Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Chapter 2: Back at Camp
Annabeth's POV
My dad dropped me off at camp early in the morning. I ran to the camp boundary and entered. I ran over the hill to see Thalia's tree, the golden fleece was back on top of the tree. I remembered the ceremony that Theseus held when we returned the fleece to camp. The fleece had been on Hero Island. That was the name we dubbed the island that we stayed on last year while camp was rebuilt. I saw the dragon resting near the tree I gave him a pat on the head as I walked by.
I looked around to check out the camp, the cabins were built in a similar fashion as before with the big three cabins lined up near the lake with Poseidon's cabin the closest to the water. They were designed exactly as they were before except they were a little bigger now. All of the other cabins were in a horseshoe facing the big three cabins. The cabins looked the same, except they were larger in size. The only difference I saw was that the Athena cabin was the closest of the cabins to the Poseidon cabin, a nod I knew to my mom and her husband Theseus.
In the middle of the courtyard that separated the big three cabins from the others was the new mess hall, it was twice as big as the previous one and was made in the shape of a large log cabin, it had a simplistic and rustic charm to it. Chiron really enjoyed how it looked and the large hearth in the middle of the building was very inviting.
On the other side of the cabins away from the lake was the training building. Instead of multiple facilities it was decided to build one large facility. Theseus asked me to design it anyway I wanted to. Therefore, as a nod to my stepfather, I had designed it to resemble in perfect detail the Temple of Theseus in Athens. However, it was twice the size and made of a beautiful marble that was brought in from Olympus itself. The inside was the real difference between the temple and the training facility. The training facility was a technical achievement and the campers that were here all year loved it. I didn't blame them, it was something to behold, it was full of technology. However, I knew Theseus like it because it was completely indoors and could be used as a multi-purpose facility. It gave him the perfect opportunity to interact with each camper.
Lastly, on top of the hill that overlooked camp was the new Big House and it lived up to the name. The new Big House was twice the size of the previous one. I had designed it to resemble a large Victorian Era mansion. It was painted gray, green and blue. It had two magnificent turrets and in my opinion was beautiful. Inside, it was the complete opposite of a Victorian house it was based on an open floor plan and felt incredibly spacious inside. All of the rooms were functional and it had a large commercial kitchen in the middle of the first floor. I know Mr. D enjoyed the kitchen, but he loved the huge wine cellar that was in the basement.
To the right of the Big House was a smaller building that looked like a complete replica of the Temple of Delphi. The temple was made of the same marble as the training facility. The only difference was that this temple wasn't a training facility, but was the residence of the oracle, Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Rachel and I were both eighteen now, we had become good friends after Percy and I became a couple. I found out last summer that Rachel always knew that Percy loved me and she never really wanted to be romantically linked with him. She had realized that the demigod life had fascinated her for some reason, so she stayed close to Percy until she found out that she was destined to be the new oracle. That made a lot of sense to me and I felt pretty silly for being so mean to her for those years during the war.
I continued to walk down the hill and headed toward the Athena cabin to see how many of my siblings were here. As I entered the new cabin, I was quickly impressed with how much bigger it was. The elder campers and camp counselors had their own private rooms and this would be my first year with one. I saw my name on one of the doors and entered. My room had storm gray walls with sea green trim along the top and bottom of the walls. A bed was against one wall with a desk and a drafting table on the other wall. I had a large closet and a reclining chair against the wall across from my bed. This room was bigger than my room at home and I absolutely loved it. I sat my bag on my bed and placed my laptop and Daedalus's laptop on the desk. I knew that if I came back as a counselor next year I definitely wanted to keep this room.
I walked out of my room and was suddenly hugged by someone. I didn't know who it was until they let go, it was Malcolm.
"Annabeth, isn't this place great?" Malcolm said happily. Malcolm looked good, he was taller than last year and I had to remind myself that he was still a year younger than me.
"Yes, it sure is, good to see you too!" I said sarcastically.
"Sorry, I was just so happy. Hello dear sister." Malcolm said trying to be formal.
"Don't be too serious little brother." I said with a faked look of warning.
Malcolm just stared at me scared and confused until I gave him a wicked smile.
"That's not funny, I thought you were serious." Malcolm said.
"So by your reaction I take it that you think camp is pretty great, huh." I said.
"It sure is you did a great job designing it." Malcolm said.
"Well, I designed it, but Aunt Hera and our cousin Ares did a great job seeing to the construction." I said. I know that sounds weird, but they did see to it that construction finished on time.
"Where are the rest of our campers?" I asked.
"Well, you are the only other Athena camper that I have seen since I got here." Malcolm said.
"Alright, well it's not that unusual camp doesn't officially start till next week anyway." I said. Still usually the Athena kids arrived early, I thought.
"Where would you like to go now?" Malcolm asked.
"Well, Percy should be here in a few minutes, let's walk to the top of the hill near Thalia's tree." I said anxiously.
