Chapter 6: Up in Smoke
For almost the whole afternoon, various campers had their attention on Percy, muttering things about toilet water and the bathrooms.
'I hope it's because Annabeth is still soaked,' he thought as Annabeth showed him the climbing wall – which had actual lava spitting out of it, the sword arena, the volleyball pit, the basketball courts, the metal shop – where Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard's boyfriend was working away – the armory – where Silena was, straightening up the armor and helmets, and the arts and crafts building, where Satyrs were carving marble busts of a man who looked to be half-man, half-goat.
Finally, they stopped at the docks near the beach, where Annabeth leaned against the rail.
"I have training to do," she said flatly. "Dinner's at seven-thirty. So, just follow your cabin to the dining pavilion."
"Annabeth," he said to her, "I'm sorry about the toilets."
"Uh-hu," Annabeth said. "Sure."
"Seriously," he replied to her, "I'm really not sure how I did that. It's not my fault."
Annabeth looked at him skeptically, not fully believing it. Somehow, Percy had become one with the plumbing, and it had responded to him.
"You need to see the Oracle," she said to him.
"Who?"
"Not who. What. The Oracle. I'll ask Chiron," she said.
Just then, something caught Percy's attention at the bottom of the salty ocean water. Sitting at the bottom of the water, were three teenaged girls. Except, they looked unlike any girls Percy had ever seen before. They wore blue jeans and shimmering green t-shirts, hair as brown as the earth that floated loosely around them. Their skin appeared to take on a slightly blue-green tint, as if it were the color of the sea itself. He couldn't even tell what color their eyes were, but he could only guess they were a shade of blue. They looked up at him with flirtatious, friendly smiles on their faces, waving as if he were a long-lost friend.
Not knowing what to do, Percy just waved back.
"Don't bother," said Annabeth, "naiads are terrible flirts."
"Naiads?" Percy asked. "You mean water spirits?"
"That's right."
"That's it. I want to go home now," he groaned, closing his eyes.
Annabeth breathed a deep sigh. "Don't you get it, Percy? You are home! This is the only safe place in the world for those like us!"
"You mean mentally disturbed, learning-challenged kids?" Percy asked her bitterly, opening his eyes to look at her.
"No, I mean not human," Annabeth said.
"Yeah, thanks for the compliment," he replied sarcastically.
"I don't mean it like that," Annabeth interjected. "I mean not totally human. Half-human, half-god."
"Really?" Percy's eyes widened a little.
"Yeah. Your dad's not dead, Percy. He's one of the Olympians," Annabeth supplied.
"But . . . that's crazy!"
"Really?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Percy. Don't you remember anything about the old stories? The gods and goddesses would occasionally come down to earth, engage with mortals, and have kids with them. Do you think they changed their habits over the last millennia? We're known as demigods, but we use the term half-blood, officially."
"But . . . if all these kids are half gods," Percy stammered.
"Yes?"
"Then who's your dad?"
Annabeth's fingers absentmindedly began playing with a ring around a necklace that hung on her neck. It had colored beads around it. But the way she looked at the ring – which Percy recognized as a college ring – he could see an underlying bitterness residing there on her face.
"My dad's a professor. He works at West Point. Teaches history."
"But . . . he's human."
"Wait, you just assume it has to be a male god who finds a female attractive? That's so sexist! Silena's mom is the goddess of love!"
"Well, there's no account of any of the goddesses having kids," Percy defended. "Most of them are maidens. Hera's the goddess of marriage; no kids. So I just thought . . ."
Annabeth nodded, understanding. "Almost everyone jumps to that conclusion."
"Well, then who is your mom?"
"Cabin six. Athena. Goddess of wisdom and battle," explained Annabeth.
"But . . . isn't Athena a maiden?" Percy asked.
"How we're born . . . it's a little different. My mom was born from pure thought – from Zeus's split skull, if you recall that. Therefore, all her children are born the same way. After she meets our fathers, she simply thinks of us, and we arrive before our fathers to be raised by them. She's one of the few who claims us when we're born," Annabeth supplied. "And don't ask if I have a bellybutton. Of course I do."
