The year 2000 was a year on many emotional change, but not much actual change. No new wars emerged and no government ideologies emerged. All in all, it was just an average year, the perfect way to start a new millennium.
The city of Orlando was very bland with the exception of its world class amusement parks. From Disney World to Universal Studios, there was always something for each member of the family. Add to that a 75 minute ride to the beach, and you had the perfect city for the god of childhood to reside.
Ever since the 90's, Perseus had started to manage a hotel in Orlando. With hospitality being one of his domains, it wasn't long before the small hotel grew into a big conglomerate. Even with its big establishment, the High Season Hotel Spa maintained its policy of treating every guest as family.
Perseus loved to work hands on with the people. Any problem that they might experience, Perseus was there to fix it without any delay. From high executives to lower class families, everyone was able to enjoy the hotel at a great price. It broke the social barriers inside the hotel, as it delivered everything for everyone. There were high class restaurants for those sophisticated folks and McDonalds for those unfortunate families.
One day, Perseus was sitting in his office, doing some paperwork, when his phone rang. Not thinking twice about it, the god of tides picked up the phone.
"Mr. Jackson, your nine o'clock appointment with Ms. Love starts now. Should I send her in?" A female asked
"I don't have any appointments today" Perseus told his secretary
"No sir, you have this one appointment. The rest of the day is clear"
Perseus tried to recall a meeting scheduled for the day but failed to do so. As far as he remembered, he had decided to do all of the paperwork that day because he wouldn't have any interruptions.
Unsure of what to say, Perseus decided to let the person in. "Alright Claudia, send her in"
The office door opened and a woman entered. The woman held an aura of superiority, mixed with a flirtatious nature. Her skin was healthy tanned and her auburn haired flowed freely. To Perseus, this woman resembled his wife a little bit too much, which made him immediately cautious about her approach.
The woman swung her hips as she walked, able to seduce any man that would see her from a 100 mile radius.
"Perseus Jackson at your service" He extended his hand
The woman shook it lightly, "Amanda Love"
She sat in front of Perseus, putting her purse on her lap and one leg on top of the other.
"Well, what brings you here today Ms. Love. Is there something that you need fixed?" Perseus asked
"Oh nothing is the problem. I just came here to listen who you are Perseus. Tell me, who are you" Amanda said in a trancelike state.
Perseus, being caught off guard, was about to tell his whole life story to this new person, but something inside of him stopped him from doing so.
"You're Aphrodite aren't you?" Perseus asked
"Well aren't you a smart one" Aphrodite smirked
"What are you doing here Milady?"
Aphrodite sunk into the seat, "I just wanted to see the god that has passed in the shadows for a few decades now. First working as a lifeguard, then in a day care, then designing clocks, and now here in a hotel. Quite a life you've built by yourself"
"How did you find me?" The god of tides asked
"You think that a man who makes every girl he meets fall head over heels for him would pass unnoticed on my radar? Gods no. I think it was 1960...I'm not sure but it was after the Second World War when I first noticed you existed. Since then, I've tried to track you down, but just when I was close enough to catch you, you disappeared. How did you do that Perseus?"
Perseus shrugged his shoulders "I have no idea. If you have nothing else to say then I think you should get going"
"I'm not finished" Aphrodite said, putting her right hand up, "am I correct that you don't want the Big guy up there to know of your whereabouts?"
"I would prefer it that way, yes"
Aphrodite got a smug look, "then if you want for me to keep my mouth shut, then you will do everything I say"
"I'm sorry Milady, but I am married and would prefer not to cheat on my wife. Not only do I really love her, but she would also make me fade if I ever cheated on her" Perseus explained
"Oh don't worry about that, I don't want you to be romantic with me or anything of the sort. You know who Artemis is right? And about her hunters?"
"I've heard about them. Why?" Perseus told the goddess of love
"Basically what I want you to do is to act like a guardian for my kids. Guide them to Camp Half-Blood, make sure that they are not suffering with their parents, and protect them from whatever evil may bestow upon them"
"But what about the ancient laws?" Perseus questioned
"I'm sure there won't be any problem. After all, you had quite a few demigods on your Goddy Day Care" Perseus stared wide open at the new information the goddess had given him. "Now the first child you should look after is called Silena Beauregard. She lives with her father in Albany, New York, and being one of my most powerful children, she will soon be overwhelmed by monsters. Take her to Camp Half-Blood and your job will wait for me to give you another job right here."
