Word of the bathroom incident spread like wildfire. Wherever Percy went campers stopped and stared at him, either that or they were pointing at Annabeth who was still dripping wet. They continued the tour, which consisted of the forges, the arts and crafts room, and the rock climbing wall, but Percy could tell that Annabeth's heart wasn't in it. Finally they got back to the canoeing lake where the trail lead back to the cabins.
"I've got training to do. Dinner's at seven-thirty. Just follow your cabin to the mess hall." Annabeth said flatly.
"Annabeth, I'm sorry about the toilets." Percy tried to apologize.
"Whatever." Annabeth said.
"It wasn't my fault." Percy tried to defend. Annabeth raised an eyebrow and Percy began to understand that it was his fault. The water had responded to him. He had become one with the plumbing.
"You need to talk to the Oracle." Annabeth told him.
"Who?" Percy asked.
"Not who," Annabeth corrected. "What. I'll ask Chiron."
Percy glared into the water, wishing that at least one thing he learned today made sense. What he wasn't expecting were for there to be pretty girls just sitting at the bottom of the lake smiling and waving up at him like he was a long lost friend. Hesitantly he waved back.
"Don't encourage them. Naiads are terrible flirts." a deeper voice said from behind them. Walking towards them from the direction of the cabins was the guy Annabeth had been talking to when he arrived at Cabin Eleven.
"Naiads." Percy said flatly. "That's it. I want to go home now."
"You are home. This is the only home for kids like us." Shin-Li said bluntly. "Outside this camp you're fair game for any monster that cares to try their luck. And that's going to be all of them. You want to live, you stay here."
"Kids like us." Percy repeated. "You mean mentally disturbed kids?"
"He means not human." Annabeth snapped impatiently. "At least not all human. Half-human."
"Half-human half-what?" Percy asked warily.
"I think you know." Annabeth said.
Percy paused. Something told him that as soon as he said it there would be no going back. "God." he said finally. "Half-god."
Annabeth nodded. "Your father isn't dead Percy. He's one of the Olympians."
"That's…crazy." Percy said at last.
"Is it?" Shin-Li said speaking up for the first time since he arrived. "Think about it. What's the one thing gods did in the old stories?"
"Argue?" Percy suggested lamely.
But to his surprise Shin-Li chuckled. "Point. But not exactly what I meant. They went around having children with mortals. Why would they change that in the few centuries that have passed since then?"
"But those are just…" Percy started to say but thought better of it. "Look if all the kids here are half-god,"
"Demigods." Annabeth cut him off. "That's the official term. Or half-bloods."
"Then who's your dad?" Percy asked. Anyone who knew her knew that Annabeth's family was a dangerous subject to broach with her. Even Percy could see her walls coming up telling him that this was not a safe subject.
"My dad is a professor at West Point." she said gripping a college class ring that hung around her neck tightly. "I haven't seen him since I was very small. He teaches american history."
"He's human." Percy said stupidly.
"What?" Annabeth snapped. "You assume it has to be a male god who finds a human female attractive? How sexist is that?"
"Who's your mom then?" Percy asked not willing to give up.
"Cabin Six." Annabeth said proudly.
"He doesn't know what that means, Annabeth." Shin-Li scolded lightly.
Looking at Percy's confused expression Annabeth sighed angrily. "Athena. The Goddess of Wisdom and Battle."
Percy shrugged as if thinking, sure, why not.
"What about you?" he asked Shin-Li.
"My mother's not an Olympian. Let's just say that you wouldn't want to meet her." he replied.
"Ok. What about my dad?" Percy asked.
"We don't know. That's what undetermined means." Shin-Li said.
"My mom knew." Percy said sadly.
"Maybe not Percy. Gods don't always reveal their identities." Annabeth said looking at him sadly.
"My dad would have." Percy said stubbornly. "He loved her."
Annabeth just looked at him like she didn't want to burst his bubble."It's possible." Shin-Li said at last. "But at the same time unlikely. Gods don't like being tied down. But if you're right then maybe he'll send a sign. It's the only way to know."
