The demigods returned from their lunch ready to start the reading again. The gods looked among themselves to figure out who reads next.
Hades rolling his eyes says "Fine, I'll do it. Since no one else seems to want to."
Apollo tossed the book to Hades, who opened the book to the next chapter and read out the title. Everyone was excited to hear this chapter.
(The next few days I settled into a routine that felt almost normal, if you don't count the fact that I was getting lessons from satyrs, nymphs and a centaur. )
"That's true, it's a transition for new campers." Will said nodding.
(Each morning I took Ancient Greek from Annabeth, and we talked about the gods and goddesses in the present tense, which was kind of weird. I discovered Annabeth was right about my dyslexia: Ancient Greek wasn't that hard for me to read. At least, no harder than English. After a couple of mornings, I could stumble through a few lines of Homer without too much headache. )
Annabeth grinned at Percy, who just rolled his eyes at her.
Athena raised an eyebrow at the sea spawns difficulty at reading.
(The rest of the day, I'd rotate through outdoor activities, looking for something I was good at. Chiron tried to teach me archery, but we found out pretty quick I wasn't any good with a bow and arrow. He didn't complain, even when he had to desnag a stray arrow out of his tail )
Everyone burst out laughing.
Nico was confused as he'd seen Percy shoot an arrow quite fine on Apollo's farm.
"I've seen you shoot a trick arrow before." Nico said to Percy confused.
"Yeah, I prayed for help. It was the only way I was going to hit anything." Percy told him.
(Foot racing? No good either. The wood-nymph instructors left me in the dust. They told me not to worry about it. They'd had centuries of practice running away from lovesick gods. But still, it was a little humiliating to be slower than a tree )
"But I understand why they have to be so fast. So..." Percy shrugs.
(And wrestling? Forget it. Every time I got on the mat, Clarisse would pulverize me. 'There's more where that came from, punk,' she'd mumble in my ear. )
Ares grinned at his daughter getting one over the Punk.
Clarisse smirked at Percy, while he stuck his tongue out at her.
(The only thing I really excelled at was canoeing, and that wasn't the kind of heroic skill people expected to see from the kid who had beaten the Minotaur. )
"It really wasn't." Katie said shrugging apologetically.
(I knew the senior campers and counsellors were watching me, trying to decide who my dad was, but they weren't having an easy time of it. I wasn't as strong as the Ares kids, or as good at archery as the Apollo kids. I didn't have Hephaestus's skill with metalwork or – gods forbid – Dionysus's way with vine plants. Luke told me I might be a child of Hermes, a kind of jack-of-all-trades, master of none. But I got the feeling he was just trying to make me feel better. He really didn't know what to make of me either. )
"No one knew what to make of you. You didn't really seem to fit anywhere." Chris said to Percy.
(Despite all that, I liked camp. I got used to the morning fog over the beach, the smell of hot strawberry fields in the afternoon, even the weird noises of monsters in the woods at night. I would eat dinner with cabin eleven, scrape part of my meal into the fire, and try to feel some connection to my real dad. Nothing came. )
Poseidon frowned really, really hoping his future self claims his son soon.
(Just that warm feeling I'd always had, like the memory of his smile. I tried not to think too much about my mom, but I kept wondering: if gods and monsters were real, if all this magical stuff was possible, surely there was some way to save her, to bring her back… )
"You're going to end up in the Underworld aren't you?" Hades asks Percy, who smiles at his Uncle apologetically.
(I started to understand Luke's bitterness and how he seemed to resent his father, Hermes. So okay, maybe gods had important things to do. But couldn't they call once in a while, or thunder, or something? Dionysus could make Diet Coke appear out of thin air. Why couldn't my dad, whoever he was, make a phone appear? )
The Gods all frown.
Zeus begins to open his mouth but Thalia stops him from speaking.
"We know. The Oath." she says while rolling her eyes.
Zeus frowns, leaning back on his throne.
