A/N: So, here is the new chapter for those who like the story also more guests arrive to the reading to make things more interesting.


VI. Have you lost your mind!

After getting both Enysswe and Aphrodite to wake up from they little slumber and filling the later in about what she missed, made everyone they way through the long halls of the palace inside the large kitchen. At Hestia's suggestion separated everyone into groups of parent-demigod-legacy while Hestia sat at a small table with Artemis and Reyna, seeing how the gods didn't know that the minor divinities knew about the books and didn't want to freak Enyo out. Also even though Zeus was the father of said goddess had Reyna decided to sit by the table with the two virgin goddesses. The three started a small conversation about Hestia's and Artemis's roles in the Roman era and how they were as they counterparts Vesta and Diana.

The other groups were kind of in a more awkward situation then them, Apollo needed to be even dragged to the table by his half-sister. At least could he mask that he was close to a nervous breakdown when he was sat down on Hades' right side while Persephone sat on his left with Frank, he was dragged there by his son, Henry, Enysswe, Octavian and Will facing them.

"So, children, from what we have gathered in the future there are two camps and the same number of cities populated by demigods and their children." Persephone started in hopes to break the ice, it confused her that Apollo was so unusually quiet, and she even needed to make him sit with them. She will need to later interrogate him about what his problem with her husband was, she always gathered that he didn't have so much against him like most of the others so what was his problem now?

"That is true Lady Persephone, but to be honest we kind of were not aware about the fact that there were two camps, all of us were kind of told that San Francisco was a dangerous place for demigods because of the strong mist surrounding the city and the high amount of monsters running around." Will explained while they tellers filled with food, they were told by their parents that they can freely eat which confused the Romans, but they didn't ask.

"The same goes for us, but we never got an actual place, we were told that San Francisco was the only safe place for us demigods and that leaving New Rome and Camp Jupiter would be dangerous." Octavian supplied from beside his uncle, he was feeling extremely awkward with sitting at the same table as three gods, four if he counts his cousin as one, but this was something not even his great-grandfather had done, he only saw his father once for two minutes and no more.

"I see." Hades spoke up as he took a sip from his goblet before he looked at his grandchildren, a small smile on his lips which made all beside his wife and grandchildren freeze down in stunned silence. "I'm glad to see that my children seem to be accepted somewhat more in the future." he said and Apollo remembered the only time in the past he had seen his uncle smile softly, but refrained from scowling when in the memory a dark hired girl appeared with a flower wreath on her head running up to the God with a rose between her small hands.

"It still took some time though grandfather." Henry said as he glanced at Enysswe who continued for him.

"Of course Camp Jupiter is using cohorts which place you based on your credential letters from relatives or peers and your skills, but there are temples for all gods and goddesses, though your temple was in the past also kind of feared" at this both legacies smiled with they grandparents they knew why that was. "In the case of Camp Half-Blood was it uncle Percy who made them realize a few things which went wrong and that you are not like how people like to portray you, though is it funny that in Rome both you and Poseidon are the ones about whom all are the most vary." En replied to a nodding Hades who smirked at the thought of Poseidon and him in the same category, but he will not inform his younger brother about that.

"That is fine by me as long as you don't get shunned for your parentage; I think I can deal with most things." Hades said calmly as Will, Octavian and Frank tried to not squirm uncomfortably in they seats in regards if not for the given situation how they would have seen the appearance of a child of Hades/Pluto in they camp, not in the best ways and now two of them are faced with the fact that they will marry such a person.

"We agree." replied both Henry and En smiling before Henry turned to his dad who looked ready to make a run for the hills and attempted to start a conversation about archery.

"There was another thing I would have liked to ask, it is regards the inherited powers of your parents seeing that each of us has a powers which gets inherited in a larger part while there are the rarer ones. I got curious about that when Henry complained about his robes making him look as if he would have robed something you are calling a jewellery store and the way how both of you broke your falls." Hades inquired at which Henry turned for a few seconds back into his direction.

"Those robes nearly weight a ton if one asks me." and with that had he already turned back to his father who looked a bit more calmer and was now attempting to get a hint about who his father was, but only got as an answer that he has relatives present, not helpful.

"Henry's mom tended to tell us that she and dad represent your two spheres of control, she is wealth and he death. To be honest even they names are kind of an interesting indicator to which powers they have inherited. You know that hazel is a kind of tree, but there is also a jewel colour named like that, aunt Hazel has also golden coloured eyes to match her powers, her family name 'Levesque' on the other hand is an old French name meaning 'Bishop' which is a religious rank. Dad's name on the other hand can mean two things which with our family name can give two different aspects." En started explaining at which both Will and Octavian started to listen in more, the later deciding to play safe while they are here, no need to get incriminated, then something occurred to him.

"You said your family name was 'di Angelo', that is Italian for 'of the angels'." Octavian said thoughtfully.

"Our mortal grandmother was Italian and with her being clear sighted dad suspects that she kind of tried to find a fitting name for dad regards who his father was." Enysswe said while Hades took his wife's hand to show her that it was fine.

"I see Nico also is a diminutive version of two Italian names which thrive from the Greek" Octavian was careful to not scowl or anything other insulting while saying this "name 'Nikolaos'."

"It means 'victory of the people'" Persephone said while her hand was still holding onto that of her husband's under the table, glad for Hades's hand responding to hers, which made it easier for her to ignore her fears.

"It is also a prefix for 'necro' which on the other hand means 'dead.'" Henry added in at which Will tried to not shake his head, the first meaning of his future lover's name was fine, it didn't sound to bad it was even something positive 'Victory of the people and the angels', yes that was a good, positive meaning, but the other form and what it meant together with his surname? Death of the angels? This sounded really lovely…not, fine he should wait with his option forming, but one could understand his situation there were not many positive things said in history about the children of Hades and he will be marrying one of them! He was not worried about his other lover, how bad could a Child of Sleep be? It might be possible that it would even help to have some peaceful nights without demigod dreams, which was pretty good. Yes, he needed to find out more about Nico di Angelo, but further musings were stopped when Persephone spoke up again looking slightly confused.

"Apollo? Do you feel alright, you kind of look as if you have a fever, besides being unusually quiet that is." Persephone said suddenly making all eyes by the table turn to said, God.

"Me, Nah, I'm the God of both healing and plagues the chances of me getting sick are pretty minimal. I'm only enjoying this delicious roasted chicken so much that I didn't feel like commenting." Apollo said, but Hades looked at him with a raised eyebrow and concern in his dark eyes.

"Apollo, that is not a chicken leg, but your fork." he pointed out to his now blushing nephew while both Henry and Enysswe exchanged amused glances, knowing perfectly what was wrong with the God, while Octavian looked over at Will silently pleading him to tell him that 'this-is-not-how-he-actually-is', but his uncle only mounted back nervously that he is not sure which didn't reassure either Octavian nor Frank who was now contemplating if he really still hoped that Apollo was his dad.

Not that things were any less awkward by the other tables…

Zeus was kind of loss of words about what kind of safe topic he could talk with his sons both present and future, well safe topic which would not end in a lot of arguing. Hera had a better time talking with a still slightly nervous Andromeda about motherhood while Perses munched on his dessert happily, he did not notice the dilemma of some of the adults around him.

Hercules was still glancing nervously in both Artemis's and Enysswe's directions, he could not shake of the feeling that both of them were glancing at him from the corner of they eyes and unfortunately not out of the usual ground women tend to do that. Perseus and Jason were not sure what to speak about with they father, sure they had always wanted to just sit down at a table and chat, but that was before getting presented by the fact that he will be in the future murdering innocent people and causing they families pain to went down his anger. Later son of Jupiter had also the small problem that he was sitting right beside his own son who had a hard time not to smirk at his father. Both had asked Reyna to sit with them, but she politely declined saying that she wished to have a conversation with Ladies Vesta and Diana. Jason kind of freaked out at that and now also the panicked thoughts of her deciding to join the hunt or the priestess hood re-entered his mind making him go stiff and his lamb started tasting like cardboard.

Well while the feeling of awkwardness stayed by the table was by one the air burning…

Chris Rodriguez would have liked to set one thing clear, when he found out that he had a fifteen years old son, while himself being not even that age, had that freaked him out, finding out that his future wife and mother of said son was no one other then the Daughter of Ares made him want to faint. Sitting at a table with his dad and brothers was kind of nice even Katie and her mum were not all too bad to sit with. Lance and Misty were easy to place as the brother's kids so it was not that bad as he feared, but adding in Clarisse, they son no matter how messed up that sounded, and THE FREAKING WAR GOD HIMSLEF made him want to run for the hills. That is…if there wouldn't be a high chance that he gets run through by a spear before he can do even one step. It didn't help his situation that Ares was glaring daggers at him, the War God and a protective father? A frightening thought and to make things stranger was Clarisse avoiding any type of ayecontact with him, even when they sat down did she make sure that there was at least one person between them. He was not sure if this should bother him or not, but in a way were they both in the same situation, gahh he had no clue what to think or do!

Not far from him was his brother Travis sure that he will have a heart attack, sure he liked Katie, she was fun to prank, but no one warned him that one day all of this would result in a kid for his dad's shake! He failed to notice Hermes raising his eyebrow at him before going back to tune out the whispered conversation between mother and daughter where Katie occasionally threw pleading looks to the table where her older sister sat. Poor thing, she was getting the same talk Persephone gets about her husband and she isn't even married yet. Connor managed to be dragged into a conversation by his daughter and nephew while Ace made an attempt to talk about weapons with his mother which seemed to have been a good idea because she gave in suggestions of her own about what is the most destructive type of firearm. Ugh…he still wondered how his son and her ended up hooking up, beside Aphrodite wanting a new soap-opera to watch, he hoped that Ares would accept this, preferably before maiming him, speaking about his brother, he was fixating Chris with his best death glare.

"Ares, leave Chris alone this all will be in the future, well farther in the future from where they are from." Hermes tried to help out his son before he does a spontaneous combustion, but it turned out that he should have thought about a better plan before opening his mouth.

