Sam and I ran up the hill he had explained was called Halfblood Hill. All he had said was that on top of it was a large pine tree, and that once we passed it we would be safe. I couldn't wait.

My name is Jasmine Vecellio. I'm seventeen, and until a few days ago I believed I was a normal, average teenager. Except for my ADHD, but that didn't matter right now.

Ever since Sam had told me that I was a demigod - a child of a Greek God or Goddess who had an affair with a mortal ( human, basically ) - monsters had been attacking us. It took a while to let it sink in, but I had realised I needed to keep myself together if I didn't want to get killed.

Sam had led the way here, and he had told me that this was where he had stayed before he came to my school.

I could safely say that Sam was different. He was a satyr. Half human, half goat. He had furry brown legs and hooves for feet. I didn't mind, but it was a lot to take in. All the Greek myths that I had heard apparently weren't just stories - they were real.

We had been running from a monster that had appeared out of nowhere once we had arrived at Long Island Sound, an island north of New York, and we were finally close to the large pine tree Sam had been talking about all through the journey. I looked over my shoulder and saw the monster catching up on us.

Just a little bit more. I can do this. Sam ran next to me as we finally reached the pine tree. I jumped, and made a somersault right through what Sam had said was supposed to be the 'border', which would keep us safe, and I landed on my feet, on the grass.

Sam let out a huff, and I turned to him. "Out of breath, goat boy?"

"I told you to stop calling me that. I'm not a goat, I'm a satyr. Major difference there, Jasmine." Sam stated matter-of-factly.

"Whatever, goat boy." I had to hold in my laughter. Teasing Sam was always fun.

Before Sam could respond, somebody cleared their throat and I immediately turned in the direction of the sound. I was expecting a monster, but instead I saw a horse. Scratch that. It was a horse's body, with the upper half of a human.

"Okay, are their half-whales too, Sam? This whole human and animal clash is confusing me." I muttered under my breath, and the horse-man chuckled.

"No, child. I am a centaur. My name is Chiron, and I am Camp Halfblood's activities director. Sam had already informed us on your arrival in advance." His voice was deep and the way he spoke made me feel as if I was being drawn into another time era. I glanced at Sam, wondering how he had contacted the horse-m- I mean Chiron. He gave me a look that said 'I'll tell you later'.

Chiron spoke again, and my attention was drawn towards him once again. "Your name is Jasmine, am I correct?" I nodded. "Do you have any idea whether your Godly parent is a God or Goddess?"

"No, sir." I had a feeling that was how I was supposed to address him. "I never knew my parents." I bit my lip and looked down at the grass.

Sam spoke up, probably realising that I wasn't going to continue. "Chiron, she's powerful. I don't know who her father or mother is, but I have a feeling it's one of the Big Three."

I looked up at the mention of that term. Chiron had a thoughtful expression on his face, but I was simply confused. I had heard Sam say it once before, but for some reason he acted very distant whenever I asked him about anything that had to do with this world, and the Greek mythology. He said he wanted me to be safe before he spoke about it. I let it be at the time.

"The Big Three?" I questioned, looking back up at Chiron. Before he could answer, a girl with blonde hair ran up to his side. She was dressed in full armour, one I wouldn't have recognised if I had decided to sleep through the History lesson about the Trojan War a few months ago.

"Chiron, I've nearly fini- who is she?"

Chiron smiled. "Annabeth, this is Jasmine. She's the demigod I told you about. The one Sam found in New York."

I blushed. Chiron spoke with some sort of fascination, as if I had done something very heroic to impress him. I couldn't think of anything I had done to deserve such affection.

"How old are you?" Annabeth asked, narrowing her eyes at me. I gulped. Was she looking down at me?

"Annabeth." Chiron warned, his voice stern. Sam let out a low chuckle, while Annabeth blushed and looked away. I thought I heard her mutter an apology, but I could have imagined it. Chiron seemed to remember Sam and nodded at the satyr. Sam bowed his head and left. I frowned, but figured it was an eye contact thing.

I looked back at the blonde girl. "I'm seventeen."

