I
Percy
Percy ran, faster than his legs were taking him. He could feel them, really close. He had woken up one morning, by an abandoned ice cream parlor, wearing a slightly tattered orange t-shirt with faded words. He had eaten everything he could find just to survive starvation. But a few days ago, something found him, and he was running for his life. He had battled them endlessly, not getting enough sleep.
Drowsy, starved and thirsty, Percy ran towards a forest. He fell to his knees, panting, sweaty. There was no way the snake-haired ladies could have caught up with him. But then again, they had found him from time to time for the past two days. Maybe, just maybe, he had outrun them this time. He could rest; catch a few Z's. On the other hand, he could keep running. If he did, he'd lose those freaky ladies in no time. He had a hunch, telling him to keep running. Those ladies aren't going to give up.
But his brain told him otherwise. He hadn't had enough sleep for the past two days. Rest was important, it would keep his brain alive, and something in his mind told him he was going to need energy sooner or later. His energy was drained; he wasn't even able to fight those snake-haired ladies anymore. So he did only one thing – dropped on the floor motionless.
He didn't get much sleep though. Something told him danger was nearby. He clenched his pen. He had no idea where he got it, or how he'd known it was useful the day the ladies started attacking. He got up, moaning. Because of the stupid ladies, he had to keep running. In no less than a second, he sprinted out of the forest. Not safe, his hunch had told him. Got to get out.
Frustrated, Percy ran as fast as he could. He didn't like hanging on for two days, especially without memories. The only thing he could remember was his name, and a girl with blonde hair and stormy gray eyes. He remembered how intense these eyes were when they appeared in his mind. But he wasn't afraid. Those eyes didn't give him the creeps, though it probably would have. Instead, he had a hunch to go find the girl. Her name rang over and over in his mind. So far, it was the only information Percy got.
Suddenly, he heard hissing noises again. "Ssssst…" it said. He grabbed his pen out of his pocket. It seemed like the only natural thing to do. "Who's there?" he demanded. He uncapped the pen, and a three-foot deadly sword appeared instead.
The hissing grew louder. Was it just some sort of snake? Percy thought, looking in all directions. No, he decided. There's no way that's a snake. Sure enough, Percy was right.
A snake-haired lady sprang out of the bushes in front of him, while another sprang from behind. The other didn't sprang on top of him, just sprang behind him, standing right behind. Percy turned so that both the freaky ladies were now at his side. He backed away, pointing his sword at them.
"Stupid demigod," one hissed, her eyes were filled with evil laughter. "Should've run when you had a chance." She smirked at this little comment, as if she was hoping to bring Percy's spirits down.
"Gorgons," he said, though he didn't know where he had learned those words. A small headache attacked him, but he tried to fight it back.
The gorgon smirked again. "Head problems, dear?" she hissed, her eyes dancing with delight. Percy couldn't look into her eyes though. He knew something bad would've happened, so he imagined it dancing with delight. But something told him that if he could look, her face would've said, "dying won't hurt".
Percy just shook his head. "Not on my watch, lady." He picked a stone, and threw it, aiming for them both. But since he was afraid to look up, it missed them terribly.
The same gorgon laughed. "Is that how you want to play your game, boy?" Before Percy could mutter an answer, she lunged forward.
Percy slashed at her, careful not to look in her eyes. He could see the other one, completely dumbfounded.
"Get over here and help me, Stheno!" the gorgon yelled. The other looked like her sister, probably younger. "He killed our sister, I can smell her blood on him! Yes, it's weak, faded, probably a few years old, but definitely her."
Stheno looked uneasy. She looked like she didn't like fighting much, as if she tried to avoid harming Percy. "But Euryale, don't you feel–"
"Quiet you moron, and help me!" she hissed at her sister, obviously displeased.
