"Wait." Hades said. "I need to check something first."

He flashed out of the throne room, and within seconds Olympus was shaking and it sounded like yelling? Screaming? A loud noise in the distance. He flashed back into the throne room looking, upset but doing his best to hide it. 'My Helm has been stolen' he thought. 'I have to sit through this book before I can do anything. UUUUGGGGHHHH.'

"What is wrong brother?" asked Zeus.

"Nothing." said Hades. "Read."

The future demigods figured he just found out his helm was stolen, they wondered how long it would take Zeus to find out his bolt was stolen.

Theseus cleared his throat.

I PLAY PINOCHLE WITH A HORSE read Theseus.

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

food.

Everyone looked at Grover.

"What." Grover bleated.

Everyone raised an eyebrow at him.

"Just because I am half-goat doesn't mean this dream was my doing." Grover said defensively.

Everyone chorused. "Uh-huh, I remember last chapter-"

"JUST READ." Grover yelled.

I must've woken up several times...The girl with curly blond hair hovered over me, smirking as she scraped drips off my chin with the spoon.

"Oooh were you his nurse?" Aphrodite asked looking at Annabeth.

Annabeth blushed crimson red and nodded. 'He was cute' she thought.

Everyone laughed.

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

"You expected him to know, before he even learned about the Greek gods being real?" asked Thalia.

"He defeated the Minotaur, I thought he had training and knew already." said Annabeth. It was a weak excuse she'd heard him talking in his sleep about how everything was strange. But they didn't need to know that.

She looked around...the girl quickly filled my mouth with pudding.

Everyone laughed.

"Although...thats not the only way to shut him up." Thalia said looking pointedly at Annabeth. Both blushed deep red. Everyone laughed harder.

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

"He seems disappointed." said Aphrodite. Her kids nodded in agreement. Both Annabeth's blushed again.

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.

Hera smiled at mention of Argus.

When I finally came around for good...my mouth felt like a scorpion had been using it for a nest.

"Ouch." said Leo.

Travis started. "Hey Conner, should we...you know...when Percy ge-" A knife had lodged itself in the pillow of their couch. They looked to find a very angry Annabeth glaring at them. Their planning stopped.

My tongue was dry and nasty...with a green straw and a paper parasol stuck through a maraschino cherry.

"Oh man, Nectar would go well with our Chips and Queso right now." said a drooling Apollo.

"Well, unless you want the demigods to burn to ash we will not give them any." said Hestia.

Apollo sadly nodded in agreement, he still wanted Nectar.

My hand was so weak...Maybe my mom was okay. We were still on vacation, and we'd stopped here at this big house for some reason.

"Afraid not." muttered Dionysus. Everyone was surprised he was paying attention, while he was reading a wine magazine.

And..."You saved my life...It hadn't been a nightmare. "The Minotaur," I said.

"There Kelp Head goes, sayin' every monster name in existence." said Thalia.

"Urn, Percy, it isn't a good idea—"

"We gave up trying a long time ago." said Nico.

Poseidon groaned.

"That's what they call him..."My mom. Is she really …" He looked down.

Everyone got sad, even though they knew Sally was ok. They imagined being twelve and losing your mother right before your eyes. For some of them it was true, and they tried to ignore the painful memory.

I stared across the meadow...The whole world should be black and cold. Nothing should look beautiful.

"Kelp Head is getting deep." said a sad Thalia. She would've made a joke saying something similar to Annabeth but figured now wasn't the best time.

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

"GROVER." screamed everyone. "That is not true in the slightest."

Zeus grumbled about stupid satyrs not doing there jobs.

He moaned...I was ready to bet that if I shaved his curly brown hair, I'd find tiny horns on his head.

"Yes we already know." said Dionysus.

But I was too miserable...have to live with ... Smelly Gabe?

"No." said Poseidon. "That would never happen."

Theseus smiled at the next line.

No. That would never happen.

Everyone laughed. Poseidon smiled and nodded in agreement.

I would live on the streets first. I would pretend I was seventeen and join the army. I'd do

something.

"He was so skinny he could barely pass as a twelve year old." said a smiling Annabeth.

"But you still had a crush on him." said Grover.

Annabeth turned deep red. "How did yo-" she cut herself off planting her hand over her mouth.

Everyone laughed. "Please Annabeth we already knew you had a crush on him when he first showed up to camp." said Thalia.

Annabeth become even more red if thats possible. Young Annabeth was also a little red.

