Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Order brings Chaos
Chapter I: Caius Cornelius Novo
I finally gave into temptation by writing this story. I'd been putting it off as this means I now have four stories on the go. Ouch.
Anyway, I thought I should put this here as a sort of fore-warning. If you are not a fan of long chapters (7,000+ words) then don't even start reading, as this is going to have huge chapters, some if which may be multi-part. I am planning to make this my largest story yet, and it will be ongoing for quite a while, as in, this may end up being a year long!
So, anyhow, enough of my ramblings. The story starts... now.
The bus driver peered threw the grimy windscreen, squinting hard to see the twisting gravel road he was following. Rain was pouring down in thick sheets which made the already difficult task so much more challenging, and the windows rattled as the wind screamed into the dirty glass.
The bus itself was completely empty, save for the driver and two figures, who sat at the very back of the bus, half hidden in the shadows. They talked in murmured voices, as if they expected any one to listening to what they were saying. The conversation stopped suddenly when an ugly crunching sound emanated from the engine. The driver swore and punched the wheel, muttering the obscenities under his breath.
He turned to his two passengers and cleared his throat, a little nervously. Those two creeped him out a little.
"The engine packed up," he explained apologetically, lightly slapping the dashboard, "You can wait 'till I fix it or..."
"Here will do fine," one of the figures said, as the driver's voice tailed away, "We'll just walk to the nearest city." It was a girl's voice, and she spoke in a clam and measured way, displaying very little emotion.
"Are you sure?" The driver asked uncertainly, "I'm not really sure where the nearest town is, I mean, it could be miles away."
As he spoke, the pair had risen, and headed down the aisle to the head of the bus.
"We're sure,"the girl said, and the driver reached for the lever that opened the door, but paused.
"You're quite sure, I mean, it'll take a few minutes."
"Yes, we're sure," the girl repeated and a note of impatience crept into her voice. The driver shrugged and pulled the lever, and the door slid aside, exposing the interior of the bus to the wild outdoors. The lead figure headed down the steps, and jumped down to the rod, landing with a light splash in a shallow puddle of muddy water. The girl turned to follow him, but the driver called her back.
"Uh, I need the fare," he said, holding out a hand. The girl cocked her head, before slipping a small bundle of notes into his palm. He stared at it, perplexed.
"Um, this isn't..."
"Keep the change," The girl interrupted, "Money isn't an issue for us."
With that, she turned an exited the bus, leaping onto the sodden ground with a muffled squelch.
The driver watched them curiously, as the pair headed into the woods that stood by the side of the road.
"Crazy kids," he muttered. Then he shrugged on his coat and trudged from the bus to the bonnet, from which a fine mist was emerging.
The couple had not gone as fas as the driver thought, and they watched him as he banged about in the engine.
"I think Ryan would have a heart attack watching him," the girl remarked drily, folding her arms. Her companion didn't smile. Instead, he laid a hand flat against the floor, a brief scowl flashing across his face.
"Anything?" The girl asked, turning to face him.
Slowly, the boy shook his head, and straightened.
"Nothing much," he said slowly, "Large iron deposit below, bit of silver, bit of nickel."
He raised his arm and pointed to his left. "The only useful thing I got is that there is an underground pipe leading off to the east, probably gas or water."
"And if we follow it we should get to a town, right?"
The boy nodded.
"Or we get to the plant, and we get directions to the nearest town."
"So what are we waiting for?" The girl asked, raising one eyebrow.
"Nothing," the boy replied shortly, "Let's go."
They began to walk, close together, and constantly peering into the night, as if they expected to be attacked at any moment.
"I don't like this," the boy muttered, one hand resting against his hip, his eyes narrowed. Then he stiffened.
"What?" The girl whispered urgently, but the boy quickly pulled her backwards, behind a nearby rock.
They crouched down behind the grey stone, their shallow breathing creating a faint haze before their faces.
"What?" The girl repeated, gazing at her companion's taut expression.
Another figure entered the clearing, and the boy's eyes narrowed further.
"That," he said under his breath, one hand gripping a small cigarette lighter. The figure looked unremarkable, she looked to be in her mid-twenties, with long-ish brown hair, and small, beady eyes that swept the clearing suspiciously. She was dressed like a hiker, but her clothes were completely clean; no mud crusted the boots or was spattered up the legs of the equally spotless waterproof trousers.
Her gaze probed the clearing slowly, and the pair crouched down further, so that they almost lay flat on the ground. The rain was still coming down in sheets but none of the figures gathered seemed to notice. Very little moved, and the breathing of the two had quickened and the girl fought to control a sense of panic.