(Thursday afternoon, three days after I'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood, I had my first sword-fighting lesson. Everybody from cabin eleven gathered in the big circular arena, where Luke would be our instructor. )
Percy winced.
The demigods in the know looked at Percy worried.
He just waved them away, "Memories."
Hermes frowned not understanding why the demigods were reacting badly to Luke every time he appeared.
(We started with basic stabbing and slashing, using some straw-stuffed dummies in Greek armour. I guess I did okay. At least, I understood what I was supposed to do and my reflexes were good. )
"Your reflexes are the best out of all of us." Thalia praised Percy.
(The problem was, I couldn't find a blade that felt right in my hands. Either they were too heavy, or too light, or too long. Luke tried his best to fix me up, but he agreed that none of the practice blades seemed to work for me. )
Poseidon nodded, knowing that Percy being the son of the sea would need a blade made from under the ocean.
(We moved on to duelling in pairs. Luke announced he would be my partner, since this was my first time. 'Good luck,' one of the campers told me. 'Luke's the best swordsman in the last three hundred years.' )
"Not anymore. Percy is." grinned Nico.
Poseidon grinned at his son for his achievement.
('Maybe he'll go easy on me,' I said. The camper snorted. )
"I think I was the one who snorted." Travis said thinking back.
(Luke showed me thrusts and parries and shield blocks the hard way. With every swipe, I got a little more battered and bruised. 'Keep your guard up, Percy,' he'd say, then whap me in the ribs with the flat of his blade. 'No, not that far up!' Whap! 'Lunge!' Whap!'Now, back!' Whap! )
All the demigods winced remembering their first training sessions.
"Now, we have Percy teaching us and I can't tell which one's sessions were worse." Conner said wincing.
(By the time he called a break, I was soaked in sweat. Everybody swarmed the drinks cooler. Luke poured ice water on his head, which looked like such a good idea, I did the same. )
Quite a few people snickered at that.
(Instantly, I felt better. Strength surged back into my arms. The sword didn't feel so awkward. )
Poseidon nodded thinking, 'That would work but not for long.'
('Okay, everybody circle up!' Luke ordered. 'If Percy doesn't mind, I want to give you a little demo.' Great, I thought. Let's all watch Percy get pounded. The Hermes guys gathered around. They were suppressing smiles. I figured they'd been in my shoes before and couldn't wait to see how Luke used me for a punching bag. )
"Yup, we were quite happy that it wasn't us getting beat up." Chris said grinning.
(He told everybody he was going to demonstrate a disarming technique: how to twist the enemy's blade with the flat of your own sword so that he had no choice but to drop his weapon. 'This is difficult,' he stressed. 'I've had it used against me. No laughing at Percy, now. Most swordsmen have to work years to master this technique.' )
"Which means Percy will have down in no time flat." Annabeth remarked.
(He demonstrated the move on me in slow motion. Sure enough, the sword clattered out of my hand. 'Now in real time,' he said, after I'd retrieved my weapon. 'We keep sparring until one of us pulls it off. Ready, Percy?' I nodded, and Luke came after me. Somehow, I kept him from getting a shot at the hilt of my sword. )
"How long did it take for one of them to get it?" Jason asked.
The Hermes kids looked among themselves, thinking.
"Probably, maybe 5 minutes, at most." Travis said thoughtfully.
Jason looked surprised but nodded.
(My senses opened up. I saw his attacks coming. I countered. I stepped forward and tried a thrust of my own. Luke deflected it easily, but I saw a change in his face. His eyes narrowed, and he started to press me with more force. The sword grew heavy in my hand. The balance wasn't right. I knew it was only a matter of seconds before Luke took me down, so I figured, What the heck? )
The Greeks groaned at that last sentence.
"That's what you think every time you come up with a plan." Thalia said to Percy glaring at him.
(I tried the disarming manoeuvre. )
Everyone leaned forward to see if he was able to do it.