Stheno hesitated for a second, but then helped her sister. Percy struggled to fight two freaks at once. Sure he had a few cuts and bruises in his arm and a few on his feet, but that only made him want to fight even more. He started dodging various attacks, blocking the gorgons. Euryale hissed in frustration. The next thing he knew, everything was blank.
-TSON-
Percy woke up to find himself, lying on a bed. His eyes won't open for some reason, like they knew better than to flung open. He could hear noises around him – a murmur of people, people who were either wounded or sick. He could also hear a fire crackling nearby, and the warmth seemed to fill the room.
But two voices were louder than others. "What do you think Lupa will say?" one said, obviously worried sick.
"Let's hope she approves of him," another replied. "It's bad enough we bring a stranger to camp." Camp. That word seemed to have a connection with his past, but he can't seem to remember. He wanted to frown, but his face remained expressionless.
"How old do you think he is?" the first asked. Percy hadn't thought of that question. How old was he? Maybe these people could tell him.
There was no answer. Percy decided it was the best time to wake. He had to, sooner or later anyways. Percy's eyes flew open, and the two people who discussed matters about him looked at him with concern.
"Are you feeling better?" one asked. Percy nodded. He noticed they were in some wooden building. Beds crammed the room, filled with injured people. In front of his bed was a fireplace with a glowing fire, the hearth of the room. Somehow, the thought reminded him of Hestia, the goddess of hearth. He had no idea where the idea came from, or how he knew this information.
Percy concentrated on the people next to him. One was a girl, with chocolate brown hair tied into a ponytail. A few strands of hair fell along the sides of her face messily, but she looked absolutely gorgeous. But somehow, he knew that the girl from his memory, or part of it, was much more prettier. He also had a feeling the girl wouldn't like it if he describe the chocolate-brown-hair girl as "gorgeous".
He looked at the other person, who was also a girl. She had dark, brown hair and stern, dark eyes that tells you to back off. Her hair was in a ponytail as well, but her hair was shorter than the other one. She wore armor, and her face told him that she wasn't to be messed with.
"Where am I?" Percy asked, confused. He felt another headache attack him, and he grabbed his head frantically.
The chocolate brown smiled. "You're in the infirmary," she explained. "We found you almost dead fighting those gorgons. We had no idea what they want with you, but we started attacking them. They looked scared somehow, and they ran away, out of sight. You were unconscious by then, so we took you to the infirmary. You feeling OK?"
Percy looked into her eyes. They were friendly and kind, but kind of sad, too. "Yeah, I guess. Just a minor headache," he explained, holding his head with one hand.
The stern-eyes girl snorted. "Good luck getting better."
Chocolate Brown punched her in the arm. Percy could tell it was a hard hit, but Stern Eyes thought otherwise. "That's not gonna hurt, Reyna."
Chocolate Brown, or as Percy now know as Reyna, rolled her eyes. "Like you'd know, Gwen."
Stern Eyes, or Gwen, shot her a look, but turned her attention to Percy. As soon as she saw her, Percy only thought of one thing; he was not going to get along great with her.
"I'm Reyna and this is Gwendolyn. But everyone calls her Gwen," Reyna explained, her eyes twinkling with excitement.
Percy nodded. "I'm Percy." Reyna nodded warmly, but Gwen just snorted. Now this girl was starting to bug him.
"Don't mind Gwen. She doesn't get along with strangers very well," Reyna explained, trying to look as calm as possible. Percy just nodded again. Her presence somehow made him lost for words. He couldn't even blink. All he did was stare at her.
Suddenly, Gwen snapped her fingers in front of him. "Weirdo, ever heard of Roman gods?"
"Roman gods?" Percy asked, confused. He had heard of gods before, not sure where exactly. His memory was blurry, so he couldn't blame himself. "I…" he was about to ask if they meant Greek gods, but something told him not to ask. "I think so," he finished.
Reyna smiled warmly, causing Percy to once again stare at her. "They're real. They actually exist. They go falling in love with mortals, and have children with them. Their children are called demigods, half mortal, half–"
"–god," Percy finished. "Yeah, I think I've heard about them. Go on."
