Chapter 4

After lunch, however, was not nice. On my way to do some training at the arena, Brandon Hamilton grabbed me and yanked me behind the stables, shoving me against the wall.

"Listen, you unclaimed brat. If you think you've bested me, think again. Next time around, you won't be so lucky. You messed with the wrong son of Ares, Lebedev." His face was bright red, his big nose flaring at his hairy nostrils.

"Hey!" somebody shouted from behind him. I peered around Brandon's large shoulder to see Oliver Bishara running up, his expression livid. Brandon turned, and his eyes went wide. He let me go, and shot me a black look. Then he sucker punched me right in the gut, sending me to my knees clutching my stomach, and took off.

"Are you okay?" Oliver cried as he ran up to me, kneeling down and gripping my shoulders. I couldn't breathe; Brandon had knocked the air right out of me. Oliver growled, "I'm gonna get him for this."

"Don't— bother…" I stammered, attempting to even out my breathing as he helped me to my feet. I looked up to see that Oliver's eyes were still laced with fury. "Oliver, please. I can handle it on my own. I'll deal with it."

He began to calm down, taking a step back from me. "Alright. Alright. Really though, are you okay? I know you just got out of the infirmary and all…"

"Ah, yeah, I'm fine. Just a little shaken up." I looked at the ground, feeling embarrassed that Oliver had witnessed the incident at all.

"I meant to stop by, by the way. I just— I was busy," he concluded, speaking quickly.

"Oh, that's okay. I was unconscious most of the time anyway. I actually just woke up a little while ago."

"Oh, okay. So, I heard you went a little wild during Capture the Flag. They said you were like a nike hyped up on three pots of coffee."

My face flushed. "They did? Well that's… I mean, I was okay."

Oliver smirked. "Yeah, I'm sure. Hey, so uh, do you wanna do some training together?"

"Yeah! I was just on my way to the arena."

I quickly learned that Oliver was a very good swordsman, and he did not feel inclined to go easy on me just because I was new. By the time we finished, I was left exhausted with nicks and bruises all over the place. Soaked with sweat, we walked over to the canoe lake and sat on the pier.

Wiping my forehead, I said, "That was really something. You kicked my butt."

He laughed. "You weren't bad yourself. I was kind of afraid you were gonna go crazy on me. Thanks for sparing me."

"Well, I didn't really want yet another demigod coming after me with a vendetta," I jabbed. He punched me in the arm, and I playfully yelled, "Ow!"

"So, I wanna know more about you." Oliver prompted. "What was your life like before you came here?"

I looked down at the water, immediately thinking of my father. "Um, it was okay. Pretty average, I guess. My dad and I live in a condo in Brighton Beach. It's at the southern tip of Brooklyn. I worked at this terrible Russian restaurant. Literally we got maybe five customers a day. I don't know how they paid me." I giggled, remembering all the customers who had complained about their food or the smell or any of the other things there were to complain about.

He smiled somewhat wanly. "That sounds nice. You and your father get along well?"

"Yeah, we do. He's my best friend. He's all I have…" Guilt. There it was. "Uh, so what about you? What was life like in Chicago?"

"It was okay. My father and I live in a high-rise downtown. But he wasn't around much, always working or whatever." He wore a strained expression. "When I found out I was a demigod and told him I wanted to go to a summer camp, he didn't ask any questions. He bought my plane ticket, and I left. When August came that year, I told him I wanted to go to boarding school in New York City. He said yes without a second thought. Now I stay here year-round."

"I'm sorry," I told him, putting my hand on his shoulder. He looked at me, and for a brief moment I could see the pain in his eyes.

He ducked his head, forcing a smile. "It's cool. It doesn't really bother me," he lied.

Chiron's conch horn blew in the distance, signifying dinner. We stood up and walked back together, hands in our pockets.

When we got to the pavilion, he said, "See you at the campfire?"

"Yeah. See ya." I waved shyly.

I walked over to my table, and Piper was giving me a look that said, we need to talk later. I gave my best shot at an innocent smile, but I knew there'd be no fooling her.

"So, Alexey. How was your afternoon?" she prodded, smiling. The others focused their attention on us.

"Oh, uh, it was fine."

"You definitely seem to be feeling better." Next to her, Jason chuckled.

I went red. "Yeah, I am. Uh, I'm gonna go make my offering."

I stood up and walked over to the fire with a plate of Korean barbecue. When I scraped a large cut of beef into the fire, though, something strange happened; I felt the fiery sensation in the pit of my stomach yet again. It warmed up my entire body, and for some reason I felt… very at peace. It was pleasant – as though some part of me had been restored. I felt confident that any problems I had could be fixed.

Was this some sort of sign from my mother? Maybe she was reassuring me that I would be claimed soon. It was something, at least. With a smile on my face, I practically floated back to the table. Dinner, from there, went well. We talked about nice things. We gossiped. We made jokes. It ended, as always, with Chiron stomping his foot declaring that it was time to gather around the campfire.

On the walk over, Piper ran up behind me and laced her arm with mine.

"Spill," she demanded.

