A/N:
Well, you all are gonna see how they react to Percy meeting Luke. Thanks for all the reviews that have been coming in. It means a lot and I'm glad you all are getting enjoyment out of reading the story. Also, I saw the news about open-calls for the Percy Jackson show, and yes, when the time comes I AM SO auditioning for Thalia. If I get it it'll be the role of a lifetime.
Also, I went back and I rewrote a whole section of this, as I'd written this kind of haphazardly and there was a moment between Annabeth and Percy that was quite OOC and didn't flow well, so thank you to the Guest reviewer who pointed this out. I just wanted to make sure that that moment was improved.
Chapter 6 – Percy and Annabeth
That evening, after an eventful night of capture the flag and dinner at the barbeque pit, the Seven and Nico all gathered in the Zeus cabin this time. Jason and Piper took their seats on Jason's bed, wrapped in one another's arms while Percy and Annabeth took their seats on the other bed in the room. Percy had the book in hand, prepared to read this chapter.
"So, you're starting?" asked Frank, allowing Hazel to lean back into his embrace.
Percy nodded, opening the journal to the chapter titled "I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom." He smiled at the chapter name, as it best described the events of that day. Swallowing, he read, "Once I got over the fact that my Latin teacher was a horse –"
"I doubt Chiron would like hearing that," mumbled Leo, smirking.
"– we had a nice tour, thought I was careful not to walk behind him. I'd done pooper-scooper patrol in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade a few times, and I'm sorry, but I did not trust Chiron's back end the way I trusted his front."
Everyone in the cabin leaned over laughing. "Ironic, since your dad is the god of horses," grinned Jason.
"And one of his sons was Pegasus," grinned Hazel.
"So, that technically makes horses your family," teased Leo.
Percy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, it feels so good knowing I'm related to equestrian creatures," he said. "Add that to the list of creatures I've got close ties to. Cyclopes, sea animals . . ."
"Polybotes," offered Piper sympathetically.
"Yeah, and it doesn't help that my own relative almost killed me," Percy sighed, only for Annabeth to look over at him, her grey eyes almost going black.
"What?" she growled. Her tone got Jason flinching harshly. Only he knew for the longest time, because Percy trusted him above everyone else. That was especially since he had a reputation to uphold.
"That's a story for another time, Annie," said Jason.
"No, I want to hear this right now!" Annabeth demanded, glaring at Jason fiercely.
Percy swallowed hard. The last thing he wanted was for Annabeth to learn that Polybotes had poisoned the ocean and nearly killed him. If it hadn't been for Jason saving his life, he would've been dead a long time ago. He'd held off telling her, knowing how she would react. But he also knew he couldn't hide this from her forever.
"Tell me!" Annabeth said. Her voice was laced mostly with worry. But there was a hint of anger there, too.
"Um . . ." Percy stammered. "Polybotes . . . before the Giant War, he had lured Jason and I into a trap. We both ended up going under the ocean, and Polybotes ended up poisoning the water. He was determined to trap me under the ocean and . . ."
Annabeth's eyes glazed with tears at the thought. "Why . . . Why didn't you tell me anything?" she whispered.
"He asked me not to," Jason said. "I ended up getting him out of there before something worse could happen."
"If it hadn't been for Jason, I wouldn't be here," Percy said, his own eyes glazed over as Annabeth hugged him fiercely and kissed him, before pulling away and cradling his face in her hands. She stroked his face tenderly as her tears spilled down.
"Seaweed brain," she whispered against his lips. "Next time you go through something like that, tell me. Please."
Percy nodded, blinking tears out of his eyes as he kissed her once more, softly. "I'll try to remember that," he mumbled. "But I just couldn't take the thought of you being in more pain. Not after Tartarus."
Annabeth just kept his face cradled in her hands. "After everything we've been through, I can take it. Next time something like that happens, respect me enough to talk to me."
Percy nodded again, kissing her before continuing to read.
"We passed the volleyball pit. Several of the campers nudged each other. One pointed toward the Minotaur horn I was carrying. Another said, 'That's him,'" Percy read.
"Sounds like you became pretty famous, buddy," grinned Leo.
"And people thought it was the most amazing thing," Percy said, "except now, I think a lot of campers don't fantasize about fighting monsters. I think they'd rather stay in the safety of the camp's boarders."
"I agree," said Nico with a sigh, before nodding at Percy to continue.
