I BECOME SUPREME LORD OF THE BATHROOM
I had always wished I had some weird animal half breed teacher, but it had always been the teachers I don't like, so that when they yelled at me, they'd be less intimidating with their puppy faces. But a Latin horse teacher was okay too. The tour he took us on was nice, but I had to remind myself not to walk right behind him. I'd been on pooper scooper petrol at the Macey's Thanksgiving Day Parade a few times, and let's just say, I didn't trust Chiron's rear end.
Passing the volleyball pit, people stopped their game to watch us go by, pointed at the minotaur horn I had in my hands, whispering "That's them". For some reason I didn't like the attention. I poked Percy, making him take it. "Your turn," I explained to him.
Most campers were older than me and Percy, by at least a year. There were satyrs much bigger then Grover, but all of them wore matching CAMP HALF-BLOOD t-shirts. Everyone was staring at us, and instead of feeling all epic and daring, I get this sick feeling in my stomach like I wanted to hide instead of brag about killing a terrible monster to the entire world.
Looking behind me at the farmhouse, I realized it was huge. Four stories tall, sky blue with a white trimming, like some fancy resort house. I was checking out the brass eagle weather vane on top when something caught my eyes, a shadow in the uppermost window of the attic gable. Looking closer, I saw something move the curtain aside, watching me. I could see one of their eyes on me.
"Who lives up there?" I asked Chiron.
He looked down at me, then to where I was pointing. His smile faded. "Up there? Oh, no one, it's just the attic."
"But I saw someone…"
"No one is up there," he said in a final tone. "No living thing resides in that room."
Despite seeing the curtain move, and the beady little eye, I got the feeling he was right. Nothing living was up there.
"You saw it too, right?" I asked Percy.
He opened his mouth to answer when Chiron said in a forced cheerful voice, "Lots to see yet, Jacksons. Let's keep a move on."
We passed by the strawberry fields, and I crouched down quickly snatching a few berries of the bush without Chiron noticing. A camper picking them looked up and smiled at my sneakiness. I handed one off to Percy.
"Delicious, right?" Chiron asked, smiling at me as I took a bite.
I smiled around a juicy, sweet bite. "Amazing."
"We pick them, and ship them to restaurants in New York and Mount Olympus. Pays for our expenses, and take almost no effort," he said.
"Why? I mean, why's it so easy?" Percy asked.
"Mr. D, to put it simply. When he's around, the fruits grow like crazy. It works best with grapes, but since he's restricted from growing those…"
I nodded. "Being grounded sucks."
"Strawberries work too," Chiron smiled.
A satyr stood out in the middle of the patch, playing away on his reed pipe. The bugs seemed to swarm around him, then fly away. The song must have repelled the bugs away. I wondered if Grover could do anything like that. Hopefully he's not in too much trouble, I thought.
"Chiron, will Grover really be okay?" Percy asked. "'Cause he did his job well, I swear."
Chiron sighed, peeling off his tweed jacket and draping it over his back like a saddle. "He's always had high goals. Goals that might be too high for a young satyr like himself. First he has to find, and bring back a new camper successfully."
"And he's done that!" Percy defended.
"Yeah, with two campers!" I added. "So he's an overachiever."
"If it was my place to judge, I'd agree, but it's not. That's up to Dionysus and the council of Cloven Elders. They may not see this as a successful mission. He lost you in New York, and was unconscious when you dragged him over the property line, and then… what happened with your mother." Chiron shook his head. "They might not see this as courage on Grover's part."
I looked down at my feet, ashamed. It was my idea to leave Grover back in New York. Because of me, he's in trouble. Grover may not have been the bravest, but he got us here, he saved us, but that might not mean anything because I wanted to leave him when he was getting a little weird.
"That's just a bunch of stupidity," I muttered, looking away. "He should get a second chance if they're going to do this to him."
"I'm afraid this was his second chance," Chiron said sadly.