"Wait . . . one of the few?" asked Percy. "So . . . who's my father?"
"We don't know. You're undetermined," said Annabeth.
"My mom would've known."
"Are you sure about that?"
"My dad told her about this place. He loved her. That's gotta mean he loved me . . . even though he didn't stick around."
Annabeth really didn't want to burst his bubble at all. But she feared that Percy was getting false hope. She saw it happen too often with those kids whose mother or father were minor gods and goddesses. But she didn't want to tell him that could be a possibility for him.
"Well, if that's true, maybe he'll send a sign," said Annabeth. "But it doesn't always happen. Oftentimes, it's children of the minor gods – their parents don't have thrones on Olympus. And the gods . . . they get busy. We're not exactly their first priority."
Percy swallowed, remembering the looks on some of the kids in Cabin Eleven, that look of abandonment and feeling left behind. He just hoped that wouldn't be the case for him.
"So, I'm just stuck here? For the rest of my life?"
"It depends," said Annabeth. "I'm sure Chiron told you sometimes, kids just stay here the summer. But there are those who stay year-round, like Luke, Silena, Clarisse, Beckendorf, and myself. Beckendorf and Lee are both in college. Silena will be starting her senior year of high school, meaning she'll be off to college next fall and will need to turn over her leadership; that is if she decides to go away for school. But if your parent is someone like Apollo, Demeter, or Aphrodite, you're probably not a real powerful force."
"Meaning?"
"The monsters might ignore you. So, you can probably get by with a few months of summer training, and then go to the mortal world for school. For some of us, though, it's too dangerous to leave. You see, us half-bloods have a particular aura – a scent that attracts monsters. And once they sense us, they come for us. That's why we never call them by their name. Because once they hear their name, it's an invitation for them to come and kill you."
"But, I noticed the boarders wouldn't let my mom in," Percy said. "So, that means the monsters can't get in?"
"Only if they're let in by someone. Usually, people do that to pick fights, or pull practical jokes. That's the Stoll brothers' specialty," Annabeth explained. "From the outside, mortals might just see a strawberry farm. That's how we keep this camp funded; by selling them."
"So . . . you're a year-rounder?" Percy asked.
"Yeah," Annabeth said, playing with the class ring again. "I've been here since I was seven. Luke came around the same time as me. Silena and Beckendorf arrived a year later, then Lee, then Katie Gardner – head of Demeter – and then came the others. Will Solace, one of our head healers, he came here very young; that's his story to tell. Luke and I have been here longer than anyone. Every summer, if you survive, you get another bead for your camp necklace."
"But why did you come so young?"
Annabeth shot him a stern look. "None of your business," she said coolly.
"So, I could just walk out here if I want to?" Percy asked.
"It would be suicide, but you could try," Annabeth said. "Especially if you have Mr. D and Chiron's permission. But they do not give permission unless a quest is assigned, and you're chosen for it. That hardly ever happens. Especially after what happened last time . . ."
Annabeth didn't even try hiding the bitterness in her voice. Clearly, the last time had been a catastrophe.
"Back in the sick room, when you were feeding me that . . . ambrosia?"
"Yeah."
"You mentioned something about the summer solstice deadline?"
Annabeth's eyes grew curious. "What do you know about it?"
"I overheard Chiron and Grover discussing it," Percy explained. "It was at my old school. What did you mean by that?"
Annabeth sighed, clenching her fists. "I wish I knew," she said. "Chiron won't tell anyone, except a select few – Luke, Beckendorf, and Silena, because he trusts them to keep it under wraps. The satyrs know, too. I've asked Luke about it over and over, but he won't tell me anything. Something's wrong on Olympus, something major."
"You think something was stolen?" Percy asked.
"Yeah. It must be pretty important. Luke, Silena, and Beckendorf led some of us year-rounders on a field trip to Olympus during the winter solstice. Everything was so normal up there. The gods were acting normally, having their annual meeting. But afterwards, the weather grew out of control and everyone could just feel something was wrong. Even things at camp grew tense. Silena and Beckendorf lost sleep over it; I know they've come to a similar conclusion as me. But nobody's saying a word about it. I hate being left in the dark."