"Do I look as if I care punk, your kid keeps his hands off of my daughter or I will gut you both slowly with the tip of an arrow to make it more slower and painful." Ares threatened and Chris did everything to not duck under the table, the others were all relocating to the farthest side of the table if something should happen. Chris looked over to his side to see Ace only rolling his eyes as if he was already used to this type of situations, not a positive thought, while Clarisse…was she blushing?

"U…uh…come on Ares, it is no…not that bad…" Hermes continued carefully. "My…my kids are no…not that bad…" again the wrong thing to say.

"Shut up you fluttering punk do you think that I have forgotten who knocked up Aphrodite two times?" Uhuh…Hermes looked over to his kids who were staring at him wide eyed, his sons kind of looked awed and he was about to give them a wink, but Ares continued. "I don't mind waging a war for her with my brother, the smith makes it fun with his clever traps" those sitting by the table were shocked that he actually liked his crippled brother, then such a comment from Ares could be counted as a declaration of brotherly love. "Though you are another case wimp, Tyche was one thing I could have even ignore it sometimes because on occasions are things fun when a side wins the war and take retribution from the losers, more fun for me, but Hermaphroditus?" ok, Hermes was now kind of bet red while most of the kids were giving him looks, mostly his kids, saying 'I'm-the-brother-to-the-personification-of-hermaphrodites', that will need to be talked about.

"Erm…wasn't he lovers with a good deal of satyrs and maenads who were female followers of Lord Dionysus?" Katie asked carefully, she was sure that the Stolls and Chris would be fainting any second, but they jumped up looking slightly green and dashed out of the kitchen in the direction of the nearest bathroom with Lance on they heels.

"Dionysus also had a fling with her." Hermes whined when his half-brother started getting closer.

"And whose prank with spiking his drink lead up to that?" at this Hermes's glowing red blush disappeared and was replaced by the colour of white calk as he jumped up and run for his life. "GET BACK HERE YOU PUNK!" Ares screamed after his brother, following him out of the kitchen.

"Don't worry, they will eventually be back." Demeter said sighing before turning to the remaining four children by the table. "Would someone of you like some more cereal?"

"I wonder what got Ares reeled up again that he is hunting after Hermes?" Aphrodite asked absentmindedly as she put in a little pause in her talk with her daughter about how to look good while dressed in armour and armed for battle.

"Well, he took it kind of the wrong way that he gets a daughter and she is married to one of Hermes's kids." Hephaestus told his wife before turning back to his talk about automatons with they grandson, it helped him to not think about the upcoming conversation with his mother, he was really not sure what she wanted to talk with him about. Sometimes he kind of wished that he had at least a bit more inkling about how to deal with organic things and not only machines.

"Muhum, could be it which is just soo adorable that he is playing the protective father of a young girl. The future seems such a wonderful place with many possibilities." Aphrodite said smiling brightly, she had already a lovely list about the feelings she got from the kids, love triangles, denial, and competition for the forbidden, this will be wonderful. Her multicoloured eyes occasionally flicking over to the small table of father and son not far from theirs.

Dionysus and Dakota were at the same time in the middle of a small conversation about his counterpart Bacchus and the pros and cons of Wine types and Kool-Aid, not caring about what the other tables were doing.

At the same time by the last table were both Poseidon and Athena in the middle of a heated glaring match and abuse of they poor food which had no chance against the angry poking of the forks and brutal cuts of silver knives. Luke and Sally were watching the exchange in amusement before the older of the two turned back to his mother who was dying to know more about the city she had designed so needed Luke to go into a detailed description of his mom's work while Sally turned to her uncle seeing how Orion was busy with looking at Artemis as long as her brother was distracted and Theseus was still busy making plans where he should start looking for Ariadne. Uncle Triton was also out because he was talking to his mother who if one looked closely could be seen listening to the conversation between her step-grandson and step-daughter-in-law.

"Say uncle Malcolm" Sally started noting with amusement how her uncle looked somewhat embarrassed at being addressed with that term by a girl slightly older then him.

"Yes?" Malcolm asked carefully, he was feeling kind of awkward sitting so near his niece, he hoped that he wasn't such a fail in the future.

"Before getting here Kelly the head councillor of the Aphrodite cabin told me that they plan to make a Wall of Romance Then and Now for next Valentines Day and they are needing kind of updates about by which age some realized that they have feelings for someone of they fellow demigods. Well seeing how we are kind of here for a while till all books are done and our trip was a secret, so I can't exactly IM people from here so, is there someone at camp who you are interested in?" she asked with a serious face not sure if his uncle had liked his lover already back then or it really took that school year before New Greece was fully finished for him to realize that he loved the other.

"Wha…what do you mean!" Malcolm gasped in panic, nearly falling from his chair while having taken up an unhealthy looking red colour, both things earning himself the notice from his table.

"Malcolm, are you alright?" Athena asked her son with a raised eyebrow for a few seconds forgetting that she was sitting beside her worst rival and apparently father-in-law of her future daughter.

"Is that red even possible for a human to achieve?" Poseidon asked, he was sure if Hades would fill the room with shadows that the boy's face would be glowing bright whatever that shade of red was.

"You asked him about what Kelly had tasked everyone in camp." Luke stated before Annabeth could say something or Athena could snap at Poseidon.

"We need those infos Luke and we can't exactly IM our relatives in the future without someone figuring out where we are." Sally said as Malcolm tried to calm down his wildly beating heart. This was probably the most embarrassing question he had ever heard, there was no one in camp whom interested him in that kind of way.

"I know Sall, but…" suddenly Luke was interrupted when farther from them Enysswe gasped and pulled out a parchment from the pocked of here skirt, it seemed to be glowing.

"What is happening?" Athena asked as all legacies minus the one in the bathroom stood up from they tables and rushed to the mortal goddess, after a few seconds everyone else followed and were looking at the parchment where the light dimmed to reveal a cursive, flowing writing in gold.

"En?" Henry asked his cousin who scanned over the letter before rolling it up again as the words disappeared as if one would have blown them away like powder.

"Grandaunt Clotho sent a message that soon they will be sending some more people here from both of your presents." Enysswe said sighing while putting away the scroll, really they could have told this to them sooner and send everyone together.

"More people and how come the message disappeared?" Orion asked curiously.

"When you got explained about me was it probably forgotten that I'm also a messenger and executive to my grandaunts the Fates, if a message is important it stays on the scroll longer if not it disappears right after I have read it." she explained at which the gods and goddesses nodded carefully, so this was a new thing they need to put on the list regards the girl. First Lord Chaos and Lady Nyx wished and contributed greatly to her birth and after that the Fates made her their personal right hand, they were not sure what either of them was planning with this.

"Then we should head back and continue our reading till the new guests also arrive here." Athena suggested to everyone.

"Before that should someone check up on Hermes's children and also find they father and Ares." Hestia pointed out for the group at which everyone nodded and headed out of the kitchen to do either of the two tasks except two.

Hephaestus knew that he could not avoid this conversation, the ones who had fled to the bathroom all belonged to Hermes and one also to Demeter and there were enough people to hold down his brother from murdering or in the case of the gods seriously maim they brother. Taking a deep breath the God of Smiths looked at his mother, a little bit surprised to see the proud goddess looking unsure at the table, her delicate hands wringed together. If he was honest with himself had he never seen his mother look so anxious and lost about what to do.

Finally Hera looked into her son's eyes and took a deep breath, willing herself to not falter in front of the other and to not let him go till she had finished.

"Hephaestus, I know that this comes too late and that you have all right in the world to resent me for what I have done to you." Hera stared and Hephaestus would have loved to point out just how right she was, but something held him back from interrupting. "It is not easy for me or any divinity to admit that they had been in the wrong and nothing can excuse such behaviour of a mother like I had done. When you had been born I…" her voice faltered and choked slightly as if hindered by a sob "…I was in despair when I had seen you, the hate which I had shown at that day and my unforgivable deed were never towards you, but for myself and my own failures. You know that my bonding to Zeus had not been my own option, but you should know how you father is when he is determined to have something." Hephaestus flinched at this, Ares had told him once how they father had gained they mother's hand, not something he liked to remember, neither of the two of them does. "Me being the Goddess of marriage, I needed to marry him after his scheme and with time I started loving him, at that time was I even kind of more forgiving for his many affairs, but then your brother was born and I was terrified that I had brought war into the world." the Smith could not decide if he should feel now amused or pity his older brother that they own mother was scared from him, but he kind of understood Hera did not fear her child, but that what his power represented. "After Ares's birth the number of affairs of your father grew and not only with other divinities, but also with mortals. I was already pregnant with you when he had informed me that Leto had given birth to twins he had fathered. I was angry at him for that and…" here her voice faltered again, face twisting with both guilt and shame "I knew that he was also seeing another person at that time, Maia the mother of Hermes, I snuck after him in disguise to catch him redheaded and to get him to stop sleeping with others while I'm expecting his child. As I followed him on a mountain path, I don't know what really happened, it could have been my tiredness from the pregnancy and the stress, but I slipped and fell." At this Hephaestus flinched again, he hated falling and now he knew that it had happened to him even in his mother's womb. "I was terrified that I had lost you, but there were no indications that you had been hurt by the fall and I snuck back to Olymphos in secret before Zeus returned. He accounced the fact that Maia was pregnant only two days before your birth and then when you were born and I saw you, I knew that your looks were my fault, but it was the same time Apollo and Artemis were brought to the palace to live with us and I…" no more words come as Hera broke down crying, slowly sinking to her knees, hands covering her face as the tears streamed from her eyes.

Hephaestus could only look down at his mother, look down at the Queen of Heavens as she kneeled on the ground sobbing and crying. It was all hard to take in what had brought her to throw him off of Olymphos and he gave her right, forgiving her deed was hard, but seeing her so broken and hearing her reasoning while she didn't ask to be forgiven. Slowly the mismatched God kneeled down, in the back of his mind wondering how things would have been if his father would have stayed faithful at least on the two times his wife had been with child, but he pushed those thoughts away as he gently helped his mother up from the ground and allowed her to cry on his shoulder.