"Maybe?" Percy asked having picked up on Shin-Li's use of the word. "You mean sometimes it doesn't happen?"
Annabeth ran her palm along the rail that went partway around the lake. "The gods are busy. They have a lot of children and they don't always…well sometimes they don't care about us Percy. They ignore us."
Percy thought about some of the kids he's seen in the Hermes cabin that had a sullen, depressed look around them. As if they were waiting for something that would never come.
"So I'm stuck here. That's it. For the rest of my life?" he asked.
"Well maybe not." Shin-Li interjected. "It depends on the demigod. If you're a child of Demeter or Aphrodite you won't have a powerful combative aura, and some monsters might ignore you. But if you're something like a son of Ares, then you have a more aggressive aura that's bound to attract monsters."
"We're the year rounders." Annabeth continued. "We attract monsters. They sense us. They come to challenge us. Most of the time they leave us alone until we're old enough to start causing trouble, ten or eleven years old. But after that most demigods find there way here or they get killed off. A few manage to survive in the outside world and become famous. Believe me, if I told you their names you'd know them. Some don't even realize they're demigods. But very few are like that."
"So monsters can't get in here?" Percy clarified.
"Not on their own." Shin-Li said. "Some are stocked in the woods. Any others have to be specially summoned by someone inside."
"Why would anybody want to summon a monster?" Percy asked incredulous.
"Practical jokes. Practice fights." Shin-Li shrugged. "I know for a fact that Xander has permission from Chiron and Mr. D to summon them so he can get in a good fight."
"Xander…that guy with white hair I met earlier?" Percy asked.
"Oh? You already met him? Yeah, that's the guy." Shin-Li confirmed.
"So I could just walk out of here if I wanted?" Percy asked.
"It would be suicide but you could with Mr. D's or Chiron's permission." Annabeth told him. "But they won't give permission until the end of the summer unless…"
"Annabeth!" Shin-Li said sharply.
"It could happen." Annabeth said petulantly.
"What?" Percy asked, confused.
"You could be granted a quest." Annabeth said shooting a glare at Shin-Li. "But it hardly ever happens."
"After last time I can see why." Shin-Li shot back. Percy was going to ask what happened last time but by the look's one their faces he figured he didn't want to know.
"Back in the sick room when you were feeding me that stuff," Percy started.
"Ambrosia." Annabeth interrupted to correct him again.
"Yeah. You asked me something about the summer solstice." he said making Annabeth and Shin-Li perk up.
"So you do know something!" she said triumphantly.
"Well…no." he said sheepishly. "Back at my old school I overheard Grover and Chiron talking about it. Grover mentioned the summer solstice. He said something like we didn't have much time, because of the deadline. What did that mean?"
Annabeth clenched her fists. "I wish I knew. Chiron and the satyrs, they know but they won't tell me. Something is wrong in Olympus, something pretty major. Last time I was there, everything seemed so normal."
"You've been to Olympu?" Percy said surprised.
"Some of the year-rounders-Luke, Clarisse, Xander, and Shin-Li and I-we took a field trip during the winter solstice. That's when the gods have their big annual council."
"But…how did you get there?" Percy asked in wonder.
"Long Island Railroad, of course. You get off at Penn Station. Empire State Building, special elevator to the six hundredth floor." she said once again looking at Percy like he should know this. "You are a New Yorker, right?"
"And how is he supposed to know this, Annabeth?" Shin-Li said with a long suffering sigh.
"Right after we visited," Annabeth continued as if she hadn't heard Shin-Li. "The weather got weird, as if the gods had started fighting. A couple of times since, I've overheard satyrs talking. The best I can figure, something important was stolen. And if it isn't returned by the summer solstice there's going to be trouble. When you came I was hoping…I mean-Athena can get along with just about anybody, except for Ares. And of course she's got the rivalry with Poseidon. But, I mean, aside from that, I thought we could work together. I thought you might know something." she finished.
Percy just shook his head helplessly.