I snapped my head up to look at him. "What do you mean?"
"There was an… things did not work out so well last time. The counsel didn't want to give him another chance, and when they did, he was so eager to prove himself, he only waited for five years."
"How old is he?" Percy asked.
"Hum… twenty-eight I do believe."
"What! And he's only in sixth grade?"
"My concern is how he passed off as a sixth grader," I said.
"Satyrs mature half as fast as humans. Grover has been the equivalent of a middle school student for the last six years."
"The pure horror of it all," me and Percy muttered together.
"Agreed. Even so, he's a late bloomer, not quite as accomplished at woodland magic as others his age. But his dream pushed him, and now he might have lost his chance. Maybe he'll have some other career."
"What happened last time that was so bad they didn't want to give him another chance?" I asked. "I mean, they have to be overreacting."
Chiron shook his head. "It's not my story to tell. But don't push Grover to tell you. A burden like that isn't one anyone would like to carry." He sighed. "Let's move on now."
Maybe… maybe something like my mom happened. Maybe he failed one of the incoming camper's parents. Or a loved one. Maybe they died too. But then it occurred to me, that Chiron had yet to use the word death, and I don't think it had anything to do with our feelings.
"Chiron," I asked.
"Yes, child?"
"Does that mean there's an Underworld too? If there are gods and all."
His expression darkened.
"I hope you aren't thinking what I think you are," he muttered darkly. "Cameron, I'm telling you—"
"Please just answer the question."
He paused. "There is a place where spirits go after death. But you must put that out of your head. And I mean it, Cameron. There's no room for those kinds of thoughts in your head right now. Not until we know more. Let's see the forest now."
I looked to Percy, and his expression was so clear, it was as if I could hear his thoughts. Like I could hear him in my mind.
Know more of what?
The woods were beautiful, not to mention huge. It took up at least a quarter of the valley, with trees so tall and thick, you could imagine nobody had been in there since the Native Americans.
"They're fully stocked, if you choose to take your luck in there," Chiron said, watching me stare at the forest.
"What all is in there?" I asked.
"You'll see on Friday. Capture the flag's that night. You'll need your own shield and sword. You probably don't have your own armor. A size five should do you well, Percy. Maybe a size four for you Cammie, seeing as you're a bit more petite."
I gave him a strange look, wondering what kind of summer camp used armor and swords.
The tour took forever, but the place was huge! We saw the archery range, the canoeing lake, the stables (a quick and short visit, seeing how Chiron didn't seem to like it very much), the javelin range, the sing-along amphitheater, and the arena where Chiron said they held sword and spear fights.
"Gosh, this camp has to be breaking, like, a thousand laws," I muttered under my breath.
"This camp's activities aren't something we usually share with government officials," Chiron smiled.
"Must have something to do with the sword fights, huh?" Percy asked.
"Partially. They're cabin challenges. They're not lethal all the time. And look, there's the mess hall."
Chiron pointed to an outdoor pavilion framed in white Grecian columns on a hill overlooking the sea. There were a dozen stone picnic tables. No roof. No walls.
"That's got to suck when it rains," I noted. "Where do you go? When it rains, I mean."
"Well we still have to eat, don't we?" Chiron laughed.
"Yeah, but there's no roof. Doesn't the food get soggy?" Percy asked. The thought of soggy pizza crusts, and milk mixed with rain water set my stomach churning.
Chiron just kept walking. I stepped forward, about to ask something else, when Percy put his hand on my shoulder. "Just drop it," he said, shaking his head.
Finally, we arrived at the cabins. There were twelve of them, nestled in the woods by the lake. They were arranged in a U, with two at the base and five in a row on either side. And they were without doubt the most bizarre collection of buildings I'd ever seen.
Other than the big brass numbers over the doorways of each cabin (odds on the left, evens on the right) every one of the cabins had their own, shall we call it… style to it. Cabin nine looked like a tiny factory, with smokestacks and the whole deal. Four had tomato vines growing on the walls, and a grass roof. Seven looked like it was made of solid gold, making it very hard on the eyes, seeing how the sun seemed to be shinning at its brightened that day.
