Chapter 5: Supreme Lord of the Bathroom

The next morning, Annabeth Chase remained vigil at Percy Jackson's bedside. After Lee had changed Percy into a clean pair of sweatpants and a fresh t-shirt, Beckendorf had carried Percy to the infirmary in the Big House. Annabeth herself had changed out of her pajamas and into denim shorts and a fresh camp shirt. Percy laid there in bed, blankets wrapped over his torso as Annabeth kept on dribbling small amounts of nectar and feeding him spoonful after spoonful of the ambrosia in pudding form.

The boy kept on drooling in his sleep. It was annoying, but endearing and kind of sweet at the same time. She kept scraping little bits of the pudding off his chin, patting his forehead with a moist washcloth and stroking his raven-colored hair. The sunshine shone into the infirmary windows. Percy's bed was nearest to the infirmary exit, which extended to the huge wraparound porch.

As Annabeth fed him some more pudding, she saw Percy coming around slowly. His pain-filled, tired sea green eyes stared up at her, dazed as she scraped the pudding off his chin gently.

As soon as she saw him awake, hope surged through the daughter of Athena. She hoped that maybe, Percy would know something about the summer solstice deadline. Or maybe she was hoping for far too much.

"What'll happen at the summer solstice?" she asked him anxiously.

"Wha –?" Percy slurred out, moaning painfully. His voice was thin and scratchy with exhaustion.

"What was stolen? Come on! We only have a few weeks!" Annabeth pleaded.

Percy just blinked at her, whimpering, "Sorry . . . don't know . . ." And with that, he fell back into the depths of unconsciousness once more as Annabeth fed him more pudding, just as there came a light knock at the door. She turned to find Lee standing there, watching her.

"Annabeth, breakfast is almost over. You should grab something to eat and get on with your activities for the day," he told her.

Annabeth looked at Percy, whose head had lolled in unconsciousness.

"Don't worry. I'll take it from here," Lee assured her gently.

Annabeth nodded. "Thank you, Lee," she said. "But he just woke up, briefly."

"That's a good sign. He should come around in a day or so," Lee said.

But before she could make her leave, Lee placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "He'll recover, Annabeth," he assured her gently. "He's safe where he belongs now."

Annabeth nodded in agreement, before walking out of the Big House and making her way to the dining pavilion for breakfast. Lee was right. Breakfast was almost completely over. Luckily, her second-in-command and older brother, Malcom Pace, had saved her some pancakes, bacon, and fruit – and orange juice, of course.

"Hey," he greeted her, pushing the pancakes towards her, "eat up. Chiron said you hadn't slept all night."

Annabeth nodded. "New camper came last night. He might be Big Three material. He survived the Minotaur, Malcom!"

Malcom just ruffled her curls in his hand. "I know you're hopeful, kiddo, but you can't just assume this new boy is the omen you've been in search of."

Annabeth sighed. "But he has to be! You should have seen him last night, Malcom!"

"Annabeth, I know you have high standards," said Malcom. "But just slow your roll."

"But you do the same thing, though," Annabeth said.

"It's an Athena thing," grinned her brother.

"You can't fight the DNA, Pace," she told him with a smirk. But before she could take a bite of her breakfast, she took a piece of bacon and tossed it into the fire in the middle of the pavilion. She whispered, "For Athena," before settling in her seat and eating her breakfast.

When she finished, she pushed her plate away and went off for her morning activities, which she of course had planned out since she was head of Athena.

That morning, she taught several newer Athena campers Ancient Greek. But her muse was little Alexandra, who reminded her so much of herself. The little girl had come with her protector after running away from home. Annabeth could relate. She'd ran away a few times herself as a kid. For the past couple days, she'd been teaching the little girl about the gods and goddesses. And little Alexandra could stumble through a few paragraphs of The Odyssey in Ancient Greek with no problems at all.

"Nice job, Alex," she said with a smile as the little girl hugged her around the middle.

After finishing up with Alexandra, she went to take archery with Chiron. Of course, Kayla Knowles and Michael Yew outranked her in that, given they were Apollo's children. Even Will Solace, whose specialty wasn't archery, somehow managed to outrank her by one point.

Then, she went to the sword-fighting arena, to find Luke in his daily workout. She figured she could use the practice.

"Hey, Luke!" she called. "Need a partner?"

Luke just grinned that shit-eating grin at her – the same grin the Hermes campers all shared. "Have you been practicing?"

"You're a year-rounder like me. All I do is practice," Annabeth jabbed at him, grinning.

