"HOW DID HE DIE?"… around here, Leo thought.
"Kinda." Percy said, rubbing the back of his neck. The demigods chuckled.
"It's not wrong to brag sometimes." Beckendorf chuckled. Percy gave him a small smile.
"So Beckendorf was pretty popular? ... whole camp when he died.
Beckendorf gave small smiles to the elder Greek campers which they returned.
"Camp is going to be a party house once we return." Percy said
"Ah cousin, we're going to be having a party week. One party is scheduled at your home, one in the underworld and one at camp. You also promised a pool party after the end of the heroes book which we did not finish." Nico said
Percy grinned.
"I look forward to it." He said. The demigods nodded and grinned.
"It's gonna be a blast." Apollo said. Everybody nodded.
Jake — he became head counselor…"And here we are."
"Oh that's not good." Beckendorf said. Hephaestus nodded as he grimaced.
"Trauma?" Castor asked
"I don't think that it would be for so many till now." Beckendorf shook his head
The forge looked like a steam-powered…they had fused together.
"Okay now that is one of the oddest descriptions I've ever heard and I've thought many odd ones myself." Percy said. Leo grinned at him.
"I don't know why you would put that image in my head?" Annabeth shook her head
"So it comes in your dreams." Leo grinned
"Well it will work now." Annabeth said
White marble columns lined…until she died.
Everybody grimaced or winced at that. Nico and Frank gave sympathetic smiles to him.
Kids came up and started shaking…Too overwhelming.
"You get used to them." Connor said
"Agreed. It took me about a month to learn about 45 names of the people in our cabin." Travis said
"Yep." Chris nodded.
"Nah when you came, there were about 55." Connor said
"Well damn." Chris said.
"55?" Hermes choked out. The Stolls and Chris nodded.
"How many for one of ours?" Ares asked
"Well apart from dad's kids, there were about 45 kids who were unclaimed or kids of the minor gods who hadn't been claimed. So like we had to share bunks and stuff." Travis said. Seeing the shocked and some guilty reactions of the gods, he added "However the claimed camper count for all the campers in total was about 140 an year or two before the first war."
"Doesn't make not claiming the kids better." Apollo said
"Some gods did claim their kids more often than the others." Chris said
"Yeah, there was Apollo, Demeter and uh Hephaestus and um Aphrodite and dad claimed me quick." Percy said. Poseidon smiled at Percy.
"It's better now. According to the story and the changes that are happening right now." Nico said. Everybody nodded and the reading continued.
None of them looked like the others…Norris without breaking a sweat.
Hephaestus smirked.
"That would be fun." Beckendorf said
And all the kids shared…They all just stared at him.
"Yeah, not all of them have the best sense of humor. Some of them do but not all." Beckendorf said. Leo nodded.
"I got it," one of the girls…I'll show you around."
"Weird title but I will take it, thank you." Leo said.
Leo was no stranger to workshops… "A battleship?"
"Who knows?" Clarisse shrugged "They make pretty lit weapons." She said.
"Why, thank you." Beckendorf grinned.
"You never know…some sense of humor, right?
"Depends who you're talking about my side of the family. Like Charles said, not all of my children have a great sense of humor, some have a great one but some don't. Now if you count the gods as well, then you can joke around all day with them-" Hephaestus said, gesturing to Hermes and Apollo
"-He can be funny when he wants-" He gestured to Dionysus "-And he's one of the younger gods too" he gestured to Ares "And Uncle P can be serious but funny." Hephaestus said.
"Hmm. So I'm going to count the gods too then." Leo grinned. Hephaestus nodded. Chiron smiled at that, that the gods were coming to accept them as family. At least most of them.
They passed a couple of guys…smashed the centaur to pieces.
"Yikes." Piper said
"Ouch." Percy said
"Agreed." Leo said
"Stupid curse!"… "everything we build turns to junk."
"What is going on?" Beckendorf said, feeling very worried
"This is not good." Hephaestus said, shaking his head
"The curse?"… going to be so lucky.
"A dragon?" Beckendorf asked. Michael nodded.
"I only know one dragon…oh no." He sighed.
Nyssa took him over to a big…runs away again.
"It was difficult to control." Beckendorf said
Everyone expects us to find it and destroy it —"
"I don't want it destroyed but it seems very very unpredictable. Also I think that might be the curse." Beckendorf said
"The dragon is the curse?" Pollux asked
"No. I think that as everybody is expecting it of the cabin and they aren't able to manage it then they're getting frustrated and losing some of their faith and determination in building." Beckendorf said
"Destroy it?"… dragon any more than he did.
The Hephaestus kids sighed.
"Guys," he said…he had to live with them.
"Your power isn't a curse." Beckendorf said
"Yeah, it was probably just reminding me of something." Leo winced
Well ..." He hesitated…any more catastrophes."
"Okay, maybe the previous children of Hephaestus used to use the fire that way. All the matters is control. If somebody can control it as well as you can then you're going to be okay. It's quite the advantage." Beckendorf said to Leo. Hephaestus gave Beckendorf a proud smile.
"He's right. Control matters. You lose it occasionally but you'll figure it out. Don't worry about it." Nico said.
"Yeah you lose it just like this." Thalia grinned and zapped Percy and Nico. Jason laughed.
"The two of you are dead." Percy grinned and jumped on Thalia tackling her and calling a huge wave which drenched only her from head to toe. Nico grinned and made the shadows tickle Jason who rolled around on the sand and had tears of laughter. Percy and Nico grinned and stopped.
The elder goddesses looked at the elder gods who were looking at each other.
"At least they're playful." Demeter said. Everybody else was laughing and Michael continued.
Leo tried to keep his face…figured out how would be a hero
Everybody sighed.
A conch horn blew in the distance… the day was over.
"FACTS!" Percy said. Leo grinned
"A fifty minute lecture is a headache ad when you're interested in something, you don't even notice the time passing." Percy said.
"Dinner," Nyssa said…Plain wrong
Beckendorf and Hephaestus gave small smiles to Leo.
Very rare, he thought…Over and over.
The demigods stared at Leo, not knowing what to say. Hephaestus looked very worried. Nico and Percy's expressions softened and their expressions turned understanding. This got Poseidon and Hades worried. Leo hadn't wanted them to know this but…
"Maybe we should continue." Chiron said quietly. Michael nodded.
There was a Plan C…dancing across his palm.
"That's so cool." Connor said.
Leo grinned and lit his hands up.
"Niceee." Percy grinned
"Funny fact. Leo is a water sign who controls fire and Percy is a fire sign which controls water." Annabeth said.
"Wow. That's definitely interesting." Silena said. Percy and Leo grinned.
"Done." Michael said
"Let's take a dinner break." Chiron said. Everybody nodded.