"And you thought I could be the answer?"
"I was just hoping that . . . maybe . . . I mean, Athena can get along with anyone. Unless you count Ares. She also has her rivalry with Poseidon. But aside from that, I was hoping we could work together," she admitted, blushing deeply.
"I don't know anything about it," Percy told her.
Annabeth just heavily sighed again. "I've got to get a quest. I mean, I'm not too young. If they would just tell me . . ."
"I wish I could be the answer Annabeth," Percy said sincerely. "But even I don't have all the answers. I wish I knew too. I wish I knew why that Minotaur went after me . . . why he took my mother . . ."
Annabeth sighed, leaning a gentle hand on his shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "Your mom's not dead, Percy. If she's in the Underworld, she's under Hades's grasp."
"Oh joy," Percy said with a roll of his eyes.
"Hades is just the lord of the dead, Percy," she said. "Yes, many associate him with evil – the Underworld has many places, like the Fields of Asphodel and the Fields of Punishment. But he just judges the dead, and he determines where they go when they die. If they die a hero, they go to Elysium, our equivalent of heaven. If he has your mom, I wouldn't panic just yet. There's still a chance you can get her back."
Percy fell silent at that. Still a chance he could get his mother back? But . . . suddenly, an idea came to mind. But he wasn't about to share it with Annabeth.
Annabeth swallowed, saying, "I have to go and train. But you should go to the armory and meet with Silena. She'll fit you with some armor and a shield; that'll do you some good during Capture the Flag. Maybe she can talk with Beckendorf and get him to make you a sword or something. I'll catch you later."
Percy nodded, walking towards the armory. But as he headed there, his thoughts drifted to his mother.
'I have a chance to get my mom back. Hopefully, that'll come sooner or later,' he thought. 'I wish I knew what was going on. But if Silena, Beckendorf, and Luke are silent . . . I guess I'll learn when the time is right.'
As he approached the armory, he saw Silena polishing breastplates, swords, knives, and helmets, which had red and blue plumbs on them. She seemed to be taking immense pride in what she was doing, polishing the armor until it shined perfectly. And she seemed to be organizing everything by size, color-coordinating the helmets.
'Great,' thought Percy, 'she's a neat freak. Let me guess. She likes everything to be pretty.'
Silena looked up from what she was doing, noticing him approaching. "Hi, Percy," she said. "Need some armor?"
"Yeah," he said.
"I'm your gal," Silena grinned, looking at the breastplates and considering Percy's size. "So, tell me. Are you fitting in okay? People treating you right? I mean, aside from Clarisse, that is."
"Let's just say I've been dealing with whispers about toilet water," Percy told her.
Silena chuckled softly. "They'll forget about it eventually, and move onto something else. Knowing the Stoll brothers, they'll probably pull their next big prank." She said those words with a twinge of bitterness. "That'll for sure take people's minds off it." She grabbed a breastplate off the rack, handing it to Percy. "Size five should be good. Try that on."
Percy nodded, slipping the breastplate on. After he put it on, he felt that it fit perfectly on his body.
"Looks good," Silena said, grinning. "Now let's find you a shield and a sword you can use, at least until you find a weapon that's right for you."
"What do you mean?"
"Not every weapon is for everyone," Silena explained. "It depends on the balance, how it feels. I was never much of a fighter; I'm more of a speaker. I prefer using my heart and my words over a sword."
"Clarisse said something about you . . . charmspeaking?"
"Yeah," Silena said.
"What did she mean by that?" asked Percy.
"It's a rare gift, one that only few children of Aphrodite get blessed with," Silena said. "Basically, I can sound very convincing and persuasive. I can talk people into doing things, giving me things. There were times I got in real trouble for it. When I learned what a demigod was, I was hoping to be a child of Hermes. Then Aphrodite claimed me the moment I walked through the gates."
