t helping.

I wasn't liking Mr. D much, but there was something about the way he called me mortal, as if... he wasn't. It was enough to put a lump in my throat, to suggest why Grover was dutifully minding his cards, chewing his soda can, and keeping his mouth shut.

“You need to stand up for yourself satyr. It is the only way you will get respect from anyone,” Athena advised him.

“I know Lady Athena. I just don’t want to offend any god. That’s the last thing I want,” Grover replied. But he knew she was right.

"Percy," Chiron said, "you may choose to believe or not, but the fact is that immortal means immortal. Can you imagine that for a moment, never dying? Never fading? Existing, just as you are, for all time?"

Nico was about to comment on how he had that chance. But one look from everyone and he knew he was better off quiet. They didn’t want to ruin the surprise.

I was about to answer, off the top of my head, that it sounded like a pretty good deal, but the tone of Chiron's voice made me hesitate.

“You need to show how you get him to listen to you so well. It would be very helpful,” Annabeth said to Chiron. Chiron just chuckled.

"You mean, whether people believed in you or not," I said.

"Exactly," Chiron agreed. "If you were a god, how would you like being called a myth, an old story to explain lightning? What if I told you, Perseus Jackson, that someday people would call you a myth, just created to explain how little boys can get over losing their mothers?”

Chiron grimaced at his words. “ I am very sorry Percy. I should have worded that better.”

“It’s ok Chiron. You meant well.” Percy said smiling at the old centaur.

My heart pounded. He was trying to make me angry for some reason, but I wasn't going to let him. I said, "I wouldn't like it. But I don't believe in gods."

“You better child. We are your family,” Hestia said smiling. She liked Percy’s stubborness.

"Oh, you'd better," Mr. D murmured. "Before one of them incinerates you."

Dionysus however was pushing Hestia’s buttons the wrong way. He shrank from her glare.

Grover said, "P-please, sir. He's just lost his mother. He's in shock."

"A lucky thing, too," Mr. D grumbled, playing a card. "Bad enough I'm confined to this miserable job, working with boys who don't even believe.'"

“Very well then Dionysus. Your new punishment will take effect once this is all over.” Zeus thundered. Dionysus looked extremely pale at his fathers words.

He waved his hand and a goblet appeared on the table, as if the sunlight had bent, momentarily, and woven the air into glass. The goblet filled itself with red wine.

“Just so you know father, this hasn’t happened yet so there is no need to get mad,” Dionysus begged his father. Poseidon layed his hand on his brothers shoulders and just shook his head. Zeus sighed and sat back.

My jaw dropped, but Chiron hardly looked up.

"Mr. D," he warned, "your restrictions."

Mr. D looked at the wine and feigned surprise.

"Dear me." He looked at the sky and yelled, "Old habits! Sorry!"

Zeus’s glare was so bad, Dionysus hid behind his chair.

More thunder.

Mr. D waved his hand again, and the wineglass changed into a fresh can of Diet Coke. He sighed unhappily, popped the top of the soda, and went back to his card game.

Chiron winked at me. "Mr. D offended his father a while back, took a fancy to a wood nymph who had been declared off-limits.”

“I still don’t know why you declared her off limits. You weren’t cheating on me with her were you? Hera asked. Zeus for his part was looking every where but at Hera. I’ll catch you husband. Mark my words, Hera said.

"A wood nymph," I repeated, still staring at the Diet Coke can like it was from outer space.

"Yes," Mr. D confessed. "Father loves to punish me. The first time, Prohibition. Ghastly! Absolutely horrid ten years! The second time-well, she really was pretty, and I couldn't stay away-the second time, he sent me here. Half-Blood Hill. Summer camp for brats like you. 'Be a better influence,' he told me. 'Work with youths rather than tearing them down.' Ha.' Absolutely unfair."

“It is fair. All I am telling you to do is to get aquainted with our kids and to protect them.” Zeus grumbled.

Mr. D sounded about six years old, like a pouting little kid.

"And ..." I stammered, "your father is ..."

"Di immortales, Chiron," Mr. D said. "I thought you taught this boy the basics. My father is Zeus, of course."

I ran through D names from Greek mythology. Wine. The skin of a tiger. The satyrs that all seemed to work here. The way Grover cringed, as if Mr. D were his master.

"You're Dionysus," I said. "The god of wine."

Mr. D rolled his eyes. "What do they say, these days, Grover? Do the children say, 'Well, duh!'?"

"Y-yes, Mr. D."

"Then, well, duh! Percy Jackson. Did you think I was Aphrodite, perhaps?"

“HA. He wishes he was. The ugly old drunk.” Aphrodite said to Hephaestus. He chuckled.

“No one, mortal or immortal could be as beautiful as you my dear,” He said causing her to squeal and kiss her husband.

"You're a god."

"Yes, child."

"A god. You."

Everyone laughed at Dionysus’s face. He was angry and hurt. Apollo said, “I know it is hard to believe. But he is a god.”

He turned to look at me straight on, and I saw a kind of purplish fire in his eyes, a hint that this whiny, plump little man was only showing me the tiniest bit of his true nature. I saw visions of grape vines choking unbelievers to death, drunken warriors insane with battle lust, sailors screaming as their hands turned to flippers, their faces elongating into dolphin snouts. I knew that if I pushed him, Mr. D would show me worse things. He would plant a disease in my brain that would leave me wearing a strait-jacket in a rubber room for the rest of my life.

Dionysus’s smile faded as Poseidon said, “If he wants to live he wouldn’t.”

"Would you like to test me, child?" he said quietly.

"No. No, sir."

The fire died a little. He turned back to his card game. "I believe I win."

"Not quite, Mr. D," Chiron said. He set down a straight, tallied the points, and said, "The game goes to me."

I thought Mr. D was going to vaporize Chiron right out of his wheelchair, but he just sighed through his nose, as if he were used to being beaten by the Latin teacher. He got up, and Grover rose, too.

"I'm tired," Mr. D said. "I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight. But first, Grover, we need to talk, again, about your less-than-perfect performance on this assignment."

Dionysus sighed. Hestia saw his look and said, “ If you showed them a little kindness child they wouldn’t tease you as they do,” Dionysus just smiled at his aunt. She was right and he knew it.

Grover's face beaded with sweat. "Y-yes, sir."

Mr. D turned to me. "Cabin eleven, Percy Jackson. And mind your manners."

“Wont happen ever,” Nico said smiling. Till Percy smacked him upside the head.

He swept into the farmhouse, Grover following miserably.

"Will Grover be okay?" I asked Chiron.

Chiron nodded, though he looked a bit troubled. "Old Dionysus isn't really mad. He just hates his job. He's been ... ah, grounded, I guess you would say, and he can't stand waiting another century before he's allowed to go back to Olympus."

Zeus just sighed. Chiron was right. He would wait till the end to see if he should pass judgement.

"Mount Olympus," I said. "You're telling me there really is a palace there?"

"Well now, there's Mount Olympus in Greece. And then there's the home of the gods, the convergence point of their powers, which did indeed used to be on Mount Olympus. It's still called Mount Olympus, out of respect to the old ways, but the palace moves, Percy, just as the gods do."

“You have to admit, it does sound a bit crazy when said that way,” Percy said. Everyone thought about it and nodded in approval.

"You mean the Greek gods are here? Like ... in America?"

"Well, certainly. The gods move with the heart of the West."

"The what?"

"Come now, Percy. What you call 'Western civilization.' Do you think it's just an abstract concept? No, it's a living force. A collective consciousness that has burned bright for thousands of years. The gods are part of it. You might even say they are the source of it, or at least, they are tied so tightly to it that they couldn't possibly fade, not unless all of Western civilization were obliterated. The fire started in Greece. Then, as you well know-or as I hope you know, since you passed my course-the heart of the fire moved to Rome, and so did the gods. Oh, different names, perhaps-Jupiter for Zeus, Venus for Aphrodite, and so on-but the same forces, the same gods."

The gods looked at Chiron and thought the same thing. We are trying to keep them separate. Why would you say something like that?

"And then they died."

Artemis hit Apollo. When he said ouch Artemis looked at Percy. “While Apollo’s brain might not function properly, he is still alive and well,” Apollo just pouted. Percy looked embarrassed as everyone chuckled.

"Died? No. Did the West die? The gods simply moved, to Germany, to France, to Spain, for a while. Wherever the flame was brightest, the gods were there. They spent several centuries in England. All you need to do is look at the architecture. People do not forget the gods. Every place they've ruled, for the last three thousand years, you can see them in paintings, in statues, on the most important buildings. And yes, Percy, of course they are now in your United States. Look at your symbol, the eagle of Zeus. Look at the statue of Prometheus in Rockefeller Center, the Greek facades of your government buildings in Washington. I defy you to find any American city where the Olympians are not prominently displayed in multiple places. Like it or not-and believe me, plenty of people weren't very fond of Rome, either-America is now the heart of the flame. It is the great power of the
West. And so Olympus is here. And we are here."

Still confuses me though, Percy and Nico thought.

It was all too much, especially the fact that I seemed to be included in Chiron's we, as if I were part of some club.

"Who are you, Chiron? Who ... who am I?"

“Your Percy Jackson, kelp head,” Thalia said.

Chiron smiled. He shifted his weight as if he were going to get up out of his wheelchair, but I knew that was impossible. He was paralyzed from the waist down.

"Who are you?" he mused. "Well, that's the question we all want answered, isn't it? But for now, we should get you a bunk in cabin eleven. There will be new friends to meet. And plenty of time for lessons tomorrow. Besides, there will be s'mores at the campfire tonight, and I simply adore chocolate."

The demigods laughed at that as Grover explained. “Chiron you love chocolate. Adore isn’t a good enough description.” Chiron blushed. He didn’t think people saw it that well.

And then he did rise from his wheelchair. But there was something odd about the way he did it. His blanket fell away from his legs, but the legs didn't move. His waist kept getting longer, rising above his belt. At first, I thought he was wearing very long, white velvet underwear, but as he kept rising out of the chair, taller than any man, I realized that the velvet underwear wasn't underwear; it was the front of an animal, muscle and sinew under coarse white fur. And the wheelchair wasn't a chair. It was some kind of container, an enormous box on wheels, and it must've been magic, because there's no way it could've held all of him. A leg came out, long and knobby-kneed, with a huge polished hoof. Then another front leg, then hindquarters, and then the box was empty, nothing but a metal shell with a couple of fake human legs attached.

“You scared the daylights out of me you know that right?” Percy said. Chiron laughed. He liked scaring the new kids like that. It was refreshing.

I stared at the horse who had just sprung from the wheelchair: a huge white stallion. But where its neck should be was the upper body of my Latin teacher, smoothly grafted to the horse's trunk.

"What a relief," the centaur said. "I'd been cooped up in there so long, my fetlocks had fallen asleep. Now, come, Percy Jackson. Let's meet the other campers."

“Well that’s it for this chapter. Lets get some food and rest for a bit.” Hades said , setting the book down. He stood up as did everyone else. They walked into the kitchen area and started preparing their lunches.

All of a sudden a siren went of in the throne room. Everyone rushed in real quick to find Apollo hanging from his feet. He dangled over Hermes chair. A bag of candy right below him. Everyone laughed as Hermes handed a dozen drachma’s to Artemis. Hermes had planned this and Artemis helped.

“Care to let me down from here?” Apollo asked. But Hermes shook his head and laughed louder.

“We like you like this better brother,” Artemis said. She would have said more but just then an arrow flew over their heads and cut the rope Apollo was swinging from. Apollo landed hard on his head. The gods and demigods whirled around to see 5 new demigods standing there. “Lord Mercury why is lord Apollo tied up?” The archer said. The demigods were confused. Why are they using Hermes Roman name? Annabeth thought. Zeus looked scared for a moment. But he realized the fates brought them here.

Zeus flashed to his Roman form and said, “Present yourselves demigods”

A small girl stepped forward. She looked to be about 13. “Hazel Levesque, Daughter of Pluto.” She stepped backed.

“Frank Zhang, Son of Mars,” the kid with the bow said.

Next a tall scrawny kid with blonde hair, “ Octavian, legacy of Apollo and auger.” He stepped back.

“Reyna, Daughter of Bellona, Preator of the 12th legion” Reyna said

The last boy stepped forward, “I am Jason Grace, Preator of the 12th legion and son of Jupiter” He said.

To say the gods were nervous would be an understatement. They didn’t know how they would explain this to the demigods. But before they could speak Thalia broke the ice.

“Jason? It’s me Thalia. I’m your sister.” Thalia said. She looked ready to collapse at any moment. Jason looked at her with surprise and shock.

“Thalia? It is you. I can’t believe it. What you doing here in New Rome?” Jason asked. Annabeth was watching the entire time and her eyes shot up. Roman demigods? She looked at Chiron meaningfully. He just nodded gravelly confirming her suspicions.

“New Rome? This is Olympus little brother,” Thalia said. Jason looked a little miffed at the younger brother statement but disturbed at the Olympus part. Before he could respond though the wiry boy spoke up.

“Who are you people. You should introduce yourselves to us, since we did for you.” Octavian said. He had his eyes narrowed and suspicious. The Greek demigods looked at each other and thought about it. Percy just shrugged and motioned for them to start.

“Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares,” Clarisse said. The wiry boy, Octavian, looked like he was having an ulcer.

“Grover Underwood, Satyr and Lord of the Wild,” Grover said proudly. Hazel looked a little pale and thought, I hope he isn’t like Don.

“Nico Di Angelo, Son of Hades and Ghost king. And Ambassador of Pluto,” As he finished up every demigod looked at him. Hazel though perked up and smiled at her brother.

Thalia stepped forward, “Thalia Grace Daughter of Zeus, Lieutenant of Artemis and Jason’s older sister.”

Annabeth stepped up and said, “Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena and Architect of Olympus.” Octavian muttered something about not needing an architect. Percy heard him and glowered at Octavian. He had a feeling he was not going to like him.

Percy stepped forward, “Perseus Jackson. Son of Poseidon and Hero of Olympus.” To say the Roman demigods were shocked would be an understatement. Octavian stepped forward and said.

“I knew it. I knew they were filthy Greeks,” Octavian snarled. The others held their weapons uncertainly. They heard a lot of bad things about the Greeks. But they doubted Octavian’s words abut them being savages. Reyna spoke up for the first time.

“Please forgive Octavian, he doesn’t know when to shut up.” She said. “Nor does he have the brain to realize that they could easily shut him up.” Everyone laughed as Octavian’s turned red from anger.