"You're on, little owl," smirked Luke, raising his sword as Annabeth brandished her dagger. And with that, the two went at it.

They parried, blocked, riposted, circled, and counterattacked until Annabeth and Luke were both doused in a bath of their own sweat. It got to a point where Annabeth had stripped off her orange camp shirt, leaving her in a grey sports bra. She was far more ripped than most girls her age, given all her years of training. She was in great shape for twelve years old.

Luke and her kept on sparring. Luke was better, being nineteen years old. But Annabeth was smaller and faster, able to sweep his legs out from under him. She even managed to pull a few self-defense moves she'd picked up on from Gleeson Hedge – their Chuck Norris-crazed satyr. She aimed a few punches and elbow strikes and even managed to get Luke in the knee. She made a wide arc with her small bronze dagger – a gift from Luke – and slashed across Luke's torso.

"Holy Hades, Annie," grinned Luke, pouring some nectar onto his cut. It closed immediately. "You're good, kid. I'll give you that."

"Thanks for the lesson," smirked Annabeth, twirling her dagger in her hand before making her away out of the sword arena so she could take a quick swim in the lake. But as she raced toward her cabin to change into a swim suit, she saw Silena at the Pegasus stables with her Pegasus, Psyche. Silena waved at her brightly as she led her steed into the stable. In the distance, she heard Beckendorf working away in the forges. The Stoll brothers were smirking amongst themselves, clearly planning out their next great prank. Katie from Demeter was working in the gardens, growing an assortment of colorful flowers and summer vegetables. Mr. D's boys, Castor and Pollux, were working their magic on the strawberry fields. Clarisse, of course, was kicking her siblings' asses. And the satyrs were playing nature music.

Just a normal day at Camp Half-Blood, or as normal as it can get.

Time blurred for Percy, until he finally, officially, came around.

Opening his sore eyes, he saw he was lying on a porch chair, with a blanket over his legs and his feet up, a pillow behind his neck. Groaning, he blinked until the afternoon sun stopped blinding him.

How did he get here?

There was a big part of him hoping and praying that all that had happened had been nothing but a terrible dream. Looking to his side, he saw a tall glass with ice cubes floating inside it, and a liquid that resembled apple juice. The distinct scent of strawberries mixed with the sea filled his nose as he heard someone coming up to him – a tall, twenty-something-year-old kid with tawny-colored hair and a pair of piercing blue eyes, dressed in an orange shirt that read 'CAMP HALF-BLOOD' and a pair of denim pants. At his side was Grover, dressed similarly and clutching something in his hand – the bull horn Percy had ripped out from the Minotaur.

"Percy?" Grover whispered.

"Hey, G-Man," he mumbled.

"How are you feeling?" the other guy asked him.

"Who're you?" Percy asked.

"Oh, sorry." The young man looked down, slightly abashed. "Lee Fletcher, one of the camp's resident doctors. I know I'm not as pretty as Annabeth, but . . ."

Percy managed a weak smile and a light cough – an attempt at a chuckle. Clearly, Lee had a sense of humor and was trying for it out of effort to make him feel better.

"So, Perce," Grover said, "how much do you remember?"

"Some crazy dream," Percy said, blinking, "and my mom was there . . . well, you were there, too. And you were some weird, hybrid human-goat . . . thing, whoa!" That was when he realized Grover wasn't wearing any pants. His goat hide was out in the open, hooves and all.

"Yeah, politically correct term, satyr," Lee said gently.

"Percy, you saved my life," Grover said, his voice trembling slightly. "Gods, I'm so sorry about . . . about everything."

"Grover it's not your fault," Lee said, trying to sound reassuring as Grover whimpered out, "Oh, Styx!" He stomped his hooves in frustration.

"So . . . it really happened?" Percy asked weakly. "The Minotaur? My mom . . . is she really –?"

"I'm so sorry," Lee said softly, leaning a gentle hand on his arm. His eyes were kind, holding sympathy. But it didn't leave Percy feeling any better. His mom was possibly dead. He was an orphan. Who would he live with? Smelly Gabe? No, there had to be another option.

As if reading his mind, Lee was quick to answer with, "Look, you're safe here. Alright? You had some pretty bad injuries and you suffered a concussion. You've been unconscious for three days. You'll be staying here for a while until we figure something out."

Eyes stinging, Percy tried turning away. He didn't want Lee's pity, as kind as he seemed. He didn't deserve to have this college-age kid looking after him, not after how he'd failed to save his mom. It didn't help that he felt like a total loser. But Lee wouldn't let him fully turn away. Lee just reached for the glass on the table beside Percy and brought the straw up to his lips.

