Camp Half-Blood at the surface level looked the same. The Big House had thes same blue gabled roof and wrapped around porch. The strawberry field baked in the sun and the same white columned Greek buildings were scattered around the valley-the amphitheater, the combat arena, the dining pavilion overlooking Long Island Sound. And nestled between the woods and the creek were the same cabins-a crazy assortment of twelve buildings, each representing a different Olympian god. But that was where everything was the same.

Instead of playing volleyball in the sandpit, counselors and satyrs were stockpiling weapons in the tool shed. Dryads armed with bows and arrows talked nervously at the edge of the woods. The forest looked sickly, the grass in the meadow was pale yellow, and the fire marks on Half-Blood Hill stood out like scars.

Most of the kids were the same from the previous summer. Though no one bothered to speak or say 'Welcome back' for Macaraia that was relatively normal because most of the camera were seriously afraid of her because of her father. But it was usual because Percy was always well liked (besides the Ares Cabin) since he was the son of Poseidon. There were a few that did double takes when they saw Tyson but most walked grimly past and carried on witht their duties running messages, toting swords to shapren on the grinded wheels. It was like a military camp, because both Macaria and Percy had been kicke dout of a few.

But at least it didn't btoehr Tyson. "What's that!" He gasped.

"The stables for pegasi," I said. "The winged horses."

"What's that!"

"Um … those are the toilets."

"What's that!"

"The cabins for the campers. If they don't know who your Olympian parent is, they put you in the Hermes cabin-that brown one over there-until you're determined. Then, once they know, they put you in your dad or mom's group."

He looked at them in awe. "You … have a cabin?"

"Number three." Percy pointed to a low gray building made of sea stone.

"I don't have one." Macaria said. "Since my father's not an Olympian, which meant I should've been in the Hermes cabin, but they're too afraid of him."

"Then do you live alone?" Tyson asked sadly.

"Nope. Percy let's me go in his cabin." Macaria said. "Though I'm usually out in the woods."

"You live with friends in the cabin?" Tyson asked them.

"No. No, just us." Percy said with an embarrassed look on his face as they got ot the Big House. Chiron was in his apartment, listening to his faborite 1960s lounge music while he packed his saddlebags. Tyson froze.

"Pony!" He cried in rapture.

Chiron turned around offended. "I beg your pardon?"

Annabeth ran up and hugged him. "Chiron, what's happening? You're not … leaving?" Her voice was shaky. Chiron was like a second father to her. He ruffled her hair and gave her a kind smile.

"Hello, child. And Percy and Macaria, my goodness. You've grown over the year!" Chiron said happily.

"Clarisse said you were.. You were…" Percy said after he swallowed.

"Fired." Chiron's eyes glinted with dark humor. "Ah, well, someone had to take the blame. Lord

Zeus was most upset. The tree he'd created from the spirit of his daughter, poisoned! Mr. D had to punish someone."

"Besides himself, you mean," Percy growled. Mr. D wasn't a favorite among the majory of the campers.

"But this is crazy!" Annabeth cried. "Chiron, you couldn't have had anything to do with poisoning Thalia's tree!"

"Nevertheless," Chiron sighed, "some in Olympus do not trust me now, under the circumstances."

"What circumstances?" They asked and Chrion's face darkened. He stuffed a Latin-English dictionary into his saddlebag while the Frank Sinatra music oozed from his boom box. Tyson was still staring at him in amazement, he whimpered like he wanted to bet him, but was afraid to come closer. It was pretty cute.

"Pony?" Tyson asked and Chiron sniffed.

"My dear young Cyclops! I am a centaur."

"Chiron." Percy said. "What about the tree? What happened?"

He shook his head sadly. "The poison used on Thalia's pine is something from the Underworld,

Percy. Some venom even I have never seen. It must have come from a monster quite deep in the pits of Tartarus." Macaria felt a chill run down her spine and she shook it off. It wasn't the time to get cold feet.

"Then we know who's responsible. Kro-"

"Do not invoke the titan lord's name, Percy. Especially not here, not now."

"But last summer he tried to cause a civil war in Olympus! This has to be his idea. He'd get Luke

to do it, that traitor."

"Perhaps," Chiron said. "But I fear I am being held responsible because I did not prevent it and I

cannot cure it. The tree has only a few weeks of life left unless …"

"Unless what?" Annabeth asked.