He pulled his dagger out and pointed at Annabeth. Percy growled bringing riptide out and stepping in front of Annabeth. “How sweet. The poor Greeks rely on others to help them.”

“Put your knife away Octavian. We are here as guest’s to the gods. We will not attack their Greek children.” Jason said.

“They are weak. And I will prove it,” Octavian said. He charged at Percy. The gods saw this and were shocked that he attacked unprovoked. Poseidon was about to stop him but thought it would be better if Percy did. The Greeks will have to earn the Romans respect. Otherwise it will always be fighting.

The demigods backed up from Percy. They laughed as Octavian attacked. He wasn’t a warrior. That much could be seen. Percy took only ten seconds before he had Octavian on the floor with riptide at his neck and Octavian’s knife on the other side of the room.

“Attack us again, Octavian and the gods wont be able to protect you. Understand?” Percy said. Octavian glared at him but gulped and nodded. Jason and Reyna were furious and Hazel and Frank were laughing hard. The Greek demigods were glaring at Octavian. Percy put riptide away. Octavian scrambled up.

The gods let loose a breath they were holding. Apollo walked forward and said, “Whose hungry?” The tension lightened and everyone muttered sure.

“Come children, we will explain everything that is going on over lunch.” Hestia said. Everyone filled into the lunch room and sat down. Hestia whipped up a wonderful family meal and everyone sat down. As they were eating Athena explained about the two sides of the gods. The civil war. The pact to keep the two camps separate. And why they were all here.

“So let me get this straight. We are here reading the books of Percy’s adventure? To change the future to be better? And to get the two camps to respect and not kill each other?” Hazel asked. Athena smiled at Hazel’s intuitive questions.

“Exactly child.” Poseidon said. “The fates are giving us a chance. We do not want to mess up.”

“There is a bit more though.” Percy said. Everyone looked at him confused. “Annabeth and I spoke about this last night. I have only been on 5 quest’s. There are about ten books in the chest. We think that this isn’t just my adventures. I think now that there are more adventures involving the Romans and the Greeks.”

Everyone gaped at him. Now that they thought about it, they knew he was right.

“Well then there is only one way to find out. Are you done eating everyone,” Zeus said. Everyone nodded and they made their way to the throne room where there was more couches and chairs waiting for them. The sat down and Zeus grabbed the book. He read outloud the chapter’s name.

“I become supreme lord of the bathroom.” He raised his eyebrows at Percy. Annabeth laughed and Clarisse glared.

“I take it all the chapters are going to be this weird.” Frank said. Everyone nodded and laughed as Percy blushed.

Zeus began to read…

Well as promised three chapters. I even added an extra one also. Thanks teamleo an yumalicious. Thank you for the support and reading my story. I am glad you like it and i hope soon some more people will comment as well. I am very excited to be on the top forums list. I should have some more chapters ready soon.

wow u really know how to do long AWSHUMM posts! Post Soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kay, la la la leeee

Oh my gosh it worked! wahhhhh! I did I it! Yeah!

YEAH! (^_−)−☆

Oh second page! Cake! By the way, awesome so far, post soon!

YEAH! (^_−)−☆

hey testing
Coolio, I nailed the bold and the italics

YEAH! (^_−)−☆

i cant wait to read after the 17th chapter but i want to really read it for the 3rd and 4 th books

IKR!

Hey I'm glad that I found this on the popular content. I was reading it on fanfiction and was bummed when you had to stop. Hope to see some new chapters up soon!

Welcome to the party here ontril86!

Here is the next chapter guys. I hope you enjoy


Zeus was about to start reading, but Octavian sneered at Percy. “Is that all your good at? Lord of nothing good, is more like it.”

Percy turned to him, his eyes a poisonous green that the Greek demigods have seen only once. The fight with Kronos. Octavian paled at Percy’s glare. “You are one to talk Octavian. Your not even an actual half blood. You have no powers that I have seen as of yet. Our oracle is a mortal and she posesses more powers than you do. So shut and let lord Zeus read.” Percy said this calmly. Everyone though could hear the subtle warning in his voice. Octavian shut up promptly and turned his head elsewhere. Apollo just sighed and shook his head at his grandson.

Once I got over the fact that my Latin teacher was a horse, we had a nice tour, though I was careful not to walk behind him. I'd done pooper-scooper patrol in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade a few times, and, I'm sorry, I did not trust Chiron's back end the way I trusted his front.

Chiron blushed and surprising everyone said sarcastically, “Thanks a lot child.” Percy for his part blushed rose red and apologized.

We passed the volleyball pit. Several of the campers nudged each other. One pointed to the minotaur horn I was carrying. Another said, "That's him."

“I think that was Will Solace,” Percy said. Apollo perked hearing his sons name.

Most of the campers were older than me. Their satyr friends were bigger than Grover, all of them trotting around in orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirts, with nothing else to cover their bare shaggy hindquarters. I wasn't normally shy, but the way they stared at me made me uncomfortable. I felt like they were expecting me to do a flip or something.

“Yeah right, they were wanting to see what the hype was about,” Annabeth said.

“I still don’t see it,” Octavian said. He was quickly slapped upside his head by Hazel. Octavian glared at her but thought better of saying something when Frank glared back fiercely.

I looked back at the farmhouse. It was a lot bigger than I'd realized-four stories tall, sky blue with white trim, like an upscale seaside resort. I was checking out the brass eagle weather vane on top when something caught my eye, a shadow in the uppermost window of the attic gable. Something had moved the curtain, just for a second, and I got the distinct impression I was being watched.

“Yeah Percy, everyone was watching you,” Nico pointed out.

They only thought I was cool cause I defeated the minotaur with no weapons or training.” Percy shot back. He hate the attention he got from it.

"What's up there?" I asked Chiron.

He looked where I was pointing, and his smile faded. "Just the attic."

"Somebody lives there?"

"No," he said with finality. "Not a single living thing."

“Just the Oracle,” Annabeth said nonchalantly.

“I still don’t know why she wont change bodies. I just don’t get it.” Apollo said. He didn’t see the guilty look on Hades face nor the grieving look on Hermes.

I got the feeling he was being truthful. But I was also sure something had moved that curtain.

“Remember when she delivered that prophecy by the lake?” Nico said.

Percy glared at Thalia, “Of course. I almost drowned the camp by the time she showed up.”

“I still blame you. You should have waited at the flag.” Thalia retorted. Zeus sensing things would get worse kept reading.

"Come along, Percy," Chiron said, his lighthearted tone now a little forced. “Lots to see."

We walked through the strawberry fields, where campers were picking bushels of berries while a satyr played a tune on a reed pipe.

Chiron told me the camp grew a nice crop for export to New York restaurants and Mount Olympus. "It pays our expenses," he explained. "And the strawberries take almost no effort."

Demeter smiled at Chiron. “Thank my daughters for that will you. And tell them to eat more muffins.” She said. Hades gave Zeus a please read look.

He said Mr. D had this effect on fruit-bearing plants: they just went crazy when he was around. It worked best with wine grapes, but Mr. D was restricted from growing those, so they grew strawberries instead.

“Where are my kids at?” Demeter said. Chiron just shrugged. He didn’t know why they weren’t there.

“Sword fighting class my lady.” Chiron said.

I watched the satyr playing his pipe. His music was causing lines of bugs to leave the strawberry patch in every direction, like refugees fleeing a fire. I wondered if Grover could work that kind of magic with music. I wondered if he was still inside the farmhouse, getting chewed out by Mr. D.

“At first no he couldn’t, but he got a lot better as he got older.” Percy said. Grover blushed at the compliment.

“Not until he got with Juniper. She gave him lessons.” Thalia smirked as everyone laughed at Grover. His blush deepened.

"Grover won't get in too much trouble, will he?" I asked Chiron. "I mean ... he was a good protector. Really."

Hazel looked at Percy and said, “You’re a good friend Percy. You have my respect.” The gods smiled at that. They hoped the others would be able to do that.

Chiron sighed. He shed his tweed jacket and draped it over his horses back like a saddle. "Grover has big dreams, Percy. Perhaps bigger than are reasonable.

Chiron looked at Grover and smiled big. “You did just that Grover. I am proud of you.”

“Thank you Chiron.” Grover said happily.

To reach his goal, he must first demonstrate great courage by succeeding as a keeper, finding a new camper and bringing him safely to Half-Blood Hill."

“But he did that,” Jason said.

"But he did that!"

“O gods my brother is like Percy. It is so scary.” Thalia said. Percy just rolled his eyes and sent a little water to soak Thalia.

"I might agree with you," Chiron said. "But it is not my place to judge. Dionysus and the Council of Cloven Elders must decide. I'm afraid they might not see this assignment as a success. After all, Grover lost you in New York. Then there's the unfortunate ... ah ... fate of your mother. And the fact that Grover was unconscious when you dragged him over the property line. The council might question whether this shows any courage on Grover's part."

“Grover has more bravery than the entire council does,” Nico snarled. Thalia, Percy and Annabeth all agreed. Even Clarisse nodded. Grover smiled at his friends til Percy spoke up.

“That is till Tyson comes around. He is deathly afraid of the big guy,” Percy teased getting a huff from Grover.

I wanted to protest. None of what happened was Grover's fault. I also felt really, really guilty. If I hadn't given Grover the slip at the bus station, he might not have gotten in trouble.

"He'll get a second chance, won't he?"

“Not one word you guys, I already know what you will say.” Grover said.

Thalia smiled. “You know it is true though.”

Chiron winced. "I'm afraid that was Grover's second chance, Percy. The council was not anxious to give him another, either, after what happened the first time, five years ago. Olympus knows, I advised him to wait longer before trying again. He's still so small for his age... ."

"How old is he?"

"Oh, twenty-eight."

"What! And he's in sixth grade?"

“That must really suck,” Nico said.

Jason just shrugged. “I have never been to school before so I wouldn’t know.”

"Satyrs mature half as fast as humans, Percy. Grover has been the equivalent of a middle school student for the past six years."

"That's horrible."

“Quite. Try looking like your 12 when you are 26.” Grover said. The girls looked at him like he was crazy.

"Quite," Chiron agreed. "At any rate, Grover is a late bloomer, even by satyr standards, and not yet very accomplished at woodland magic. Alas, he was anxious to pursue his dream. Perhaps now he will find some other career... ."

“To be honest Grover, I had my doubts about you,” Chiron said. “But you proved me wrong time and time again. I am very proud of you.” Grover smiled at that. “Now all there is left is to teach you to lie.” He smiled at Grover to let him know he was teasing.


"That's not fair," I said. "What happened the first time? Was it really so bad?"

“Yes, it was,” Grover said a little downcast. Thalia glared at him. A small bolt of lightning made Grover jump and his hair stand on ends.

“It was my choice Grover. I don’t want to have to tell you again.” Thalia said angrily.

Chiron looked away quickly. "Let's move along, shall we?"

“You need to work on changing subjects Chiron,” Hermes said smiling. Chiron said nothing but just bowed his head.

But I wasn't quite ready to let the subject drop. Something had occurred to me when Chiron talked about my mother's fate, as if he were intentionally avoiding the word death. The beginnings of an idea-a tiny, hopeful fire-started forming in my mind.

“So should I expect some company Perseus,” Hades said evilly. Percy just glared but said nothing.

Keep it up father. In a few books you won’t be smiling, Nico said.

"Chiron," I said. "If the gods and Olympus and all that are real ..."

"Yes, child?"

"Does that mean the Underworld is real, too?" Chiron's expression darkened.

“You are crazy Greek. You cant survive a trip to the underworld.” Octavian said. He shut up pretty quick when Thalia and Jason both hit him with lightning.

"Yes, child." He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. "There is a place where spirits go after death. But for now ... until we know more ... I would urge you to put that out of your mind."

“How did you know my mother was taken and not killed?” Percy asked.

“Mr. D told me what happened after Grover explained everything on the hill.” Chiron said.

“But Grover was passed out,” Annabeth said. “How did you know?” She asked Grover.

“I woke up a little and saw Sally get taken,” Grover replied.

"What do you mean, 'until we know more'?"

"Come, Percy. Let's see the woods."

“The wonderful art of Chiron subject changes everybody.” Apollo said.

As we got closer, I realized how huge the forest was. It took up at least a quarter of the valley, with trees so tall and thick, you could imagine nobody had been in there since the Native Americans.

Chiron said, "The woods are stocked, if you care to try your luck, but go armed."

"Stocked with what?" I asked. "Armed with what?"

"You'll see. Capture the flag is Friday night. Do you have your own sword and shield?"

“Why haven’t you given him riptide yet?” Poseidon asked.

“At the time he was still unclaimed and no one knew you were his father.” Chiron replied.

"My own-?"

"No," Chiron said. "I don't suppose you do. I think a size five will do. I'll visit the armory later."

I wanted to ask what kind of summer camp had an armory, but there was too much else to think about, so the tour continued. We saw the archery range, the canoeing lake, the stables (which Chiron didn't seem to like very much),

“Neither does Blackjack for that matter.” Percy said. Everyone smiled at the name that knew who he was. The roman demigods looked confused till Nico told them.

“Blackjack is Percy’s Pegasus. He is one cool horse.” The Roman demigods smiled and thought about Reyna’s Pegasus Scipio.

the javelin range, the sing-along amphitheater, and the arena where Chiron said they held sword and spear fights.

"Sword and spear fights?" I asked.

"Cabin challenges and all that," he explained. "Not lethal. Usually. Oh, yes, and there's the mess hall."

“You do need to work on changing subject Chiron,” Demeter said. “Maybe you should do some plow work. It helps build character.”

“How does plowing a field help with changing subjects better?” Frank asked. He didn’t see Hades shaking his head at him. Too late though. A bowl of muffins appeared in his lap.

“You will see young hero. Please enjoy those muffins. My treat.” Demeter said. Frank picked of up cautiously.

“Umm thank you lady Ceres.” He said as every one snickered at him.

Chiron pointed to an outdoor pavilion framed in white Grecian columns on a hill overlooking the sea. There were a dozen stone picnic tables. No roof. No walls.

"What do you do when it rains?" I asked.

Chiron looked at me as if I'd gone a little weird. "We still have to eat, don't we?" I decided to drop the subject.

“I asked the same question and got the same response. It is a valid question,” Nico pointed out.

Finally, he showed me the cabins. There were twelve of them, nestled in the woods by the lake. They were arranged in a U, with two at the base and five in a row on either side. And they were without doubt the most bizarre collection of buildings I'd ever seen.

“What is that supposed to mean?“ The Olympians asked.

“When you look at them without really understanding who you are, the cabins look weird,” Percy said. Annabeth smiled at his ability to upset the gods without trying.