"You had given me always this warm feeling while I was expecting you, as if I would have been constantly near Hestia's heart." Hera whispered a small, sad smile on her lips.

"Mother, you were right that I can't forgive what you have done to me when I was still a baby, but you are still my mother and maybe with time." Hephaestus said awkwardly as he looked into his mother's tear filled eyes stunned when he saw them light up with happiness.

"You are already offering more then I had dared to hope for my son." she said before whipping the tears from her eyes. "Lets find the others so that we can continue reading; I hope that your conversation with your grandson had been pleasant." Hephaestus nodded at this, at least would he be spared from thinking to much about the awkwardness of they situation. While mother and son made they way out of the kitchens he started explaining animatedly about what the two of them had been talking about.


Half an hour later was everyone again sitting in the throne room while outside the others had also arrived back from they own food break and small discussions about the not long ago read things. The Stoll brothers, Chris and Lance still looked a bit green and accepted the stomach medicine Apollo gave them gratefully before the god went and handed an ice bag to his younger half-brother who sported a nice black eye thanks to his other sibling.

"So, who will be reading the next chapter?" Zeus asked while shaking his head about his family and wondering why Hera looked as if she had been crying.

"I wouldn't mind reading Lord Zeus." Andromeda spoke up carefully and Hercules handed her the book with the correct page. "I Play Pinochle With a Horse." just as she finished reading a bright light filled the room followed by screams and the sound of crashing.

When the light dimmed spotted everyone the large pile of fourteen beside which stood a familiar centaur, a large red furred wolf who were both starring with unbelieving eyes at the squirming and cursing pile of teens and a family of four looking frightened. Annabeth tensed when she saw the family and Malcolm's face turned stony. Before anyone in the throne room could even utter a word the she-wolf whipped around and faced the white centaur, one of her paws on her muzzle.

"Per totus filiolus! What is happening here Chiron?" they all heard her voice echo in they heads as if she would be speaking like any normal person, the family looked even more stunned at this. "The Gods made us swear to never let these children meet again, you know what happened the last time?" at this her companion nodded gravely.

"Yes, we got the American Civil War on our hands as they went for each others blood." Chiron answered gravely and the two groups whom were here since a while looked at each other with widened eyes, they had not known that the Civil War with all its deaths and destruction had been their fault mostly that they were getting along fairly well since meeting. The Gods were also shocked that there would be such animosity between the two demigod groups.

"That might be that it never went well, but there is a prophecy which begs to differ from keeping them all separated." called over Sally gaining the notice of the newly arrived groups resulting in more squirming from the pile of hands and legs to show they respect.

"My Lords and Ladies." both Chiron and Lupa said in perfect synchrony as they bowed deeply in front of the Olympians who were all holding back grins and snorts now that they knew with whom Aphrodite's children want to set up the centaur. The match was in its own way an interesting sight and fitting if one went with the fact that both of them seemed to be dedicated to they job with teaching young heroes even if with different methods.

"Stand up the both of you." Zeus commended as both trainers did so finally noticing they missing charges.

"So this is where you have all disappeared to." Chiron said as he trotted over to the Greek demigods who looked at him apologetically.

"It seems as if we have found both our missing pups or in your case foals." Lupa replied with a smirk or as much a wolf could smirk before she turned to the Roman group. "Your disappearance had created some panic by the others, but I told Terminus to take care about that one with the Lares." she continued to the nodding group when there were finally sounds of success behind them.

"It seems as if everyone managed to get untangled." Apollo commented grinning as he winked at one of the members of the group whom he recogrinaised immediately. "Kids, I think you should all introduce yourselves now with names and parent or in one case grandparent, the four who got the bottom should start seeing how they are from here. You need to do this so that our other guests know who you are." he called out as by the family the man tensed when his eyes fell on a familiar woman dressed in a blue and gray Greek style outfit. The teens all nodded after spotting people they were familiar with.

"As you wish" said a blonde man with a cheeky grin on his lips as he bowed which made Hades scowl at the young man and pull Persephone closer which on the other hand made Apollo bite back a disappointed whine. "I'm Orpheus, Son of Apollo." at this both Will and Octavian looked up in interest as did two other people in the standing group while En looked instead in amusement at her grandparents. The second one stepping forth looked older then the others with curly black hair and intense brown eyes at which Athena started squirming in her seat for she also immediately recogrinaized who it was.

"I'm Odysseus, Legacy of Hermes." at this Hermes winked at his grandson before sending his half-sister a cheeky grin which she answered with a glare and a blush on her cheeks. Then come the third person with messy black hair and sea-green eyes, he also bowed just like the other two before him, but before that had he sent a grin to his two brothers even though the strange grins they had on they lips unnerved him slightly.

"Bellerophon, Son of Poseidon." he said before making his way to his brothers who made place for him on the couch they were sitting on, not that it was hard because they father had lengthened it for them so that the new four arrivals could sit by the members of they group while the last one stepped fort this time making Zeus be the one to pull his wife closer and scowl.

"I'm unlike my comrades neither the son or legacy of the Gods only a mortal king, Jason of the Argonauts." the brown haired young man bowed while Hera smiled at him fondly and the other Jason looked up at his namesake.

"Your turn kids seeing how you got kind of thrown back pretty much into the past so those who happen to be Roman, please also the Greek counterpart of you parent or grandparent." Apollo spoke again at which the children exchanged confused glances, but seeing how some of they friends/siblings were present and also they trainers was it probably fine.

"Bobby Rhode, Son of Mercury the Roman equivalent of Hermes." at this all divinities minus two groaned making the boy blink in confusion. "Uh…did I say anything wrong?" he asked unsurely as he looked at the boy with curly blonde hair at his side who only shrugged.

"Don't worry about that Bobby, I think the problem is that with you there are now four of you here, legacies not counted." Jason called over to his friend pointing to the smirking Stoll brothers and Chris.

"Ah, now I get it, sweet." Bobby said grinning as he headed over to his praetors making place for the blonde boy who had stood beside him.

"Felix Jordan, Son of Fortuna my mother's Greek name is Tyche." he finished at which a certain group stiffened again, Ares glared at a blushing Hermes while Aphrodite smiled brightly at her grandson as he made his way to his fellow legionnaires leaving the Greek demigods to start introducing themselves. The first was a beautiful girl with black hair and blue eyes; she bowed gracefully in front of the gods.

"Silena Beauregard, Daughter of Aphrodite." she said looking up to her mother who was beaming at her with happiness, she returned the smile and made her way to her own group, some of the boys staring after her as she passed except by the legacies who were busy to not flinch mostly Ace. After her come a young man with sparkling blue eyes and straight brown hair.

"Mitchell Diamond, Son of Aphrodite." he said before heading to they group and sitting wordlessly and pretty close down beside a stunned Malcolm who blinked at the other so he failed to notice how his nephew and niece tried not to laugh.

The next one was a bulky looking guy with strong arms, he bowed respectfully.

"Charles Beckendorf, Son of Hephaestus." he said which made his father smile while Aphrodite sat up a bit straighter in her seat, kaleidoscope eyes looking at her daughter from who she had felt a spark only a few seconds ago. Could this mean…not even speaking about her son beside one of Athena's children. These kids really want to give her work worth for a good few decades.

"Jake Mason also a Son of Hephaestus." come it from the next boy before he followed his brother so that another boy with blonde hair and brown eyes could take his place closely followed by a blackhead.

"Lee Fletcher, Son of Apollo." Lee said much to the delight of his father and made his way to where his little brother was sitting, but the fact that Will started suddenly blushing made him confused.

"Michael Yew also a Son of Apollo." said the black haired boy who stood behind Lee, his brown eyes slightly lingering on the daughter of Ares while he followed his brother.

The next up were a pair of blonde haired, violet eyed twins who stood beside each other while introducing themselves.

"Pollux and Castor Rouse." Pollux started they introduction.

"Sons of Dionysus." his brother Castor finished for them at which Dakota looked up interested, he had no siblings in camp and meeting two at the same time was kind of nice for him, his father also looked happy at the twins.

"This would only leave four more people who we don't know till now." Athena spoke up as everyone turned to the family, but then she noticed how tense her daughter was and the stormy look her son had taken up after turning away from Aphrodite's son who sat to close to him in her option. "Annabeth, what is wrong my child?" she asked at which the father looked with wide eyes to the group of children who had taken up sitting on a large mat on the ground since the brake ended, Odysseus tensed by her words.

"Annabeth?" the man asked his daughter whom he had not seen since she had run away when she was seven.

"Annabeth?" Athena asked her daughter again feeling concerned for her.

"They…they are my father, my step-mother and half-siblings." Annabeth said with a bitter voice which everyone noted before they eyes widened and the demigods looked scowling to the now flinching man, they had remembered what Annabeth said by the first chapter.

"Introduce yourselves to us and then sit down." Athena said again, but this time in a commanding tone as she let a separated couch for four appear.

"Fredric Chase, my wife Sue and our twins Bobby and Matthew." Fredric finished not liking the cold look Athena was giving him or how Annabeth turned away from them, but in truth he didn't blame her for her feelings, he had not exactly been a good father to her. Taking his family all four of them sat down now in front of the gods.

"I think we should explain, you were brought here by the Fates so that you could change the future for the better." Luke said as he stood up from his sitting spot so that he could see everyone. "For that were the nine of us sent back here by En's grandaunts with ten books written by the Muses. These books will show you all what went wrong and allow you to change the fate of many, some even present in this room." he finished as everyone exchanged glances with each other.

"Yes, we have already read some chapters and will fill you in when you get confused also you may take a few minutes before princess Andromeda "at this Fredric looked over with wide eyes at the beautiful woman with the young boy in her lap "continues, to tell the members of your group who those are they don't know till now." Poseidon's suggestion was followed by hushed conversations, the Chases kind of ignored by the demigods.

"You finally hook up in the future, that is great man." Bobby said grinning as he hit his blushing praetor on the back while Dakota exchanged grins with his half-brothers all three of them looking pleased to meet.

"Your daughter?" exclaimed both Lee and Michael in shock, the later also scowling when he heard about Ace, this made Aphrodite lean over to Ares so that only he hears her whisper.

