Chapter 11:

Connor and Travis Stoll, twin brothers, sons of Hermes, took us to the Big House. Connor and Travis looked elfish, with pointy ears and prankish smiles that looked like they could steal anything and you wouldn't even realize it until it was too late.

They walked us inside, where we saw Chiron and Mr. D playing pinochle with Grover and one more terrified looking satyr. "Hello Carly, Rachel, Michael," Chiron said with a smile. Chiron had a scruffy brown beard and was wearing a comfy sweater. He was sitting in his magical wheelchair with his fake legs sticking out of a blanket.

"Oh boy, more demons to fill this wretched camp," Mr. D said with an irritated voice as he drank his Diet Coke and stared at his cards, maybe because he hated demigods, or maybe because he was losing to Chiron. Mr. D was the Greek god Dionysus, the god of wine, and he was sentenced to fifty years of being a camp counselor at Camp Half-Blood. He was wearing a leopard print shirt with short zebra shorts, and his face was puffy and bloodshot like he had been partying all night.

I bowed my head to Chiron and Mr. D, trying to keep my irritation hidden from the god. After all I didn't want to be turned into a dolphin like those poor sailors. "Hello Chiron and Dionysus. We have arrived successfully, but no demigod has been claimed yet. Where shall these demigods go to sleep after our tiring journey?"

Chiron scratched his beard and muttered, "Well, I'll call a meeting and a pair of demigods will be paired with an experienced camper and they will be taken on a tour. They will be told about the mythology, the cabins, the activities, and the quests. Connor, Travis, go get Percy and Annabeth and tell them that they need to get some senior campers and match them up to two demigods each." Connor and Travis nodded and ran off as quick as their feet could take them.

Mr. D barely glanced at me, because he was too busy trying to win. "What's your name girl?" he asked me. "Charlie?"

"No, sir, Carly," I replied. He was pulling the "Peter Johnson" and the "Annie Bell" thing.

Chiron checked a clock on the wall and noticed that it was almost 6:30. "Ok, Carly, Rachel, Michael, it's time for dinner. Let's see who's going to get claimed."

We walked along next to Chiron in his horse form, seeing the cabins and the activities as we passed. All of the demigods we had brought had changed into the basic orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, and I have to admit, I was excited to start living here. But thinking about it made me depressed. I have spent two weeks away from my family, my school, and my church. And I was probably not going to see my parents ever again. My eyes started to water, and I wiped my eyes quickly before anyone could see.

I was seriously bummed out, but then I saw the mess hall and the campfire. The mess hall was Greek based, with classic Doric style columns and marble floors. The harpies ran around serving anything you wanted: pizza, pastries, meatloaf, brisket, pie, cake. And the goblets were enchanted so that they filled up with any drink you wanted, and free unlimited refills. I really wanted to dig in, but then everyone walked to the center brazier and put in a portion of their meal. I realized that they were making an offering to the gods. I immediately felt sick. It just felt wrong.

Rachel looked at me and I could tell that she was thinking the same thing, and so was Michael, and so was Kenlee, and so was Tori, and so was Brandon, and so was Fletcher, and so was Hannah. We were all thinking the same thing. So I set the example and bent to the brazier and put in the juiciest piece of brisket. Then I sat down and started eating.

Every one of the other demigods from school followed my example. They all prayed to God and then they made an offering to the Greek gods. When I scarfed down my plate, and everyone else did too, we walked to the campfire.

The campfire was beautiful and kind of scary at times. Since the flames reflected the mood of the campers, when all of the demigods from school walked in, the flames were dark blue to represent the somberness. But when the other campers gathered around the campfire and started laughing and talking, the flames rose to ten feet and they were light orange. I started laughing with some of the other campers from the Hephaestus cabin, but then Chiron pounded his hoof to signal that it was time for the sing-along.

We sang songs that I didn't know the words to, so of course I didn't remember the titles. I felt kind of weird mouthing and acting like I was singing, but then I saw it. Across the campfire, I saw a strange glow that was lighting up the other side of the amphitheater. It was floating above Michael's head, a glowing circle with a sign in it. Everyone stopped and stared at the sign, and I could barely make out the sign in the middle, the sign of a trident.

Then I saw another light glowing above Rachel's head. It was bright and it almost blinded me because well, it was basically a miniature sun, shining brightly on top of her head. It made everyone squint and glare, and some of the faces made me giggle

But then it happened to me. I barely glanced up to see a bright flash of lightning make the air smell like ozone. It made my hairs stand up on end, but I was still in such shock that I barely even noticed. The sign was pretty obvious. I mean I knew enough about Greek mythology to recognize it.

Chiron had a solemn expression on his face. He looked kind of sad and depressed as he kneeled to the ground and recited quietly, "Hail Michael Boatright, son of Posiedon, king of the seas and sender of hurricanes. Hail Rachel Averitt, daughter of Apollo, the god of the sun, the bringer of light. And hail Carly Torres, daughter of Zeus, god of the sky, king of the gods."


AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay so I haven't been uploading because of personal issues and... things... so I hope you enjoy the eleventh chapter!