Something was definitely wrong with the woman in the clearing, she could sense it too. The woman may look human to a casual passer-by, but she seemed a little stiff, a little too expressionless. Any doubts that remained were soon expelled as the woman called out in a harsh guttural language. She strode from the clearing and off into the trees nearby.
The girl exhaled slowly, and turned to face her companion, who had relaxed his grip on the lighter.
"Definitely not human," she breathed, and the boy nodded, and gestured for them to stand.
That's when the trees behind them exploded. The pair was thrown, along with the rock they had crouched behind, into the air. As she flew, the girl tucked into a ball, landing rather more softly than she would have otherwise done. That doesn't mean it didn't hurt though.
The source of the explosion burst from the splintered trees, and the girl's eyes widened in shock. It was one of the most horrifying things she had ever seen, with oversized wings, the body of a vulture, but with the head of the woman crudely grafted to a snake-like neck. The woman's mouth was surrounded by crusted blood and she was diving toward the pair with her talons outstretched. The girl rolled aside, and the horrible creature swooped upwards with an angry screech.
The creature looped back for another pass, and the boy pulled the lighter from his pocket, and flicked it on, the small flame dancing in the pouring rain. He stood and waited as the bird/human hybrid streaked towards him, an expression of malicious glee plastered across her face.
At the last second, the boy threw the lighter and dived to one side. The flame caught the tip of creatures wing and the flames leapt across the feathers. The creature screamed and fell to the ground, writhing and shrieking in agony. Calmly, the boy scooped the lighter from where it had fallen, and extinguished the flame. He stooped and hefted a rock about the size of his fist, and crossed to where the burning figure lay. She watched him with eyes full of loathing.
"You can't run forever demigods," she spat, "My sisters will feel my death, and no-one escapes the rage of the Furies!"
The boy crouched so he was at her eye level, and displayed a cold smile.
"There's a first for everything, love."
With one swift movement, he brought the rock down onto the creature's head, and, with one last agonized scream, she disintegrated into ashes, which were promptly whipped away by the wind.
The boy straightened and blinked blood out of his eye. He hadn't even noticed he had been cut. It didn't hurt especially badly, and when he raised a hand to it, he could already feel a light crusting of clotted blood.
From a short distance away, the girl watched him, a little warily. He always scared her when he fought; the coldness, the remorselessness. Though of course, after several years of the same routine, it becomes just that: routine. One becomes numb to the horrors one inflicts as a way of protecting one's self.
He gazed across at her with those emotionless eyes, and she shivered slightly, not just due to her sodden clothes. He jerked his head to one side, a clear gesture for "Let's go."
Together, the two set off into the night.
…
Jamie Choke skulked around the back of the presentation. He was not in the best of moods. The worst part was not that he did not want to be here, which he did not, or that he hadn't won any awards in his, admittedly dismal, two years at the school, which he hadn't. The worst of it was that he had to smile and applaud for the smug and self-centred jerks who had won something.
The epitome of the lot was, without a doubt, Mary Hart, who had come down from the stage positively glowing with arrogance. Almost instantly she had managed to home in Jamie's half-hearted applause, and made a bee-line straight for him.
"Hey Jamie," she said sweetly, deliberately standing a little too close, and nudging him with her elbow.
"What do you want?" Jamie grunted, not turning to face her. He didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing how much she annoyed him. She flicked her long blonde hair haughtily, and Jamie had to step aside to avoid a lethal-looking lock of hair headed directly for his face.
"Watch it," he snapped, finally turning to glare at her. Everything about her the way she dressed described her perfectly. Blonde hair that she draped over her shoulders, too much foundation on her face so she looked like a plastic doll, pink painted lips, and a pale pink dress that was too short for modesty.
"Aww, don't be liked that," she smirked, holding up the gleaming cup, "I know, what'll make you feel better! How about you read the list of my achievements on this trophy."
She paused, a look of mock-apology on her face.
"Ohh, I'm sorry, you can't read can you?"
Jamie's eyes narrowed, and he fought hard to control his temper. Normally he was pretty relaxed, but she rubbed him the wrong way, and the jab about his dyslexia definitely touched a nerve. He had put up with low-brow and ignorant jokes for the 2 years he had been at this school, and it had started to grate on him quite a bit now.
He felt his own finger nails digging into his palm, and his knuckled were white. Mary was watching him with that infuriating sneer, and Jamie felt he was about to snap when:
"Yo, Jamie!"
It was the voice of his friend, Dylan. Dylan was a good kid, always laid back, able to take almost anything that was thrown at him, whether it be a snide comment about the fact the had to everywhere on crutches due to an ankle disability, or something that was literally thrown at him. He was exactly he sort of person Jamie needed to have around to keep him in check, and over the past years they had began to look out for each other.