"Triangle?" she asked him at which the War God looked to his side to where his two half-brothers were sitting then back at the kids before he finally looked back to his girlfriend shuddering.

"Please not." was his only reply to the Love Goddess.

"A love born under the rivalry of parents, that is sooo romantic!" Silena squealed in delight as she looked over at Luke and Sally.

When everyone was done with explaining who everyone was or gapping at the legacies sent by the Fates and the murmurs, laughs and sound of high-fives died down signalled Zeus for his daughter-in-law to continue with the reading, this chapter also promised to be a long one with them having only finished with the title.

I had weird dreams full of barnyard animals. Most of them wanted to kill me. The rest wanted food.

At this broke the legacies and the groups who were longer here out laughing together with Apollo and Hermes.

"This is even for the standard demigod dreams weird." Michael said while shaking his head over the laughter.

"Who dreams about that?" asked Matthew his twin who only shrugged, his eyes on they sister who was laughing with a blonde boy who looked like her and ignoring them.

I must've woken up several times, but what I heard and saw made no sense, so I just passed out again.

"How can you pass out when something makes no sense?" Michael asked again confused.

"Can it Yew, none of us knows." Clarisse snapped at him at which Michael was ready to retort but his older brother put his hand over his mouth.

"Not now, I swear you have got two extra feet to your height in attitude." Lee groaned while holding his little brother back, he could really not understand why he started all those constant fights with the Senior Councillor of Ares Cabin. He only wanted one such meeting where he doesn't get growled on by La Rue about that he should keep his big mouthed brother on the line if he doesn't want him delivered every day to the infirmary in a bucket.

"Uh…that reminds me that we have now two Michaels here same as two Bobbies and Jasons." come it suddenly from Gwen.

"Don't worry Aunt Gwen, I tend to go by Mich most of the time or my favourite title…" at this was Mich interrupted by Misty.

"By which only you call yourself so no." she finished for the pouting boy while the others snickered.

"I also go by Trickster." Bobby called from beside Felix earning a grin from his brothers and dad.

"I can go by Jay." Jason offered as he looked at Reyna.

"Then it is settled, now let us continue." Amphitrite said from beside her husband.

I remember lying in a soft bed, being spoon-fed something that tasted like buttered popcorn, only it was pudding.

Most of the present demigods smiled knowingly.

The girl with curly blond hair hovered over me, smirking as she scraped drips off my chin with the spoon.

Cue laughter as Annabeth blushed which made here father narrow his eyes so he didn't notice Sue shaking her head, she wanted for him to decide if he really wanted that girl or not. It also took much effort from her to believe that the girl's birth mother was truly a goddess and that she was now in both of they presences. She was determined to not let either of her sons go; she had read enough myths to know how vengeful gods could be.

When she saw my eyes open, she asked, "What will happen at the summer solstice?"

"Aunt Annabeth, you really didn't do that." Lance asked in amusement as said 'aunt' blushed.

"Dad is good in noting the small things, but never the big things." Sally said while shaking her head.

I managed to croak, "What?"

"And this will be one of his typical answers for most things." Luke said grinning at which Athena groaned making both Odysseus and Fredric stare at her, but only the former knowing the ground for her reaction.

She looked around, as if afraid someone would over hear. "What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks!"

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, "I don't..."

Somebody knocked on the door, and the girl quickly filled my mouth with pudding.

"The perfect way to get a guy to shut up." Artemis said at which Apollo blushed while trying to not look at the questioning gazes he was receiving from his sons and grandson while Sue flinched as she imagined how many bad words the twins will learn when this is over.

The next time I woke up, the girl was gone.

A husky blond dude, like a surfer, stood in the corner of the bedroom keeping watch over me. He had blue eyes- at least a dozen of them- on his cheeks, his forehead, the backs of his hands.

"Argus, so he is also there." Hera said with a fond smile on her lips at the thought of Argus still being alright in the future.

"Mum?" Matthew asked his mother, but she shushed him, the more they get ignored the better in her option.

When I finally came around for good, there was nothing weird about my surroundings, except that they were nicer than I was used to. I was sitting in a deck chair on a huge porch, gazing across a meadow at green hills in the distance. The breeze smelled like strawberries.

Travis looked suddenly really uncomfortable by the gazes he was getting from some members of they group while Katie blushed, finally understanding why he tended to stay near the fields for hours when she was working there with her siblings.

There was a blanket over my legs, a pillow behind my neck. All that was great, but my mouth felt like a scorpion had been using it for a nest. My tongue was dry and nasty and every one of my teeth hurt.

On the table next to me was a tall drink. It looked like iced apple juice, with a green straw and a paper parasol stuck through a maraschino cherry.

My hand was so weak I almost dropped the glass once I got my fingers around it.

"Careful," a familiar voice said.

Grover was leaning against the porch railing, looking like he hadn't slept in a week.

"What?" Poseidon, Triton, Theseus and Orion gasped in panic while Perseus filled in Bellerophon that his little brother had fought the Minotaur before getting to camp, he told him that this is also the ground why they couch has ten holes in it, courtesy of Theseus.

"Dad was only out for two days." Sally supplied at which the four relaxed.

Under one arm, he cradled a shoe box. He was wearing blue jeans, Converse hi-tops and a bright orange T-shirt that said CAMP HALF-BLOOD.

The Greek demigods and legacies from the future all grinned; this was that made the past heroes and the gods notice they orange T-shirts while the Romans wore purple with Camp Jupiter written on it.

Just plain old Grover, Not the goat boy.

At Bobby's and Felix's confused looks explained Jay that Grover was a faun and that they seem to be pretty different from the ones in New Rome and camp.

So maybe I'd had a nightmare. Maybe my mom was okay. We were still on vacation, and we'd stopped here at this big house for some reason. And...

"You saved my life," Grover said. "I... well, the least I could do ... I went back to the hill. I thought you might want this."

Reverently, he placed the shoe box in my lap.

Inside was a black-and-white bull's horn, the base jagged from being broken off, the tip splattered with dried blood. It hadn't been a nightmare.

"The Minotaur," I said.

"Urn, Percy, it isn't a good idea-"

"That's what they call him in the Greek myths, isn't it?" I demanded. "The Minotaur. Half man, half bull."

"And we all remember whose fault that one is." Athena said smirking which Odysseus mirrored.

"I wouldn't be grinning in her place." whispered Nathan to his friends who nodded in agreement.

"How old is he exactly?" Jason asked curiously.

"Twelve." whined Theseus, he was sure that the last chapter had given him some gray hairs as he worried for his little brother.

"Uh…he is pretty good." Bobby said to Jay who nodded.

Grover shifted uncomfortably. "You've been out for two days. How much do you remember?"

"My mom. Is she really ..."

He looked down.

"It seems that they also missed the fact that she was not killed." Katie said at which her mother scoffed.

"I would think that people in the future know how this vile creature likes abducting innocent people." Demeter said while glaring at her brother/son-in-law.

"Mother, leave my husband alone and if he wouldn't have taken her would she have gone permanently to the Underworld." Persephone growled at her mother who looked offended that she was siding with the Dark God when Orpheus spoke up.

"Lady Demeter, with all due respect I understand your scorn towards Lord Hades, but he is usually a just God in his decisions." Orpheus said at which his father beamed at him together with Persephone while Hades gave a reluctant nod of appreciation for his help. Seeing the Goddess of Harvest open her mouth again nudged Perseus his wife to continue.

I stared across the meadow. There were groves of trees, a winding stream, acres of strawberries spread out under the blue sky. The valley was surrounded by rolling hills, and the tallest one, directly in front of us, was the one with the huge pine tree on top. Even that looked beautiful in the sunlight.

My mother was gone. The whole world should be black and cold. Nothing should look beautiful.

Most people looked down sadly at this.

"I'm sorry," Grover sniffled. "I'm a failure. I'm- I'm the worst satyr in the world."

"You are not!" yelled all those who knew Grover.

"Beside that were you the one who found all Greek children of the Big Three." stated Luke, Sally and Enysswe making said brothers look up.

He moaned, stomping his foot so hard it came off. I mean, the Converse hi-top came off. The inside was filled with Styrofoam, except for a hoof-shaped hole.

"Oh, Styx!" he mumbled.

Thunder rolled across the clear sky.

As he struggled to get his hoof back in the fake foot, I thought, Well, that settles was a satyr. I was ready to bet that if I shaved his curly brown hair, I'd find tiny horns on his head.

But I was too miserable to care that satyrs existed, or even minotaurs. All that meant was my mom really had been squeezed into nothingness, dissolved into yellow light.

I was alone. An orphan. I would have to live with ... Smelly Gabe?

"You would only return to that thing if I faded away in that time you got to camp." Poseidon scoffed.

No. That would never happen. I would live on the streets first. I would pretend I was seventeen and join the army. I'd do something.

Grover was still sniffling. The poor kid- poor goat, satyr, whatever- looked as if he expected to be hit.

I said, "It wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was. I was supposed to protect you."

"Did my mother ask you to protect me?"

"No. But that's my job. I'm a keeper. At least... I was."

"But why ..." I suddenly felt dizzy, my vision swimming.

"Don't strain yourself," Grover said. "Here." He helped me hold my glass and put the straw to my lips.

I recoiled at the taste, because I was expecting apple juice. It wasn't that at all. It was chocolate-chip cookies. Liquid cookies.

"We want that to!" chorused both Bobby and Matthew at the same time.

"It would kill you the second a drop reaches your tongue, beside that it tastes for all of us different." Malcolm answered before turning away from the family which had hurt his sister, noting the tension Andromeda continued hurriedly.

And not just any cookies- my mom's homemade blue chocolate-chip cookies, buttery and hot, with the chips still melting. Drinking it, my whole body felt warm and good, full of energy. My grief didn't go away, but I felt as if my mom had just brushed her hand against my cheek, given me a cookie the way she used to when I was small, and told me everything was going to be okay.

Before I knew it, I'd drained the glass. I stared into it, sure I'd just had a warm drink, but the ice cubes hadn't even melted.