"Here, drink this," Lee said softly, "it'll make you feel better."

Percy doubted it, but he allowed Lee to press the straw against his mouth and he started to sip the liquid. He expected apple juice. Except, it tasted like a hot drink, which was unexpected. It tasted like cookies – liquid cookies. Specifically, his mom's famous blue chocolate chip cookies, fresh from the oven, buttery, and hot. It left his insides feeling warm and good, as if he were being wrapped in an embrace. And the despair he'd felt moments ago seemed to melt, too, as if his mom were right there, touching his cheek and offering him one.

By the time he downed the entire glass, he felt he was almost back to full strength as he sat up a little straighter, with Lee and Grover's assistance.

"What'd you taste, Perce?" Grover whispered.

Percy swallowed hard, before saying, "Chocolate chip cookies – my mom's recipe."

"And how do you feel now?" Lee asked softly, a soft smile on his lips.

Percy thought about it for a moment, before sharing a grin with Grover. "Like I could kick Nancy Bobofit a hundred yards."

Grover smiled. "That's good. C'mon. Chiron's waiting to see you. He'll be happy that you're awake. Lee, can you go get Annabeth and have her wait for us?"

"Sure," Lee said, before turning to Percy and saying, "see you later, kid." He patted Percy's shoulder before rushing off down the hills.

Grover helped Percy up and onto his feet, as his knees were still wobbly. But, Percy insisted on carrying the Minotaur horn himself – it was his burden he had to carry. It had to be him since he was the one who'd killed the beast.

As they walked through the grassy fields, Percy saw the strawberry fields glistening in the sun, along with a canoe lake, an amphitheater, and something that strangely resembled a sword-fighting arena. Little kids were running along, all wearing orange t-shirts like Grover and Lee. And as they made their way around the huge, blue farm house, Grover stopped in his tracks and pointed to three individuals. One was a short, stubby man wearing a leopard Hawaiian shirt, and his long black hair was almost navy blue. The other was that girl Percy had seen in the infirmary, who'd cared for him when he'd been ill. She was standing near Lee, conversing with him softly. The last one was a man on a horseback – only he wasn't on horseback. He was one with the horse – a beautiful white stallion's body and he had that thinning hair and well-trimmed beard.

"That's Mr. D, the camp director," Grover said, pointing to the man with the Hawaiian shirt, "be polite. The girl over there, that's Annabeth Chase – she's a head counselor and has been here longer than anybody else. And that's Chiron, the activities director."

As Percy walked closer, he noticed the guy with the white stallion's body wore that frayed tweed jacket that looked so familiar.

"Mr. Brunner?!" he called as he and Grover inched closer.

Mr. Brunner – Chiron – turned around, a kind smile on his face. His warm brown eyes seemed to twinkle at the sight.

"Ah, hello, Percy. I'm glad to see you awake. Lee did an exemplary job at getting you back to full strength," he said, casting Lee a proud smile, "are you recovered?"

"Wait, am I recovered?" Percy asked, incredulous as he noticed the shirt his Latin teacher wore – a white shirt that read 'MY OTHER CAR IS A CENTAUR.' "You're not in a wheelchair, you've got –!"

His words trailed off. He couldn't find the right words to say. Lee chuckled softly, running his hands through his hair before walking off.

"A real horse's ass," grinned Chiron-Brunner. "I'm sorry, but I had to disguise myself within Yancy Academy. It had been for your own safety."

"We wanted to tell you for some time," Grover mumbled, looking at his hooves.

Chiron gestured to the blonde girl. "Percy, this is Annabeth," he said. "She helped nurse you back to health. Annabeth, would you mind going to Cabin Eleven to get Percy's bunk set up?"

"Sure, Chiron," she said.

Annabeth looked like any typical Californian girl – a good tan and honey blonde curls. Except her eyes ruined the image as they were stormy grey. Pretty, but intimidating, too. Her eyes were very stern and expressive, as if she were analyzing the best way to take Percy down in a fight. Her eyes flashed to the Minotaur horn in Percy's hand. He didn't quite know what to expect to hear from her. Maybe, "Wow! You killed the Minotaur!" Except when she spoke, what she said threw him off.

"You drool in your sleep."

She said it so bluntly, it caused Percy's face to turn bright red as he looked down at his feet, and Mr. D just let out a chuckle as Annabeth sprinted off across the grass towards the cabins.

"Typical of Anniebelle," sighed Mr. D as he reached for a bottle of red wine.

"Annabeth," Grover corrected, trying to keep himself from being too irritated. Clearly, the camp director did this often.

