VII. Lord of what?
Looking down at the new chapter title needed Odysseus to raise an eyebrow and to refrain himself from shaking his head. Really, the daughter of his Wise Lady had truly an interesting taste in young men, but of course would he not mention that out loud. He had seen what that girl with the tricoloured eyes could have done so he didn't wish to risk irking her wrath.
A Mortal Goddess indeed, though her purpose was veiled in front of him, but looking at her something told him that it was not positive, but carry a great meaning in the future.
I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom
At this broke many out laughing at the title while Ace had a scowl on his face knowing what would be happening to his mother in this chapter.
"I love Percy's titles." Travis gasped.
After the laughter died down could Odysseus continue in his reading, but even he had a small smile on his lips.
Once I got over the fact that my Latin teacher was a horse,
"I'm a centaur and not a horse." Chiron said slightly offended while Lupa rolled her silver eyes.
"Keep quiet Chiron, at least half of you is a horse so the boy was pretty accurate for someone who is probably still confused and coming down from a shock." the wolf chided him before turning back to the book, the demigods of both camps only snickered at the look Chiron had on his face as he tried to come up with a comeback, but could not.
"I'm still not a horse." he pouted which made Lupa roll her eyes again and shift her tail to rest beside her other side.
"Grow up, you had enough decades for that." she replied back while Apollo and Hermes laughed, the other gods were only smirking at the pair.
"Never knew that Lupa could be like this." Trickster whispered to the others who nodded in amusement.
we had a nice tour, though I was careful not to walk behind him.
"Huh?" Chiron asked while Odysseus shook his head, this guy had a knack to be amusing.
I'd done pooper-scooper patrol in the Macy's ThanksgivingDay Parade a few times, and, I'm sorry, I did not trust Chiron's back end the way I trusted his front.
"Excuse me!" Chiron broke out in embarrassment while all around him the others broke out laughing which took a good five minutes to calm down enough so that the King of Ithaca could continue with the reading, but even then could a few stray snickers still be heard.
We passed the volleyball pit. Several of the campers nudged each other. One pointed to the minotaur horn I was carrying. Another said, "That's him."
Most of the campers were older than me. Their satyr friends were bigger than Grover, all of them trotting around in orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirts, with nothing else to cover their bare shaggy hindquarters. I wasn't normally shy, but the way they stared at me made me uncomfortable. I felt like they were expecting me to do a flip or something.
"Were we?" Connor asked the nine behind them.
"Some of you might have the others not so sure." Misty told her dad.
"Also now he can deal better with stares whenever he gets surrounded by his fans." Luke laughed, but waved that they will understand after the books are done.
I looked back at the farmhouse. It was a lot bigger than I'd realized—four stories tall, sky blue with white trim, like an upscale seaside resort. I was checking out the brass eagle
All Romans sat up straighter at this.
weather vaneon top when something caught my eye, a shadow in the uppermost window of the attic gable. Something had moved the curtain, just for a second, and I got the distinct impression I was being watched.
The Greek demigods all shuddered knowing what was up there and that it moved, this was worse then a horror movie while Chiron looked intrigued. This was certainly something that hasn't happened since seventy years when that poor girl passed away and the Oracle refused to switch into a new body.
"What is wrong with you?" Felix asked as he noticed the strange reactions from the other group.
"Don't worry, you will understand soon." Henry said while exchanging a look with Enysswe.
What's up there?" I asked Chiron.
He looked where I was pointing, and his smile faded. "Just the attic."
"Somebody lives there?"
"No," he said with finality. "Not a single living thing."
All Greek demigods of the future shuddered again, but they were all nodding at which the Romans looked nervous while Apollo looked thoughtful, something in the back of his mind seemed to whisper to him that this had something to do with his Oracle, but he didn't know what, the picture was not clear.
I got the feeling he was being truthful. But I was also sure something had moved that curtain.
"Percy, please stop already with the thoughts about the attic in the Big House." Katie pleaded while she hung to the closest person beside her who happened to be a bet red Travis.
"Come along, Percy," Chiron said, his lighthearted tone now a little forced. "Lots to see."
"He is observant, that is a good trait for a demigod, it ensures they survival." Lupa said approvingly while Chiron nodded beside her.
We walked through the strawberry fields, where campers were picking bushels of berries while a satyr played a tune on a reed pipe.
"That would be our cabin." Katie said as she finally noticed to whom she was clinging and immediately let go before glaring at Silena who was beaming at her.
"Good, working on the fields is healthy, Kore also tended to do that before that unfortunate incident." Demeter sniffed while Hades rolled his eyes at his sister.
"Mother, my name is Persephone and my marriage was not an unfortunate incident, so leave it finally." Persephone snapped as she pulled in demonstration closer to her husband.
Chiron told me the camp grew a nice crop for export to New York restaurants
At this looked both Fredric and Sue together they didn't know that it is the camp from where most of the restaurants get they strawberries, pretty good ones to boot.
and Mount Olympus. "It pays our expenses," he explained. "And the strawberries take almost no effort."
He said Mr. D had this effect on fruit-bearing plants: they just went crazy when he was around.
"They do that around us also." Pollux said while Trickster started to suddenly look Dakota over who scooted somewhat away from him looking weirded out.
"What are you doing?" he questioned the other.
"I was just thinking how now I have found the perfect method to grow my favourite blueberries." was his only reply.
"You will not put him in the middle of blueberry bushes and make him stand there all day long." surprisingly Octavian spoke up with an annoyed expression. "I mean…Dakota needs to take care about the Fifth Cohort, he can't leave all the work to Gwendolyn." he corrected himself which made his fellow legionaries relax that he sounded normal again while by the thrones Aphrodite beamed like a little kid on Christmas morning.
It worked best with wine grapes, but Mr. D was restricted from growing those,
Cue growls and glares at Zeus who motioned to Odysseus that he should hurry up and continue.
so they grew strawberries instead.
I watched the satyr playing his pipe. His music was causing lines of bugs to leave the strawberry patch in every direction, like refugees fleeing a fire.
Again the Romans looked together; the fauns were really useful creatures.
I wondered if Grover could work that kind of magic with music.
At this all those who had heard Grover play snorted.
"Well, he will get better, but it will take a long time." Sally said at which the others nodded.
I wondered if he was still inside the farmhouse, getting chewed out by Mr. D.
"Grover won't get in too much trouble, will he?" I asked Chiron. "I mean ... he was a good protector. Really."
Chiron sighed. He shed his tweed jacket and draped it over his horses back like a saddle. "Grover has big dreams, Percy. Perhaps bigger than are reach his goal, he must first demonstrate great courage by succeeding as a keeper, finding a new camper and bringing him safely to Half-Blood Hill."