"What are you talking about?" I feigned, staring at the ground.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. What I wanted to ask earlier was, how was your afternoon with Oliver?"

I smiled. "It was fine. We did some combat training." I blushed. "And we sat on the pier and talked for a while." She ooh'd at that.

"Well then, what do you think of him?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"You know… Do you like him?

"I—" I looked over at her, flustered. "I— I don't know what to say. I mean, he's a cool person. I don't know." I shook my head quickly.

She placed her other hand on my arm. "Alexey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"No, it's… It's fine."

We reached the amphitheater, where Chiron was speaking with Percy and Annabeth. As we approached, we caught the end of what Chiron was saying.

"…so I'll need you two to reside over the campfire activities tonight. If anything goes awry, I'll be in the Big House." He glanced at me, then trotted off.

Piper asked, "What's going on?"

Percy and Annabeth looked at us cautiously.

"Um," Annabeth stumbled, exchanging a look with Percy, "Chiron just has some things to attend to. Regulatory stuff, with Olympus. Iris messages to make. We'll be overseeing the campfire for the night."

"Oh," Piper replied, knitting her eyebrows. I had to admit, Annabeth, for once, had not been too convincing.

The rest of the night went normally enough; the campers had a lot of respect for Annabeth and Percy. Toward the end of the night, though, things did go awry.

During a moment alone, I had been staring into the fire from a few yards away, mindlessly watching the flames as they jumped around waywardly, until someone grasped my shoulder and spun me around. I was looking into the eyes of Brandon Hamilton standing over me, much too close for comfort. My eyes went wide.

"Do you need something?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah. I need you to try to keep from crying when I kick your butt."

"Listen, I think this was settled before it even started, when I took you down in the woods."

His face got all red, and he shouted, "You know what? I was gonna wait until the next Capture the Flag match, but since you said that I'll save you the wait!" He shoved me, hard, toward the fire; I nearly fell backward.

"Dude, what the hell is your problem?" I shouted back. People had begun to notice, gathering around us.

"My problem? You're sixteen years old and you haven't even been claimed yet! But you have some crazy magic boost of strength in the forest, even though your mother probably doesn't even know you exist? How are we supposed to believe you're even a demigod?" Brandon spat. "What if you're a spy sent by some monster?"

I could sense the uneasiness of the crowd, the flame of the campfire flickering to a low, colorless gray, as they considered the idea. I winced, stuttering, "I—I…"

"Back off, Brandon. You don't know what you're talking about," Will Solace called out. Still, though, Brandon inched closer and closer, backing me against the rim of the fire pit. Sweat dripped down my back as the heat radiated onto me.

Suddenly, Brandon unsheathed a dagger. A number of things happened in the moment that proceeded.

The campfire roared, shooting up into the air, tinted bright pink. At the same time, the ring of campers split up as a crack formed in the earth and skeletal warriors began to surface, grabbing and restraining a struggling Brandon Hamilton. As I registered this flurry of events, I also noticed that my body had begun to glow with a deep, warm orange aura. Evidently a few others noticed as well, as I heard a rally of gasps among the campers. Staring at the gathering, I realized they weren't regarding my newly iridescent skin but instead were gawking at something just above me. Slowly, fearfully, I looked up.

Floating above me was a holographic image: a small pile of firewood, burning with a crackling fire the same shade as my aura. Brandon stopped struggling. The skeletons crumbled to dust. Silence fell over the crowd. I felt my face turn bright red; clearly, whatever this was, it wasn't normal, even for a demigod.

Then, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Flinching, I looked to my right, where a tall, beautiful woman had appeared, seemingly from the flames of the campfire. She had tanned skin and soft, warm features. She seemed familiar somehow. Her hair was light brown, like mine, and was braided back into a low, conservative bun. The woman gave me a brief smile, but I detected a hint of struggle in her brown eyes.

She turned her head to address the campers.

"It is so. I am Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth, and this, Alexey Lebedev, is my son."

Silence. Uncomfortable, tense silence. I stared at my mother in complete and utter shock. I was speechless. I looked at everyone else; they all mirrored the expression I imagined was on my face.

"This is not good," Annabeth murmured. As if on cue, Chiron galloped down the steps of the theater, skidding to a stop when he saw who was standing next to me.

"It's just as I feared…" he said.

"Ah, Chiron. It is good to see you," Hestia greeted, managing to hold her smile.

"Yes, Hestia, hello," Chiron sighed. "Alexey, if you could join the two of us in the Big House?"

We began the walk to mentioned house, and I glanced at my friends. Most of them wore shocked expressions; Annabeth's was mostly worry. I looked quickly at Oliver's face – he was no less stunned than the others, but he also looked angry, probably at Brandon. Then, I turned away from my friends and from the campers, and followed the two immortal beings walking ahead of me.

Once we sat down in the living room, there was a prolonged moment of silence. Not even Seymour made a sound. I decided to break the tension, staring directly into Hestia's warm eyes.

"You're my mother?"

"Yes, I am."

"I don't understand. I thought you were a sworn maiden." She winced.

"I was."