As Mr. D poured the wine into a glass, Percy watched as it turned into clear water. Mr. D sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair.

"Why do you torture yourself, Dionysus?" Chiron asked, shaking his head.

"Over one transgression! One!" Mr. D said. "And a wood nymph! How was I supposed to know Zeus would hold a grudge?"

"Given that Zeus is immortal, Mr. D, I don't think there's a limit to how long he holds a grudge," Chiron said.

"You know, the Christians had a guy who could do this same trick in reverse!" Mr. D said. "Now, that's a god!" He sipped his water bitterly.

"Wait, Dionysus – as in the Greek god of wine?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mr. D turned and looked at him. "Is there a problem, young man?"

"No, I mean . . ." Percy stammered, "the Greek gods are real? You mean Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollo?"

"Yes, very much real, young man," Mr. D said.

"But . . . those are just myths – stories that people believed in before moving into mainstream religions!" Percy said, choking on his words.

"Listen, Percy," Chiron said, leaning a hand onto his pupil's shoulder, "I know it's quite a shock. But do you remember all my lessons from Latin class – specifically about the Western civilization?"

Percy nodded. "Yes, sir."

"How do you think we've gotten here?" Chiron asked. "Yes, the Greek gods are very much still around – they move where the light burns brightest. And I must ask this, Percy – and answer this as a demigod –"

"You mean like Jason; Hercules?" asked Percy.

"Indeed," said Chiron kindly. "Someday, you would do something extraordinary – something that mortals would try explaining with science and history to rewrite those events, because mortal eyes can only process so much before them thanks to the work of the Mist. How would you feel if someone called you a myth – an old story to explain a tragic war or accident?"

Percy swallowed. He thought about that hard before saying, "I wouldn't like that very much, sir."

"Very well, then," said Dionysus – Mr. D.

"Wait, so the Greek gods – you mean they're here, in the United States?" asked Percy.

"Very much," said Chiron. "Surely you remember the history – how with each light growing stronger they changed locations. At one point it was the Roman times – giving us the language of Latin, one of the oldest languages Western civilization has come to know. Except we don't speak it, as it's a dead language and the closest equivalent to it would be Greek. Wherever the hearth shines the brightest, that's where the gods and goddesses locate themselves. Currently, Mount Olympus is here, in New York, at the Empire State Building. The Underworld is in Los Angeles."

Percy nodded, trying to follow along. It was a lot to take in.

"Um, Mr. D," Grover said nervously, "if you're not going to have it, can I have your Diet Coke can?"

Mr. D grumbled, handing over an empty Diet Coke can to Grover. Grover proceeded to take a big bite of it, swallowing it down.

"And here I am, confined to this miserable job, dealing with pre-teen brats who don't believe!" Mr. D said, shaking his head. Percy was beginning to like the camp director less and less. "Well, I'm in need of a nap. I'll see you tonight for the sing-along. But Grover, I need to talk to you."

"Yes, sir," Grover said nervously as he followed Mr. D into the Big House.

"Chiron, show the boy around," Mr. D said, shooing them off.

"Come along, Percy," said Chiron kindly, "lots to see. I'll show you where you'll be staying. You'll be meeting your head counselor for the time being."

Percy nodded. "But will Grover be alright, sir? I mean, he was a great protector and all . . ."

Chiron sighed, stroking his scruffy beard as he said, "Grover is still young with many great dreams. His job as a protector is one that's been a lifelong goal for him. But the Council of Cloven Elders has a different opinion of how things occurred three nights ago. The fact that Grover appeared here unconscious, and he lost you in New York, and that you arrived badly injured . . . there's the chance Grover would need to find another career path."

"But . . . he'll get another chance, would he?" Percy asked.

"I fear that was Grover's second chance, my boy," Chiron sighed. "Even in satyr years, Grover's a late bloomer. Satyrs mature half as long as humans do."

"So . . . how old is he, really?" Percy asked.

"Oh, twenty-nine," said Chiron.

"And he's still in sixth grade? That's terrible!"

"Truly," agreed Chiron.

"But what about Mr. D?"

"Oh, don't take it personally, my boy. Mr. D simply hates his job here. He's grown rather resentful over the years. He offended his father, Zeus, about ten years ago. As a result, Zeus told him he won't have a place on Mount Olympus – at least not until the annual winter solstice. Even then, his punishment will last for at least another millennium."

"So . . . what? I'd have to put up with him for how long?" Percy grumbled.

