Annabeth held Percy's hand as they walked to the dining pavilion together. It had been a long morning of cleaning and setting up the camp for some training later in the day, and Annabeth was starving. She chatted with Percy about some general new ideas for some camp upgrades- like a new set of armor that absorbs the hits you take and sends it back towards your enemy. Ever since they saved the world from the hands of Gaea and her near-death experience in Tartarus with Percy, Annabeth had been finding plenty of ways to distract herself from those memories. She wanted to make Camp Half-Blood a safer place for future demigods. Once they reached the dining pavilion where all their friends were eating their lunch at their designated tables, she split from Percy, giving him a small peck on the cheek before grabbing a plate of food for herself.
Outside the camp's defenses stood Theseus, a backpack slung over his shoulder. His face held an expressionless look as he peered over the hill and down at the puny camp. "Tsk," his lip twitched, "This is where he stays for months?" he muttered to himself, unable to comprehend why someone would willingly stay at a camp for the summer. He fixed his backpack and continued his journey down the hill until he came across the camp entrance. It was a large archway with the words 'Camp Half-Blood' carved into a wooden piece at the top. He grit his teeth as his eyes glanced over the name several more times. Over the past several years, Theseus felt a new resentment towards Percy after finding out the truth. Thus, anger built up inside him through the years since he escaped Poseidon's grasp. He wondered what life would have been like for him for a few moments if he wasn't tucked away from the world, and he joined this silly little camp. He shook the thought away. This is who I am, he thought, and there's no going back now.
Theseus entered the camp with ease, not a single person stopping him to which he took a note of. He noticed there weren't that many campers around until he looked at the time and realized they would probably be eating lunch right about now. He sighed and put on a smile that looked a bit too friendly. He then made his way around the camp and found the dining pavilion. He marched up the steps to find every camper stop their conversations, turn their heads, and stare at him. Theseus brought up his left hand and gave a small wave, "Uh, hey," he started, the silence making him uncomfortable. He looked through the crowd of kids until his gaze made contact with Percy's sea-green eyes. He smirked, "My name is Theseus."
Annabeth, who had just finished piling her plate with food, looked back and forth between Percy and Theseus. "Percy... he looks just like you," she pointed out. Soon after, plenty of other campers began to notice it too, and whispering broke out between them.
"He could pass for your brother, Jackson," one camper announced.
"You could be twins. Are you hiding something from us, Percy?" another shouted.
Annabeth set down her food and went over to Percy, who sat at the Poseidon table, "Do you know this kid?" she asked, only the slightest bit concerned.
Percy had been enjoying the peace of daily life at camp after the traumatic rollercoaster that was the past few months. Finally, he could feel safe and at home among his friends without having to worry about any of the weird or dangerous situations which had become commonplace in his life. His intention had been some peace and relaxation, an opportunity to rest finally. Still, he knew from years of previous experience that his intentions rarely aligned with reality.
Percy had stopped eating as soon as the stranger entered the pavilion. PB&J raised half to his mouth and frozen in place. The others were right; the newcomer did look remarkably like him – same green eyes and athletic frame, if slightly older. Annabeth's question roused Percy from his state of confusion, and he looked up at her, replacing his sandwich on the plate in front of him.
"This is going to sound insane," he said, peeking again past Annabeth to the stranger. "But I have no idea who he is." He ruffled his brown hair back away from his face and sighed in amazement. "Gods, it's so weird, like looking at a dusty mirror or something. I- Should I go say hi or something?"
Ignoring the rules of the dining pavilion, Annabeth sat down across from Percy at the Poseidon table. She turned her head to stare at Theseus, unsure if he was staring directly at Percy or it was just her imagination. "You don't have to, but maybe because he looks so much like you, you should. It feels strange looking at him," she answered, baffled that someone could prance into camp looking like he's Percy 2.0. "I wonder where he came from," she mumbled, taking notice of Theseus' clean attire, no injuries, scratches, or bruises, and the lack of a weapon or armor. Annabeth began wondering how this kid managed to get to camp without being attacked or chased by monsters. "He looks like a nice person, but something feels off about this guy, Percy," she warned.
"You're telling me," Percy chuckled. "I feel like I'm having an out-of-body experience." He stood and swiped his hands on the legs of his pants, brushing any crumbs away. "I'll go introduce myself, I guess. Make him feel welcome. Watch my back," he joked and gave Annabeth a quick kiss on the cheek.
Percy crossed the pavilion toward the stranger, forcing himself to maintain eye contact with him despite the surrealism of the encounter. He put on a friendly smile, although Annabeth was right – something seemed off.
He stopped right in front of the newcomer and held out his hand for a shake. "Hey, man. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. I'm Percy."
Before the other boy could respond, Chiron trotted (haha) over from the counselor's table where he had been enjoying a beautiful caesar salad. His brows were pinched together in concern as he eyed the newcomer, glancing uncertainly between him and Percy as though trying to piece together a particularly stubborn jigsaw puzzle. (A pastoral scene, 500 pieces.) Finally, he stopped pacing and addressed the newcomer. "We normally have a guard stationed at the entrance; I'm sorry no one was there to greet you. I'm Chiron." Chiron cleared his throat. One of his back hooves tapped against the ground anxiously, but he maintained his composure. "We have not heard about any new demigods coming to us. Who are you?"