Except for the fact that each had a large brass number above the door (odds on the left side, evens on the right), they looked absolutely nothing alike. Number nine had smokestacks, like a tiny factory. Number four had tomato vines on the walls and a roof made out of real grass. Seven seemed to be made of solid gold, which gleamed so much in the sunlight it was almost impossible to look at. They all faced a commons area about the size of a soccer field, dotted with Greek statues, fountains, flower beds, and a couple of basketball hoops (which were more my speed).

“Sounds better than camp Jupiter,” Frank said. The others nodding in agreement.

In the center of the field was a huge stone-lined firepit. Even though it was a warm afternoon, the hearth smoldered. A girl about nine years old was tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick.

“You noticed me? Yay,” Hestia said happily. The elder gods and goddesses smiled widely at their sister. They all loved Hestia so much.

The pair of cabins at the head of the field, numbers one and two, looked like his-and-hers mausoleums, big white marble boxes with heavy columns in front. Cabin one was the biggest and bulkiest of the twelve. Its polished bronze doors shimmered like a hologram, so that from different angles lightning bolts seemed to streak across them. Cabin two was more graceful somehow, with slimmer columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls were carved with images of peacocks.

Zeus and Hera smiled happily at their cabins being mention. Thalia hated that cabin and Zeus didn’t understand why she wasn’t smiling.

"Zeus and Hera?" I guessed.

"Correct," Chiron said.

"Their cabins look empty."

“My cabin is always empty. Your cabin should be empty, but alas it never will be,” Hera said. Zeus looked down guiltily and Hades looked and Poseidon. Hades smiled and made a whipping motion. Poseidon laughed silently as Zeus quickly continued.

"Several of the cabins are. That's true. No one ever stays in one or two."

Okay. So each cabin had a different god, like a mascot. Twelve cabins for the twelve Olympians. But why would some be empty?

“I am a maiden. Hera never had demigod kids and those two idiots didn’t keep it in their pants like they swore to,” Artemis said. Every laughed at the two brothers and they glared at Artemis.

I stopped in front of the first cabin on the left, cabin three.

Poseidon smiled at his son. Percy seeing this smiled back.

It wasn't high and mighty like cabin one, but long and low and solid. The outer walls were of rough gray stone studded with pieces of seashell and coral, as if the slabs had been hewn straight from the bottom of the ocean floor.

“It isn’t high and mighty cause I have somewhat of a smaller ego,” Poseidon said. Zeus glared at his brother but said nothing. It is true. I am glad Zeus is getting picked on besides me. Hades thought to himself.

I peeked inside the open doorway and Chiron said, "Oh, I wouldn't do that!"

Before he could pull me back, I caught the salty scent of the interior, like the wind on the shore at Montauk. The interior walls glowed like abalone. There were six empty bunk beds with silk sheets turned down. But there was no sign anyone had ever slept there. The place felt so sad and lonely, I was glad when Chiron put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Come along, Percy."

“I guess I was mistaken boy,” Chiron said, “Enjoy your cabin and all its grandeur.” Percy smiled and nodded.

Most of the other cabins were crowded with campers.

Number five was bright red-a real nasty paint job, as if the color had been splashed on with buckets and fists. The roof was lined with barbed wire. A stuffed wild boar's head hung over the doorway, and its eyes seemed to follow me. Inside I could see a bunch of mean-looking kids, both girls and boys, arm wrestling and arguing with each other while rock music blared. The loudest was a girl maybe thirteen or fourteen. She wore a size XXXL CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirt under a camouflage jacket. She zeroed in on me and gave me an evil sneer. She reminded me of Nancy Bobofit, though the camper girl was much bigger and tougher looking, and her hair was long and stringy, and brown instead of red.

“Your damn right I am stronger punk,” Clarisse growled. Percy laughed and said.

“Sure you are Clarisse. Keep telling yourself that.” He said sarcastically. He respected her strength.

I kept walking, trying to stay clear of Chiron's hooves. "We haven't seen any other centaurs," I observed.

"No," said Chiron sadly. "My kinsmen are a wild and barbaric folk, I'm afraid. You might encounter them in the wilderness, or at major sporting events. But you won't see any here."

“I love those crazy party ponies Chiron,” Apollo laughed.

"You said your name was Chiron. Are you really ..."

He smiled down at me. "The Chiron from the stories? Trainer of Hercules and all that? Yes, Percy, I am."

"But, shouldn't you be dead?"

Reyna just looked at him. “You can’t control your tongue can you?” She asked wondering why the gods haven’t blasted him.

“You have no idea whatsoever,” Thalia said before Percy could reply. She and Reyna laughed ignoring Percy’s glare.

Chiron paused, as if the question intrigued him. "I honestly don't know about should be. The truth is, I can't be dead. You see, eons ago the gods granted my wish. I could continue the work I loved. I could be a teacher of heroes as long as humanity needed me. I gained much from that wish ... and I gave up much. But I'm still here, so I can only assume I'm still needed."

“I think you will always be needed Chiron,” Athena said.

I thought about being a teacher for three thousand years. It wouldn't have made my Top Ten Things to Wish For list.

"Doesn't it ever get boring?"

"No, no," he said. "Horribly depressing, at times, but never boring."

"Why depressing?"

Chiron seemed to turn hard of hearing again.

Everyone looked at him hoping for the answer but Chiron shook his head.

"Oh, look," he said. "Annabeth is waiting for us."

* * *

The blond girl

“The blond girl? How can you not know my name?” Annabeth said.

Percy blushed. “I am terrible with remembering names. You know that.”

I'd met at the Big House was reading a book in front of the last cabin on the left, number eleven.

When we reached her, she looked me over critically, like she was still thinking about how much I drooled.

“I was,” Annabeth said triggering another round of snickers.

I tried to see what she was reading, but I couldn't make out the title. I thought my dyslexia was acting up. Then I realized the title wasn't even English. The letters looked Greek to me. I mean, literally Greek. There were pictures of temples and statues and different kinds of columns, like those in an architecture book.

“It was seaweed brain,” Annabeth said.

"Annabeth," Chiron said, "I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy from here?"

"Yes, sir."

"Cabin eleven," Chiron told me, gesturing toward the doorway. "Make yourself at home."

“I didn’t last long in that cabin,” Percy said. Hermes sighed. Is it so hard to claim your children? Hermes thought.

Out of all the cabins, eleven looked the most like a regular old summer camp cabin, with the emphasis on old. The threshold was worn down, the brown paint peeling. Over the doorway was one of those doctor's symbols, a winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it. What did they call it... ?

“It’s a caduceus,” Hermes whined.

A caduceus.

Hermes smiled.

Inside, it was packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds. Sleeping bags were spread all over on the floor. It looked like a gym where the Red Cross had set up an evacuation center.
Chiron didn't go in. The door was too low for him. But when the campers saw him they all stood and bowed respectfully.

"Well, then," Chiron said. "Good luck, Percy. I'll see you at dinner."

He galloped away toward the archery range.

I stood in the doorway, looking at the kids. They weren't bowing anymore.

“Ego alert,” Nico laughed. Thalia and Annabeth laughed at Percy who just pouted.

They were staring at me, sizing me up. I knew this routine. I'd gone through it at enough schools.

"Well?" Annabeth prompted. "Go on."

So naturally I tripped coming in the door and made a total fool of myself.

“Naturally, you make a fool out of yourself a lot,” Ares said. He promptly was hit with a shoe thrown by Aphrodite.

There were some snickers from the campers, but none of them said anything.

Annabeth announced, "Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven.

"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked.

“I think that was Chris,” Annabeth said. Clarisse smiled at her boyfriends name and Aphrodite, seeing the smile squealed happily.

I didn't know what to say, but Annabeth said, "Undetermined."

Everybody groaned.

Hermes did too. “Can’t you claim your children please. My cabin doesn’t have any more room.” The gods with demigod children snapped their fingers.

“That’s another 14 more campers in your cabin claimed Hermes. The rest are your kids and those of the minor gods.” Zeus said. Hermes smiled gratefully at his father.

A guy who was a little older than the rest came forward. "Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there."

Annabeth felt Percy stiffen next to her. She rubbed his arm to calm him down.

The guy was about nineteen, and he looked pretty cool. He was tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different-colored clay beads. The only thing unsettling about his appearance was a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash.

Annabeth sighed. Why did you have to join Kronos?

"This is Luke," Annabeth said, and her voice sounded different somehow. I glanced over and could've sworn she was blushing. She saw me looking, and her expression hardened again. "He's your counselor for now."

"For now?" I asked.

"You're undetermined," Luke explained patiently. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."

I looked at the tiny section of floor they'd given me. I had nothing to put there to mark it as my own, no luggage, no clothes, no sleeping bag. Just the Minotaur's horn. I thought about setting that down, but then I remembered that Hermes was also the god of thieves.

“Smart move Jackson. You might keep it for a while.” Hermes smiled mischievously.

I looked around at the campers' faces, some sullen and suspicious, some grinning stupidly, some eyeing me as if they were waiting for a chance to pick my pockets.

"How long will I be here?" I asked.

"Good question," Luke said. "Until you're determined.”

"How long will that take?"

“Hopefully not too long uncle,” Hermes hinted. Poseidon smiled and snapped his fingers. The same trident appeared over Percy’s head. Hermes just laughed and rolled his eyes at his uncles antics.

The campers all laughed.

"Come on," Annabeth told me. "I'll show you the volleyball court."

"I've already seen it."

"Come on."

“Good job Annie. Only known him ten minutes and already bossing him around.” Thalia said as they smiled at each other.

She grabbed my wrist and dragged me outside. I could hear the kids of cabin eleven laughing behind me.

When we were a few feet away, Annabeth said, "Jackson, you have to do better than that."

“He didn’t exactly do anything wrong Annabeth,” Frank said.

“I know but even then I liked to giving him a hard time,” She replied.

"What?"

She rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "I can't believe I thought you were the one."

“Ah but he is the one Annabeth.” Aphrodite cooed making Percy and Annabeth blush hard. I am trusting you son of the sea. Don’t mess up, Athena thought watching them.

"What's your problem?" I was getting angry now. "All I know is, I kill some bull guy-"

"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth told me. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"

“To get killed by a monster?” Jason said incredulously. Annabeth blushed thinking of how she wanted that so badly then. Now she wants it no more.

"To get killed?"

"To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?"

I shook my head. "Look, if the thing I fought really was the Minotaur, the same one in the stories ..."

"Yes."

"Then there's only one."

"Yes."

"And he died, like, a gajillion years ago, right? Theseus killed him in the labyrinth. So ..."

“Ok that is that isn’t even a number, but you do have a point. Trust me we wish it wasn’t that way,” Athena said looking sad at the fact they cant truly kill monsters.

"Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed. But they don't die."

“Gee that clears that issue up,” Thalia said sarcastically.

"Oh, thanks. That clears it up."

“O goody, Percy thinks like me,” Thalia said. Percy rolled his eyes.

“Keep telling yourself that Thals, it might happen one day.” Percy said ignoring Thalia’s glare.

"They don't have souls, like you and me. You can dispel them for a while, maybe even for a whole lifetime if you're lucky. But they are primal forces. Chiron calls them archetypes. Eventually, they re-form."

I thought about Mrs. Dodds. "You mean if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword-"

“Yes Perseus. Alecto is very mad now,” Hades said smiling evilly. Everyone shivered except Nico who smiled back.

"The Fur ... I mean, your math teacher. That's right. She's still out there. You just made her very, very mad."

"How did you know about Mrs. Dodds?"

"You talk in your sleep."

"You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?"

“Yup they are. And my teachers too.” Nico said.

Annabeth glanced nervously at the ground, as if she expected it to open up and swallow her. "You shouldn't call them by name, even here. We call them the Kindly Ones, if we have to speak of them at all."

“Why wouldn’t you talk about them? They are great to be around,” Hades said.

“Because they try to kill everyone beside Nico. Duh,” Thalia said snickering as Hades face flushed with anger.

"Look, is there anything we can say without it thundering?" I sounded whiny, even to myself, but right then I didn't care. "Why do I have to stay in cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks right over there."

“It isn’t so simple child,” Chiron said. “I wish I could do something but I cant.”

I pointed to the first few cabins, and Annabeth turned pale. "You don't just choose a cabin, Percy. It depends on who your parents are. Or ... your parent."

She stared at me, waiting for me to get it.

“You could have been there for weeks Annie,” Thalia said. Percy glared at her before dousing her with cold water again. “D-d-d-damn it Jackson. Dry m-m-me of-f-f,” She shivered. Percy smiled and dried her of laughing. He stopped laughing abruptly as Thalia shocked him. Smoke drifted of Percy’s clothes as everyone laughed at the two.

"My mom is Sally Jackson," I said. "She works at the candy store in Grand Central Station. At least, she used to."

There was a moment of silence for Sally.

"I'm sorry about your mom, Percy. But that's not what I mean. I'm talking about your other parent. Your dad."

"He's dead. I never knew him."

“Very much alive right here son,” Poseidon said sarcastically.

Annabeth sighed. Clearly, she'd had this conversation before with other kids. "Your father's not dead, Percy."

"How can you say that? You know him?”

Annabeth smiled at Poseidon and simply said, “I do now.”

"No, of course not."

"Then how can you say-"

"Because I know you. You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us."

“You make it sound like he is an alien greek,” Octavian said. He was quickly doused with water then shocked happily by Jason and Thalia. Octavian crumpled to the ground shaking hard. Everyone snickered as Apollo reluctantly healed him.

"You don't know anything about me."

"No?" She raised an eyebrow. "I bet you moved around from school to school. I bet you were kicked out of a lot of them."

“Creepy,” Nico said.

"How-"

"Diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD, too."

“Weird,” Frank said.

I tried to swallow my embarrassment. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Taken together, it's almost a sure sign. The letters float off the page when you read, right?

“Stalkerish,” Nico and Frank both said. They were promptly hit by Thalia and Hazel.

That's because your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek. And the ADHD-you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom. That's your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, Percy, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are."

“Teachers are not evil Annabeth,” Athena said sternly.

“My math teacher tried to kill. Does that not count for evil?” Percy replied. Athena opened her mouth to reply but realized he won that argument. Everyone was shocked about it. To lose an argument was one thing. To lose it to your rivals son was another.

"You sound like ... you went through the same thing?"

"Most of the kids here did. If you weren't like us, you couldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar."

"Ambrosia and nectar."

"The food and drink we were giving you to make you better. That stuff would've killed a normal kid. It would've turned your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead. Face it. You're a half-blood."