"Was it good?" Grover asked.

I nodded.

"What did it taste like?" He sounded so wistful, I felt guilty.

"Sorry," I said. "I should've let you taste."

His eyes got wide. "No! That's not what I meant. I just... wondered."

"Chocolate-chip cookies," I said. "My mom's. Home made."

He sighed. "And how do you feel?"

"Like I could throw Nancy Bobofit a hundred yards."

Those who were present by the first chapters grinned while the others looked confused about if that was now good or bad, but settled for the former looking at the fact that the others were grinning.

"That's good," he said. "That's good. I don't think you could risk drinking any more of that stuff"

"What do you mean?"

He took the empty glass from me gingerly, as if it were dynamite,

"It is more kind of a liquid combustion." Ace said when he noticed the fact that one of Enysswe's uncles was occasionally glancing at him from the corner of his eyes and not looking exactly pleased. "Uhm…En, one of your uncle's doesn't seem to like me much." he whispered to the raven haired girl.

"I'm not sure, but my mom thinks that he may have had a crush on your mom and went out of his way to annoy her as much as he could, kind of like why Lance's dad played so many pranks on his mom, but not sure." she explained at which Ace shuddered, not exactly liking the thought that his mom could have ended up with someone other then his dad.

and set it back on the table. "Come on. Chiron and Mr. D are waiting."

At this tried the Greeks to not look in Dionysus's direction while the future legacies smirked at the fact that in they time was the camp director Mr. P and not Mr. D.

The porch wrapped all the way around the farmhouse.

My legs felt wobbly, trying to walk that far. Grover offered to carry the Minotaur horn, but I held on to it. I'd paid for that souvenir the hard way. I wasn't going to let it go.

"Good, you have earned it so is it your spoil of war." Ares said approvingly, the fire in his eyes burning brighter and because he didn't possess sunglasses in the past were his eyes in plain view, making the Chases shudder in fear.

As we came around the opposite end of the house, I caught my breath.

"It happens to everyone." Castor said with a smile as he remembered the day he and his brother had come to camp and not only meet they dad for the first time since the death of they mom, but saw also they new home.

At the same time were Mr. Chase the Roman demigods, heroes of the past and some of the gods also leaning further in they seats, they were all curious about the camp for the Greek demigods.

We must've been on the north shore of Long Island, because on this side of the house, the valley marched all the way up to the water, which glittered about a mile in the distance. Between here and there, I simply couldn't process everything I was seeing. The landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, a circular arena except that they all looked brand new, their white marble columns sparkling in the sun.

"Your camp sounds beautiful." Gwen breathed, not only sounded the other camp pretty, but somehow gave the description also a more relaxed feeling to it then they camp had.

"If we really can change the future then we could show you all around if you would like, meaning much sooner then in the time of the children." Katie said to her when Silena also leaned over to talk with her sister, with Chiron and Lupa watching they charges from the side line, both stunned and pleased that they were not charging at each other like usually.

"I can teach those who like riding." Silena offered to her half-sister who nodded eagerly as she remembered that the other camp had pegasi like Skippy.

In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school-age kids and satyrs played volleyball.

The Romans looked stunned at this piece of information, not only were the fauns in he Greek camp doing productive work with searching for demigods, bringing them to camp and keep a look out for monsters, but they also took part in social activity. This strengthened Reyna's resolve to do something about the fauns at home and Dakota was also making plans to help her out as best as he could.

Canoes glided across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts like Grover's were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range.

Apollo and his kids grinned with Orion and Bellerophon also joining in; the only two of Poseidon's children who were not walking dangers if armed with a bow and arrows, Frank also liked the sound of that place.

Others rode horses down a wooded trail, and, unless I was hallucinating, some of their horses had wings.

Silena smiled, she loved riding classes.

Down at the end of the porch, two men sat across from each other at a card table. The blond-haired girl who'd spoon-fed me popcorn-flavored pudding was leaning on the porch rail next to them.

The man facing me was small, but porky.

"Uhuh…" come it from the demigods in orange while Chiron slapped his forehead which made Lupa look up at him with a raised eyebrow.

He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple. He looked like those paintings of baby angels- what do you call them, hubbubs? No, cherubs. That's it. He looked like a cherub who'd turned middle-aged in a trailer park.

"Excuse me!" exclaimed Castor and Pollux, that person was they dad and this was not a flattering description, meanwhile the other campers tried to hold in they laughter about Mr. D while the gods looked suddenly thoughtful, they gazes slowly turning to Dionysus who sat suddenly straighter in his throne.

He wore a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt, and he would've fit right in at one of Gabe's poker parties, except I got the feeling this guy could've out-gambled even my step father.

Now had Dakota also caught up with his brohters reactions and he didn't look pleased.

"That's Mr. D," Grover murmured to me. "He's the camp director. Be polite.

"To late for that." Apollo whispered to Hermes as they both looked over to they angry little brother.

"Someone is channelling they brother it seems." Dionysus growled while Theseus shifted uncomfortably in his seat. At the same time outside was Ariadne only shaking her head at the description of her husband.

"So it is my son whom I have sent there." Zeus mused to himself.

The girl, that's Annabeth Chase. She's just a camper, but she's been here longer than just about anybody.

Mr. Chase flinched at this mostly after seeing the disappointed look Athena was giving him.

And you already know Chiron..."

He pointed at the guy whose back was to me.

First, I realized he was sitting in the wheelchair. Then I recognized the tweed jacket, the thinning brown hair, the scraggly beard.

"Mr. Brunner!" I cried.

The Latin teacher turned and smiled at me. His eyes had that mischievous glint they sometimes got in class when he pulled a pop quiz and made all the multiple choice answers B.

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

He offered me a chair to the right of Mr. D, who looked at me with bloodshot eyes and heaved a great sigh. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to be glad to see you."

"You know that this is kind of rude brother." Persephone said to the Wine God, but he didn't know how to answer her, it was to far in the future.

"Uh, thanks." I scooted a little farther away from him because, if there was one thing I had learned from living with Gabe, it was how to tell when an adult has been hitting the happy juice. If Mr. D was a stranger to alcohol, I was a satyr.

Everyone snorted at that.

"With D being the God of Wine is that really no surpraise." Hermes snickered.

"Annabeth?" Mr. Brunner called to the blond girl.

She came forward and Mr. Brunner introduced us. "This young lady nursed you back to health, Percy. Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now."

The three sons of Hermes scowled at this, they hated how little place there was in they cabin.

"You have cabins?" Felix asked.

"Yes at the beginning was it twelve cabins for the twelve Olympians, cabin eleven was the Hermes cabin everyone stayed there till they got claimed" Luke said bitterly, that had casued so much grief ", but later dad made sure that the other gods also get they own cabins for they kids so in our time we have around thirty-two cabins in camp. The new campers stay in Lady Hestia's cabin" at this smiled the gods over at they sister/aunt who had a brigt smile on her lips, she didn't mind giving the weary or lost shelter and warmth "for two or three days, but never more then a week before moving into the cabin of they godly-parent." Luke finished explaining at which Travis, Connor and Chris looked pleased just like they friends. Waiting max for a week till you know where you belong sounded not that bad compared to the curent stand of things.

Annabeth said, "Sure, Chiron."

She was probably my age, maybe a couple of inches taller, and a whole lot more athletic looking.

With her deep tan and her curly blond hair, she was almost exactly what I thought a stereotypical California girl would look like, except her eyes ruined the image.

"Excuse us?" asked Athena and her children looking offended just like Odysseus and Fredric, they both liked Athena's eyes.

"I think your eyes look charming." Mitchell whispered to Malcolm who whipped his head to the side to look at the brunette with wide eyes, his face flushed crimson while the other only winked at him.

"There is more to the paragraph." Andromeda said suddenly stopping Malcolm from freaking out even more about the compliment.

They were startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty, but intimidating, too, as if she were analyzing the best way to take me down in a fight.

"Oh…" Athena said with a tint of a blush on her cheeks before she remembered that this come from a sea spawn.

"I probably will be doing that." Annabeth said blushing, Percy really seemed to be observant for the small details, she didn't notice her still embarrassed brother who turned away from the boy sitting beside him as he tried ignoring him.

She glanced at the minotaur horn in my hands, then back at me. I imagined she was going to say, You killed a minotaur! or Wow, you're so awesome! or something like that.

"I think you are facing the wrong girl from the wrong cabin young man." Lupa said, she could imagine a Venus/Aphrodite girl saying something like this, but not a Minerva/Athena child.

Instead she said, "You drool when you sleep."

There was a great deal of laughter at this while Athena looked at her daughter with a raised eyebrow.

"From all the things I could have said." Annabeth groaned, this was not like her.

"Yes, the above two suggestion would have sounded more romantic." Aphrodite said at which Fredric chocked while Athena glared at her.

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

"So," I said, anxious to change the subject. "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."

"Okay." Totally confused, I looked at the director. "And Mr. D ... does that stand for something?"

Apollo opened his mouth to give a list of words starting with the letter'd', but was stopped by the tip of a silver arrow only inches from his nose.

Mr. D stopped shuffling the cards. He looked at me like I'd just belched loudly. "Young man, names are powerful things. You don't just go around using them for no reason."

The demigods and legacies form the future nodded in agrement.

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

"I must say, Percy," Chiron-Brunner broke in, "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."

I tried to remember the beginning of the school year. It seemed like so long ago, but I did have a fuzzy memory of there being another Latin teacher my first week at Yancy. Then, without explanation, he had disappeared and Mr. Brunner had taken the class.

"You came to Yancy just to teach me?" I asked.

Chiron nodded. "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."

The past heroes, divinities, Chase family and the Roman demigos flinched, the later group starting to wonder how it would be for them if they would not all live togher in New Rome, to find out that you are a half-blood and the first test you are faced with is getting alive to your camp. Even if you were in the Wolf House for some time this didn't sound all to great and you would be have already got some trianing there and not make that way defenseless.

"Grover," Mr. D said impatiently, "are you playing or not?"

