Chapter 1
A/N: I just found this story on my computer, not quite finished but getting there Hope you enjoy – please review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson
Screaming. All I could hear was screaming. Shouts and roars of monsters and people fighting for their lives and the clanging of swords echoed around the walls. I couldn't see because everything was blurry but I could make out the raging fire to my left and I could feel its heat and wrath even from the far distance that I was away from it.
Two people were stood closest to me but I couldn't see who they were. More screaming. I just wanted it to stop. It was a man and a woman from what I gathered but it all happened too quickly.
"ROBIN!" One of them screamed. A flash of light. Darkness.
I suppose I better start at the very beginning, well, the first thing I remember anyway.
I was 8 years old, I think. I felt tired, I was exhausted – I couldn't even open my eyes. At first it was as though something was clogging my ears because I couldn't hear anything except maybe a faint humming. My eyelids were heavy and I didn't have the strength to open them but I was confused and I wanted to know why I was like this.
My senses were dulled and my brain slow so it took me a while to realise that I could now hear faint voices, but it was like I was swimming underwater. They didn't sound right and I could only barely make out some of what they were saying.
"...get here? ...satyr?"
"No."
"...you sure?"
"... not have survived..."
By that point, I couldn't concentrate any more. I just wanted sleep, to rest. I stopped trying to comprehend what I was hearing and instead, slipped back into a dreamless sleep.
I awoke sometime after – how long, I didn't know. I felt better now, almost back to normal except I still felt tired and sluggish, like I'd been woken up too early. I was more alert now but I had given up trying to understand what the voices were saying before. I'd missed most of what they were saying and I didn't understand what they were saying half the time anyway.
The first face I saw, after sitting up groggily, was a teenage boy. What I thought was a teenage boy. He wore really weird clothing but apart from that he looked pretty much normal.
"You're awake, that's always a good sign." He said smiling, I raised my eyebrows but didn't say anything. Having never seen the boy before, I was wary at first.
"Right... um..." He trailed off, smile drooping slightly after seeing my cautious expression.
"Well, let's start with names first – let me introduce myself. The name's Frederick and no, that does not mean Fred. Frederick." He said quite sternly but then his face softened to a small smile. I could see that he was waiting for me to tell him my name but I hesitated.
"Don't be worried or scared." He said kindly, putting his hands around mine in reassurance.
"You're safe here." He looked me straight in the eye when he said it and I could tell that he meant every word. I decided I could trust him. I don't know why but by staring into his chocolate eyes I knew that he meant me no harm.
"Robin." I said in a small voice. He smiled broadly, happy that I decided to trust him.
"Well, Robin, do you know where you are?" Frederick asked with a serious tone.
I shook my head slowly. Only now did it dawn on me that I was in unfamiliar territory. I had no idea where I was and that scared me. It scared me a lot.
He must have seen the panicked expression in my eyes because he held firmly onto my hands and began to tell me not to worry. I felt safe with him and my worry soon eased slightly but I was still a bit shaken that I was somewhere I didn't know.
"Okay, let's try a different approach. Do you know how you got here?" he asked
Again, I just shook my head. I could feel the panic rising up my throat. Why could I not remember anything? It made me frustrated as well as terrified.
"That's fine, that's fine." He assured but I could tell that there was something he was holding back.
"Um.. right..." He scratched his head as if wondering what to do next. It was then that I really began to look at him. He had curly brown hair that was quite long and a bit of stubble on his chin but what really stood out were his two chocolate eyes. They were deep and kind, young but mature. I studied him carefully as if trying to find the missing link, like something wasn't right...
"Okay... I think it's best if I just tell you just to give you that peace of mind. You're at Camp Half-Blood." He paused as if those words were meant to mean something but I just stared back at him blankly. He quickly moved on.
"Now, this may come as a shock to you so I'll start slowly. Have you ever heard of Zeus?"
I shook my head yet again. That threw him. He looked at me dumbfounded as if it was something that was so obvious.
"Poseidon? Athena? Hermes? Artemis?" He questioned. After my confused expression he muttered something like 'what do they teach them nowadays?' but he had quickly gone back to what he was talking about with a big fake grin that I think was more for his benefit than mine.
"Well, basically, they're Gods. The Greek Gods, as known to most people. Myths, legends. But they're not. It's a bit hard to comprehend, but these Gods, I assure you, are alive and kicking today. I would have shown you the orientation film but in your current state and lack of knowledge, I think that it would have just confused you even more." I could see he was trying desperately to sound like he wasn't crazy but there was something about the way he was talking. Something earnest that made me believe him. Or at least listen to him.
"What I'm trying to say is that these Gods sometimes come down from Olympus, that's basically where they live, and sire children with mortals. Oh, that's normal people by the way – did I mention the Gods were immortal? Oh, never mind... Anyway, basically – you're one of these children. You're half-blood. Sorry to put it bluntly."
