Hey guys. I'm really sorry that this is also a very small chapter, but along with homework and assignments, I can barely write one chapter per day. Also, the next few updates will be a little irregular, but I promise to update as soon as I can. And she will be claimed in a few chapters. Until then, Bye.

Chapter 5:

Arika's POV

In the cab, I sat in between Annabeth and Percy. Grover had left us saying that he had some work with the nature spirits in the park. It was because of that that Grover had come there in the first place. Then he claimed to have caught my scent. I was about to comment that I didn't that smell bad when Annabeth told me that Demigods smelled different than regular mortals. Well, that explains it.

We all were silent and in our own thoughts back in the cab. I could feel Annabeth's calculative gaze on me as we rode towards Long Island. I wanted to ask them so many questions. I mean, I just found out that the gods from my childhood bedtime stories were real and they managed the universe now. It was kind of crazy and I felt a voice in my head telling me that I was losing it. I pushed it out of my head and tried to think of something else. But I felt my eyelids droop and I was asleep the next second.

A gentle touch on my shoulder woke me up. I looked up and saw Annabeth and Percy looking down at me, smiling. I was surprised that I hadn't had a nightmare. I was used to waking up screaming and thrashing for those horrible dreams. I looked up at Percy and Annabeth. Somehow, being around them, I felt comfortable and, more importantly, safe. I rubbed my eyes and looked at them. "We're here Arika." Percy said.

I got out of the cab, not sure what I was expecting. From a distance, it looked just like a normal strawberry field, but as we neared, I realized how wrong I was. It was breathtaking. Outstretched, in front of me was Camp Half Blood. We stood at the entrance. I could see a pine tree at a distance. Thalia's pine tree, I remembered. Percy and Annabeth had shared some stories with me, the story of Thalia being one of them. On the pine tree hung something that looked like golden sheepskin. Protecting it was a dragon. He looked kind of cute, curled up under the tree.

We walked down into the camp. As we descended further into the valley, we passed what looked like the mini Coliseum, thought it was perfectly fine, and not in ruins like the real one. Then we walked past a place where satyrs like Grover and other Demigods were painting things and carving statues and models out of wood. We also passed the volleyball courts on our way to the Big House. There were some campers on the volleyball courts. They played excellent volleyball and something about them made me feel that they were related to each other. Whose children are they? I thought. "Apollo campers." Percy said, answering my silent question. Finally, we reached a big blue building, which I guessed was the Big House.

It looked like a normal building but it had an infirmary and also served as the main administrative house of the camp, as Annabeth told me. There we ran into a small guy. He was ought to be eleven or so. He looked like he had too much caffeine and was in a hyperactive mode. He was an altogether different level of reckless, and his mischievous grin made him look even more excited. I also noticed a small metal scraps in his hands which he constantly fidgeted with.

"Hey Harley." Percy said. "Do you know where Chiron is?"

"No. But I ran into Will earlier. He said he was going to Archery range where Chiron would be taking archery for Apollo campers." The boy Harley said.

Percy introduced me to Harley, who was supposed to be a son of Hephaestus. Well, atleast it explained the metal scraps. And I think the over enthusiasm was a demigod thing. I shook hands with Harley, who smiled like he was planning to do something extremely dangerous, not to mention illegal. But throughout the conversation, the mind was just stuck on one thing. One name, actually. This guy who we were going to meet. Chiron.

By whatever Percy and Annabeth had told me, I knew that Chiron was the activity coordinator at Camp Half the name Chiron was vaguely familiar in Greek Mythology. I just couldn't place a finger on that puzzle piece yet. Then suddenly it clicked. Chiron. Do they mean The Chiron?

"Wait a second," I said, making both of them stop. They looked at me. "Isn't Chiron the guy who taught all the great heroes in Ancient Greece?" Percy nodded at me, looking at me like it was no big deal.

"So, we're going to meet a person who trained the greatest warriors of Greek History?" I asked. They nodded again. "Okay. Got it." I said. As much as this place was freaking me out, I found it extremely interesting that you could go see people and monsters that were supposed to be long dead.

"Hey," Annabeth said, looking at me with a smile. "It may be a little overwhelming at first, but you'll get used to it." I nodded. "And just a heads up, Chiron is a centaur. He is a white stallion from waist down." She added. "Oh." Was all I managed to say.