I won't be reciting the og plot a lot, I find copying the voice others hard so... that is a thing.


During Dinner hours later, Aaron stood at the Head Table once more, armed with his new silver blade that turned into a bracelet ( Charlie was awesome) and his magical hoodie. He was beyond happy and excited about the new garments, knowing that in a world of monsters and magic, he would be slightly more likely to survive. He had hugged Charlie hard when he saw his new blade, the boy had magically blessed it with the extra feature of turning into a bracelet just so it would be safe in mortal places.

After things got settled, Mr. D got up with a huge sigh. "Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels." A bunch of ugly cheering rose from the Ares table. "Personally," Mr. D continued, "I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have a new camper today. Peter Johnson." Chiron murmured something. Er, Percy Jackson," Mr. D corrected. "That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Oh and My dear sister Persephone has declared Aaron Mathews her champion, which gives him the right to serve in this camp as any of you. He can train, learn and grow to serve the gods. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on."

They went to the amphitheater to enjoy smores and the campfire, singing and generally enjoying themselves all late into the night.

:::

"Are you sure, daughter? He is an ugly little mortal." Zeus said, looking down at Aaron Mathews, his daughter's newest champion. The boy was tall and plump, like a young Santa, with traces of a beard already present at thirteen. He had nothing special about his aura bar newly generated weak magic and clear air of intelligence. He seemed so ordinary, there was no reason for Persephone of all people to care for him.

His daughter looked down fondly at the boy. "He is a bright boy, with a strong will and enough determination to master the basics of magic on his own. That is a rare combination, most Demigods rely on their inborn skills and talents and yet this boy is determined enough to master his own skills and forge his own path. I can relate to that." She whispered that last part, but Zeus still heard it.

"Very well, I will allow it, but remember you also act as his Patron so if he messes up..." The threat lingered, but his daughter heard it well...

"I know father, I know..."

"""

The next few days Aaron settled into a comfortable routine that lifted him up as a person and gave him the feeling of power that he never had before.

Each morning he took Ancient Greek mostly on his own, he was already familiar with Latin and English, so it wasn't too hard. He didn't have to really go over the gods and goddesses, being familiar due to a lifetime of nerdom. This helped greatly with his magic, speaking off he got the chance to study magic since the camp had scrolls and books on the subject as a means to help the demigods with that talent thrive. He learned a cool pain reduction spell his first day, and a sacrificial fire creation spell! It was very exciting really. This consumed about half of his day before he used too much lifeforce to safely practice.

The rest of the day, he'd rotate through outdoor activities that he as a Champion chose to do. He swam in the lake and jogged among other things for exercise, he aimed to get into the best shape. He practiced archery and actually did rather well, he was no master but he could at least hit the targets so there was that. He was good enough that Chiron chose to give him his own bow and quiver for constant practice.

He spent at least an hour or two gardening, which he really enjoyed since herbs were so useful in magic. He made friends with Castor and Pollux, and passing connections with several other children of Demeter, Saytrs and Nymphs since they shared that interest. The Nymphs taught him a cool plant growth spell, which he treasured. He loved this part of his day.

Then there was swordplay, which was exhausting and hard but so worth it. He learned with Athena's cabin, getting barebones education since they were more generalists when it came to fighting, mostly using whatever weapon was most needed at the time. Annabeth used a dagger for example, Malcolm a spear and so on. He got a good grip but nothing special after a few days of practice.

Friday afternoon came quickly and a comfortable Aaron found his way to the lake, eager to speak to Percy and see how he was doing. He had yet to really talk to him and was curious how the strongest Demigod in camp was doing. The only one with a spine that seemed to openly resent his life. The boy was talking at the lake to a goat boy with weak magic when Aaron found him.

"Number eight, the silver one, belongs to Artemis," The goatboy 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."

"Yeah, okay. But the other three, the ones at the end. Are those the Big Three?" Percy asked.

"What are we talking about?" Aaron asked, popping down next to them.

Percy smiled at him. "Just the cabins, anyway. Nice to see you Aaron. Anyway, Grover, what about the Big Three?"

Grover tensed. "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." Percy said.

"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," Percy remembered. "Poseidon the sea, Hades the Underworld."

"Uh-huh."

"But Hades doesn't have a cabin here."

"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."

Aaron frowned. " Why he was one of the only half-decent deities in myths that were not a rapist or anything?"

Grover nodded slowly. "I guess so..." But it was clear he still disagreed.

"So why are the other cabins closed?" Percy asked.

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."

Thunder boomed and Aaron could sense the power of that word, even in passing. It was cold majesty, binding and eternal.

Percy 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."

"But that isn't fair.' It wasn't the little girl's fault."

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."

He pointed across the valley, to the pine tree. "All three Kindly Ones were after them, along with a horde 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."

"Her noble sacrifice probably created the barrier, it is a source of tremendous magic."

"Grover," Percy said after a long moment. "have heroes really gone on quests to the Underworld?"

"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," Percy lied. "I was just wondering. So ... a satyr is always assigned to guard a demigod?"

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."

"And you found me. Chiron said you thought I might be something special."

Grover looked as if Percy had 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 license. 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?"

Aaron leaned over. "Percy, Mr. D went into the Underworld, he got his mother and wife back but he was always destined to be a god... it can happen but for most it will never be... just... think about that."


Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.

This was a joy to write.

Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.