"Now where's the house made of candy with a child eating witch inside?" I wondered aloud.
They all faced inward, toward this giant soccer field sized area, and was dotted with Greek statues, fountains, flower beds and a couple of basketball hoops (time to assemble my own basketball team—so in other words, Percy and Grover.)
In the center of the field was a stone-lined firepit. Even in the blistering heat of the day, a girl about nine years old was tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick.
"Didn't her parents ever tell her not to play with the fire?" Percy joked.
The pair of cabins at the head of the field, number one and two, looked like his-and-hers mausoleums, big white marble boxes with heavy columns in front. Cabin one was the biggest and bulkiest of the twelve. Its polish bronze doors shimmered like a hologram, so that from different angles lightning bolts seemed to streak across them. Cabin two was more graceful somehow, with slimmer columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls were carved with images of peacocks.
Peacocks? I wondered. Isn't the peacock the symbol of Hera? Yes, I remember that day in class, when we learned about her. I was trying to read the text book, but Nancy kept bothering me. we started arguing, and Mr. Brunner—Chiron I guess—told us Hera was known to hate humans, and would do cruel things to us if we didn't stop and pay attention. Then he turned and started talking about peacocks. Kind of weird to think he might of actually been telling the truth.
"Hera," I said. "That cabin belongs to Hera?"
Chiron nodded proudly. "That's correct."
"And the other one," Percy muttered. "It's Zeus's, right?"
"Yes, my boy it is. Though that's one of the simpler mysteries here."
"They look empty."
"Most of these cabins are. That's true. One and two are always empty."
Each cabin has a god, like a mascot, or a symbol for cabin challenges, maybe. Cool. But I couldn't understand why some of them were empty.
I saw cabin three, the first one on my left, and turned to get a better look. It was low, but long, and had ruff gray walls made of stone, shells and coral peppered it's sides. Creeping over, I snuck a look inside.
"Cameron, I wouldn't do that!" Chiron told me, but I went on anyway.
As I entered, the smell of salty ocean air hit me, causing me to stop, like there really was a wall there.
"It smells like…"
"Montauk," Percy finished for me.
"Just like Montauk."
The interior walls glowed like abalone. There were six empty bunk beds with silk sheets turned down. But there was no sign anyone had ever slept there. The place felt so sad, lonely even, as though it longed to have someone stay inside, even for just one night. Chiron's hand on my shoulder woke me from my trance, and I was relieved he dragged me out. "Come now," he said. "Nothing much to see here."
Most of the other cabins were crowded with campers. Number five—a nasty red paint-job with barbwire fences, and a stuffed wild boar head hanging above its large entrance—had a gang of kids inside, and by the looks of it, they could be an actual gang. Some of the mean looking kids arm wrestled while others yelled and screamed at each other over the loud heavy rock music. The loudest of them all, a thirteen, maybe fourteen year old girl with an XXXL Camp Half-Blood t-shirt on under her camouflage jacket. As soon as she spotted me, her eyes narrowed, and her lips curled up into an ugly smile, like she was already planning my death. I could almost smell her nasty breath from over here. As scary as she was, I narrowed my eyes right back, giving her my infamous glare. Percy took my elbow, stirring me away.
"Don't do that," he scolded.
"Do what?" I asked, innocently.
"You know exactly what, so stop it."
Needless to say, she reminded me of Nancy, and I wasn't about to let no Nancy-doppelganger give me that look without getting something in return, even if she is much larger, and scarier than Nancy (and had brown stringy hair instead of red, with Cheetos-spray freckles).
"You know Chiron," Percy said. "We've seen a bunch of satyrs, but we haven't seen any other centaurs around here."