Jamie turned to his friend, glad of the chance to turn his back on Mary. Dylan was stood there, wearing his familiar lop-sided grin, leaning on both crutches.
"Hey man," Jamie smiled, "Must say, didn't expect you to be here."
"What can I say?" Dylan shrugged, "How could I miss the event of the century, where any the ones with rich daddies, whoops, I mean, er, outstanding merit, get trophies."
Jamie burst out laughing, which drew several sharp glares and a wave of disgruntled tutting from parents sat nearby. Mary's expression had turned thunderous, and Dylan smiled innocently at he over my shoulder.
"What is it hon?" he asked, "Did we foil your dastardly plans?"
Jamie struggled to keep his laughter quiet, as Mary's face went through several expressions: Mortification, anger, a little bit of confusion, and finally downright loathing.
"Watch it cripple," she hissed furiously, her tone dripping with hate "or you might find my daddy will come down on you like a tonne of bricks."
"Yeah, yeah, do whatever," Dylan replied breezily, waving a hand, "Just try to get him to avoid the face, eh? Ladies love the face."
Mary looked like she was about ready to kill, but Dylan had already lost interest and turned back to Jamie.
"So, you wanna catch some fresh air? I mean, I know you'll miss the amazing company."
I glanced back at Mary, smirking, and then turned to face Dylan again.
"Sure," I shrugged, "Why not?"
"Alright, cool," he said and gestured with one of his free hands toward the door, and they both made for it, sliding behind people's chairs at they tipped them back onto two legs, and picking their way through the many feet at the back of the hall.
Eventually, and with many hasty apologies to those who's feet they had stepped on, they reached the front courtyard. The evening air was warm, and Jamie sucked it into his lungs gratefully.
"You know," Jamie said, "We're missing Mr Haynes's rivetingspeech."
He turned back to Dylan with a smile, which froze when he saw the grave expression on his friend's face.
"Dude, what's up?"
"You have to go."
"What?" Jamie was taken aback, and a little hurt that is only real friend was telling him to get out, "Why?"
Dylan's face was deadly serious, "I think you're in danger, I've been having this...feeling."
He looked uncomfortable and he had begun avoiding Jamie's gaze, staring at the floor, the sky, just about anything that wasn't him.
"In danger?" he laughed, "You're joking right? I've only just turned thirteen dude! I'm not in danger, expcet maybe being bored to death."
Dylan finally mustered the courage to meet Jamie's eyes, and there was no trace of any falsehood in Dylan's expression. Either Dylan was a very good actor, and from Jamie's experience that wasn't likely, or he was telling the truth.
"Look, Jamie I-"
Dylan's face paled and he stared at a point just over Jamie's shoulder.
"What is it," Jamie asked urgently, but Dylan just shook his head.
"You should run, like, now."
"But-"
"Don't argue with me, just go and don't-"
"Too late," whispered voice in Jamie's ear, and he stiffened.
"Oh no," Dylan groaned.
Jamie turned very slowly to see Mary's malevolent face resting on his shoulder, except that her eyes were now a burning red, and her teeth had become pointed fangs.
"Okay, so you're a vampire," Jamie said nervously, "Maybe I shouldn't have annoyed you so often."
Mary reared back and she looked annoyed.
"Honestly, why does everyone say that?" She said exasperatedly, "I'm an empousia, those stupid things were based off us."
"Sorry? I guess?" Jamie said, backing away from her slowly, "but if you could, like, not eat me, or whatever the hell it is you, that'd be great."
"Idiot boy," she hissed, "I feed on who I choose."
She began a lopsided advance, stumping along on mismatched legs. Jamie smirked when he noticed them, one bronze, the other a shaggy goat's leg. They seemed out of place against the chalk white skin and pink dress, and over all, the effect was a little comical.
"You got a little leg trouble there Mary," Jamie remarked, "Might wanna get those looked at."
"Di imortales," Mary groaned, "Why do you mortals always point out the legs, it's soo rude."
"Oh, you don't like it," Jamie said, raising one eyebrow, "The why don't you put on some trousers? Then your freaky legs would be covered. Simple."
Mary made an animal growl from somewhere deep in her chest and Dylan let out a sound that was suspiciously similar to a nervous bleat.
"Jamie, please don't goad the monster," he pleaded, staring at her slowly advancing form as he and Jamie backed away.
Their backs hit the fence that encased the courtyard, and Dylan moaned.
"We are so dead," he muttered, nervously fingering the handles of his crutches. Mary sneered and let out a cold laugh.