Theseus had his eyes on Percy while Chiron introduced himself. He didn't care so much to hear the horse speak since his entire mission was to get close to Percy Jackson. Only when the centaur finished speaking did Theseus look up at him. He smiled through the sinister thoughts he had within, masking his true self, "Oh, please. There's no need to apologize. It was my fault. I should've waited by the gate." He extended his hand forward, "Theseus..." he took a brief pause to conjure up a last name until his eyes laid upon Percy once more, "Theseus Jackson."
Inside the dining pavilion, you could hear Annabeth choking on the water she was sipping. Everyone else remained dead silent, and no one dared to move. No one knew what to say, where to look, or what to do. After quickly composing herself, Annabeth made her way through the tables and stopped outside at the steps of the building, "Percy..." she faltered, unsure of what to say in a situation like this one. Was this guy related to Percy? Annabeth felt her stomach churn, not wanting to know the answer to that.
Percy was so taken aback that he had no idea how to respond. Instead, he burst into a fit of laughter. The whole situation, this Theseus Jackson, Percy's apparent body double, was too incredible to reconcile within the moment.
Chiron, too, seemed shocked by the answer to his question, and Percy's sudden outburst threw him even more off balance. "Well, um," he mumbled. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
After a few moments, Percy calmed down, wiping the corners of his eyes. "What are the odds, right?" he chuckled. "I'm a Jackson too."
"I would be happy to give you the customary orientation talk if you would accompany me to the Big House, Mr. Jackson." He closed his eyes for a moment when Percy's head jerked towards him in response. "Theseus," he corrected, sending Percy into a renewed round of giggles.
Theseus fixed the straps on his backpack, "I'd be happy to, sir." With one final look at his new fellow campers, he left with Chiron to be introduced to the rest of the camp. As he brushed past Percy, Theseus gave him a quick wink and a smirk before disappearing around the corner.
Annabeth watched him leave, "What was that..." She came down the steps of the building and stood beside Percy, "This is unsettling. So much for having some normality as we hoped," she sighed, wrapping her arm around his.
"As a demigod? No way. When have our lives ever been normal?" From steps of the dining pavilion, Jason overheard and made his way towards Percy and Annabeth. He stood beside Percy and clapped his shoulder, "What do you think about all this, man?"
Percy sighed. "I don't know what to think, honestly. Maybe I'm paranoid, but it feels like a test or something." He stared toward the Big House where Theseus had just gone. "It has to be a coincidence. Right? A crazy coincidence, but still."
Annabeth shook her head, "I don't know, Percy. Maybe it is, but the similarities are too strong to ignore. It would be best if you tried contacting Poseidon. He might know what's going on. If not, maybe your mom. I mean, I highly doubt she would forget birthing another son. Better yet, forget to tell you that you have a brother."
Jason shrugged, "Coincidence? Sure. Weird? Definitely. If Percy had a brother, I think he would have known by now. The Gods can't just hide away a whole child without the others knowing." He crossed his arms over his chest, "I say don't worry about it too much. He's just another demigod."
"Yeah, a demigod that looks older than us and seems to have evaded death long enough to finally reach camp," Annabeth chimed in.
"True," Jason agreed, "But maybe he's just a good fighter. Look, we know nothing of this kid besides his name. Let's have him explain his story before we make anything worse."
Annabeth nodded, "You're right. It has to be a coincidence. I guess we can talk to him later tonight. Hopefully, his godly parent will claim him then, and we'll finally settle this."
"I don't have a brother," Percy said resolutely. "I would know. Someone would have told me, I'm sure of it." The tiniest shred of doubt, a minuscule what if gnawed on the back of his mind, but he ignored it. There was nothing to do before he at least got to know the new kid. "Whoever he is, he must be pretty powerful, though. To have lasted this long without coming to camp. I am curious about his parent, even if it isn't Poseidon."
Chiron led Theseus to the Big House to introduce him to the camp lifestyle. He only halfheartedly gave his presentation, all the while considering the situation at hand. Who was this kid? Where had he come from, and who was his godly parent? And, above all, why did he bear such a striking resemblance to Percy? Chiron could not come close to answering any of his questions, and the uncertainty concerned him.
When the orientation was over, Chiron led Theseus to the Poseidon cabin to meet back up with Percy. "Percy will be able to help you out with any other questions you might have. It seems you already have a lot in common." Chiron gestured Theseus toward the cabin. "I have some things I must attend to."
"Thank you, Chiron. I'll handle it from here. I think Percy and I are going to be excellent friends." He shook Chiron's hand and watched as he left the cul de sac of cabins. He turned to face the cabin door, contemplating what he should say to Percy before knocking. He wondered if he should expose himself now or wait for a later time. If he revealed himself now, he wouldn't be able to jab Percy where it hurts. If he waited it out, he knew he would be able to come up with a foolproof plan that would place Percy 6 feet underground and himself on the golden steps. In a quick decision, he chose against it and knocked on the door before he thought otherwise.