"Most of the campers were older than me. Their satyr friends were bigger than Grover, all of them trotting around in orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD t-shirts, with nose else to cover their bare shaggy hindquarters. I wasn't normally shy, but the way they stared at me made me uncomfortable. I felt like they were expecting me to do a flip or something. I looked back at the farmhouse. It was a lot bigger than I'd realized – four stories tall, sky blue with white trim, like an upscale seaside resort. I was checking out the brass eagle weather vane on top when something caught my eye, a shadow in the uppermost window of the attic gable. Something had moved the curtain, just for a second, and I got the distinct impression I was being watched."
Everyone shuddered at that.
"The Oracle," said Nico, shivering.
"At least Rachel's the Oracle now. It was high time that thing got an upgrade," commented Percy.
"But how did you know she was the Oracle?" asked Jason.
"She was clear-sighted, for one thing," said Annabeth.
"And she had visions and dreams of what would happen during the Second Titan War," Percy added, "so, when she figured out she had the gift of prophecy, she went to Apollo to become the new Oracle. And we were glad that she succeeded. Because there had been other attempts at it that hadn't been successful."
Annabeth, Percy and Nico exchanged glances, remembering May Castellan and how she'd gone mad when she'd made the attempt. She'd thought she had the gift of prophecy. Only when she got cursed, she went completely mad. It was no secret why Luke had harbored such hatred. It was bad enough not knowing his own father. But having his own mother be delusional, they couldn't begin to imagine the impact it left on a child.
"What happened?" asked Piper.
"You'll find out, eventually," said Annabeth, nodding at Percy to continue.
"'What's up there?' I asked Chiron. He looked where I was pointing, and his smile faded. 'Just the attic.' 'Somebody lives there?' 'No,' he said with finality. 'Not a single living thing.' I got the feeling he was being truthful. But I was also sure something had moved that curtain. 'Come along, Percy,' Chiron said, his lighthearted tone now a little forced. 'Lots to see.' We walked through the strawberry fields, where the campers were picking bushels of berries while a satyr played a tune on a reed pipe. Chiron told me the camp grew a nice crop for export to New York restaurants and Mount Olympus. 'It pays our expenses,' he explained. 'And the strawberries take almost no effort.' He said Mr. D had this effect on fruit-bearing plants: they just went crazy when he was around. It worked best with wine grapes, but Mr. D was restricted from growing those, so they grew strawberries instead. I watched the satyr playing his pipe. His music was causing lines of bugs to leave the strawberry patch in every direction, like refugees fleeing a fire. I wondered if Grover would work that kind of magic with music."
"If only Grover could learn more than a few songs," said Nico, rolling his eyes. "The guy has no taste."
"If I hear him play more Hillary Duff, my ears would probably bleed," agreed Frank with a sigh.
"Maybe I can convince him to learn some Lincoln Park or Breaking Benjamin," Percy offered.
"Thalia would love that," said Jason, smiling fondly at the thought of his sister's taste in music.
Percy swallowed before continuing to read from the passage. "I wondered if he was still inside the farmhouse, getting chewed out by Mr. D. 'Grover won't get in too much trouble, will he?' I asked Chiron. 'I mean . . . he was a good protector. Really.'"
"I agree," sighed Nico.
"He only did the best that he could," said Annabeth. "He should get more credit where it's due."
Percy nodded thoughtfully before continuing. "Chiron sighed. He shed his tweed jacket and draped it over his horse's back like a saddle. 'Grover has big dreams, Percy. Perhaps bigger than are reasonable. To reach his goal, he must first demonstrate great courage by succeeding as a keeper, finding a new camper and bringing him safely to Half-Blood Hill.' 'But he did that!' 'I might agree with you,' Chiron said. 'But it is not my place to judge. Dionysus and the Council of Cloven Elders must decide. I'm afraid they might not see this assignment as a success.'"
"Of course, they don't!" Nico said, rolling his eyes. "Couldn't they give him at least partial credit?! I mean, he got Bianca and I here safely! He did a great job!"
"If only the Council weren't a bunch of stuck-up old –" Hazel began to say, but Frank cut her off by tightening his arms around her.
"Easy, sis," Nico told her softly, before nodding at Percy to keep reading.
"'After all, Grover lost you in New York,'" Percy read. "'Then there's the unfortunate . . . ah . . . fate of your mother. And the fact that Grover was unconscious when you dragged him over the property line. The council might question whether this shows any courage on Grover's part. I wanted to protest. None of what happened was Grover's fault. I also felt really, really guilty. If I hadn't given Grover the slip at the bus station, he might not have gotten in trouble. 'He'll get a second chance, won't he?' Chiron winced. 'I'm afraid that was Grover's second chance, Percy. The council was not anxious to give him another wither, after what happened the first time, five years ago."