(My blade hit the base of Luke's and I twisted, putting my whole weight into a downward thrust. Clang. Luke's sword rattled against the stones. The tip of my blade was a couple of centimeters from his undefended chest. The other campers were silent. )
Poseidon grinned proudly at his son for getting the move on the first try.
"Yeah, everyone was shocked that a newbie had beaten Luke." Chris says to the room.
(I lowered my sword. 'Um, sorry.' For a moment, Luke was too stunned to speak. 'Sorry?' His scarred face broke into a grin. 'By the gods, Percy, why are you sorry? Show me that again!' I didn't want to. The short burst of manic energy had completely abandoned me. But Luke insisted. This time, there was no contest. The moment our swords connected, Luke hit my hilt and sent my weapon skidding across the floor. After a long pause, somebody in the audience said, 'Beginner's luck?' )
All the demigods snorted at that, even the ones who don't really know Percy.
"I think that was me who said that." Conner said.
(Luke wiped the sweat off his brow. He appraised me with an entirely new interest. 'Maybe,' he said. 'But I wonder what Percy could do with a balanced sword….' )
"Absolutely terrifying." Nico said shuddering thinking back to the Styx incident.
The demigods all nodded in agreement that they wouldn't want to face Percy on the battlefield.
(Friday afternoon, I was sitting with Grover at the lake, resting from a near-death experience on the climbing wall. Grover had scampered to the top like a mountain goat, but the lava had almost got me. My shirt had smoking holes in it. The hairs had been singed off my forearms. )
Reyna nodded, certain that when they got back somebody was building The Wall.
(We sat on the pier, watching the naiads do underwater basket weaving, until I got up the nerve to ask Grover how his conversation had gone with Mr D. His face turned a sickly shade of yellow. 'Fine,' he said. 'Just great.' 'So your career's still on track?' He glanced at me nervously. 'Chiron t-told you I want a searcher's licence?' )
Hermes and Dionysus frowned at the mention of Pan's search party.
('Well… no.' I had no idea what a searcher's licence was, but it didn't seem like the right time to ask. 'He just said you had big plans, you know… and that you needed credit for completing a keeper's assignment. So did you get it?' )
"Did you end up getting it?" Gwen asked Grover.
Grover smiled at her and said, "Yeah, I did but a lot of things happened."
(Grover looked down at the naiads. 'Mr D suspended judgement. He said I hadn't failed or succeeded with you yet, so our fates were still tied together. If you got a quest and I went along to protect you, and we both came back alive, then maybe he'd consider the job complete.' My spirits lifted. 'Well, that's not so bad, right?' 'Blaa-ha-ha! He might as well have transferred me to stable-cleaning duty. The chances of you getting a quest… and even if you did, why would you want me along?' )
"I'll always want to bring you along, but you've got quite a lot of duties now." Percy said to Grover, grinning.
('Of course I'd want you along!' Grover stared glumly into the water. 'Basket weaving… Must be nice to have a useful skill.' )
"It was a useful skill in the end," Grover says grimacing.
(I tried to reassure him that he had lots of talents, but that just made him look more miserable. We talked about canoeing and swordplay for a while, then debated the pros and cons of the different gods. Finally, I asked him about the four empty cabins. 'Number eight, the silver one, belongs to Artemis,' he said. 'She vowed to be a maiden forever. So of course, no kids. The cabin is, you know, honorary. If she didn't have one, she'd be mad.' )
Hera smiled at her being talked about.
The demigods just glared at her.
The Gods wondered what Hera did in the future that caused them to seem to hate her.
('Yeah, okay. But the other three, the ones at the end. Are those the Big Three?' Grover tensed. We were getting close to a touchy subject. 'No. One of them, number two, is Hera's,' he said. 'That's another honorary thing. She's the goddess of marriage, so of course she wouldn't go around having affairs with mortals. That's her husband's job. When we say the Big Three, we mean the three powerful brothers, the sons of Kronos.' 'Zeus, Poseidon, Hades.' )
The brothers smirked at each other.
