This is the chapter where things start to really change though I am keeping the first Paragraph cause it was beautifully written... seriously I do impress myself sometimes. There are a few small shared other moments but not many, this is like ninety percent new. I much prefer this path to the other one...

For two days he stayed put in his room, resting and recovering, all of his food being brought to him by Grover or Chiron. He slept a lot too, his wounded internal organs and terrible concussion left him with little energy. It was a nice thing, taking small walks here and there to recover his strength giving him a chance to actually think about his options. Which God or Goddess would he ask to become his sponsor. The question haunted him throughout his days, be it on his walks, pinochle games with Chiron or Dionysius or even as he struggled to sleep through the night. It wasn't an easy thing to ask himself, the Greek pantheon was famous for their cruel capricious attitudes. He wasn't even fully versed in all of the stories and he knew that some gods were just off the table outright. He even made a list, mental only of course, wanting no proof of his disrespectful words.

The list took time to craft, three days of constantly struggling to dreg up even the vaguest stories he had red or heard about. The effort often left him with headaches but it was worth it as the list was a thing of beauty.

Deciding it was time to act on the list, he gave it one last mental reviews.

Bad options

Athena- Possessive and Cruel, will turn on people as soon as she helps them as proved by the guy who caught her bathing in the wild like an idiot, Her own Priestess and fellow immortal Medusa and a variety of other people. Is powerful and possible but not the wisest option,

Hera- Cruel and mean, has a history of helping mortals like she did Jason... but she also has a massive influence... and a lot of enemies given her history of violence towards other including her fellow immortals.

Zeus- Seriously no... just... no

Poseidon- Maybe but only barely better then Zeus.

Hades- Yes, he only messed up two people and they deserved it. He did kidnap Persephone though so that wasn't very good...

Hephaestus- Cursed his own Niece/Adopted daughter due to her mother's affairs. Powerful though, and forging is a very useful skill to have.

Artemis- Hahahaha no... just no

Good options

Hecate- Is tied to the modern world and is the Goddess of magic, a useful skill that would make me on par with literal demigods and give me an edge that I don't have. I can't think of any negative stories about her. Best option so far.

Persephone- Goddess of the Underworld and Spring, she has to be strong and she had that thing with Adonis so maybe she is nicer then most and she helped Orpheus... Next best option.

Leto- Her kids were powerful Olympians, she was a motherhood goddess/titanness so she couldn't be too bad and might take pity on me. Not a great option but something.

Thetis- She protected Achilles by making him indestructible and raised Hephaestus so she has to be a good goddess. Even if she says no, try to make her an ally. She has a lot of connection.

Aaron knew there were hundreds of more Immortals that he could talk too, ask for aid or whatnot but he didn't know them all or know the stories that would help him decided if they were worth making alliance with. If there was one thing he learned from his mother is was making the right allies and putting your trust in the right person. Oh and having back up allies was always a wise choice. If he was to stay in a place with beings as capricious and powerful as literal gods then that went double.

Overall he was pretty proud of his list and knew that if all went well... maybe he would have a life in this world too, one free of his father and mother and the hopelessness of the streets. It was with this mindset that he realized that he could not and would not accept failure.

It was on this happy note that he stood from his bed, dressed in ridiculous orange and comfortable jeans that he saw Percy step past his door with Grover at his side.

"Percy. Your awake, finally." He was shocked, despite himself with how relieved he felt. Maybe it was because Percy had tried to save him, or maybe it was because of the Kindness he had Sally had shown him. Either way it was odd. "Your awake. How are you feeling?"

Percy gave him a sheepish smile, and it gave Aaron a chance to really look at the boy. He seemed exhausted, with dark circles and a worn expression. "I'm okay, I just woke up... how... um... how is this place? Grover said that you've been awake for a few days?"

"This place is amazing, but I have been sleeping a lot to recover. I haven't seen a lot of it in detail if I am being honest. Are you going to see Chiron and Mr. D?" His technical brother nodded. " Okay, I'll help you." With his much bigger arm, being twice the size of either boy, he pulled Percy up and helped him along as they moved towards the end of the hall. "Mr. D is a god, Percy and your a mortal so he can and will kill you or worse. Trust me, if nothing else I say matters, that does."

Percy turned to him, as if he couldn't believe his words but something clicked. "God?"

"Yeah, I know it's a lot. I am pretty numb to the idea but Grover's a literal Satyr so why question it too much." He gave Percy a pointed look, gesturing to Grover's pants covered form.

Percy nodded. " I can't entirely argue with that...""Down at the end of the porch, the two men sat across from each other at a card table only this time a very pretty blond-haired girl was leaning on the porch rail next to them. Percy, having recognized someone, called out. " Mr. Brunner?"

"Percy, that man across from Chiron, uh... Mr. Brunner to you I guess, is Mr. D. He is that God I was telling you about, but he is also the camp Director."