The way she explained that, Percy could hear an underlying resentment in her voice. To a point, he could understand. Being dyslexia and ADHD, Percy had walked his whole life feeling stupid, being bullied by teachers into reading out loud. But he couldn't understand why Silena resented being Aphrodite's daughter.
"But, your mom's the love goddess. Why do you say that like it's a bad thing?" Percy asked her.
Silena swallowed hard. "Because I always saw myself as average at best," she said. "The only abilities I got of my mom's are charmspeak, empathy, and metamorphosis – meaning I can change how I look, whenever I want. My mom claims I'm one of the most powerful of her children. I still don't see how. But it gave a little context to why I always hated the way I looked – like I could be ten times prettier than I am."
"What do you mean by that? You're really pretty," Percy said to her, only saying what he thought.
"Glad you think so," Silena sighed. "But most of my life I never thought that. At one point I was overweight, and I became so obsessed with being thin. I had anorexia pretty badly from twelve to fourteen. I didn't eat anything for two years. It was Lee, Luke and Charlie who noticed and they got me help."
Percy looked down at his feet, feeling discomforted. He could hardly believe this pretty, sweet girl had at one point felt so low about herself. But it also left him feeling oddly better, because she seemed to understand how insecure he felt. She seemed to get why he felt less than his peers.
"Did you ever meet your mom?" he asked.
"Once, but not exactly," Silena said. "Sometimes, I can sense her in my dreams. She enters my thoughts when I sleep, and I hear her giving me advice. The first time I dreamt of her, she said, 'It takes a lot more courage to stay true to yourself, my sweet. That's what I admire most about you.'"
"That's some advice from a love goddess," he commented.
"And I try taking that to heart, every day," mused Silena. "I try remembering she's older than most of the Olympians; that she's more powerful than people realize. But there's times where I feel being her daughter is a joke, because a few of my sisters spend their free time trying to one-up each other, obsessing over material things. There's even the stupid Aphrodite Rite of Passage; most of my sisters participated in it at least once. But I ended up stopping it."
"What's that?"
"It's where you break someone's heart to make sure they remain in love with you, forever, and they never want anyone else. And that's not me. I could never bring myself to hurt Charlie like that. I just don't see how that could be romantic," she explained.
Percy considered this, looking at Silena. She wore barely any makeup at all; maybe a little bit, but it complimented her nicely and seemed to bring out her eyes and her natural features. And she seemed to prefer wearing camp clothes as opposed to designer outfits. In fact, the only piece on her that seemed relatively expensive were her shoes. Other than that, she looked like any ordinary teenage girl; so normal and down-to-earth. Her gut instinct should have told her to steer clear of him; an uncool middle schooler with attention issues who could barely read. But here she was, helping him choose armor and being so nice and sweet, making him feel welcome.
"Besides, Aphrodite isn't known for being in battle," Silena continued. "And to be truthful, I hate fighting. I never even killed a monster, Percy, because I sense when others are in pain . . . when there's heartbreak, or anger. And I always worry if I kill a monster, their pain will be too much for me to take. Yeah, I know they don't have souls. But that doesn't mean they don't feel. I prefer getting along with people."
"But getting along with people takes talent," Percy pointed out.
"Charlie tells me that all the time," Silena said, running a hand through her hair, which shifted to a shade of auburn. "But even my voice can only do so much. Charlie insisted that I always carry something with me, in case push comes to shove and I need to defend myself."
"What's your weapon of choice then?" Percy asked her.
Silena's face suddenly shifted into a grin, a sparkle in her eyes returning. "Well, I'm happy to show you. It's pretty spectacular, actually."
Silena reached into the denim shorts' pocket, pulling something out. Looking at it, Percy saw it was a bronze tube that looked like it contained lipstick inside. Silena pulled the cap off it and it revealed a rosy-colored lipstick, which Silena quickly applied to her lips before putting the cap on the other end. And before Percy's eyes, he watched as the tube of lipstick no longer became lipstick. It was now a five-inch, gleaming dagger, sharp and deadly.
"Whoa!" Percy said, astonished. "A lipstick dagger? That's . . . That's really cool."