"Yes, sir!" Grover trembled as he took the fourth chair, though I didn't know why he should be so afraid of a pudgy little man in a tiger-print Hawaiian shirt.

"He shouldn't be, but I would like to know how this boy avoids to feel my wrath?" Dionysus asked the future legacies, his face red and not from wine.

"We think that you have a strange type of liking for dad and you two also are still in the middle of a small war with each other with you stubbornly insisting to get his name wrong, more then you tended to do by others." Sally explained to the God who still looked annoyed as did his sons due to the description no matter if it was the reality, they liked they dad.

"You do know how to play pinochle?" Mr. D eyed me suspiciously.

"I'm afraid not," I said.

"I'm afraid not, sir," he said.

"Sir," I repeated. I was liking the camp director less and less.

"Well," he told me, "it is, along with gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, one of the greatest games ever invented by humans. I would expect all civilized young men to know the rules."

The Romans were staring at Dakota somewhat warily while his dad looked confused together with the others from the past.

"I have no clue about what any of those three are." Dionysus finally admitted.

"The first one you will know in some decades I think, but I'm not sure, but soon, they are a Roman invention" Henry said with distaste, those games increased his grandfather's workload pretty badly and mostly that his uncle Nico was almost made part of such a game, not to mention that uncle Percy and Jason needed to take part in one. "The others are farther in the future." the gods nodded at this.

"I'm sure the boy can learn," Chiron said.

"Please," I said, "what is this place? What am I doing here? Mr. Brun-Chiron-why would you go to Yancy Academy just to teach me?"

Mr. D snorted. "I asked the same question."

The camp director dealt the cards. Grover flinched every time one landed in his pile.

Chiron smiled at me sympathetically, the way he used to in Latin class, as if to let me know that no matter what my average was, I was his star student. He expected me to have the right answer.

All demigods let out soft groans at this, knowing what Percy meant.

"Lupa and I only wish to make sure that you can survive." Chiron said smiling at his students both past and present; it was nice to see them again.

"Percy," he said. "Did your mother tell you nothing?'

"She said ..." I remembered her sad eyes, looking out over the sea. "She told me she was afraid to send me here, even though my father had wanted her to. She said that once I was here, I probably couldn't leave. She wanted to keep me close to her."

"Typical," Mr. D said. "That's how they usually get killed. Young man, are you bidding or not?"

"You had always been a brutally honest child." Hestia said to her nephew for whom she had given up her throne.

"I don't like beating around the bush Aunt Hestia." Dionysus replied to his aunt while the children looked thoughtful, it was true that if nothing else had Mr. D always been honest to them if they wanted it or not.

"What?" I asked.

He explained, impatiently, how you bid in pinochle, and so I did.

"I'm afraid there's too much to tell," Chiron said. "I'm afraid our usual orientation film won't be sufficient."

"Orientation film?" I asked.

"Then hopefully he explains everything to him or he will be pretty confused later on." Lee said with the others nodding in agreement with him. The Romans didn't ask after they remembered that unlike them they still don't have a city for the demigods so there were not many who could tell them everything.

"No," Chiron decided. "Well, Percy. You know your friend Grover is a satyr. You know-" he pointed to the horn in the shoe box- "that you have killed the Minotaur. No small feat, either, lad. What you may not know is that great powers are at work in your life. Gods- the forces you call the Greek gods- are very much alive."

I stared at the others around the table.

I waited for somebody to yell, Not! But all I got was Mr. D yelling, "Oh, a royal marriage. Trick! Trick!" He cackled as he tallied up his points.

"Mr. D," Grover asked timidly, "if you're not going to eat it, could I have your Diet Coke can?"

Dionysus only shook his head with a fond smile as he remembered a certain satyr, who choose the most odd times to ask him for food.

"Eh? Oh, all right."

Grover bit a huge shard out of the empty aluminum can and chewed it mournfully.

"Wait," I told Chiron. "You're telling me there's such a thing as god."

"Well, now," Chiron said. "God- capital G, God. That's a different matter altogether. We shan't deal with the metaphysical."

"Metaphysical? But you were just talking about-"

"Ah, gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Olympus. That's a smaller matter."

"Smaller?" asked the Gods looking offended at Chiron who held his hands up in surrender.

"I'm sorry." he said carefully while beside him Lupa snickered.

"Smaller?"

"Yes, quite. The gods we discussed in Latin class."

"Zeus," I said. "Hera. Apollo. You mean them."

"It is kind of amusing how he had left out his own father even with all those water references he makes." Reyna said in amusement.

And there it was again-distant thunder on a cloud less day.

"Young man," said Mr. D, "I would really be less casual about throwing those names around, if I were you."

"But they're stories," I said. "They're- myths, to explain lightning and the seasons and stuff. They're what people believed before there was science."

"What is that?" asked everyone from the antique at which both Bobby and Matthew snickered, but they mother hushed them again.

"You will soon know, dad kind of goes on a roll when one mentions science in his hearing range." Pollux said while shaking his head.

"Science!" Mr. D scoffed. "And tell me, Perseus Jackson"-I flinched when he said my real name, which I never told anybody- "what will people think of your 'science' two thousand years from now?" Mr. D continued. "Hmm? They will call it primitive mumbo jumbo. That's what. Oh, I love mortals- they have absolutely no sense of perspective. They think they've come so-o-o far. And have they, Chiron? Look at this boy and tell me."

I wasn't liking Mr. D much, but there was something about the way he called me mortal, as if... he wasn't.

"Of course, I had been one in the past, but not anymore." Dionysus said with a hint of disdain in his voice, it was not easy being the only God in the council who had a mortal as mother, his siblings tended to not take his option into account. Really the only two family members who were decent to him when they interacted with each other were his aunt Hestia who gave up her throne for him and his uncle Hades who had acted pretty fair to him when he went to his realm to get his mother and also Ariadne, two who were not even part of the council. His wife and children were another matter as was that silly satyr he called his best friend.

Meanwhile were the demigods all staring at the god while some of his half-siblings shifted in they thrones remembering when Dionysus first come to Olymphos how they pointed it out to him that he was the only one of them with a mortal mother. Hermes also felt kind of bad that he had also taken part of his younger brother's teasing even thought he had helped hide him away as a baby from Hera and he was also good friends with Pan. Hermes did not know that his brother Apollo was also thinking about the friendship between his nephew and they brother, but more about an incident when he comforted Pan about that lost music contest and Dionysus giving him a black eye for daring to scare his best friend.

It was enough to put a lump in my throat, to suggest why Grover was dutifully minding his cards, chewing his soda can, and keeping his mouth shut.

"Percy," Chiron said, "you may choose to believe or not, but the fact is that immortal means immortal. Can you imagine that for a moment, never dying? Never fading? Existing, just as you are, for all time?"

The nine legacies exchanged knowing glances, he knew it that was for sure, he had even rejected it, but there was always place for a second chance, it all depended now on the fact if he should accept it this time around or reject it like last time.

I was about to answer, off the top of my head, that it sounded like a pretty good deal, but the tone of Chiron's voice made me hesitate.

"You mean, whether people believed in you or not," I said.

"Exactly," Chiron agreed. "If you were a god, how would you like being called a myth, an old story to explain lightning? What if I told you, Perseus Jackson, that some day people would call you a myth,

"He gets to that level in less then two years, but max in four years from the time he arrived." Mich said grinning while everyone blinked in shock.

just created to explain how little boys can get over losing their mothers?"

My heart pounded. He was trying to make me angry for some reason, but I wasn't going to let him. I said, "I wouldn't like it. But I don't believe in gods."

"Oh, you'd better," Mr. D murmured. "Before one of them incinerates you."

Grover said, "P-please, sir. He's just lost his mother. He's in shock."

"A lucky thing, too," Mr. D grumbled, playing a card. "Bad enough I'm confined to this miserable job, working with boys who don't even believe.'"

He waved his hand and a goblet appeared on the table, as if the sunlight had bent, momentarily, and woven the air into glass. The goblet filled itself with red wine.

My jaw dropped, but Chiron hardly looked up.

"Mr. D," he warned, "your restrictions."

"Rest…" Dionysus started, but was interrupted by an indigent shriek, something similar the others experienced outside from the children of the Night Goddess.

"RESTRICTIONS!" Enysswe shrieked in agitation, invisible wind sweeping her hair around her like a black hallow, shadows and golden light whirled around her body as she stood up from her place, hands clenched into fists. "ARE YOU TRYING TO MURDER HIM?!" she looked furious as she marched in Zeus's direction who looked scared from the girl, but also confused.

"Enysswe calm down please!" Henry called out as he hurried after his cousin, but due to the two elements swirling around her could he not touch her without the danger of being seriously hurt.

"I will..." then she suddenly stopped and took out the scroll on which the message from the Fates had appeared and unrolled it, humming a tune under her breath the scroll started floating on a pillow of golden light. Everyone watched with wide eyes as she touched one of the pendants on the silver circlet on her wrist, how it turned into a Stygian Iron Sword with two silver wings as the guard, in the middle of the sword glowed silver symbols, an ancient script even the Gods remembered only faintly to have seen. Eyes widened in horror as she slashed her own wrist, letting the crimson liquid with a tint of gold fall on the paper, forming the words of a letter, when also the last word had appeared the scroll rolled up and Enysswe started humming a tune, the cut healing and her sword becoming again a charm on her wrist. "Someone will have a talk with Lord Zeus from our time." she said, but her eyes still were icy as she looked at the King of Gods while outside was Arete trying to calm down a crying Ariadne who had broken out into tears after Nemesis finished her explanation to the others about the ground of they outburst.

"Enysswe, what is wrong?" Apollo asked his granddaughter, not sure what to do and the room seemed to darken constantly around them. "What do you mean that he is trying to murder Dionysus?"