"Then why—"

"Alexey," Chiron interrupted, "let's not push that subject at the moment. We have much more pressing matters to discuss." I felt a surge of anger. What could be more important than finding out more about the mother I'd never had? Couldn't whatever Chiron wanted to discuss wait?

Annabeth's words echoed in my mind: I also know that Chiron is very wise. As much as I hate it, whatever is happening, we may just have to let it play out until there is something we can do.

I crossed my arms and sat back into the couch. "Okay. What's going on, then?" I blurted, disregarding Chiron's surprise at my small act of indignation.

"Very well. It's like this, Alexey. Some of the gods are rather… displeased by this turn of events. While you all were at the campfire, I was here receiving updates from Olympus. I received a report that Hestia had vanished from Olympus just a while ago. As soon as I heard this, I came to the fire as quickly as I could, fearing what was to come – but I was too late. Just as I suspected, she claimed you as her son." As he said all this, Hestia kept her eyes toward the coffee table, unfocused as if she were seeing something far beyond.

"I don't— What… So what does all of this mean? Was my dream correct? Is everything going to fall to chaos?"

"At this point, all I can say is that it is likely your dreams were warnings, though I don't believe they were issued by Athena herself."

"Then who?"

"Hera," Hestia spoke suddenly, "my sister, Goddess of Marriage – of Sacred Oaths. I made such an oath to Zeus when I declared my maidenhood. She knew all along that I had broken it. She was furious, and ever since, she has bided her time, waiting for this all to come out. That's why I took so long to claim you, my… son. As long as I could."

"Well what is she going to do?" I wondered fearfully.

"There is no telling, Alexey," Chiron said. "I am afraid that we will have to wait and see. It is my hope that Zeus will restrain her in order to fend off further deepening of this conflict, but I imagine he is not happy with Hestia at the moment, either." He sent Hestia an apologetic glance.

To say I was frightened was an understatement. Terror racked my body; I was shaking. I had done nothing to become involved with godly affairs – until less than a week ago, I hadn't even believed in gods – and yet here I was, in the middle of what was probably, with my luck, the most catastrophic divine event ever.

"So… Why now? Why did you reveal yourself now?" I inquired of Hestia, my voice trembling.

"Because I feared your life was in danger at that moment. I knew I could wait no longer. You see, your survival is vital, now more than ever, child," she replied, gentle but stern. "For, on Olympus, I am the peacemaker. When the gods have an argument, I am there to mediate. Now, however, the argument is over the peacemaker herself. I am the transgressor, so I cannot perform my duty. That is why you must step in for me. You must prove to the Olympians that you are worthy of their blessing and their trust. If and when all falls apart, it is up to you, Alexey, to restore it."

I stared at her in disbelief, which morphed into anger.

"What? How can you expect me to do that?

"My son, I realize it's a lot to—"

"That isn't fair!" I shot up.

Chiron began, "Alexey, please—"

"I didn't ask to be a demigod. I didn't ask for any of this!"

I stormed out the living room and exited the Big House, tears falling down my face in my rage as I ran toward the cabins. I knew I had just made a fool of myself, but I couldn't help it. It was unfair. I was too afraid, too weak. And that only served to make me madder. I didn't have the power to stop whatever was coming. They would have to find someone else.

As I came upon the cabins, I realized my dilemma; I had no cabin. As far as I knew, there was no cabin for Hestia. Great. Maybe I would just sleep by the hearth at the center of the green instead. As I walked in that direction, I suddenly heard a whoosh behind me, followed by someone grabbing my wrist. Without warning, the darkness around me consumed me, and in an instant, I was inside what appeared to be one of the cabins, sprawled out on the floor.

"Sorry about the ambush," said a voice from above me – I realized it was Nico's. "I had to get you inside before a harpy spotted you."

Composing myself and getting back up to my feet, I groaned, "Was that shadow-travel?"

"Yeah. Sorry. It can be disorienting."

I looked around the room. It exuded simplicity, decorated in dark colors. Other than the two of us, it was entirely empty.

"This place used to be downright gaudy," Nico informed me. "I took care of that, though."

I turned to face him. "Are you the only child of Hades?"

"Yeah. The Big Three – Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades – agreed to stop having kids after World War II. But I was born in the 1930's." I gawked at him. "Long story – I don't want to talk about it. But, as you can see, Hades kept up his end of the deal, unlike the other two. Anyway, you can stay here for the night."

I decided not to bother him with any more questions; I was just glad he didn't seem to be freaked out about my claiming. Gratefully, I sunk into one of the beds and immediately fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next few days were weird. People didn't really know how to act around me – whether it was okay to ask questions or if they should just keep their mouths shut. For my friends, it was the former. They interrogated me about everything: my meeting with Chiron, what Hestia had said, what it felt like to be her son, et cetera. I didn't have many answers for them.

I met with Chiron about living arrangements, and he gave me the greenlight on staying in the Hades cabin until a cabin twenty-one could be completed. Fortunately, there was no further discussion of any godly mediation, and Hestia had disappeared.

Then, the following Friday, just after Capture the Flag, I received the worst news of my life.