Okay, sorry this story took so long to put up everyone! I was editing another story and then I had tons to do and so I finally was able to put this together. I hope you like it!
Chapter 1: The Newbie
Elizabeth's POV
"Luke!" I yelled as I ran towards Half-Blood Hill. I saw a figure carrying the familiar satyr Grover down the hill. Luke reached me and we bolted to the infirmary. The figure reached the infirmary as Luke and I still ran towards them. Chiron and Annabeth were already there. They were whispering something and then Chiron picked up the boy that had dragged Grover down the hill and into the infirmary. Annabeth followed, supporting Grover while Argus stood watch at the door. Luke and I reached the door in less than thirty seconds.
"Argus, can we go in?" Luke asked. Argus shook his head.
"Please Argus?" I begged.
"Let them in, Argus," Chiron shouted from inside. Argus moved aside and we entered. We walked over to the bed where the beat up figure of a twelve year old boy lay.
"What happened?" I whispered.
"He fought the Minotaur," Chiron answered.
"And he survived? Damn," Luke looked kind of surprised.
"What's his name?" Annabeth asked.
"Percy Jackson," Chiron replied. I stared at the boy, he seemed so familiar. And then it hit me.
"I know him," I said.
"What do you mean?" Chiron asked instantly.
"I met him at this candy store. His mom worked there. It was on a weekend and he was browsing through the candy, mostly the blue stuff. I started talking to him and he was pretty nice. In fact, I spent the whole day with him."
"How long ago was that?"
"A year or two ago, but he looks the same. Taller, but the same," I replied.
"Did you know he was a demigod?"
"No, I had no clue, although come to think of it, his mom did seem very protective of him."
"I could imagine. Now, Luke, Elizabeth, go back to your posts. Annabeth, help me take care of Percy," Chiron ordered.
"Yes, sir," Luke said. We bowed to Chiron and left. We left the infirmary and walked back to the lake.
"Do you think he will be okay?" I asked. Luke took a hold of my hand.
"He'll be fine. Chiron and Annabeth will take good care of him," Luke assured me, kissing me on the cheek.
"I sure hope you're right. He's so sweet. You'll like him," I smiled.
"If you like him, I like him."
We walked around in a comfortable silence until Connor and Travis came to and switched post duty with us.
Luke's POV
Two days had passed and Percy still hadn't woken up. Elizabeth was getting restless and I wasn't able to convince her that he was going to be okay. I finished with my sword fighting lesson and headed back to the Hermes cabin. Gods, how I hated it there. It was so cramped and loud. The only thing that I liked about it was that Elizabeth was there and she slept in the bed right next to me. I took off my armor and started picking up around my area. Unlike most Hermes kids, I liked to be neat.
"Hey, Luke," Elizabeth greeted me as she walked in. She had grown up a lot over the past five summers. She seemed wiser, smarter, and above all else, more beautiful. She was wearing dark denim short shorts and a red shirt that was ruffled at the hem. She looked drop-dead gorgeous as always.
"Hey, beautiful," I answered, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. Everyone knew Elizabeth and I were dating so I didn't really care kissing her in front of them.
"Has Annabeth told you anything on Percy?"
"No, not yet. I'm sure he'll be fine," I tried reassuring her for the thousandth time.
"She won't tell me jack about him. I swear she's doing that on purpose. I don't know what the hell I ever did to her but she hates my guts," Elizabeth muttered.
"She doesn't hate you," I sat down next to her on her bed.
"Oh yes she does," Elizabeth said.
"What makes you say that?"
"Every time she looks at me, she gives me the evil eye the 'I'm going to kill you if you come near me' look."
"I've never noticed."
"She doesn't do it around you."
"Why not?"
"You really expect me to answer that?"
"No," I smiled. I nudged her with my shoulder and she nudged back. Elizabeth rested her head on my shoulder when the door swung open. The light from outside was blocked by Chiron in centaur form and next to him was Annabeth and the black haired boy.
"Percy…" I heard Elizabeth murmur. I felt a sudden twinge of jealousy but quickly pushed it away.
"Hello, everyone," Chiron greeted us. We all bowed to the centaur. Then I went up to the door, followed by Elizabeth. She was technically the other leader of the Hermes cabin.
"Hello, Luke. I would like you to meet Percy Jackson." Chiron turned to the black haired boy. "I'll leave you to become acquainted."
Chiron left and the black haired boy stared a little nervously at us, although more in awe at Elizabeth.
"Hey, Percy. I'm Luke," I smiled, holding out my hand. He shook it firmly. "Welcome to Cabin Eleven."
"Thanks," Percy said.
"Well, go in," I heard Annabeth whisper. Percy stepped into the cabin and tripped. There were a few snickers from the kids but I ignored them.
"Hey, Percy. I'm Elizabeth," Elizabeth smiled.
"Nice to meet you. You seem familiar… do I know you?" Percy inquired.
"I met you at the candy store your mom works at. It was about a year or two ago."
"Oh yeah! I remember that day!" Percy chuckled. Elizabeth grinned.