“Sounds a bit racist when you hear it that way,“ Frank pointed out.

A half-blood.

I was reeling with so many questions I didn't know where to start.
Then a husky voice yelled, "Well! A newbie!"

“O joy. My humiliation is here,” Clarisse muttered leaving most confused by her statement.

I looked over. The big girl from the ugly red cabin was sauntering toward us. She had three other girls behind her, all big and ugly and mean looking like her, all wearing camo jackets.

"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"

“I loved that spear. I wish I still had it,” Clarisse said glaring at Percy who glared back.

"Sure, Miss Princess," the big girl said. "So I can run you through with it Friday night."

“You can try Daughter of Ares. But be warned, my children are great fighters,” Athena warned her. Ares was furious at Athena. He was about to say something but Zeus caught his eye and the look on his fathers face told him not to.

''Erre es korakas!" Annabeth said, which I somehow understood was Greek for 'Go to the crows!' though I had a feeling it was a worse curse than it sounded. "You don't stand a chance."

“I never did tell you I was sorry for that plan. I am sorry seaweed brain.” Annabeth said. Percy just smiled and kissed her.

"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse said, but her eye twitched. Perhaps she wasn't sure she could follow through on the threat. She turned toward me.

"Who's this little runt?"

"Percy Jackson," Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares."

I blinked. "Like ... the war god?"

Clarisse sneered. "You got a problem with that?"

"No," I said, recovering my wits. "It explains the bad smell."

“EXCUSE ME. I’LL SHOW YOU AN EMBARESING SMELL.” Ares bellowed. As he was about to get up vines wrapped around him tightly and held him in place.

“I’m sure we all want to smell your room Ares, but lets save you the embaressment. Shut up and let father read.” Dionysus said. The entire room was silent. Dionysus was the last one they expect to protect a demigod.

“Umm thank you Mr. D,” Percy said uncertainly. Dionysus smiled at Percy. But they could tell it was forced. He was trying to redeem himself.

Clarisse growled. "We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy."

“Ah a good start to the best frenemies in camp.” Nico snickered. The sight of Clarisse glaring at him while sharpening her spear scared him witless.

"Percy."

"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you."

"Clarisse-" Annabeth tried to say.

"Stay out of it, wise girl."

Annabeth looked pained, but she did stay out of it, and I didn't really want her help. I was the new kid. I had to earn my own rep.

“That’s right. The only way to gain respect in a hostile enviroment is to fight the better warrior.” Reyna said approvingly.

I handed Annabeth my minotaur horn and got ready to fight, but before I knew it, Clarisse had me by the neck and was dragging me toward a cinder-block building that I knew immediately was the bathroom.

“Clarisse. I told you to stop doing that a long time before Percy got to camp.” Chiron said sternly. Clarisse just nodded unfazed.

I was kicking and punching. I'd been in plenty of fights before, but this big girl Clarisse had hands like iron. She dragged me into the girls' bathroom. There was a line of toilets on one side and a line of shower stalls down the other. It smelled just like any public bathroom, and I was thinking-as much as I could think with Clarisse ripping my hair out-that if this place belonged to the gods, they should've been able to afford classier johns.

“Gods your head is comedy relief,” Apollo said as everyone laughed.

Clarisse's friends were all laughing, and I was trying to find the strength I'd used to fight the Minotaur, but it just wasn't there.

"Like he's 'Big Three' material," Clarisse said as she pushed me toward one of the toilets. "Yeah, right. Minotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid looking."

“And now you know better Clarisse. Too bad you learned the hard way,” Annabeth said teasing the war demigoddess.

Her friends snickered.

Annabeth stood in the corner, watching through her fingers.

“I was not,” Annabeth said glaring at Percy.

“Yes you were birdbrain,” Clarisse said back.

Clarisse bent me over on my knees and started pushing my head toward the toilet bowl. It reeked like rusted pipes and, well, like what goes into toilets. I strained to keep my head up. I was looking at the scummy water, thinking, I will not go into that. I won't.

He is stubborn just like his father, Hades thought.

Then something happened. I felt a tug in the pit of my stomach.

Poseidon got a good idea of what was about to happen and burst out laughing.

I heard the plumbing rumble, the pipes shudder. Clarisse's grip on my hair loosened. Water shot out of the toilet, making an arc straight over my head, and the next thing I knew, I was sprawled on the bathroom tiles with Clarisse screaming behind me.

I turned just as water blasted out of the toilet again, hitting Clarisse straight in the face so hard it pushed her down onto her butt.

By this point everyone had joined Poseidon. The Romans too though they eyed Percy warily.

The water stayed on her like the spray from a fire hose, pushing her backward into a shower stall.

She struggled, gasping, and her friends started coming toward her. But then the other toilets exploded, too, and six more streams of toilet water blasted them back. The showers acted up, too, and together all the fixtures sprayed the camouflage girls right out of the bathroom, spinning them around like pieces of garbage being washed away.

Zeus stopped reading to catch his breath. He had been laughing too hard. As he tried to breath he noticed his son about to attack Perseus. Ares was pushed back by the winds Zeus commanded. He glared at his son and Ares sword was flashed away to another room. Zeus sat down and kept reading as everyone stared at Zeus in awe.

As soon as they were out the door, I felt the tug in my gut lessen, and the water shut off as quickly as it had started. The entire bathroom was flooded. Annabeth hadn't been spared. She was dripping wet, but she hadn't been pushed out the door. She was standing in exactly the same place, staring at me in shock.

“I am surprise you didn’t know who I was then.” Percy said.

Annabeth glared at him and said, “For all I knew seaweed brain you were a son of Triton,” Percy smiled and kissed her softly. Annabeth’s glare wavered and a smile broke out on her face.

I looked down and realized I was sitting in the only dry spot in the whole room. There was a circle of dry floor around me. I didn't have one drop of water on my clothes. Nothing.

I stood up, my legs shaky.

Annabeth said, "How did you ..."

"I don't know."

“I take it that’s a typical answer for him,” Hazel said laughing softy.

“Not you too,” Percy groaned as every laughed as well.

We walked to the door. Outside, Clarisse and her friends were sprawled in the mud, and a bunch of other campers had gathered around to gawk. Clarisse's hair was flattened across her face. Her camouflage jacket was sopping and she smelled like sewage. She gave me a look of absolute hatred. "You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead.”

“You need to learn when to give up child,” Chiron said. Clarisse just sighed. She knew he was right.

I probably should have let it go, but I said, "You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth."

“Nice comeback Percy. There is hope for you yet,” Hermes snickered.

Her friends had to hold her back. They dragged her toward cabin five, while the other campers made way to avoid her flailing feet.

Annabeth stared at me. I couldn't tell whether she was just grossed out or angry at me for dousing her.

“Both.” Annabeth said.

"What?" I demanded. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking," she said, "that I want you on my team for capture the flag.”

“That’s the chapter. Who is reading next?” Zeus asked.

Athena grabbed for the book and said, “I will.”

Athena looked at the title and raised her eyebrows at Percy. “My dinner goes up in smokes.”

Apollo laughed and said. “Maybe you shouldn’t throw your dinner in the fire then.” Percy laughed as Artemis hit him.

“Moron, he is talking about the offerings at camp.” She said. “Please begin sister.” She said to Athena…

Nice chappie! Please post!

Who wants two chapters soon?

You have a strange way to view things son of Poseidon, Athena thought. She opened her mouth to start reading but was cut off by a bright light shining in the room in front of everyone.

As the light subsided they saw a woman that the Greek demigods and Poseidon recognized as Sally Jackson. She held a baby version of Percy in her hands. Next to her was Will Solace, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, and Tyson.

Jason jumped up and drew his sword. As did the other Roman demigods. Jason tried to attack Tyson when his strike was blocked by Riptide. Percy looked Jason in the eyes and shook his head. Percy wasn’t mad that he attacked. They didn’t know Tyson. Percy was about to tell Jason who Tyson was when they heard a deep rumbling sound and felt a small earthquake.

Percy dropped Riptide and turned to Tyson with his arms wide open. There were protests from the Romans. Tyson tackled Percy scooping him in a massive bear hug. “Big brother, it is good to see you again.” Percy laughed at Tyson’s enthusiasm.

“It is great to see you too Tyson, but can you put me down. You are crushing me.” Percy said breathless. Poseidon smiled and realized that Percy had found Tyson in the future. Poseidon turned back to Sally. He walked up to her and said, “Hello again Sally. How have you been?” Aphrodite smiled widely as she saw Sally blush. You still love each other. She thought as they hugged.

Zeus cleared his throat. “Please introduce yourselves.” He asked nicely and calmly. Hestia smiled at Zeus for his patience and kindness. Will stepped forward and said, “Will Solace, son of Apollo.” Apollo smiled at his son.

“Tyson, General of the Cyclops army of Atlantis.” Tyson said. The Romans upon hearing this lowered their weapons. They looked at Percy who nodded a big smile on his face.

“Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Oracle of Delphi.” Rachel said stepping forward. Apollo heard her and jumped out of his seat. He walked in circles around her as if inspecting her.

“You don’t look like a mummy, did you finally pass on?” Apollo said. Rachel just looked at Apollo and simply said.

“Well duh. I am a living breathing person Lord Apollo.”

“I like this Oracle. She is a fiery one,” Apollo said chuckling. He sat down again and waved Sally forward. She looked at Poseidon worried. Poseidon just nodded and assured her.

“Lord Zeus, my name is Sally Jackson. This here is Percy Jackson. He is Poseidon’s son.” She said the last part scared. Poseidon had told her everything from the oath to the prophecy. Annabeth and Thalia perked up at this and walked towards Sally.

“Percy you really were a cute baby,” Thalia said. Sally looked around and saw Percy from the future standing there smiling at her.

“May I hold him Mrs. Jackson?” Annabeth asked. Sally smiled and handed the baby to Annabeth. She smiled at baby Percy who woke up and started playing with her hair. Sally walked over to Percy and looked at him with tears of joy in her eyes.

“You have grown to be a fine young man Percy. Why are we all here?” She asked. Percy sighed. He did not want his mom to ever hear about his adventures but knew he had no choice. He explained everything to her and she listened. She paled a little to hear that Hades kidnapped her. She just nodded when he was done and sat down on the couch with the others that jus arrived. Athena cleared her throat and began again.

Word of the bathroom incident spread immediately.

“No thanks to the Stolls, and their big mouths,” Clarisse said as everyone snickered at her.

Wherever I went, campers pointed at me and murmured something about toilet water. Or maybe they were just staring at Annabeth, who was still pretty much dripping wet.

“You are lucky you’re adorable, otherwise I would be mad at you,” Annabeth said as baby Percy giggled happily.

She showed me a few more places: the metal shop (where kids were forging their own swords), the arts-and-crafts room (where satyrs were sandblasting a giant marble statue of a goat-man),

Grover bleated and glared at Percy. “You would think that you would know Pan by now. After all we were there.” Grover said sadly. Annabeth, Nico, Rachel, Tyson and Percy all bowed their heads in respect. They found my son? Hermes thought.

and the climbing wall, which actually consisted of two facing walls that shook violently, dropped boulders, sprayed lava, and clashed together if you didn't get to the top fast enough.

“Why do you want me to send my son there when he gets older?” Sally asked Poseidon incredulously.

“I know it might not sound safe mom but it is the safest place for me to be,” Percy said. Sally sighed deciding not to argue with her son. He was stubborn at 2 years old. She didn’t want to see how bad he was at 16.

Finally we returned to the canoeing lake, where the trail led back to the cabins.

"I've got training to do," Annabeth said flatly. "Dinner's at seven-thirty. Just follow your cabin to the mess hall."

“Way to welcome him to camp Annabeth,” Nico remarked sarcastically. Annabeth blushed as Thalia hit Nico.

"Annabeth, I'm sorry about the toilets."

"Whatever."

“He was only trying to apologize,” Frank pointed out.

“I wasn’t exactly happy with him at the time. I am too prideful sometimes,” Annabeth said.

"It wasn't my fault."

“Yes it was,” All the demigods said. Percy just blushed in embarrassment.

She looked at me skeptically, and I realized it was my fault. I'd made water shoot out of the bathroom fixtures. I didn't understand how. But the toilets had responded to me. I had become one with the plumbing.

“One with the plumbing?” Apollo said slowly. “I don’t get it.”

Artemis sighed and looked at him. “It means he used his powers to control the water and he didn’t know it was him.”

“Ok. I get it now,” Apollo said. Artemis knew he didn’t understand but she let it go.

"You need to talk to the Oracle," Annabeth said.

"Who?"

"Not who. What. The Oracle. I'll ask Chiron."

“I am pretty sure Rachel isn’t a what,” Hazel said.

“This was before Rachel became our oracle.” Percy said.

I stared into the lake, wishing somebody would give me a straight answer for once.

“Why would we give you a straight answer? It takes all the fun out of waiting for you to understand the signs.” Thalia said. Percy and Annabeth both blushed. They knew she was talking about their relationship.

I wasn't expecting anybody to be looking back at me from the bottom, so my heart skipped a beat when I noticed two teenage girls sitting cross-legged at the base of the pier, about twenty feet below. They wore blue jeans and shimmering green T-shirts, and their brown hair floated loose around their shoulders as minnows darted in and out. They smiled and waved as if I were a long-lost friend.

“You are to them, though some might not like you. Most of my children have treated river spirits badly.” Poseidon said.

I didn't know what else to do. I waved back.

"Don't encourage them," Annabeth warned. "Naiads are terrible flirts.”

“Is that jealousy I hear Annabeth?” Aphrodite asked. Annabeth blushed as Thalia laughed and Sally smiled. She could tell by the way she held her baby that she was protective.

"Naiads," I repeated, feeling completely overwhelmed. "That's it. I want to go home now."

“Everything you have seen and heard the last three days and it’s the naiads waving at you that makes you want to go home?” Will asked disbelieving. Percy laughed with everyone as he pulled Annabeth and his baby self towards him. They must be dating. I am happy he found someone nice, Sally thought.

Annabeth frowned. "Don't you get it, Percy? You are home. This is the only safe place on earth for kids like us."

"You mean, mentally disturbed kids?"

“Well we already know Octavian is, and of course there is Nico too,” Thalia said.

“I am not disturbed mentally.” Octavian yelled. His mistake cause when Thalia turned around, Nico, Percy, Jason, and Hazel turned there death glares on Octavian all at once. The auger quickly apologized and backed up until he hit something rather large.

“I’m sorry,” He said to Tyson who smiled his big toothy grin causing said auger to wet himself and pass out.