"Ha! Has the satyr led the one he was supposed to be protecting to his grave? How very predictable."
Jamie saw Dylan's grip tighten on his crutches, and something flashed across the boy's eyes. Anger? Jamie couldn't tell.
"Jamie," Dylan muttered, "When I say so, run. Don't look back, just run."
"But what about you?" Jamie asked.
"I'll be right behind you."
"I hope you know what you're doing..." Jamie said, pressing his back against the fence, like he was hoping to slide through it if he pushed hard enough.
"Three," Dylan murmured, "Two, One. NOW!"
Jamie froze for a second, then his instincts kicked in. He turned to run, and heard Mary furious scream behind him.
"You meddlesome goat!" She shrieked, "I will rip you apart and feast on your bones!"
Jamie glanced over his shoulder in time to see Dylan throw his second crutch at the empousai. Somehow, the monster was wrapped in thick wooden branches, and, as it flew through the air, the second crutch impossibly turned into a knotted tree branch, complete with leaves and everything.
Mary was writhing against the branches' clutches when the second projectile hit her in the middle of the forehead. Her head was jerked back and she crumpled into the tree's embrace, snoring loudly.
Dylan turned and jogged towards his friend, who was stood at the school gates, mouth agape.
"Dude, RUN!" Dylan said, and Jamie was shaken from his revelry.
"Wait, how can you, you- what?" Jamie said, too many questions trying to ask themselves at once, so that he actually managed to end up asking none of them.
"I'll explain later," Dylan said grimly, grabbing Jamie's arm and pulling him along, "Right now we need to get to a source of water."
"Water?" Jamie's head spun, and he glanced back at Mary's snoring body, still entangled in the branches.
"I know it's a lot to take in but if we don't get you out of here soon things could get a lot worse."
The pair sprinted through the town until they reached a DIY store.
"Wait here," Dylan ordered, and he entered the store. Jamie waited outside nervously, until Dylan returned with a spray bottle and a torch.
"Uhh, we need those, why?" Jamie asked, deciding that this was a poor choice of weaponry against a mutant vampire.
"You'll see," Dylan said, passing Jamie the torch, "Could you hold this, and point it upwards a bit? I need to make a rainbow."
"You're kidding," Jamie said incredulously, grasping the torch, "We're being chased by a vampire, or an empie or whatever, and you're making rainbows."
"Look, just do what I say and then I'll explain everything," Dylan said hurriedly, readying the spray nozzle and giving it a few small spurts.
Jamie shook his head and shrugged.
"Sure," he muttered, "If we're gonna die, why not do it next to a rainbow."
He held the torch at a roughly 40 degree angle and flicked it on, the beam casting a small spot of light against the DIY shop wall.
Dylan fumbled in his pockets and withdrew a large golden coin, and, after he began spraying the water, flipped the coin into the resulting rainbow, quickly reciting some form of incantation.
The rainbow shimmered, and the coin dissolved into the water.
"Camp Half-Blood," Dylan said, and the rainbow rippled and disappeared, to be replaced with a flickering image of an unlit camp fire, a cluster of cabins, and kids fighting in what seemed to be Greek armour.
"Dammit," he muttered, "Where the hell is Chiron?"
Just then, a boy of about 15, rode past on a horse. No, scratch that, a horse with wings.
"I have so gone insane," Jamie groaned.
Dylan didn't seem to notice, he raised his voice and called out to the boy on the horse.
"Hey, you there!"
The boy looked around, startled, but slid off his horse and swiftly made his way over.
"Find Chiron," Dylan ordered, "Tell him Dylan needs an extraction."
"What?" The boy asked, frowning, "Dude, the connection's terrible, I can barely hear you."
"Chiron!" Dylan snapped, "Extraction. NOW!"
The spray bottle sputtered and the image died, leaving them staring at a blank wall.
"D'you reckon he got it?" Jamie asked nervously, and Dylan's shoulders slumped.
"I hope so, other wise we have to hope that Mary didn't-"
Dylan was cut off by a loud snarl from the end of the street.
"Get free," Dylan finished heavily, and he slumped to the floor with a deep sigh.
Jamie felt him self over come with anger. He didn't want to die at the hands of some stupid bimbo, even if she did have fangs and donkey legs. He stood at the head of the street and readied his fists, letting his instincts take over. Mary saw him and laughed derisively.
"And what do you actually hope to do, demigod?" she sneered, "I'd rather you didn't strain yourself too much, the blood gets horribly thin."
Jamie ignored her, his eyes narrowed, his pulse pounding. He balanced on the balls of his feet, not entirely sure what he was going to do, just knowing he had to do something.