"An anniversary gift from Charlie," Silena said proudly, moving the dagger around in her hand. "He made it for me six months after we started dating. He told me it could bring an element of surprise. And he's right. But I've also got this."
Silena reached into her pocket again, pulling out something that looked like a compact mirror – it was small, circular, and bronze. When Silena opened it, it looked like any ordinary mirror, but when she folded it back over the opposite direction, it unfolded into a round, gleaming shield with a dove engrained on it.
"My favorite shield," she said. "It was a sweet sixteen birthday gift from my mom, after she claimed me as one of her favorite daughters. I just wish she'd sent it sooner, preferably when I was fourteen."
"Why? What happened?" Percy asked.
"A quest that went wrong," Silena sighed.
"Annabeth mentioned the last quest went badly," Percy said.
"That's an understatement," Silena countered. "It's almost time for dinner. I should head to my cabin and gather up my siblings. You should get back to Cabin Eleven. Luke will get you situated at the Hermes table."
"Yeah," Percy said in agreement, smelling the distinct scent of barbeque. "Thanks, Silena," he said, sliding the breastplate off his chest before accepting a helmet and shield from her.
"If you need anything, you'll find me either here or the Pegasus stables. Pegasus riding lessons are my specialty," Silena smiled.
Percy nodded, grinning as he proceeded to head back to Cabin Eleven. When he arrived, he saw his cabinmates horsing around before dinner. Dragging his only possession – the Minotaur horn – over to his corner of the room along with his breastplate and helmet, he saw Luke stepping forward, a sleeping bag rolled under his arm and a backpack slung over his shoulder.
"Hey," he said, "found you a sleeping bag. And I managed to steal you some toiletries and spare clothes from the camp store."
He dropped the backpack near Percy along with the sleeping bag, sitting next to him. Percy couldn't tell whether Luke was kidding about the stealing part. But given Luke's dad was Hermes, Percy wouldn't put it past him. Despite that, it left him feeling grateful. It was probably the nicest thing someone had done for him all day.
"Thanks," he said.
"No prob," Luke replied. "I take it you saw Silena at the armory?"
"Yeah. She got me some gear for Capture the Flag on Friday."
"Good. How're you doing? Tough first day?"
Percy sighed, thinking back on his earlier conversation with Silena. While she'd made him feel a little better, and while Annabeth assured him he was one of them, there was still a part of him that felt out of place – even in the Hermes cabin. This just didn't feel like the right place for him at all.
"I don't even belong here," he confessed. "I don't believe in God – or any gods for that matter."
"Trust me, we all felt that way at some point." Luke unsheathed a small dagger and began using it to clean the sole of his sandal. "But once you start believing in them? It doesn't get easier."
Percy could hear the bitterness in the older boy's voice as he cleaned his shoes.
"Yeah, Silena said something like that," he said. "She said she couldn't believe Aphrodite was her mother."
"Silena's always felt less than a lot of her siblings," Luke sighed. "And sure, Aphrodite favors her. But I know her better than anyone here. And Beckendorf and I were there when we'd watch her starve herself almost to death. At first I'd thought she was so underweight because she'd been on the run from home for a long time. But then it dawned on me how bad it was when I would see her not eat breakfast. If it weren't for Beckendorf, Lee, or me for that matter, she wouldn't be here."
Percy swallowed hard, considering Luke's words. But he sensed a growing resentment there in his tone. It surprised him greatly, because Luke seemed very easy-going, like he could handle anything.
"So your dad is Hermes? The wing-footed messenger guy?" Percy asked.
"Yup, that's him. The god of merchants, travelers, thieves, medicine . . . anyone who uses the roads," Luke explained. "That's why we take in all newcomers before they claimed. But I'm sure Annabeth filled you in that a lot of the kids here were claimed by minor gods – they don't get thrones on Olympus, therefore, they don't get cabins of their own. We're the cornucopia of this camp."
Again, Luke didn't try hiding the bitterness in his tone at all.
"Well, that's not right," Percy said.
Luke offered him a small smile. "Unfortunately, that's the way it works," he said.