"I've got to get a quest." Annabeth muttered. "I'm not too young. If they would just tell me the problem…"
"She'll be like that for a while." Shin-Li said as the smell of barbecue wafted over to them on the warm summer breeze. Placing a hand on his shoulder the oriental boy steered Percy back to Cabin Eleven. Once there Percy realized for the first time that several of the campers had similar features. Sharp noses, upturned eyebrows, and mischievous smiles. These were the kids, He realized, that would have instantly been branded troublemakers by any teacher. Walking over to his spot on the floor Percy plopped down on the floor setting his Minotaur horn down beside him.
The counselor Luke came over. He had the Hemes family resemblance, too. It was marred by the scar on his right cheek, but his smile was intact. "Found you a sleeping bag." he said. "And here, I stole you some toiletries from the camp store."
Percy wasn't sure if he was kidding about the stealing part or not, but said thanks none the less.
Luke sat down, pushing his back against the wall. "Tough first day?" he asked.
"I don't belong here." Percy said miserably. "I don't even believe in gods."
"Yeah." Luke said. "That's how we all started. Once you start believing in them? It doesn't get any easier."
Percy was surprised by the bitterness he heard in Like's voice because he seemed like an easygoing guy. "So your dad is Hermes?" he asked searching for a way to break the ice.
Luke pulled out a switchblade, freaking Percy out until he started scraping mud off the sole of his sandel. "Yeah. Hermes."
"The wing-footed messenger guy." Percy clarified.
"That's him." Luke said. "Messengers. Medicine. Travelers, merchants and thieves. Anybody who uses the roads. That's why you're here enjoying Cabin Eleven's hospitality. Hermes isn't picky about who he sponsors."
"Did you ever meet your dad?" Percy asked after a long silence.
"Once." Luke said. Looking up and seeing the expression on Percy's face he managed a comforting smile. "Don't worry about it Percy. The campers here, they're mostly good people. After all, we're an extended family. We take care of each other."
Percy was grateful to Luke. He seemed to understand what he was going through, to sympathize. Even if he was his counselor, Percy figured an older guy like Luke should've steered clear of an uncool middle schooler like him. He's even stolen him some toiletries, which Percy realized was this nicest thing anyone had done for him all day. Finally he got up the courage to ask the thing that had been on his mind since the bathroom incident with Clarisse. "Clarisse from the Ares Cabin joked that I was 'Big Three' material. And then Annabeth said that she couldn't believe she thought I was 'the one.' What did that mean?" he asked.
Luke sighed and folded his knife before slipping it back into his pocket. "I hate prophecies." he said at last.
"What do you mean?" Percy asked.
Luke grimaced, making his scar twitch. "Let's just say that I messed things up for everyone else. The last two years, ever since my trip to the Garden of the Hesperides went sour, Chiron hasn't allowed anymore quests. It's been driving Annabeth and Xander crazy. Annabeth's been dying to get out into the world. She pestered Chiron so much he finally told her he already knew her fate. He'd had a prophecy from the Oracle. He wouldn't tell her the whole thing, but he said Annabeth wasn't destined to go on a quest yet. She had to wait until…somebody special came to camp."
Percy's brow furrowed. "Somebody special?"
"Don't worry about it kid." Luke said. "Annabeth wants to think every new camper who comes through here is the omen she's been waiting for. Now, come on, it's dinnertime."
The moment he said it, as if he'd timed it on purpose, a horn sounded in the distance. And even though Percy had never heard one before he somehow knew that it was a conch horn. Luke yelled "Eleven, fall in!" The entire Hermes Cabin, about twenty of them filed into the commons area. They lined up in order of seniority, which meant that Percy was dead last. Campers came from the other cabins too, except for the three empty cabins at the end, Cabin Eight, which looked normal in the daytime, but started to glow silver as the sun set.
As they marched, satyrs came trotting in from the woods, naiads emerged from the canoeing lake, and Percy saw a nine year old girl melt out of the side of a maple tree and go skipping up to the mess hall. All in all there were around a hundred campers, a few dozen satyrs and a dozen assorted nymphs and naiads.