He never got the chance, as the monster was bowled sideways by another figure steaming into her.
"Argh," she shrieked, "Why is it never simple?"
She grabbed the figure's arm, and threw him bodily against the wall where Jamie and Dylan stood. He staggered to his feet, clutching his left arm which was bent at an unnatural angle.
"Pathetic," the empousai hissed, her eyes narrowed and full of malice. Then an arrow streaked through the air and buried itself in her foot. She howled in pain, and another volley arced from the sky, embedding themselves in the monster's chest and neck, and with a horrible wail, she exploded into powder.
Jamie glanced upwards, and saw a golden chariot descending from the heavens.
"Wait," he thought, "Did I die? 'Cus there is literally no way I am going to heaven."
As the shape drew closer, he could make out two people, both stood upright in the chariot. From what he could tell from this distance, it was a boy and a girt, but that was about all he could see.
He glanced across at Dylan, who looked incredibly relieved, at he smiled back at Jamie.
"You have some explaining to do," Jamie said coldly, and Dylan's smile faltered. His shoulders slumped and he exhaled heavily.
"Sure, when we get to camp, you'll be told everything."
"No," Jamie said, folding his arms, "You keep putting it off, it's like you don't want me to know."
"Look man," Dylan pleaded, "This is difficult, just go with them, they will explain everything."
Jamie fixed him with a glare.
"Fine, I'll go on the stupid chariot," He said, "But we aren't done here, where are you gonna go?"
Dylan grimaced, "Someone's gotta explain where the hell you've gone..."
Jamie nodded slowly, seeing Dylan's point, and glanced over at the boy who had tried to save them. He was sat sullenly on a nearby bench, clutching his left arm. A new figure had arrived, a girl, and just from that one look Jamie could tell that they were brother and sister. They had the same dark hair, dark eyes, and high cheekbones.
They were vastly different in the way they dressed though. The boy was dressed in a way that wouldn't attract attention; Black jeans, black unzipped hoodie, and a grey T-shirt. He was good-looking, but not so much it would isolate him in a crowd. One could easily walk past without acknowledging him, which seemed to be what he wanted.
His sister was dressed in a far more... unique way. She wore bright red skinny Jeans, and Converse that extended to a point just below her knees. She wore a black tank top and a black sleeveless denim jacket. Her hair fell about her shoulders and was highlighted with reds, blues and greens. She had black painted lips and her face was pale. Like her brother, she was good looking, with her large eyes and small mouth.
The boy, who was holding the reins, which were then attached to a pair of horses with wings, was drumming his fingers on the lip of the chariot, and his companion called out to us.
"Come on guys," she shouted, "Can we not hang around the site of a monster attack?"
Dutifully they all piled on, and Jamie found himself sat next to the black haired girl.
"Hey," she said, smiling, "I'm Scarlett, and this is my brother, Caine."
"Scarlett?" Jamie repeated, glancing at the multitude of red she wore, and raising one eyebrow.
"Uh huh," she replied, completely poker-faced, and Jamie shook his head ruefully. He turned to the other occupants of the chariot, a brown haired girl and a blond haired boy.
"I guess, you'll want to know who we are, right?" The girl said without turning around.
"It would be nice."
She turned to face Jamie, and held out a hand.
"I'm Maria, daughter of Athena, the goddess of Wisdom," she said as Jamie grasped and shook her hand, "That there is Blake, son of Iris, the Rainbow goddess."
He turned a gave us a lopsided grin.
"Hiya" he said in a smooth British accent, and Jamie noticed he had a rainbow coloured band encircling his left bicep.
"Blake here," Maria continued, gazing at him with more than just a little affection, "Is one of the best pegasi trainers we have, he has a natural affinity for with them."
Blake shrugged modestly, giving a shy little grin, "It's nothing really, you just gotta treat 'em right, you know?"
"This is all very enlightening," Scarlett piped up impatiently, "But can we go? Please?"
"You heard the lady," Blake called to the pegasi, "Let's be off lads."
The pegasi broke into a gallop, spreading their luscious wings wide. Jamie had never been a fan of horses, but he couldn't help marvelling at the smooth expanse of the wings. The chariot was lifted off into the air, and it swooped upwards towards the clouds, and Jamie's breath was taken away. The view from up here was incredible. The wide expanse of New York city in the setting sun, with its glittering lights and towering skyscrapers was awe-inspiring.
He felt someone nudging his elbow, and saw Scarlett gazing at him curiously.
"You know," she said, "You never told me your name."
"Oh, right," Jamie stuck out a hand, and Scarlett shook it warmly, "Jamie Choke."
"Choke?" Scarlett said, half smiling, "That's quite a sinister name."