"You better not tell Percy, that's embarrassing." said Annabeth.

"How so?" countered Thalia.

"I...I don't know...it just is." said Annabeth still very red. "Its not bad embarrassing, its just...what if he didn't start feeling the same way until he was older. He might think its weird and tease me about...playfully obviously, he would never be mean to me."

"Well, I know for a fact that he wouldn't think its weird." said Thalia.

"Why?" asked Annabeth who was recovering from her blush.

"Oh...I don't know...it might having something to do with him having a crush on you since he was 12." said Grover.

Both Annabeth's blushed and smiled brightly. Annabeth silently vowed herself to scold Percy for not asking her out sooner, and also to kiss him a lot.

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

"He would think like that." said Athena. She sent some owls to attack the unconscious Gabe.

I said...I recoiled at the taste, because I was expecting apple juice.

"Wonder what he will taste?" said Apollo.

"I bet it's his moms blue chocolate-chip cookies." said a thoughtful Nico.

"Did he tell you?" asked Apollo.

"No, they are just really good." said Nico starting to drool thinking about them.

"Well, I bet 10 drachma that it tastes like Hershey's chocolate." said Apollo drooling.

Artemis rolled her eyes. Everyone else was thinking suckers bet.

It wasn't that at all. It was chocolate-chip cookies.

"Told you." said Nico.

"Well now wait a minute. These could be any chocolate-chip cookies." said Apollo.

Liquid cookies. And not just any cookies—my mom's homemade blue chocolate-chip cookies

Apollo was staring at the book in disbelief. Then paid Nico who was smiling evilly.

"Alright I want to try those. No-one can resist Hershey's chocolate." said Apollo.

"Because all you need is something else to be addicted to." said Artemis.

buttery and hot...and told me everything was going to be okay.

"So sweet." cooed Aphrodite. Everyone smiled.

"Mamma's boy." muttered Ares quiet enough to avoid another shoe being thrown his way.

Before I knew it, I'd drained the glass..."Sorry," I said. "I should've let you taste."

"He meant well. But that would kill a Satyr." said Annabeth.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

His eyes got wide. "No!...throw Nancy Bobofit a hundred yards."

Everyone chuckled.

"That's good," he said...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.

"Spoil of War. Hold on to it." Ares said approvingly.

As we came around the opposite end of the house, I caught my breath...a dozen high school-age kids and satyrs played volleyball...Others rode horses down a wooded trail, and, unless I was hallucinating, some of their horses had wings.

Everyone smiled at the description of camp. The Romans thought it sounded beautiful.

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.

"Waiting for him?" asked Aphrodite looking at Annabeth who turned bright red.

The man facing me was small, but porky. 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.

Everyone laughed at Dionysus' description.

"You know...the kids got a point." said Hades.

"That little brat." said Dionysus.

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 stepfather.

"You bet I could." said Dionysus.

"That's Mr. D," Grover murmured to me. "He's the camp director. Be polite. The girl, that's Annabeth Chase. She's just a camper,

"Just a camper?" asked Annabeth looking at a sheepish Grover. "I thought we were friends."

"We are I just figured it wasn't important for him to know." said Grover.

"Next time I introduce someone to you, I'll say 'oh he is just a satyr'." said Annabeth glaring a Grover.

"Sorry." said Grover.

"It's alright, I'm not upset." said Annabeth. "Lets just read faster so Percy can show up, the fates did promise me that."

Everyone agreed, they didn't want to deal with an angry and upset Annabeth any longer.

but she's been here longer than just about anybody. 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.

Everyone chuckled.

"He just said it was Chiron." said Jason and Hercules mockingly.

Everyone glared at them.

"He had been calling Chiron, for almost an entire school year." said an angry and defensive Annabeth. "Of course he will call him by the name he is most familiar with, anyone would."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

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.

"You are one of those." complained older Travis and Connor. "Teachers that do that are sooo cruel."

Chiron just smiled.

"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 are supposed to be welcoming to the campers Dionysus." said an annoyed Zeus.

"But they are all annoying and it is bad enough I can't have access to the very thing I am a god for." whined Dionysus.

"Do you want your punishment extended?" said Zeus. Dionysus gulped and rapidly shook his head no.

"Zeus, I am sure he would be more welcoming to the campers if he actually got to enjoy it himself." said Hestia. "Him having to suffer without his wine, is like you having to live without being able to use your lightning."

Zeus thought about this, perhaps every now and then for Dionysus wouldn't be the end of the world.