"Sounds good, I know you've seen Percy this year. How's he doing?" Malcolm said as we walked out of our cabin and headed for the top of the hill.
"You're not going to believe this, but Percy was actually admitted to the SUNY Maritime College." I said, proudly.
Malcolm just looked at me and shook his head, "I guess he is pretty smart after all." Malcolm said.
"He is, but don't tell him that or his head will get huge." I said not able to hold in my laughter.
"What's so funny, brain!" Thalia said as she jumped out from behind her tree.
Malcolm and I jumped in the air scared speechless.
"Ha, scared you." Thalia added.
"Hey, that's not fair you're going to give us a heart attack." Malcolm said.
"Thalia!" I yelled as I gave her a big hug. Thalia looked good she had grown an inch since I last saw her. She was now a beautiful sixteen year old girl even though she still dressed all in black with black eye liner.
"What are you two up to?" Thalia asked.
"We're waiting for Percy to arrive." I said.
"Good, I'll wait with you." Thalia said.
"Where's Nico?" I asked.
"Don't get me started, his dad sent him on an errand to gods knows where. He better get back here soon or he'll be looking for a new girl friend." Thalia said with a fiendish look on her face.
"Now come on Thalia, you know you love him." I said.
"Well, maybe I do or maybe I don't." Thalia said.
"Yeah, right!" Malcolm added sarcastically.
"Careful brain boy or I'll forget that your sister is my best friend." Thalia said threateningly. All of the color drained out of Malcolm's face and he hid behind the tree. Thalia and I laughed hysterically.
"There he is!" Malcolm yelled.
Thalia and I looked down the hill. Percy was walking confidently up the hill carrying his duffel bag over his shoulder and a guitar case in the other. He was wearing a navy blue tee shirt that said Camp Half-Blood with faded blue jeans and black converse. I could see his arm muscles and chest muscles flex as he carried the bag and case. His hair was still jet black and as wild as usual. His sea green eyes were glowing as if the sun were shining behind them. He looked hot, I mean really good.
"Wow, Percy looks hot!" Thalia said.
"Hey, he's my boy friend!" I said angrily.
"Sorry, but he must have grown two inches over the year, how tall is he now?" Thalia asked.
"He's six foot four inches, thank you very much." I said proudly.
Percy made his way up to the tree and smiled broadly as he saw us. Thalia and I froze when he did that. I elbowed Thalia in the ribs and then ran to Percy. Percy dropped his bag and case as he saw me running toward him. I hugged him fiercely and then he leaned down and kissed me softly.
"I guess you missed me, wise girl." Percy said.
I helped Percy with his bag and case. We walked up to the tree arm in arm.
"Hi, Thalia, Hi, Malcolm." Percy said.
"Hey, Perc." Malcolm said.
"Hello, kelp face." Thalia said with a smirk.
"Hi, pine cone face." Percy said.
"What do you think of camp?" I asked.
"It looks incredible!" Percy said.
"I have to admit you did a great job, Annabeth." Thalia said.
"Thank you both." I said.
"I'm going to go to the mess hall, Malcolm do you want to come along?" Thalia asked, I guess she figured that Percy and I wanted to be alone.
"Sure!" Malcolm said, I guess Thalia isn't the only one who can take a hint.
They both ran down the hill leaving Percy and I alone by the pine tree.
"So do you want to walk with me to my cabin?" Percy asked.
"Alright." I said.
We walked down the hill toward the Poseidon cabin. As we reached the cabin Percy opened the door and the light immediately turned on. The Poseidon cabin was beautiful. The walls were a sea blue-green color that seemed to glow as if lit by sunlight. There were several large windows that faced the lake. I saw a name written on a door on the far wall, it said Percy. Percy walked over to it and opened the door. We both walked into his room. The walls were the same sea blue-green color with a wood trim along the bottom and top that reminded me of planks on a wood sailing ship. The floor was the color of corral. Percy had his bed on one wall. A chair and a stand for two guitars with a sheet music stand on another wall. On the far wall across from his bed were a desk and a drafting table. In between the two tables was a large window that overlooked the lake. A drafting table!
"Seaweed brain, why is there a drafting table in your room?" I asked curiously.
Percy just looked at me and smiled that smile that made me melt. "Well, I took a drafting class in high school and it turns out I'm pretty good. You never know when I might want to design a ship or a boat." Percy said proudly.
"You never told me you took a drafting class." I said.
"Well, I never told you I took guitar lessons either remember." Percy said.
"Your not keeping any other secrets from me are you." I asked warily.
"Secrets, I didn't know they were secrets. I promise I'm not keeping secrets. I just have a surprise up my sleeve now and then." Percy said as he smiled at me mischievously.
"Alright keep your little surprises then." I said, as I acted like I was hurt.
"I'm sorry, it's just that you're the only person I want to surprise. I love you wise girl." Percy said.
"I love you too! You're forgiven." I said, smiling as I laughed to myself. Percy really was one of a kind. I knew that I was very lucky to have him in my life.