"What?!" Annabeth exclaimed. I flinched at her tone and her stormy grey eyes immediately softened. "Sorry, Jasmine. It's just that it's even an uncommon occurrence that a demigod arrives here when they're older than fourteen. Seventeen? Well, some of us don't even survive for that long."

"Why?" It came out before I realised how stupid it sounded. I could feel the colour rush to my cheeks once again.

Annabeth smiled, and it calmed my racing heart. "I expect you encountered monsters on the way, right?" I nodded, and her expression saddened. "Yes, well most of us have to endure that very often. Except when we're at camp. That pine tree keeps us safe. Here, we train for the monsters we might encounter once we go back into the mortal world."

"Oh." Was all I said. I couldn't form any other words. All I could think of was why I hadn't been attacked before.

"Perhaps you were not disturbed because you were not aware of your true identity." Chiron said, as if reading my mind. Annabeth looked at him and shook her head. She was frowning, as if she was thinking hard. "But Chiron, if she's truly a daughter of the Big Three, like Sam said, then she should have been attacked before. That's what happened to Percy, and Thalia, too."

Chiron sighed. "This is a discussion we will postpone for another day. Annabeth, why don't you show Jasmine the camp and introduce her to the Hermes cabin. I have some business to attend to."

"Sure, Chiron." Annabeth said, smiling at me. "Come on, I bet you're exhausted."

As soon as she mentioned it I felt my eyes slowly droop. Annabeth laughed. "Oh, you're definitely tired. Let's make this quick."

I nodded. She took off, and I quickly followed her though my feet felt like lead. Thankfully I easily caught up with her, and she showed me around camp. She made it quick as she had said she would, and promised she'd explain everything in detail after I had some proper sleep.

We finally got to Cabin 11 which was Hermes' Cabin. It looked old and battered, as if it had been used severely for decades. There was a caduceus above the door, and the peeling brown paint actually gave it some sort of ... welcoming vibe. I didn't know why, but I felt safe.

"This is Hermes' Cabin. You'll be staying here until you get claimed." Annabeth explained. "Thankfully the gods have been doing that more lately, so under the best circumstances you'll be staying here for a few days, maybe a week."

I nodded, unsure of what to say. All I could think of was sleep. Relaxing, peaceful sleep. Annabeth laughed when I stifled a yawn. "Go take a nap, Jasmine. I'll alert Connor that he has a new cabin mate, and hopefully he'll wake you up before dinner."

"Okay. Thanks for showing me around." I managed a weak smile, and Annabeth shrugged. "No problem."

I headed off into the cabin, finding a neatly organised place with a few bunk beds against the wall. There were a few which were unmade, but there was one that was, and it looked as if it hadn't been used. Since there was nobody around, I decided to crawl under the sheets and close my eyes.

Sleep came with ease, probably because I was physically exhausted. I finally relaxed, and soon I was drifting away.

"Jasmine! Wake up." Somebody was shaking me, and I jolted awake. A boy with curly brown hair was standing next to my bunk, and I blinked a few times before his face became clear. He had striking blue eyes, and a sharp chiselled jaw. He was wearing an orange t-shirt and jeans, a pairing I had seen a few other campers wear as well while Annabeth had shown me around.

"Hello...?" I mumbled, sitting up. He stared at me for a while, hardly blinking. I blushed as I realised I probably looked like a mess. "I'm Connor, Connor Stoll." He introduced himself with a smile that made me feel extremely comfortable, and it clicked. This guy was who Annabeth had said would wake me up. Made sense.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jasmine Vecellio." I said. He nodded, and stepped aside so that I could get up. I did, and finally I got to see his full form. He was tall, and built, but from what I heard from Annabeth, nearly every camper was because of the training they all partook in.

"Nice to meet you, Jasmine. Annabeth told me to wake you up. You're the new girl, right?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yes."

"Annabeth also said you're seventeen." He stared at me in amazement. "That hardly happens."

"I was told so." I said, scratching my arm.

"Right. I woke you up a little earlier, because I thought you might want to take a shower and change." Connor said. When he smiled again, I realised that he was much younger than I. Maybe fifteen, sixteen. I wasn't sure how I could tell; maybe it was his face, or his aura. I really didn't know.

