It was just before lunch when Alan crossed the borders of camp and since he had spent time in Camp Half-Blood already, he didn't suffer the curse that seemed to be placed on all arriving demigods. Every single one seemed to have to fight some type of monster, whether it be just one or a group, and survive until help arrived. Generally, help would come quick enough that anybody that the worse anyone would suffer is a few days in the hospital tent. There were a few instances where the demigod wasn't so lucky like nights of capture the flag when everybody was on the other side of the camp, but there were very few that suffered such a fate. As much as the gods were removed from their children, they became… displeased when one of theirs did not reach safety when they were so close.
Alan smiled as he gazed at the camp from the hill next to the Big House. It was the start of the summer session and he was glad to be back after missing the last one due to his father taking Alan with him to the Far East. He couldn't train against any monsters last summer, but there were still plenty of those that followed the way of the sword and steel in the places he visited. Deciding to follow the rest of the campers and grab a bite to eat, he made his way towards the pavilion and the loud voices of his fellow demigod.
He was just another face in the sea of demigods until he sat down next to his favorite sister at the moment, Silena. She didn't notice him for a minute until she turned to see just who of her siblings had sat beside her. Attention was attracted to the Aphrodite table as Silena squealed in delight and crushed her half-brother in a hug. Many turned to see just what the fuss was all about as Silena was not the typical Aphrodite child, so her squeals were very rare. The other campers had to stare for a moment before they recognized Alan and many let out a breath of relief and a small smile on their face. Since he hadn't returned to camp the previous year and demigods were difficult to get a hold of at the best of times it was assumed that Alan had perished during the year. Although no one was really close to anyone in the Aphrodite cabin, it was good to see that the demise of a fellow demigod had been greatly exaggerated.
"Ah Alan," Chiron said as he walked up to the table, "It is good to see you back in one piece. May I ask why you were not here last summer?"
"My father took me out of the country for the summer and I wasn't sure how to get into contact with the camp. We left too quickly for me to find an address for this place and I wasn't sure if Iris Messaging would cover continental separation."
"Ah, well we are all relieved that you are okay. I hope that you have been keeping up with your exercises," Chiron half asked, half demanded. He had been around long enough to know just what a child of Aphrodite could do and although he expected great things from Percy as a son of Poseidon, he expected even better from Alan. The fact that Silena was also a child that wasn't too heavily involved in the less appreciated aspects of Aphrodite.
"Of course sir," Alan answered with a grin.
"Good, good," Chiron chuckled, "We will test this soon enough in the arena, but until then enjoy your lunch and the time with your siblings." With that said Chiron left the table alone and it was Silena's turn to talk to her half-brother.
It was after lunch had broken that Alan interacted with the rest of the camp. There were a few pats on the back and waves from some of the male campers who had been able to see past his lineage and everybody shot him a smile in relief that he was alive. It was a group of Ares' children that started to cause the problems. "If it isn't pretty boy," a girl around Alan's age sneered. Clarisse La Rue had been an antagonist of Alan's ever since they had arrived at camp in the same summer while Clarisse stayed nice to the rest of the Aphrodite cabin. Ares and Aphrodite campers were usually pretty close thanks to their parents' relationship, but Alan discovered that this only truly extended to those that didn't pose a threat to any of the Ares's campers. Since Alan wasn't like his siblings and his skill with his two blades was well known at camp, he was the only child of Aphrodite that didn't have a good relationship with them.
"Piggy, I mean Clarisse," Alan acted like he had stumbled over his words, but none were fooled, "It's good to see you again. You look better than last time I saw you. Let me guess, you finally learned to duck last summer."
Clarisse tightened her grip on her sword itching to wipe the smirk of the young demigod's face while Alan simply stood there calmly, completely relaxed. "You better watch your back Alan. While it may be troubling times, there will still be time for the Ares cabin to put you in your place."
"Yes, yes, beware your evil power and all that. Don't you all have lessons though? I know you aren't much for the brain department, but if you ask nicely I'm sure one of Lady Athena's children would help you catch up. Skip along now," He said while lacing in a bit of charmspeak in his words at the end. He really didn't like bending the will of others to his demands, but he made an exception for those that purposefully antagonized him. Plus, charmspeak usually took a bunch out of him and he had to take time to recuperate.
When Alan shook off the fatigue he turned to the cabin head and said one word, "Explain."
He sat by Thalia's tree and watched as Apollo's chariot slowly descended towards the horizon and tried to make sense of all that had happened in a year of his absence. The master bolt had been stolen from Olympus, a child of Poseidon had been discovered and then that same demigod had made his way into the underworld, and it was all caused by Luke and Ares who had had Kronos whisper into their ears about how the world could change. It was disheartening to know that someone he called a friend had turned to the dark side, for lack of a better term, and others were following him. Alan knew intellectually that this was bound to happen with the crowding of Hermes cabin, but he did not think that Kronos himself would be leading this new faction.
