Kate didn't know what to think. Her eyes darted between the dragon and Dylan, her instincts telling her to scream at Dylan to get away. She was completely taken aback when Dylan reached up and patted the creature on its snout.
"What is going on?" She asked, as if talking to herself.
Dylan finally seemed to remember that Kate was new here. "Right. Kate, this is Peleus, resident adolescent dragon and guardian of the Golden Fleece." Peleus regarded her with an intrigued expression, though Kate didn't know how a dragon could look like that. Her gaze followed Dylan's outstretched arm to one of the tree branches, where a huge golden blanket thing was draped over a thick branch. Kate raised her eyebrows in surprise, but her jaw almost hit the forest floor when she saw the size of the tree. It was huge, as wide as the suburban was long. That must have been how Peleus had hidden behind it. He was a big creature, but compared to Kate's expectation of a dragon, he was pretty small. Kate then tried to look past the dragon to the valley beyond, but all she could see were dark shadows and a very dim glow from a large pile of embers near the center of the small valley. She eyed the dragon once more. There was no aggression in its stance, even as it cleaned its teeth of the left over basilisk. Both Dylan and Argus seemed at ease, so Kate decided that she could again focus on Dylan.
The satyr beckoned to her once she took her eyes off Peleus. "Let's go see Chiron in the Big House. He'll be able to explain everything to you. Sorry we missed dinner, but getting around all those monsters in the city took longer than I thought."
"It's okay. I'm too excited to be hungry anyway." She walked towards the tree, warily regarding Peleus, when she tripped on something hard and white. Bending over to inspect it, she saw that it was a large tooth. "What is this?" She asked, frowning and inspecting the five inch long, needle-sharp fang.
Dylan walked over to her and she held out her hand, letting the fang catch the moonlight. "Oh wow, Kate! That must be a fang from the basilisk you killed!" He seemed proud of her, but she shook her head.
"I thought you said they turn to dust?" She asked.
Dylan nodded. "They do, but with some monsters, like bigger ones or important ones, you get a spoil of war. It can be anything; hide, teeth, clothing, sometimes even something like a cloak will appear, but that's rare. I guess since this is the first monster you've killed, its kind of important, so you got one!" Kate grinned. Maybe this whole monster thing wouldn't be so terrible after all. Dylan high-fived her, then led her and Argus through the field of grass to a large house.
As they approached the house it was easier to make out details in the faded light. She saw that it was a relatively simple, two story farm house. It was red with a wide, wrap-around porch, and waiting on it was a man in a wheelchair, a blanket wrapped around his legs.
Kate watched him warily as they walked up the white steps. She'd had enough monsters for one day.
Luckily, he seemed friendly enough when he spoke. "Why, hello there, Dylan, Argus." He said, nodding formally. "Is this Kate?" He asked.
She nodded, stepping forward to shake his outstretched hand. "I heard Peleus roar and thought I might come out to investigate. Everything ok?" Kate and Dylan nodded, though Argus walked right past them, nodded to Chiron, and slipped inside.
"We ran into some basilisks back in New York, and they must have followed us here. Kate ended up killing one herself." Dylan said proudly.
Chiron nodded his approval, "I'm glad to see that you are a warrior, Kate."
Kate blushed. "Thank you. And thank you for having me on such short notice." She was never one to forget her manners.
"It's an honor to have you here, Kate. All demigods have a place at Camp Half-Blood. Why don't you come inside for some nectar and biscuits. I know you might not be hungry, but I'm afraid that you may be in need of some nectar anyway." He glanced at Kate's shins, and when she looked down, she noticed that her ankles had patches of angry red skin across the front of them, as if she had been misted by the acid. She gasped as the pain suddenly hit her.
Dylan grimaced in sympathy. "The adrenaline probably covered that up for you. But don't worry, nectar and ambrosia will fix you up in no time." Kate looked at Dylan in confusion, but before she could ask, he said, "Nectar and ambrosia are the food of the gods, but in small amounts it can cure almost any ailment of a demigod. It would kill a normal person, and it could kill you, too. Don't have too much." Chiron laughed at his tone; Dylan sounded like a mother warning a child not to spoil dinner.
Kate nodded, feeling a little queasy. "I'll be sure to remember that."
At that, Dylan put an arm on her shoulder. "You did great for your first day as a demigod. I probably won't see you for a little bit, so have fun at camp!" He squeezed her arm and trotted down the steps, heading for the woods.