At the pavilion torches blazed around the marble columns. A central fire burned in a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub. Each cabin had it's own table, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. Four of the tables were empty but Cabin Eleven's was way overcrowded. Percy had to squeeze onto the edge and still half his butt hung off. Looking around he saw Grover sitting at table twelve with Mr. D, a few other satyrs and a couple of plump blonde boys who looked a lot like Mr. D. Shin-Li and Annabeth sat at table six with bunch of athletic looking kids with honey blonde hair. The only Person who didn't was Shin-Li. Behind him sat Clarisse and her friends from Cabin Five. She had apparently gotten over getting hosed down in toilet water because she was laughing and belching along with the rest of her friends. Xander sat of to one side, not talking to any of them. And again, Percy noticed, he was the only one who didn't have that mean, cruel look.
Finally Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, and everyone fell silent. He raised a glass. "To the gods!"
Everyone else raised their glasses. "To the gods!" Then, Wood Nymphs came forward with platters of food. Grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, fresh bread, and the part everyone was looking forward to the most, barbeque. The glasses remained empty however.
"Speak to it." Luke whispered to Percy. "Whatever you want, nonalcoholic of course."
Hesitantly Percy leaned in closer to his cup. "Cherry Coke." Instantly the cup was filled with the bubbling liquid. The a thought struck Percy. Leaning in to his cup again he whispered "Blue Cherry Coke." instantly the drink turned a brilliant cobalt. Percy took a sip. Perfect. He toasted his mother, because she wasn't gone. Not really. If the Underworld was real then someday…
"Here you go, Percy." Luke said cutting Percy out of his thoughts by handing him a platter of smoked brisket. Loading his plate, Percy was about to take a big bite when he noticed that everyone was getting up.
"Come on." Luke said nudging him. As they got closer Percy noticed that everyone was scrapping the best portion of their meal into the fire, the ripest strawberry, the juiciest piece of beef, the warmest, most buttery roll. "Burnt offerings to the gods." Luke explained. "They like the smell.
"You're kidding." Percy whispered, but the look Luke shot him told him not to take this lightly. All the same Percy didn't understand how immortal, all powerful beings would like the smell of burnt food.
Luke approached the fire, bowed his head and tossed in a cluster of red grapes "Hermes."
Percy ws next. Wishing he knew which gods name to say he stepped up to the fire. Finally he made a silent plea for his parent, whoever it was, to tell him. To send a sign, and he scrapped a big slice of brisket into the fire. But when he accidentally caught a whiff of the smoke, he didn't gag. It smelled nothing like burning food. It smelled like hot chocolate, fresh-baked brownies, hamburgers on the grill and a hundred other things that shouldn't have gone well together, but did. It was almost enough to make him believe the gods could live of that smoke.
After all the campers had finished with their sacrifices and eaten their meals, Chiron pounded his hoof on the floor for everyones attention once again. Apparently that was some kind of signal because Mr. D got up and started addressing everyone. "Yes, well I suppose I better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron says that capture the flag is next friday. Cabin Five Currently holds the laurels. Canin Five cheered and began high-fiving Xander and patting him on the back. "Personally," Mr. D continued "I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have a new camper today. Peter Johnson."
Chiron murmured something.
"Er, Percy Jackson." Mr. D corrected. "That's right. Hurah. Now run along to your silly campfire."
Everybody cheered and headed down to the Amphitheater where the Apollo Cabin lead the sing-along." Percy no longer felt like everyone was staring at him. In fact this place, as strange as it was, was beginning to feel a lot like home to him. Later that evening, when the campfire had finally almost burned itself out, the conch horn sounded again and the campers filed back to their cabins. Percy hadn't realized just how tired he was until he collapsed on his borrowed sleeping bag. Percy's fingers curled around the Minotaur horn and thought about his mother. He fell asleep instantly, finally feeling like he was home. If only he knew how quickly things were going to change.