I followed them for a few steps before I remembered that they're not Chiron and I'm allowed to ask questions.
"So, uh, do I get a more in-depth explanation for everything, or am I supposed to just read minds?" I piped up. Then paused, "Sorry, that was rude. I mean, why was I attacked by the minotaur? And why does Chiron not like me?"
Luke blinked, but Annabeth beat him to answering. "You're a demigod. You're going to get attacked!"
"Duh," I said. "I meant the fact that that was the second higher-level monster to attack me in the past few months- after the weather went wonky. That's not normal. And it wasn't even chasing me, it didn't smell me, it was sent after me."
Annabeth reluctantly seemed to acknowledge my point, "Well, shouldn't you know? After all, it's due to whatever is going on on the Summer Solstice!"
"Why do you keep asking me about Kronia?" I huffed, crossing my arms.
Luke, strangely enough, flinched. "Woah! Both of you, cool it! I don't think you're on the same page. Annabeth: Percy is new, and he's going to have questions. Be patient. Percy: We'll answer your questions, but I think you're going to have to help us out a bit too."
I took a deep breath, just like Hermes had taught me to calm down, and nodded. "Okay."
"Okay," He nodded and gave that crooked grin that made me long for home. "So, I have no idea why Chiron might not like you, but the monster- we might have an explanation. Look, Olympus is kind of freaking out, Zeus is really angry at Poseidon for some reason, and if they think you're involved, then you're in the cross-fire."
"Do I look like I've been anywhere near Olympus?" I grumbled, mostly to myself. I've never been on Olympus.
"No." Annabeth replied to my rhetorical question, "You look like a dork who drools in his sleep."
"Rude," I immediately protested. Then I looked down at myself because I was still wearing the sweater I knitted myself and a pair of skinny jeans that had butterflies sewn onto all the pockets. "But fair."
Luke laughed, "At least you acknowledge it, kid. Any more questions?"
"Yeah. Where are the toilets?"
Annabeth rolled her eyes, hard. "Come on."
oOo
After a quick stop, and a quicker tour of the showers, I got dragged off again.
Arts and Crafts, apparently, was Annabeth's favorite. The tables were covered in multiple different projects, varying from half-done statues to popsicle-stick tiny towns.
"What are you eyeing?" Luke asked genially, "Personally, my favorite is the finger-painting; messy yet fun."
"The knitting," I admitted. "Do you guys teach how to use the sewing machine too?"
Annabeth, who had been glaring at anyone who got too close to a Parthenon sculpture that was drying in the sun, scoffed. "Of course you do."
I glared at her, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"I'm sure Silena would love to show you how to use it," Luke said loudly as he stepped in between us again. "Gods forbid you two end up in the same cabin," He muttered under his breath.
Unfortunately for him, both of us heard him.
"What? Luke, you can't think he's my brother, look at him, he's definitely Cabin Ten's!" Annabeth said, offended.
"I have no idea who Cabin Ten is, but I can assure you I am not offended." I bit back.
"Oh come on," Luke pointed out. "You two are nearly identical, and you know how your mother is with her children, Annabeth. Your mom is the goddess of crafts too, and that includes fashion."
"We're not identical," I pointed out. "Very much not. That's weird."
Luke raised an eyebrow, "Blond, light-eyed, same cheekbones, same lip shape, both of you have curls. You and Annabeth look more alike than Malcolm and Annabeth do."
"I'm not blond," I said confused. Yes, we are.
Annabeth blinked at me. "Are you sure your concussion is completely healed?"
"Wha-? Oh! I dyed my hair!" I blushed brightly. My memories are so scrambled, that I thought I was only blond as Pallas. Ugh, I desperately need to sort this out. "I forgot. No, Mom says I look just like my Pa-father. My father."
"Your father? Guess everyone is losing that bet." Luke muttered, "Are you sure your godly parent is your father?"
"Very," I stated firmly. "Who did you think was my mom?"
"Athena," Luke admitted. "Aphrodite," Annabeth said.
"Yeah, no." I shook my head, "I have black hair."
Annabeth frowned, "Then what god has black hair and looks like my mo- oh."
She looked at me, wide-eyed, and Luke, picking up on whatever she wasn't saying, stared at me too.
Did they just figure out I'm the son of Poseidon? Well, Hermes' plan is going down the drain… wait, why did Luke just glance at Cabin 1? ...Oh no.
"Hey!" I called their attention, panicking a bit internally. "What's that orange thing by the beach?"