Jason looked pained at that. Of course, he'd known only a little bit about what happened to Thalia. She'd only told him that she'd made a sacrifice which led to her being thought to be "dead' for years. But he still didn't know the full story. She hadn't said anything. And now, he was about to learn the truth about what happened to his older sister.
"'Olympus knows, I advised him to wait longer before trying again. He's still so small for his age . . .' 'How old is he?' 'Oh, twenty-eight.'"
"I don't get it," Leo said, shaking his head.
"Me neither," agreed Nico.
"So don't try to understand it," advised Annabeth.
"'What?! And he's in sixth grade?' 'Satyrs mature half as fast as humans, Percy. Grover has been the equivalent of a middle school student for the past six years.'"
"That's so awful," said Piper, her voice tinged with sympathy.
"'That's horrible,'" Percy read. "'Quite,' Chiron agreed. 'At any rate, Grover is a late bloomer, even by satyr standards, and not yet very accomplished at woodland magic. Alas, he was anxious to pursue his dream. Perhaps now he will find some other career . . .' 'That's not fair,' I said. 'What happened the first time? Was it really so bad?'"
Jason shivered at that. He closed his eyes, thinking of his sister. He wanted so badly to know what had happened to her.
Percy swallowed hard, continuing to read. "Chiron looked away quickly. 'Let's move along, shall we?' But I wasn't quite ready to let the subject drop. Something had occurred to me when Chiron talked about my mother's fate, as if he were intentionally avoiding the word death. The beginnings of an idea – a tiny, hopeful fire – started forming in my mind."
Jason sat up a little straighter, sharing a glance with his cousin. He knew now what his best friend had been planning at the time. A glint appeared in his blue eyes and a spark of electricity bounced off him.
"'Chiron,' I said. 'If the gods and Olympus and all that are real . . .'" Percy read. "'Yes, child?' 'Does that mean the Underworld is real, too?' Chiron's expression darkened. 'Yes, child.' He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. 'There is a place where spirits go after death. But for now . . . until we know more . . . I would urge you to put that out of your mind.'"
"Yeah right," Jason said, rolling his eyes as he shared a knowing glance with his cousin. "You never give up that easily. At least that's one thing you and my sister have in common."
"I guess all kids of the Big Three have a stubborn streak," laughed Hazel. "After all I cheated death."
"And I'd been so determined to save Bianca," agreed Nico.
Percy had to grin at that. Glancing down, he kept reading. "'What do you mean, 'Until we know more'?' 'Come, Percy. Let's see the woods.' As we got closer, I realized how huge the forest was. 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. Chiron said, 'The woods are stocked, if you care to try your luck, but go armed.' 'Stocked with what?' I asked. 'Armed with what?' 'You'll see. Capture the flag is Friday night. Do you have your own sword and shield?' 'My own –?' 'No,' Chiron said. 'I don't suppose you do. I think a size five will do. I'll visit the armory later.' I wanted to ask what kind of summer camp had an armory, but there was too much else to think about, so the tour continued. We saw the archery range, the canoeing lake, the stables (which Chiron didn't seemed to like very much –"
Everyone in the room laughed at that, grinning widely.
"–the javelin range, the sing-along amphitheater, and the area where Chiron said they held sword and spear fights. 'Sword and spear fights?' I asked. 'Cabin challenges and all that,' he explained. 'Not lethal. Usually. Oh, yes, and 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. 'What do you do when it rains?' I asked."
"I think we all asked that question when we got here," grinned Nico. Everyone laughed at that comment. Of course, they'd all had that curiosity.
"Chiron looked at me as if I'd gone a little weird. 'We still have to eat, don't we?' I decided to drop the subject. Finally, he showed me the cabins. There were twelve of them –"
Piper frowned slightly. "Why on twelve?"
"You'll see," said Nico.
"–nestled in the woods by the lake. They were arranged in a U, with two at the base and give in a row on either side. And they were without doubt the most bizarre collection of buildings I'd ever seen. Except for the fact that each had a large brass number above the door (odds on the left side, evens on the right), they looked absolutely nothing alike. Number nine had smokestacks, like a tiny factory."
Leo's face lit up at the mention of his cabin. His eyes held a sense of pride there.
"Number four had tomato vines on the walls and a roof made out of real grass," read Percy. "Seven seemed to be made of solid gold, which gleamed so much in the sunlight it was almost impossible to look at. They all faced a commons area about the size of a soccer field, dotted with Greek statues, fountains, flower beds, and a couple of basketball hoops (which were more my speed). In the center of the field was a huge stone-like fire pit. Even though it was a warm afternoon, the hearth smoldered. A girl about nine years old was tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick. The pair of cabins at the head of the filed, numbers one and two, looked like his-and-her mausoleums, big white marble boxes with heavy columns in front. Cabin one was the biggest and bulkiest of the twelve. Its polished bronze doors shimmered like a hologram, so that from different angles, lightning bolts seemed to streak across them."
