Percy slept for a total of three days, but like me once he was awake he was alert and much better than before. I'd been picking the strawberry fields when someone came with the message that Percy was up, and I'd immediately abandoned my task in order to run back to the infirmary. Strawberry picking was pretty much my main activity since it was the only safe thing I could really do, though I always winced with guilt each time someone praised me for having such quick hands in picking the berries having picked up the knack almost instantly, since Luke had already taught me how. I kept quiet about our midnight feast, and whenever he and I were together he continued to act like he was completely oblivious to the fact that I had snuck out each night for the past three times in order to sit with Percy and sleep at the infirmary. At least they had spare beds there and it wasn't crowded.
Anyway with Percy now awake, things seemed a little better to me. Annabeth called out to me as I came running and directed me to the Big House where Percy had been taken by Grover, who until now had completely avoided me on account of him feeling guilty about what happened to my mom. To be honest, I blamed him a little for it too. If Grover hadn't been unconscious, we wouldn't have had to lug him up the hill then maybe we all would have made it safely across the barrier, but at the same time I had to remind myself that Grover couldn't help being knocked out during the crash and that it wasn't his fault a monster was chasing after us. Still. I avoided him too. However now, I ran all the way to the Big House without ever missing a step, and when I heard Percy talking to Chiron, finishing up their conversation and just about to head out on a tour of the camp, I practically screamed his name. My brother was quick to answer, and then I heard him running until we collided with one another and I let out a strangled cry as I crushed him against me with my arms wrapped around his head and practically squeezing him to death. "Bullfighting! I swear Percy Jackson, I could almost kill you myself! Don't you ever do anything like that ever again!" I shook him fiercely but then I softened and hugged him again, this time more gently as I just breathed him all in, glad that he was alright.
"Lils, you're suffocating me."
"Oh, sorry." Letting him go, I started to fuss with his hair and brush at his shoulders as my fingers trembled, trying to find any trace of residual injuries on him. "Are you sure you're okay? You were asleep for so long I was worried! Thank god you survived, I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you as well." A rumbling sound came from above and I'd since learned that this usually meant one or more of the gods were displeased with something that had been said so I scowled up at the sky. "Okay fine! Gods! Thank gods he survived!" The sky did not answer, so I assumed that the gods were now satisfied with my correction. Such demanding and petulant deities. Percy told me quickly all that had happened to him that no one else had been able to tell me, even letting me hold the minotaur horn that he'd broken off. It felt wrong to hold it, like it still held a bad kind of energy so I quickly handed it back.
Chiron suggested that we start the tour so that Percy could see Camp Half-Blood for himself, so I nodded my head and anchored myself to my brother's side in order to follow along as Percy was shown everything the camp had to offer. I was three days ahead of him in orientation, so a few of the questions he asked I could answer myself, though for the most part I let Chiron handle it. It was pretty much the same tour and speech he'd given me, and when we reached the cabins I pointed to the one we would be staying in, able to roughly figure out its location from where we were currently standing. "That's Hermes cabin where all the unclaimed kids go. That's you and me, because our jerk-face of a dad hasn't announced that we're his kids yet." The sky rumbled again, but this time I ignored it. Percy sounded none too thrilled to have to share a cabin with so many kids and somehow squish onto the floor, but Luke made sure to welcome him and I smiled when I heard his voice though Annabeth introduced him before I could and I once again heard the lift in her voice when talking to Luke. She told Percy that Luke would be his counsellor for now, though my brother sounded confused at that.
"For now?"
"You're undetermined. They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travellers." To this I smirked and leaned in closer to my brother so I could whisper, though loud enough so that everybody could hear me.
"God of thieves too, so you better watch that horn of yours." I meant it as a joke since one of the kids had already tried stealing from me, and my light tone and expression seemed to give me away as there was a murmur of giggles and chuckles from the cabin who had now gotten used to me. Despite everything, I felt comfortable here, like a part of me that before now I had either been ignoring or oblivious to and suddenly clicked into place and everything about me now made sense. I didn't even really bother hiding my eyes around here like I did in the outside world. There was no point really, and although at first some of the kids had been unnerved by their pale blankness and the white veined scars like stress marks, they'd adjusted quickly. I mean, most of these kids had already seen far worse anyway, so it didn't bother them. Some of them even thought I looked pretty cool, which was a first for me, and I kind of liked the feeling of being someone cool looking. I hope Percy fits in around here too, he should do considering apparently we're both demigods, a fact I still hadn't quite come to terms with. He was still slightly confused about the whole 'undetermined' thing, asking how long he had to stay at the cabin for. "Good question. Until you're determined."
"How long will that take?" A collective laughter arose from the campers and Annabeth was quick to spirit Percy away, because clearly that had been a dumb question to ask. From what I'd learned, sometimes these kids never get claimed by their parents, which I think totally sucked. I mean, after birthing and dumping the kid on their poor mortal parent who then had to deal with all their issues growing up, they then just neglect and ignore them? The very least they could do was send a message to say "oh by the way, we'll never meet because I don't care about you but you're my kid, try not to get killed out there!" So selfish, I was already starting to really hate those assholes up there. With Percy now safely removed from being ridiculed, the campers went back to their own business, getting ready for their next activity or whatever as I sensed Luke come up towards me.