"I was informed about the fact that he was made camp director as a punishment and only left for council meetings, but I was never told that his properties were restricted." she spat the last lines out like venom. "This is something every child or descendant of Nyx gets told, if a divinities property of power gets restricted even if it is for a short while like fifteen years they powers start slowly to vain, they personality slowly goes blank with one emotion disappearing after another till the god or goddess fades away." at those words sat everyone up much straighter in they thrones and turned to the pale looking God of Wine. "If he is restricted from even making wine appear or wine grapes, this also cuts out the festivities with alcoholic beverages seeing how he is keeping an eye on children, the theatre thing is also not something you can hold every week at least once and I wont even mention the madness part so in others words is he not allowed to use any of his domains of power which will weaken him and then kill him." Enysswe finished with her explaining and the other demigods went immediately to comfort Pollux, Castor and Dakota who all had tears in they eyes while by the heroes of the past was Theseus conflicted about how to feel about the god who in a way had a hand in the death of his father.

"Would not be the first time I died in a painful way." Dionysus said after a few minutes of defeating silence at which his family and all those who knew what the Titans have done to him as a baby and even the happening before he was born flinched while the Romans paled slightly as they remembered how they ancestors diminished some gods properties and ordered them to others, they didn't want to know if those had survived or not because they feared the answer. "Beside that not that to many here would care anyway."

"You really need to talk with the primordials about things you should know father." come it suddenly from Persephone as she stood up from her throne walked past that of her husband and grabbed her half-brother by his arm and yanked him out of his throne. "You will come now with me and we will have a long overdue brother-sister talk." she told the stunned god and stared dragging him in the direction of the entrance.

"And we will also be going." said Artemis as she also stood up and grabbed Dionysus's other arm they siblings also standing up and walking over to they sisters.

"The girls are right, come D we go in the kitchen and I make you some warm milk with cacao powder in it." Ares said which made others gap at him while the future legacies only smirked.

"So this is where your mom gets her idea for making hot chocolate if someone is upset." Nathan whispered to Ace before walking over to the Roman side and nudging his father who got the message and walked carefully over to the standing gods.

"Perseus, Heracles after my knowledge are also children of Zeus so move it over here." called Artemis as the siblings made they way out of the throne room in the direction of the kitchens to talk with Dionysus and to show him that they did care about him leaving back an uncomfortable looking Zeus, Hera did not comment because she was not different from her husband only in the fact that when he was still a baby had Zeus done many things to protect him from her, but this was it as it seems.

"We should also go talking brother, we will continue in a hour." Hades suggested as both he and Hestia walked over to they youngest brother and grabbed his arms, pulling him in the direction of the other entrance.

"Chiron, you should also come." Hestia told they half-brother who nodded reluctantly after standing up and following his other siblings which left four divinities, the demigods, remaining past heroes and Chase family.

They spent ten minutes only sitting around with occasional reassuring whispers towards the three siblings who looked now slightly better and Henry trying to help Enysswe regain her breathing and to get back a bit more of her skin colour.

"Henry, do you need help?" at this Henry turned around to notice the younger version of his uncle standing behind him, looking a bit awkward and he could kind of understand why.

"That would be helpful, it may go faster." he said scooting a bit over to the side so that Will could also sit down beside them and take his daughter's hand into his, he was a bit startled that her skin temperature seemed to be different in different points on her skin.

"So…sorry to be a bother, I…I'm usually better at keeping my emotions in check." Enysswe said sheepishly, her breathing still a bit rough.

"Don't worry about that En, you knew something bad the others didn't, you had a right to be angry." Henry told his cousin while pulling a strain of blonde hair from her face.

"I agree with you cousin." Will said carefully, still confused about his daughter's skin colour which she noticed and let out a little laugh.

"Dad is the son of Hades, all children of my grandfather's have naturally colder skin temperatures then others while your dad is the God of the Sun this means that your skin is much warmer then normal." Will nodded slightly blushing as he remembered that he was often asked if he had a slight fever because his skin felt always warm. "Seeing that I was not born, but created is it understandable that my skin temperature would wary because of your two inherited aspects." this made sense and to be honest he felt kind of content sitting here close to his daughter and nephew while holding the former's hand, he didn't even notice the smile Lee was giving him before walking over with Michael to Orpheus to talk with they older brother, the others were also forming smaller groups and using the time to talk with either they siblings or grandkids.

Even Aphrodite who stayed back, Amphitrite and Triton were talking with Luke and Sally, moved over to have a little talk with Lupa who looked understandably panicked by that fact, but there was no way for her to escape from the other goddess.

Annabeth had just parted a bit from Malcolm who had grabbed Mitchell by the arm and dragged him a bit farther away and was now interrogating him about something. She did not know what it was, but her brother had a deep blush on his cheeks while the brunette son of Aphrodite was only smiling at him coyly. She shook her head and was about to seek out Odysseus the man her mum had favoured in the past pretty much, it was hard to imagine that the man was a legacy of Hermes, but oh well seeing some of they pranks did she need to admit that they were pretty witty, but her plans were interrupted by a familiar voice from behind her.

"Annabeth?" Fredric had watched the group of demigods and they interactions with each other, waiting for a chance to talk with his daughter without the boy he presumed was her half-brother giving him a cold look, but he was now arguing with a boy he remembered seeing in a few teen fashion magazines by some of his female students. He guessed being a child of Aphrodite gave you an instant access into the modelling branch.

"There is nothing we need to talk about, you are free from your burden and can enjoy a normal family." Annabeth replied, not turning around as she tired to ignore the man behind her.

"Annabeth I know that I have not been the best father in the world, I didn't even expect to be a father so soon I…" he was cut off by his daughter who finally turned around, her gray eyes which reminded him so much of her mother like dark storm clouds.

"You did a great job being the father of twin boys, you ignored me, Sue had ignored the fact that every night I got attacked by spiders, you didn't allow me to even play or be near my brothers without you two being present. Whenever something went wrong was I to be blamed even then when it had nothing to do with me. You don't know how hard it was to survive on my own, then I met Thalia and Luke, they gave me the feeling of how a family is like, my mother tried to look out for me as much as she could that I find my way to camp where I'm happy with my siblings and friends. You had never seen me as your daughter only a burden that was forced on you by a goddess" Annabeth said, tears threatening to fall from her eyes, but it did good to get this from her chest.

Fredric wanted to say something back that she was wrong, but he would be laying that she got it all wrong, true it had not been easy with his job and having a baby who was in constant danger from unnatural things. Though there was also the fact that were it not for Athena he would not have had his job and he should have known that his friendship to her would end up in something, she was a goddess. Then he met Sue and things started to look so much better and when the twins come was he ecstatic, but this was also the time Annabeth's scent got noticeable to the monsters and she would constantly be covered by scars, her stories of spiders attacking her in the night and the bite marks disappearing in the morning. He still wanted to talk to her, to tell her how worried he was when he got home and noticed that his daughter was missing, that he wanted her to come back home, to give them all a chance, but before he could say anything a large, muscled girl with stingy brown hair walked up to them and put a hand on Annabeth's shoulder.

"Come Princess, you brother is seconds away from straggling the Pretty Boy and that is not a good idea with his mother in the room." she said gesturing to the two boys in the back of the room.

"I'm on it Clarisse." Annabeth said in a grateful tone at which the other girl only nodded before heading over to the two children of Aphrodite to get them also moving, leaving a dejected Fredric to move back to his family.

"I take it that it went bad." Sue told her husband who only sighed, they twins were pouting because they were not allowed to roam around or to go to they sister who was now dragging a blonde haired boy back to the mat on which they were sitting.

"She has good reasons to be mad at me." was the only thing he replied while looking longingly at his child.


After the hour was over had all the gods returned to the throne room, Dionysus was immediately hugged by all three of his sons upon entering, his sisters only smiled at this while Ares looked in amusement at Apollo who was still panting after running around the kitchen nearly sixty times as he tried to get away from an angry Hermes who found out that his brother dared to bully his favourite son because of a dumb music contest. Zeus had been pushed in front of his son by his older brothers and made apologize and promise on the River Styx that he will never punish any of his children with the restriction of they power properties.

"Now that we are back can we continue." said Hera after they had all sat down and Chiron was looking strangely at Lupa who was blushing under her fur and muttering some not exactly pleasant things about the Goddess of Love who had taken out her list again.

Mr. D looked at the wine and feigned surprise.

"Dear me." He looked at the sky and yelled, "Old habits! Sorry!"

More thunder.

Zeus shifted uncomfortably in his throne as the others glared at him while Hades patted his nephew on the arm.

Mr. D waved his hand again, and the wineglass changed into a fresh can of Diet Coke. He sighed unhappily, popped the top of the soda, and went back to his card game.

Chiron winked at me. "Mr. D offended his father a while back, took a fancy to a wood nymph who had been declared off-limits."

"And I wonder why she was declared off-limits?" Hera asked her squirming husband testily while the others glare only intensified.

"Really father, you risk the life of your son because of a nymph you made off-limits?" Artemis growled at her father, she was really starting to get from where Apollo gets some of his tendencies regards running after people he develops an interest in and then being possessive.

"A wood nymph," I repeated, still staring at the Diet Coke can like it was from outer space.

"Yes," Mr. D confessed. "Father loves to punish me.

"I do not." Zeus said, but the raised eyebrows he got made him shut up, maybe he liked punishing people…a little bit.

The first time, Prohibition. Ghastly! Absolutely horrid ten years! The second time- well, she really was pretty, and I couldn't stay away- the second time, he sent me here. Half-Blood Hill. Summer camp for brats like you. 'Be a better influence,' he told me. 'Work with youths rather than tearing them down.' Ha.' Absolutely unfair."

"Our sentiments exactly." Travis whispered to his brother.

"How long should this punishment be?" Hades asked suddenly while looking at Chiron.

"One hundred years." replied the old centaur flinching when it occurred to him that his nephew would have probably not been in the best shape after his punishment ended.

"I see." Hades growled, his banning from Olymphos except one day a year was hard to bear, but at least in his case would it not end with his death, his little brother really needed to get a grip on how to be a better ruler.

Mr. D sounded about six years old, like a pouting little kid.

No one commented at this seeing how the air in the room was still tense.

"And ..." I stammered, "your father is ..."

"Di immortales, Chiron," Mr. D said. "I thought you taught this boy the basics. My father is Zeus, of course."