"No," Chiron said. "A foolish thought. The whole valley is feeling the shock of the poison. The

magical borders are deteriorating. The camp itself is dying. Only one source of magic would be

strong enough to reverse the poison, and it was lost centuries ago."

"What is it?" Percy asked. "We'll go find it!" Chiron closed his saddlebag and pressed stop on the boom box. He turned and rested his hand on her brother's shoulders and looked at him straight in the eyes.

"Percy, you must promise me that you will not act rashly. I told your mother I did not want you to come here at all this summer. It's much too dangerous. But now that you are here, stay here. Train hard. Learn to fight. But do not leave."

"Why?" Percy asked. "I want to do something! I can't just let the borders fail. The whole camp will be-"

"Overrun by monsters," Chiron said. "Yes, I fear so. But you must not let yourself be baited into

hasty action! This could be a trap of the titan lord. Remember last summer! He almost took your life."

Annabeth was trying hard not to cry. Chiron brushed a tear from her cheek. "Stay with them,

child," he told her. "Keep them safe. The prophecy-remember it!"

"I-I will."

"Um …" Percy said. "Would this be the super-dangerous prophecy that has me in it, but the gods have forbidden you to tell me about?"

No one answered.

"Right," Percy muttered. "Just checking."

"Wait… Am I apart of this prophecy?" Macaria asked.

"No you're not." Chiron said. "But as a favor to your mother."

"Who is she?" Macaria asked.

"Somone I wished I didn't trust." Chiron said darkly and Macaria frowned. Great another crazy relative, just what she needed.

"Chiron …" Annabeth said. "You told me the gods made you immortal only so long as you were

needed to train heroes. If they dismiss you from camp-"

"Swear you will do your best to keep them from danger," he insisted. "Swear upon the River

Styx."

"I-I swear it upon the River Styx," Annabeth said.

Thunder rumbled outside.

"Very well," Chiron said. He seemed to relax just a little. "Perhaps my name will be cleared and

I shall return. Until then, I go to visit my wild kinsmen in the Everglades. It's possible they know of some cure for the poisoned tree that I have forgotten. In any event, I will stay in exile until this matter is resolved … one way or another."

Annabeth stifled a sob. Chiron patted her shoulder awkwardly. "There, now, child. I must entrust

your safety to Mr. D and the new activities director. We must hope … well, perhaps they won't

destroy the camp quite as quickly as I fear."

"Who is this Tantalus guy, anyway?" Percy demanded. "Where does he get off taking your job?" A conch horn blew across the valley.

"Go," Chiron said. "You will meet him at the pavilion. I will contact your mother, Percy, Macaria , and let her know you're safe. No doubt she'll be worried by now. Just remember my warning! You are in grave danger. Do not think for a moment that the titan lord has forgotten you!" He clopped out of the apartment and down the hall.

"Pony! Don't go!" Tyson called and Macaria wanted to laugh. But it wasn't exactly the best of circumstances. Tyson started to bawl almost as bad as Annabeth. Percy kept telling them that everything would be okay, but it wasn't hard to tell that he didn't believe eis words either.

The sun set behind the dining pavilion and the campers came up from their stood in the shadow of a marble column and watched them file in. Annabeth was still shaken up, but she said that she'd talk to them later. Annabeth went off to join her siblings and lead the line, being the only one in camp for the longest of time. Though she wasn't the eldest.

The Ares kids came after the Hephaestus cabin led by Charles Beckendorf. Who Macaria had met before, though he hadn't bothered to talk to her after the reveal of her fathe. The other cabins filed in: Demeter, Apollo, Aphrodite, Dionysus. Naiads came up from the canoe lake. Dryads melted out of the trees and from the meadow came a dozen satyrs. Almost instantly the dryads and other nymphs and satyrs looked over at her. She sent them a quick smile and they returned it.

After the satyrs filed in to dinner, the Hermes cabin brought up the rear. They were always the biggest cabin, they were being led by Travis and Connor Stoll. Not twins but looked too much alike that no one cared. As soon as the last campers filled in, Percy led Tyson into the middle of the pavilion. Conversations faltered. Heads turned. Macaria waited in the back and watched. It was known that her presence bothered too many people, the safest bet was to wait until it was just Tyson and Percy .

"Who invited that?" Someone from the Apollo table murmured. PErcy glared in their direction.

"Well, well, if it isn't Peter Johnson. My millennium is complete." Mr. D said.

"Percy Jackson.. Sir." Percy said and gritted his teeth.