"So this is what a keeper is." mused Reyna.
"But he did that!"
"I might agree with you," Chiron said. "But it is not my place to judge. Dionysus and the Council of Cloven Elders must decide. I'm afraid they might not see this assignment as a success.
"Whatever, as I see it count Pan's and my voice more then that of those council members." Dionysus said while Hermes nodded whole heartedly, the younger demigods on the other hand did they best to not flinch all too visibly.
After all, Grover lost you in New York. Then there's the unfortunate ... ah ... fate of your mother. And the fact that Grover was unconscious when you dragged him over the property line. The council might question whether this shows any courage on Grover's part."
Cue growls and angry mutterings form all those who knew Grover which made the Romans exchange nervous glances with each other.
I wanted to protest. None of what happened was Grover's fault. I also felt really, really guilty. If I hadn't given Grover the slip at the bus station, he might not have gotten in trouble.
"He'll get a second chance, won't he?"
Annabeth flinched at his much to the concern of her parents as the gods remembered that she would have been dead if not for the satyr.
"This was his second chance Seaweed Brain." she whispered sadly the nickname coming easily to her.
Chiron winced. "I'm afraid that was Grover's second chance, Percy. The council was not anxious to give him another, either, after what happened the first time, five years ago.
Again Annabeth winched.
Olympus knows, I advised him to wait longer before trying again. He's still so small for his age..."
"How old is he?"
"Oh, twenty-eight."
At this looked a few people confused.
"What! And he's in sixth grade?"
"Satyrs mature half as fast as humans, Percy. Grover has been the equivalent of a middle school student for the past six years."
"That's horrible."
"We agree!" come it from most demigods, some of the gods and Annabeth's two younger brothers.
"Quite," Chiron agreed. "At any rate, Grover is a late bloomer, even by satyr standards, and not yet very accomplished at woodland magic. Alas, he was anxious to pursue his dream. Perhaps now he will find some other career..."
"That's not fair," I said. "What happened the first time? Was it really so bad?"
Cue flinch from Annabeth while her brother tried to comfort her.
Chiron looked away quickly. "Let's move along, shall we?"
"Subtle change of the subject." Lupa told her colleague who blushed.
But I wasn't quite ready to let the subject drop. Something had occurred to me when Chiron talked about my mother's fate, as if he were intentionally avoiding the word death. The beginnings of an idea—a tiny, hopeful fire—started forming in my mind.
"Uhoh…I have a bad feeling that I know what he is planning to do." Orpheus said nervously as he looked at the two rulers of the Underworld whose eyes also shone up in recogrinacion at which Hades groaned.
"Somehow, I think I may also know." Dionysus said while by the couch holding the heroes of the past also Hercules and Odysseus looked up, the later not even needing to read ahead to know what was going through the young hero's head.
"What?" Poseidon asked nervously, but when he looked at his older brother he groaned. "Perseus Jackson, I forbid you to go to the Underworld young man, you are too young to meet your uncle like that!"
"Sorry, granddad, but even before he went down there to visit uncle Nico and aunt Hazel had he gone there, you remember him learning first hand the difference between Charon and Chiron?" Luke asked they grandfather who was now groaning again in his throne while Amphitrite patted him on the shoulder.
"Chiron," I said. "If the gods and Olympus and all that are real ..."
"Yes, child?"
"Does that mean the Underworld is real, too?"
Cue more groans from the groups.
"I'm starting to understand what you meant Orion." Bellerophon said while massaging his forehead.
Chiron's expression darkened.
"Yes, child." He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. "There is a place where spirits go after death. But for now ... until we know more ... I would urge you to put that out of your mind."
"What do you mean, 'until we know more'?"
"We would also like to know that!" yelled everyone except the nine legacies and the two older Chases, though Mr. Chase looked curious.
"Come, Percy. Let's see the woods."
"I agree with the wolf-lady, you need classes in changing topic." Hermes said disappointedly before looking over at the demigods. "Boys."
"Already on it dad." Chris said while gesturing to Connor who was writing something in a black note book.
As we got closer, I realized how huge the forest was. It took up at least a quarter of the valley, with trees so tall and thick, you could imagine nobody had been in there since the Native Americans.
Chiron said, "The woods are stocked, if you care to try your luck, but go armed."
"Stocked with what?" I asked. "Armed with what?"
"Stocked with monsters and armed with weapons of course, doing it the other way around would be not the best idea." Connor said while putting away his notebook.
"Why do you have a forest stocked with monsters?" asked Reyna with a raised eyebrow.
"They use them for training." Lupa informed her at which the daughter of Bellona nodded in understanding.
"You'll see. Capture the flag is Friday night.
"It is like the War Games by us." Nathan supplied to the Roman demigods who suddenly remembered it having been mentioned by the kids a few chapters ago.
Do you have your own sword and shield?"
"My own—?"
"No," Chiron said. "I don't suppose you do. I think a size five will do. I'll visit the armory later."
I wanted to ask what kind of summer camp had an armory,
"A good camp for demigods needs they own armory." Jake said proudly, most of those weapons there had been made by them or they siblings who had come to camp before them.
but there was too much else to think about, so the tour continued. We saw the archery range, the canoeing lake, the stables (which Chiron didn't seem to like very much),
There was a good number of snorts both in and outside the palace.
the javelin range, the sing-along amphitheatre,
Apollo and his children grinned at this.
and the arena where Chiron said they held sword and spear fights.
Now it were Ares, Clarisse and Ace who were grinning.
Oh, yes, and there's the mess hall."
Chiron pointed to an outdoor pavilion framed in white Grecian columns on a hill overlooking the sea. There were a dozen stone picnic tables. No roof. No walls.
"That sounds really petty, but what do you do when it starts to rain?" Gwen asked with a raised eyebrow at which the other demigods only snickered.
"Don't worry, all of us have asked the same question at least once after getting to camp, you will probably read about it soon." Mitchell said smiling at his sister who still looked just as confused as her comrades and the others from the past.
"What do you do when it rains?" I asked.
"See."
Chiron looked at me as if I'd gone a little weird.
"We still have to eat, don't we?" I decided to drop the subject.
Finally, he showed me the cabins. There were twelve of them,
"Not anymore." Misty said while outside some of the minor gods and goddesses scowled a bit, but Hecate, Sophrosyne, Ariadne, Arete and the children of Nyx went to calm them telling them that they should hear all the books till the end and if nothing changes then this is one of the things they will make different.
nestled in the woods by the lake. They were arranged in a U, with two at the base and five in a row on either side. And they were without doubt the most bizarre collection of buildings I'd ever seen.
