Chapter Two: As If My Life Couldn't Get Any More Complicated

"Okay, so let me get this straight, Mr. Dogwood. I am half human… and half God. There are monsters that attack Demigods and I'm going to a… camp? Camp Half-Blood? How is a camp going to protect me from monsters like the one I saw in the bathroom back there?" Mr. Dogwood looked really green.

"Er—Mr. Dogwood? Are you okay?" I asked cautiously. I so did not want satyr barf all over me.

"Um, yeah, taxis don't really agree with my stomach… I only had five aluminum cans, one desk chair, ten cheeseburgers, and some grass today! I shouldn't be this car sick! But, yes, Helen—"

"Elle!"

"—right, Elle, sorry, but yes, you're a Demigod, and plenty of monsters will come after you, I promise. It's just that… none of them can hurt you at Camp Half-Blood unless you go in the woods, or leave the magical borders."

"That's reassuring." I mumbled under my breath.

"My point is that the Hell Hound you saw isn't the only biggest, or darkest, monster."

"Wow, so, is that supposed to scare me or motivate me?" Mr. Dogwood shot me a disappointing look.

"Are you sure you're okay Elle?" I looked at my folded hands and tried to wrap my mind around everything Mr. Dogwood was telling me.

"I—I think so. I can do this. Where is Camp Half-Blood anyway?" I said to change the subject.

"We're five minutes away now. It's in Long Island and you'll feel right at home. Of course, after you find out who your godly parent is and get put into a cabin…"

I snorted. Now there were cabins? Was this supposed to be Girl Scouts or something? Oh I was not wearing those skirts and badges. Hell no. Or, I guess, Tartarus no… The taxi driver kept looking back at us like we were crazy. Instead of saying anything, the man just sighed and pulled over to the side of the road.

"Well, here we are. Are you sure this is where you're supposed to be?" The driver said doubtfully.

"Yes, thank you very much, kind mortal! We'll just be on our way then…" Mr. Dogwood exclaimed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa buddy. My fee?" The driver gestured to his machine that added money to every mile he drove.

"Ah, yes, of course." Mr. Dogwood reached into one of the pockets of his sweater vest and pulled out a large golden coin. "This Golden Drachma should cover it." He said as he flipped the Drachma toward the taxi driver. The driver looked at it in suspicion and then shrugged his shoulders.

"Alrighty then. Thanks." And with that, Mr. Dogwood and I exited the cab and the driver sped away on the dirt road. I looked at my surroundings.

We were in the middle of nowhere. There were acres and acres of pastures and woods that were full of cows and horses; I honestly didn't understand why we were there.

"Mr. Dogwood? Are we going to your family reunion or something?" I said as I looked at the cattle across the street. Mr. Dogwood snorted.

"I wish. Now follow me. We've got to get to camp before dinner starts without me!"

I rolled my eyes at my satyr biology teacher and trudged up a massive green hill behind him. It was nearly six o'clock when we reached the top of the hill, and I nearly peed myself. Curled around the base of a huge pine tree was a dragon. And not the cute ones in the movie How to Train Your Dragon, but a very real, and very terrifying monster.

The beast standing up would've been taller than the pine tree and it was covered in thousands of red, slimy scales. It was snoring peacefully as steam poured from its nostrils like it was the world's biggest coffee maker.

"M—Mr. Dogwood?" He looked at me in concern.

"Yes, what's wrong Elle?" I gave him a look that said are you blind?

"The freaking snoring dragon over there! Right by the entrance to Camp Half-Blood!" Mr. Dogwood laughed.

"Who Peleus? No, he's harmless! I raised him myself actually! He's a wonderful dragon. Very loyal and he protects the Golden Fleece." I turned my head to look at the tree again and noticed a brilliant glittering object hanging in the branches.

"Wait, the Golden Fleece? The one that provides life and safety over the area it's in?" Mr. Dogwood nodded. "So… what's it doing here?"

"Well, before we had the Golden Fleece, a demigod's spirit was trapped inside that tree. Her spirit protected the camp from monsters for years. Then this, uh—" Mr. Dogwood's face drooped slightly. "this guy poisoned the tree and the camp was unprotected. Percy Jackson went on a quest to find the Golden Fleece and save the camp. As you can see, he succeeded."

I looked back at the tree in wonder. There was something Mr. Dogwood wasn't telling me… something about the person who poisoned the tree. I didn't push it, though; I wanted to check out my new home.

"Keep it moving, Elle, I want some food. Mmm, I hope Grover cooked tonight…" I walked backwards to keep an eye on Peleus(in case he woke up and was in a nasty mood), and I turned around when we were inside Camp Half-Blood. I drew in a sharp breath and gazed at what was before me.

To my left, I saw a gorgeous blue mansion with white trim; a guy in a wheelchair with shaggy brown hair was sitting on the front porch. In the distance was the sparkling blue ocean and a river cutting through the woods. There were about twenty cabins arranged in a Greek Omega off to one side of the large green space. There was a very classic Greek amphitheater and arena with the sounds of metal weapons clanging against each other. Horse stables were on the far left and they were infested with flying horses. Pegasi,a voice in my head said. I did a double take at the sight of a jet black horse with a camper riding on the back of it. He was about my age with jet black hair, but that was all I could see.