"He's a satyr. He'll have to report to the council about his time in New York, and of course he lives in the woods. He'll be on his next assignment in about two weeks, but I'm sure you'll see him again before then." Kate frowned, but let the expression fade off of her face before she looked at Chiron again. She suddenly felt very alone and exposed, standing in front of the director of an entire camp of half-gods. He seemed to sense her apprehension, because he immediately led her inside to a couch and a coffee table with a tray of buttered biscuits and tiny glasses of some sort of drink, presumably the nectar. Chiron parked himself in front of one end of the table, and she sat on the couch, wincing as the skin on her legs burned. She felt slightly awkward as the two sat in silence for a moment, but then Chiron picked up a bread roll and started to eat it, gesturing for her to do the same. She inhaled an entire biscuit without even stopping to breathe, her hunger returning with a vengeance. She finished half of another before Chiron began speaking.
"Try the nectar," He suggested. "It will heal your leg in seconds."
Kate picked up the glass and sniffed it, suddenly nervous about its contents. She trusted Dylan completely, and something about Chiron reminded her of an uncle. Still, she was in a strange place and wasn't one to trust so easily.
She cringed again as another wave of pain hit her shins. "Don't worry about the nectar. That glass is the perfect amount, so you won't drink too much." These words settled her a bit, and it helped knowing that if something happened to her, Dylan would probably care.
She nodded, took a deep breath, and swallowed some of it. It tasted exactly like the sweet tea she'd had while visiting Georgia for spring break the previous year. Kate had hated being with her step father, but he was there on a business trip, so Kate was free to explore Savannah as she pleased while he was stuck in conferences or on his computer. She'd decided to try sweet tea, trying to embrace the south, and it had been the best drink she'd ever tasted. Now, the nectar brought that pleasant memory back to her. It warmed her body from the inside out, dispelling the chill she'd had since the Harpies in the city, and made the skin on her legs feel like it had been rubbed with aloe. She drank the rest of it gladly, then looked at Chiron as he smiled, a twinkle in his eye.
"It tends to taste like a comfort food. Something from a good memory." Kate nodded and leaned against the back of the couch, eating the rest of her roll with much more control.
Chiron finished his own roll and finally started some real conversation. "As you probably know, we don't know who your godly parent is. Let's try to get an idea now. Which parent do you suspect to be a god?"
Kate, who first had to get over hearing such a weird sentence, thought about it for a few moments. "My dad. Definitely my dad. My mother remarried when I was six, but I remember her talking about him before that. She died when I was ten, but I still live with my step-father."
Chiron nodded. "I'm sorry. It is inevitable that demigods grow up in a disjointed home, though they are not always unhappy homes. What did your mother say about your father?"
Kate thought back to the few conversations they'd had about him. "Well, my mom was a general in the army. Everyone always said that even though she wasn't a four star or a three star, she had this power about her where she always got her way. Apparently that's what made my father notice her in the first place. She said that he was always pretty quiet, but he had the loudest presence ever. She said that when he walked into a room, every single head turned his way. My favorite thing that she would say was that he apparently scared her at first, because she thought that if he snapped his fingers the right way, the world would bow at his feet." Whenever Kate was feeling nervous about anything, she tried to remember that if her dad could do that, then surely she could do whatever little thing she was worried about.
Chiron nodded thoughtfully. "It's hard to tell with most people, but I would bet my last drachma that Ares is your father. He often associates with those in the military, and he is one of the more powerful olympians. The quiet demeanor you describe is not like him, but then again, the gods are fickle. Traditionally, you would stay in the Hermes cabin as an unclaimed demigod, though I am almost entirely sure of your parentage. Connor Stoll is here on his fall break, and I have told him to stay awake for you so that you can find your way to the cabin. Tomorrow, you will be claimed by breakfast, I assure you, and you may meet your siblings. Until you are claimed, you will do all activities with the Hermes cabin. Connor will be here momentarily, so I suggest you ask any questions now."
Kate was silent for a moment, absorbing the torrent of new information. "Dylan explained to me that a lot of demigods inherit some powers from their parents, or at least characteristics, but I have only noticed one with me, and it has to do with knowledge of weapons. Not extreme skill with them. Just…knowledge."
Chiron nodded thoughtfully. "I'm sure he also explained to you that until you know what you are, you don't smell as strongly to monsters? Well, the same goes for abilities. Sometimes you won't even know your own abilities until a time of need, like when fighting a monster. Other times, being around other demigods is enough to make them show. Harper Morris, daughter of Demeter, had never had much of an affinity for plants or gardening or even being outside, but now she is the main reason our strawberry patch is doing so well. For children of gods with less showy abilities, like Hermes, their abilities may be as simple as being fast talkers or good on long trips. You never know. Though, with Ares, most will have a love of war and victory, and or a love or mastery of weapons."