('Right. You know. After the great battle with the Titans, they took over the world from their dad and drew lots to decide who got what.' 'Zeus got the sky,' I remembered. 'Poseidon the sea, Hades the Underworld.' 'Uh-huh.' 'But Hades doesn't have a cabin here.' )
"We got one now though." Nico tells his father.
Hades blinks in shock, never imagining that his children would ever be accepted.
('No. He doesn't have a throne on Olympus, either. He sort of does his own thing down in the Underworld. If he did have a cabin here…' Grover shuddered. 'Well, it wouldn't be pleasant. Let's leave it at that.' )
"I don't mean that now." Grover says to Hades hastily.
Hades narrows his eyes at the satyr.
('But Zeus and Poseidon – they both had, like, a bazillion kids in the myths. Why are their cabins empty?' Grover shifted his hooves uncomfortably. 'About sixty years ago, after World War II, the Big Three agreed they wouldn't sire any more heroes. Their children were just too powerful. They were affecting the course of human events too much, causing too much carnage. World War II, you know, that was basically a fight between the sons of Zeus and Poseidon on one side, and the sons of Hades on the other. The winning side, Zeus and Poseidon, made Hades swear an oath with them: no more affairs with mortal women. They all swore on the River Styx.' )
"Not that it stopped them." Thalia said.
(Thunder boomed. I said, 'That's the most serious oath you can make.' Grover nodded. 'And the brothers kept their word – no kids?' Grover's face darkened. 'Seventeen years ago, Zeus fell off the wagon. There was this TV starlet with a big fluffy eighties hairdo – he just couldn't help himself. When their child was born, a little girl named Thalia… well, the River Styx is serious about promises. Zeus himself got off easy because he's immortal, but he brought a terrible fate on his daughter.' )
The Gods frowned, wondering what was the fate he was talking about when she was sitting in front of them now.
('But that isn't fair! It wasn't the little girl's fault.' )
Thalia turned to Percy with raised brows.
"To be fair, he didn't say how old you were." Percy told her.
(Grover hesitated. 'Percy, children of the Big Three have powers greater than other half-bloods. They have a strong aura, a scent that attracts monsters. When Hades found out about the girl, he wasn't too happy about Zeus breaking his oath. Hades let the worst monsters out of Tartarus to torment Thalia. A satyr was assigned to be her keeper when she was twelve, but there was nothing he could do. He tried to escort her here with a couple of other half-bloods she'd befriended. They almost made it. They got all the way to the top of that hill.' )
Everyone who hadn't heard the story was in shock.
(He pointed across the valley, to the pine tree where I'd fought the Minotaur. 'All three Kindly Ones were after them, along with a hoard of hellhounds. They were about to be overrun when Thalia told her satyr to take the other two half bloods to safety while she held off the monsters. She was wounded and tired, and she didn't want to live like a hunted animal. The satyr didn't want to leave her, but he couldn't change her mind, and he had to protect the others. So Thalia made her final stand alone, at the top of that hill. As she died, Zeus took pity on her. He turned her into that pine tree. Her spirit still helps protect the borders of the valley. That's why the hill is called Half-Blood Hill.' )
"That's why you keep saying that pine tree is yourself."Athena said in shock.
Thalia nodded.
Artemis nodded, happy to have a maiden such as Thalia join her hunt.
(I stared at the pine in the distance. The story made me feel hollow, and guilty, too. A girl my age had sacrificed herself to save her friends. She had faced a whole army of monsters. Next to that, my victory over the Minotaur didn't seem like much. I wondered, if I'd acted differently, could I have saved my mother? 'Grover,' I said, 'have heroes really gone on quests to the Underworld?' )
Hades banged his head on the book causing Nico to start laughing.
('Sometimes,' he said. 'Orpheus. Hercules. Houdini.' 'And have they ever returned somebody from the dead?' 'No. Never. Orpheus came close…. Percy, you're not seriously thinking –' 'No,' I lied. 'I was just wondering. So… a satyr is always assigned to guard a demigod?' )
"You didn't convince me at all." Grover told Percy.