Jamie laughed, "Well, I gue-"
"You two might wanna zip it for now," Maria said, "Take it from me, you do not want your mouth open when the pegasi put on the gas."
"Wait, what do mean by-" Jamie started to say, but was cut off when Blake flicked the reins.
The pegasi leaned forward and Jamie's vision blurred. The air felt like it was being sucked from his lungs and black shapes were beginning to form at the edge of his vision. The sheer force of acceleration was forcing him back into his seat, his chest felt like in was in a vice. Then, just as suddenly, they had slowed, at Jamie's vision cleared. He shook his head, and saw that they were somewhere completely different.
Snowy roads curved off into equally blanketed forests and fields, and, directly below them, was a meadow strewn island, ringed by mountains which stood tall and proud, a great stone palisade. To the north was a glittering expanse of blue-green water, which stretched to the horizon and beyond. He spotted the cluster of cabins he had seen in the rainbow-mail, along with a huge blue mansion, ball courts, a sparkling lake, and a climbing wall that required Jamie do a double take so he could confirm what he saw.
"That climbing wall," he asked uncertainly, "Is it... Is it on fire?"
"Yeah," Maria answered, completely deadpan, "It really stings when you fall into the lava too."
Jamie's face paled and he gripped the edge of the chariot a little tighter.
"Lava?" He repeated anxiously, and, at his shoulder, Scarlett looked equally apprehensive.
"Uh huh," said Maria, "There's also a forest full of monsters, Furies that'll eat you if you miss curfew, and a massive bronze dragon that protects the borders."
Jamie baulked, and Maria laughed.
"Don't worry," she said, "He's completely harmless. Mostly."
"Mostly?" Jamie asked, but he was cut across by Blake, who's expression was tight, his mouth a grim line.
"They can't hold us up much longer," Blake warned, "We're gonna fall soon."
The pegasi looked exhausted from their sprint which had lasted hundreds of miles. Their heads and tails drooped, and their wings beat the air slowly. Blake was muttering to them in some ancient language, in a soothing, coaxing way, but even he couldn't keep them flying forever, and the chariot was slowly losing altitude.
"How long do we have?" Maria asked nervously, and Blake shook his head.
"No idea," he replied grimly, "But it isn't long, could be a few minutes, could be a few seconds."
And that was when the chariot fell from the sky like a stone into a well.
"The lake," Maria yelled, gripping the sides of the chariot as the group was buffeted by the winds for a second time, "Aim for the lake."
The cold hit them like a steam-train, and the air was sucked from Jamie's lungs. It was worst then anything he had experienced before, and his internal temperature felt dangerously low. His vision was hazy, and he thought he could see blurred figures swirling about in the murky water.
"Okay," he thought, "I am definitely hallucinating."
The figures, young-ish women with long balck hair and glowing yellow eyes, gripped Jamie's arms with surprising strength and pulled him to the surface. He was tossed, along with the others, onto the shore, gasping and shivering. A small crowd of people had gathered, all eyeing the new arrivals curiously. Nearby, Blake had managed to coax the pegasi into one last burst of flight, and he made a less-than-smooth landing next to the freezing waters.
He leapt down from the chariot and began unharnessing the horses, as they tossed their heads and stamped their hooves indignantly.
On Jamie's left, Maria was huddled in a shuddering ball, her lips blue and her teeth chattering.
"S-so," she stuttered, forcing the words through numb lips, "W-welcome to C-Camp Half-B-blood."
A small detail of campers, who had obviously been waiting for them to arrive, hurried forwards, clutching what seemed to be a bronze leaf blower. The fumbled with the switch, and warm air blasted from the nozzle. Gratefully, Jamie let the warmth envelope him, and he was dry in only a few seconds. He only felt slightly disappointed when they switched to the others.
The number of people watched them had grown slightly, and there were now about thirty, ranging from eight years old to nineteen. They all wore the same orange T-shirts, and some were even wearing assorted pieced of armour and clutching lethal looking weapons. Behind him, Jamie heard a slight splash, and turned, just in time to see the women retreating back into the water, waving cheerily.
He could feel many pairs of eyes watching him, and knew that most of the group would be watching him and he was overcome by a weird shyness. He heard mutterings all around the crowd as he was sized up, and noticed that several of the girls in the group were gazing at Scarlett with very visible distaste. Instinctively it seemed, Caine took two steps forward, placing himself slightly in front of his sister, glaring at the group of girls, until they finally left with a haughty sniff.
Someone stepped forward out of the crowd, clapping their hands with pleasure.