However, I smiled at him. "Thank you." I said. Gods ( I guess that was more appropriate now, seeing as there were indeed multiple ), a shower sounded amazing.

Connor shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I'll ask Julia or Alice whether they have any clothes for you, to wear before you get your own."

"Thanks." I said again. He was being so helpful and kind, I wasn't sure how to react. The only person I had spoken to ever since I found out I was a demigod was Sam, and then Annabeth and Chiron earlier.

"No problem. See you at dinner."

"See you." I smiled.

Soon a girl walked in. She had dark brown hair, and hazel eyes. "Hi, I'm Julia."

"Hi." I introduced myself, and she handed me a pile of clothes which from what I could see consisted of an orange t-shirt and jeans, similar to the outfit Connor had worn.

"I hope they fit." She said, before pulling me into a spontaneous hug. I blushed, and hugged her back as well as I could with the clothes in my hands.

I smiled, feeling much better and more awake, like I just had a strong cup of coffee. "Thank you. I needed that."

"No problem, the showers are outside, to the left." She said, before she turned on her heel and walked to her bunk. I nodded, and with a deep breath made my way out of the cabin and towards the showers.

After a wonderful shower, I found Connor talking to another camper in front of the cabin Three. If I remembered correctly, it was the cabin of Poseidon. Annabeth had told me all about the cabins earlier, but I had been so sleep I wasn't sure if I had mixed up some of the names.

Connor was talking to a boy around my age, who had raven black hair. He was slightly taller than Connor, which made him about a head taller than myself. I was about to walk passed, but the taller boy saw me and raised his eyebrows.

His sea-green eyes stared straight at me, as if looking right into my thoughts. Connor noticed me as well, and beckoned me over with a simple hand gesture.

I walked over, and the boy with the sea-green eyes smirked at me. "You're the new girl, am I right?"

"Jasmine Vecellio. And you are?" I asked, challenging him. I didn't know why, but I felt my stomach fill with butterflies as I watched his expressed. Damn the gods, he was cute. Thunder rumbled above and I tried to keep my cheeks from flushing. I wasn't sure if it worked.

Connor raised an eyebrow at me, yet the black-haired boy only laughed. "I'm Percy Jackson. Connor and I were just talking about you."

"Right... Oh! You're the one Annabeth mentioned, as well as, I think it was Thalia? You're a son of 'The Big Three'?" I asking, using air quotes on 'The Big Three' and Percy chuckled. "Yes, I am a son of Poseidon. 'The Big Three' is a term referring to the three eldest brothers: Zeus, Poseidon and Hades."

I nodded, allowing the information to sink in. Sam mentioned I might be a child of The Big Three, which meant I could possibly be related to Percy. For some reason, it didn't feel that way. "Okay." I tucked my hair behind my ear.

"She's still rather confused, Percy. I think Chiron needs to explain everything thoroughly to her." Connor said, placing a hand my shoulder. I looked at him and forced a small smile. I wasn't sure why, but I felt down.

Percy nodded. "That, or Annabeth could enlighten her. I'm sure you'll feel at home here sooner or later, Jasmine." He smiled at me encouragingly.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Hey, it's nearly dinner time. Would you like me to lead you there? Annabeth mentioned you were very tired when you arrived so she gave you the quick tour." From what I was hearing, it sounded like Annabeth and he were good friends. I wondered if... I shook the thought away immediately.

I shrugged. "Sure."

Connor smiled at me again, and nodded at Percy. "I need to talk to Chris before we leave for dinner. Jasmine, I'll see you at the Hermes table." I nodded, though I wondered what he meant with the last bit. What Hermes table?

Percy seemed to notice the confusion on my face and laughed. "Come on, once we get at the pavilion I'll explain." He slung an arm around my shoulders loosely, leading me away from the Hermes cabin and towards what I guessed was the dining pavilion.

I didn't even notice it until we passed a few other campers walking in the same direction as us, but my shoulders were tingling and a blush was tinting my cheeks. I moved my hair to surround my face, hoping Percy wouldn't notice my glowing face. Normally I'd feel extremely uncomfortable when a boy even grasped my arm, so this was new. I didn't know what to think.