Reyna smiled again. "Well, it's good that you already know. Anyways, we're demigods. I'm a child of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. Gwen here is a daughter of Mars, god of war," she explained.
Something told Percy that those names were all wrong. He knew different names for them, but he just can't seem to remember them. And he had a strange feeling for this place, even though it was only an infirmary.
Suddenly, a man with goat hooves and short, pointy horns on his head walked heading their way. Percy thought he had seen them somewhere. "Satyrs," he said, not knowing where he got the word.
Reyna suddenly looked uncomfortable while Gwen gave him the death glare. "Fauns," Gwen glared. "Not satyrs."
Percy felt uneasy, as if butterflies were dancing in his stomachs. He knew they were satyrs, and he was sure of it. But Gwen told him not to mention the word again. Well, at least her face did.
"Pansy," Reyna said, looking at the satyr. He was about 5'3, and had curly red hair. He wore a purple t-shirt. On the shirt the words "Camp Legion" were printed out. Percy looked at Reyna and Gwen, and realized they were wearing the same shirt. The satyr stopped walking, and turned his head towards Reyna.
Percy couldn't decide whether to laugh or smack his head on a table, as if he was crazy. A satyr with red curly hair named Pansy. The red curly hair could've been a bed of red pansies, he guessed. But something told Percy that he shouldn't point that out.
"We found this demigod in the forest, fending off for himself. He had a weapon in his hand, so we figured he was a demigod. We thought he was already claimed because of the sword, but…" her voice trailed off. Her eyes looked at his forearm, looking for something. "We figured he must have stolen the sword somehow. But the sword… it wasn't even made of gold."
Pansy stroked his miniature beard. Percy hasn't even noticed that yet. Pansy was thinking hard. "You'll need to see Lupa, hear what she has to say."
Reyna's expression darkened. She didn't seem too happy at the thought, and Percy wondered why. "Who's Lupa?" Percy managed.
Reyna tried to answer warmly, but couldn't. No words came out, not even a single mutter. Gwen rolled her eyes. "Looks like Ms. Perfect decided to show fear. Anyways, Percy," she snapped. "Lupa is the head of Camp Legion."
"Camp Legion?" What was it with camps? It seemed like he should remember a camp from somewhere, but just couldn't. Was this the camp?
Reyna nodded. "A camp for demigods, like you, Gwen and I. We have help as well, as you can see," Reyna tried to talk soothingly, but couldn't. Gwen started to laugh. Reyna shot her a look, and Gwen decided not to continue laughing.
"Come on," Reyna said. "Let's take you to Lupa." She sighed, as she walked out the infirmary.
Gwen gave Percy a cold look. "Do not show fear, and I mean it," she snapped at him, before heading off. Pansy gave him an uncomfortable look, so he decided to go after them.
-TSON-
The two girls led Percy towards a cave, somewhere in the hills. Reyna walked in first, not showing a hint of fear. Pretty good actress, Percy thought, though he didn't want to share it. Gwen was standing next to him, her eyes giving him death looks once in a while. Percy started fiddling with his hands, not able to stay still. He was nervous, not afraid.
"Calm down, freak," Gwen grumbled, a little kinder. Percy just smiled a little, telling her he's trying. Gwen just glanced at him then looked away.
Reyna came out, telling Gwen to come in. Gwen looked like she had been through this quite a lot, since her expression appeared calm and steady. But there was something in her face that always screamed, "I'm ready for battle!"
Percy fiddled with his hands. This time, he wasn't nervous or scared. He just had to move around. Soon, he started to walk quietly, trying to release the amount of energy he had. But he didn't have any energy stored. Was he hyper? No, that couldn't be it. He sighed with frustration. His life wasn't getting any easier.