Some were leaning forth in they seats to hear a bit more.
Except for the fact that each had a large brass number above the door (odds on the left side, evens on the right), they looked absolutely nothing alike. Number nine had smokestacks, like a tiny factory.
"Ours." said Jake and Beckendorf at the same time while Hephaestus smiled proudly that the cabin of his children was mentioned first.
Number four had tomato vines on the walls and a roof made out of real grass.
"Mine." Katie said smiling before hitting both Travis and Connor on the back of they heads.
"Hey, what was that for?" the brothers asked while rubbing they heads.
"For placing chocolate bunnies and eggs on our roof last Easter." she growled at which everyone from the future snickered while those from the past asked themselves what 'Easter' was.
Seven seemed to be made of solid gold,
"Let me guess whom that belongs to." Artemis said as she looked over to her brother while three of his sons grinned at the mention of they cabin.
which gleamed so much in the sunlight it was almost impossible to look at.
"And I stand correct."
"Oh, come on little sis, cheer up." Apollo said while his twin glared at him.
"First don't call me 'sis' and second we are twins with me older with three minutes." she growled before gesturing to Odysseus to continue before her brother could say something.
"Say En, I always wondered is the Apollo cabin really made out of gold or does it reflect the light of the sun, one can never tell even when it is night and you aren't threatened to be blinded by it." whispered Mich.
"It is both actually." was her simple reply.
They all faced a commons area about the size of a soccer field, dotted with Greek statues, fountains, flower beds, and a couple of basketball hoops (which were more my speed).
In the center of the field was a huge stone-lined firepit. Even though it was a warm afternoon, the hearth smoldered. A girl about nine years old was tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick.
"He saw me?" Hestia asked stunned, usually only powerful demigods could note her presence when she was tending to the hearts around the known civilization. Her siblings only smiled at her warmly.
The pair of cabins at the head of the field, numbers one and two, looked like his-and-hers mausoleums,
At this bit most of the Greek demigods on they tongues that they don't break out laughing as both Zeus and Hera frowned while outside was no one holding themselves back and were rolling on the floor in amusement.
big white marble boxes with heavy columns in front. Cabin one was the biggest and bulkiest of the twelve. Its polished bronze doors shimmered like a hologram, so that from different angles lightning bolts seemed to streak across them.
Cabin two was more graceful somehow, with slimmer columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls were carved with images of peacocks.
"Zeus and Hera?" I guessed.
"Correct," Chiron said.
"Their cabins look empty."
Several of the cabins are. That's true. No one ever stays in one or two."
At this many jaws dropped both in and outside of the palace, the fact that Hera's cabin was empty they could understand, but that Zeus's cabin…was the Armageddon in front of them?
"Excuse me, but one of my sons is sitting right here so why is my cabin empty?" Zeus demanded before flinching and looking carefully at his fuming wife.
"I also doubt seeing Jay here that his current problem will be permanent." Hera said at which everyone looked questioningly at a blushing Zeus who didn't dare meeting anyone's eyes.
"What do you mean Lady Hera?" Jason asked the Queen who had a small smirk on her lips which suddenly made Artemis also smile smugly.
"Let's just say that Lady Nyx made certain that my dear husband remembers to never again set a hand on one of her children and descendants." Hera said smirking before continuing much to the dismay of her King. "I don't know what she did to him, we had only seen a good number of shooting stars crashing down and heard screams, but since that has a certain person on a good deal of occasions a little problem with a small success rate to boot."
There was a short silence before all men let out a painful yelp and crossed the legs protectively while the females all nodded in agreement about the revenge Zeus got form the angered mother.
"As for why some cabins are empty you will be cleared up soon." Enysswe said with a satisfied smirk on her lips, she perfectly agreed with her great-grandmother.
"Though I need to mention that even if my dad and me sleep in that cabin when we visit camp erm…it is not exactly the best place to sleep in." Nathan said in an apologetic voice to his grandfather.
"Why is that?" Zeus asked in confusion while the campers also listened curiously mostly Jay, he wanted to know why he doesn't like sleeping in his dad's cabin.
"Well it is all great and cool in there, but you have a statue in there which well, if you try to sleep the statue gives you the constant feeling that you are seconds about to blast everyone in the cabin with your lightning bolt." Nathan explained, really hoping that on the tournament week he can get his mom to allow him to sleep in the Big House like her, his grandmum Enyo really needed some Greek demigod kids for a second cabin option for him.
Meanwhile looked was Zeus busy spluttering while his family laughed at him that his statue creeps his own family out when they want to sleep, the demigods tried not to be amused, but the expression on Jay's face was making that really hard.
"Odysseus." Zeus finally managed to get out to stop his further embarrassment.
Okay. So each cabin had a different god, like a mascot.
Twelve cabins for the twelve Olympians. But why would some be empty?
Those who didn't know nodded, but the guys still had they legs closed.
I stopped in front of the first cabin on the left, cabin three.
"Let me guess, it is mine?" Poseidon asked when noting the smile of his grandchildren.
"Yes it is Lord Poseidon; it may be that you are calling him." Annabeth said, she didn't know why she thought this, but something told her that she was right.
It wasn't high and mighty like cabin one, but long and low and solid. The outer walls were of rough gray stone studded with pieces of seashell and coral, as if the slabs had been hewn straight from the bottom of the ocean floor.
"Knowing my husband it probably was." Amphitrite supplied.
I peeked inside the open doorway and Chiron said, "Oh, I wouldn't do that!"
"I will let him when we finally meet." Chiron said, so they had found the child of the prophecy and seeing that also a new generation is sitting here seem things to have turned out well for they survival.
Before he could pull me back, I caught the salty scent of the interior, like the wind on the shore at Montauk. The interior walls glowed like abalone. There were six empty bunk beds with silk sheets turned down.
"That sounds nice." chorused all present sons of the Sea God while the Greek demigods looked interested, they had not known how the first three of the cabins look like on the inside, but at least now they knew that cabin three sounded pretty cool.
But there was no sign anyone had ever slept there.
Cue confused looks from those who didn't know about the oath.
The place felt so sad and lonely, I was glad when Chiron put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Come along, Percy."
Most of the other cabins were crowded with campers.
At this Demeter shifted in her seat uncomfortably when spotting the gaze of her daughter while Hera shook her head at her family.
Number five was bright red—
Both Clarisse and Ace grinned at this while the Greek campers remembered that this was the colour the Ares cabin had painted they walls last week it was interesting to watch them.
a real nasty paint job, as if the color had been splashed on with buckets and fists.