“Oops,” Everyone laughed at Tyson’s childish nature and at Octavian. The so called tough guy whimpered in fear as he lay unconscious.

"I mean not human. Not totally human, anyway. Half-human.”

"Half-human and half-what?"

"I think you know."

I didn't want to admit it, but I was afraid I did. I felt a tingling in my limbs, a sensation I sometimes felt when my mom talked about my dad.

Sally and Poseidon smiled at each other.

"God," I said. "Half-god."

“Ding ding ding. Correct. What do you have for him Hermes,” Apollo said in his best game show host voice.

Hermes handed Percy a bag of candy. “Well Apollo, Percy is now the winner of that bag of candy you tried to take from me.” Apollo glared at Hermes as everyone laughed at their antics.

Annabeth nodded. "Your father isn't dead, Percy. He's one of the Olympians."

"That's ... crazy."

“Well with everything said so far it does sound a bit crazy,” Nico said. Percy smiled at Nico sticking up for him. “Then again Percy is crazy,” Nico finished getting a glare from Percy making him flinch.

"Is it? What's the most common thing gods did in the old stories? They ran around falling in love with humans and having kids with them. Do you think they've changed their habits in the last few millennia?"

“Some people would think they would. But it wont ever stop so why bother.” Hera said putting a guilt trip on Zeus.

"But those are just-" I almost said myths again. Then I remembered Chiron's warning that in two thousand years, I might be considered a myth.

“Actually I was wrong. It only took Percy 5 years,” Chiron praised him. Percy mumbled a thanks and turned bright red.

"But if all the kids here are half-gods-"

“Demigods," Annabeth said. "That's the official term. Or half-bloods."

"Then who's your dad?"

“You should learn to phrase your questions better Percy,” Sally said. Annabeth smiled at Sally who smiled back.

Her hands tightened around the pier railing. I got the feeling I'd just trespassed on a sensitive subject.

“I am sorry for being mean to you about all that,” Annabeth said. “You were right I was wrong.”

Thalia gasped loudly. “You just said that Percy was right and you were wrong? The apocalypse is around the corner as we speak.” Thalia started laughing until she was hit with two pillows in the face leaving feathers in her hair.

"My dad is a professor at West Point," she said. "I haven't seen him since I was very small. He teaches American history."

"He's human."

"What? You assume it has to be a male god who finds a human female attractive? How sexist is that?"

“Actually he isn’t being sexist Annabeth. The goddess’s children aren’t really that prominent in our history.” Athena said. Then blushed as she realized she defended him.

"Who's your mom, then?"

"Cabin six."

"Meaning?"

Annabeth straightened. "Athena. Goddess of wisdom and battle."

Athena stopped for a second to smile at Annabeth then kept reading.

Okay, I thought. Why not?

“Ok remember I thought everyone was playing a really elaborate prank on me and I didn’t want to believe it.” Percy defended himself quickly.

"And my dad?"

"Undetermined," Annabeth said, "like I told you before. Nobody knows."

"Except my mother. She knew."

“I did know. He didn’t have to tell me I saw it right away.” Sally said smiling.

"Maybe not, Percy. Gods don't always reveal their identities."

"My dad would have. He loved her."

“He still does very much,” Aphrodite squealed causing Poseidon to blush heavily and Sally to smile at him.

Annabeth gave me a cautious look. She didn't want to burst my bubble. "Maybe you're right. Maybe he'll send a sign. That's the only way to know for sure: your father has to send you a sign claiming you as his son. Sometimes it happens.

"You mean sometimes it doesn't?"

The gods looked down and actually looked a bit guilty.

Annabeth ran her palm along the rail. "The gods are busy. They have a lot of kids and they don't always ... Well, sometimes they don't care about us, Percy. They ignore us."

“Do you all think that?” Zeus asked. He was afraid of the answer.

“Percy looked at him and said, “You do get better Lord Zeus. But it takes a big event to get you to understand that.

I thought about some of the kids I'd seen in the Hermes cabin, teenagers who looked sullen and depressed, as if they were waiting for a call that would never come. I'd known kids like that at Yancy Academy, shuffled off to boarding school by rich parents who didn't have the time to deal with them. But gods should behave better.

Apollo opened his mouth to say something but a look from Athena shut him up quick. Athena might not like it but she knew the boy was right.

"So I'm stuck here," I said. "That's it? For the rest of my life?"

"It depends," Annabeth said. "Some campers only stay the summer. If you're a child of Aphrodite or Demeter, you're probably not a real powerful force.

“Not a real force? Muffins are extremely powerful and my kids eat a lot of them,” Demeter said proudly. Demeter brought forth a muffin and was about to give it to Annabeth when some black fire hit the muffin incinerating it.

“I know that muffins can’t stand against fire,” Hades smirked. His smile faltered as his chair was turned into a pile of wheat. Hades fell onto his butt and was whipped by the stalks of wheat.

The monsters might ignore you, so you can get by with a few months of summer training and live in the mortal world the rest of the year. But for some of us, it's too dangerous to leave. We're year-rounders. In the mortal world, we attract monsters. They sense us. They come to challenge us. Most of the time, they'll ignore us until we're old enough to cause trouble-about ten or eleven years old, but after that, most demigods either make their way here, or they get killed off. A few manage to survive in the outside world and become famous. Believe me, if I told you the names, you'd know them. Some don't even realize they're demigods. But very, very few are like that."

"So monsters can't get in here?"

Annabeth shook her head. "Not unless they're intentionally stocked in the woods or specially summoned by somebody on the inside."

“That came to a stop after the hellhound incident,” Chiron assured everyone.

"Why would anybody want to summon a monster?"

"Practice fights. Practical jokes."

"Practical jokes?"

“That’s a very cruel joke,” Sally said. The gods and demigods agreed.

"The point is, the borders are sealed to keep mortals and monsters out. From the outside, mortals look into the valley and see nothing unusual, just a strawberry farm."

"So ... you're a year-rounder?"

Annabeth nodded. From under the collar of her T-shirt she pulled a leather necklace with five clay beads of different colors. It was just like Luke's, except Annabeth's also had a big gold ring strung on it, like a college ring.

Athena smiled at the mention of Fredrick’s ring but frowned wondering what happened to make him that way.

"I've been here since I was seven," she said. "Every August, on the last day of summer session, you get a bead for surviving another year. I've been here longer than most of the counselors, and they're all in college."

"Why did you come so young?"

She twisted the ring on her necklace. "None of your business."

“You know he only wanted to help you,” Hephaestus said scaring everyone around him.

“I know but at the time I didn’t want to hear anything about my father. I wasn’t on the best terms with him.” Annabeth said.

"Oh." I stood there for a minute in uncomfortable silence. "So ... I could just walk out of here right now if I wanted to?"

“Wouldn’t recommend it at the moment considering your uncles are trying to kill you,” Hermes said. Sally glared at Zeus and Hades so fiercely that the two gods squirmed in their sleep. The rest of the beings in the room stared at Sally in awe.

"It would be suicide, but you could, with Mr. D's or Chiron's permission. But they wouldn't give permission until the end of the summer session unless ..."

"Unless?"

"You were granted a quest. But that hardly ever happens. The last time ..."

Her voice trailed off. I could tell from her tone that the last time hadn't gone well.

"Back in the sick room," I said, "when you were feeding me that stuff-"

"Ambrosia."

“Learn you daily demigod needs Percy. It will help you survive.” Apollo said smiling.

"Yeah. You asked me something about the summer solstice."

“Still don’t know how you thought he would know.” Thalia muttered.

Annabeth's shoulders tensed. "So you do know something?"

“I never know what’s going on. I just for you to tell me.” Percy said lovingly. Annabeth smiled widely.

"Well... no. Back at my old school, I overheard Grover and Chiron talking about it. Grover mentioned the summer solstice. He said something like we didn't have much time, because of the deadline. What did that mean?"

She clenched her fists. "I wish I knew. Chiron and the satyrs, they know, but they won't tell me. Something is wrong in Olympus, something pretty major. Last time I was there, everything seemed so normal."

“Do you Greeks get to come here often?” Reyna asked. She wondered why the gods didn’t pay as much attention to them.

"You've been to Olympus?"

“More time than most people,” Annabeth smiled.

"Some of us year-rounders-Luke and Clarisse and I and a few others-we took a field trip during winter solstice. That's when the gods have their big annual council."

"But... how did you get there?"

"The Long Island Railroad, of course. You get off at Penn Station. Empire State Building, special elevator to the six hundredth floor." She looked at me like she was sure I must know this already. "You are a New Yorker, right?"

“How could you expect him to have all this info? Especially when he just found out whom he was.” Sally said.

Annabeth blushed. “Honestly I thought he knew some of who he was.”

"Oh, sure." As far as I knew, there were only a hundred and two floors in the Empire State Building, but I decided not to point that out.

"Right after we visited," Annabeth continued, "the weather got weird, as if the gods had started fighting. A couple of times since, I've overheard satyrs talking. The best I can figure out is that something important was stolen. And if it isn't returned by summer solstice, there's going to be
trouble. When you came, I was hoping ... I mean- Athena can get along with just about anybody, except for Ares. And of course she's got the rivalry with Poseidon. But, I mean, aside from that, I thought we could work together. I thought you might know something."

“Sorry to disappoint you Annie, he doesn’t know much unless it deals with water.” Thalia said teasing Percy. Percy just smiled because it was true.

I shook my head. I wished I could help her, but I felt too hungry and tired and mentally overloaded to ask any more questions.

"I've got to get a quest," Annabeth muttered to herself. "I'm not too young. If they would just tell me the problem ..."

I could smell barbecue smoke coming from somewhere nearby. Annabeth must've heard my stomach growl. She told me to go on, she'd catch me later. I left her on the pier, tracing her finger across the rail as if drawing a battle plan.

Annabeth laughed. “It’s true. I was drawing a battle plan for capture the flag.”

Back at cabin eleven, everybody was talking and horsing around, waiting for dinner. For the first time, I noticed that a lot of the campers had similar features: sharp noses, upturned eyebrows, mischievous smiles.

They were the kind of kids that teachers would peg as troublemakers.

Thankfully, nobody paid much attention to me as I walked over to my spot on the floor and plopped down with my minotaur horn.

The counselor, Luke, came over. He had the Hermes family resemblance, too. It was marred by that scar on his right cheek, but his smile was intact.
"Found you a sleeping bag," he said. "And here, I stole you some toiletries from the camp store."

“The only nice thing he did for him before he turned,” Nico whispered angrily. Thalia was sad.

I couldn't tell if he was kidding about the stealing part.

“Nope not one bit,” Hermes said proudly.

I said, "Thanks."

"No prob." Luke sat next to me, pushed his back against the wall. "Tough first day?"

"I don't belong here," I said. "I don't even believe in gods."

“I do now,” Percy said quickly.

"Yeah," he said. "That's how we all started. Once you start believing in
them? It doesn't get any easier."

The bitterness in his voice surprised me, because Luke seemed like a pretty easygoing guy. He looked like he could handle just about anything.

I wish he could have. Things would have been a lot different, Thalia thought.

"So your dad is Hermes?" I asked.

He pulled a switchblade out of his back pocket, and for a second I thought he was going to gut me, but he just scraped the mud off the sole of his sandal. "Yeah. Hermes."

"The wing-footed messenger guy."

“Not my worst description. But not the best either,” Hermes frowned a little.

"That's him. Messengers. Medicine. Travelers, merchants, thieves. Anybody who uses the roads. That's why you're here, enjoying cabin eleven's hospitality. Hermes isn't picky about who he sponsors."

“Maybe cause I don’t get a choice,” Hermes said glaring at the other gods.

I figured Luke didn't mean to call me a nobody. He just had a lot on his mind.

"You ever meet your dad?" I asked.

"Once."

“He did? Was it a good meeting?” Thalia and Annabeth shook their heads sadly.

I waited, thinking that if he wanted to tell me, he'd tell me. Apparently, he didn't. I wondered if the story had anything to do with how he got his scar.

Luke looked up and managed a smile. "Don't worry about it, Percy. The campers here, they're mostly good people. After all, we're extended family, right? We take care of each other."

“Liar,” Clarisse whispered furiously. She hated what Luke did to Chris.

He seemed to understand how lost I felt, and I was grateful for that, because an older guy like him-even if he was a counselor-should've steered clear of an uncool middle-schooler like me. But Luke had welcomed me into the cabin. He'd even stolen me some toiletries, which was the nicest thing anybody had done for me all day.

“I showed you around the entire afternoon,” Annabeth said.

“True but you didn’t exactly seem happy about it at all,” Percy said. Annabeth blushed because it was true.

I decided to ask him my last big question, the one that had been bothering me all afternoon. "Clarisse, from Ares, was joking about me being 'Big Three' material. Then Annabeth ... twice, she said I might be 'the one.' She said I should talk to the Oracle. What was that all about?"

Luke folded his knife. "I hate prophecies."

“We all hate prophecies,” Every demigod said.

"What do you mean?"

His face twitched around the scar. "Let's just say I messed things up for everybody else. The last two years, ever since my trip to the Garden of the Hesperides went sour, Chiron hasn't allowed any more quests. Annabeth's been dying to get out into the world. She pestered Chiron so much he finally told her he already knew her fate. He'd had a prophecy from the Oracle. He wouldn't tell her the whole thing, but he said Annabeth wasn't destined to go on a quest yet. She had to wait until... somebody special came to the camp."

“And you got me too,” Percy said smiling. Sally smiled as well. She couldn’t help but like their relationship.

“Somebody special?"

"Don't worry about it, kid," Luke said. "Annabeth wants to think every new camper who comes through here is the omen she's been waiting for. Now, come on, it's dinnertime."

The moment he said it, a horn blew in the distance. Somehow, I knew it was a conch shell, even though I'd never heard one before.

“Son of the sea god Percy.” Poseidon smiled at his son.

Luke yelled, "Eleven, fall in!"

The whole cabin, about twenty of us, filed into the commons yard. We lined up in order of seniority, so of course I was dead last. Campers came from the other cabins, too, except for the three empty cabins at the end, and cabin eight, which had looked normal in the daytime, but was now starting to glow silver as the sun went down.

We marched up the hill to the mess hall pavilion. Satyrs joined us from the meadow. Naiads emerged from the canoeing lake. A few other girls came out of the woods- and when I say out of the woods, I mean straight out of the woods. I saw one girl, about nine or ten years old, melt from the side of a maple tree and come skipping up the hill.

“Were you checking out the nymphs Percy,” Aphrodite asked.