"Good," he said, "I'm glad at least one of you recovery lot is able to bring back a chariot in one piece." The boy was about eighteen, with curly black hair, mischievous eyes, and a little pointed goatee, that he kept fiddling with. He wore a battered army jacket and a heavy-looking tool belt strapped about his waist. From one of the pockets, he withdrew a small pointed device, which he tapped against the chariot's front, and the carriage retracted into a small, pearly white sphere. The boy scooped it up and stuffed inside his tool belt, and turned back to the crowd, who looked, as you would expect, dutifully impressed. The boy bowed low to the ground, grinning widely.
"That my friends," he said, "Is the genius of Leo Valdez. You may applaud now."
Some of the younger kids broke out into rapturous fits of clapping, and Leo strode heroically back through the crowd, tossing the sphere from one hand to the other.
Maria watched him go, looking half-amused, half sceptical.
"Is everyone here like that?" Jamie asked, and Maria shook her head ruefully.
"He's an odd one, he is, but he's the best blacksmith we have. Has a way with Celestial Bronze I've never seen before."
The crowd gasped, and Jamie's eyes widened when he saw why. Above both Scarlett and Caine's heads was a dark, sinister-looking helmet, wreathed in black flames. Scarlett's eyes widened, and she looked around at the group of spectators, but they had all drawn back and were eyeing her and her brother warily.
Maria stepped forward, her eyes as rounds as Scarlett's.
"Get Chiron," she said, not taking her eyes off the siblings, "Now."
"Can someone please explain what the bloody hell is going on?" Scarlett demanded, glaring at Maria.
Maria sighed heavily, and rubbed the back of her head slowly.
"That symbol," she explained, "The one above your head, it means you've been claimed by your godly parent. Your dad... Your dad is Hades, King of-"
"The Underworld," Caine finished grimly, "Which I assume is why everyone is looking at us like we've grown an extra set of limbs."
"It not just that," Maria said, and she sounded exhausted, "Look, when Chiron arrives he'll explain everything."
She strode off into the crowd, and Jamie jogged to catch up.
"Hey," he called, "Wait! What's the big deal about Hades being their dad?" Maria sat down heavily on an nearby tree stump and rubbed her eyes.
"The Big Three," she explained, "That's Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, aren't supposed to have kids. They're too powerful, they attract too much attention from monsters. Besides, they have a tendency to cause trouble. World War Two was basically a civil war between Hades' kids, against Zeus and Poseidon's kids. Obviously, the fact that two new demigods have just appeared is not good. They've broken the oath again."
"Wait," Jamie asked, "What oath?"
Maria kicked a stone at her feet moodily, and sighed deeply.
"After WWII, the Big Three swore on the River Styx. No more kids, anyone of them, they were just too destructive. But then, you never can tell with gods." Her tone had turned bitter, she viciously attacker the gravel at her feet.
"Zeus was the first to break it, a girl named Thalia, and obviously neither Poseidon nor Hades was happy. Long story short, she ended up being a tree for a few decades. Then there was Percy Jackson, you'll hear plenty about him here, he's the closest to a modern day legend we have. He stopped the Titan uprising, sealed the Doors of Death, and defeated Gaia. But it wasn't easy for him, he had his memories stolen, dumped in another camp, and had to travel into Tartarus itself. He was a son of Poseidon."
"So," Jamie said slowly, "Hades was the only one who didn't break it?"
"In a manner of speaking," Maria replied, "There are plenty of Pluto's kids, but that's a whole story I really don't want to have to explain. But for all intents and purposes; yes. Hades kept his vow, but now those two turn up and complicate matters. Zeus and Poseidon will not be pleased."
"Isn't that kinda hypocritical though?" Jamie frowned, and thunder rumbled angrily across the sky, "I mean, they broke it first..."
"I wouldn't just go saying that about the gods," Maria warned, "But I guess you could say that. In any case I doesn't matter, he's broken the oath, and it's more than likely that a lot of his punishment will be dumped on them."
"That is so not cool."
Maria shrugged helplessly.
"Don't tell me, I know that. Hades is immortal, punishments mean very little to him, and as he's the only one with any control over the Underworld, punishing him for an eternity is probably a bad idea. Unfortunately, that means your friends are gonna have a hard time."
She eyed me curiously, "I must say, you're taking this quite well. Some demigods completely freak out."
"I meant to ask you about that," Jamie said, "The vampire, or empousia? Well whatever, she called me a demigod, and you just did too. What does that mean?"
Even to me I sounded embarrassingly clueless, but t that point I didn't really care. I wanted answers.
"A demigod," Maria said patiently, "Is the child of a god or goddess and a mortal, that is to say, a normal human. Everyone here is one, and you can see the cabins of each god; Athena, Ares, Hermes, Poseidon, Zues, etcetera."