And the grins dropped while the others nodded remembering the show.
"We go the job done and it was fun to do." Clarisse snapped and no one dared to say a word, well Michael would have, but both Lee and Will covered his mouth.
"So that is my cabin?" Ares asked his daughter, still not sure what to make about her.
"Yes it is." she replied.
The roof was lined with barbed wire. A stuffed wild boar's head hung over the doorway, and its eyes seemed to follow me.
Ares grinned at this; he liked how the cabin sounded while outside both Phobos and Deimos were whining about that they want to be there.
"And this was before they got the landmines hidden in front of it." Lance said while shaking his head.
"Landmines!" yelled the Greeks, but only Clarisse sounded happy at the news, the others looked slightly pale, mostly those who spent a good deal of they time in the infirmary putting people back together.
"What are those?" Ares asked in excitement.
"Let's just say that if you step on one it will easily blast of your leg if you are lucky, if not your whole body." explained Malcolm to an eager looking War God.
"I like what mortals make in the future." Ares said grinning like a maniac.
"And my family says that I'm the psychopath of the family…ugh…those mines will give me soo much paperwork and traffic jams that need to be taken care of." Hades whispered to his wife who patted his hand in sympathy.
Inside I could see a bunch of mean-looking kids, both girls and boys,
"Wait…what?" Ares suddenly looked pale again.
"Uhm…I have currently six sisters." Clarisse elaborated to her father who looked kind of panicked again while outside both Deimos and Phobos started gapping at the idea of sisters.
arm wrestling and arguing with each other while rock music blared. The loudest was a girl maybe thirteen or fourteen. She wore a size XXXL CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirt under a camouflage jacket.
Slowly the campers eyes travelled to Clarisse who looked behind them at the legacies who nodded to her that he was talking about her.
She zeroed in on me and gave me an evil sneer. She reminded me of Nancy Bobofit,
"The Hades I do." Clarisse snapped while the ruler of the Underworld leaned back in his chair.
"Why do people use my name as a curse word?" no one could exactly answer him.
though the camper girl was much bigger and tougher looking,
"I would finish of that girl in a matter of seconds." Clarisse growled threateningly while the Roman campers decided that they were happy that the children of Mars acted a bit more calmer then the children of his Greek counterpart.
and her hair was long and stringy, and brown instead of red.
I kept walking, trying to stay clear of Chiron's hooves. "We haven't seen any other centaurs," I observed.
"No," said Chiron sadly. "My kinsmen are a wild and barbaric folk,
I'm afraid. You might encounter them in the wilderness, or at major sporting events. But you won't see any here."
"Well, I think you will need to agree in some of these books that the Party Ponies are pretty useful Chiron." Lance said grinning.
"What do you mean?" Chiron asked, by best will could he not imagine a time when his relatives were useful for anything other then rioting parties.
"The next book will have a nice example in it." replied Misty for her cousin.
"Can you at least tell us what the next book is called?" Mitchell asked curiously.
"Sure, the next book is called Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters." Nathan said at which all the gods stiffened while both Jason and Odysseus chocked on they breathe and needed to be patted on the back by those sitting closest to them.
"Great, just great, my son will visit that place, hopefully will the rest of the book titles not be this bad." Poseidon said, but then noticed the looks the kids were exchanging. "Fine, what are the other titles, let's get over with at least those." he said.
"Uh…ok, but you should know that when the ten books were made had the Muses placed them into two series with two main titles the first five books belong into the series the Muses named Percy Jackson and the Olympians while the other was named Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olymphos." everyone nodded slowly at this while Henry continued the explanation. "The first book of this in the first series is the one we are currently reading the Lightning Thief while the second is The Sea of Monsters after that come The Titan's Curse, Battle of the Labyrinth and The Last Olympian while the other series consists from the books titled The Lost Hero, The Son of Neptune, The Mark of Athena, The House of Hades and The Blood of Olympus." he finished.
"Wonderful, most of those titles sound terrible and of course my son will have a mayor role in all of them." Poseidon moaned while his sons exchanged worried glances, they will have all gray hair when they finish these books.
"Uhm…those titles definitely sound interesting…" Annabeth said carefully, but at least she kind of had a clue how Percy will get so many titles which they children said he has if he plays a major role in all of these books.
"Also the Roman part of the group will be present in the second series." Nathan said to the campers in violet who nodded uneasily, those titles made them kind of nervous.
"You said your name was Chiron. Are you really ..."
He smiled down at me. "The Chiron from the stories? Trainer of Hercules and all that? Yes, Percy, I am."
Hercules smiled at his mentor that he had mentioned him.
"But, shouldn't you be dead?"
"His father's tact." Amphitrite said with a fond smile while Poseidon blushed and looked apologetic at his half-brother who only shook his head that it was fine.
Chiron paused, as if the question intrigued him. "I honestly don't know about should be. The truth is, I can't be dead. You see, eons ago the gods granted my wish. I could continue the work I loved. I could be a teacher of heroes as long as humanity needed me.
At this smiled the heroes of the past at they old teacher glad that he could still do what he was best at.
"And you will be forever needed Chiron." Annabeth said to the man who had in the past years become like a father-figure to her making her father flinch as he heard the affection in her tone.
I gained much from that wish ... and I gave up much. But I'm still here, so I can only assume I'm still needed."
I thought about being a teacher for three thousand years. It wouldn't have made my Top Ten Things to Wish For list.
"Not all are cut out to play teachers for all eternity." Lupa said while looking at the children. "Immortality can be interesting, but one should also always consider the prize one will pay." the children nodded.
"Doesn't it ever get boring?"
"No, no," he said. "Horribly depressing, at times, but never boring."
"Why depressing?"
Chiron seemed to turn hard of hearing again.
"Oh, look," he said. "Annabeth is waiting for us."
Annabeth blushed at this while some snickered as her father frowned.
"Way to change the subject Chiron." Hermes snickered while Chiron blushed; he really was bad at changing topics.
The blonde girl I'd met at the Big House was reading a book in front of the last cabin on the left, number eleven.
When we reached her, she looked me over critically, like she was still thinking about how much I drooled.
Annabeth groaned while the snickers started again.
I tried to see what she was reading, but I couldn't make out the title. I thought my dyslexia was acting up. Then I realized the title wasn't even English. The letters looked Greek to me. I mean, literally Greek.
There were pictures of temples and statues and different kinds of columns, like those in an architecture book.
"Because it probably was knowing Annabeth's obsession with architecture." Katie said to the still flustered girl.
"Annabeth," Chiron said, "I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy from here?"
"Yes, sir."