Percy turned red quickly and yelled, “No I was not. I was shocked about them coming out of the trees.” Annabeth laughed at him making him turn a darker shade of red.

In all, there were maybe a hundred campers, a few dozen satyrs, and a dozen assorted wood nymphs and naiads.

At the pavilion, torches blazed around the marble columns. A central fire burned in a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub. Each cabin had its own table, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. Four of the tables were empty, but cabin eleven's was way overcrowded. I had to squeeze on to the edge of a bench with half my butt hanging off.

“We didn’t want that image Percy,” Jason joked. Percy laughed and the gods relaxed fully. Other than Octavian’s snide remarks the demigods were getting along great.

I saw Grover sitting at table twelve with Mr. D, a few satyrs, and a couple of plump blond boys who looked just like Mr. D. Chiron stood to one side, the picnic table being way too small for a centaur.

“I can fix you a table Chiron,” Hephaestus offered.

“Thank you my lord,” Chiron replied.

Annabeth sat at table six with a bunch of serious-looking athletic kids, all with her gray eyes and honey-blond hair.

Clarisse sat behind me at Ares's table. She'd apparently gotten over being hosed down, because she was laughing and belching right alongside her friends.

“I was not belching,” Clarisse glared. But it was lost as every laughed.

Finally, Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, and everybody fell silent. He raised a glass. "To the gods!"

Everybody else raised their glasses. "To the gods!"

“Why thank you,” Apollo said. He started to laugh but was hit hard in ribs by his sister.

“Don’t you ever shut up?” Artemis said.

“I would sis but then I wouldn’t be able to annoy you.” Apollo shot back. Athena in order to prevent an eclipse read over them.

Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food: grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, fresh bread, and yes, barbecue! My glass was empty, but Luke said, "Speak to it. Whatever you want-nonalcoholic, of course."

I said, "Cherry Coke."

The glass filled with sparkling caramel liquid.

Then I had an idea. "Blue Cherry Coke."

Sally smiled at her son. She noticed baby Percy playing with his future self. She smiled wider cause she could see the great young man in front of her.

The soda turned a violent shade of cobalt.

I took a cautious sip. Perfect.

I drank a toast to my mother.

Hera smiled. “Your son is very loyal to you Sally,” She said to Percy’s mom. Sally just smiled and agreed.

She's not gone, I told myself. Not permanently, anyway. She's in the Underworld. And if that's a real place, then someday…

“Percy, I love you, but I will not allow you to go to the underworld,” Sally said sternly.

Percy looked sheepish. “Actually I had to. But I was mostly going to get you back.” Sally sighed. She knew he was going to have to.

"Here you go, Percy," Luke said, handing me a platter of smoked brisket.
I loaded my plate and was about to take a big bite when I noticed everybody getting up, carrying their plates toward the fire in the center of the pavilion. I wondered if they were going for dessert or something.

“Without even taking a bite?” Hazel shook her head. Percy smiled blushing at the fact that he knew he was going to get messed with for a while.

"Come on," Luke told me.

As I got closer, I saw that everyone was taking a portion of their meal and dropping it into the fire, the ripest strawberry, the juiciest slice of beef, the warmest, most buttery roll.

Luke murmured in my ear, "Burnt offerings for the gods. They like the smell."

"You're kidding."

“Very much not. We love the smell of the sacrifices. I almost lived of it once on a dare. Didn’t work out well at all.” Ares said.

“Didn’t work out well? You ended up in the infirmary for a week for dehydration. You still aren’t up to your full strength.” Apollo said. Everyone laughed at him.

His look warned me not to take this lightly, but I couldn't help wondering why an immortal, all-powerful being would like the smell of burning food.

Luke approached the fire, bowed his head, and tossed in a cluster of fat red grapes. "Hermes."

Hermes smiled happily.

I was next.

I wished I knew what god's name to say.

Finally, I made a silent plea. Whoever you are, tell me. Please.

“I will son. I promise,” Poseidon said. Baby Percy heard him and turned towards him. He smiled a toothless grin and Poseidon took him into his arms and held him close. “How are you my son?”

“Dada,” Baby Percy said. Sally smiled as her son said his first word.

I scraped a big slice of brisket into the flames.

When I caught a whiff of the smoke, I didn't gag.

“I hope not. I don’t want to smell throw up,” Hermes said snickering. Athena hit upside the head. Hermes rubbed his head cursing.

It smelled nothing like burning food. It smelled of hot chocolate and fresh-baked brownies, hamburgers on the grill and wildflowers, and a hundred other good things that shouldn't have gone well together, but did. I could almost believe the gods could live off that smoke.

When everybody had returned to their seats and finished eating their meals, Chiron pounded his hoof again for our attention.

Mr. D got up with a huge sigh. "Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels."

The gods glared at Dionysus who tried to hide from the glares.

A bunch of ugly cheering rose from the Ares table.

"Personally," Mr. D continued, "I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have a new camper today. Peter Johnson."
Chiron murmured something.

"Er, Percy Jackson," Mr. D corrected. "That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on."

Everybody cheered. We all headed down toward the amphitheater, where Apollo's cabin led a sing-along. We sang camp songs about the gods and ate s'mores and joked around, and the funny thing was, I didn't feel that anyone was staring at me anymore. I felt that I was home.

Sally looked at Percy and saw that it was true. He was happy. She would think about sending him sooner.

Later in the evening, when the sparks from the campfire were curling into a starry sky, the conch horn blew again, and we all filed back to our cabins. I didn't realize how exhausted I was until I collapsed on my borrowed sleeping bag.

My fingers curled around the Minotaur's horn. I thought about my mom, but I had good thoughts: her smile, the bedtime stories she would read me when I was a kid, the way she would tell me not to let the bedbugs bite.

I really wish my sons could be that way about me. Ares is too crazy and I did ruin it with Hephaestus by throwing him off Olympus. Hera thought.

When I closed my eyes, I fell asleep instantly.

That was my first day at Camp Half-Blood.

I wish I'd known how briefly I would get to enjoy my new home.

“That’s the chapter who is reading next?” Athena said.

“I will. I hope there is some action in the next chapter.” Ares said. Athena tossed him the book. However, he missed it and it hit him hard in the nose. Ares picked up the book cursing. He looked at the title and smiled. Maybe there will be some action now, He thought. “We capture a flag.” Ares read aloud.

Percy’s smiled faded as he remembered the match. He was still upset about it. But at her smile and laughter, he couldn’t help but smile.

“That sounds like our war games,” Jason said. Everyone was eager to see how good of fighters the Greeks were. Unfortunately, that was when Octavian woke.

“Ahhhhh, Cyclopes it’s going to eat me get it away.” He screamed. He blinked once and saw Tyson on the other side of Poseidon. He was playing with baby Percy.

Percy laughed loudly. "Octavian i don't think Tyson wants indigestion. Plus who else knows what diseases you have, so i think your safe for now," Octavian huffed and walked to his chair. After everyone stopped laughing at him Percy nodded to Ares.

Ares opened his mouth and began reading.

Annabeth looked at Percy. She knew he was still mad at her for this game of capture the flag. “I am sorry Percy. I didn’t think you would need help.” Percy for his part smiled.

“Its ok wise girl. I’m over it now.” Percy replied. He kissed her deeply and turned to Ares who just started reading.

The next few days I settled into a routine that felt almost normal, if you don't count the fact that I was getting lessons from satyrs, nymphs, and a centaur.

“That does sound pretty normal to me,” Clarisse said.

“Yes but for someone new to all this it’s a bit strange.” Percy pointed out. Clarisse glared and turned away muttering punk.

Each morning I took Ancient Greek from Annabeth, and we talked about the gods and goddesses in the present tense, which was kind of weird. I discovered Annabeth was right about my dyslexia: Ancient Greek wasn't that hard for me to read. At least, no harder than English. After a couple of mornings, I could stumble through a few lines of Homer without too much headache.

“Now I can read it all with a very little headache.” Percy said proudly. Octavian chose that time to speak.

“I suppose you listening to books on tape can give a headache,” He said with venom. Before he had two arrows embed themselves right next to his head. Octavian gulped as Will Solace and Frank Zhang put their Bows away and sat back down.

The rest of the day, I'd rotate through outdoor activities, looking for something I was good at. Chiron tried to teach me archery, but we found out pretty quick I wasn't any good with a bow and arrow.

Percy glared at Thalia but wasn’t expecting Will to say anything. “Percy, I think I would rather give a bow to a blind man. No offense but we would be safer with him than you.” Will said. Percy blushed and laughed with everyone else.

He didn't complain, even when he had to desnag a stray arrow out of his tail.

“Where were you standing Chiron?” Artemis asked.

Chiron grimaced and said, “I was ten feet behind him watching him.” Artemis looked shocked. She never knew anyone to be so bad with a bow.

Foot racing? No good either. The wood-nymph instructors left me in the dust. They told me not to worry about it. They'd had centuries of practice running away from lovesick gods. But still, it was a little humiliating to be slower than a tree.

“I bet it is slowpoke.” Apollo laughed.

And wrestling? Forget it. Every time I got on the mat, Clarisse would pulverize me.

Ares looked up at his daughter and gave her an approving nod. Teach the punk a lesson, Ares thought.

"There's more where that came from, punk," she'd mumble in my ear.

“Always will be too,” Clarisse smiled. Percy smirked and laughed.

The only thing I really excelled at was canoeing, and that wasn't the kind of heroic skill people expected to see from the kid who had beaten the Minotaur.

Hermes laughed and said, “Percy that is heroic. With the fishes at least,” Hermes laughter stopped as Poseidon threw a trout at Hermes. Hermes caught it with his mouth and threw it up. All over Octavian. Everyone laughed for about 10 minutes and were still laughing as Octavian came back.

I knew the senior campers and counselors were watching me, trying to decide who my dad was, but they weren't having an easy time of it. I wasn't as strong as the Ares kids, or as good at archery as the Apollo kids. I didn't have Hephaestus's skill with metalwork or-gods forbid- Dionysus's way with vine plants.

“Thank the gods for that,” Percy said. Dionysus just huffed and glared at the wall.

Luke told me I might be a child of Hermes, a kind of jack-of-all-trades, master of none. But I got the feeling he was just trying to make me feel better. He really didn't know what to make of me either.

“He does now,” Nico said. “He knows he can’t beat you.” He whispered the last part to Percy who smiled.

Despite all that, I liked camp. I got used to the morning fog over the beach, the smell of hot strawberry fields in the afternoon, even the weird noises of monsters in the woods at night.

Jason looked at Percy and said, “ Your camp sounds beautiful. I wish ours was like that.”

Percy replied with a smirk. “You should see it now. It is even more beautiful.”

I would eat dinner with cabin eleven, scrape part of my meal into the fire, and try to feel some connection to my real dad. Nothing came. Just that warm feeling I'd always had, like the memory of his smile. I tried not to think too much about my mom, but I kept wondering: if gods and monsters were real, if all this magical stuff was possible, surely there was some way to save her, to bring her back.…

Hades smiled a evil smile and said, “I wouldn’t allow you to Perseus. But you can try all you like.”

Hades then paled as Percy and Sally glared hard.

I started to understand Luke's bitterness and how he seemed to resent his father, Hermes. So okay, maybe gods had important things to do. But couldn't they call once in a while, or thunder, or something? Dionysus could make Diet Coke appear out of thin air. Why couldn't my dad, whoever he was, make a phone appear?

Thursday afternoon, three days after I'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood, I had my first sword-fighting lesson. Everybody from cabin eleven gathered in the big circular arena, where Luke would be our instructor.

Percy frowned. He had his chance to put an end to everything. If only he had known he would have stopped Luke.

We started with basic stabbing and slashing, using some straw-stuffed dummies in Greek armor. I guess I did okay. At least, I understood what I was supposed to do and my reflexes were good.

“That’s good. You must be a good sword fighter.” Jason said. “I would like to spar with you sometime if you don’t mind.” Percy smiled. Jason really didn’t see Nico shaking his head like crazy at him.

The problem was, I couldn't find a blade that felt right in my hands. Either they were too heavy, or too light, or too long.

“Riptide is the only sword for me,” Percy said happily holding his pen out.

Luke tried his best to fix me up, but he agreed that none of the practice blades seemed to work for me.

“Still beat him for the first time,” Percy muttered

We moved on to dueling in pairs. Luke announced he would be my partner, since this was my first time.

"Good luck," one of the campers told me. "Luke's the best swordsman in the last three hundred years."

Hermes smiled but frowned as Nico replied, “Not anymore. Percy holds that title now.”

"Maybe he'll go easy on me," I said.

The camper snorted.

Luke showed me thrusts and parries and shield blocks the hard way. With every swipe, I got a little more battered and bruised. "Keep your guard up, Percy," he'd say, then whap me in the ribs with the flat of his blade. "No, not that far up!" Whap! "Lunge!" Whap! "Now, back!" Whap!

“A bit rough on him isn’t he?” Sally said worriedly. Poseidon smiled and replied.

“He needs to be a bit rough so Percy can learn to defend himself.”

By the time he called a break, I was soaked in sweat. Everybody swarmed the drinks cooler. Luke poured ice water on his head, which looked like such a good idea, I did the same.

“It seems Luke is about to get taught a lesson now,” Poseidon laughed.

Instantly, I felt better. Strength surged back into my arms. The sword didn't feel so awkward.

“Sea powers must be pretty awesome,” Reyna thought aloud. She glared at Octavian who opened his mouth to comment. Octavian looked away muttering about being betrayed.

"Okay, everybody circle up!" Luke ordered. "If Percy doesn't mind, I want to give you a little demo."

Great, I thought. Let's all watch Percy get pounded.

Thalia spoke up sarcastically, “That is my favorite pastime.”

Percy smiled and said, “Ok then, you can spar alongside Jason when we spar later.” Thalia’s eyes lit up at that.

The Hermes guys gathered around. They were suppressing smiles. I figured they'd been in my shoes before and couldn't wait to see how Luke used me for a punching bag. He told everybody he was going to demonstrate a disarming technique: how to twist the enemy's blade with the flat of your own sword so that he had no choice but to drop his weapon.

“That’s one of the hardest techniques to learn. I’ve been training since I was two and still can’t perform it.” Jason moaned. Percy just smirked at him and chuckled.

"This is difficult," he stressed. "I've had it used against me. No laughing at Percy, now. Most swordsmen have to work years to master this technique."

He demonstrated the move on me in slow motion. Sure enough, the sword clattered out of my hand.

"Now in real time," he said, after I'd retrieved my weapon. "We keep sparring until one of us pulls it off. Ready, Percy?"