Percy just pouted.
(Grover studied me warily. I hadn't persuaded him that I'd really dropped the Underworld idea. 'Not always. We go undercover to a lot of schools. We try to sniff out the half-bloods who have the makings of great heroes. If we find one with a very strong aura, like a child of the Big Three, we alert Chiron. He tries to keep an eye on them, since they could cause really huge problems.' )
"That's true since they've come to camp it's been fight after fight." Katie said in agreement with Book-Grover.
('And you found me. Chiron said you thought I might be something special.' Grover looked as if I'd just led him into a trap. 'I didn't… Oh, listen, don't think like that. If you were – you know – you'd never ever be allowed a quest, and I'd never get my licence. You're probably a child of Hermes. Or maybe even one of the minor gods, like Nemesis, the god of revenge. Don't worry, okay?' I got the idea he was reassuring himself more than me. )
"I was in so much denial." Grover said shaking his head.
(That night after dinner, there was a lot more excitement than usual. At last, it was time for capture the flag. When the plates were cleared away, the conch horn sounded and we all stood at our tables. Campers yelled and cheered as Annabeth and two of her siblings ran into the pavilion carrying a silk banner. It was about three metres long, glistening grey, with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree. From the opposite side of the pavilion, Clarisse and her buddies ran in with another banner, of identical size, but gaudy red, painted with a bloody spear and a boar's head. )
Athena smirked at the mention of her flag.
Ares and Clarisse both hollered at the mention of their flag.
(I turned to Luke and yelled over the noise, 'Those are the flags?' 'Yeah.' 'Ares and Athena always lead the teams?' 'Not always,' he said. 'But often.' 'So, if another cabin captures one, what do you do – repaint the flag?' He grinned. 'You'll see. First we have to get one.' )
"Just tell me." Percy grumbled.
('Whose side are we on?' He gave me a sly look, as if he knew something I didn't. The scar on his face made him look almost evil in the torchlight. )
Percy grimaced, while the other demigods who knew winced.
Hermes frowned.
('We've made a temporary alliance with Athena. Tonight, we get the flag from Ares. And you are going to help.' The teams were announced. Athena had made an alliance with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins. Apparently, privileges had been traded – shower times, chore schedules, the best slots for activities – in order to win support. Ares had allied themselves with everybody else: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite and Hephaestus. From what I'd seen, Dionysus's kids were actually good athletes, but there were only two of them. Demeter's kids had the edge with nature skills and outdoor stuff, but they weren't very aggressive. Aphrodite's sons and daughters I wasn't too worried about. They mostly sat out every activity and checked their reflections in the lake and did their hair and gossiped. Hephaestus's kids weren't pretty, and there were only four of them, but they were big and burly from working in the metal shop all day. They might be a problem. That, of course, left Ares's cabin: a dozen of the biggest, ugliest, meanest kids on Long Island, or anywhere else on the planet. )
Clarisse and Are both glared at Percy, who mouthed 'sorry' at Clarisse.
(Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble. 'Heroes!' he announced. 'You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!' )
"This is going to go well." Nico said sarcastically.
(He spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, oxhide shields coated in metal. 'Whoa,' I said. 'We're really supposed to use these?' Luke looked at me as if I were crazy. 'Unless you want to get skewered by your friends in cabin five. Here – Chiron thought these would fit. You'll be on border patrol.' My shield was the size of an NBA backboard, with a big caduceus in the middle. It weighed about a million pounds. I could have snowboarded on it fine, )
Frank turned to Percy and said, "So you do that often, the snowboarding thing."
Thalia turned to Frank surprised.
"Has he done that to you, too?"
"No, but I've seen him jump from a cliff on a food platter."
Percy looked at Frank betrayed.
Annabeth and the other Greeks just stared at Percy, totally believing he had done that.