"So . . . did you ever meet your dad?"
"Once."
Percy could hear from Luke's resentful tone that the meeting hadn't gone well at all the last time. So, Percy decided to change the subject.
"Don't worry about it, Percy. Most of the kids in here, they're good people. But we're all extended family, right? We take care of each other," Luke said, his tone sounding almost comforting, warm.
Percy couldn't help nodding in agreement, before asking his next question. "Luke, what did Clarisse mean earlier about me being 'Big Three' material? Because, Annabeth claimed she thought I was 'the one' and that I should speak to the Oracle."
Luke sighed. "I hate prophecies," he murmured.
"What do you mean?"
Luke's face twitched around the scar on his face. "Let's just say, a couple years ago I messed things up for everyone. It was three years ago, right when my trip to the Garden of Hesperides went sour."
"Silena mentioned something about a quest going badly," Percy said. "Was she one of the people who went with you?"
Luke nodded. "She and Beckendorf were my companions for the quest; at the time we were the oldest kids here. Naturally, we were picked, because Chiron thought for sure we'd be mature enough to handle it. Of course, Silena blames herself for what happened. She's empathetic – sometimes too empathetic and selfless. It's her fatal flaw. She'll die of a broken heart before a monster kills her."
Percy considered Luke's words. He distinctly remembered Silena's voice soothing him in his sleep. And when he'd met her officially at the Hermes cabin, he'd seen a hint of pain and compassion reflecting in her eyes, as though she could feel his pain and his heartache like it was her own. When he looked in her eyes, it was as though something had shattered inside her. For some reason, it made Percy want to take some of that pain away from her. But something told him Silena would shoulder all of it herself, as if she were willing to hold the weight of the world for someone else.
"Anyway," Luke continued, "ever since then, Chiron hasn't allowed anymore quests. Annabeth's been dying to get out in the real world for a long time. She's a little firecracker – determined and stubborn, but very bright. And like Athena, she's got high standards. She pestered Chiron so much, that one day he revealed something about her fate. He claimed he'd gotten a prophecy from the Oracle nearly twenty years ago. And it claimed that she had to wait to go on a quest . . . that someone special will be the answer to that."
"Someone special?" Percy asked. "As in a kid of one of the Big Three – Zeus, Poseidon, or Hades?"
Luke nodded, but leaned a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Don't worry about it, kid," he said. "Annabeth hopes that every new guy who walks through here is the omen she's been waiting for. Now, c'mon. It's dinnertime."
Just then, Percy heard a bellowing sound in the distance – a conch horn. But how he knew that, he had no idea. Suddenly, Luke stood up and clapped his hands together, before cupping them over his mouth to get everyone's attention.
"Hey, hey, listen up!"
Several repeated it, but Conner and Travis were still horsing around with a few of the other campers. Percy saw they hadn't escaped revenge from the Aphrodite campers – as they had eyeliner lining their eyes, as well as shiny red lip gloss and blush, but nobody seemed to be saying a word.
"If I have to say, 'Hey, hey, listen up,' again, I'm assigning you to kitchen duty," Luke threatened, a teasing tone in his voice.
That for sure got the campers' attention before he said, "Come on, Cabin Eleven! Fall in!"
Everyone nodded, following Luke out the doors of the cabin. But Percy was the last one out of the door, following behind one of the younger Hermes cabin members Cecil Markowitz. Luke was up front with his second-in-command of choice, Chris Rodriguez as he led them to the dining pavilion. By the time they got to the dinner table, Percy noticed how overcrowded the Hermes table truly was. He found himself sitting on the edge of the bench with Luke at his side, while all the other cabins filed in.