Percy frowned. He wondered if Luke had taught that move to be nice or because he had to teach something.

I nodded, and Luke came after me. Somehow, I kept him from getting a shot at the hilt of my sword. My senses opened up. I saw his attacks coming. I countered. I stepped forward and tried a thrust of my own. Luke deflected it easily, but I saw a change in his face. His eyes narrowed, and he started to press me with more force.

“Ummm aren’t you training not fighting?” Poseidon asked. He didn’t know why he just didn’t like the son of Hermes.

The sword grew heavy in my hand. The balance wasn't right. I knew it was only a matter of seconds before Luke took me down, so I figured, What the heck?

I tried the disarming maneuver.

My blade hit the base of Luke's and I twisted, putting my whole weight into a downward thrust.

Clang.

Luke's sword rattled against the stones. The tip of my blade was an inch
from his undefended chest.

The Roman demigods were shocked. “You did it on the first shot? I can’t believe it.” Jason grumbled.

The other campers were silent.

I lowered my sword. "Um, sorry."

“Only you say sorry for disarming someone in a fight seaweed brain,” Annabeth said adoringly.

For a moment, Luke was too stunned to speak.

“Wasn’t expecting to lose to him was he,” Poseidon said smugly to Hermes. He just rolled his eyes and laughed.

"Sorry?" His scarred face broke into a grin. "By the gods, Percy, why are you sorry? Show me that again!"

I didn't want to. The short burst of manic energy had completely abandoned me. But Luke insisted.

“Of course. He wanted to see if he had a problematic fighter to deal with.” Nico said. His brother like love for Percy growing each time Percy did something against the odds.

This time, there was no contest. The moment our swords connected, Luke hit my hilt and sent my weapon skidding across the floor.

After a long pause, somebody in the audience said, "Beginner's luck?"

Luke wiped the sweat off his brow. He appraised at me with an entirely new interest. "Maybe," he said. "But I wonder what Percy could do with a balanced sword... ."

“A lot of damage when he wants to,” Nico said depressed. He was still getting lectures from his father from the incident at the Styx.

Friday afternoon, I was sitting with Grover at the lake, resting from a near-death experience on the climbing wall. Grover had scampered to the top like a mountain goat, but the lava had almost gotten me. My shirt had smoking holes in it. The hairs had been singed off my forearms.

We sat on the pier, watching the naiads do underwater basket-weaving, until I got up the nerve to ask Grover how his conversation had gone with Mr. D.

“You probably gave him a scare,” Dionysus said fondly.

His face turned a sickly shade of yellow.

“Much like it is now,” Annabeth said laughing at Grover’s expense.

"Fine," he said. "Just great."

"So your career's still on track?"

He glanced at me nervously. "Chiron t-told you I want a searcher's license?"

"Well... no." I had no idea what a searcher's license was, but it didn't seem like the right time to ask. "He just said you had big plans, you know ... and that you needed credit for completing a keeper's assignment. So did you get it?"

Grover looked down at the naiads. "Mr. D suspended judgment. He said I hadn't failed or succeeded with you yet, so our fates were still tied together. If you got a quest and I went along to protect you, and we both came back alive, then maybe he'd consider the job complete."

“Which he did and Grover better get his credentials when he earns them Dionysus. He is my sons friend and I won’t let you treat him badly,” Poseidon threatened the wine dude.

My spirits lifted. "Well, that's not so bad, right?"

"Blaa-ha-ha! He might as well have transferred me to stable-cleaning duty. The chances of you getting a quest... and even if you did, why would you want me along?"

“Why wouldn’t I want you along goat boy,” Percy said. Grover smiled at his best friend.

"Of course I'd want you along!"

Grover stared glumly into the water. "Basket-weaving ... Must be nice to have a useful skill."

I tried to reassure him that he had lots of talents, but that just made him look more miserable. We talked about canoeing and swordplay for a while, then debated the pros and cons of the different gods. Finally, I asked him about the four empty cabins.

"Number eight, the silver one, belongs to Artemis," he said. "She vowed to be a maiden forever. So of course, no kids. The cabin is, you know, honorary. If she didn't have one, she'd be mad."

“Not really. I just need a place for my hunters to stay when we take a break at camp Half-blood.

"Yeah, okay. But the other three, the ones at the end. Are those the Big Three?"

Grover tensed. We were getting close to a touchy subject. "No. One of them, number two, is Hera's," he said. "That's another honorary thing. She's the goddess of marriage, so of course she wouldn't go around having affairs with mortals.

“No that seems to be my husbands job,” Hera said angrily. Zeus looked sheepishly and apologized.

That's her husband's job.

“Weird,” Percy said to Grover.

When we say the Big Three, we mean the three powerful brothers, the sons of Kronos."

"Zeus, Poseidon, Hades."

“That’s right, we are powerful, we rock.” Poseidon said. Hades and Zeus just chuckled at their brothers antics.

"Right. You know. After the great battle with the Titans, they took over the world from their dad and drew lots to decide who got what."

"Zeus got the sky," I remembered. "Poseidon the sea, Hades the Underworld."

Hades mumbled something about cheated.

“Uh-huh."

"But Hades doesn't have a cabin here."

“I should though,” Hades glared at Zeus.

"No. He doesn't have a throne on Olympus, either. He sort of does his own thing down in the Underworld. If he did have a cabin here ..." Grover shuddered. "Well, it wouldn't be pleasant. Let's leave it at that."

“You did surprise me though,” Grover said to Nico who just smiled back at him.

"But Zeus and Poseidon-they both had, like, a bazillion kids in the myths. Why are their cabins empty?"

“Why aren’t they is more like it,” Hera muttered.

Grover shifted his hooves uncomfortably. "About sixty years ago, after World War II, the Big Three agreed they wouldn't sire any more heroes. Their children were just too powerful. They were affecting the course of human events too much, causing too much carnage. World War II, you know, that was basically a fight between the sons of Zeus and Poseidon on one side, and the sons of Hades on the other. The winning side, Zeus and Poseidon, made Hades swear an oath with them: no more affairs with mortal women. They all swore on the River Styx."

“Who hasn’t punished the two who have broken it,” Hera muttered again.

Thunder boomed.

I said, "That's the most serious oath you can make."

Grover nodded.

"And the brothers kept their word-no kids?"

“Nope,” said all the big three kids.

Grover's face darkened. "Seventeen years ago, Zeus fell off the wagon. There was this TV starlet with a big fluffy eighties hairdo-he just couldn't help himself. When their child was born, a little girl named Thalia .. . well, the River Styx is serious about promises. Zeus himself got off easy because he's immortal, but he brought a terrible fate on his daughter."

"But that isn't fair.' It wasn't the little girl's fault."

“Little girl?” Thalia said turning to Percy. He could see the Lightning in Thalia’s eyes and knew he was in trouble.

Grover hesitated. "Percy, children of the Big Three have powers greater than other half-bloods. They have a strong aura, a scent that attracts monsters. When Hades found out about the girl, he wasn't too happy about Zeus breaking his oath. Hades let the worst monsters out of Tartarus to torment Thalia. A satyr was assigned to be her keeper when she was twelve, but there was nothing he could do. He tried to escort her here with a couple of other half-bloods she'd befriended. They almost made it. They got all the way to the top of that hill."

He pointed across the valley, to the pine tree where I'd fought the minotaur. "All three Kindly Ones were after them, along with a horde of hellhounds. They were about to be overrun when Thalia told her satyr to take the other two half-bloods to safety while she held off the monsters.

Jason looked scared for his sister. How could anyone defeat all those monsters without help.

She was wounded and tired, and she didn't want to live like a hunted animal. The satyr didn't want to leave her, but he couldn't change her mind, and he had to protect the others. So Thalia made her final stand alone, at the top of that hill. As she died, Zeus took pity on her. He turned her into that pine tree. Her spirit still helps protect the borders of the valley. That's why the hill is called Half-Blood Hill."

Zeus looked at a loss of words. “Daughter I- I- I am so sorry. You don’t deserve that fate.”

Thalia smiled a sad smile and said, “I might not deserve the fate. But it is my choice.”

Zeus smiled proudly. Something though still bugged him. “If you are a tree at this time, how did you get out?”

“Percy did it. I won’t tell you how. Just that he saved me from that tree.”

“Thank you child. Thank you very much,” Zeus said proudly. Percy knew it was a big deal for Zeus to thank him so he smiled and nodded.

I stared at the pine in the distance.

The story made me feel hollow, and guilty too. A girl my age had sacrificed herself to save her friends. She had faced a whole army of monsters. Next to that, my victory over the Minotaur didn't seem like much. I wondered, if I'd acted differently, could I have saved my mother?

“No you couldn’t have Percy. The minotaur was too strong.” Annabeth said.

"Grover," I said, "have heroes really gone on quests to the Underworld?"

"Sometimes," he said. "Orpheus. Hercules. Houdini."

"And have they ever returned somebody from the dead?"

"No. Never. Orpheus came close... . Percy, you're not seriously thinking-"

“Yes he is,” Everyone said.

"No," I lied. "I was just wondering. So ... a satyr is always assigned to guard a demigod?"

“You need to work on changing subjects too Percy,” Hermes laughed.

Grover studied me warily. I hadn't persuaded him that I'd really dropped the Underworld idea. "Not always. We go undercover to a lot of schools. We try to sniff out the half-bloods who have the makings of great heroes. If we find one with a very strong aura, like a child of the Big Three, we alert Chiron. He tries to keep an eye on them, since they could cause really huge problems."

“We resent that statement. Just cause we tend to have anger issues doesn’t mean we cause problems,” Nico said. He glared half- heartedly at grover who just gulped.

"And you found me. Chiron said you thought I might be something special."

“Sorry Percy. We still don’t know about you,” Apollo said. He laughed but didn’t have time to run from the gallons of water about to drop on his head.

Grover looked as if I'd just led him into a trap. "I didn't... Oh, listen, don't think like that. If you were-you know-you'd never ever be allowed a quest, and I'd never get my license. You're probably a child of Hermes. Or maybe even one of the minor gods, like Nemesis, the god of revenge. Don't worry, okay?"

“Nemesis is a goddess goat boy,” Annabeth teased him.

I got the idea he was reassuring himself more than me.

That night after dinner, there was a lot more excitement than usual.

At last, it was time for capture the flag.

“About time. I want some action in this boring book,” Ares mumbled to himself. Sally looked at and thought that he needed to be taught some manners.

When the plates were cleared away, the conch horn sounded and we all stood at our tables.

Campers yelled and cheered as Annabeth and two of her siblings ran into the pavilion carrying a silk banner. It was about ten feet long, glistening gray, with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree. From the opposite side of the pavilion, Clarisse and her buddies ran in with another banner, of identical size, but gaudy red, painted with a bloody spear and a boar's head.

“Go Athena,” Most of the room cheered. The last 3 cheered for Ares.

I turned to Luke and yelled over the noise, "Those are the flags?"

“Duh,” Thalia said.

"Yeah."

"Ares and Athena always lead the teams?"

Not always," he said. "But often."

Ares and Athena smiled at their daughters.

"So, if another cabin captures one, what do you do- repaint the flag?"

He grinned. "You'll see. First we have to get one."

"Whose side are we on?"

He gave me a sly look, as if he knew something I didn't. The scar on his face made him look almost evil in the torchlight. "We've made a temporary alliance with Athena. Tonight, we get the flag from Ares. And you are going to help."

“I really wish someone had warned me about the plan,” Percy moaned.

The teams were announced. Athena had made an alliance with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins. Apparently, privileges had been traded-shower times, chore schedules, the best slots for activities-in order to win support.

Ares had allied themselves with everybody else: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. From what I'd seen, Dionysus's kids were actually good athletes, but there were only two of them. Demeter's kids had the edge with nature skills and outdoor stuff but they weren't very aggressive. Aphrodite's sons and daughters I wasn't too worried about. They mostly sat out every activity and checked their reflections in the lake and did their hair and gossiped.

“I am so proud of them. I hope they are accessorizing properly,” Aphrodite said. Everyone rolled their eyes and payed attention.

Hephaestus's kids weren't pretty, and there were only four of them, but they were big and burly from working in the metal shop all day. They might be a problem. That, of course, left Ares's cabin: a dozen of the biggest, ugliest, meanest kids on Long Island, or anywhere else on the planet.

Ares smiled wickedly. He knew Clarisse and a few of her siblings were to get revenge for being disrespected.

Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble.

"Heroes!" he announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards.

Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"

“Though most don’t listen at all,” Percy said. Clarisse just smiled at him.

He spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, oxhide shields coated in metal.

"Whoa," I said. "We're really supposed to use these?"

“What were you expecting Greek? Rubber weapons?” Octavian said.

Percy was about to hit him when Octavian was lifted high of the ground.

“Don’t be mean to my brother. He is very good at head smashing. And I will help,” Tyson said menacingly. Octavian gulped and nodded. Tyson smiled and dropped him. From ten feet in the air. Octavian screamed like a girl as he landed on his head. Percy just smiled at Tyson who said shyly, “No one can pick on my brother except Anniebeth and Thalia.”

There was the sound of a baby laughing. Tyson saw him and smiled his toothy grin at baby Percy. Percy stood up taking his younger self from his father and let Tyson hold him. Tyson smiled widely as he sat down with the baby in his lap. Percy just smiled at his mom who looked worriedly at her baby. She relaxed but kept an eye on her baby.

Luke looked at me as if I were crazy. "Unless you want to get skewered by your friends in cabin five. Here-Chiron thought these would fit. You'll be on border patrol."

“Would have loved a smaller shield.” Percy grumbled.

My shield was the size of an NBA backboard, with a big caduceus in the middle. It weighed about a million pounds. I could have snowboarded on it fine,

Thalia glared at Percy remembering the boar and the mountain.

but I hoped nobody seriously expected me to run fast. My helmet, like all the helmets on Athena's side, had a blue horsehair plume on top. Ares and their allies had red plumes.

Annabeth yelled, "Blue team, forward!"

“In command at an early age. Good for you,” Thalia said sarcastically.

We cheered and shook our swords and followed her down the path to the south woods. The red team yelled taunts at us as they headed off toward the north.

I managed to catch up with Annabeth without tripping over my equipment.

“Good job Percy,” Nico smirked.

"Hey."

She kept marching.

“Cold shoulder Annie. Why would you do that?” Thalia asked.

“I was focusing on the plan I made.” Annabeth said matter of factly.

"So what's the plan?" I asked. "Got any magic items you can loan me?"

Her hand drifted toward her pocket, as if she were afraid I'd stolen something.

