DISCLAIMER: It should be fairly obvious that I don't own the Percy Jackson series. And if it wasn't, well you know now. I did create the character Xander, though I did draw on heavily on outside sources.
Credit goes to Matthias the Wanderer for creating Shin-Li the same way.
This Story runs parallel to the story Demigod Tales: Another Side, Another Story.
What ever Percy had been expecting a training camp for demigods would look like Camp Half-Blood wasn't it. At first he hadn't believed Grover or Chiron when they explained about the gods and monsters but his little encounter with Mr. D had changed his mind quickly. But Camp Half-Blood didn't look like it was a training ground for heroes. It just looked like a regular summer camp! But then he started to notice things that he hadn't before as Chiron showed him around. The rock climbing wall began to spout lava, and more goat people like Grover were sandblasting as statue of a giant goat-man. But the strangest part of the entire image were the cabins.
They were arranged in a giant U shape, but none of them looked anything alike. Number nine looked like a factory, with working smokestacks! Number seven seemed to be made out of solid gold and gleamed so brightly that it hurt to look at it. Number four had vines growing up the sides of it and even had a roof made of woven grass. Numbers one and two were the most striking of them all though. Number one was tall and mighty, it was angled in such a way that it looked like it had lightning bolts streaking across the doors. Number two was more graceful. It had tall smooth columns garland with pomegranates and flowers with pictures of peacocks decorating the walls. "Zeus and Hera?" Percy guessed.
"Correct." Chiron said.
"Their cabins look empty." Percy observed.
"Several cabins are. That's true. No one ever stays in one or two." Chiron explained.
So each cabin had a different god, like a mascot. Twelve cabins for twelve olympians. But why should some be empty? Percy stopped in front of the first cabin next to cabin one, cabin three. It wasn't high and mighty like cabin one but low, long and solid. The outer walls were made of rough stone studded with coral and seashells, as if the slabs had been hewn straight from the bottom of the ocean floor. He peaked inside the open doorway and Chiron said "Oh I wouldn't do that!" But before he could pull him away Percy managed to catch the scent of the seashore, like the wind at Montauk. The inner walls glowed like abalone. There were only six bunks with downturned silk sheets. It didn't look like anyone had ever slept there. The place was so sad and lonely that Percy was glad when Chiron put a hand on his shoulder and said "Come along Percy."
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 of paint. There was barbed wire lining the roof and a stuffed boars head hung above the doorway it's eyes seeming to follow Percy as he walked. Inside there were a bunch of mean looking kids fighting, wrestling and arguing as rock music blared. A boy with shockingly white hair wearing a with shirt with red tribal lines on it lay on a bed while a girl about thirteen or fourteen yelled at him. The girl was wearing an XXXL Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and was getting pretty red in the face from shouting until the boy, also about thirteen hopped off the bed and walked out of the cabin, blowing her off. The girls eyes then zeroed in on Percy, giving him a death-glare. She looked Nancy Bobofit, Percy decided. Except bigger and meaner with stringy brown hair instead of frizzy red.
"I haven't seen any other centaurs around." Percy observed, trying to stay clear of Chiron's hooves.
"No," said Chiron sadly. "My kinsmen are wild and barbaric folk. You might encounter them in the wilderness or at major sporting events. But you won't see any hear."
"You said your name was Chiron. Are you really…" Percy started hesitantly.
"Am I really the Chiron from the stories? Trainer of Heracles and all that? Yes, Percy, I am." Chiron smiled.
"Shouldn't you be dead?"
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 for 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 that I'm still needed."
Being a teacher forever definitely wouldn't be on Percy's top ten things to wish for."Doesn't it ever get boring?" he asked.
"Oh no. Horribly depressing at times but never boring." Chiron said.
"Why depressing?" Percy asked.
Chiron seemed to turn hard of hearing. "Oh look," he said. "Annabeth, and Shin-Li are waiting for us." The blonde girl that Percy had met at the Big House and an asian boy about fourteen years old sat in front of the last cabin, cabin eleven. They were pouring over a book and sketchbook. Percy tried to make out the title of but his dyslexia was acting up. At least that's what he thought until he realized that the title wasn't even english. The letters looked greek to him, literally greek. Both books had pictures of columns and temples, like architecture books. "Annabeth, Shin-Li, I have masters archery at noon. Would you take Percy from here?" he asked.
"Sure." Shin-Li nodded, Annabeth just glared at Percy, as if she were angry with him for not living up to her expectations.
"Cabin eleven. Make yourself at home." Chiron said, gesturing at the building. Out off all the cabins only cabin leven looked like a regular old summer camp cabin, with emphasis on old. The threshold was worn down, the brown paint peeling. A silver caduceus hung over the doorway. Inside was packed with people, way more than the number of bunks. Boys and girls had sleeping bags spread out on the floor. All in all the place looked more like an evacuation center than a summer camp cabin. Chiron didn't step in, the ceiling was too low for him, but when they saw him all the campers stood and bowed respectfully. "Well then." Chiron said. "Good luck Percy, I'll see you at dinner." and he cantered off.