"No," Chiron said sadly. "My kinsmen are wild and barbaric folk, I'm afraid. You might encounter them in the wilderness, or at major sporting events. But you won't see any here."
"I don't mean to be rude," I said. "But shouldn't you be dead?"
Percy elbowed me in the side.
"Ow! It was just a question!"
But Chiron just paused, seeming more intrigued then offended. "To be perfectly honest, I have no idea. Eons ago, the gods granted me my wish, the wish to train heroes as long as this world needed them. It was something I loved and wished to never have to give up. I guess that the world still has a need for heroes."
All those years, training student after student, watching people around you grow old and die. It seemed like a bad wish.
"Doesn't it ever get boring?" Percy asked.
"Boring? Never. Sometimes horribly depressing, yes, but never boring. Oh, look, there's Annabeth!"
Looking over to where his eyes pointed, I waved my hand at Annabeth. She looked up, waving back at me. She was reading a book in front of the last cabin on the left, number eleven.
Bouncing up from the step she sat on, she walked over to greet us. She looked over Percy critically, and I giggled, remembering her drool comment.
"What you reading, Princess?" I asked her, bending my head to get a better look at it. It couldn't read the title, and realized it wasn't because of my dyslexia, but because it was in another language altogether. Greek by the looks of it. It looked like some kind of architecture books, with statures, and columns, and temples on the cover.
"Nothing much," she shrugged.
"Annabeth," Chiron said, "I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take the Jackson's on from here?"
"Yes, sir."
"Cabin eleven," Chiron told us, gesturing toward the doorway. "Make yourselves at home."
Out of all the cabins, eleven looked the most like a regular old summer camp cabin, with the emphasis on old. The threshold was worn down, the brown paint peeling. Over the doorway was one of those doctor symbols, you know the winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it. What did they call it again…? A caduceus.
Inside was packed, more girls and boys then the bunks would fit. All the free space on the ground was covered by sleeping bags. It looked like a gym where the Red Cross had set up an evacuation center.
Chiron didn't go in. The door was too low for him, but the campers still stood and bowed in respect.
"Good luck, Jacksons," he said, clapping us on the backs. "I shall see you both at dinner."
With that, he went galloping off into the sunset… or, I guess the afternoon sun, and more towards the archery range then the actual sun…so technically he just left.
Turning back to look inside the cabin, the campers were no longer bowing, instead sizing us up. I moved behind Percy a bit, that weird feeling of over-attention coming back.
"Well, don't just stand there," Annabeth said. "Inside."
I tripped a little coming in, and there were snickers around the room, which quickly stopped after Percy glared at each and every one of them.
"Cabin eleven," Annabeth announced. "These are the Jackson twins. Cammie and Percy."
"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked.
I raised an eyebrow, not knowing what that meant, when Annabeth said, "Undetermined."
Everyone groaned, and I found myself behind Percy again.
A guy older than the rest came forward, smiling. "Now, guys, don't be rude, this is what we're here for. Now welcome the Jackson's. You guys can have that spot right over there."
The guy was about nineteen, and looked pretty cool, not to mention cute (that said, so not my type). He was tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different-colored clay beads. Now he had the whole Californian surfer dude look going on. The only thing unsettling about his appearance was a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash.
"This is Luke," Annabeth blushed. I smirked, reminding myself to ask her about that later. "He's your counselor for now."
"For now?" Percy asked.
"You're undetermined," Luke explained patiently. "They're not sure what cabin you belong to yet, so cabin eleven takes all new comers, or undetermined. Naturally we would, our patron, is the god of travelers."
"And thieves," I said before I could stop myself.
There was a little laughter from the cabin.
Luke nodded, covering his laugh. "Yes, and thieves."
I saw Percy look over toward the spot that was ours, and then look to me. Nothing to put there except our minatory horn, but I could tell he wasn't about to leave that here.
"More twins, huh?" someone in the front said.
"Now we're not alone!" someone else said. Looking between the two I could tell they were twin brothers.