My eyes caught sight of red and orange lava pouring down the side of a rock-climbing wall. There was one blonde girl climbing it like it was the easiest thing she had ever done. I could get used to this place. No rules and no self-consciousness by the looks of things.

There were campers running around in orange camp t-shirts. Some of them were playing volleyball near the blue mansion, and some were dueling with real weapons. Most campers were making their way to a big white marble dining pavilion perched on a hill overlooking a lake and the ocean. There were even some strawberry fields with more campers gathering the sweet fruit and… growing vines?

I was so overwhelmed by the beauty and glory of Camp Half-Blood that my ADHD was flaring up like crazy. I couldn't stop twitching with excitement and I left Mr. Dogwood to check out the cabins. He didn't seem to mind because he got on his hands and knees and began eating the lawn of the blue house.

I had just started walking towards the Greek Omega of cabins, when a big black object hurled out of the sky toward me. The shape spread its wings out so that it covered me entirely in its shadow. The dark object landed gracefully a few feet in front of me and I recognized it as the jet black Pegasus I had seen just minutes before.

The rider hopped off the black Pegasus like he was a professional and made his way toward me. I forgot how to breathe. I didn't even know my own name or where I was. All that mattered at that moment was the sixteen year old guy getting closer to me with every breath I took. His fair skin was striking against his black hair that matched his Pegasus'. He was tall and very muscular like a football player, and his smile made my stomach flip. When he got closer, I saw that his eyes were a magnificent green. The deep kind that you find on coral in the ocean. He stuck out a strong hand and smiled again.

If it wasn't for the many assorted sounds of Camp-Half Blood, he would've heard me squeak when my hand grasped his.

"Hey, I'm Percy Jackson." His name rang a bell, but my mind was so clouded that I couldn't place it.

"Hi, I'm, um—" Your name stupid! Your NAME! "I'm Elle Foster. I actually just got here. I like your," I looked behind Percy and spotted his black Pegasus. I could've sworn that this winged horse was glaring at me… "Pegasus."

Percy looked back at the black Pegasus as if he were just realizing it was there.

"Thanks, that's Blackjack. He's saved my life a couple of times." Blackjack snorted impatiently. "Okay, maybe a ton of times." Percy looked into my eyes and then his warm smile faded. "What did you say your name was again?" I folded my arms.

"Elle Foster. Well, technically it's Helen Foster, but I go by Elle." Percy's fair skin paled to a sickly color, and I looked away from his eyes because they were full of fear… horror.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I demanded furiously. Percy shrugged and looked down at his feet, fiddling with the edge of his orange camp t-shirt.

"What? Looking at you like what? I'm not looking at you in any certain way. What are you talking about?" I glared at him.

"I'm experienced in the not-so-honest-and-innocent category, Percy. And, obviously, you aren't." Percy's mouth dropped open in mock surprise and then playfully punched me on my arm. I was so not in the mood for that.

I wound my right arm back and balled my hand into a fist. I released all my energy into one blow to Percy's stomach and my hand crumpled. Percy didn't even flinch as my hand swelled in pain. Hitting Percy's abs was like hitting a brick wall. Maybe that, or I had the strength of a spaghetti noodle.

"Ow! You hurt me!" I squealed. Percy doubled over with laughter and gripped his stomach for support.

"It's not funny, Percy!" Percy just laughed harder and he had to cover his nose to keep from snorting. A grin slowly seeped over my face and I nudged Percy with my shoulder. "Come on, Percy, I'm starving. Not all of us have stomachs of steel."

Dinner that night was probably the most bizarre meal experience I had ever had. First off, I didn't have anywhere to sit since I hadn't been placed into a cabin yet. Some random girl from the Demeter cabin told me that the tables were also organized based on who's cabin you were in. Being the new kid(again) I had nowhere to sit. Percy told me my godly parent would claim me that night and I wouldn't feel so lost anymore.

Percy was the only person I knew at Camp Half-Blood so far, so I decided to sit with him. I got nasty looks from a lot of people—mostly girls though. One blonde girl from the Athena cabin—the one I had seen on the rock climbing wall—was looking at me curiously with stormy grey eyes. She looked like she was trying to analyze my every move and every thought; I felt uncomfortable so I locked eyes with Percy.

"Hey, uh, Percy? Why is everyone looking at me like I'm some gum stuck on the bottom of their shoes?" Percy laughed and then shook his head at the blonde girl. Immediately, she relaxed and turned back to the people at her table who were deep in discussion. I raised my eyebrows at Percy and he sighed.

"That's Annabeth Chase. Head counselor of the Athena Cabin, hero and architect of Olympus, and… my girlfriend." A cold feeling washed through me and my eye twitched a little. Pretty hard to compete with that. The girl was absolutely gorgeous. I thought she was even prettier than some of the girls at Aphrodite's table—who were putting on lipstick that lasted through meals.