This led Kate to another question. "What about children of gods with definite powers, like Poseidon and Zeus?" she asked. She didn't know a lot about the myths, but she did know that those two were very powerful.
"Well, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades signed a pact years and years ago stating that they would not have any more children, because their children were too powerful and sometimes abused their power. Of course, all three of them broke that pact. The children that resulted were even more powerful than before, almost as if the power had been focused all into one person instead of spread among multiple children. Most of those few children are alive today, and all very important demigods." Chiron's eyes had begun to glisten, and he blinked once or twice. Kate wondered what 'most' meant, and how well he had known the other kids. But she didn't ask, letting him continue without interruption. "One of your siblings will fill you in, but there were seven demigods that participated in a great war that took place a few years ago, and a few of them were children of the Big Three. Anyway, there is Nico di Angelo, son of Hades. His sister, Bianca, died while on a quest in order to save the lives of others, but Nico is alive and well. Then we have Thalia and Jason Grace, who were an interesting pair. Jason was the son of Jupiter, while Thalia is the daughter of Zeus. Jason was in the prophecy of the seven, though Thalia could have been and was not." Kate tried to ignore the way Chiron's voice tightened as he spoke about Jason. From the way he used the past tense, Kate assumed Jason was dead.
Chiron cleared his throat and continued. "Finally, we have Percy Jackson. He is a sort of favorite around here, because he was in other prophecies before the Prophecy of the Seven. He comes here whenever he can, though he mostly lives in New Rome in California with his fiancee, Annabeth, daughter of Athena. She was also in the Phrophecy." All this talk of prophecies and quests and names was confusing Kate, but she decided to ask later, as her adrenaline was beginning to be replaced with exhaustion. Her mouth widened in a yawn, which she tried her best to hide. Chiron noticed though, and moved on to his last topic. Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a simple leather necklace and handed it to Kate. "All of our campers wear these necklaces. Each bead represents a complete summer here. They are all designed to represent important events of that year. We also give milestone beads and one personalized bead depending on your godly parent. Some campers choose to add one or two of their own charms to further personalize the necklaces."
She took it gingerly, smiling as she put it on. Somehow she knew that this necklace wouldn't be coming off for a long, long time. Before she could properly thank him, they were interrupted by a knock on the door, and a camper entered without being prompted.
A tall, lanky teenager walked in, a glint in his eyes that immediately made Kate want to look around for a whoopee cushion. "Hey, I'm Connor, former head of the Hermes cabin."
Chiron smiled warmly at him, then said, "I have one little gift left for you." He handed Kate a drawstring bag that was sitting beside the table. "We have many campers here that don't have time to pack when they come, so some people from the Hecate cabin and the Hephaestus cabin teamed up to make these. It contains a few clothes that will fit you perfectly as soon as you put them on, as well as some other simple things to hold you over until your things gets here." Kate smiled widely at Chiron, then took the bright orange backpack. "The straps and lettering will change color as soon as you are claimed, as well. It is your pack now."
Kate shouldered the pack, then said "Thank you so much Chiron. This has been the best night of my life." Despite the confusion, terrified running, and fighting, Kate felt exhilarated, and couldn't deny that she'd actually really enjoyed her night. He smiled back, and Kate hoped to get a chance to talk one on one with the friendly camp director again soon.
"So what's your name, newbie?" Asked Connor as he led her down the stairs.
"Kate Krates." She answered slowly, already anticipating the jokes.
Connor raised an eyebrow at her. "Kate you say? Would you happen to know a Katie Gardner?"
Kate shook her head, confused but also relieved that he had ignored her odd name. "Never heard of her, sorry. Why?" She asked, hoping to draw attention further away from her full name.
Connor smirked in a way that made Kate worry for whoever this Katie Gardner girl was. "Oh, no reason. She and I are frenemies, you could say."
Kate laughed at his tone. "Well, try to remember that I'm not her." Connor grinned again, but something in his eyes told her that she was not in the clear.
When they finally reach the door to the Hermes Cabin, as Connor had taken the time to point out some of the other cabins, he stopped and gestured for her to enter first. Kate raised and eyebrow. In her five minutes of knowing him, Connor had not made the impression of being very gentlemanly or trustworthy. Besides, Kate could tell that he was feeling very excited about something, and not in a good way. More like an evil genius way. His impish grin alone was enough to make her step back and say, "Oh no, I'm just a newbie. I'll just do something wrong and trip if I try to go in first."
Connor's grin faded slightly, but he swept his hands out in front of him, bowing, and said, "Ladies first, of course."