Jason couldn't help but look a little proud at the mention of his and his sister's cabin. His eyes sparked with joy.
"Cabin two was more graceful, somehow," read Percy, "with slimmer columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls were carved with images of peacocks. 'Zeus and Hera?' I guessed. 'Correct,' Chiron said. 'Their cabins look empty.' 'Several of the cabins are. That's true. No one ever stays in one or two.' Okay. So each cabin had a different god, like a mascot. Twelve cabins for the twelve Olympians. But why would some be empty? I stopped in front of the first cabin on the left, cabin three."
Percy took a moment to smile a little wider with pride. Knowing that his cabin was his own left him warm inside. It was a reminder that this would always be his home, even if he left for the summer. He knew he would always come back here every year, even if he and Annabeth got married and became parents.
"It wasn't high and mighty like cabin one, but long and low and solid. The outer walls were rough gray stone studded with pieces of seashell and coral, as if the slabs had been hewn straight from the bottom of the ocean floor," read Percy, his smile widening even more. His father had built it just for him and Tyson, and all his other children if they eventually got claimed. He looked forward to the day where cabin three would be filled and he met his younger half-siblings, given that he was the head counselor, the best Pegasus rider, the best swimmer, and the best swordsman.
"I peeked inside the open doorway and Chiron said, 'Oh, I wouldn't do that!' Before he could pull me back, I caught the salty scent of the interior, like the wind on the shore at Montauk. The interior walls glowed like abalone. There were six empty bunk beds with silk sheets turned down," Percy read.
"It was as if the place were calling you," grinned Jason.
"It felt like it should've been mine the moment I stepped in," Percy said thoughtfully, before continuing.
"But there was no sign anyone had ever slept there. The place felt so sad and lonely, I was glad when Chiron put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Come along, Percy.' Most of the other cabins were crowded with campers."
"Because Hermes's cabin would take in all the unclaimed ones," said Annabeth, her tone a little sad. "Most of those "unclaimed" were children of the minor gods and goddesses, like Iris, Nemesis . . ."
"I can only imagine how that might've felt; getting thrown into the Hermes cabin because your godly parent had no recognition," said Piper empathetically. "It probably left them feeling so . . ."
"Unwanted? Forgotten?" offered Nico, sighing.
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking," agreed Frank, nodding at Percy.
"Number five was bright red – a real nasty paint job, as if the color had been splashed with buckets and fists. The roof was lined with barbed wire. A stuffed wild boar's head hung over the doorway, and its eyes seemed to follow me. Inside I could see a bunch of mean-looking kids, both girls and boys, arm wrestling and arguing with each other while rock music blared. The loudest was a girl maybe thirteen or fourteen. She wore a size XXXL CAMP HALF-BLOOD t-shirt under a camouflage jacket. She zeroed in on me and gave me an evil sneer. She reminded me of Nancy Bobofit, though the camper girl was must bigger and tougher looking, and her hair was long and stringy, and brown instead of red," Percy read.
"Right away you can tell who lives there," Leo mumbled. "At least Frank's halfway decent compared to them."
"Wow, Valdez," Frank remarked sarcastically. "Thanks for the compliment."
"You're not so bad, Frank," Piper assured him gently.
"We wouldn't be related if you weren't," Percy said with an assuring smile. "You don't even compare to Clarisse. You're a better person than her and her siblings combined."
"Don't let her hear that," mumbled Annabeth.
"Oh, I have no intent of that," Percy said, before continuing to read.
"I kept walking, trying to stay clear of Chiron's hooves. 'We haven't seen any other centaurs,' I observed. 'No,' said Chiron sadly. 'My kinsmen are a 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.' 'You said your name was Chiron. Are you really . . .' He smiled down at me. 'The Chiron from the stories? Trainer of Hercules and all that? Yes, Percy, I am.' 'But, shouldn't you be dead?' Chiron paused, as if the question intrigued him. 'I honestly don't know about should be. The truth is, I can't be dead. You see, eons ago the gods granted my wish. I could continue the work I loved. I could be a teacher of heroes as long as humanity needed me. I gained much from that wish . . . and I gave up much. But I'm still here, so I can only assume I'm still needed.' I thought about being a teacher for three thousand years. It wouldn't have made my Top Ten Things to Wish For list. 'Does it ever get boring?' 'No, no,' he said. 'Horribly depressing, at times, but never boring.' 'Why depressing?' Chiron seemed to turn hard of hearing again. 'Oh, look,' he said. 'Annabeth is waiting for us.'"