"Like for half of Olymphos." Poseidon said to his little brother who avoided everyone's gazes.

I ran through D names from Greek mythology. Wine. The skin of a tiger. The satyrs that all seemed to work here. The way Grover cringed, as if Mr. D were his master.

"You're Dionysus," I said. "The god of wine."

Mr. D rolled his eyes. "What do they say, these days, Grover? Do the children say, 'Well, duh!'?"

"Y-yes, Mr. D."

"Then, well, duh! Percy Jackson. Did you think I was Aphrodite, perhaps?"

"You wish." Aphrodite sniffed, but winked at the other God to show that she was not angry with him.

"Well, actually if D wants to he can look pretty good and…" at this Hermes interrupted his brother still out for revenge for his son.

"Yep, Apollo once failed to notice that he was talking to Dionysus and started flirting with him which resulted with D yelling at him to at least try keeping a tack on his brother and hung him from a mountain with wine plants, Artemis needed to get him down after three days." Hermes said laughing, even Dionysus snickered at the memory while Apollo sunk down in his throne his face burning with embarrassment while his children stared at him gapping while Octavian was doing his best to avoid Dakota's gaze.

"Uh…" was the only thing Travis could bring out.

"I will have problems looking at the Apollo cabin the same way as before." Connor said while his friends nodded in agreement.

"You're a god."

"Yes, child."

"A god. You."

"Seaweed Brain." Annabeth groaned not even noticing that she used her future nickname for her husband about which the kids told them not long ago.

"Our brother had guts." Bellerophon told his brothers.

"Unfortunately is it not always good." Theseus groaned with Orion nodding from beside him.

"Percy will be the death of us." he said while Andromeda glumped, in her option was the young demigod fortunate to have gotten away with a warning.

He turned to look at me straight on, and I saw a kind of purplish fire in his eyes, a hint that this whiny, plump little man was only showing me the tiniest bit of his true nature. I saw visions of grape vines choking unbelievers to death, drunken warriors insane with battle lust, sailors screaming as their hands turned to flippers, their faces elongating into dolphin snouts. I knew that if I pushed him, Mr. D would show me worse things. He would plant a disease in my brain that would leave me wearing a strait-jacket in a rubber room for the rest of my life.

Everybody flinched while listening to this, but they knew that the gods could be dangerous if one gets on they wrong side no matter who you are, this was why the demigods were not exactly fans of reading myths about they godly-parent because they didn't want to constantly think about what they could do to them if they disrespect them.

"Would you like to test me, child?" he said quietly.

"No. No, sir."

The fire died a little. He turned back to his card game. "I believe I win."

"Not quite, Mr. D," Chiron said. He set down a straight, tallied the points, and said, "The game goes to me."

"He never wins against Chiron." Malcolm said feeling slightly annoyed by the fact that Mitchell was still sitting beside him. During the break had he tried to interrogate the other about his earlier comment regards his eyes, but the only thing he got was that unnerving smile and some more compliments like how his nose scrunches up a small bit when he is thinking, how his eyes turn a lovely shade of stormy gray when he is angry and how they glint like real silver when he has figured out something or happy and more such things. In the end did he find out nothing and become only embarrassed and frustrated.

I thought Mr. D was going to vaporize Chiron right out of his wheelchair, but he just sighed through his nose, as if he were used to being beaten by the Latin teacher. He got up, and Grover rose, too.

"I'm tired," Mr. D said.

"I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight. But first, Grover, we need to talk, again, about your less-than-perfect performance on this assignment."

Grover's face beaded with sweat. "Y-yes, sir."

Mr. D turned to me. "Cabin eleven, Percy Jackson. And mind your manners."

He swept into the farmhouse, Grover following miserably.

"Will Grover be okay?" I asked Chiron.

"I like satyrs and that little one reminds me already to much of Pan and I haven't even met him so I will be decent to him." Dionysus said at which the children of the future flinched not sure how the god would react about the fact that the Lord of the Wild had gone missing.

"Do you think that it is coincidence that the satyr who finds Pan is the one with a similar personality like him?" whispered Misty to the others who nodded.

"It really seems as if it would have been destined for it to happen like that just like by mom finding grandmother's statue." Sally whispered back as they all looked at En who nodded that she shared they suspicion.

Chiron nodded, though he looked a bit troubled. "Old Dionysus isn't really mad. He just hates his job. He's been ... ah, grounded, I guess you would say, and he can't stand waiting another century before he's allowed to go back to Olympus."

The scowls and angry mutterings started again.

"Mount Olympus," I said. "You're telling me there really is a palace there?"

"Well now, there's Mount Olympus in Greece. And then there's the home of the gods, the convergence point of their powers, which did indeed used to be on Mount Olympus. It's still called Mount Olympus, out of respect to the old ways, but the palace moves, Percy, just as the gods do."

"You mean the Greek gods are here? Like ... in America?"

"Well, certainly. The gods move with the heart of the West."

"The what?"

"Come now, Percy. What you call 'Western civilization.' Do you think it's just an abstract concept?

No, it's a living force. A collective consciousness that has burned bright for thousands of years. The gods are part of it. You might even say they are the source of it, or at least, they are tied so tightly to it that they couldn't possibly fade,

"If no one makes some dumb mistakes like property restriction." Enysswe mumbled while the Romans shifted in they seats as both Chiron and Lupa bowed they heads slightly remembering those gods and goddesses who will be fading in the future.

not unless all of Western civilization were obliterated. The fire started in Greece. Then, as you well know- or as I hope you know, since you passed my course- the heart of the fire moved to Rome, and so did the gods. Oh, different names, perhaps- Jupiter for Zeus, Venus for Aphrodite, and so on- but the same forces, the same gods."

"Yes, we see the result of that shifting about which we were told." Athena said as she looked over at the Roman demigods.

"And then they died."

"Immortal Perce."

"Died? No. Did the West die? The gods simply moved, to Germany, to France, to Spain, for a while. Wherever the flame was brightest, the gods were there. They spent several centuries in England.

"Ah, looks as if we will be having fun travelling." Apollo said finally over his embarrassment.

All you need to do is look at the architecture.

People do not forget the gods. Every place they've ruled, for the last three thousand years, you can see them in paintings, in statues, on the most important buildings. And yes, Percy, of course they are now in your United States. Look at your symbol, the eagle of Zeus. Look at the statue of Prometheus in Rockefeller Center, the Greek facades of your government buildings in Washington. I defy you to find any American city where the Olympians are not prominently displayed in multiple places.

Like it or not- and believe me, plenty of people weren't very fond of Rome, either

"HEY!" yelled the Roman demigods while they parents looked at them with raised eyebrows.

"What does that mean?" Hera asked at which Lupa looked at the council.

"The Roman Empire was a military state founded by a child of Lord Ares, they were excellent and efficient fighters who concurred all states they had come across and forced them to become a part of the Roman Empire." Lupa explained while Ares grinned at the thought of one of his sons raising a strong empire.

- America is now the heart of the flame. It is the great power of the West. And so Olympus is here. And we are here."

It was all too much, especially the fact that I seemed to be included in Chiron's we, as if I were part of some club.

"Who are you, Chiron? Who ... who am I?"

"My son of course." Poseidon said grinning at which some rolled they eyes or snickered at his antics, the tension from before was slowly starting to dissolve.

Chiron smiled. He shifted his weight as if he were going to get up out of his wheelchair, but I knew that was impossible. He was paralyzed from the waist down.

"Who are you?" he mused. "Well, that's the question we all want answered, isn't it? But for now, we should get you a bunk in cabin eleven. There will be new friends to 'meet. And plenty of time for lessons tomorrow. Besides, there will be smores at the campfire tonight, and I simply adore chocolate."

"I would say you are obsessed with it." Lupa said while the Greek demigods nodded in agreement.

"Aren't they cute?" Aphrodite whispered to both her husband and lover who both shook they heads at this.

"Those sound like fun." Felix said while looking at his friends who nodded, they didn't have such things in they camp.

And then he did rise from his wheelchair. But there was something odd about the way he did it. His blanket fell away from his legs, but the legs didn't move. His waist kept getting longer, rising above his belt. At first, I thought he was wearing very long, white velvet underwear, but as he kept rising out of the chair, taller than any man, I realized that the velvet underwear wasn't underwear; it was the front of an animal, muscle and sinew under coarse white fur. And the wheelchair wasn't a chair. It was some kind of container, an enormous box on wheels, and it must've been magic, because there's no way it could've held all of him. A leg came out, long and knobby-kneed, with a huge polished hoof. Then another front leg, then hindquarters, and then the box was empty, nothing but a metal shell with a couple of fake human legs attached.

I stared at the horse who had just sprung from the wheelchair: a huge white stallion. But where its neck should be was the upper body of my Latin teacher, smoothly grafted to the horse's trunk.

"What a relief," the centaur said. "I'd been cooped up in there so long, my fetlocks had fallen asleep. Now, come, Percy Jackson. Let's meet the other campers."

"I can only agree with myself that thing gets really uncomfortable after a while." Chiron said with a small smile on his lips.

"This was the end of the chapter." Andromeda said.

"Then I will read the next chapter." Odysseus offered to the princess who handed him the book.

To be continued…


A/N: ok, like before here is a list about the new readers:

Mortals:

Jason of the Argonauts

Dr. Fredric Chase – father of Annabeth

Sue Chase – we didn't get a name for her so I made a name up for Annabeth's step-mom

Bobby and Matthew Chase – Annabeth's half-brothers

Demigods:

Children of Apollo – Orpheus, Lee, Michael

Children of Aphrodite – Silena, Mitchell

Children of Hephaestus – Beckendorf, Jake

Children of Dionysus – Castor, Pollux

Others: Bobby – Mercury/Hermes (made up seeing how we don't know), Felix – Tyche (we needed one more Roman), Bellerophon – Poseidon

Legacies:

Odysseus – Hermes

Trainers of heroes:

Chiron – Greek

Lupa – Roman

Also, to remind Jason Grace will go by Jay, Michael Valdez – Mich and Bobby (demigod) – Trickster.