(but I hoped nobody seriously expected me to run fast. My helmet, like all the helmets on Athena's side, had a blue horsehair plume on top. Ares and their allies had red plumes. Annabeth yelled, 'Blue team, forward!' We cheered and shook our swords and followed her down the path to the south woods. The red team yelled taunts at us as they headed off towards the north. I managed to catch up with Annabeth without tripping over my equipment. 'Hey.' She kept marching. 'So what's the plan?' I asked. 'Got any magic items you can loan me?' Her hand drifted towards her pocket, as if she were afraid I'd stolen something. )
"I thought you were a Hermes kid." Annabeth grimaced.
"Fair." Percy said shrugging.
('Just watch Clarisse's spear,' she said. 'You don't want that thing touching you. Otherwise, don't worry. We'll take the banner from Ares. Has Luke given you your job?' 'Border patrol, whatever that means.' 'It's easy. Stand by the creek, keep the reds away. Leave the rest to me. Athena always has a plan.' )
Everyone familiar with the saying groaned.
(She pushed ahead, leaving me in the dust. 'Okay,' I mumbled. 'Glad you wanted me on your team.' It was a warm, sticky night. The woods were dark, with fireflies popping in and out of view. Annabeth stationed me next to a little creek that gurgled over some rocks, then she and the rest of the team scattered into the trees. Standing there alone, with my big blue-feathered helmet and my huge shield, I felt like an idiot. The bronze sword, like all the swords I'd tried so far, seemed balanced wrong. The leather grip pulled on my hand like a bowling ball. There was no way anybody would actually attack me, would they? I mean, Olympus had to have liability issues, right? )
The Gods and demigods all grimaced at that.
(Far away, the conch horn blew. I heard whoops and yells in the woods, the clanking of metal, kids fighting. A blue-plumed ally from Apollo raced past me like a deer, leaped through the creek and disappeared into enemy territory. Great, I thought. I'll miss all the fun, as usual. Then I heard a sound that sent a chill up my spine, a low canine growl, somewhere close by. )
Poseidon perked up.
"What was that?" He asked.
Percy just nodded at the book, telling Hades to keep reading.
(I raised my shield instinctively; I had the feeling something was stalking me. Then the growling stopped. I felt the presence retreating. On the other side of the creek, the underbrush exploded. Five Ares warriors came yelling and screaming out of the dark. 'Cream the punk!' Clarisse screamed. )
Everyone turned to Clarisse to stare.
(Her ugly pig eyes glared through the slits of her helmet. She brandished a two-metre spear, its barbed metal tip flickering with red light. Her siblings had only the standard-issue bronze swords – not that that made me feel any better. They charged across the stream. There was no help in sight. I could run. Or I could defend myself against half the Ares cabin. )
"Brilliant." Hazel said sarcastically.
(I managed to sidestep the first kid's swing, but these guys were not as stupid as Minotaurs. They surrounded me, and Clarisse thrust at me with her spear. My shield deflected the point, but I felt a painful tingling all over my body. My hair stood on end. My shield arm went numb, and the air burned. )
Everyone who knew what happened winced.
(Electricity. Her stupid spear was electric. I fell back. Another Ares guy slammed me in the chest with the butt of his sword and I hit the dirt. They could've kicked me into jelly, but they were too busy laughing. 'Give him a haircut,' Clarisse said. 'Grab his hair.' I managed to get to my feet. I raised my sword, but Clarisse slammed it aside with her spear as sparks flew. Now both my arms felt numb. 'Oh, wow,' Clarisse said. 'I'm scared of this guy. Really scared.' 'The flag is that way,' I told her. I wanted to sound angry, but I was afraid it didn't come out that way. )
"It didn't." Clarisse told Percy.
"Of course, it didn't." He grumbled.
('Yeah,' one of her siblings said. 'But see, we don't care about the flag. We care about a guy who made our cabin look stupid.' 'You do that without my help,' I told them. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to say. )
Everyone who had an understanding of Percy's personality shook their heads.
"No, it wasn't, son." Poseidon said frowning.