Mr. D sipped his Diet Coke. "Yes. Well, as you young people say these days: Whatever." Behind him, a nervous-looking satyr was peeling the skins off grapes and handing them to Mr. D one at a time .Next to him, where Chiron usually sat (or stood, in centaur form), was someone I'd never seen before-a pale, horribly thin man in a threadbare orange prisoner's jumpsuit. The number over his pocket read 0001. He had blue shadows under his eyes, dirty fingernails, and badly cut gray hair, like his last haircut had been done with a weed whacker. He stared at Percy, angry, frustrated and hungry at the same time.

"This boy," Dionysus told him, "you need to watch. Poseidon's child, you know."

"Ah!" Tantalus said. "That one."

"I am Tantalus," Tantalus said, smiling coldly. "On special assignment here until, well, until

my Lord Dionysus decides otherwise. And you, Perseus Jackson, I do expect you to refrain from

causing any more trouble."

"Trouble?" Percy demanded. Mr. D snapped his fingers and a newspaper appeared on the table the front of toda's New York Post. There was a yearbook picture of Percy from Meriwether Prep.

"Yes, trouble," Tantalus said with satisfaction. "You caused plenty of it last summer, I understand." Percy looked too mad to speak. A satyr inched forward nervously and set a plate of barbecue in front of Tantalus. He licked his lips and looked at this goblet. "Root beer. Barq's special stock. 1967." The glass filled itself with foamy soda and he stretched hush hand hesitantly.

"Go on, then, old fellow," Dionysus said, a strange sparkle in his eyes. "Perhaps now it will

Work." Tantalus grabbed for the glass, but it scooted away before he could touch it. A few drops of root beer spilled, and Tantalus tried to dab them up with his fingers, but the drops rolled away like quicksilver before he could touch them. He growled and turned toward the plate of barbecue. He picked up a fork and tried to stab a piece of brisket, but the plate skittered down the table and flew off the end, straight into the coals of the brazier.

"Blast!" Tantalus muttered.

"Ah, well," Dionysus said, his voice dripping with false sympathy. "Perhaps a few more days.

Believe me, old chap, working at this camp will be torture enough. I'm sure your old curse will fade eventually."

"Eventually," Tantalus muttered, staring at Dionysus's Diet Coke. "Do you have any idea how dry one's throat gets after three thousand years?"

"You're that spirit from the Fields of Punishment," Percy said. "The one who stands in the lake with the fruit tree hanging over you, but you can't eat or drink."

Tantalus sneered at him. "A real scholar, aren't you, boy?"

"You must've done something really horrible when you were alive," Percy said, mildly impressed. "What was it? His eyes narrowed and the satyrs shook their heads vigorously.

"I'll be watching you, Percy Jackson," Tantalus said. "I don't want any problems at my camp."

"Your camp has problems already … sir."

"Oh, go sit down, Johnson," Dionysus sighed. "I believe that table over there is yours-the one

where no one else ever wants to sit." Percy's face burned bright.

"Come on, Tyson."

"Oh, no," Tantalus said. "The monster stays here. We must decide what to do with it."

"Him," Percy snapped and Macaria could feel her blood boil. "His name is Tyson." The new activities director raised an eyebrow. "Tyson saved the camp," Percy insisted. "He pounded those bronze bulls. Otherwise they would've burned down this whole place."

"Yes," Tantalus sighed, "and what a pity that would've been."Dionysus snickered. "Leave us," Tantalus ordered, "while we decide this creature's fate."Tyson looked at Percy with fear in his eye.

"I'll be right over here, big guy," Percy promised. "Don't worry. We'll find you a good place to sleep tonight."

Tyson nodded. "I believe you. You are my friend." Macaria watched as Percy trudged over to the Poseidon table and slumped onto the bench. Macaria walked forward and she ignored all of the eyes on her. She walked up to the high table.

"Dionysus." Macaria said icily and she heard the room shudder as a hugh fell over the table. "Miss me?"

"Someone's gotten bolder." Mr. D said and she narrowed her eyes at him. She looked over at Tantalus who looked like he wanted to disappear.

"Tysons stays with us." Macaria said.

"Does he?" Mr. D said and leaned forward, but she didn't flinch. Compared to Ares and Hades, his godly energy felt like a walk in the park.