With that, Percy set the book aside, passing it to Annabeth whom he knew wanted to go next. Only what Annabeth read next made her go red in the face.
"The blonde girl –" she read, before sighing in exasperation. "Are you kidding me right now?"
"That's what I thought at the time," Percy said. "You underestimate everyone you meet."
"And that's not a bad thing, either," grinned Piper.
"You kick ass, Wonder Woman," grinned Leo, causing Annabeth's face to go even deeper red. But she couldn't stop the smile from appearing across her lips.
"– I'd met at the Big House was reading a book in front of the last cabin on the left, number eleven. When we reached her, she looked me over critically, like she was still thinking about how much I drooled."
Everyone except Annabeth laughed at that. Her face went two shades redder. But Percy's arm wrapped around her shoulders gently as he leaned a kiss into her curls. His kiss helped drain the heat from her face slightly.
"I tried to see what she was reading, but I couldn't make out the title. I thought my dyslexia was acting up. Then I realized the title wasn't even English. The letters looked Greek to me. I mean, literally Greek. There were pictures of temples and statues and different kinds of columns, like those in an architecture book," read Annabeth. "'Annabeth,' Chiron said, 'I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy from here?' 'Yes, sir.' 'Cabin eleven,' Chiron told me, gesturing toward the doorway. 'Make yourself 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's symbols, a winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it. What did they call it . . .? A caduceus. Inside, it was packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds. Sleeping bags were spread all over the floor. It looked like a gym where the Red Cross had set up an evacuation center."
As Annabeth read that, sadness crept into her voice. She remembered how the Hermes cabin had been for those who'd been seen as unwanted. It was no mystery why Luke had betrayed them . . . why he felt so abandoned and so determined to take care of everyone he met. His dying wish had been to make sure no one ever came to the camp unclaimed ever again. And Percy made sure that that wish became fulfilled. Her eyes glazed with tears slightly, knowing what was coming up.
"Chiron didn't go in," she read. "The door was too low for him. But when the campers saw him they all stood and bowed respectfully. 'Well, then,' Chiron said. 'Good luck, Percy. I'll see you at dinner.' He galloped away toward the archery range. I stood in the doorway, looking at the kids. They weren't bowing anymore. They were staring at me, sizing me up. I knew this routine. I'd gone through it at enough schools. 'Well?' Annabeth prompted. 'Go on.' So naturally I tripped coming in the door and made a total fool of myself."
"We all did that at first," sighed Nico in understanding.
"There were some snickers from the campers, but none of them said anything. Annabeth announced, 'Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven.' 'Regular or undetermined?' somebody asked. I didn't know what to say, but Annabeth said, 'Undetermined.' Everybody groaned. A guy who was a little older than the rest came forward."
As Annabeth read, her eyes stung. She remembered this moment. And the more she thought about it the worse it hurt. But she swallowed her tears away as Percy hugged her tightly. Even his own eyes stung. It still hurt, Luke's death. As much hatred he'd had for Luke, the traitor, he also felt horrible. Because Luke had been misguided and used. And he'd been tormented and in so much pain for so long, as he'd let down everyone who'd ever grown to care about him – Percy included. Somehow, even though Luke had hated Percy, to a point, he also cared about him, too.
As twisted as it was, Percy felt the same way. He could only hope that Luke was at peace . . . that he was enjoying his rebirth and that he was okay. After all he'd gone through, it was the least he deserved. More than anything, he wished he could talk to him so he could have a little closure.
A single tear made its way down Percy's face, and he closed his eyes as Annabeth kept reading.
"'Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there.' The guy was about nineteen, and he looked pretty cool," Annabeth read, remembering just how handsome Luke had been. "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. 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 said, and her voice sounded different somehow. I glanced over and could've sworn she was blushing."
"Did you feel something for him at the time?" Piper asked.
Annabeth nodded. "Maybe I did," she admitted.
"He's still a sore subject for you?" asked Hazel empathetically.
Annabeth nodded. "You'll learn why," she whispered.
"It still hurts," Percy whispered, sniffling slightly.
"Why?" asked Jason, sympathy evident in his voice.
"He'd been a friend," Percy said. "Or at least, I thought he was. He was kind. And brave. And he'd been willing to take me in."
"But?" asked Frank.
Percy quickly swiped the tear off his cheek.
"What happened to him?" asked Piper as she and Jason got up from their bed to sit with Percy and Annabeth.
