And he has returned! I apologize for my prolonged absence. After the announcement of the 'Lost Hero', I had temporarily lost the drive to write, as my story will be as if the other had never happened. But after a bit of incouragment from my friends, I have returned. Hope you enjoy the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. 'Nuff said, really.
My gratitude to Cman730, Aanaleigh, Naie Masen Cullen, jahfreenalam and XOlovelyladybugXO. Special thanks to wisegirlindisguise for that extra publicity. If you didn't come here from her stories, check them out. They are all kinds of win.
Chapter 7
Camp Half Blood was a dream come true. Well, not really, since all my dreams are horrendous nightmares, but you know what I mean.
At first glance it looked like an ordinary old summer camp: A large building at the base of the hill, a river running through with a lake in the center, a volleyball court, strawberry fields, and an arts and crafts area. Then things got cool. Archery ranges, an arena and amphitheatre, a climbing wall in the distance that seemed to move! I could see a mess hall that appeared rather Greek in origin. And the cabins! All seemed varied and amazing, each having its own unique theme. I wanted to rush there first, but we were steered instead towards the house at the end of the hill.
The big house was a large, two story building painted a bright shade of red. A weathered bronze eagle stood at the top of one of the corners looking down at us, clearly signalling the direction of the wind. (It was north that day, if you really want to know) As we approached the patio in the front of the building I caught a faint smell of pressed grapes before the wind blew it from my nose. On the patio sat two middle-aged men playing a game of cards. On one side was a man with thinning grey-brown hair and a scruffy beard. He was sitting in a wheel chair, wearing a white tee-shirt and blue-jeans. Across from him was a small and porky man with a Rudolf-Red nose and big watery eyes that practically screamed 'this man drinks alcohol'. Atop his head was incredibly dark hair that looked almost purple if you looked at the right angle.
As we approached them the man in the wheelchair turned to us and smiled, waving his hand towards us, while his companion's eyes never left the table. Mr. Jackson moved ahead waving as he approached. When the rest of us hesitated Mrs. Jackson gave us a little nudge and we approached. As we stepped onto the porch a strange sensation fell over me. It was an unnerving sensation that seemed to remind me of how weak and insignificant I really was. I felt dizzy for a second, and I had to grab the railing to balance myself, doing my best to make it look like I merely wanted to lean on the rail and look cool. The two men continued their game for a minute while we all shuffled onto the porch, until finally the wheelchair guy turned and looked at us. He smiled at Mr. and Mrs. Jackson like an old friend who hadn't seen them in a long time. Then he turned towards Abby, Peter and Alexis, nodding expectantly at each of them as if he had known they were coming. Then he turned to Felix and finally spoke.
"Well done Felix. You seem to have gotten everyone here more-or-less intact." He smiled once more, as if laughing at a joke only he knew. I liked the man the moment he spoke. There was something in his voice that radiated a wisdom and trust-worthiness that could not be put into words. He turned as if to speak to Mr. and Mrs Jackson when his eyes rested on me. A quick look of surprise darted across his face before being swallowed by his kind and professional look. "Apparently you did even better than we thought."
"That is debatable" The other man grumbled, not looking from his cards. "The last thing we need is another brat to look after around here." The man took a quick look at the table, before a smile burst across his face. He shouted "Ha!" before laying down his hand triumphantly. The man in the wheelchair looked at the hand his opponent had laid down before casually placing his own down.
"I believe that is a full 1500 to your 1000, Mr. D. The game is mine."
The pudgy man began to curse... or so I believe, as I did not understand what he was saying. It sounded like more of the language that Mrs. Jackson had uttered in the van. Anyway, the man began to curse and swear, but it seemed only vocal: his face remained calm, as if he was used to being beaten. Finally he raised his hand casually, as if holding a glass. Then, suddenly, he was holding something: a can of diet coke. It was as if it had formed out of the air around him. Casually bringing it down and popping the top, he brought the can to his lips and took a sip, before sighing and placing it on the table. A quick glance around me saw that while Peter, Abby, Alexis and myself had the logical looks of bewilderment, Felix and the rest all seemed unfazed by this amazing display, to the point where the man in the wheelchair didn't even look up from shuffling the deck.
"Well, Percy, Annabeth, how much have you told them" Mr. Wheelchair asked, looking up and into the Jackson's eyes.
"Nothing a mortal wouldn't know, Chiron" Mr. Jackson said, stepping towards the table. "We figured it would be easier to explain things here at camp. Makes it much more believable."
The man, Chiron, nodded at this. "Fair enough Percy. But I am to assume they at least know the basics?" He turned to look at Peter, Abby, Alexis and me, all standing around each other.
"Peter and Abby know." Mrs. Jackson added, looking at her children. "We taught them ourselves. And Alexis' mother told me she taught her what she could. We don't know about Raymond, though." Suddenly the adults, and Felix, were all staring at me, as if waiting for me to answer. Even the pudgy old man seemed to be paying a bit of attention, though his eyes never left the cards in Chiron's hands.
"Well, Raymond, do you know anything about Greek Mythology?" Chiron asked, his steady gaze never leaving me. The air around us seemed to be waiting in anticipation for my answer. I took a look around, reading other people's opinions before I nodded.
"Yeah, I know a fair amount. It's a fascinating subject. But what about it?"
"Bah, each brat is worth then the last." The pudgy man grumbled, still looking at the cards as they were dealt "Not knowing about history, not knowing about proper games, not knowing anything! I don't know why we bother."
"Don't you Mr. D?" Mr. Jackson piped up, looking mock-curious. "I thought you might remember something about it."
"Yeah." Mrs. Jackson chimed in as well, smiling at her husband. "Wasn't there something about you, a wood-nymph, and a very angry father?"
Mr. D cursed, looking angrily at the two of them. "I remember myself valiantly fighting, and then promised compensation by having my sentence reduced to fifty years! Where's that?"
"Well, if you count the years, Mr. D..." Mr. Jackson started, before cutting himself off and smiling mischievously at Mr. D"
"Ahem" Chiron interrupted, sternly looking at Mr. And Mrs. Jackson. "If we can get back on topic..." His gaze turned to the four of us again. "As I was saying, you all know a fair amount about Greek Mythology right? Well, what if we told you that those stories you heard weren't stories? What if we told you that the forces you refer to as the Greek gods actually existed?" Chiron stopped and looked at us expectedly.
A pause filled the air as we both waited for the other to speak. After nearly a minute of silence, I turned and met eyes with my friends, before stepping forward and looking directly into those kind eyes. "well sir, if I had to answer to that, I would say that is B.S. If Greek mythology was real, and the gods were real, then our whole world would be different. People would get smote down before they could react, people of superior abilities would appear all over the world, and, of course, we would see more of the creatures, like the sirens, the hydra and the centa-" I broke my sentence off their. Mostly because as I spoke, Chiron began to try and lift himself out of his chair. The thing is, only half of him came. As I watched he seemed to pull himself out of his legs, pushing himself forward as he did. Soon another set of legs appeared from their apparent hold. Then another pair of legs. Horse legs. I slowly pivoted my head upwards because soon enough, I found myself staring up and the mighty form of a centaur.