Perseus got up and cracked his back. "Silena Beauregard, Albany, take her to Camp Half-Blood. Got it"
"Thank you Perseus. I know I'm basically blackmailing you, but I'm still grateful for what you're doing"
Perseus waved his hand "don't worry about it. You could've asked me without the blackmailing part though"
"Yeah, sorry about that. I just wanted to make sure you would do it" Aphrodite said blushing slightly
"Understandable, but I have to get going if I want to make it to your daughter today"
"Alright then. Good luck Perseus" Aphrodite said before flashing out. Perseus gathered his sword and knives, put on some more comfortable clothes, and flashed to Albany.
The problem with Aphrodite's logic was that she never gave Perseus an address, and Albany is a moderately big city.
"Just how am I supposed to find one child in this city?" Perseus muttered to himself
He walked around the city for hours, taking half an hour of break to eat lunch. In the end, Perseus was about to give up his search for the day, when he stumbled upon a small chocolate shop. Deciding that it would be a good idea to have some chocolates for his wife, Perseus entered the small and cozy shop.
The inside of the shop smelled like fresh made Belgian chocolate, and it had many pictures of chocolate being made and couples eating them together. It was a small shop, with probably only three round tables for people to sit.
Perseus went to the counter, where a early thirty year old man stood.
"Good afternoon sir, how can we help you today?" The man asked
"Yes, can I have a box of chocolates?" Perseus said
"Certainly, would you wish for it to have some kind of chocolate in specific?"
"Whatever you think it's best"
"Alright, I'll give you one of every kind then," the man began to put chocolates in a mid sized red box, "is this for someone special or do you just like chocolates?"
"It's for my wife. She has been out of town for about three days so I want to give her something when she returns" Perseus explained
"Ahh love, it is such a great thing while it lasts. I remember my first love. She was really beautiful, the most beautiful woman in the world it seemed," the man sighed "but then after having our daughter, she had to leave for personal reasons. I understood why she did it, but our daughter still resents her a little bit"
At this, the entrance door opened, revealing a small 8 year old girl. "Speaking of the devil. Silena, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in your modeling classes?" The man asked the little girl
"Mrs. Muller was acting really strangely. And she also stunk, so I came here to help you in the shop" the little girl explained
"Do you have any homework?"
"I already did it"
The man looked at his daughter with his eyes distrusting her words, but still accepted her help on the shop.
"That would be 8.69 sir" the young girl said
Perseus took out his wallet and began to search for money, only finding 100 bills in it. "You have an unusual name Silena. Do you happen to know a little girl named Silena Beauregard?"
The little girl looked at him weirdly, "that's my name"
Perseus eyes widened and then looked at the man, trying to figure out how this man got to be with the goddess of love. "Well Silena, I have to tell you something that I haven't told anyone."
"What is it?" Silena asked, inching forward in curiosity
"Do you ever wonder why your mother had to leave after you were born?" The little girl nodded "it's because your mother is a goddess. She sent me here to escort you to a camp where you'll be safe from all monsters, and where you'll make tons of friends. How does that sound?"
"It sounds too good to be true. How do I know that you're telling the truth? Do you really know my mother?"
"I'm guessing you have ADHD and dyslexia, right?" The girl nodded in confirmation "that's a sign of being a demigod. You'll have other powers later on, so in order to train with them you have to go to camp"
"But I don't want to leave my dad" the girl said sadly
"Don't worry Silena, you can visit me anytime you want. Your mother had told me about this, I just didn't realize it was going to be this soon" the father said
"Do you really think I'll like it?" The little girl asked Perseus
"Without a doubt. Now grab my hand, we have to get going. Monsters will hunt you down now that you know the secret" Perseus said, extending his hand
Silena took the god of tides hand with a strong grip.
"Wait sir, your chocolates" the man said
"Oh yeah sorry. This is all I have" Perseus handed him a 100 bill "keep the change"
The man looked at the god with a surprised look, unsure about wether to accept the money or not. He was broken from his state when the little girl hugged him hard.