"Alright, Dionysus...you can have your wine for one day out of every month.

"Uh, thanks." I scooted a little farther away..."Annabeth?" Mr. Brunner called to the blond girl.

"Why do I have the feeling he is going to be calling me the blond girl for a while" said Annabeth.

She came forward and Mr. Brunner introduced us. "This young lady nursed you back to

health, Percy.

"So Annabeth, how long were you taking care of him?" asked Aphrodite.

Annabeth blushed. "Um...75% of the time he was in there." Aphrodite squealed a little bit then asked.

"So what did you do while he was unconscious." ask Aphrodite. "I mean he was out for a while, so you couldn't have spent the entire time taking care of him."

"Well I was reading a book some of the time, and would look at him." said Annabeth. Then blushed as she realized what she said. "To make sure he was ok." she added quickly.

"Where you staring at him sleep because you thought he was cute?" asked Aphrodite again.

Annabeth blushed bright red. "Read." she said.

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

Hermes shook his head.

Annabeth said, "Sure, Chiron."...she was almost exactly what I thought a stereotypical California girl would look like, except her eyes ruined the image.

"What is that supposed to mean." said two offended Annabeth's.

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." both Annabeth's said sheepishly and blushed deep red. Everyone laughed at them.

'He thinks my eyes are pretty' they thought. Older Annabeth was going to cover her Seaweed Brain with even more kisses now. Maybe even...

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.

Everyone laughed.

"He knows better now." said Thalia.

'Well in private with Percy I am like that some times.' thought Annabeth.

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

Everyone laughed harder.

Young Annabeth looked to her older self and asked really.

Annabeth looked to her Younger self and said. "Yes, but it is really cute." making them both smile.

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

names are powerful things. You don't just go around using them for no reason."...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."...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."

"You make it sound like you killed him." said Apollo.

"No, I didn't we moved him to Hawaii." said Chiron.

I tried to remember the beginning of the school year..."You came to Yancy just to teach me?" I asked.

"Here is were the ego begins." said Thalia. Annabeth glared at her.

Chiron nodded. "Honestly, I wasn't sure about you at first...Nevertheless, you made it here alive, and that's always the first test."

"Test." said Sally incredulously.

"Grover," Mr. D said impatiently...I didn't know why he should be so afraid of a pudgy little man in a tiger-print Hawaiian shirt.

Everyone chuckled. Dionysus just glared at the book.

Annabeth dreaded what he thought about the other gods, he might not survive the reading. No. She wouldn't let that happen.

"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.

"The feeling is mutual." Dionysus said.

"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."

Everyone rolled their eyes.

"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."

Annabeth glared at Dionysus. Who wouldn't admit this to anyone shrunk a little bit at the glare. 'She is scary' he thought.

The camp director dealt the cards...She wanted to keep me close to her." "Typical," Mr. D said. "That's how they usually get killed.

Everyone glared at Dionysus.

Young man, are you bidding 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."

Annabeth's jaw dropped. "He didn't watch the video?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah, Chiron never showed him." said Grover.

Annabeth groaned.

"What?" asked a confused Grover.

"It's just when I showed him around, he kept asking dumb questions and I thought he was doing it to annoy me. But I guess it's because he actually didn't know. Which led to me being kind of mean on the tour, because I was annoyed." said a sad Annabeth.

"Well he clearly doesn't hold it against you." said Thalia. "I mean seeing as both of you sne-"

"OK THALIA. I GET IT." said a deep red Annabeth.

"Orientation film?" I asked. "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.

"Definitely not." muttered Theseus with a proud smile.

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

Everyone laughed. "He just learned the gods are real, and no one helps explain. Grover just eats an aluminum can." said Travis. Everyone laughed harder.

"Wait," I told Chiron. "You're telling me there's such a thing as God."...the immortal gods of Olympus. That's a smaller matter."

"Smaller?" said Zeus.

"I probably said it to calm him down, learning the greek gods are real can be pretty overwhelming from what is common knowledge in the mortal world." said Chiron nervously.

"Smaller?" "Yes, quite...to explain lightning and the seasons and stuff. They're what people believed before there was science."

"Another one talking about science." said Dionysus.

"Science!" Mr. D scoffed...put a lump in my throat...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.

"Huh. I guess he once thought it was a good idea." said Thalia.

"Well from his point of view, he had just lost his mother which was pretty much all he had up to that point." said Grover. Everyone nodded in understanding.