"It's . . . It's complicated," Annabeth said, before continuing to read. "She saw me looking, and her expression hardened again. 'He's your counselor, for now.' 'For now?' I asked. 'You're undetermined,' Luke explained patiently. 'They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers.' I looked at the tiny section of the floor they'd given me. I had nothing to put there to mark it as my own, no luggage, no sleeping bag. Just the Minotaur's horn. I thought about setting that down, but then I remembered that Hermes was also the god of thieves."
A smile played upon her lips as she thought of the Stoll brothers, who were probably off pranking the other cabins.
"I looked around at the campers' faces, some sullen and suspicious, some grinning stupidly, some eying me as if they were waiting for a chance to pick my pockets," read Annabeth. "'How long will I be here?' I asked. 'Good question,' Luke said. 'Until you're determined.' 'How long will that take?' The campers all laughed. 'Come on,' Annabeth told me. 'I'll show you the volleyball court.' 'I've already seen it.' 'Come on.' She grabbed my wrist and dragged me outside. I could hear the kids of cabin eleven laughing behind me. When we were a few feet away, Annabeth said, 'Jackson, you have to do better than that.' 'What?' She rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, 'I can't believe I thought you were the one.'"
"But you turned out to be," pointed out Nico.
"And how was I supposed to know?" Percy retorted. "I entered camp clueless! I didn't even believe in gods!"
"Annabeth, were you always this hard on him?" asked Piper.
Annabeth turned bright red. "Yeah, I guess so," she said. "Like I said. Like my mom I have high standards. So when I meet someone I think will meet those expectations, I get my hopes up."
"But didn't Percy meet all your expectations?" asked Jason.
"Yes," Annabeth said, glancing down at the book before reading, "'What's your problem?' I was getting angry now. 'All I know is, I killed some bull guy –' 'Don't talk like that!' Annabeth told me. 'You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?'"
"Not anymore," sing-songed Leo.
"I'll be perfectly happy to never get a chance again," agreed Nico.
"Me, too," Frank said.
"Who wants to try for a normal life with marriage and children?" asked Hazel, raising her hand.
Everyone raised their hand in agreement, nodding at Annabeth to continue.
"'To get killed?' 'To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?' I shook my head. 'Look, if the thing I fought really was the Minotaur, the same one in the stories . . .' 'Yes.' 'Then there's only one.' 'Yes.' 'And he died, like, a gajillion years ago, right? Theseus killed himself in the Labyrinth. So . . .' 'Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed. But they don't die.' 'Oh, thanks. That clears it up.' 'They don't have souls, like you and me. You can dispel them for a while, maybe even for a whole lifetime if you're lucky. But they are primal forces. Chiron calls them arche types. Eventually, they re-form.' I thought about Mrs. Dodds. 'You mean if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword –' 'The Fur . . . I mean, your math teacher. That's right. She's still our there. You just made her very, very mad.' 'How did you know about Mrs. Dodds?' 'You talk in your sleep.'"
Everyone smiled at the thought.
"Of course you know that, Annabeth," smirked Leo, winking at Percy and Annabeth. But Annabeth grabbed a pillow and threw it at Leo.
"We haven't had sex yet!" she said, her face going red.
"And I'm not even sure if I want to. I'm not ready yet," Percy admitted, glancing down at the ground. His eyes filled with more tears suddenly. Memories of Gabe's abuse came back as he felt his face going beat red, sniffles making their way through. The sight of it left Leo's face going pale. He suddenly felt like a real ass for even bringing that up.
"Percy, I'm sorry," he said. "That was very insensitive I should've –"
"No . . . I know you weren't thinking," Percy said quickly. "I know you didn't mean it like that."
"But still," Leo said, his own eyes stinging. "I shouldn't have said that. I've been through my share of shit in foster homes and I know abuse isn't something to joke about. I just don't want you to think –"
"Leo, it's okay," Percy insisted. But he didn't sound very convincing as Annabeth's arms wrapped around him tightly. Jason squeezed at his shoulder fiercely. But that didn't stop the quiet sob from making its way past as Piper grabbed his hands into hers, squeezing them gently.
"It's okay," she murmured. "He can't hurt you anymore." She brought a hand up and wiped Percy's tears away gently.
Percy nodded, swallowing his cries as he nodded at Annabeth to continue. Jason just sat on the bed and put his arm around his cousin's shoulders firmly. Annabeth wiped her eyes slightly before reading.
"'You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?' Annabeth glanced nervously at the ground, as if she expected it to open up and swallow her. 'You shouldn't call them by name, even here. We call them the Kindly Ones, if we have to speak of them at all.'"