I might have mumbled something like 'it's fine' or something like that but I didn't remember as I was starting to feel a little light headed, struggling to cope with this sudden bombardment of information. The weird thing was though, that although all of it came as a complete shock, some part of me wasn't. I wanted to scream or cry, I wasn't sure which, I was so confused but so frustrated that I could remember nothing at all.
"That was a lot for you to take in at once, I think I'll leave you to get some rest." Frederick decided, getting up to leave my bedside.
"No!" I said quite loudly, unwilling to let the one person that I kind of knew here leave me by myself.
"I mean, please don't leave..." I said quietly.
"Okay." He smiled, sitting back down on the chair by my bed – it was then that I saw it. I think I must have looked a bit taken aback because Frederick noticed and followed my gaze. Where there should have been his feet, there were hooves.
"Oh... right, yeah – whoops... heh.." He laughed nervously as his cheeks were begin to turn a little pink.
"This is probably a good time to tell you that I'm a Satyr – basically, half goat." He said like it was one of the most normal things in the world.
"Maybe you should get some air..."
After I had gotten my head around the whole – 'he's part goat!' – thing, I followed him out of what I found out was the infirmary and into the rest of the camp. By this point I was in the state of mind where nothing else could shock me but of course, the minute I stepped outside, yet again I was in awe.
It must have been about mid July because the Sun was blazing down from above and everywhere I looked I saw people dressed in orange T-shirts that said 'Camp Half-Blood' on them. Stranger than that was the fact that most of said people were doing some kind of fighting or other potentially fatal activities.
A group of girls and boys nearest to me were fighting each other with swords while another were all lined up doing archery and each time were all getting bulls-eyes. As I walked around some more, I watched more people fighting with swords and knives as well as a few others in hand to hand combat and other equally dangerous activities. If you didn't have your wits about you walking through this place, you'd get skewered alive in seconds.
Watching all of the children and teenagers doing this made me suddenly quite nervous. What kind of camp was this? I still didn't know what I was doing there in the first place or even how I got there. So far that morning I had woken up with no memory of anything but my name, had been told that some supposed Greek Gods were alive and to top it all off, that I was one of their children. Yeah, this really wasn't going to be a normal day.
I was led by Frederick, after he'd explained each of the different types of training everyone was doing, to a number of cabins in a semi-circle. These weren't your average camp cabins though, each of the 11 there were all vastly different to the next but were all stunning in their own way. He brought me to the one that looked like the most packed cabin – filled with the most campers.
"This is Hermes' cabin. He is the God of messengers and travellers as well as being the messenger to the Gods." Right. I thought, trying to keep an open mind. I was still trying to get my head around the whole 'Gods' thing.
"This is where you'll be staying until you are claimed by the Gods. If you're one of Hermes' children then you'll stay here but up to when-" He stopped himself and sighed. "if," he corrected, "you're claimed this will be your new home."
I peered through the doorway into the cabin. It was the most old and worn looking of the cabins because, as Frederick explained, of its use as a home for all unclaimed demigods, as well as the children of the minor gods. Although there was nobody in there because they were all out training, clothing and other personal belongings were scattered everywhere inside and all of the beds were full but before I could look anymore, Frederick had began walking away and I quickly followed.
"We'll get your accommodation sorted right after you've talked to Chiron – he wanted to see you as soon as you were well enough. Chiron is our activities director here at camp – oh and by the way, don't be worried if Mr D is there, he's the camp director, just ignore him and you'll be fine." He smiled, holding my hand as we walked up to the big house.
Chiron was nice when I met him. Of course, the whole centaur thing was a little bit of a surprise but that's the way my day was going so I just went with it.
"Hello Robin, I'm Chiron as you probably know, the activities director here at camp half-blood. Now I wanted to see you because of your... unusual... arrival at camp two days ago.
Frederick, here, found you collapsed just inside the gate but we weren't expecting you like we are the other demigods. You see, most people like you, we find and take to camp where it's safer away from monsters that try to harm demigods. We send satyrs like Frederick out across the country to find them and bring them safely back. But you... your an anomaly. Practically no demigods know about camp until they're brought here or have been told about it by their parents and certainly none have made their own way here without us knowing about it. You just appeared, basically, on our doorstep.
From what I've gathered, you are at as much of a loss as we are at the moment but do not fret my child, we will get to the bottom of this mystery and camp will become your home where you will learn to survive against the threats that endanger people like you. Now, is there anything that you can tell us that will give us an idea as to who your Godly parent is. We know that you are a demigod because you survived the nectar and ambrosia given to you in the infirmary – no mortal would have."
I shook my head, suddenly very scared again. I couldn't even remember my parents. Chiron sighed but looked at me kindly.
"Do not worry, we will find out some way or another. Now I think it would be best for you to get acquainted with your fellow campers. They will show you the ropes here at camp. Welcome to your new home."