Annabeth followed my eyes, and she looked a bit more relaxed. "That's the Climbing Wall. Come on, it's cool."
If the gods could hurry up with their secret plan, I think that would be great, especially since their children seem to think I'm a son of Zeus and might actually realize the truth soon enough. Either way, the camp is going to realize they have a kid that should have never been born very soon, and Zeus won't like that either.
oOo
"So, you guys really just have lava on your climbing wall." I have probably said this numerous times, but my brain really wasn't comprehending it.
"Yes," Annabeth said, annoyed. "What part of that is so hard to understand?"
"The lava part." My voice sounded strangled even to my own ears.
"Hey, hey, hey." Luke said soothingly, "We're demigods, our lives are dangerous, so we have to prepare for every possible outcome. Avoiding lava trains us to avoid more deadly things."
"More deadly than lava?" I asked, incredulous. Athena told me about lava, I wanted to swim in it but she told me it would kill me. "How do you not get sued? And what about the injuries?"
Annabeth asked, "Who would sue Camp?" at the same time as Luke answered, "We're not held liable for any injuries we can't heal after a few nights at the infirmary."
Triton absolutely would try to sue Camp. Oh yes, I think he would start a war over it and everything.
"Great." I muttered, "A few nights at the infirmary."
Before either of them could reply, I very firmly announced "I want to go home."
"Percy you can't-" "There's no other home for demigods-"
Yes, there is, and it's called Home. With mom and Athena and Triton and Hermes. Hells, there's Camp Jupiter in California! Apollo and Athena's universities throughout the country! Camp Half Blood isn't the only safe place for demigods, and I definitely don't feel safe here.
I can't tell them that though, that's revealing too much.
"Hey, Luke! Who's the new kid?" A voice called, and we all turned around to find a dark-skinned teen girl had walked up to us.
"Amadi! This is Percy, the newest undetermined camper of Cabin 11. Percy, this is Amadi, daughter of Demeter, she's the head counselor of Cabin Four."
"Hey sweetie," She bent down, hands on her knees to talk to me. "How are you finding camp so far?"
I looked to the side at Luke and Annabeth in a slight panic, but plastered on a fake smile. "It's good."
She cooed, patting my head. "Aren't you cute! How old are you?"
"I'm twelve, nearly thirteen," I told her. She reeled back in surprise, and I sighed. "I know, I'm small."
She chuckled awkwardly, "Sorry, I thought you were, like, nine."
Luke was hiding laughter behind his hand, "Yeah, I did too until I saw your med chart."
"Yes," Amadi smiled down at me, "Do you eat enough? You know, when Luke first arrived, he was as skinny as a twig, but we fattened him up soon enough. We'll do the same for you. You should pile his plate, Luke, he's tiny."
Annabeth was now laughing at me, exaggerating too. "Oh yes! I'm like a foot taller than him, he definitely hasn't been eating enough."
Athena was taller than me too, she used to use me as an armrest as a joke.
I gave her a look of absolute betrayal, "I'm just small naturally! I haven't had malnutrition in years, thank you very much!"
They all stopped smiling, staring at me for a few seconds. Luke quickly recovered from whatever it was that had them frowning at me, a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes gracing his face. "Percy! You haven't Silena yet, she'll love you, she's one of my best friends and head of the Aphrodite Cabin."
He gently reached out and put his hand on my shoulder, like he was expecting me to duck away, and began leading me away from the climbing wall. "Bye Amadi! I think Miranda is about to fall off."
Amadi, glancing back, swore and ran off.
Annabeth quickly caught up, grabbing Luke's sleeve to keep up. "When's your birthday?"
"August 18, 1993," I told her, "Why?"
She shrugged, "I'm older than you. There's five kids younger than you, but you're definitely the smallest."
Instinctively, I stuck my tongue out at her.
oOo
The Aphrodite Cabin was, to be short, pink.
Of course, this meant I loved it. Annabeth, on the other hand, seemed to hate it with a burning passion. I liked pretty jewels, I would drape them around my neck and on my veil, Athena called them 'shiny rocks.'
"They're just all a bunch of vapid-headed fashionistas," She muttered under her breath.
Luke frowned down at her, "That's not true and you know it."
Annabeth didn't argue with him, but her little huff made me think she said this often and got away with it often.
"What's wrong with being a fashionista?" I asked her, "I love it."
She gave me a weird look, "But you're a boy."
"Annabeth, we're greek." I said, wondering if I heard her right. "I don't think gender matters. And again, fashion is fun. You get to dress up all pretty and feel awesome. Personally, I want to look like a woodland elf, they're really pretty and androgynous."