Kate smirked. "If it's ladies first, why don't you head on in?" She asked innocently. Connor's smirk dropped entirely and he gaped at Kate, apparently speechless. "Go on," she urged. She knew she was pushing it, especially since it was her first day, but she didn't care. She really didn't want to face whatever Connor had so obviously planned, and it was an added bonus that she could be snarky to throw him off the scent of her awareness of his probable prank.
Connor huffed and threw the door open wide, then ran through it like basilisks were after him. Unfortunately, he couldn't escape the flurry of electric pink and purple glitter that fell on him, bursting from the ceiling. It must have been enchanted, because it clung to Connor like glue, none of it reaching the ground. Kate doubled over with laughter, tears streaming down her face. She entered behind Connor, though she had to stop when she saw his face. The look he gave her made her sit down on the end of the bunk closest to her, stopped in her tracks. Connor would not let this go. Kate would clearly have to be on the lookout.
By now, some of the other campers had woken up. Of the five, only two sat up slowly, blearily peering through hooded lids, while the other three jumped up, all of them around the same age as Connor. One was even holding a knife. Kate almost ducked back out the door, then realized that they hadn't actually been sitting there waiting to get her; they were surprised. But they relaxed as they saw who it was.
"Wait, is that Connor under all that glitter?" Asked a girl on the bed opposite Kate. Soon everyone was laughing just as hard as Kate had. The girl with the knife patted her on the shoulder once Connor begrudgingly told them what had happened. "Thanks for that. It's so great getting to see Connor pranked. It's rare that he gets a taste of his own medicine." At that, Connor threw both girls a rude hand gesture and Kate had to stop talking because she was laughing so hard. The other girl just snorted. "Someone's feeling feisty," she muttered. Connor actually growled at her for that comment, and Kate dissolved into more giggles. The other girl shook her head. "It's your first day here and you've already managed to out-do the master." She sounded very pleased, so Kate let her think that she had actually thought out her plan instead of simply forcing Connor to step through the door first. But the whole cabin was nodding, then laughing as Connor tried to get the glitter off of his arms.
Kate smiled to herself as she relaxed onto the mattress by the door; she'd already earned herself a fine reputation. No worries about being the completely weird newbie now. Kate looked expectantly at Connor then, who groaned and led her to a bunk on the left side of the room. "The bathrooms are back there. Girls on the left." He said, jabbing a thumb towards the back of the room. He jumped into the first bunk by the door at the front of the room, the one Kate had just stood up from, not even bothering to take the glitter off. He drew his curtain closed, so that no one could see him in all his pink, glittery glory. Kate grinned, then took her bag to the bathroom to change, relishing her time in private to refresh herself after her long night.
She wasn't dumb, though. Connor had directed her to the lower bunk, and that's where she had left her shoes, but she swung herself up into the upper bunk when she came out of the bathroom. Kate assumed that Connor would have retaliated, even if only in the time she was in the bathroom. She had no idea what he could have done to her shoes, but she thoroughly examined them before setting them on a shelf in her little nook and drawing the curtains securely closed. When she got under the covers, she was completely happy for the first time in a long while.
The next morning, Kate awoke to find the bottom bunk stained completely pink. The top blanket was normal, but the white sheets peeking out from under it were the color of fresh bubble gum. Kate smiled to herself, looking around to see if Connor was awake. She didn't see him; in fact, only one other camper was awake. It was the girl who had spoken to her, and she smiled at Kate as she shoved her feet into some hiking boots. Kate waved back, then headed to the bathroom to change. When she returned, Connor and another guy were up, and he was staring at her expectantly. He scowled deeply when he saw that Kate looked completely normal. Not pink. "Good morning, Connor." She said sweetly.
Connor shook his head, but Kate thought she saw a little spark of admiration shimmered in his eyes. "Breakfast starts in five minutes. Once you get claimed, your next counselor will tell you what to do. I suggest you bring everything with you to breakfast." She nodded, then climbed back into her bunk to inspect the contents of her bag. The most exciting thing was a pair of light grey tennis shoes, perfect for walks in the woods around camp. Kate put on the new ones, shoving her own ratty shoes into the bag. The grey shoes fit perfectly, of course, and felt light as clouds on her feet.
Someone knocked the edge of her bunk, and she peeked over to see a young girl looking up at her. "We're all going to breakfast now. She pointed to two others, a boy about the same age as her, as well as one of the girls who had barely gotten out of bed last night. Kate smiled at them all and jumped down, bag slung around her shoulders. "I'm Kate. Who are you guys?"