"Mr. Brunner, what is going on?" Percy called out, stopping for a moment as realization crossed his eyes and he turned back to Aaron. "Chiron, like the Chiron. The Trainer of all of the Old Heroes, that Chiron?"

Said Legendary trainer turned and smiled at Percy. His eyes glinted with mischief in an all too familiar way that Aaron, who had yet to win a single game of Pinochle, had suffered from before devastating loss.

"Ah, good, Percy, Aaron." he said. "Now we have five for pinochle."

He offered each of the a chair. Percy was naturally placed in front of Mr. D, who looked especially miserly for some reason. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to be glad to see you."

Having gotten used to the man, Aaron smiled at the god. " It is nice to see you, Mr. D. Care to lose to Chiron with me again?" It should have been a death sentence, but it just made the man straighten his back.

"I play to win! And I will one of these days!" They shared a laugh, one that was as odd as it was comforting. He may have come to dislike the man during their games, he was miserly and rude, but they had a shared annoyance towards Chiron who always freaking won.

"I wish we could say that was possible. If we were playing for money I'd be in debt for five lifetimes."

"Annabeth?" Chiron, who was smirking at their comment. " Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now."

"Sure, Chiron."

The girl was gorgeous, gay or not that was simply a fact for Aaron. Curly blonde hair, perfect tan and body that would make the most serious and dedicated model weep, the girl could have easily been the daughter of Aphrodite. However she was cold, her stunning grey eyes almost unfeeling. Instead of being kind or warm, as one might guess for someone who had nursed a stranger to health, she proved her bloodline and turned to Percy with a deadpan stare and said. "You drool when you sleep."

Then she sprinted off down the lawn, her blond hair flying behind her.

"So," Percy's voice almost cracked as he spoke. "You, uh, work here, Mr. Brunner?"

"Not Mr. Brunner," the ex-Mr. Brunner said. "I'm afraid that was a pseudonym. You may call me Chiron, as your brother told you."

"Okay." It was clear Percy was confused, lost and confused. "Does Mr. D stand for... wait you said he was a god... " Percy's eyes moved over Dionysius' body, taking in the small clues to his identity. "Dionysius."

Thunder rumbled across the sky as the powerful god was invoked.

Said god stopped shuffling the cards. Looking at Percy with a bored but dark stare "Young man, names are powerful things. You don't just go around using them for no reason."

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

"Percy, names are powerful things. Especially near the gods. All mythologies mention that, you have to be careful. Grover said that your mom tried to get you not to say the name of the beast that attacked us... by using his much stronger immortal mother's name oddly enough. That's kind of weird... anyway, you have to be careful but yes that is his name. We just call him Mr. D from what I gather."

The God seemed happy with that, nodding to Aaron. "Your brother's clearly the smarter one of you, I'd listen to him if I were you."

"I must say, Percy," Chiron-Brunner broke in, in time for Percy's face to turn red. "I'm glad to see you alive. It's been a long time since I've made a house call to a potential camper. I'd hate to think I've wasted my time."

"House call?"

"My year at Yancy Academy, to instruct you. We have satyrs at most schools, of course, keeping a lookout. But Grover alerted me as soon as he met you. He sensed you were something special, so I decided to come upstate. I convinced the other Latin teacher to ... ah, take a leave of absence."

Those words left a sour taste in Aaron's mouth, the easy way in which they spoke of deposing an innocent man of a job. Who knew what else such a loss precipitated. Loss of income, social disgrace, loss of memoires. It felt wrong that it was brushed aside, but knowing he had little choice he kept his thoughts to himself, keeping his mouth shut as the cards were dealt out.

"You came to Yancy just to teach me?"

Chiron nodded, sagely. "Honestly, I wasn't sure about you at first. We contacted your mother, let her know we were keeping an eye on you in case you were ready for Camp Half-Blood. But you still had so much to learn. Nevertheless, you made it here alive, and that's always the first test."

"What a test that is... wouldn't it have been smarter to give him some kind of heads up. This isn't the old world were knowledge of the gods and monsters are as normal as breathing. Kind of feels like you set him up for failure." Oops, he hadn't meant to speak but Aaron meant what he said, making the other man cringe.

"Fair point, but knowing about the gods and knowing what he is out of the abstract awakens latent blood and powers and that would have made him a target." Chiron's eyes turned haunted, pained and very sad. " I assure you, Aaron, losing demigods does happen but it is never a goal of ours."

"I never said it was, I only questioned your methods. It's like throwing him to the wolves without so much as a stick to defend himself... not unlike Romulus and Remus, hey were they real?" He perked up, excited and forgetting Percy for a moment. "That was a favorite story of mine, even if it was sad in the end."

Silence, then a smile from Dionysius. "Yes, they were. Our names were different, Ares for Mars and all that but they were his children and they created Rome where we would later call home."

"Wicked... sorry for interrupting Chiron..." He nodded towards the Centaur.

Said Centaur nodded back, his eyes twinkling. " I am always happy to educate or listen to a student excited to learn besides it seems to be helping Percy."