"Cabin eleven," Chiron told me, gesturing toward the doorway. "Make yourself at home."
Out of all the cabins, eleven looked the most like a regular old summer camp cabin, with the emphasis on old.
"Don't worry it got repainted and renovated somewhat after it was not so stuffed full." Misty said at which her dad and uncles started grinning.
The threshold was worn down, the brown paint peeling. Over the doorway was one of those doctor's symbols, a winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it. What did they call it... ?
Hermes, his kids, Athena and her children were already opening they mouths to say what it was, but Odysseus quickly read on.
A caduceus.
And they closed the mouths again looking pleased that he knew.
"George and Martha would be offended in any other case." Hermes said.
"By the way dad where are they?" Travis asked his father, he liked those two silly snakes.
"In my room, sleeping." Hermes said, he was not allowed to have them on council meetings so he always feed them before those and leaves them in his room.
Inside, it was packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds. Sleeping bags were spread all over on the floor. It looked like a gym where the Red Cross had set up an evacuation center.
"Just a question, would it kill you guys to snap your fingers and be over with it in the future?" Hermes asked while glaring at his family.
"Uh there was also the thing that some belonged to minor divinities and well seeing that someone made two not exactly good rules regards claiming." Nathan said carefully, but didn't need to elaborate as Hermes turned to glare at his father who looked uncomfortable.
"I hope that we have thanked your dad properly for solving that problem." Travis said frowning as he remembered how things were currently in they cabin.
"You did." Luke replied.
"Good, I would feel bad if I didn't." he said still frowning.
Chiron didn't go in. The door was too low for him. But when the campers saw him they all stood and bowed respectfully.
"Well, then," Chiron said. "Good luck, Percy. I'll see you at dinner."
He galloped away toward the archery range.
I stood in the doorway, looking at the kids. They weren't bowing anymore. They were staring at me, sizing me up. I knew this routine. I'd gone through it at enough schools.
"Well?" Annabeth prompted. "Go on."
So naturally I tripped coming in the door and made a total fool of myself.
Everyone laughed at the last comment.
There were some snickers from the campers, but none of them said anything.
Annabeth announced, "Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven."
"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked.
"I will be so glad when I don't need to hate this question anymore." Connor groaned, at least will it not take long till they will have it better.
I didn't know what to say, but Annabeth said, "Undetermined."
"And when this word doesn't fill us with dread." Chris added in while Frank felt kind of glad that even thought he didn't know his dad was he not clambered into a cabin.
Everybody groaned.
A guy who was a little older than the rest came forward.
Suddenly the legacies stiffened before Luke let out an audible groan which earned him a large deal of confused looks.
"Sorry if I will be during most of the books kind of moody, but you will soon understand what the problem is." Luke said while driving a hand through his blonde hair. "To be honest when I first found out about my namesake was I kind of sure that my parents hated me till they told me about the happenings near the end of that what you will read in the fifth book." he finished confusing everyone even more.
"Also I think the Fates have told you to not hurt anyone and that rule is important that it shall be kept so all of you should swear it on the River Styx, for those who don't know" with that Sally looked at the Romans "if one breaks the oath your karma will become pretty bad regards you safety so everyone."
"We swear on the River Styx that we will not hurt anyone no matter what we read in the books." everyone chorused as the sound of rumbling thunder filled the throne room making everyone outside look confusedly up at the sky.
"Now you can continue Odysseus." Mich said to the other who nodded.
"Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there."
The guy was about nineteen, and he looked pretty cool. He was tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile.
The Greek campers and Chiron were already sure who that was, but that what the children said made them both confused and nervous that something might happen.
He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different-colored clay beads. The only thing unsettling about his appearance was a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash.
Now they knew for sure who that person was and tried not to flinch at the reminder of his failed quest while the legacies tried not to react to the irony that he will be only in two years returning to the same place where he had failed his quest.
"This is Luke," She saw me looking, and her expression hardened again. "He's your counselor, for now."
"So you were named after one of my sons?" Hermes asked curiously as he looked at Luke who tried to control his features.
"Yeah, both hate and like the name at the same time, depends on which story one brings up regards him." he replied with a forced smile confusing everyone even more.
"For now?" I asked.
"You're undetermined," Luke explained patiently. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."
Hermes and his kids nodded at this.
I looked at the tiny section of floor they'd given me. I had nothing to put there to mark it as my own, no luggage, no clothes, no sleeping bag. Just the Minotaur's horn. I thought about setting that down, but then I remembered that Hermes was also the god of thieves.
"Damn, he remembered." Hermes said at the same time as Travis, Connor and Trickster which ended with the four grinning at each other. Mostly Travis and Connor were happy that so far in the past was they dad not fanning over Luke so much and paying them also attention, but they were still kind of nervous what could have happened which involved they brother.
I looked around at the campers' faces, some sullen and suspicious, some grinning stupidly, some eyeing me as if they were waiting for a chance to pick my pockets.
"How long will I be here?" I asked.
"Good question," Luke said. "Until you're determined."
"How long will that take?"
The campers all laughed.
"Come on," Annabeth told me. "I'll show you the volleyball court."
"I've already seen it."
"Come on."
"And so starts a returning theme of aunt Annabeth dragging uncle Percy with her all the time." Misty said giggling at which Aphrodite and her daughters squalled, Mitchell was till busy admiring the blonde who was glaring at him with lovely gray eyes, while Fredric chocked again having a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.
She grabbed my wrist and dragged me outside. I could hear the kids of cabin eleven laughing behind me.
When we were a few feet away, Annabeth said, "Jackson, you have to do better than that."
"Oh, he will soon in a few chapters." Sally said grinning; her parents were just too adorable even before they started dating.
"What?"
She rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "I can't believe I thought you were the one."
Annabeth glared at those who started sniggering while her father and step-mother exchanged confused glances with each other.
"What's your problem?" I was getting angry now. "All I know is, I kill some bull guy—"
"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth told me. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"
"To get killed?" Triton asked incredulously while Odysseus held back a smirk.
"To get killed?"
"Not again!" Triton groaned while covering his face with one hand as the others around him laughed in amusement.
"It is kind of fun how uncle Triton and dad are kind of similar, this could be the ground that they end up fighting. Given time they might get the same relationship as aunt Thalia and dad." Sally whispered to her still partly sulking brother who nodded back, glad that his sister was trying to keep him afloat.
"If he finally agrees they will have enough time for that." he whispered back.
"To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?"
"You children train to survive if you get attacked by a monster in the outside world." Chiron said in a stern voice as he looked at the girl he had particularly raised.
"I know Chiron, I sound so childish there." Annabeth said while handing her head, it seemed that her wish to finally go on a quest to prove herself was clouding her thinking.