"Well, last I checked they're not very kind," quipped Leo. His comment got Percy to release a watery chuckle. As weak as it was, it brought Leo some relief.
"'Look, is there anything we can say without it thundering?' I sounded whiny, even to myself, but right then I didn't care. 'Why do I have to stay in cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks right over there.' I pointed to the first few cabins, and Annabeth turned pale. 'You don't just choose a cabin, Percy. It depends on who your parents are. Or . . . your parent.' She stared at me, waiting for me to get it. 'My mom is Sally Jackson,' I said. 'She works at the candy store in Grand Central Station. At least, she used to.' 'I'm sorry about your mom, Percy. But that's not what I mean. I'm talking about your other parent. Your dad.' 'He's dead. I never knew him.' Annabeth sighed. Clearly, she'd had this conversation before with other kids."
"One time too many," murmured Annabeth. She glanced over at Percy, whose face was still wet with tears as Jason and Piper continued silently comforting him.
"'Your father's not dead, Percy.' 'How can you say that? You know him?' 'No, of course not.' 'Then how can you say –' 'Because I know you. You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us.' 'You don't know anything about me.' 'No?' She raised an eyebrow. 'I bet you moved around from school to school. I bet you were kicked out of a lot of them.' 'How –' 'Diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD, too.' I tried to swallow my embarrassment. 'What does that have to do with anything?' 'Taken together, it's almost a sure sign. The letter float off the page when you read, right? That's because your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek. And the ADHD – you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom. That's your battle field reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, Percy, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are.' 'You sound like . . . you went through the same thing?' 'Most of the kids here did. If you weren't like us, you couldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar.' 'Ambrosia and nectar?' 'The food and drink we were giving you to make you better. That stuff would've killed a normal kid. It would've turned your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead. Face it. You're a half-blood.' A half-blood."
"A term that I'm sure most of us resent," Piper sighed, feeling her cheeks burn red. There was a part of her still embarrassed by comments people would make about her dad Tristan "cross-breading" which led to her being mixed-race. She took comments like "half-blood," "half-breed," "mutt" and "dirty blood" for years by people at the Wilderness School. It almost made her ashamed that her dad got moon-eyed for Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Leo just walked over and squeezed at her shoulder. He understood how much it still embarrassed her. He'd been the one she'd confide in about her life; how she kept her identity as a movie star's daughter a secret and how she stole a BMW to get attention from her dad.
"I was reeling with so many questions I didn't know where to start," Annabeth read. "Then a husky voice yelled, 'Well! A newbie!' I looked over. The big girl from the ugly red cabin was sauntering toward us. She had three other girls behind her, all big and ugly and mean-looking like her, all wearing camo jackets. 'Clarisse,' Annabeth sighed. 'Why don't you go polish your spear or something?' 'Sure, Miss Princess,' the big girl said. 'So I can run you through with it Friday night.' 'Erre es korakas!' Annabeth said, which I somehow understood was Greek for 'Go to the crows!' Though I had a feeling it was a worse curse than it sounded."
"Oh, it is," said Nico, shuddering. Hazel nodded in agreement. Both being children of the dead, they knew a horrible curse when they heard one.
"'You don't stand a chance,'" Annabeth read. "'We'll pulverize you,' Clarrise said, but her eye twitched. Perhaps she wasn't sure she could follow through on the threat."
"She couldn't," Percy said, smiling through his tears as Annabeth rolled her eyes. "She turned toward me. 'Who's this little runt?' 'Percy Jackson,' Annabeth said, 'meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares.' I blinked. 'Like . . . the war god?' Clarisse sneered. 'You got a problem with that?' 'No,' I said, recovering my wits. 'It explains the bad smell.'"
Everyone in the cabin laughed hysterically. Even Frank couldn't keep the shit-eating grin off his face as he reached over to fist-bump Percy. Percy, whose eyes began drying, laughed just as hard. Jason rubbed his shoulder proudly and ruffled his hair.
When they finally caught their breath, Annabeth proceeded to continue. "Clarisse growled. 'We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy.'"
"Well we all know what that is," mumbled Leo. "I guess I should be glad Frank never did that."
"You should be," agreed Frank, giving the repair boy a small glare.
"'Percy.' 'Whatever. Come on, I'll show you.' 'Clarisse –' Annabeth tried to say. 'Stay out of it, Wise Girl.'"
"Whoa! That's where Percy got that from!" gasped Leo.
"Yeah," Percy said, wiping his face free of the dried tears.
"Annabeth looked pained," read Annabeth, "but she did stay out of it, and I didn't really want her help. I was the new kid. I had to earn my own rep."