Chiron chuckled softly as he showed Percy the volleyball pit, and then the Pegasus stables – which Percy noticed his teacher didn't seem too fond of. "Well, you'll be here as long as you need to, in order to train. Most senior counselors – like Lee, who helped take care of you in your ill state – they're in college. Some of them opt to stay here during the summers and winter break to help run the camp and take in new campers. Lee's in school now for his pre-med program, but he comes back every winter, summer, and spring break to lead his cabin, Apollo. When he graduates with his MD, he plans to become the camp's official healer. Depending on how strong a demigod you are, you might be able to just stay the summer and then go to school in the mortal world."

Percy nodded, trying to follow along as Chiron led him to the twelve cabins – which were built for each god and goddess on Olympus. They were organized in a horseshoe shape. But the first three were ones that caught Percy's eye. Two of the biggest ones were silver, one with lightning bolts on the doors, and the other decorated with peacock feathers.

"Zeus and Hera?" he guessed.

Chiron nodded, guiding Percy along. But they stopped outside a cabin that Percy felt very drawn to. The cabin itself was made of stone and abalone, as well as coral and shells from under the ocean. It was completely open, with the huge windows spanning from the roof to the floor. And looking inside the windows, Percy saw the back of the cabin had no back to it – it was completely open, giving an open view of the waters of the ocean of Long Island Sound. It was conveniently placed near the beach. And a salty air hit Percy hard as he saw the triton on the door.

"Poseidon?" he guessed.

"Indeed," Chiron said, "except no one ever stays in the cabins for Artemis, Poseidon, Zeus, or Hera."

"Then why do they have cabins here?" asked Percy.

"It's honorary, given they have thrones on Mount Olympus," Chiron explained, guiding Percy along until they finally reached Cabin Eleven, which looked heavily beaten up with a bright green doorway. Even the roof looked abused. Annabeth was seated right outside the porch, reading a book in which the title was in literal Greek.

"Annabeth," Chiron said.

Annabeth looked up from her book, her serious eyes examining Percy.

"I have master's archery class soon," he said, "do you mind showing Percy around a bit more?"

"Of course," said Annabeth. "Well, here you are, Percy. Cabin Eleven. I hope you find the space comfortable. Come on."

She opened the door and led Percy inside. Upon entering, Percy noticed the caduceus symbols on several banners, and how overcrowded the cabin looked. Except there were some kids with very distinctive features – upturned smiles and eyebrows, like they were ready to pick your pockets. Some others just looked lonely and sad, as if left behind and forgotten.

"Cabin Eleven," said Annabeth, "meet Percy Jackson."

"Regular or undetermined?" someone asked.

"Undetermined," Annabeth replied.

A series of groans followed, but a tall, blonde boy stepped forward. He would've looked handsome if not for the scar across his face.

"Now, now guys, that's what we're here for," the kid said.

"This is Luke, your head counselor for now," said Annabeth, blushing deeply.

"For now?" asked Percy.

"You're undetermined," Luke explained patiently. "You stay here until you get claimed. Naturally, we take in all newcomers. Our patron is Hermes – god of travelers."

"Well, how long do I stay?"

"Until you're determined," Luke said, smiling. "Come on, you can take that spot over there. I'll get you some supplies and a sleeping bag."

Suddenly, that was when a tall, beautiful girl walked into the cabin, leaning into the small doorway. She looked really pretty, wearing a pair of denim shorts, designer sandals, and an orange camp shirt. Percy suddenly realized how he knew her – he'd seen her right before he'd fainted the night he battled the Minotaur. She looked about seventeen, maybe older. He saw her appearance changing, too. Her hair went from a shade of jet black to a pretty dark brown – highlighted with honey blonde. And her eyes kept shifting colors: blue, brown, green, hazel, amber, violet, pink, as if she couldn't decide what her own eye color was. Except, she didn't look very pleased. She was clutching what appeared to be a golden mango in her hand, and she had her arms crossed over her chest.

"Luke," she said, narrowing her eyes, "which one of yours did this?"

"Did what, Silena?" asked Luke, raising an eyebrow.

"Leave this in the Aphrodite cabin with a note reading 'For the hottest'?" Silena looked pissed as her eyes analyzed the whole cabin. "One of yours could've caused Trojan War 2.0! Drew and the other girls were pulling their hair out over who was the prettiest! You don't think I eventually catch on? I may be Aphrodite's daughter, but I'm not stupid, you know."

"Silena, you know it wasn't me," Luke said, shaking his head. "How long have I known you? You're like a sister to me."