The campers weren't bowing anymore. They were just standing there, sizing him up. Percy knew the routine, he been through it at enough schools. "Well? Go on." Annabeth said impatiently.
"Watch that first step." Shin-Li whispered as Percy passed him. Looking down Percy realized that there was a small, slightly raised section of the doorway. Stepping over it he realized that there was basically no room for him to move inside the cabin. "Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven." he said, speaking to the entire cabin this time.
"Regular or undetermined?" someone near the back asked.
"Undetermined." Shin-Li answered, resulting a a lot of groans.
A guy 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 over there." he said pointing to the last empty spot of floor on the ground. 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 on it, just like the ones Shin-Li and Annabeth had on theirs. The only thing unsettling about his appearance was a thick white scar that ran from just underneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash.
"This is Luke." Annabeth said, sounding slightly different. Looking at her Percy could have sworn she was blushing. "He's your counselor for now."
"For now?" Percy asked.
"You're undetermined. 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."
Percy looked at the spot of floor they'd given him. No sleeping bag, no luggage or clothes. He thought about setting the Minotaurs horn down but remembered that Hermes was also the god of thieves. "How long will I be here?" he asked.
"Good question." Luke said. "Until you're determined."
"How long will that take?" Percy asked confused. Some of the campers laughed bitterly.
"Come on!" Annabeth said grabbing his arm and dragging him out the door and down towards the volleyball court.
The last thing Percy said was Shin-Li looking at Luke and saying, "We need to talk."
"You need to do better than that Jackson!" Annabeth snapped as soon as they were out of earshot of the other campers.
"What?" he asked irritated.
"I can't believe I thought you were the one." she said rolling her eyes.
"What's your problem!" Percy shot back. "All I did was kill some bull-guy,"
"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth cut him off angrily. "Do you have any idea how many kids at camp wish they'd had your chance?"
"To get killed?" Percy asked raising his eyebrow.
"To fight the minotaur! What do you think we train for?" she asked him.
"Look, " Percy said closing his eyes. "If what I fought really was the Minotaur, the same one from the stories…"
"Yes." Annabeth confirmed.
"Then there's only one." Percy said slowly.
"Yes." Annabeth said again.
"And he died like a gajillion years ago right? Theseus killed him in the labyrinth. So…"
"Monsters don't die Percy. They can be killed but they don't die." she said shaking her head.
"Well that clears it up, thanks." Percy shot back sarcastically.
"They don't have souls like you and me. You can dispel them for a while, maybe a whole lifetime if you're lucky. But they're primal forces. Chiron calls them archetypes. Eventually they reform."
Percy thought back to when he had killed Mrs. Dodds. "You mean if you accidentally killed one with a sword…"
"The Fur…your math teacher. That's right. She's still out there. You just made her very very mad." Annabeth said.
"How did you know about Mrs. Dodds?" Percy asked confused.
Annabeth looked down, not willing to meet his eyes. "You talk in your sleep." she told him finally.
"You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades torturers right?" Percy asked.
Annabeth looked down nervously, as if she expected the earth to open up and swallow her. "You shouldn't call them by name, even here. We call them Kindly Ones if we have to speak of them at all."
"Okay, now why do we all have to be crammed in Cabin eleven? There are plenty of empty bunks in those cabins over there." Percy said waving a hand in the general direction of the the empty cabins.
Annabeth turned pale before answering. "You don't just choose a cabin Percy. It depends on who your parents are. Or…your parent." she stared at him, waiting for him to get it.
"My mom is Sally Jackson." Percy said defiantly. "She works in Grand Central Station. Or at least she used to."
"I'm sorry about your mom Percy. But that's not what I mean. I'm talking about your other parent. Your dad." she said gently.
"He's dead. I never knew him." Percy said shortly.
Annabeth sighed. Obviously she'd had this conversation before. "Your father's not dead Percy."
"How can you say that? You know him?" Percy asked.
"Of course not." Annabeth sighed.
"Then how can you say-" but she cut him off.
"Because I know you. You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us."
"You don't know anything about me." Percy snapped, getting kind of angry.
"No?" Annabeth said raising an eyebrow. "I bet you moved around from school to school. Got kicked out of a lot of them."
"How-" he started but she was on a role.
"Diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD, too."
Percy felt his face burning as he tried to swallow his embarrassment. "What does that have to do with anything?" he asked.
"Taken together it's almost a sure sign." she told him. "The letters float off the page when you read, right? That's because your brain 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 mortals. Of course the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they really are."
"You sound like you went through the same thing." Percy noticed.
"Most of us did." Annabeth sighed. "If you weren't like us you couldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less ambrosia and nectar."
"Ambrosia and nectar." Percy said staring at her.
"The food and drink we gave you to make you feel better. That stuff would've killed a regular mortal. 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."
