Prologue

The sun rose just over the horizon, illuminating the canoe lake and shimmering off in golden rays. The camp was still quiet, but not for long. In just an hour or so, campers would begin to wake up and finish packing away their stuff. The valley would erupt in loud shouts and bangs as the teenagers stored away their armor and weapons for the year. Others would help their friends and say goodbye for nine months.

However, one camper was already awake. Percy Jackson stood on the beach staring at the horizon over Long Island Sound. He only wished his father would let him stay at the palace over the school year with his half-brother, but he also knew why he couldn't. Instead, he was going to spend the year with his mom, Sally. Since he was now nineteen (well, almost nineteen - his birthday was in three days) and no longer in high school, he was going to apply for jobs and work to help his mom pay for her night classes.

He was looking forward to seeing her. They both have had hard lives and she's one of three people that make him feel better. The other two being his half-brother, Tyson, and his best friend, Grover. Of course, she's the only human with Tyson being a cyclops and Grover a satyr, but those are just technicalities.

Percy sat there, in the sand, watching the sun come up. He had heard stories of the famous Ken Jones, who defeated the Titan Army back in 2000. Apparently, when Ken was 13, he met Hermes on the same beach Percy was sitting on. Hermes gave him supplies that allowed him to pursue an illegal quest to find the Golden Fleece. Everyone at camp always talked about Ken as if he were a legendary hero, but Percy had never personally met him, as he was living at the other camp in San Francisco.

The sound of a conch echoed loudly through the valley, shocking Percy. He hadn't realized how long he had been sitting on the beach. He stood up, brushed off his shorts, and wandered back to his cabin to wake up the only other two occupants, his half-sisters.

As he crossed the courtyard, he noticed some of the other campers rushing around their cabins, trying to gather last-minute items before breakfast. A large sledgehammer came flying out of the door to the Hephaestus cabin, coming close to whacking Percy over the head. One of the Demeter kids was on the grass roof, watering it one last time.