Annabeth led the Athena campers to their table, all honey blonde and grey-eyed. Katie Gardner of Demeter led a bunch of dark-haired, green-eyed kids to theirs. Beckendorf led a bunch of kids who appeared to be African-American, Latino-American, or mixed race, all looking very muscled, strong, and covered in grease stains from working in the forges all afternoon. As he caught Percy's eye, he winked as Silena led a bunch of her cabinmates to the Aphrodite table, all looking very fashionable and well-kempt and put-together. He even managed to steal a kiss from the head of Aphrodite, which got several people wolf-whistling. Clarisse – who was dried off from the toilet incident – led her cabinmates to sit down. But as soon as she caught Chris's eye, she turned a couple of shades red. Lee Fletcher led his siblings into the dining area, with one of his youngest siblings Will at his heels. And finally, Grover and the satyrs fell in with two kids who resembled Mr. D.
Up front, Chiron stomped his hoof on the floor of the pavilion to get everyone's attention. He raised a glass that was filled and yelled, "To the gods!"
Everyone else followed unanimously, raising their glasses high before the naiads, dryads, and nymphs all came into the dining pavilion, carrying trays upon trays of food – fresh fruits that looked beyond juicy, barbequed brisket, roasted meats, cheeses, and fresh breads that were still steaming warm. Percy hadn't realized just how hungry he'd been until he saw the food placed in front of them. He noticed his empty goblet as Luke grabbed his plate, loading it with brisket, grapes, chicken, and cubes of cheddar cheese.
"Here you go, Perce," he said. Noticing the empty goblet, he added, "Just think of what you want to drink, and it fills up. You can ask for anything – non-alcoholic, of course."
"Anything? Really?" Percy asked.
Luke nodded, and as Percy stared into the empty goblet, he thought, 'Blue Cherry Coke.' To his amazement, he watched as the cup filled up with bright, violet liquid. But before he could start eating, he noticed everyone carrying their plates over to the central fire in the middle of the pavilion.
"C'mon," Luke said. "This is part of camp tradition. We do burnt offerings – a portion of our food gets tossed in the fire for the gods. Apparently they like the smell."
"You're serious?" asked Percy.
"Yeah, it's not a joke," said Luke, watching as the Stoll brothers tossed their food into the fire. But Conner tossed a packet of peanut M&Ms into the flame. Luke grabbed a few grapes still on the vine and bowed his head. "For Hermes," he said, and the flames billowed into the atmosphere. Percy just followed his lead, tossing a piece of brisket into the flames.
'Dad, wherever you are, please answer,' he thought, taking in the smell of the flames, only the scent that hit him was unique in of itself. It smelled strongly of salt – like the ocean itself. If that were some kind of sign, perhaps his dad would claim him by the end of the night – maybe the end of the week.
Following Luke back to the table, he proceeded to eat his dinner as he watched the sun set down. But as everyone ate, they heard Mr. D clearing his throat.
"Attention!" the wine god called. Everyone quieted down to look towards him, still eating. "As you brats all know, this Friday is Capture the Flag. Ares Cabin still holds the laurels."
A loud roaring cheer erupted from Clarisse's table as their fists shook in the air, whilst everyone else seemed to groan. Beckendorf and Silena were both shooting looks at one another from across their tables, rolling their eyes. They seemed to be hoping that Clarisse wouldn't be picking them to be on her team for the game.
"That means Ares gets first pick of whoever they want on their team, blah, blah, blah," said Mr. D. "And it's already been decided that Hephaestus and Aphrodite will be on the red team's side."
Groans followed from Hephaestus and Aphrodite. But Silena seemed to be groaning the loudest, shaking her head.
"Yeah, we all know the strategy already," she said. "Just have Aphrodite sit back on the side and 'supervise,' have Hephaestus plant the traps, and have Ares do all the work."
"It's been working well so far," Clarisse retort ed.
"And then you wonder why the Aphrodite cabin is considered a laughing stock!" Silena said resentfully, shaking her head as she clenched her fists. "We're not completely helpless, you know?"
"Whatever, Little Miss Perfect," Clarisse grumbled back to her.
"ENOUGH!" shouted Mr. D. "You brats can sort your quarrels out during the game. But we also gained a new camper, Peter Johnson!"
Chiron narrowed his eyes at Mr. D while Beckendorf rose from his seat, piping up with, "Don't you mean Percy Jackson, sir?"
"Percy Jackson," Mr. D said, rolling his eyes. "Thank you, Channing Barnes."