"This is Travis and Connor," Luke said.
"Nice to meet you," they said together.
Looking around the room, some of the campers eyed us suspiciously, others grinning stupidly, but a vast majority eyeing us as if they were waiting to pick our pockets.
"How long will we be here," I asked.
"Until you're determined, I suppose," Luke said.
"How long with that take?"
More laughter.
"Come on, let's go see the volleyball court," Annabeth said, grabbing our elbows.
"We already saw those," Percy said.
"Let's go see them again," she hissed.
A few feet away from the cabin, Annabeth turned on us. "You have to try harder than that, Jackson," she hissed, at Percy.
"Wrong twin," I told her.
"What?" Percy asked, ignoring me.
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Can't believe I thought you were the one."
"Wow, I did not see that one coming," I muttered, trying to lighten the mood.
"What's your problem?" Percy growled. "We killed some bull guy—"
"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth snarled. "You have no idea how many campers dream to have that kind of chance."
"The chance to get killed?" I tried butting in again.
"I mean, to fight a Minotaur?! It's a like a gift to get that chance! Why else would we train every day?"
Percy shook his head in anger. "Look, if that thing really is the Minotaur—"
"And it was."
"Then it'd be dead by now! Killed by Theseus in the labyrinth, eons ago!"
"Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed, but they don't die."
"That's not confusing," I laughed.
"That sure clears things up," Percy scoffed.
"They don't have souls. You can dispel them for a while, maybe even for a whole lifetime if you're lucky enough, but eventually they'll reform, and come back to life again."
"YOU KNOW ANNABETH!" I said really loudly to get their attention, which it did. "THIS WAS A VERY EDUCATIONAL VIRBAL FIGHT! NOW LET'S CONTINUE IT WITH LOWER VOICES AND LESS THRETENING LOOKS! OKAY?!"
"You're the only one yelling," Percy muttered.
"Put a sock in it," I glared. Turing to Annabeth, I said, "So if you killed one, accidentally, with a sword…"
Percy seemed to get that I was hinting at Mrs. Dodds and became focused again.
"The math teacher you killed, you mean?" Annabeth said. "Yes, she's back in this world, and you've only made her very, very mad."
"What else is new," Percy chuckled.
"Why do we have to stay in cabin eleven anyway?" I asked. "It's packed, and there's empty cabins right over there."
"You don't get to choose your cabins, you get assigned to one by whoever your parents are… or parent."
"Well our mom is Sally Jackson, world's greatest blue cookie maker," Percy said "She works at Central Station, selling candy. Or at least she used to. Are you trying to tell us she's a god?"
"Not her, Percy," Annabeth sighed. "I'm sorry about what happened to your mom, but I'm talking about your dad."
"He's dead," I told her. "We never got the chance to meet him."
Annabeth must be some old pro at this, because she seemed to know exactly what to say. "Your father isn't dead. He's a god."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I know you. You two wouldn't be here if you weren't like the rest of us."
"You don't know anything about us," Percy glared.
"Is that so? You move around a lot, school to school, you're a trouble maker. Trouble just seems to follow you wherever you go."
"Don't need to be a genius to know that."
"You have dyslexia, and ADHD, if I'm correct. You just can't sit still, can't stop moving, always looking for something to do."
"You must be talking about Cammie then."
"Hey!" I glowered.
"You have dyslexia because you're meant to read Greek. Your ADHD is battle-field reflexes, just waiting for you to use them. Your lack of attention is from seeing too much, not too little. You can see more than any mortal could." She took a few steps toward him. "You survived the Ambrosia and Nectar. Any mortal would have died from it. Your bones turning to sand, and blood into fire. You're a half-blood, and you might as well get used to it."
Percy's eyes burned, and I could tell he was an inch away from clobbering her. gently grabbing his arm, I turned him to look at me.
I'm on your side, I said with my eyes. Now stop.
Seeming to get exactly what I was saying, Percy excused himself, saying something about having to use to bathroom.