A satyr who looked a bit like Sam came jogging towards us once we arrived at the pavilion. He eyed Percy suspiciously for a moment, who slipped his arm off my shoulders and whistled. "Percy, nice to see you. Who's this?" Was that sarcasm?

Percy rolled his eyes. "Grover this is Jasmine, she's the new camper Chiron told us about. Jasmine, this is Grover, my best friend." He nodded at me, as if encouraging me to speak. Grover nodded as if he immediately knew what, or rather who, Percy was talking about.

"It's nice to meet you, Grover. Have you seen Sam?" I asked. I wondered where my satyr friend had run off to, but I had been too tired to ask Annabeth about it when she was showing me around.

Percy and Grover both looked at me with a puzzled look on their faces. "Sam?" They asked in unison. I laughed.

"Sorry. He's a satyr, too. He's my only friend at the boarding school I attend - well, attended, I guess. Sam brought me here." I explained, and Grover let out a laugh that sounded more like a cross between a high-pitched giggle and a bleat. "Why are you laughing?" I asked, confused.

Grover shook his head. "Oh, nothing. Yes, I've seen him. He'll probably join you at the Hermes table when food is served." There it was again, the Hermes table. What did they mean?

"Okay. Uhm, this probably sounds stupid, but what do you mean by 'the Hermes table'?" I asked.

Percy smiled. It wasn't a smile of joy, more like a smile of... I don't know, sympathy maybe. Or understanding. "Do you see those tables over there?" He asked, pointing in the direction of the pavilion. I turned to look, narrowed my eyes and nodded. I saw a bunch of wooden tables lined up in an ordered fashion. "Well, there are twenty for campers. Each table represents a cabin. As with the cabins, every camper is restricted to their own cabin's table. Satyrs can sit wherever they please, and there's another table for Chiron and Mr. D."

"I see. Who's Mr. D?" I asked. Percy laughed. "You'll meet him sooner or later."

"Guys! I'm hungry. Can we go eat, please?" Grover asked, a ridiculous pout on his face. The expression he was making gave him the face like a five year old boy, yet he had a beard.

"Sure, Grover. Come on, Jas." My eyes widened at the nickname Percy had created for me. He and Grover were already walking towards the pavilion as I stood there, shocked. "Jasmine?" Grover turned, raising his eyebrows at me. "I'm coming!" I exclaimed, sprinting over to catch up with them.

The first person I spotted when we arrived at the area of tables, was Annabeth. She was no longer wearing her armour, but was now dressed like every other demigod. When she saw us, she waved and got up from her table only to walk up to Percy, Grover and I.

"Hey Jasmine! How was your nap? I see you've met the terrible two." Annabeth laughed, and Percy wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "You know you love us, Wise Girl." He kissed her cheek and for a second I completely forgot that Annabeth had asked me a question.

Grover nudged me, snapping me out of my stare and I cleared my throat. "I slept well, thank you." I said, quietly. I couldn't help but feel slightly depressed. I felt dizzy, but I figured it was from the events that had taken place over the last few days.

I wasn't really paying attention to Annabeth and Percy anymore, I was trying to keep my world from spinning around. I took a deep breath and straightened my shoulders.

"Hey Jasmine!" I heard a familiar voice shout from a few metres away. "Come and join us!" I recognised the girl as Julia, and I smiled. "I'm coming!" I said, loud enough for them to hear.

I was about to excuse myself from the group, but Percy laughed. "Go, it's alright. We have to sit at our tables too, before the wood nymphs come to serve our food."

Annabeth nodded, and smiled at me. "I'll talk to you later. Enjoy your dinner, Jasmine."

"You too, Annabeth." I returned the smile and walked in the direction of the Hermes table.

There were four people sitting there, two of who I recognised. Julia, the girl who had kindly allowed me to wear her clothes, immediately scooted over when she saw me, and I sat next to her. "Hey." I greeted, seeing Connor sitting next to a Hispanic boy with black hair, and brown eyes. He saw me staring and smiled, introducing himself as Chris.