Jason grinned slightly with pride, rubbing his hand up and down Percy's shoulder.
"I handed Annabeth my Minotaur horn and got ready to fight, but before I knew it, Clarisse had me by the neck and was dragging me toward a cinder-block building that I knew immediately was the bathroom," read Annabeth. "I was kicking and punching. I'd been in plenty of fights before, but this big girl Clarisse had hands like iron. She dragged me into the girls' bathroom. There was a line of toilets on one side and a line of shower stalls down the other. It smelled just like any public bathroom, and I was thinking – as much as I could think with Clarisse ripping my hair out – that if this place belonged to the gods, they should've been able to afford classier johns."
"We should ask the gods next time we go to Olympus," said Piper.
"Let's make note of that," agreed Leo.
"Clarisse's friends were all laughing, and I was trying to find the strength I'd used to fight the Minotaur, but it just wasn't there. 'Like he's 'Big Three' material,' Clarisse said as she pushed me toward one of the toilets. 'Yeah right. Minotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid looking.' Her friends snickered. Annabeth stood in the corner, watching through her fingers. Clarisse bent me over on my knees and started pushing my head toward the toilet bowl. It reeked like rusted pies and, well, like what goes into toilets. I strained to keep my head up. I was looking at the scummy water, thinking, I will not go into that. I won't."
"I guess that's all it took?" surmised Hazel.
"You got that right." Annabeth smiled as she kept reading. "Then something happened. I felt a tug in the pit of my stomach." Her smile widened and her eyes gleamed with pride. "I heard the plumbing rumble, the pipes shudder. Clarisse's grip on my hair loosened. Water shot out of the toilet, making an arc straight over my head, and the next thing I knew, I was sprawled on the bathroom tiles with Clarisse screaming behind me. I turned just as water blasted out of the toilet again, hitting Clarisse straight in the face so hard it pushed her down onto her butt. The water stayed on her like the spray from a fire hose, pushing backward into a shower stall. The struggled, gasping, and her friends started coming toward her. But then the other toilets exploded, too, and six more streams of toilet water blasted them back. The showers acted up, too, and together all the fixtures sprayed, spinning them around like pieces of garbage being washed away. As soon as they were out the door, I felt the tug in my gut lessen, and the water shut off just as quickly as it had started."
"Whoa!" Frank said, grinning boldly.
"Dude! That was sick!" grinned Leo. "You really are Aquaman! All that's missing is the orange and green spandex!"
Percy managed a wider smile as Annabeth continued. "The entire bathroom was flooded. Annabeth hadn't been spared. She was dripping wet, but she hadn't been pushed out the door. She was standing in exactly the same place, staring at me in shock. I looked down and realized I was sitting in the only dry spot in the whole room. There was a circle of dry floor around me. I didn't have one drop of water on my clothes. Nothing. I stood up, my legs shaky. Annabeth said, 'How did you . . .' 'I don't know.' We walked to the door. Outside, Clarisse and her friends were sprawled in the mud, and a bunch of other campers had gathered around to gawk. Clarisse's hair was flattened across her face. Her camouflage jacket was sopping and she smelled like sewage. She gave me a look of absolute hatred. 'You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead. I probably should have let it go, but I said, 'You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth.'"
Jason grinned madly at his cousin, rubbing his shoulder roughly as Nico and Frank got up to give him high-fives. Piper and Hazel giggled fiercely. And Leo just kept grinning widely. Annabeth leaned in and kissed Percy's cheek with pride.
"Her cabin friends had to hold her back," read Annabeth, hardly able to stop smiling. "They dragged her toward cabin five, while the other campers made way to avoid her flailing feet. Annabeth stared at me. I couldn't tell whether she was just grossed out or angry at me for dousing her."
"Both, and a little impressed," she grinned, running her fingers through Percy's ebony hair. "'What?' I demanded. 'What are you thinking?' 'I'm thinking,' she said, 'that I want you on my team for capture the flag.'"
With that, Annabeth closed the book and grabbed Percy's hand, squeezing it.
"We'll continue Sunday night?" she asked.
"As long as I get to read first," grinned Leo.
"You will, Valdez," grinned Percy, standing up so they could leave Jason's cabin. But before they could leave, Jason pulled Percy into a bro hug, rubbing a hand along his back.
"Are you gonna be okay?" he murmured.
Percy nodded. "I think so, bro," he mumbled back before allowing Leo to embrace him firmly.
"I'm sorry," Leo mumbled.
"It's fine, dude. Don't worry about it," Percy said, following Annabeth back to his own cabin for a good night's rest before their trip into Manhattan tomorrow.