"Is he always like that?" Annabeth asked.
"Like what?"
"Thick headed?'
"Look, Princess girl," I sighed. "Whatever you have against my brother—well it's honestly not my business, but it needs to stop. Like, now."
"I don't have anything against—" Annabeth started.
"You do, and I don't know why you have a problem with him and not me."
"What do you mean by that?" it was more out of curiosity then anger.
"Well, there are a lot of reasons. Percy's nice, he's sweet, isn't a self-centered ego maniac and he bathes, so he smells good. Me on the other hand: I'm not so sweet, I have a cover that needs protecting, and I don't let people see the real me. I bathe too; just putting that out there."
"He's nice? From what I've seen of him so far—"
"He's confused, and wants answers. We saw our mother die right in front of our eyes, and he wants to know why this all is happening now. He's not a jerk, he's anything but. He doesn't care what people think of him, he's willing to make a complete fool of himself for someone else, and he puts up with everything I give him. And trust me, Princess, that's a lot." I shook my head. "You don't know us. You know about us, but you don't know us."
Annabeth was silent for a while. "To be honest, I don't know why I have something against him and not you. I mean, it's supper silly, and doesn't really have anything to do with me, or him for that matter."
I put a hand up. "I don't want to hear what it is. Just go straighten it up with him. He's very forgiving. Another good trait he has." I started walking towards the bathrooms. "Once you guys become friends, or at least acquaintances, you'll see exactly what I'm talking about."
Walking up to the bathrooms, I noticed Percy talking to the big ugly girl we saw in cabin 5. And when I say talking I mean, her holding him in a headlock, her ugly friends laughing.
"Excuse me!" I glared, running up to them.
"Cammie, wait!" Annabeth stuttered.
Coming right up next to them, I taped on the girls arm. "Would you be so kind as to let my brother go?" I said in a mockingly sweet voice. "It would make me so ever happy."
She just smirked at me. "You're the twin, aren't you?" she asked. All of a sudden, her arm was around my neck. "You can go in with him."
"Clarisse," Annabeth moaned. "Please, just let them go."
"What was that, Princess?" Clarisse growled.
"Hey! That's my name for her!" I hissed.
"You seemed to be forgetting who's in the head lock, newbie."
"And you seem to forget how to used deodorant!"
"Clarisse—" Annabeth tried to say.
"Stay out of it, Wise girl."
Where's that strength from when I was fighting the Minotaur? I wondered. Where are you now? It didn't matter how much I kicked and punched, Clarisse's hold on me was steel strong, and I wouldn't get out.
Kicking open the door, Clarisse dragged us into the girls bathroom—a lovely smelling bathroom, like any other public lavatory I've ever gotten the pleaser to get a whiff of.
"Hey, what was that rumor that was going around? About these two being "Big Three" material?" we got ever so closer to those ghastly things they call toilets. "The Minotaur must have died of laughter."
Pushing us down on our knees, I looked to Percy, then at the water. It was scummy, gray and filthy.
"I don't know about you, Perc," I muttered. "But I am not going in there."
"I second that, sis," he hissed, getting this weird, concentrated look on his face, like he was ready to explode or something.
Then something happened. There was a soft tug at my stomach, like I was feeling something, but at the same time, I might just have imagined it. All I know is that one second I'm about to get a headful of toilet water, and the next the pipes start hissing and groaning, suddenly coming to life. Clarisse's hold on us loosened, and the next thing I know, water shoots out of the toilet, completely missing me and Percy, and then… I'm kind of confused about the next part.
Skipping ahead, Clarisse screamed, and I lay there on the bathroom floor, wondering what was going on. One second passed, and then the water shot out again, right at Clarisse's face, hitting her so hard she fell backwards onto her butt. It became stronger, pushing her into the shower stalls. It soon stopped once she was properly hosed down. Clarisse's friends ran in, and then it started again, going straight for them, right out the door.