Reyna stepped outside for a second, telling him to come inside. The cave could give someone the creeps. It was dark and cold. Tattered fabric hung on the walls. Percy took a closer look. Silver fabrics, he recognized. They glowed mysteriously, giving the place an icy look. As they walked further in, the cave grew friendlier. Silver fabrics no longer hung on the wall, and a fire gave the cave a cozy feeling. Percy's worries faded, looking at the fire warmly. Another hearth.
A wolf, and a huge one, made its way over to Percy. It had orange-red fur and a stern face. But something in its face had a comforting welcome look as well. The wolf's nose twitched, then its ears flapped. Its tails started wagging, like it was trying to tell Percy something.
"I'm sorry, but I don't understand," Percy explained.
Reyna looked at him in disbelief. Gwen stared at him, not understanding why. But the wolf didn't look surprised. Instead, it looked at Reyna and gave a few more nose twitches and tail wags. Reyna nodded, and turned to Percy.
"Lupa told me to translate for you," she explained. Percy just nodded.
Lupa twitched its nose, wagged its tail and did a bunch of other stuff. Percy still didn't understand. Reyna seemed to be watching the movements carefully. Finally, she nodded. "Percy, this is Lupa, the head of Camp Legion. She's using the wolf language right now," Reyna explained.
Percy looked at Lupa. Her comforting welcome look faded a little, like she knew who he was. Percy didn't want to shoot the question right away, so he simply nodded.
Lupa said something in wolf, and Reyna nodded again. "She's asking for your name and your past."
Percy's face darkened. "A-all I know is my name, which is Percy Jackson. As for my past–" Percy frowned. "I don't remember. I just woke up in front of an ice cream parlor, and gorgons started attacking me, claiming I had killed their sister, which I hadn't. They kept telling me they smell her blood on me. Then Reyna and Gwen brought me here, after I became unconscious."
Gwen looked at him, surprised. She didn't ask any questions, though. Reyna was the one who asked a question. "You don't even remember your age?"
Percy shook his head. "No. Like I told you, I don't remember anything." Percy sighed, looking uncomfortable.
Gwen's eyes filled with jealousy. Finally, she glared at him and barked for an answer. "You killed Medusa?"
Percy shifted uncomfortably. He suddenly had the urge to move a lot. "I don't know. I told you, I don't remember my past."
Reyna looked at Lupa, who started to speak wolf. "Lupa asks for what the gorgons exactly said," Reyna translated, but she sounded demanding.
Percy rummaged through his memory. What had they say? "He killed our sister, I can smell her blood on him! Yes, it's weak, faded, probably a few years old, but definitely her," Percy told them, remembering.
Gwen was angry. "A few years old? When did you kill it?" she demanded an answer. Gwen's face was filled with rage, and jealousy danced in her eyes. Percy could tell she wished she had done it.
Lupa talked to Gwen in wolf, and she immediately calm down. But her eyes were still filled with rage and jealousy; Percy didn't want to be close around her for some time.
Lupa talked in wolf again, talking to Reyna and Gwen. They both nodded, and Gwen pushed Percy out of the cave. Reyna caught him before he stumbled, and Gwen lost her rage and jealousy. Apparently, Reyna had given her a comforting look, making Gwen calm down.
"You know, you could stop doing it. You're good enough by now," Gwen grumbled.
Reyna and Percy shared the same expression on the faces. "What?" they both asked in unison.
Gwen rolled her eyes at them. "Charmspeaking, idiots," she muttered under her breath. "Look, I'm just going to go to my cabin. I've had enough of you guys, especially him." She pointed at Percy then stormed away.
Reyna sighed. "Come on, let's just get you to the Mercury cabin. You can stay there until you're claimed."
"Claimed?" Percy thought for a while. This term seemed familiar as well.
Reyna nodded. "Yes, claimed. Your godly parent will claim you, sooner or later."
Percy nodded, and followed Reyna to the mercury cabin down below. Something told him he wasn't supposed to be here. Something told him he was on enemy grounds.