Soft steps brought Alan out of his thoughts and he was able to tell that the steps were not from a human. "Are you alright dear child?" Chiron asked when he came level with the son of Aphrodite.
"I'm getting there Chiron. It's just disconcerting to know that the world has changed so much in only a year. I had heard grumblings from other demigods about splitting off, but still…" Alan lifted his hands uselessly.
Chiron hummed as he mused over Alan's words, "I guess it is a bit disconcerting for those that did not see the beginning of the current cold war. We immortals have seen things like this before and the rest of the camp was here to see the start of it all. Have no fear though as you will grow used to the surroundings."
Alan sent a sardonic smile to his teacher, "And what does that say about a demigod's life Chiron? Should I be worried that things will get worse when this becomes normal for me?" The answer was plain on Chiron's face even though he did not answer. "I know that there are few demigods with a happy ending, but I think by the end of all this I will be wishing to end up like Heracles and being happy with that."
Chiron had a bitter look on his face as he stared at Alan. "All I can say is that I truly am sorry for all of you."
"Say Chiron," Alan said after a moment of silence, "Does Thalia's tree look a bit different to you?"
"What do you me-?" The trainer of all heroes started before he too noticed what Alan was saying. The very top branches of the tree seemed to have lost their health and to Chiron and Alan's horror a few of the thistles fell down to the earth.
"That's never happened before, has it Chiron?" Alan asked worriedly. Before anything else could be said, trembles of the Earth could be felt and just on the edge of their vision the heads of a handful of monsters could be seen. "I don't think this is a coincidence Chiron."
"No, I do believe you are right. You have your weapons, yes?" At Alan's nod, Chiron continued, "Good, I shall sound the horn and send everyone to help you. They should be far enough away that the rest of the campers will get here in time."
As Chiron galloped away to rouse the Camp's defense, Alan pulled out his sword and a dagger and tried to prepare himself. Looking at the incoming group, he was relieved to see that it was a small group of monsters and easily taken care of. Not by himself of course, but with a handful of other campers the worse that they should come away with would be a few minor scratches. Alan knew though that this was only the beginning and it all centered around Thalia's tree.
Taking a deep breath, he heard the pounding of human feet just in time to join him as the first monster leapt at the young demigod. It knew that it would probably not survive the day, but it would definitely try to taste the flesh of an immortal offspring. Its senses had detected that of the Love Goddess on the young teenager before it and had thought it had easy prey. Unfortunately for the beast of Tarturus, Alan was not a typical son of Aphrodite so he calmly stepped away from the lunge and cleanly lopped the head off the monster and watched as it disintegrated into dust before the body had reached the ground.
The other denizens of hell paused just long enough for the handful of Alan's comrades to reach Thalia's tree. The six demigods who had been trained the past few years to take care of all sorts of monsters made quick work of the beasts with Chiron having come to help as well after he had sent a few more groups of demigods out to check other areas for any approaching monsters.
"Right," Chiron said as the last of the dust settled. "Gather your brothers and sisters and meet in the amphitheater, I will be there soon." His gaze having settled on the tree that had protected the borders for so long now. There was a sense of command from Chiron's words that none of the demigods would think about going against so they quietly made their way back into camp.
"Hey Alan," A son of Hermes broke the silence once they were out of earshot of Chiron, "Do you know what's going on?"
Alan threw a look back to Thalia's tree and then turned to the boy who had asked him the question, "I don't have a hint of an idea, but something tells me that this will not be a pleasant summer."
The amphitheater was a den of voices as rumors and ideas floated around. Word had gotten out on just why Chiron had grabbed some of their best warriors thirty minutes ago and now they were waiting for confirmation on just what exactly happened. They didn't wait long however as Chiron soon walked in and instantly grabbed his charge's attention.
"Demigods!" His voice boomed and everyone was reminded that the easy going teacher had been around as long as the gods had. "I bring grave news. Thalia's tree has been poisoned and thus the barrier that protects us from the monsters is now failing." He gave no time for this information to sink in and continued speaking, "Until we find a way to reverse this travesty, there is a need for patrols along the border. I will be speaking to the heads of each cabin to formalize the schedules. It is a dark time, make no mistakes, but we will survive this as we have always done so."
A/N: I'm not impressed with the ending of this chapter to be honest, but I really don't like 'Sea of Monsters' either so I didn't expect it to be amazing. Hopefully next chapter will be better as Percy shows up to camp and realizes that while he is a son of one of the big three there is always a bigger fish. If you want to see anything happen in this story, please leave a review or PM!