I shook my head. "Look, if the thing I fought really was the Minotaur, the same one in the stories ..."
"Yes."
"Unfortunately." Theseus groaned.
"I'm sorry son for creating that thing." Poseidon said regretfully.
"Then there's only one."
"The only good thing." Theseus said shuddering at the thought of there being more then one Minotaur out there.
"Yes."
"And he died, like, a gajillion years ago, right? Theseus killed him in the labyrinth. So ..."
"Gajillion is not a word." said Athena, her children and Odysseus at the same time while Theseus beamed that his little brother remembered him.
"Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed. But they don't die."
"Oh, thanks. That clears it up."
"They don't have souls, like you and me.
"Even in that case can some of them be really nice and caring." Enysswe said in a confident tone, the other legacies nodding.
"You already heard about Mrs. O'Leary and you will hear about more soon." Henry said as he saw some sceptical looks coming they way.
You can dispel them for a while, maybe even for a whole lifetime if you're lucky.
"Which uncle Percy isn't." Misty said wistfully which made Poseidon and his kids pale.
But they are primal forces. Chiron calls them arche-types. Eventually, they re-form."
"So true." everyone said at the same time while the gods bowed they heads slightly.
I thought about Mrs. Dodds. "You mean if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword—"
There were some snorts at this.
"The Fur ... I mean, your math teacher.
Cue more snorts.
That's right. She's still out there. You just made her very, very mad."
"That is an understatement if I heard one." Henry said while shaking his head beside his cousin.
"How did you know about Mrs. Dodds?"
"You talk in your sleep."
"Awww you watched him sleep." Aphrodite squalled with her three children at which Annabeth blushed crimson making her father frown.
"I know mom, the Florence Nightingale effect when a nurse falls in love with they patient." Silena gushed with starry eyes before two strong arms were placed on her shoulders.
"Silena, you are in danger of starting to float up from the ground if you continue like this." Beckendorf told her calmly.
"Uh…ye..yes…" she stammered her face flushed.
"Looks like two of our kids will be in the future interested in each other." Aphrodite whispered to her husband who nodded.
"You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?"
"Yes, they are." come it from the two rulers of the Underworld, they grandchildren and all those outside who frequented down there.
"They are also granddad's most loyal servants." Henry said at which Hades looked over at his grandson.
"What do you mean Henry?" he asked fearing that he will not like the answer, but at least he knows that he did the right thing to trust Alecto and her two sisters.
"You will see soon unfortunately." no one liked that diverting answer.
Annabeth glanced nervously at the ground, as if she expected it to open up and swallow her.
"Nah, that would only happen if one of us would be there and command it, but you need to do more then comment on what job Alecto and her sisters do." Enysswe said nonchalantly.
"Reassuring." Octavian said.
"You shouldn't call them by name, even here. We call them the Kindly Ones, if we have to speak of them at all."
"Look, is there anything we can say without it thundering?" I sounded whiny, even to myself, but right then I didn't care. "Why do I have to stay in cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks right over there."
I pointed to the first few cabins, and Annabeth turned pale. "You don't just choose a cabin, Percy. It depends on who your parents are. Or ... your parent."
She stared at me, waiting for me to get it.
"You really should have shown him the orientation film or explained fully Chiron." Lee said sighing while Chiron nodded he really should have done that or at least told Annabeth to do the full explaining.
"My mom is Sally Jackson," I said."She works at the candy store in Grand Central Station. At least, she used to."
"We go still there to get candy on some occasions, but yes she now works as a writer." Luke said looking a bit happier that he could stop thinking about his namesake.
"That is good to hear, does she have already some published works?" Gwen asked curiously.
"Yep, a romance novel with the title 'Where the ocean and earth meet' and now she is working on a second book with the help of one of dad's adventures about which you will read in the Son of Neptune. The title of the book is 'When the eagle raises above Rome'." Luke supplied making everyone curious about those books.
"She asked grandmother Athena to make copies in ancient Greek and Latin so that everyone in the two cities and camps can read them." Sally added in for her brother which made everyone smile knowing that they will really want to read them, the Romans were mostly eager about her second book of course.
"I'm sorry about your mom, Percy. But that's not what I mean. I'm talking about your other parent. Your dad."
"He's dead. I never knew him."
Annabeth sighed. Clearly, she'd had this conversation before with other kids.
"More then I can count, the only drawback for being in camp the longest." she said while gazing up at the constellations circling above they heads on the ceiling.
"Your father's not dead, Percy."
"How can you say that? You know him?"
"Of course she does, but at that time not conversation personally only by sight." Travis said grinning.
"No, of course not."
"You know that you are contradicting yourself right?" Malcolm asked giving up on glaring at the annoying son of Aphrodite beside him.
"Leave me alone Malcolm." Annabeth said blushing while her friends grinned at her.
"Then how can you say—"
"Because I know wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us."
"You don't know anything about me."
"No?" She raised an eyebrow. "I bet you moved around from school to school. I bet you were kicked out of a lot of them."
"How—"
"Diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD, too."
"Mom, you are embarrassing him there." Luke said at which Fredric jumped up from his seat, his face pale.
"MOM!" he yelled in utter horror as he looked over at the siblings, now that he looked at them that boy had clearly the same hair tone like his daughter while that girl had her eyes.
"Yes dad, Luka and Sally who come here from the future are my children and Percy the boy we are reading about is they father and will be my husband in they time." Annabeth said to her father who was gapping at them.
"Bu…But…how old was she when…" he finally got out at which everyone looked over at the siblings.
"With all the things that complicated things for our parents they started dating when they were sixteen, they married with twenty and had me with twenty-three." Luke said much to the displeasure of his grandfather, but the demigods all nodded approvingly, with they usually short life time were those ages the best to start a family if one has the chance for it.
I tried to swallow my embarrassment. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Taken together, it's almost a sure sign. The letters float off the page when you read, right? That's because your mind is hardwired for ancient the ADHD—you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom. That's your battle field reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, Percy, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are."
All the Greek demigods from the future nodded in agreement while the Romans again were thoughtful about how much easier they had it with having New Rome were you could go to school and live normally if you don't want to join the Legion and over to Camp Jupiter. They were starting to feel a kind of respect for they Greek siblings for the way they lived in almost constant danger.
"You sound like ... you went through the same thing?"
"Most of the kids here did. If you weren't like us, you couldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar."
"Ambrosia and nectar."
"The food and drink we were giving you to make you better. That stuff would've killed a normal kid.
It would've turned your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead. Face it. You're a half-blood."