"You'll be sleeping on the floor since all the beds are taken." I walked to the sleeping bag on the floor. Percy was in the process of putting his Minotaur horn on the bed, hesitated, and then held onto it firmly. It was a smart move considering the company he was in.
Elizabeth's POV
Luke left to go get some supplies for Percy while I dug through my hidden candy stash in my suitcase to find some blue candy. I pulled out some blue jellybeans and brought them over to him.
"Thanks!" Percy exclaimed shyly.
"No problem. If you want anymore, let me know. I have a hidden stash in my suitcase," I grinned slyly. "Listen, I have to go but Luke should be back in a minute. If you have any questions, ask him."
"Okay, thanks Elizabeth," Percy said with a sad smile.
"No problem. See you at dinner." I left the cabin and passed Luke on the way. He was on his way to get stuff for Percy.
"Hey, Percy is really down. I think it is because of his mom. See what you can do to cheer him up," I told him.
"I'll see what I can do," Luke replied. "I'll see you at dinner."
"Okay." Luke kissed me before heading back to the camp's store. Maybe I had been imagining he had been acting weirdly the past few days. I pushed the thought away from my mind. If something was bothering Luke, he would tell me. I just had to wait.
I walked past the bathroom and heard an explosion… like the toilets were suddenly like volcanoes? I ran to the bathroom to find Clarisse and her friends and Annabeth soaking wet with sewage water, and it didn't smell that nice. The only dry spot was where Percy was, right next to the toilet. He was completely dry. Percy and I made eye contact and I couldn't help but grin.
"Way to go Percy. Clarisse, I hope you know you deserved that," I told her with a raised eyebrow.
"Shut up, Barbie," Clarisse muttered. "We'll pulverize you at the next Capture the Flag game."
Percy's POV
Elizabeth got a sly smirk on her face. Remind me to never get in a fight with her because she looks like she could whip my butt at anything at anyplace with a blindfold with her hands tied behind her back.
"You. Wish," Elizabeth said, the sly smile still on her face. Unlike Clarisse had when she was threatening Annabeth, Elizabeth didn't show any sign that she doubted her team would win, and with the look on her face, I had a feeling that she was right. Clarisse cowered a little.
"We'll see about that," Clarisse said, straightening up. Elizabeth just laughed.
"I'll go get the plumber," Elizabeth said almost like she had just realized that the bathroom was covered in guck. She left all of us in the room.
"How did you…" Annabeth started.
"I don't know," I answered truthfully. We walked out of the bathroom and past Clarisse and her friends.
"You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead," Clarisse snarled.
"You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth," I taunted. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to do but I couldn't help myself. Clarisse started towards me but her friends pulled her back down. I turned to Annabeth and she was staring at me. I could just tell the gears were working in her head.
"What?" I questioned.
"I'm thinking I want you on my team for capture the flag."
Luke's POV
I walked into the Hermes cabin and gave Percy his stuff. He smelled strangely of toilet water but I decided not to mention that.
"Found you a sleeping bag," I said, handing him a sleeping bag. "And here, I stole some toiletries from the camp store."
"Thanks Luke," Percy replied, looking like he wondering if I had been telling the truth about stealing the stuff. That was a complete lie… sort of.
He was finishing off some blue jelly beans and I could tell he was enjoying every second of him.
"No prob. I see Elizabeth has already given you a welcome gift," I joked. Percy nodded and his once solemn face brightened up a little at the mention of Elizabeth. I sat down next to him, leaned against the wall and we started talking. "Tough first day?"
"I don't belong here. I don't even believe in gods."
"Yeah, that's how we all started. Once you start believing in them? It doesn't get any easier," I told him bitterly. My father had done nothing to help me in my life.
"So your dad is Hermes?" Percy inquired. I pulled out my pocket knife to scrape some dirt off my shoe. Percy's eyes widened a little and I think he thought I was going to gut him.
"Yeah, Hermes."
"The wing-footed messenger guy?"
"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," I told him casually. I tried to act like it didn't bug me when in truth, it did. Why couldn't the Gods take one second out of their day to claim their kid? They're immortal, it wouldn't hurt them.
"You ever meet you dad?"
"Once." It was all I said. I really didn't want to go to that subject. The only people that knew what had happened were Thalia, Annabeth, Grover, and Elizabeth. Thalia was dead, Annabeth and Grover only knew some of it. Elizabeth knew everything. I had told her last year. She had been sympathetic, knew when to talk and when to listen. She knew what to say at what time. I loved her. I loved her more than anything in the world. Elizabeth was the closest thing I had to family besides Annabeth. Annabeth was like my little sister although I wondered if she would like that title.
I looked up at Percy and managed to smile. "Don't worry about it, Percy. The campers here, they're mostly good people. After all, we're extended family, right? We can take care of each other."
"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?"
"I hate prophecies," I muttered, closing my switchblade.
"What do you mean?"
Let's just say I messed things up for everybody else. Last year, 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."
"Somebody special?"