"True, but they care more about fashion than fighting, and that's stupid. What's androgynous?" Annabeth asked.
"It means you look both like a girl and a boy- I like it when nobody can tell, it's like a fun trick you play on people. And do they not fight or do they only fight to survive?"
"Like Fishnet Darla? Xey say xey're not a boy or a girl. And the second, obviously, but this is camp, you're supposed to learn to fight, that's the whole point of being a demigod."
"Maybe? And I don't think that's it-"
"Luke! You didn't say he was tiny!" A girl squealed, and we both noticed that Luke had walked away to leave us arguing by ourselves.
"I'm not tiny!" I said, indignant. "I'm nearly 4'8!"
Annabeth snickered, "They're never going to let this go."
Silena smiled indulgently, that same smile all the adults gave me when I say something they think is adorable. "Of course, sorry. I'm Silena Beauregard, head of cabin 10. What's your name?"
"Percy Jackson," I replied. "And I'm twelve, not nine."
She seemed amused, "Ah. My youngest sister is eleven, maybe you two would get along? So, how's your first day at camp going? Do you know who your godly parent is?"
"It's okay," I told her, lying through my teeth. "And it's my father."
She paused, then frowned, exchanging a quick glance with Luke. "Your father? Are you sure?"
"Yes?" I was confused, "Why does everyone keep asking that?"
"Percy… you've got the same eyes as all my siblings and I. Have you noticed how your eyes change color? That's something my mother, Aphrodite, has." She told me gently.
Shoot, did my eyes change in front of her? Wait, this is an Aphrodite trait? But this is a Sea thing? I was born of the Sea Foam, and so was Aphrodite. That's her name, Aphros, Sea Foam. Oh.
"Pretty sure it's my father," I insisted, my fingers automatically going to Hermione in my distress. "Mom says I'm just like him, I think she even has a picture of him hidden somewhere. Definitely not, sorry."
Luke, picking up on my uncomfortableness, changed the subject. "Percy, what do you have there in your hand?"
I blinked, then blushed. "It's just Hermione, she's a gift."
Silena cooed, "You named her? Oh, that's precious, Drew's stopped naming her barbies and I miss it."
"A gift?" Annabeth asked instead, looking almost… jealous. "A baby toy?"
"Yeah," I muttered self-consciously, pocketing the little sheep. "It doesn't matter."
"Of course," Luke ruffled my hair. "Anyways, Percy, Silena can teach you Arts and Crafts."
"Okay," I nodded. "Thanks."
"No problem," She smiled at me, then straightened up. "I should probably go inside and get my cabin sorted, we've got Javelin before Dinner, and you know how hard it is to corral them all into doing an activity."
Luke smiled and flashed Silena a thumb's up. "Sure 'Lena."
She was about to duck back into her cabin, when another girl showed up.
"Silena!" The brown-haired girl hollered, "We need your help at the stables!"
Silena cursed under her breath. "What is it now, Clarisse?"
The girl, Clarisse, jogged up to us. "Oh good, you're here too Luke. The Stolls and Merciers have been leaving glitter-paint bombs everywhere, and they accidentally startled a few pegasi."
Both Luke and Silena groaned. "We're going."
Silena, ducked her head inside and yelled, "Valentina, can you take over?" I think I heard someone yell back "I thought I was retired!" but that may have been my imagination.
"Clarisse, can you escort Annabeth and Percy back to Cabin 11 and 6? No arguments or initiations, please, I already have a headache." Luke addressed the burly girl as he began jogging towards the stables. "Thanks!"
"Oh, yes!" Silena told her, giving her a light peck on the cheek as she walked by. "Treat Percy nicely, I like him." And she was off, running after Luke.
"Wait, I-" Clarisse's protests fell on deaf ears. "Ugh, fine."
She turned to us, "So you're the new kid? I'm Clarisse, daughter of Ares."
"Cool," I said. "Are you really good at every weapon?"
"I prefer the spear," She said, amused. "Now, let's drop you two off at your cabins. Don't be a slowpoke, Wise Girl."
Annabeth growled but dragged her feet. "I'm going to pulverize you on Friday."
"You can try," She huffed back.
I wanted to ask what was on Friday, other than Agathos Daimon- the monthly holiday of honoring the spirits- that I'm pretty sure they know nothing about, but from the way they were growling at each other I think it would just start a fight.
"So, what's for dinner?" I piped up.