(Two of them came at me. I backed up towards the creek, tried to raise my shield, but Clarisse was too fast. Her spear stuck me straight in the ribs. If I hadn't been wearing an armoured breast plate, I would've been shish-kebabbed. As it was, the electric point just about shocked my teeth out of my mouth. One of her cabinmates slashed his sword across my arm, leaving a good-size cut. Seeing my own blood made me dizzy, warm and cold at the same time. 'No maiming,' I managed to say. 'Oops,' the guy said. 'Guess I lost my dessert privilege.' )
"Is that really the only punishment?" Demeter asked the demigods.
"No, they probably just said that to freak him out." Annabeth said to the goddess.
(He pushed me into the creek and I landed with a splash. They all laughed. I figured as soon as they were through being amused, I would die. But then something happened. The water seemed to wake up my senses, as if I'd just had a bag of my mom's double-espresso jelly beans. )
Poseidon grinned knowing what was about to happen.
(Clarisse and her cabinmates came into the creek to get me, but I stood to meet them. I knew what to do. I swung the flat of my sword against the first guy's head and knocked his helmet clean off. I hit him so hard I could see his eyes vibrating as he crumpled into the water. )
Several demigods winced, knowing what that felt like.
(Ugly Number Two and Ugly Number Three came at me. I slammed one in the face with my shield and used my sword to shear off the other guy's horsehair plume. Both of them backed up quick. Ugly Number Four didn't look really anxious to attack, but Clarisse kept coming, the point of her spear crackling with energy. As soon as she thrust, I caught the shaft between the edge of my shield and my sword, and I snapped it like a twig. )
"You corpse-breath worm!" Yelled Ares, getting up from his throne.
The demigods that were there snorted, making Ares confused.
('Ah!' she screamed. 'You idiot! You corpse-breath worm!' )
Ares grunts and sits back down.
(She probably would've said worse, but I smacked her between the eyes with my sword-butt and sent her stumbling backwards out of the creek. Then I heard yelling, elated screams, and I saw Luke racing towards the boundary line with the red team's banner lifted high. He was flanked by a couple of Hermes guys covering his retreat and a few Apollos behind them, fighting off the Hephaestus kids. The Ares folks got up, and Clarisse muttered a dazed curse. 'A trick!' she shouted. 'It was a trick.' )
The gods winced knowing how that will cause some more resentment from the Ares cabin for that trick just from knowing how Ares would and has reacted.
(They staggered after Luke, but it was too late. Everybody converged on the creek as Luke ran across into friendly territory. Our side exploded into cheers. The red banner shimmered and turned to silver. The boar and spear were replaced with a huge caduceus, the symbol of cabin eleven. Everybody on the blue team picked up Luke and started carrying him around on their shoulders. Chiron cantered out from the woods and blew the conch horn. The game was over. We'd won. )
The demigods on the winning teamed cheered.
(I was about to join the celebration when Annabeth's voice, right next to me in the creek, said, 'Not bad, hero.' I looked, but she wasn't there. 'Where the heck did you learn to fight like that?' she asked. The air shimmered, and she materialized, holding a Yankees baseball cap as if she'd just taken it off her head. I felt myself getting angry. I wasn't even fazed by the fact that she'd just been invisible. 'You set me up,' I said. 'You put me here because you knew Clarisse would come after me, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out.' Annabeth shrugged. 'I told you. Athena always, always has a plan.' )
"To get him pulverized?" Hazel asked.
('A plan to get me pulverized.')
Everyone snorted.
('I came as fast as I could. I was about to jump in, but…' She shrugged. 'You didn't need help.' Then she noticed my wounded arm. 'How did you do that?' 'Sword cut,' I said. 'What do you think?' 'No. It was a sword cut. Look at it.' The blood was gone. Where the huge cut had been, there was a long white scratch, and even that was fading. As I watched, it turned into a small scar, and disappeared. )
"Finally." muttered half the room.
