Into the fire

The moment Percy stepped across the gate's boundary he knew he was in deep trouble. The archers had moved down from the wall and were now standing 20 yards in front of him, with their arrows pointed at his heart. Percy gulped.

The boy that had confronted Percy the previous minute pushed through the archers' ranks. Percy couldn't fool himself; the guy cut a pretty impressive figure in full armor. He was about 15 or 16 years old, around Percy's age, maybe a year or so younger. But this guy stood a solid six inches over Percy's head and had at least eighty pounds on him. Percy felt rather wary about fighting this guy, but something told him he had fought bigger, meaner guys in the past. Percy thought that it was essential to make a good first impression on this guy, so he decided to say something intelligent and not incriminating.

"Um… I didn't do it!" Nice, really nice, now he was doomed.

The guy's eyes narrowed, "You didn't do what?"

"Ah… that's not what I meant to say."

"Well, then what did you mean to say"

Percy was starting to like this guy less and less. He managed to say that sentence with so much derision that it made Percy want to punch his lights out. But he just ground his teeth and replied.

"What I meant to do was ask you what it was I did to make you treat me as an enemy."

"It was nothing that you did, just who you are."

Ok, this guy was seriously asking for it. Percy just itched to take out Riptide and teach this pretentious prick a lesson. But he settled for replying with as much venom as he could muster.

"And who exactly do you think I am?"

"You have at least some godly lineage, otherwise you would not have been able to open the tunnel door. But that is not why I know you are an enemy. You are an enemy because you are at least my age, possibly older, and an untrained demigod could not possibly survive for that long on his own. I know you are untrained because I have never seen you before and this is the only place a demigod can be properly trained to fight. Therefore, you are either a disguised monster, or a divine being." The prick paused for a second to look Percy up and down. "And since we can definitely rule out the latter, you must be a monster."

Percy absolutely loathed the triumphant look on the prick's face (prick was starting to become this guy's name in Percy's mind), but Percy couldn't find any holes in his logic. Besides, Percy doubted this buffoon would have reconsidered his theory even if there were gaping holes in it. Percy decided that a witty retort was just what he needed to restore the situation.

"Reasonably well thought out for an primitive ape such as yourself."

Percy congratulated himself, the prick's insufferable sneer had been wiped right off his face.

The prick roared with anger and started to charge Percy, but before the prick could take two steps a giant wolf bounded between Percy and his new friend. It was Lupa. The archers immediately lowered their bows, but the prick still had his sword out and was giving Percy a death glare that would rival Hades'.

"Stop this nonsense; Robert, Percy is who he says he is. Even though I don't like him being here, Percy must be welcome at our camp, it is the will of the Gods."

Percy didn't exactly feel assured by Lupa's words. What did she mean she didn't like him being here? She was the one who had started him on the journey that had led him to this gods-forsaken 'camp.' Percy's scowl deepened when he saw that the prick (or as Lupa had called him, Robert) had decided to open his fat mouth again.

"But Lupa, didn't you hear what I just said? Percy couldn't be a demigod; he would never survive until his age without being trained here."

Lupa turned slowly to face the prick, "Percy's situation is undoubtedly odd, but that is no reason to treat him with so much hostility. And Robert, you would be wise to speak to me with more respect."

Percy was surprised that he could still hear Lupa now that she had her back to him. With a poorly concealed gasp, Percy realized that Lupa wasn't actually speaking; rather, she was talking directly into his mind. "Okay," Percy thought, "Ancient Roman gods, heavily armed half-human half-god teenagers, was a wolf with telepathy really that much of a stretch?"

"Yes Lupa." The prick mumbled.

"Robert," Lupa said with mock patience, "aren't you supposed to be on guard duty?"

"Yes Lupa." The prick mumbled again. He turned and stormed back up the battlement stairs, after a view seconds of unnecessarily loud climbing Robert disappeared from view. Lupa turned back to face Percy. She looked him up and down like she was reassessing her view of him. After she was done with her inspection, she addressed Percy.

"I have misjudged you hero. I did not expect you to make it to our camp alive."

"Well thanks for believing in me." Percy replied sarcastically.

"You're welcome." Lupa said in all seriousness. "I suppose you have a lot of questions to ask me"

"Yeah, you're right, I do. To start, who the heck am I? Where was I before I appeared at the Wolf-House? Who is Annabeth, and why do I remember her and nothing else from my past?"

"All those answers will become apparent to you once you have completed your journey." Lupa stated matter -of-factly.

"But I have completed my journey, I made it here didn't I?" Wow, Percy's voice sounded whiney, even to him.

Lupa's lips curled into her wolfish grin, "Ah but Percy, your journey has only just begun."

On that heartening note, Lupa promptly turned and started to trot away. "Wait!" Percy shouted.

Without looking back, Lupa projected, "Don't worry Perseus, I have instructed someone to come and give you a tour of our camp. I think you will like her, she is also… special."