Annabeth rolled her eyes, muttering something rude under her breath, and Clarisse just gave me a look. "BBQ, like always."
"Wait, what about dietary requirements?" I asked, confused.
"Do you have them?" Clarisse asked.
"No venison until the new moon," I said. "Other foods are forbidden sometimes too, depending on what holiday or month it is."
She nodded, "If you tell Luke that, he'll bring it up to Chiron and Mr D. Don't worry, it's usually steak and sausages."
I relaxed, "Okay."
"What kind of culture is that from?" Annabeth asked, frowning. "I've never heard of this."
We had arrived at the steps to Cabin 11.
"Hellenic Polytheism," I told her simply, then walked inside.
Annabeth and Clarisse just looked confused at my answer.
oOo
Cabin 11 was empty, I think they were all out doing an activity, so I left.
Well, I stayed a minute inside to make sure the coast was clear, then I grabbed a muesli bar from my bag and left.
Beelining towards the hearth at the center of all the cabins, I ignored any other stray campers wandering around who might try to say hello.
Hestia was kneeling next to her fire-pit, brown veil dipping dangerously close to the flames, stoking the coals. "Hello," she spoke softly, smiling.
"Hello, lady Hestia," I greeted. "May I?"
She nodded and gestured towards the spot next to her. I sat down, legs folding under me as I knelt beside her.
"The Camp's hearth is strong," I said. "Thank you for maintaining it."
She shook her head, "It's not as strong as it should be, in fact, it's far weaker than it was. It's still steady, they do call my hearth home still."
A pang of sadness hit me, but I shook it off. The hearth is not a place for sorrow, it's a place for family.
"I don't think I will be able to call it home, but I can acknowledge its warmth as family and as a guest, can't I?" I asked her, and then drew the muesli bar from my pocket.
She smiled, "Of course. At my hearth, you shall be protected and warm."
I broke the bar into thirds, one piece going into the fire, another I ate, and the final piece Hestia nibbled on.
"You're a sweet boy," Hestia commented after she finished her piece. "I remember when your Pater was like that- he would tease our siblings and then be an overprotective mother hen when we were upset. Oh, one time I got upset with him, and Hades yelled at him so much, I think Zeus memorized his rant and repeated it every time your Pater got too cocky."
I laughed, delighted. Despite being raised in a household of gods, I never got told any stories about my Pati other than what Pallas remembered and bled into my dreams or what Triton told me from his childhood. I never heard about him from when he was a child.
"I can tell you some stories about your Pater, you know." She offered, and I gave her my biggest seal eyes, begging "Yes please!"
She laughed, "Alright. Did you know that your Pater and your Papater look nearly identical? One time, during the Titanmanchy, your Pater got the stupid idea that if he turned his eyes gold, then the enemies would think he was our father and follow him. It almost worked, until our actual father showed up to find your Pater in the middle of the camp, pretending to be him. Oh, he looked so embarrassed when Demeter had to help him escape! He did manage to disrupt weeks of their planning, and they lost a lot of supplies, but Hera yelled herself hoarse for being so reckless."
I sat with Aunt Hestia for an hour just listening to her tell stories from when my Pati was younger, and only left when I saw that Cabin 11 was heading back to the cabin to get ready for dinner.
"Come back anytime, little nephew." Hestia patted my cheek, "I haven't told stories like that since Hermes and Dionysus were little enough to sit still for them."
I laughed and promised I would.
At least Teisa Hestia never changes. No, our family is still here, we just have to be patient with them too.
A/N
I'm so impatient this week, which is stupid because I haven't even answered half the comments from last week. ADHD at its finest, my dudes. Anyways! Here's your update, I changed a few characterizations slightly, but feel free to tell me how to improve them (POLITE constructive criticism only please) cause they did feel a bit awkward to me. Also, might not update for a while cause ugh, I got lockdown this entire week which meant I'm swamped with work.
Lmao, this chapter really is everyone looking at Percy and going "Is that a BABY?!" before being informed he's actually nearly a teenager. Watch as the Stolls make fun of him for this next chapter lmao. Uh, Clarisse didn't 'initaiate' Percy cause he was polite to her and Luke and Silena told her not to, and yes, Amadi is an OC. Don't worry, I won't flood you with OC's, they'll show up slowly, max of 3 per chapter, I promise. Also, when I tell you guys not to do something, it's not an invitation to do it teasingly. It's annoying, don't.
I also have a PJO discord server for this fanfic (and my other fics) that anyone can join! (Just remove the spaces) : / / discord . gg/ hfXGUeraTg