There was another boy named Cecil, a girl named Alice. They all introduced themselves as children of Hermes. Just before Chiron stood up to speak, another boy rushed over and sat next to Julia. He was identical to Connor, and for a moment I wondered if they were twins, before Travis greeted his brother. "Hey, little bro. Hi guys."

There was a quiet chorus of hey's, and Connor introduced me to his brother in a rush, because he didn't want to interrupt Chiron when he started talking. Travis sent me a wink just as I was about to turn to pay attention to the activities director. I smiled, and I noticed the man sitting next to Chiron. He was sipping a glass of Diet Coke, an expression of extreme boredom on his face.

As much as I wanted to, I couldn't pay attention. I looked around the pavilion, seeing the different tables filled with different people. I smiled, hoping I finally had a home.

I was just thinking of my former school when Chiron said my name. "-And, as I'm sure some of you have noticed or been told, we have a new camper. Welcome, Jasmine Vecellio." Everybody turned to me, and I couldn't help but blush. A lot of attention always made me queasy.

"Now, enjoy. And don't forget to leave some for the gods!" Chiron exclaimed, before he sat down. As he said this, several wood nymphs appeared and served the food. There were goblets already on the table, and Julia leaned over to whisper in my ear. "All you have to do is ask for what you'd like to drink, and the goblet will fill magically. It also never empties. Once we're done, we sacrifice a portion of our food into the fire for the gods."

I nodded. "Thanks, Julia." I couldn't be bothered to ask her why exactly we had to offer food to the gods by dropping in on the campfire. Maybe they liked the scent of burnt food? Who knows.

"No problem, enjoy." She said the last bit to the whole table, and everybody repeated the word in a monotone voice. I dug into the food that was on my plate: barbecue and some different sorts of fruits.

I wasn't very hungry, so I ended up offering about half of my plate to the gods. While I stood in front of the fire, I suddenly realised that I didn't know who my Olympian parent was, and it made my heart drop. As I slid the food off my plate and onto the fire, I whispered a quiet question. "Please claim me, whoever you are."

"You okay?" Somebody asked from beside me. I turned to see Annabeth looking at me with a concerned expression. The reflection light of the fire danced upon her face, and her storm grey eyes stared at me intently.

I nodded. "I'm fine. I was just wondering who my father or mother could be."

"You don't know which parent it is?" She asked, sounding surprised. I shook my head. "I never knew my mum or my dad, my aunt was the one to take care of me, but she enrolled me in boarding school and during the holidays she was always working."

"I'm sorry..." She trailed off, and I could tell she didn't know what else to say.

I smiled, attempting to let her know I was okay. She seemed to buy it, and her face brightened. She took my plate, turned around and when she faced me again they were gone.

Before I could ask how she had done that, Annabeth took my arm and led me away from the fire. I looked around and felt a wave of disappointment when I didn't see Sam anywhere.

"Don't worry, he'll turn up." A familiar voice came from behind me, and I turned only to find Percy towering over me. I blushed and nodded. "Where's Grover?" I asked, and Percy laughed.

"He went to say goodnight to Juniper, his girlfriend." Annabeth told me, her face lighting up. "Percy and I thought it would be good to speak to you."

Percy nodded. "And enlighten you about everything you need to know."

Annabeth half-smiled at her boyfriend - or at least, that's what I guessed they were. "There's a curfew, so we have to make this quick, or else we'll continue tomorrow, but first we thought we'd answer any questions you had."

I bit my lip and thought about everything I had encountered today. Annabeth, Percy and I stopped walking and we sat down on some stones. We were close to the cabins; I could see them from here. "Who are you the child of?" I asked Annabeth, and Percy chuckled under his breath. She punched his shoulder, but he didn't even wince. Or at least, I didn't notice.

"I'm the daughter of Athena, Goddess of Wisdom." Annabeth answered.

"Yeah, Wise Girl here is all about the brains and the books." Percy joked, and I couldn't help but let out a laugh. I smiled as I looked at him. His dark hair was messier than before, and he seemed to be a little bit tired. It was when he sat that I finally didn't feel so short. Annabeth sat right next to him, leaning slightly on his shoulder and all I could think was that they were really cute together.