"How was the Underworld?" Macaria asked Tantalus, not taking her eyes off Mr. D. "I'm sure the gods must've appreciated your gift." She knew his story. He made a stew out of his own son. He looked like a cat caught his tongue.

"Back off girl." Dionysus said. "You think you're special because your his daughter? You're nothing."

"I'm more than that aren't I?" Macaria asked. "Who was my mother?"

"Someone not worth speaking about." Dionysus said and she looked over at the satyrs who looked like they wanted to disappear.

"Come on Tyson, let's go sit by Percy." She then walked away with Tyson at her heels, ignoring the looks from the other campers.

"That was amazing." Percy siad, with a plate of Olympian olive and pepperoni pizza on his plate.

"I'm tired, really tired, Percy." Macaria said as she sat down beside her brother, with Tyson across from them. Juniper handed her a plate of various foods and she sent her a grateful smile, which was returned even brighter. She sent off some offers to her father, uncle and her grandmother.

Tantalus had one of the satyrs blow the conch horn to get our attention for announcements.

"Yes, well," Tantalus said, once the talking had died down. "Another fine meal! Or so I am told."

As he spoke, he inched his hand toward his refilled dinner plate, as if maybe the food wouldn't notice what he was doing, but it did. It shot away down the table as soon as he got within six inches. "And here on my first day of authority," he continued, "I'd like to say what a pleasant form of punishment it is to be here. Over the course of the summer, I hope to torture, er, interact with each and every one of you children. You all look good enough to eat."

Dionysus clapped politely, leading to some halfhearted applause from the satyrs. "And now some changes!" Tantalus gave the campers a crooked smile. "We are reinstituting the chariot races!" Murmuring broke out at all the tables-excitement, fear, disbelief. "Now I know," Tantalus continued, raising his voice, "that these races were discontinued some years ago due to, ah, technical problems."

"Three deaths and twenty-six mutilations," someone at the Apollo table called.

"Yes, yes!" Tantalus said. "But I know that you will all join me in welcoming the return of this

camp tradition. Golden laurels will go to the winning charioteers each month. Teams may register in the morning! The first race will be held in three days time. We will release you from most of your regular activities to prepare your chariots and choose your horses. Oh, and did I mention, the victorious team's cabin will have no chores for the month in which they win?"

An explosion of excited conversation went across the campers. "But, sir!" Clarisse said. She looked nervous, but she stood up to speak from the Ares table. Some of the campers snickered when they saw the YOU MOO, GIRL! sign on her back. "What about patrol duty? I mean, if we drop everything to ready our chariots-"

"Ah, the hero of the day," Tantalus exclaimed. "Brave Clarisse, who single-handedly bested the

bronze bulls!"

Clarisse blinked, then blushed. "Um, I didn't-"

"And modest, too." Tantalus grinned. "Not to worry, my dear! This is a summer camp. We are

here to enjoy ourselves, yes?"

"But the tree-"

"And now," Tantalus said, as several of Clarisse's cabin mates pulled her back into her seat,

"before we proceed to the campfire and sing-along, one slight housekeeping issue. Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase have and... Macaria Jackson seen fit, for some reason, to bring this here."

He waved his hand toward Tyson. Uneasy murmures spread among the campers. There were some sideway looks at them. Macaria sent an angry look at them and they avoided her eyes. "Now, of course," he said, "Cyclopes have a reputation for being bloodthirsty monsters with a

very small brain capacity. Under normal circumstances, I would release this beast into the woods and have you hunt it down with torches and pointed sticks. But who knows? Perhaps this Cyclops is not as horrible as most of its brethren. Until it proves worthy of destruction, we need a place to keep it! I've thought about the stables, but that will make the horses nervous. Hermes's cabin, possibly?"

There was silence at the Heremes table and the Stoll brothers found interest in the tablecloth. Some part deep down of Macaria was boiling but there was a bright green light that shun above Tyson's head and Macaria's jaw dropped. There was a dazzling holographic image above his head. Macaria jaw dropped as she looked at the symbol which was Poseidon's.

There was a moment of awed silence, being claimed was a rare event. Even having two last summer, was surprising. But now, they followed Tantalus's lead and roared ith laughter. "Well! I think we know where to put the beast now. By the gods, I can see the family resemblance!"

Everyone laughed except Annabeth and a few other campers. Tyson didn't notice, he was mystified with the glowing trident that was fading above his head. He was too innocent to understand that they were making fun of him.

Tyson, the Cyclops, was Percy's half brother.