"So if it wasn't you, then who did it?" Silena asked. Suddenly, a cuss of the word "Styx" could be heard in the back, and her eyes focused on two boys who looked as if they could be twins – they had curly brown hair and the same features as Luke. "Conner, Travis? Was it you?"

The two boys went pale instantly.

"Bro, I told you to be calmer!" one of them said. "You know Silena's an empath! She can smell fear!"

"Oh, you bet I can, Travis," she growled, tossing him the golden mango, but aiming it strategically at his head. The boy cried "Ow!" "Don't worry, I'll get even with you, eventually."

"Oh, no!" the shorter boy said. "Her getting even is way worse than telling Mr. D or Chiron!"

"So, you'll admit it?" Silena asked. And Percy could have sworn he heard her dropping hints of persuasion in her tone.

"Yes," the two brothers said in unison.

"Exactly, you see some things just never change," she said, a smile on her face. But upon noticing Percy and Annabeth standing there, she turned to greet them. "Hi, Annabeth," she said.

"Hi, Silena," Annabeth said with a slight grin on her face. "Percy, meet Silena Beauregard, head counselor and daughter of Aphrodite, goddess of love and lady of doves."

Silena smiled kindly at him, extending her hand forward to shake Percy's. "Nice to meet you while you're conscious," she noted, a playful glint in her eyes, as well as a look of true concern. Percy could have sworn he saw a hint of sympathy there. After all, she'd been there when he'd fainted outside the gates. But there was something about her voice that sounded vaguely familiar. He could have sworn when he'd had his nightmares, that he'd heard a girl's voice, gentle and soft, comforting him, telling him everything was going to be okay.

Percy forced a smile. "Nice to meet you, too," he said.

Silena nodded, pulling her thick hair back in a ponytail. "Well, I better get going back to my cabin before my sisters kill each other. I'll see you later."

Silena winked before running off towards her cabin, which looked like a Barbie dream house gone wild, bright pink with white trim.

"She's a charmer," Luke said, grinning as he ran his hand through his sandy hair. "Percy, you can set your stuff down over there."

He pointed to a vacant spot on the floor, which had been cleared away for him. But Percy caught sight of Conner and Travis, whom Silena just chewed out for pranking her sisters. Then he remembered Hermes was the god of thieves.

"Yeah, I'm not leaving this thing in a cabin with those two," he said, pointing to the two brothers.

"Oh, Conner and Travis aren't that bad," Luke said.

"He's right!" said the taller one, whom Percy learned to be Travis.

"Yeah, we just have the newcomers laugh at all our jokes, and do all our chores for us," Conner said.

"Conner!" Luke snapped, glaring at his brother and rolling his eyes. "Take my advice, Percy. Don't listen to them. You won't have to put up with those two as much once you're determined."

"How long will that take?" asked Percy.

Everyone in the cabin started laughing, except Luke. He seemed rather patient – more patient than Annabeth who just grabbed Percy by the arm and steered him outside, closing the door behind her. She looked down at her shoes.

"I can't believe I thought you were the one," she muttered.

"What's your problem?" Percy asked her, incredulously. "All I know is I kill some bull guy –!"

"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth snapped. "Gods, Percy! Do you know how many of us wish we had your chance?"

"To get killed? To watch your mother disappear before your eyes?" Percy asked, his eyes threatening to glaze over.

"To fight the Minotaur!" Annabeth said. "What do you think we train for?"

"Wait, you talk as if there's only one," Percy said.

"Yes," Annabeth sighed, exasperated.

"But . . . didn't he die a bajillion years ago?"

"Percy, monsters cannot die. They don't have souls like we do. They'll just be reborn, probably in a few years from now."

"Oh, joy. That makes me really glad."

"Here, at camp, we call them the Kindly Ones, if we need to speak of them at all. For example, the one you killed with that sword – your math teacher –"

"Wait, how do you know about Mrs. Dodds?" Percy asked.

"You talk in your sleep." Annabeth tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear while Percy's face went bright red.

"Nice to know," he mumbled. "But is there anything I can say? And why do I need to stay in Cabin Eleven, anyway? Several others are empty."

"That's not how it works, Percy. You are assigned a cabin based off who your parent is."

"My mom's Sally Jackson. She works at the candy store in Grand Central – or she used to, before . . ." Percy's voice trailed off and he choked on the last word.

Annabeth looked at him with a little more compassion. Her grey eyes softened just a little. "I'm sorry about your mom, Percy. Really. But that's not what I mean. I'm talking about your other parent. Your dad."

"But, my dad's dead. I never knew him."

Annabeth sighed. "Percy, your dad isn't dead."