"Charles. Beckendorf," said Conner Stoll. "Mr. D, are you ever gonna get our names right?"
"I couldn't care less Travis," Mr. D said.
"He's not Travis, I am!" Travis Stoll stood indignantly. "Gods I'm happy you're not our dad! Must be hard on Castor and Pollux to have a dad who doesn't remember their names, and just so happens to work here!"
"Hey, Mr. D!" Conner grinned. "You look like you could use a drink right now!"
Mr. D looked like that was the best idea he'd heard all day, not seeming to care about his restrictions. He reached for a bottle of red wine, and he watched with surprise as it didn't turn into water this time. "Haha! You see that, Zeus?!" he called to the sky in triumph.
But Percy caught sight of Conner, smirking. The Stoll brothers punched his shoulder. "Watch!" grinned Travis.
Percy observed as Mr. D sipped the wine, only to spit it out as if it were the vilest thing he'd ever tasted. He gagged several times as everyone erupted into laughter. Even Annabeth and her siblings couldn't seem to help it. Katie Gardner was turning bright red as she held back giggles. Beckendorf and Lee were both slapping their knees.
"Conner, what did you do?" laughed Luke, bumping his fist with Chris's.
Conner slipped his hand from under the table and pulled out a bottle of red wine vinegar. "I'm a special boy," he grinned.
But Mr. D seemed to be trying to hold onto some dignity. He stood a little straighter, before saying, "Now that those announcements are cleared, go along to your silly campfire. Go!"
Everyone took that as their cue to get out of there. They cleared away from their tables and ran off to the arena, where the campfire was set up and blazing brightly. Lee and his two closest brothers, Michael Yew and Will Solace began leading everyone in the camp songs, with Lee picking away at his guitar while Austin Lake, who looked to be younger than Percy by at least two or three years, began playing the saxophone. And Percy watched as the campfire turned into various, spectacular colors as the music grew livelier. But it didn't take long for them to shift away from traditional campfire songs about the gods and goddesses, to pop music beginning to play from speakers that the Stoll brothers had managed to smuggle in. Silena had a spark in her eyes as they shifted to a shade of forest green, and her hair turned a brilliant blonde as she rose to her feet, winking at Lee.
"Isn't she with Beckendorf?" Percy asked Luke as Silena and Lee began Latin dancing to Ricky Martin's "La Vida Loca" which blasted from the speakers.
"Lee's Beckendorf's best friend," Luke said as he watched Silena and Lee keep up to the fast pace of the music. "Beckendorf knows he'd never cross a line."
"That's a lot of trust," Percy noted as Silena shook her hips to the beat and everyone began clapping, cheering the two of them on, especially as Lee and Silena pulled off a rather impressive move of Lee grabbing her hand and rolling her arm over, spinning her.
"At least we can count on the two of them to teach ballroom dance lessons when there's free period," said Luke. "But it's not something they do often. Lee always got a bunch of crap for it, him being a good dancer."
"Why's that?" Percy asked.
"You should hear the rumors people spread around here; Drew Tanaka from Aphrodite has been calling him gay for years, even though it's not true at all. He's in a serious relationship with Natalie Daddario from the Athena cabin." Luke pointed to a seventeen-year-old girl sitting near Annabeth, who had straight, short-cut honey blonde hair and grey eyes, just like her brothers and sisters. Natalie was looking at Lee in pure admiration, a lovestruck look on her face.
"And even if it is, it shouldn't matter," said Chris, leaning back on his arms.
"I agree with that," said Percy, watching as Silena and Lee bowed before their audience, which erupted into applause. Lee leaned down and stole a kiss from his girlfriend while Silena went over and kissed Beckendorf on the lips.
The campfire continued until well after nine o'clock, and everyone had to go back to their cabins for the night. Luke led Percy and everyone else back to Cabin Eleven, and as Percy laid there on his sleeping bag, he felt very warm and safe. Staring out the window of his cabin, he managed to fall asleep that night peacefully.
But no one bothered telling him he wouldn't be enjoying his new home for long.