I suddenly remembered where I had heard Percy's name before. Mr. Dogwood said he saved the camp by going on a quest to find the Golden Fleece. Then I realized that I didn't know who his godly parent was.

"Percy—" I started to say, but I was cut off my a loud Thump! Thump! Thump! My eyes darted toward the sound of the noise and it was a horse hitting a rock with his hoof. Well, from the waist down it was a white stallion. From the waist up, it was a man—the same man I had seen in the wheelchair—with shaggy brown hair and wise, dark eyes. He had on a red t-shirt that said "If Being A Centaur Were Easy, They'd Call Us Horses".

Immediately, the chattering and side conversations died out like someone put the dining pavilion on mute. The centaur stood casually by a set of three large chairs and a wooden table near a huge bonfire in a hearth. The red and orange flames crackled excitedly nearly fifteen feet high as the centaur began to speak.

"Welcome back heroes for another summer at Camp Half-Blood! For those who don't know me, I am Chiron! Activities director here at Camp Half-Blood! We have gone through a lot in the last couple of years and I'm sure that this summer will be full of peace and rest! We have a new camper with us this evening named Elle Foster! Hopefully, we will know who her godly parent is by the end of dinner." I froze. How did this Chiron dude know my name? I glared at Percy who looked back at me sheepishly. I scowled; I wasn't much of the getting-your-name-announced-in-front-of-hundreds-of-people type.

"Our nymphs will pass out your unlimited drinking goblets and pizza slices! Enjoy my young heroes! Serious training begins tomorrow and your first cabin inspection shall be on Friday. All hail the Gods of Olympus!"

And with that note, Chiron brought out his wheelchair, somehow fit inside, and wheeled over to the edge of the table he was near. He was the only one there. Beautiful young women wearing dresses made of different vines and colorful leaves scattered around the room handing out goblets and plates of delicious cheese and pepperoni pizza. One nymph with long auburn hair braided with juniper leaves waltzed up to our table.

"Hey Percy!" The girl's green eyes twinkled like they were full of dew and then she spotted me. Her eyes widened. "Is this your sister Percy? She looks nothing like you though…"

"Oh, uh, no Juniper, this is Elle Foster. She doesn't know who her godly parent is, so… I'm letting her sit here for now."

"Percy! She can't sit here! She's supposed to be at the Hermes cabin!" My eyebrows furrowed and Percy's cheeks reddened.

"Well, I'm the only person she knows here so, I thought—"

"Okay, guys? Let's just eat our food, sound good? I'm not a stranger to rule-breaking. Trust me. I can't stay in any school for more than five months!" Percy smiled at me and then we high-fived each other.

"No way? Me either! My record was actually almost a full year." I started to eat my slice of pizza and it was so delicious and tasty that I didn't notice hundreds of pairs of eyes locked on me with disgust. I licked my index finger.

"Did I do something wrong? Did I grow three heads?" Percy cleared his throat.

"Um, actually, no. Before you eat, you're supposed to burn part of your meal into the bonfire over there." I nodded and walked with a purpose over to the bronze hearth, ignoring the dirty looks from other campers as I walked by.

I scraped a whole piece of pizza into the flames as a big "sorry" offering and watched half my dinner burn.

"I sacrifice my delicious slice of pepperoni pizza to my mom or dad—whoever you are." I shuffled back to my seat and as I did so, everyone in the dining pavilion gasped.

"What now?" I asked, very annoyed now. "What is wrong with you people? It's my first day cut me some slack!" That's when I noticed the strange pink light glowing on their faces. Then I looked at my own body and it was glowing pink too… I looked above me and I saw a smoky image of a pink dove flying through a heart, and a bouquet of pink roses. Oh boy. I knew exactly who my mother was.

"Elle Foster! Daughter of Aphrodite!" Chiron called from his table. He wheeled himself over to where I stood and smiled up at me. "Alright, Elle. You need to go to your proper table now." Chiron looked around me. I didn't even have to turn around to know he was looking at Percy. My cheeks burned with heat and I shuffled around awkwardly.

"Hey future member of the Aphrodite cabin!" A girl called. I turned in the direction of the voice and was taken aback. The girl was so beautiful in a natural kind of way. She appeared to be Cherokee with short choppy brown hair and different colored eyes every few seconds. They went from blue, to green, to brown, and back again. I smiled at her and began walking toward my sisters and brothers.

I was halfway there, when another orange glow erupted from above my head. My eyes flew upward and I focused in on yet another smoky image. It was an orange bow and arrow with the sun behind it. Then, the original Aphrodite image appeared above my head right next to the orange one. The pink dove flew over to the orange arrow and held it in its beak.

I looked around the room and everyone was just as confused and awestruck as I was. I looked at Percy who was looking at the images above my head in utter shock. The blonde girl named Annabeth was having an intense silent conversation with Chiron by just looking at each other. I just stood in the middle of the dining pavilion. Feeling more lost than ever.

"Elle Foster! Daughter of Aphrodite and Apollo!" Chiron said gravely. "All Hail Elle Foster, the unknown Goddess."