A half-blood. Percy was reeling with so many revelations and questions that it made his head spin.
The a husky voice yelled "Well, a newbie!" Percy looked over to see the girl from the red cabin walking over to them with three other girls behind her.
"Clarisse." Annabeth sighed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"
"Sure Miss Princess." Clarisse sneered. "So I can run you through with it on friday night."
"Erre es korakas!" Annabeth shot back, which Percy somehow understood was greek for 'go to the crows!' He had a feeling that is was worse than it sounded.
"We'll pulverize you!" Clarisse said, but her eye twitched, making Percy wonder if she could really follow through with that threat. The she turned to him. "Who's this little runt?" she asked.
"Percy Jackson," Annabeth said, "Meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares."
Percy blinked. "Like…the war god?"
"You got a problem with that punk?" she sneered.
"No," he shot back recovering his wits. "That explains the bad smell."
"We got an initiation ceremony for newbies Prissy." Clarisse growled.
"Percy."
"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you."
"Clarisse-" Annabeth tried to step in.
"Stay out of it Wise Girl." Clarisse snarled.
Percy handed Annabeth his Minotaur horn and got ready for a fight but before he knew it Clarisse had him in a headlock and was dragging him toward a cinderblock building that Percy immediately knew was the bathroom. He was punching and kicking but Clarisse had a grip like a vice. Inside there was a row of toilets on one wall and a row of shower stalls on the other. Percy couldn't help but think, as much as he could with Clarisse ripping his hair out, that if this was a training ground for the children of gods then why didn't they have cleaner johns? Clarisse and her friends were laughing while Percy tried to find that strength he used against the Minotaur but it just wasn't there.
"Oh yeah, he's gonna scare the pants of Xander, that's for sure." he heard Clarisse laugh. "He's like Big Three material. The Minotaur probably fell over laughing he was so stupid looking." Clarisse bent him over and started forcing his head toward one of the toilets. Percy struggled to keep his head up. I won't go into that water, he decided, I won't" And that's when it happened. There was a tugging sensation in his gut and the pipes shuddered, the plumbing rumbling. Clarisse's grip on his hair loosened.
Water shot out of the toilet in a clean arc over his head and the next thing he knew he was sprawled on the floor with Clarisse screaming behind him. He tuned around just in time to see a fresh arc of water shoot from the toilet and smack Clarisse in the face so hard she was pushed down on her butt. The water stayed on her like a fire hose, pushing her back into the shower. Clarisse struggled, gasping, making her friends move to help her. But then the other toilets exploded too, shooting six more streams of water at the group, then the showers acted up too. Altogether the combined force of the bathroom fixtures was enough to send the camouflage girls spinning about of the bathroom, like pieces of trash being washed out.
As soon as they were out the door the tug in his gut lessened, and the water shut off. The entire bathroom was flooded, Annabeth hadn't been spared. She stood dripping wet, but she hadn't been pushed out of the door. She was standing in the exact same place staring at him in shock. Looking down Percy realized that he was standing in the only dry spot in the whole room. There was a circle of dry around him leaving him with not a single drop of water on him. He stood up shakily.
"How did you-" Annabeth asked in shock.
"I don't know." Percy told her honestly.
They walked to the door. Clarisse and her friends were sprawled in the mud where a bunch of other campers had gathered around to watch. "You are dead new boy! You are totally dead!" she snarled.
"You have to admit. He did a good job getting rid of the bad smell." a new voice said wryly. The campers that had gathered around to watch scattered, even Annabeth's eyes widened.
Walking over to them was a young man, maybe thirteen if Percy had to guess. He was dressed in cargo pants that were tucked into his hiking boots and a white t-shirt with bright red tribal designs on it. He had bronzed skin, as if he had been out in the sun his whole life and a small smirk on his face as he walked over. He had gravity defying white hair, but even that wasn't the most unsettling thing about his appearance. This guy has red eyes. Percy realized when he wondered what seemed off. And it was true, his eyes were a bright blood red. "Xander." Clarisse said, but her voice wasn't as angry as it had been before. If anything she sounded a little scared. The it hit Percy. This was the same kid he had seen blow Clarisse off earlier.
"I think you've done enough here." he said, jerking his head at the red cabin. The funny thing was that Percy was sure he wasn't asking. Whoever this guy was he had Clarisse and Annabeth both scared of him. Climbing to her feet Clarisse glared once more at Percy but trudged off the her cabin with her friends. "Sorry about them." he said walking over and holding out a hand. Up close Percy could see that this guy was only a year older than him but covered in hard muscles. Infact the only thing marring his image was a long thick scar running the length of his right forearm, all the way from his wrist to his elbow.
"Percy." he said taking the offered hand.
"Xander. I'll see you around Percy." he said shaking the hand firmly before walking back to the Ares cabin.
"What?" Percy asked when he saw Annabeth looking at him strangely.
"I'm thinking," she said, "That I want you on my team for capture the flag."