"I just enjoy learning!" Annabeth exclaimed defensively, and Percy and I both laughed. "I know you do." Percy chuckled, and I nodded.

"Any other questions, Jas?" Percy asked, and I looked up at the skies. There were no stars visible in the night sky, so I guessed that there were dark clouds rolling passed. "Why isn't it raining?"

"How did you know?" Annabeth asked. "It's too dark to see whether or not they're rain clouds."

I shrugged. "I can feel it." It sounded strange, but I really could. My inner radar was sending signals to take cover. I wasn't sure if that's exactly what it was saying, but oh well. "It's a storm."

"Well... The camp directors can choose whether or not they want the rain or snow to come in. Or else it will just move around the camp." Percy explained, and I nodded. "Makes sense."

"Thankfully some things do." He cracked a smile, and I blushed. Fortunately it was dark, so it wasn't visible.

"When does training start?" I asked. Annabeth smiled as she stretched her arms. "Tomorrow after breakfast. Leo will be glad to help you look for a weapon that suits you best, and then Percy could give you the basics."

I looked up, and frowned. "What about you, Annabeth?"

"Well don't I feel wanted." Percy huffed sarcastically, and I rolled my eyes. "It's not that I don't want to fight with you - and win might I add, but I was looking forward to talking to you more, Annabeth."

Annabeth smiled, and leaned over to envelop me in a hug. I could tell by the surprised expression on Percy's face that this didn't happen often, so I was fast to hug her back. "If you feel up to it, I'd love to give you some Greek lessons."

"Thank you." I smiled at her when she pulled away. "No problem, Jasmine."

"Another question." I said, glancing at Percy who was pulling a fake sad face. However, he nodded as if to urge me to continue. "Who's Leo?" I asked.

Percy and Annabeth both smiled, as if they were remembering something fondly. "He's a son of Hephaestus, the God of blacksmiths, fire, etcetera. If there's one person who can make and fix everything, it's Leo. He'll help you choose a few weapons, and Percy can help you find the one that suits you best."

"Okay." I nodded. "So tomorrow's schedule is..."

"Well, in case you're up before breakfast, you could speak to Piper McLean. She's the counsellor of the Aphrodite cabin, and I'm sure she'll help you with some clothes and whatever you need." Annabeth said. "Piper is really nice so it wouldn't be a problem. Afterwards, you go to breakfast and we'll see you there."

Percy smiled at his girlfriend, and continued. "Yeah. I'll take you to Leo, who will possibly guide you to the forges and allow you to pick a weapon. I'll wait for you at the combat arena so that we can practise."

"Then you'll speak to Chiron, and have Greek lessons with me." Annabeth finished, and I couldn't help but groan. "I'm going to be so tired by tomorrow evening."

"Probably." Percy and Annabeth said at the same time, and we all laughed. At that moment, somebody walked up to us. "You guys should get to your cabins." I looked up to find a tall girl with broad shoulders and brown hair braided to the side standing in front of us.

Percy and Annabeth got up, so I decided I should too. "Will do, Clarisse. Thanks." Annabeth said, and the girl looked at me as she nodded. "You're the new girl Chiron was talking about."

I didn't know how to respond, so I shrugged and said, "Guess I am." Percy laughed, and shook his head. I blushed, and Clarisse raised one of her eyebrows at me. "Well, I hope you had a good day. Goodnight."

"Night." I said, and Annabeth grinned at me. "Even Clarisse likes you!" Percy exclaimed, though he was still laughing at my answer.

Why did he sound so surprised? Clarisse walked off, and Annabeth turned to kiss Percy. Since I was standing next to Percy, I didn't see anything and I was extremely grateful. They were adorable, but I wasn't sure I could go through that many firsts in one day.

"Goodnight! See you tomorrow, Jasmine!" Annabeth said before she walked away. Percy laughed and I turned to look at him. "Well, I better head off." I said quickly. I was torn between wanting to be alone with him, but not wanting to at the same time. Hades ( I guess that was more appropriate..? ), these feelings were making me nauseous.

Percy nodded, and patted my shoulder. "Sleep well."

"You too." I said, and with that I rushed off, heading to the Hermes cabin as fast as possible.