"You mean...little boys can get over losing their mothers?"

"Thats low." said everyone.

Chiron frowned and looked down.

My heart pounded. He was trying to make me angry for some reason..."Bad enough I'm confined to this miserable job, working with boys who don't even believe.'"

Zeus glared of Dionysus. Who shrunk a little.

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.

"I imagine that is pretty shocking to see the first time." said Apollo.

"So, what happened to your restrictions?" asked Zeus and Dionysus paled.

"Mr. D," he warned, "your restrictions." Mr. D looked at the wine and feigned surprise. "Dear me." He looked at the sky and yelled, "Old habits! Sorry!" More thunder. Mr. D waved his hand again, and the wineglass changed into a fresh can of Diet Coke.

"Old habits." muttered Zeus.

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."

"Wonder why she was off-limits." said a hurt Hera glaring at Zeus.

He shrunk from her gaze.

"A wood nymph,"...than tearing them down.' Ha.' Absolutely unfair."

"Feeling's mutual." mumbled all the demigods.

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

"He is a little kids sometimes." Apollo chuckled.

"And ..." I stammered...Mr. D were his master. "You're Dionysus," I said. "The god of wine."

"About time Pedro." mumbled Dionysus.

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?"

"As if." she glared at the wine dude.

"You're a god."

"Hard to believe sometimes." said Apollo, Dionysus glared but to no effect.

"Yes, child."

"A god. You."

"HA. Seems Percy agrees." said Hermes laughing.

Dionysus was really starting to hate this demigod.

He turned to look at me straight on... "Would you like to test me, child?" he said quietly.

"Stay out of my sons mind." said Poseidon glaring at Dionysus. He nodded rapid not wanting to suffer the wrath of the Sea god.

"No. No, sir." The fire died a little. He turned back to his card game. "I believe I win."

Dionysus looked hopeful. "Did I?"

"Not quite, Mr. D," Chiron said.

"Of course not." Dionysus sulked.

He set down a straight, tallied the points, and said, "The game goes to me."...But first, Grover, we need to talk, again, about your less-than-perfect performance on this assignment."

Everyone glared at Dionysus who was reading a wine magazine.

Grover's face beaded with sweat. "Y-yes, sir." Mr. D turned to me. "Cabin eleven, Percy Jackson. And mind your manners."

"Wow, he said his name correct." said everyone.

"That will be the only time too." said Dionysus.

He swept into the farmhouse...before he's allowed to go back to Olympus."

"Who wouldn't hate it. I wish I could live in my home." muttered a sad Dionysus.

"Mount Olympus," I said. "You're telling me there really is a palace there?"...The gods move with the heart of the West."...but the same forces, the same gods." "And then they died."

"Nope. Still here." said Apollo and Hermes.

Everyone rolled their eyes.

"Died? No. Did the West die?...Percy, of course they are now in your United States.

"Best place since Sparta." said Ares.

Everyone rolled their eyes again. 'How many times does he need to say that.' they thought.

Look at your symbol, the eagle of Zeus...I seemed to be included in Chiron's we, as if I were part of some club.

"Well you are a demigod." said Apollo rolling his eyes like he could hear.

"You do realize you are talking to a book." said Athena.

Everyone laughed.

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

"The Greatest Hero to have ever existed." said all the futures. Poseidon smiled with pride for his son.

Hercules and Jason scowled, and Zeus was fuming with rage. 'This boy is a threat and needs to be dealt with' he thought.

Hercules was going to kill the boy when he saw him. Although since he is a god he couldn't directly interfere, so he would need to get him to agree to a fight first. 'It will be an easy fight' he thought.

Chiron smiled...and I simply adore chocolate."

"Understatement." muttered everyone. Chiron had a light blush.

And then...Now, come, Percy Jackson. Let's meet the other campers."

"Alright that's it, a good calm chapter." said Theseus. "Hope there are more of those, I don't like worrying for my little brother." he muttered the last part.

"Can I read next?" said Paul. Theseus handed Paul the book.

I don't have a specific schedule for updating. But I try and write at least one chapter every day or knock out a chunk of it.

I do want to finish this though. Because I don't like incomplete things (although that doesn't apply to everything I am not OCD).

Next chapter will have some more story because I plan to bring in 12 year old Percy. And no I didn't forget Luke was in this, I am just keeping him quiet in the background and he will make an escape some time after the first night. Cuz I am going to give him a dream where Kronos talks to him.