"They sound delicious, but not good." Mathew whispered to his brother who nodded, he would not try begging Annabeth to give him some.
A half-blood.
I was reeling with so many questions I didn't know where to start.
Then a husky voice yelled, "Well! A newbie!"
"I would say that this would be Clarisse." said Chris and Michael at the same time before the later shoot the former a displeased look while Chris only looked confused about what the others problem was. Clarisse was only surprised that both of them figured out from so little that it was her.
I looked over. The big girl from the ugly red cabin
"It is not ugly!" yelled Ares, Clarisse and Ace while outside Phobos and Deimos did the same much to the amusement of the others present.
was sauntering toward us. She had three other girls behind her, all big and ugly
"My kids are all bulky because of they muscles, that doesn't mean that they are ugly." Ares growled while Ace nodded, beside that he saw his mom dressed once for her wedding anniversary with his dad in a red dress and she looked really stunning in that.
and mean looking like her, all wearing camo jackets.
"You know that according to dad and a few of my uncles you really look better without that jacket?" Ace asked his mom who had a faint blush while looking at an embarrassed looking Chris while Michael scowled at the other boy. Ares was also glaring at Chris, but which made Hera look with amusement at her son.
"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"
"You usually have better comments then that." Clarisse said with a raised eyebrow, she was glad to have something other to think about then that her future son informed her that the guy she marries in the future, and is currently sitting not far from her, finding her more attractive without her usual camo jacket. She had never gotten a compliment from guys while she lived in the outside world.
"I know, I don't seem to have been on my right mind that day if all my comments before this are any indication." Annabeth said sighing she was acting so unlike her in this chapter.
"The first days when one gets a crush are always confusing." Aphrodite said sagely, but was ignored.
"Sure, Miss Princess," the big girl said. "So I can run you through with it Friday night."
"Yeah, go girl!" Ares cheered before he was attacked by a flock of owls which he turned after a few seconds of being picked at into scrap iron which he gathered up and handed his brother. "If you should get bored and want to tinker on something you usually have it easier to pay attention to the things around you." he said before sitting back down while everyone stared at him blinking, the demigods did not know that the two brothers had some kind of sibling like bond going on between them while Aphrodite looked thoughtful at her lover's words.
"Thank you." Hephaestus replied before sapping his fingers and letting some metal appear in his two sons' laps and all three went immediately to tinkering, but still listening to the book, they could really be more attentive if they hands were busy.
"No prob." his brother replied shrugging before waving his hand for Odysseus to continue, really only because he was dating his brother's wife and loved seeing his family fighting each other that didn't mean that he didn't like them.
''Erre es korakas!"Annabeth said,
"Annabeth Chase, don't use such language!" Athena snapped while her daughter blushed.
"Sorry mother, I was really not myself on that day and that was not because of a crush." she said when she saw Aphrodite and her children open they mouths.
which I somehow under stood was Greek for 'Go to the crows!' though I had a feeling it was a worse curse than it sounded.
"Yes, it is wishing someone to literally go to my realm." Hades elaborated, no one wanted to point out to him that he was talking to a book, they didn't want to know what would happen if they did.
"You don't stand a chance."
"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse said, but her eye twitched. Perhaps she wasn't sure she could follow through on the threat.
At this Clarisse muttered something under her breath which made those sitting the closest to her slightly back away.
She turned toward me. "Who's this little runt?"
"Percy Jackson," Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares."
I blinked. "Like ... the war god?"
At this some facepalmed while Poseidon and his sons muttered about Percy having no self-preservation at all.
"You got a problem with that?" Ares growled while Odysseus looked up from his book with a raised eyebrow before continuing to read. It seemed as if the gods personalities tended to get inherited in a good deal to they children not knowing that outside a certain set of twins said just the same as they father.
Clarisse sneered. "You got a problem with that?"
"Like father, like daughter." Apollo laughed at his slightly blushing brother and niece while outside the others were rolling on the ground at the expressions of Fear and Terror who were mortified to have said the same as they sister in the future, a girl.
"Does he have a God or Goddess guarding him all of the time, if you say that his luck is really bad and he doesn't seem to know when not to comment the wrong thing." Odysseus said as he looked at the nine legacies after having read the upcoming line in the book.
"Yup, my grandaunts the Fates find him highly entertaining, also his dad keeps constantly an eye out for him and tries to be there as much as he can use the loopholes in the rules, Lady Artemis is also much for him." Enysswe said at which some paled by the first part, Zeus scowled by the second part and then…
"Wait what!" yelled suddenly the twin archers in shock while Orion looked jealous that Artemis would favour his little brother.
"You will know why Lady Artemis likes him in the third book, it were the happening in that book that dad got the title Guardian of the Hunt, technically is he the only male who can be freely around the Hunt and even lead it if they need to split up because of something." Sally said which made Artemis sit back down pondering what a male could do that she allows him near her hunters, Apollo to decide that as long Percy doesn't make a move on his sister he wont try designating him while Orion still felt jealous, the others were only curious what could have happened in the third book before will glumped.
"Wasn't the title of the third book The Titan's Curse?" Will asked carefully which made Apollo look over at his twin sister worriedly, for a few seconds he saw a flash in front of his eyes, it was only for a few seconds, but he clearly saw his sister in her torn dress, shackled, golden incor dripping from her wounds, then it disappeared. He tried to hide his anxiety, but he couldn't help it, he didn't want anything to happen to his sister, she was far too important to him to let that happen.
"Continue Odysseus." Enysswe said sighing as she noticed the look in her grandfather's eyes, he will be worried for the most part of the third book when he finds out that his sister got taken.
"No," I said, recovering my wits. "It explains the bad smell."
There was a stunned silence before Poseidon and his sons groaned, some demigods and gods slapped they foreheads, Apollo and Hermes broke out laughing, the former forgetting his worry for a short time while Ares looked murderous.
"What!" he yelled together with Clarisse and Ace while outside his kids did the same as others sniggered around them.
"At least the Fates find him amusing and will keep him alive." Poseidon mumbled while massaging his forehead. "Maimed, but alive enough that he can help protecting Olympus, marry and have children." he tried reassuring himself as Amphitrite patted him again on the shoulder, yes, that demigods will truly be her champion in avenging her for all the times her husband had cheated on her.
Clarisse growled. "We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy."
All the demigods form the future shuddered at this as they remembered what type of initiation ceremonies children of the War God tended to do.
"So, this is when mom first started calling Uncle Percy by his nickname." Ace said in a thoughtful tone feeling the annoyance return, they were close now to that part of the chapter he won't like.
"Percy."
"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you."
"Clarisse—" Annabeth tried to say.