"Once you get here you'll be claimed," she continued, "Which means your godly parent will reveal themselves."
"Like what happened with Scarlett."
"Exactly," Maria nodded, then added hesitantly, "You do know which parent is mortal right?"
Jamie snorted, "Please, my dad is about the most mortal person you'll ever meet."
"And I'm guessing you have no clue as to who your mum was?"
"No idea," Jamie paused, "You seem to be able to guess a lot."
"There's generally a pattern," she said shrugging, "I guess you were kicked out a lot of schools, right? And I imagine you have some form of ADHD, or dyslexia?"
Jamie nodded slowly, a little suspiciously.
"How d'you know all that?"
"Like I said, there's often a pattern," Maria said, "A lot of the demigods here are the same, just some have it worse than others."
Jamie glanced back across at where Scarlett and Caine stood and saw that they were deep in conversation with a man who appeared to be on horse-back. The crowd had long since dispersed, and Jamie welcomed that, relieved that there weren't pairs of eyes boring into the back of his skull. He gazed absently at the discussion taking place, and Scarlett met his eyes. She gave him a helpless grimace and a little shrug. She looked worried. Obviously what she was being told wasn't good.
He felt Maria nudging his shoulder and turned back to face her.
"C'mon," she said, gesturing to a small metal shed, not unlike ones commonly found in a normal garden.
"What, are gardening suddenly?" He asked, raising one eyebrow. Maria gave a mischievous grin.
"You'll see," she said mysteriously.
When they arrived at the shed, Maria threw the doors open wide. Jamie's felt his eyes widen, yet again.
"So, I see we're declaring war on gardens," he smirked, and Maria laughed.
"Not quite," she said, sweeping her arms wide, "Take your pick."
Jamie gazed at the walls which were lined with gleaming bronze swords, daggers, spears and God knows what else. Something at the back caught his eye and he picket his way through boxes of broken blades to a small, dusty cabinet that stood at the back of the room. He turned back to Maria, frowning slightly.
"What's in here?"
Maria shrugged, "No idea, never been in there. I guess... er... I guess you can take a look, right?"
Jamie struggled with the rustled bolt, before he finally wrenched it open. The door swung open with a creak, and a few spiders scuttled out. Jamie leapt away, breathing hard. Then he seemed to catch himself and his breathing steadied, and his hunched his shoulders, looking faintly embarrassed.
"Sorry," he mumbled apologetically, "It's just... Urgh. I cannot deal with Spiders."
Maria was eyeing him intently, and Jamie began to feel uncomfortable.
"What," he asked nervously, and Maria shook her head slowly.
"I think I may know who your parent is..." she said thoughtfully, her head cocked to one side.
"You wanna share?"
"No, just in case I'm wrong, matter of pride you know." She gave a lopsided grin, and Jamie returned t the case, cautiously opening the doors wider. What he found inside was far from what he expected to see.
It was a gun rack, with several M4A1 assault rifles strapped to the back panel. He turned to Maria, bemused, and she shrugged back, a confused frown on her face.
"Might wanna leave those there," she said, and Jamie agreed. He moved to swing the doors shut, but something inside caught his eye. Something long and thin was resting against the dark corner of the cabinet. He reached for it, his curiosity piqued, and slowly withdrew it.
It was covered in dust, but Jamie could just make out a long case, decorated with isometric patterns that ran around the scabbard in a spiral. Jamie gripped what he figured was the handle, and pulled. Slowly, the blade was revealed, and Jamie gasped. It was a long, thin and lethally sharp looking katana. Why it was in a reek camp he had no idea, but the bronze blade what covered in ancient Greek markings. He glanced across one line, and muttered, "Peace brings enlightenment."
He quickly surveyed the rest of the markings, finding them to be of a similar philosophical nature. The sword was beautiful, and it balanced perfectly in his hand. Finally, he turned the weapon over and saw something inscribed in the pearl handle.
"Siren," he murmured, "Is that its name?"
Maria's voice broke his revelry.
"Jamie," she called softly, and he thought she sounded a little concerned.
"Hm?" he said distractedly, "Yeah, sure. Just coming."
He sheathed the blade and slung it onto his back, and then turned to face Maria, who was beckoning him to follow her again.
"Where are we going now?" Jamie asked, wading back to her.
"We're going-" she stopped, staring at a point just above my head.
"And I've been claimed, right?" Jamie said, and he saw Maria was smirking slightly, "Please don't say it's Iris."
"No," she said, "It's just that I was right." she paused and looked Jamie in the eye, smiling "Welcome to Athena's family."