For a moment, all was still. Needless to say, the bathroom was flooded and everyone was good and soaked in toilet water, even Annabeth. Everyone wet and grimy. Except me and Percy. A small circle was around us, forming a dry patch in the sea of toilet water.
"I don't know how that happened," I said. "But that was awesome."
Percy looked to me, then laughed.
Annabeth ran in, looking at our circle. "How did you…"
"No clue," we said.
Outside, Clarisse lay in the mud with her friends. Other campers came by to see what had happened with horror and amusement. The smell of sewage was so strong on them, I had to cover my nose.
"You're dead," Clarisse panted. "So very, very dead."
"You want to gargle with the toilet water again, Clarisse?" Percy asked, hooking his thumb back to the bathroom. "No? Then close your mouth."
"Well said, brother." I put my elbow on his shoulder, leaning in to whisper, "Now let's get out of here."
Annabeth stared at us like we had two heads. "What you thinking, Princess?" I asked.
"Just that I want you guys on my team for capture the flag."
I laughed, turning away, all of a sudden bumped into something. Or someone.
"I'm sorry," I apologized, looking up at the boy. Okay, stop… pause… now stare. I'm a pro at hiding my feelings. You'll never know if I think a boy's cute or not. But there was something about this sandy blond haired, blue eyed boy that made me stop and stare just a bit. He looked to be about my age, maybe a little older. He was tall, taller than Percy by an inch. But seriously, what's with the sandy hair in this camp!
He smiled a cute boyish smile, and said, "It's okay. I wasn't watching where I was going. Though I did see what you did back in the bathroom with Clarisse." How could you not, it just happened a minute ago.
He looked me up and down. "I haven't seen you at camp before. Are you new?"
I put my hand out. "Cammie Jackson."
"OH, you're that girl who killed the Minotaur, with her brother, right? I'm Josh Abrams," he said. "Son of Hermes."
"Oh, cool, I'm staying in that cabin."
"I kind of figured," he chuckled. "Determined, or undetermined."
I hesitated. "Undetermined."
Instead of looking upset, he seemed really happy about it. "Oh, that's cool."
"Yeah, so don't steal from me," I teased.
"Well if you tell me not to…"
"You'll still do it?"
"Maybe. But not if you're really nice to me."
"I'm always nice," I smiled. "Just tell me if I'm ever on your hit list."
"Will do. See you later Cammie." He started walking away, then turned back to me. "By the way, nice going with the Minotaur. And Clarisse."
I blushed. "Thanks." Waving goodbye at me, he left.
"What. Was. That?" Percy all of a sudden said behind me. I jumped a bit, forgetting he was right there.
"What was what?" I asked innocently.
"Looked to me like you were flirting with Josh," Annabeth said, grinning.
"When did you decide boys were cute," Percy asked.
I blushed even harder. "I don't think he's cute!"
"I'm your twin, Cam. Can't hide things from me."
I scoffed. "Yeah, you're my twin. Doesn't mean we share a brain."
"Cammie and Josh, sitting in a tree," he sang. "K-i-s-s-i-n-g! First comes love then comes marriage, then comes the—"
I slapped my hand over his mouth, hoping that no one had heard. "If you say anything that has to do with the world baby, I'm going to kill you. Understand?"
Fortunately, he did stop. Unfortunately he kept smiling and laughed time to time.
Worst part was, I did think he was a little cute.
"To tell you the truth," Annabeth whispered to me. "He is kind of cute."
Blushing, I hid in Percy's shadow, wanting to hide from the world.
So the chameleon has been born. And enter Josh, a very important character in this story, and upcoming ones. I'm not sure if I'll be rewriting the entire Percy Jackson series, or any of the Gallagher books. I'm sure I'll at least do little one shots with the Gallagher book rewrites, and if I don't rewrite the rest of the Percy Jackson series, I'll do one shots with them. But so far, I very well might be rewriting the Jackson series.