"But how do you know?"

"I just do – I know who you are!"

"You don't know a thing about me. I'm a failure. A loser. Ask my English teacher from my last school; he'd tell you I'm too lazy and stupid to study for spelling tests," he spat bitterly, feeling his eyes burn as he remembered Mr. Nicoll's harsh words.

"Oh, really? I bet you skipped around from school to school, labeled as a trouble maker by teachers. And you were probably diagnosed with dyslexia. Maybe ADHD, too," Annabeth told him.

"Wait, how do you –?"

"Taken together, it's almost a sure sign," explained Annabeth. "Except, Silena, she's just ADD – not dyslexic. She's one of the lucky ones. But the words float around on the page when you read, right? That's because your brain isn't hardwired for English, but Ancient Greek. And the attention problems? Your impulsive. Probably can't sit still in the classroom. Probably can't stay focused on one thing, either. You see too much, not too little; your brain can't process it all at once because it's so overwhelming. That's your natural reflexes. In a real fight they'd keep you alive. Of course, most teachers want you medicated, because they're most likely monsters."

"You sound like you've been through the same thing," said Percy.

"Most of us here did," said Annabeth. "If you weren't one of us, you wouldn't have been able to survive the Fury or the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar – the food and drink we've been giving you to make you get better. That stuff would've killed a normal kid. But they healed you. Face it, Percy. You're a half-blood."

Percy swallowed, taking in this information. He didn't know how to process it.

"You're something special. No loser could've fought the Minotaur and lived to tell the tale," Annabeth told him, her voice kinder than before, sounding almost comforting. And her words left him feeling a little bit better. But before she could add onto her point, a group of big, mean-looking girls came forward, all wearing camo jackets over their orange t-shirts. The biggest one was carrying a boar's head helmet and a spear under her arm. She was muscled and built like a football player, with stringy hair and pig-like eyes. She could've been maybe fifteen or sixteen – at least a year younger or so than Silena. She looked like a Pitbull. Percy noticed she'd come over from an ugly, red cabin with barbed wiring around it.

"Well, look who we've got here!" the girl said. "A newbie!"

"Clarisse," Annabeth said, rolling her eyes, "why don't you go polish your spear or something?"

"Sure, Miss Princess," the girl sneered, "so I can run it through you during Capture the Flag Friday night."

"Erre es korakas!" Annabeth cursed – which Percy startlingly understood meant 'Go to the crows!' "You don't stand a chance," she added.

"We'll pulverize you," taunted Clarisse. Then her eyes shifted to Percy. "And who's this little runt?"

"Percy," sighed Annabeth, "meet Clarisse La Rue, head counselor of Ares's cabin."

"Ares – the god of war?" Percy asked her.

"Is there a problem with that?" Clarisse sniggered.

"No," Percy retorted back to her, "that explains the bad smell."

Clarisse glowered at him with her pig-like eyes. "We've got an initiation for newbies, Prissy!"

"Percy," he corrected.

"Whatever," Clarisse scoffed. "C'mon, I'll show you."

"Clarisse!" Annabeth looked pained as Silena from Aphrodite came forward with that big, burly, dark-skinned boy Percy had noticed before he'd passed out. He looked huge and strong enough to out-wrestle these girls. His arms were so muscled, Percy could see veins popping through them. He could've been a dark-skinned Sylvester Stallone, except Percy felt this guy could outdo Rambo himself. Silena was holding his hand in hers, making it clear that they were together.

"Clarisse, come on," Silena said, crossing her arms over her chest. "You still can't stop hazing the new kids?"

Percy could have sworn he heard a hint of persuasion in Silena's voice. And Clarisse almost gave into Silena's tone, but she snapped out of it just as quickly.

"Don't go charmspeaking me, Silena," Clarisse retorted.

"Why don't you grow up?" retorted Silena's boyfriend.

"Stay out of it, Beckendorf," sneered Clarisse. "I know you like to play with fire, but do you really wanna go there?"

"Guys, it's fine," Percy said, shaking his head. He handed the Minotaur horn over to Annabeth. He didn't need two girls fighting his battles. "I can handle this."

"Well good to know," Clarisse scoffed, stalking forward.

"Clarisse," Annabeth pleaded again, like she wanted this other girl to reconsider.

"Stay out of it, Wise Girl!"

Annabeth looked pained once more. She knew what was coming. She cast concerned glances with Silena and Beckendorf. But Beckendorf just watched on.

"Charlie!" Silena said. "Help him!"