"Don't worry about it, kid," I said. "Annabeth wants to think that every new camper who comes through here is the omen she's been waiting for. Now, come on, it's dinner time."
The horn sounded and we all stood up. I didn't know where Elizabeth was, she should be here. "Eleven, fall in!"
"I'm here!" Elizabeth came bursting through the door, almost running into me. Her hair was wind-blown, giving her a movie-star effect.
"There you are. Where were you?" I smiled.
"Uh, problem with the bathroom. The toilets exploded," She held back a grin as she peered behind me. I looked behind me and found her gaze lingering on Percy, who was turning a bright red. He had had something to do with the toilets exploding, I was positive. "Anyway, I had to go find the plumber and then he was completely drunk so I had to convince Mr. D to get him over his hangover long enough to fix the toilets, and that was a pain in the gáidaros," Elizabeth explained quickly.
"You're the only person besides his sons and the Big-Three that can get him to do something," I complimented with a smile. I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and we received a few whistles but we ignored them. We were used to it by now. I think they always expected us to do something more but we never would do any more than a quick kiss on the lips on cheek. Elizabeth stood behind me and we walked out of the cabin.
Elizabeth's POV
We walked to the dining pavilion and after making an offering to the Gods and after cramming onto the bench, I was finally settled in right next to Luke. Percy was on the other side of him, his butt halfway off the bench.
The barbecue was delicious as always and when we were finished and stuffed to the bone, we headed to the amphitheater where we sang and ate marshmallows. It was just like any other day at camp. Percy looked a little more relaxed I noticed which made me feel better. He had had a rough first day.
The fire was bright yellow and at least fifteen feet in the air, but there was something that was unsettling about this fire. In the very middle, there was the tiniest black flame, which usually meant great sadness or danger. It was puzzling.
"You okay?" Luke nudged me.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I answered. I leaned my head on his shoulder and blocked out the feeling that something was terribly, horribly wrong.
Once the camp fire was over, we all went back to our cabins. Percy fell asleep immediately and once my head hit the pillow, so did I.
Okay, Percy's god parent had me stumped, and I was usually good at the guessing game. He sucked at archery, sucked at the forge, excelled at canoeing, and was really good at sword fighting. I knew it was insane to even think this but maybe his father was Poseidon. Poseidon was awesome at any water sport, and was surprisingly good at sword fighting. Percy's first sword-fighting lesson, he defeated Luke, just like I had defeated Will when I first fought him. Oh, by the way, Will, if you're wondering, is still dating Fi. Will was doing a project for college so he would be coming later in the summer. Fi was halfway across the world in China traveling.
It was finally Friday, and time for the first capture the flag game. Now, mind you, this isn't like most capture the flag. We use flags and we run and try to capture the other team's flag, but we are able to use any magical item we want. For example, Annabeth has a cap of invisibility, so she can use that. Clarisse has an electric spear and she can use that. You get the idea. Oh, and we also use swords and shields.
Anyway, the Hermes cabin was allies with the Athena cabin. Annabeth was leader of the Athena cabin and after everything she's been through, I know why. I had three reasons she had chosen the Hermes cabin: 1) Luke because she liked him, 2) Percy because, well, I don't know, and 3) We were the biggest cabin. I was to run with Luke and capture the flag. I didn't really hear what her part was because I was thinking about how Luke and I were going to do this without being captured. However, when she got to Percy, I listened. She stationed him by the creek. I knew what she was doing. Clarisse would go after Percy because he had humiliated her and she would want revenge. She would forget all about capturing the flag and well, demolish Percy. I wasn't too keen on the idea but I didn't say anything.
Annabeth showed Percy where he was to stand and then we left him by himself, which I felt bad about. The poor kid was new and we had just set him as bait. Wonderful.
The conch sounded and we ran towards the enemy territory. Some Ares kids were already coming towards me and Luke but our guards made a distraction so Luke and I could slip past them and go to the flag. It was easy. Luke and I reached the flag, made quick work of the Hephaestus kids, and we ran back to our territory. Our team members were cheering and I glimpsed at Percy and some Ares kids surrounding him, most of them on the ground. Luke and I were surrounded from our teammates, cheering, when a growl sounded near Percy. I instantly ran towards him with my sword and shield ready.
A hellhound jumped towards Percy and landed on top of him. I heard myself yell out his name. I threw my sword at the hellhound as it was bombarded with arrows. The hellhound disappeared and Percy was left. He stood up with bloody scratches down his chest. But what I saw stunned me. The water was healing him.
"Ach skatá," I muttered. Luke looked at me in surprise. I just shrugged. This wasn't good. Percy couldn't be, I mean, I had guessed he could be his parent but if that were true then that meant that the Great Prophecy was about to come true.
My instincts were right. A trident with a green halo surrounding it appeared above Percy's head.
"Kai páli, ach skatá," I murmured, kneeling in front of Percy.
"It is determined," Chiron announced.
"My father?" Percy inquired, looking completely bewildered and confused. He had no idea how serious this was.
"Poseidon," said Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."