"Stay out of it, wise girl."
"Huh?" come it suddenly from the legacies as they exchanged confused glances with each other.
"What is wrong?" asked Perseus when he noticed the exchange.
"It is only that we didn't know that it was aunt Clarisse who gave dad the idea." Luke said while Clarisse blushed at the fact about being addressed as 'aunt'.
"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked curiously.
"Well, we told you that you tend to call dad Seaweed Brain while his constant nickname for you is Wise Girl." Luke explained to his mother who was now exchanging surprised glances with and equally shocked daughter of Ares.
"I think that it is actually a fitting name for you." Lee said to the blonde girl who nodded slowly, the blush returning to her cheeks while her father scowled again at the daughter of his daughter marrying so young.
Annabeth looked pained, but she did stay out of it, and I didn't really want her help. I was the new kid. I had to earn my own rep.
"Unfortunately is that true." said Hermes as he looked over at his siblings, beside Ares and Hephaestus who were both born here on Olymphos needed the others of them earn they reputation when being brought to the court of they father.
I handed Annabeth my minotaur horn and got ready to fight, but before I knew it, Clarisse had me by the neck and was dragging me toward a cinder-block building that I knew immediately was the bathroom.
I was kicking and punching. I'd been in plenty of fights before, but this big girl Clarisse had hands like iron.
Clarisse grinned proudly, she did train hard every day, there was a ground why she was still the Head councillor of her cabin.
She dragged me into the girls' bathroom. There was a line of toilets on one side and a line of shower stalls down the other. It smelled just like any public bathroom, and I was thinking—as much as I could think with Clarisse ripping my hair out—that if this place belonged to the gods, they should've been able to afford classier johns.
"Actually, we have better bathrooms, but those seem to always appear out of nowhere when a new camper comes." Katie said frowning with the other demigods.
"We are still wondering which God tends to send it there on that day because it is not dad and it even appeared when Lord Ares was busy taking part in a war so it could not be him." Castor said while the others looked thoughtful, but had no clue which of them would be the one doing that.
Clarisse's friends
"Sisters." Clarisse corrected.
were all laughing, and I was trying to find the strength I'd used to fight the Minotaur, but it just wasn't there.
"Like he's 'Big Three' material," Clarisse said as she pushed me toward one of the toilets. "Yeah, right. Minotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid looking."
Her friends snickered.
Annabeth stood in the corner, watching through her fingers.
Annabeth groaned at this while Katie hit the Stoll brothers over they heads.
Clarisse bent me over on my knees and started pushing my head toward the toilet bowl. It reeked like rusted pipes and, well, like what goes into toilets.
I strained to keep my head up. I was looking at the scummy water, thinking, I will not go into that. I won't.
Then something happened. I felt a tug in the pit of my stomach.
By the smile Poseidon and his kids were sporting were some leaning forth in they seats in amusement while Clarisse and her dad looked anything other then pleased, Ace had by this time already closed his eyes.
I heard the plumbing rumble, the pipes shudder. Clarisse's grip on my hair loosened. Water shot out of the toilet, making an arc straight over my head, and the next thing I knew, I was sprawled on the bathroom tiles with Clarisse screaming behind me.
I turned just as water blasted out of the toilet again, hitting Clarisse straight in the face so hard it pushed her down onto her butt. The water stayed on her like the spray from a fire hose, pushing her backward into a shower stall.
She struggled, gasping, and her friends started coming toward her.
But then the other toilets exploded, too, and six more streams of toilet water blasted them back. The showers acted up, too, and together all the fixtures sprayed the camouflage girls right out of the bathroom, spinning them around like pieces of garbage being washed away.
As soon as they were out the door, I felt the tug in my gut lessen, and the water shut off as quickly as it had started.
Everyone broke out into hysterical laughter at this, well except Ares, his kids, grandson and Aphrodite and her present children who were all wrinkling they noses as they imagined the scene.
"Percy is brilliant." Connor laughed with tears streaming down his eyes.
"Annabeth, brilliant pick in a guy." Travis told the blonde while holding his stomach while his dad and uncle had again fallen out of they thrones from laughing so much.
"I will pulverize that guy." Clarisse mumbled in embarrassment as she glared at everyone in her view.
The entire bathroom was flooded. Annabeth hadn't been spared.
Now was Athena also glaring with Fredric, Annabeth, Malcolm and Odysseus.
"Don't worry mom, you were hit by the shower water." Sally told her mother which lessened the glares, that sounded somewhat better then the toilets.
She was dripping wet, but she hadn't been pushed out the door. She was standing in exactly the same place, staring at me in shock.
I looked down and realized I was sitting in the only dry spot in the whole room. There was a circle of dry floor around me. I didn't have one drop of water on my clothes. Nothing.
"He only can get wet if he wants to." Poseidon explained while some of the demigods looked annoyed at the grinning sons of the Sea God.
"It is an annoying ability." Perseus mumbled as he glared at Theseus who grinned back at him.
"What do you mean son?" Zeus asked, but his son only shook his head.
"Not important." he replied before nudging Odysseus to continue which he luckily did.
I stood up, my legs shaky.
Annabeth said, "How did you ..."
"I don't know."
We walked to the door. Outside, Clarisse and her friends were sprawled in the mud, and a bunch of other campers had gathered around to gawk. Clarisse's hair was flattened across her face. Her camouflage jacket was sopping and she smelled like sewage.
She gave me a look of absolute hatred. "You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead."
"Dad really should have gotten a jar and put in one drachma whenever someone told him that." Luke whispered to Nathan who nodded in agreement with his cousin.
I probably should have let it go, but I said, "You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth."
"No self-preservation at all." Octavian noted while by the couch holding the heroes of old Orion looked up.
"Just like Bellerophon." he piped up while his brother glared at him.
"Great, he combines in his the personality parts of all three of his older brothers present in this room." Jason mumbled remembering his old friend and fellow Argonaut who was also a child of the Sea God, but more laid back then his brothers and with another set of his father's godly abilities.
Her friends had to hold her back. They dragged her toward cabin five, while the other campers made way to avoid her flailing feet.
Annabeth stared at me. I couldn't tell whether she was just grossed out or angry at me for dousing her.
"Probably both." Annabeth replied for her future self.
"What?" I demanded. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking," she said, "that I want you on my team for capture the flag."
"This was the end of the chapter your turn Jason." Odysseus said as he handed the book over to the other ruler who accepted it without complaint and turned to the right chapter.
"The next title is My Dinner Goes up in Smoke." which ended with the Romans looking confused while the others noded knowingly figuring out what the title stood for.
To be continued…