('I – I don't get it,' I said. Annabeth was thinking hard. I could almost see the gears turning. She looked down at my feet, then at Clarisse's broken spear, and said, 'Step out of the water, Percy.' 'What –' 'Just do it.' I came out of the creek and immediately felt bone tired. My arms started to go numb again. My adrenalin rush left me. I almost fell over, but Annabeth steadied me. )
Poseidon grimaced nodding.
'That's the drawback of his newly used powers.' He thought to himself.
('Oh, Styx,' she cursed. 'This is not good. I didn't want… I assumed it would be Zeus.…' Before I could ask what she meant, I heard that canine growl again, but much closer than before. A howl ripped through the forest. )
"I thought it left." muttered Gwen.
"Nope." grimaced Percy.
(The campers' cheering died instantly. Chiron shouted something in Ancient Greek, which I would realize, only later, I had understood perfectly: 'Stand ready! My bow!' Annabeth drew her sword. There on the rocks just above us was a black hound the size of a rhino, with lava-red eyes and fangs like daggers. )
"That thing was huge." Clarisse said grimacing.
Annabeth and Percy both nodded in agreement with that statement.
(It was looking straight at me. Nobody moved except Annabeth, who yelled, 'Percy, run!' She tried to step in front of me, but the hound was too fast. It leaped over her – an enormous shadow with teeth – and just as it hit me, as I stumbled backwards and felt its razor-sharp claws ripping through my armour, there was a cascade of thwacking sounds, like forty pieces of paper being ripped one after the other. From the hound's neck sprouted a cluster of arrows. The monster fell dead at my feet. )
"Great, It's dead. Now get in the water before you bleed out." Poseidon said to no one.
Percy grinned at the concern his dad was showing.
(By some miracle, I was still alive. I didn't want to look underneath the ruins of my shredded armour. My chest felt warm and wet, and I knew I was badly cut. Another second, and the monster would've turned me into fifty kilograms of delicatessen meat. Chiron trotted up next to us, a bow in his hand, his face grim. 'Di immortales,' Annabeth said. 'That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't… they're not supposed to…' 'Someone summoned it,' Chiron said. 'Someone inside the camp.' )
"This is why we don't summon monsters anymore." Will said to the others.
(Luke came over, the banner in his hand forgotten, his moment of glory gone. Clarisse yelled, 'It's all Percy's fault! Percy summoned it!' )
"Really?" Nico asked Clarisse.
"I was sore about being tricked still." she explained.
(We watched the body of the hellhound melt into shadow, soaking into the ground until it disappeared. 'You're wounded,' Annabeth told me. 'Quick, Percy, get in the water.' 'I'm okay.' 'No, you're not,' she said. 'Chiron, watch this.' I was too tired to argue. I stepped back into the creek, the whole camp gathering around me. Instantly, I felt better. I could feel the cuts on my chest closing up. Some of the campers gasped. 'Look, I – I don't know why,' I said, trying to apologize. 'I'm sorry…' )
"I'm glad you've grown out of apologizing for no reason." Annabeth told Percy.
Percy just smiled at her.
(But they weren't watching my wounds heal. They were staring at something above my head. 'Percy,' Annabeth said, pointing. 'Um…' By the time I looked up, the sign was already fading, but I could still make out the hologram of green light, spinning and gleaming. A three-tipped spear: a trident. )
Poseidon grinned, happy that he claimed Percy and didn't make him wait long.
(Your father,' Annabeth murmured. 'This is really not good.' 'It is determined,' Chiron announced. All around me, campers started kneeling, even the Ares cabin, though they didn't look happy about it. )
"Yeah, we weren't but we knew protocol." Clarisse said grimacing.
('My father?' I asked, completely bewildered. 'Poseidon,' said Chiron. 'Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God.' )
The Strolls bow before Percy jokingly causing laughter to erupt from the others.
"That's the end. Aphrodite, you read next." Hades said tossing her the book.
"Fine." Aphrodite pouts, turning to the next chapter.