The little girl giggled and pointed to herself. "I'm Carly, this is Chris, and that's Amy." They all smiled at her, and they left the bunkhouse in a group. Carly pointed to the different cabins, telling her about each one. She told her about the empty Artemis cabin, and the tiny cabins of the big three that were only occupied sometimes, when the few demigods came to visit. There were cabins that looked newer, making the U shape look long. Two buildings, one still under construction, stood in the gaps between the two at the end, and Carly explained that they had to double up the U since there were now so many new minor gods having children. Kate stayed relatively quiet, letting all of the information wash over her. She also watched the other campers that were staying in Camp Half-Blood for the year, which was a pretty large number. Chris told her that while there was only an average of four campers per cabin who were staying, but that was still about eighty campers.
When they finally arrived at the eating area, which was just a huge pavilion, Kate almost wanted to cover her ears. The amount of noise was overwhelming. They sat at a table that was already occupied by a girl named Julia, the one who had had the knife the previous night. "Wait, are we required to sit with cabin mates?" Asked Kate, seeing the pattern of similar looking children sitting together. There was a group of unnaturally pretty people sitting at a table near them, and another table was occupied by three guys, one of which was asleep.
Julia answered her. "When it gets more crowded, we can't all sit at one table, so no. Normally, though, everyone just does it anyway. Some of the smaller cabins, like Iris, are allowed to sit wherever they want, since there are only three of them even during the summer. Other times, like with Nike, Bia, Kratos, and Zelos, they're all grouped into one cabin because there are so few children. I'm not even sure if Kratos and Bia have any kids, but they're all siblings, and it's important to honor even the most minor gods."
Kate nodded, then looked at a ring of fire pits, where kids were throwing parts of their meals into the flames. "What are they doing?" she asked, thoroughly confused.
"Sending up prayers and offerings to their parents and stuff," answered Amy absentmindedly. She was eyeing the sparkly bracelet of one of the girls sitting at the table next to them, and Julia had to physically push her head away to break her focus.
"Okay, let's get our food!" Carly suggested eagerly. They all did, but when they went to the fire pits, Kate didn't know what to do. Instead of sending a prayer to Ares, who Chiron was so certain was her father, Kate simply sent up a general prayer, asking that her parent would claim her today. She really didn't think that Ares was her father, but she kept that doubt to herself. She had never been inclined to be super competitive or violent, but she didn't want to argue about something she knew so little of.
When they went back to their table, none of the children even touched their food. Instead, they looked expectantly up at a platform at one end of the pavilion. Kate gasped when Chiron entered, because he was no longer in a wheelchair. In fact, he was no longer even human. A horse had taken over the lower half of his body, and the animal was walking onto the platform. Kate gulped, then looked around. No one else seemed particularly put off by the huge half man, so she decided to try to ignore it, too. She guessed that the camp director of a camp full of half-gods would have to be a little bit different. When he reached the middle of the stage, he bid the campers a good morning, which was met with responses of varying enthusiasm. Instead of asking for a more peppy response, Chiron simply moved on. Kate breathed a sigh of relief, happy that this wasn't one of those camps.
"Not much news." Said Chiron. "Watch out today for pegasi chariots. Hephaestus cabin is working on a new design for steadier flying, but it is only a prototype. Also, we have a new, unclaimed camper. Meet Kate Krates." Though Chiron hadn't asked her too, Kate stood from the bench. Dylan had told her that a new camper wasn't really news around here, but she guessed that if everyone got a good look at her now, then they wouldn't be inclined to stare at her later. Still, it was odd when their stares stayed on her for longer than she thought appropriate, and Chiron didn't motion for her to sit. She tried to meet someone's eyes, preferably Julia's, but she noticed that they weren't quite looking at her, but above her. She glanced up and gasped when she saw an eagle, both wings spread wide, in glowing gold above her. In it's claws was a crackling thunderbolt. As soon as Kate saw the symbol, rather than feeling scared, a feeling of invincibility and power filled her. She gazed out over the crowd of people, a challenge in her eyes. Everyone was looking at her, but none of them seemed to want to test her. The symbol flickered out, and the feeling of power trickled out of her. Heads turned to Chiron, and there was a clamor as everyone started asking what the symbol meant. Kate leaned over to Carly. "Doesn't it represent who my parent is?" She asked. Carly nodded, "Yeah, but I've never seen that one before. It was really cool though!" Kate frowned. I know who he is, though, she thought.
Chiron called to Kate. "I don't believe I have ever seen that symbol before, Kate. Do you know?" Kate stood taller to better address Chiron. "Yes, I think I do," She said, her voice echoing across the now silent pavilion. "My father is Kratos."