"I'm going to miss you daddy" she said
"I'm going to miss you too. Remember that you can always come back when summer ends" Silena nodded
The grabbed Perseus hand once again, and headed out of the small chocolate shop. They walked to the outskirts of the city, then onto the woods east of where they once stood.
"Is it a long way?" Silena asked
"Yeah it's pretty long. If you want, I can carry you" Perseus offered. Silena nodded her head and put her hands up in the air. "Not that way. Put your legs on my shoulders, and sit there." Silena followed the instructions. "Now put your hands around my head and grab on"
Once Silena sat down and put her hands around Perseus head, he got up and began to walk faster in the direction of Long Island. Getting impatient, the god of tides began to run all the way to camp, taking the advantages of being a god for good use.
The pair arrived at the borders of camp in around a half hour. Perseus stopped just at the border, letting Silena off his shoulders.
"Final Stop, Camp Half-Blood. All passengers are required to pass the border and report to the Big House and meet Chiron, the wise centaur of the east. From the team of Percy's Choo Choo Transportation, we wish you a very good day" Perseus saluted Silena
Silena chuckled "you're funny Percy"
"Why thank you little princess." Perseus bowed down "remember, if anybody asks, you arrived here with the help of your mother. She guided your way here, ok?"
"Ok Percy. Thank you for helping me" Silena hugged the god.
"It's no problem, now go and make new friends"
Silena ran towards the camp, waving goodbye to her protector without ever looking back. Sighing, Perseus flashed away to his office in Orlando, continuing his job as a mortal hotel owner.
The little girl walked through camp, watching in awe the great structures and teenagers practicing combat. There was a lava wall, an archery range, an amphitheater, and twelve cabins in the shape of a U. Silena took notice of a division between the campers wearing an orange shirt and the girls wearing silver, but decided to ask about it once she met Chiron.
Silena spotted a sky-blue house, which was pretty big, and assumed that it was the Big House which Perseus had referred to. She decided to enter, noticing the many rooms right away. As she entered one, she noticed many injured campers. This shocked the young girl greatly, stepping back in surprise. She stumbled upon something, and quickly turned around in fear of what it might've been.
"Oh careful there child" the centaur said
"Are you Chiron?" Silena asked the centaur
"That is correct my dear. And who are you?"
"My name is Silena Beauregard, and I came here because my dad said it would be a safer place for me. I'm going to find out who my mom is right?" Silena asked excitedly
"Yes Silena, you will find out who your mother is. But first, lets get you watching the introduction video"
The daughter of Aphrodite entered a room, where she saw the introduction video. It explained fully the Greek World, along with what the camp was and why she had to be there. When she exited the room, Silena found Chiron talking to a girl, around twelve years old. She had auburn hair and silver eyes, very unusual for anyone.
"Chiron! I finished the video" Silena exclaimed, breaking the conversation between the centaur and the other girl
"Oh good. Now, Silena, go find a boy named Antonio Perez. He's 12 years old and a child of Aphrodite. Just look for the pretty boy with hazel eyes." Chiron told the demigod
"Ok, thank you Chiron" Silena left the Big House in search for her tour guide, leaving Chiron and the auburn haired girl alone
"A daughter of Aphrodite it seems" the girl said
"That's what I was thinking Milady" Chiron replied "if I may ask, why didn't you walk her to join your hunters?"
"She's much too young, and I sense that she has a father figure in her life. The last thing I want to do is deprive a young child of their family" the auburn haired girl remarked
"Not to be rude, Lady Artemis, but that didn't stop you before" Chiron voiced
"I know, but I've been thinking more about my hunters family. Most of them did not have anybody, but a few left their family alone to be part of the hunt. I don't know how much their parents were hurt, but since thinking about that, I've vowed not to make another parent suffer because of me" Artemis explained
Chiron looked at the goddess proudly, "since when did you start thinking about that, Milady?"
"A personal event that I would rather not get into much detail. Now let's go, after dinner my hunters will beat the Hades out of your campers" Artemis said grinning, walking out of the Big House with Chiron on her tail.