"It is." Percy said, before turning to Aaron. "You seem to have accepted this really well, you weren't too shocked in the car either."

Aaron sighed. "To be honest it was that or go crazy. I am still not entirely sure that this isn't one massive hallucination or coma dream. Either way I figured I might as well embrace it, seeing as it is my new reality. Anyway, I'll see you soon, Percy. I know where you'll be staying. I'm staying at the Big House right now. We'll talk later, I promise but for now I have something to do."

Nodding to each of the men and Percy and Grover, he stood up and walked away, marching towards the roaring fire kept in the Pavilion. He had walked towards and around the place during his walks but never for long and never for a meal. Chiron had explained to him, after he asked how sacrifices worked in the modern age, how to properly pray to and sacrifice to the gods. He was glad for the information, as it really helped with his plan to gain a proper ally.

From around his neck, he pulled of his sole piece of property... a coin, one he found when he was six years old at a field trip hooked onto a black lanyard. It was a silly thing, one he rarely thought about but felt wrong with it off. It meant a lot to him though, tied to one of the few good memories he had. As he approached the fire, feeling it's soft heat on his skin, he tossed the coin into the fire watched as it just lay there.

"Hecate... I... " He sighed, the script he had written evaporating before the actual force of making his prayer. "My name is Aaron Mathews and I need your help. I have nothing in this world aside from shitty parents, one who kicked me out and the other who I am sure is abusing my stepmother. I have survived on the streets, lived a life I wouldn't wish on any other. So I guess what I am asking from you is the power to make my life my own, through the supernatural world I have discovered through Percy and Sally. I am willing to do... quite a bit to make it a reality, so if you need me to prove myself then do so.

I don't have food on me or anything of major value but this coin is a personal treasure. I found it years ago, old and worth about thirty two dollars according to the Internet but it means a lot to me. Hopefully that is enough to make it matter to you, at least a little... sigh... So I ask again, help me help myself. Give me the power to make a path for myself in this world. Help me to stay at Camp and... I guess help me free myself from the craphole that has been my life."

And he stopped, giving Hecate a chance to...well, do anything. He even closed his eyes, hoping for a miracle of some kind to happen... but nothing happened. He opened his eyes and sighed, turning around and started to walk away.

Then he heard it, a clattering clicking of something falling against the concrete. Turning, he saw his coin on the ground... only it looked different. Gone was the rust and that one odd chip on the head side, the thing had been polished to a shine. It was bronze and beautiful. It looked amazingly different and he was so stunned that he just reached down to grab it, ignoring that it had to be hot from the fire. A fact he would regret as something shot through him, like ice and fire rushing through his veins all at once. Along with the magic was a message, one that echoed in his mind with impossible loudness.

"Find Alabaster, my son, and show him the coin."

The voice was strong, powerful but soft and cold all at once, echoing three times in his mind as if spoken by three separate people. Before him, in his mind, carried on that voice, was an image of a boy who was tall and lanky, covered in freckles with beautiful green eyes ringed with bags and dark circles.

He was so startled that he dropped the coin and stumbled back, falling to his butt as the magic let him go.

"The fuck... I... 'The realization that his prayer was answered hit him all at once. " Wait, thank you... Hecate, thank you. I will offer more sacrifices, especially once I understand more of what is going on."

Quickly grabbing the coin, feeling more cold from it shoot through his veins, he struggled to stand and shoot off to find this Alabaster. It was only by the time he was at the Hermes Cabin, knowing that this was the best place to find random Demigods seeing as Chiron said they were throwing unclaimed demigods there, seeing an annoyed Annabeth looking at him sitting on the steps did he realize something amazing. He no longer felt pain, from his innards, nor was he was winded as before. He felt almost back to normal! Before he spoke to Annabeth, he looked down his shirt and saw not a single bruise.

"Huh...wow... really, thank you... um,... Annabeth, I need to find someone, named Alabaster. Hecate's Son, it's pretty important." He was almost yelling at that point, so someone poked their head out from behind her.

It was the boy from the vision. "That would be me, why do you... " He stopped and walked out, his eyes wide. "Why do I feel magic on you when before you felt as empty as any mortal?" Raising the coin, he showed it to the boy who took it away. " I can feel my mother's magic in this, a blessing... but why would she..." He stopped, tipping his head to the side. "Huh... come with me, we have a lot to talk about."

And with that, Alabaster led him away from the Hermes Cabin, and towards the woods. The same woods that Chiron told him was filled with monsters for training or pranks... the same place he was going to be as good as lunch if he went into...

And yet he followed Alabaster into the woods anyway, having a rare good feeling that following the boy was the right answer. The answer to his literal prayers.

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

Yes, Hecate again. I see her like Artemis, getting followers through oaths of power and giving them gifts. For some I think it is a choice to serve, and the power to do so. For others it is spells like with Hazel's Mom... so in this example it is the former.

Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.