"He needs to fight his own battles, Silena," Beckendorf said gently. "Besides, I have a feeling Clarisse will be in for a rude awakening."

But no sooner he said that, Clarisse already had Percy in a chokehold, and two of her sisters had his legs and they were dragging him to the bathroom, with Annabeth chasing after them. But Silena and Beckendorf stayed back, watching closely as Luke and the Stolls exited the Hermes cabin.

"Beckendorf! What are you doing? Help him she's gonna kill him!" Conner Stoll said nervously as Katie Gardner and Lee Fletcher piled out of their own cabins.

"Just hold on," Luke said, "this is always the best part."

Conner, Travis and Silena all looked at Luke like he was insane.

"Really Luke?" Silena exclaimed.

"I have a feeling this kid will be okay," Katie said, tucking a stray piece of her thick brown hair behind her ear. But her forest green eyes held a hint of worry.

"If he survived the Minotaur, I have no doubt he can handle a few Ares kids," Lee said, trying to keep his tone reassuring. But even he couldn't deny how nervous he was as he watched Clarisse and her sisters dragging Percy to the outdoor bathroom, where the toilets and showers were.

But Percy put up quite a fight. He kicked and fought with all that he had, but it was no use. Clarisse was too large in size alone, but add her sisters and brothers on top it, it was a bad combination. Beckendorf even considered stepping in to help him, but it was clear Percy had made his choice. Like with the Minotaur, Percy had to fight back himself. The kid had guts – impulsive, but he was very brave. Beckendorf had to respect him for that alone.

In the bathrooms, Percy continued twisting and writhing around in Clarisse's grasp. He noticed Luke and a few of the other head counselors were watching, clearly worried. But, they were holding back, as he requested. Clearly, they were willing to let him fight his own battles. They weren't treating him like he was weak or incapable. It was probably the most anybody believed in him.

He managed one last glimpse at them as Clarisse plunged his head towards the basin of the toilet. But Percy strained to keep his head above the water, putting all the strength he could into his neck. But Clarisse continued trying to push him down. Gritting his teeth, Percy felt his stomach clench.

"Yeah right! Like he's 'Big Three' material!" mocked Clarisse.

Percy suddenly felt adrenaline rushing through him, and a wave roared loudly in his ears. It was almost as though he blacked out for a moment. But he heard the pipes hissing nearby, the toilets rumbling. He could hear the showers turning on by themselves, too. But what happened next surprised him deeply. He could see the water from the toilet rising, over his head and missing him completely. But Clarisse wasn't safe from it. The water drenched her and her sisters, but the force was so great, it was pushing her backwards and out of the bathroom. Soon enough, all the toilets followed suit, the sheer force of the water pulsing hard.

All Percy heard was the rushing of the water and Clarisse and her sisters cursing angrily as they went sprawling backwards into the grass outside. Percy turned and rose to his feet, seeing Annabeth hadn't been spared. Her hair dripped with toilet water. But her grey eyes were wide with surprise – she looked impressed. And as Percy looked at the other camp counselors, he noticed Silena, Beckendorf, the Stoll brothers, Katie, Lee, and Luke all watching. The Stolls were trying their hardest not to laugh. Silena and Beckendorf shared wide-eyed looks with each other, their hands over their mouths, but Percy could see from how their eyes touched that they were grinning like cats that swallowed a flock of canaries. Luke's blue eyes were wide with amusement as his body shook with unmistakable laughter. Even Katie and Lee couldn't seem to help themselves, either. That was when Percy noticed he was the only one dry.

Clarisse, who was spitting up toilet water, glowered at him, enraged.

"Percy!" gasped Annabeth. "How did you –?"

"I don't know," he admitted. And while he probably should have let it go, given Clarisse was sopping, he couldn't help himself as he replied with, "You want to gargle more toilet water, Clarisse? Close your mouth."

That was enough to get the Stoll brothers laughing hysterically as Clarisse tried charging towards Percy like a bull, but her sisters grabbed her to haul her back. Even Beckendorf stepped forward, grabbing Clarisse in his huge hands to keep her away. But even he couldn't keep the shit-eating grin off his face.

"Holy Styx!" Silena gasped. She shared a glance with Luke. They seemed to be conspiring amongst themselves – as if they were questioning who Percy's father happened to be. Katie and Lee were both grinning slightly, as well.

As Percy glanced at Annabeth, he saw she was still looking rather impressed, despite being drenched in toilet water. She seemed to be analyzing him closely, as if she were deciding what to do about him.

"What?" he asked her.

"I think . . ." she stammered, "I think I want you on my team for Capture the Flag."