"So that's your brother Percy, huh?" I grimaced.
"Try not to judge, he's never been the quickest of learners. He's totally ignorant to pretty much everything about this place." I excused for him, sighing heavily with a shake of my head and pushed my hair back from my face as it had fallen loose. It was kind of wavy, neither straight nor curly, just these rather useless and pathetic waves that couldn't decide whether they were coming or going. Before now I'd usually kept it short, but in the last two years I had decided to grow it out just to see if I liked the feeling of longer hair, and so far it was now passed my shoulders. I was still undecided about it. "But yeah that's Percy."
"You know, it's rare for a mortal to have more than one half-blood child. The gods aren't exactly known for their continuity so for them to stick around to have more than one kid with a mortal? Your godly dad must have liked your mom a lot." Luke mused to me, and I found that slightly interesting, but since it pertained to my parents I didn't really invest in asking more because for one thing I still hated talking about my dad, and second of all the feelings about losing my mom were all too raw and painful. After all I had sworn to loath my dad for all time and eternity, and I still couldn't really talk about my mom just yet. Just thinking of her made my chest pang and ache. The only slight distraction I had was when there were activities going on because then I wasn't thinking about it too much, but still this was always just a brief interlude before everything came rushing back. "Sorry, bad decision on my part to bring that up. But hey, at least he's okay. I told you everything was going to work out." Luke said to me brightly, giving a light knock to my shoulder. No wonder pretty much everyone loved Luke, it was just impossible not to smile at him. We started to talk a little about what was going to happen next with Percy and me, but being Percy's big sister, I'd developed a keen sense for when my little brother was in trouble.
I stopped in the middle of speaking, turning my head suddenly towards the door where I had a sinking feeling in my stomach that something was up with Percy. Luke questioned me in confusion, but then I was turning away and hurrying out the door so that I could listen, and sure enough I heard the familiar grunts and growls of Percy whenever he was in a fight with someone. "Percy!" I started forwards quickly, following the noises towards the shower and bathroom block where I gathered someone was trying to shove my brother's head down a toilet, and that person was probably Clarisse. I didn't call her out on it though, because she'd be severely pissed for getting the blame if I were wrong, but it was a feeling. She'd tried to do the same to me just yesterday, but I had the benefit of Luke Castellan being nearby at hand when she'd tried to collar me and I'd also managed to slip out of her grasp and run for it. Pure luck mostly, but she didn't try to pursue when I'd run straight to where I'd heard Luke's voice and then used him as my human shield. It had made him laugh, but he was a good sport and blocked the way between me and Clarisse. "Percy you better not let your head go down that bowl if that's what's happening! Punch whoever it is on the nose!" I tried to be useful and offer morale support, but knowing my brother, he would absolutely hate me to interfere. I understood, I mean, I'd gone to public school too for a single semester once. You had to establish your own authority in places like this, and me stepping in for Percy would not reflect well on him.
"I wouldn't get involved if I were you. Clarisse has a couple of her friends with her." Annabeth warned me and I almost jumped seeing as I hadn't expected her to still be there. Called it on Clarisse though.
"Great. Percy wakes up from a three day nap and gets his head shoved down a toilet." However whatever happened next, it thankfully did not end up with Percy receiving his first camp whirly. I could hear and almost feel the rumbling and grinding of the plumbing in the bathroom, before all at once I heard something burst and the sound like a thick hose showered down upon Clarisse who was screaming. I mean, what were the chances? I stood in blank bewilderment as the sound of exploding toilets happened several more times, dosing Clarisse and her friends until they were soaked to the bone and dripping wet, the sounds touching my ears like the first droplets of rain before a downpour. "Um…Perce? You okay?" Tentatively moving forwards, I brushed against Annabeth and realised with a start, that she too was soaking wet. Somehow I had been spared getting doused with toilet water and I felt immeasurably grateful because now everyone else smelled funky, making my nose wrinkle.
"I guess?" The floor was flooded, I could hear the water under my footsteps as I stepped inside and felt for Percy until my hand touched his shoulder. He was bone dry too.
"What the…? Are these magic toilets or something?" But Annabeth didn't answer me, and I suspected that they weren't because if the camp could afford magic toilets, they would at least make them smell better. I hauled my brother to his feet as Annabeth finally stuttered in question how he had done that, but my brother was just as shocked and astonished as the rest of us. Outside I could hear Clarisse and her friends spluttering and spitting out the toilet water, so I couldn't help but grin. I really wish I could see their faces. Clarisse, however, was now furious.
"You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead."
"You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth." Never had I ever felt prouder of Percy until then, letting loose the first proper laugh in ages as I clapped him on the back and sniggered at Clarisse's misfortune. I had a feeling Clarisse had silently declared war on us Jackson siblings from that moment, but who cares? My little brother was now the unparalleled master of the toilet bowl. I doubt anyone will try messing with him again. "What?" Percy questioned, though his voice sounded like it was turned away from me so I guessed he was looking at Annabeth. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking," she mused steadily, "that I want you on my team for capture the flag." Oh this was either going to be really great, or really, really terrible.