“At the time I thought you were a son of Hermes so I had to be safe about it.” Annabeth told Percy. Percy just smiled and kiss her making Annabeth’s knees shake.

“Just watch Clarisse's spear," she said. "You don't want that thing touching you. Otherwise, don't worry. We'll take the banner from Ares. Has Luke given you your job?"

“Border patrol, whatever that means."

"It's easy. Stand by the creek, keep the reds away. Leave the rest to me. Athena always has a plan."

“Again with your slogan,” Nico said snickering before Percy punched him in the arm. Percy and Annabeth smiled as Nico rubbed his arm.

She pushed ahead, leaving me in the dust.

"Okay," I mumbled. "Glad you wanted me on your team."

It was a warm, sticky night. The woods were dark, with fireflies popping in and out of view. Annabeth stationed me next to a little creek that gurgled over some rocks, then she and the rest of the team scattered into the trees.

Standing there alone, with my big blue-feathered helmet and my huge shield, I felt like an idiot.

“You looked like an idiot,” Annabeth teased. Percy just pouted making Annabeth kiss him.

The bronze sword, like all the swords I'd tried so far, seemed balanced wrong. The leather grip pulled on my hand like a bowling ball.

There was no way anybody would actually attack me, would they? I mean, Olympus had to have liability issues, right?

“Sorry Percy. We don’t have any liability issues.” Hermes snickered.

Far away, the conch horn blew. I heard whoops and yells in the woods, the clanking of metal, kids fighting. A blue-plumed ally from Apollo raced past me like a deer, leaped through the creek, and disappeared into enemy territory.

Apollo smiled at his son who smiled back.

Great, I thought. I'll miss all the fun, as usual.

Artemis sighed exasperated. “Only a boy would think fighting is fun.”

Then I heard a sound that sent a chill up my spine, a low canine growl, somewhere close by.

“Please tell me that is Mrs. O’Leary.” Nico said worried. Percy just grimaced and shook his head.

I raised my shield instinctively; I had the feeling something was stalking me.

O wonderful. Just great, Poseidon said.

Then the growling stopped. I felt the presence retreating.

Most of the campers relaxed till Ares read the next line.

On the other side of the creek, the underbrush exploded. Five Ares warriors came yelling and screaming out of the dark.

“How can he take on 5 people without barely any training?” Reyna asked incredulously.

"Cream the punk!" Clarisse screamed.

Her ugly pig eyes

“PIG EYES?” Clarisse screamed at Percy. Percy just smiled sheepishly and looked away.

glared through the slits of her helmet. She brandished a five-foot-long spear, its barbed metal tip flickering with red light. Her siblings had only the standard-issue bronze swords-not that that made me feel any better.

They charged across the stream. There was no help in sight. I could run. Or I could defend myself against half the Ares cabin.

I managed to sidestep the first kid's swing, but these guys were not as stupid the Minotaur. They surrounded me, and Clarisse thrust at me with her spear. My shield deflected the point, but I felt a painful tingling all over my body. My hair stood on end. My shield arm went numb, and the air burned.

“Ah I give her an electric spear. Very nice,” Ares smiled evilly. He didn’t see the block of ice til it dropped on his head.

Electricity. Her stupid spear was electric. I fell back.

Another Ares guy slammed me in the chest with the butt of his sword and I hit the dirt.

They could've kicked me into jelly, but they were too busy laughing.

"Give him a haircut," Clarisse said. "Grab his hair."

Annabeth was shocked. She didn’t know how bad they were beating him He never told her and she showed up when they pushed him in the creek.

I managed to get to my feet. I raised my sword, but Clarisse slammed it aside with her spear as sparks flew. Now both my arms felt numb.

"Oh, wow," Clarisse said. "I'm scared of this guy. Really scared."

“You better be Clarisse. He defeats you every time you guys fight,” Annabeth pointed out earning herself a glare.

"The flag is that way," I told her. I wanted to sound angry, but I was afraid it didn't come out that way.

“I cant believe you told her where the flag was,” Thalia said. She glared at Percy who just shrugged.

“I was trying to distract them so I could defend myself better,” Percy retorted.

"Yeah," one of her siblings said. "But see, we don't care about the flag. We care about a guy who made our cabin look stupid."

“That doesn’t take much. They tend to do that on their own.” Athena said smirking when Ares growled.

"You do that without my help," I told them. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to say.

Two of them came at me. I backed up toward the creek, tried to raise my shield, but Clarisse was too fast. Her spear stuck me straight in the ribs. If I hadn't been wearing an armored breastplate, I would've been shish-ke-babbed. As it was, the electric point just about shocked my teeth out of my mouth. One of her cabinmates slashed his sword across my arm, leaving a good-size cut.

Pease be ok please, Sally was saying frantically in her mind. She noticed the look of concern on Poseidon’s face too.

Seeing my own blood made me dizzy-warm and cold at the same time.

"No maiming," I managed to say.

“Rules are meant to be broken. Otherwise there wouldn’t be any fun,” Clarisse said.

"Oops," the guy said. "Guess I lost my dessert privilege.

“Chiron, I know its not my place really but is that all you do to punish those kids?” Sally asked the old horse.

“O no I assure you there are a lot of punishments for trouble makers in camp.” Chiron said.

He pushed me into the creek and I landed with a splash. They all laughed. I figured as soon as they were through being amused, I would die. But then something happened. The water seemed to wake up my senses, as if I'd just had a bag of my mom's double-espresso jelly beans.

Poseidon smiled wickedly and Ares gulped seeing the smile. He knew his kids were in for one heck of a fight.

Clarisse and her cabinmates came into the creek to get me, but I stood to meet them. I knew what to do. I swung the flat of my sword against the first guy's head and knocked his helmet clean off. I hit him so hard I could see his eyes vibrating as he crumpled into the water.

All the demigods cheered as Percy started beating his opponents butt.

Ugly Number Two and Ugly Number Three came at me. I slammed one in the face with my shield and used my sword to shear off the other guy's horsehair plume. Both of them backed up quick. Ugly Number Four didn't look really anxious to attack, but Clarisse kept coming, the point of her spear crackling with energy. As soon as she thrust, I caught the shaft between the edge of my shield and my sword, and I snapped it like a twig.

“You snapped my daughters spear? I will get you for that,” Ares growled. What happened next surprised everyone.

“You touch my son Ares and you will deal with me. You will find that Tartarus will be a welcoming home than what I would do to you.” Sally said menacingly as she got into Ares face. Athena and Poseidon stood next to her daring him to try something.

“Your mom is awesome Percy,” Rachel said as everyone watched the war god cower in fear by a mortal.

"Ah!" she screamed. "You idiot! You corpse-breath worm!"

She probably would've said worse, but I smacked her between the eyes with my sword-butt and sent her stumbling backward out of the creek.
Then I heard yelling, elated screams, and I saw Luke racing toward the boundary line with the red team's banner lifted high. He was flanked by a couple of Hermes guys covering his retreat, and a few Apollos behind them, fighting off the Hephaestus kids. The Ares folks got up, and Clarisse muttered a dazed curse.

“It was pretty awesome to see you defeat them like that seaweed brain,” Annabeth said as everyone nodded in approval. Percy just smiled at the compliment.

"A trick!" she shouted. "It was a trick."

They staggered after Luke, but it was too late. Everybody converged on the creek as Luke ran across into friendly territory. Our side exploded into cheers. The red banner shimmered and turned to silver. The boar and spear were replaced with a huge caduceus, the symbol of cabin eleven. Everybody on the blue team picked up Luke and started carrying him around on their shoulders. Chiron cantered out from the woods and blew the conch horn.

The game was over. We'd won.

“I am happy that we won. It is always fun playing capture the flag.” Percy admitted.

I was about to join the celebration when Annabeth's voice, right next to
me in the creek, said, "Not bad, hero."

I looked, but she wasn't there.

"Where the heck did you learn to fight like that?" she asked. The air shimmered, and she materialized, holding a Yankees baseball cap as if she'd just taken it off her head.

Athena smiles. She knew Annabeth got that hat from her.

I felt myself getting angry. I wasn't even fazed by the fact that she'd just been invisible. "You set me up," I said. "You put me here because you knew Clarisse would come after me, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out."

“The fact that you figured it out that fast is surprising.” Thalia smirked.

Annabeth shrugged. "I told you. Athena always, always has a plan."

"A plan to get me pulverized."

“Sorry,” Annabeth said. Percy just kissed her and she knew he was forgiven.

"I came as fast as I could. I was about to jump in, but ..." She shrugged.
"You didn't need help."

Then she noticed my wounded arm. "How did you do that?"

“He got slashed with a sword,” Jason said like it was obvious.

"Sword cut," I said. "What do you think?"

"No. It was a sword cut. Look at it."

The blood was gone. Where the huge cut had been, there was a long white scratch, and even that was fading. As I watched, it turned into a small scar, and disappeared.

“You can heal in water?” Hazel asked in awe. Percy just smiled and nodded.

"I-I don't get it," I said.

Annabeth was thinking hard. I could almost see the gears turning. She looked down at my feet, then at Clarisse's broken spear, and said, "Step out of the water, Percy."

“She figured it out easily enough.” Athena said proudly.

“What-"

"Just do it."

“Already bossing him around. I like that,” Aphrodite said making Annabeth blush beet red.

I came out of the creek and immediately felt bone tired. My arms started to go numb again. My adrenaline rush left me. I almost fell over, but Annabeth steadied me.

"Oh, Styx," she cursed. "This is not good. I didn't want ... I assumed it would be Zeus... ."

“Why is that?” Zeus asked grumpily.

Annabeth smiled and replied. “At the time Lord Zeus we figured you were the only one to break the oath.” Zeus just sighed cause it was logical.

Before I could ask what she meant, I heard that canine growl again, but much closer than before. A howl ripped through the forest.

“A hellhound? How did it get into the camp?” Athena said worriedly.

The campers' cheering died instantly. Chiron shouted something in Ancient Greek, which I would realize, only later, I had understood perfectly: "Stand ready! My bow!"

Annabeth drew her sword.

There on the rocks just above us was a black hound the size of a rhino,
with lava-red eyes and fangs like daggers.

It was looking straight at me.

“O no, please be ok please,” Poseidon chanted.

Nobody moved except Annabeth, who yelled, "Percy, run!"

She tried to step in front of me, but the hound was too fast. It leaped over her-an enormous shadow with teeth-and just as it hit me, as I stumbled backward and felt its razor-sharp claws ripping through my armor,

Sally started crying silently and Athena glared at Ares to read faster.

there was a cascade of thwacking sounds, like forty pieces of paper being ripped one after the other. From the hounds neck sprouted a cluster of arrows. The monster fell dead at my feet.

“O thank you so much Chiron thank you,” Poseidon said gratefully.

By some miracle, I was still alive. I didn't want to look underneath the ruins of my shredded armor. My chest felt warm and wet, and I knew I was badly cut. Another second, and the monster would've turned me into a hundred pounds of delicatessen meat.

“On the brink of dying and you joke about it? Unbelievable.” Jason said shaking his head. He was liking Percy more and more.

Chiron trotted up next to us, a bow in his hand, his face grim.

"Di immortales!" Annabeth said. "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't ... they're not supposed to ..."

"Someone summoned it," Chiron said. "Someone inside the camp."

“A traitor?” Athena said. She began calculating who it could be.

Luke came over, the banner in his hand forgotten, his moment of glory gone.

Clarisse yelled, "It's all Percy's fault! Percy summoned it!"

“My best friend was attacked by a hellhound and you accuse him of it,” Grover said with disbelief in his voice.

"Be quiet, child," Chiron told her.

We watched the body of the hellhound melt into shadow, soaking into the ground until it disappeared.

"You're wounded," Annabeth told me. "Quick, Percy, get in the water."

"I'm okay."

“You need to listen to her young man,” Sally said sternly. Percy just nodded and Annabeth smiled widely.

"No, you're not," she said. "Chiron, watch this."

I was too tired to argue. I stepped back into the creek, the whole camp gathering around me.

Instantly, I felt better. I could feel the cuts on my chest closing up. Some of the campers gasped.

"Look, I-I don't know why," I said, trying to apologize. "I'm sorry...."

“Again with the unnecessary apologies,” Nico said.

But they weren't watching my wounds heal. They were staring at something above my head.

"Percy," Annabeth said, pointing. "Um ..."

By the time I looked up, the sign was already fading, but I could still make out the hologram of green light, spinning and gleaming. A three-tipped spear: a trident.

“He is being claimed by Poseidon,” Annabeth explained to the Romans who were looking confused.

“Your father," Annabeth murmured. "This is really not good."

"It is determined," Chiron announced.

All around me, campers started kneeling, even the Ares cabin, though they didn't look happy about it.

"My father?" I asked, completely bewildered.

"Poseidon," said Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."

“Way to make it sound so dramatic Chiron,” Hermes smiled.

“Poseidon’s kids get some awesome powers too,” Grover bragged for his best friend.

Ares threw the book at Dionysus who took and opened it. He cleared his throat and said, “I am offered a quest.” Poseidon paled and Sally stared at her son worriedly.

AWESOME!!!! Please post soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*Please note this is constructive criticism to help the writer improve!*

I love the idea, but the execution could use some work. First, one major thing that bugs me is with the addition of the Romans, without the "good-will" mission Percy and Jason went on, I'm pretty surprised there wasn't more bitterness between the two groups. It would have been interesting to see character development in that respect. As a subset of this issue, Frank didn't know he was a demigod until ~May, when Jason was already at Camp Halfblood in December. So, essentially everyone should look at Frank like, "Wait, who are you?"

A second issue involves grammar. I'm not sure if English is your first language or not, but if it is, I believe some editing is in order before posting. If not, don't worry about this issue as much as I can understand that you're still working on it. I personally just find "your" instead of "you're" coming from Annabeth a bit off-putting! ;P

Thirdly, I don't like Ares, but the poor guy. The Gods' personalities seem a bit... off. They're too quick to jump to being buddy-buddy with the kids, while a begrudging respect for them took years in the books.

Just things to think about for future fanfiction! Please keep writing. I love the storyline for this fic, and want to see you improve over time! :)

I agree with desertxsnow, grammar is definitely a big part of writing. Also, there should be more confusion and arguements when Sally and the rest of them arrive. Overall, I just feel like it is a bit bland. Don't just list everthing out. Try to add more feeling and color into the story. Otherwise, this is awesome!

love the story. finelly fund you from other site. you know me as allen r love the story post more please. don't worry about what the crittics say. only way to get better is to write more.