Percy placed his duffel bag on his bed and leaned his guitar against his desk.
"Do you want me to show you around the camp? Things have changed a lot since the last time you visited." I said.
"Sure, that sounds great." Percy said.
We walked out of the Poseidon cabin holding hands. The first place we visited was the mess hall, I knew Percy would like it.
"Wow! The outside looks great, just like a huge log cabin. I bet Chiron loves this place." Percy said.
"He does, it's his favorite building in camp." I said proudly.
I opened the main doors to the mess hall and we walked in, the ceiling was about twenty feet from the floor to the rafters. A large hearth sat in the middle, Hestia would be proud of this one, I thought. A stage sat back on the far wall opposite the entrance and the campers tables sat around the hearth in the shape of a horseshoe. On each side of the stage were several serving stations for food, enough to feed all of the campers and then some.
"Annabeth this is amazing, you did an incredible job." Percy said with amazement in his voice.
"You think so, all of the buildings including this one are wired for WiFi and we have complete internal projectors and screens that slide down over the stage. This is a state of the art mess hall worthy of children of the gods." I said.
"Well, I think its terrific and so are you wise girl." Percy said as he gave me a hug.
"Get a room you two." Thalia said from the Zeus table.
"Lunch is not for three more hours, pine cone head." I said with a smile.
'Hey, what did you do with Malcolm?" Percy asked.
"Oh, He's over by the stage checking out the computer equipment and sound system." Thalia said.
Percy and I walked to the stage and sure enough Malcolm was sitting behind the stage curtain messing with the sound system and the electronic projector screen.
"You break it, you bought it!" I yelled to him. He about dropped the remote control when I said that.
"I almost did, you scared the Hades out of me." Malcolm said. Percy and I laughed at him.
"Where are the rest of the campers, we can't be the only ones here this early?" I said.
As if in answer to my question, a voice rang out from the mess hall entrance. "Well, I'm here wise girl." I turned around and there stood a smiling Clarisse LaRue.
"Clarisse, it's good to see you." I said excitedly.
"That's Counselor LaRue to you." Clarisse said with a stern look on her face and then when she couldn't control herself she began to laugh. A bit of warning, the laugh of an Ares kid is frightening.
"Very funny Clarisse. Congratulations on being a counselor this year." I said.
"Thank you, I'll tell you how it goes considering I'm sure you and Percy will be in the same boat next year." Clarisse said as she walked over and playfully punched Thalia in the arm.
"Hey, watch it Clarisse." Thalia said.
"I'm just messing with you Gracie." Clarisse said.
"Hey, don't call me Gracie." Thalia warned.
Percy and I had made our way to the door before a full battle commenced in the mess hall. Malcolm had already snuck out the back door to the Mess Hall. Percy and I quietly opened the door and proceeded to run to the training building. We stopped to catch our breath in front of the entrance.
"Annabeth this looks exactly like the Temple of Theseus in Athens. I can't believe you got it this perfect. I know Theseus loves it." Percy said.
"Thank you, your brother does love it, but not just for the outside. Go inside and you'll see." I said happily.
We walked into the building and we entered a long hallway that was ten feet wide by at least 1,000 feet long. At the end of the hallway was a floor to ceiling window and the ceiling was a full skylight. Along the walls were four doors, two on each side, evenly spaced. Percy and I walked to the first door on the right and opened it we walked in immediately.
"This is the new sword and hand to hand combat arena." Percy said excitedly.
"It sure is." I said happily.
"It's incredible, those exercise dummies are incredible, what are they?" Percy said.
"There animatronic, they are made of celestial bronze so they are almost indestructible and they have sensors that acknowledge attacks and keep score, cool huh?" I said.
"It's incredible, I love it." Percy said.
"I knew you would." I said as I gave Percy a big hug.
"So, what's in the other three rooms?" Percy said.
"Well, the one across the hall is the archery wing, the next one on the right is the obstacle course and the last wing is the full work out room that includes a weight room, aerobics studio, concentration and meditation area, and lastly a relaxation area with spa , showers and locker room." I said.
"This is absolutely the greatest thing you ever designed." Percy said as he gave me a big kiss that left me speechless, well almost.
"A .. your welcome." I said trying to regain my composure.
Percy was clearly in his element as he walked around and practiced with one of the animatronic dummies.
"Percy, do you want to go see the new Big House?" I said, as I got tired of him winning against the dummy. I had set that one earlier in the day to expert and Percy already beat it five times in a row. I forgot how incredible Percy had become as a swordsman.
"Sure wise girl, let's pay a visit to Chiron and Mr. D." Percy said as he put the training sword away.
We walked hand in hand from the training building to the Big House. Now this was my favorite building, it was beautiful. Percy stopped as we stood at the bottom of the steps to the house.
"Annabeth, this has to be the second greatest thing you ever designed." Percy said amazed.
"Thank you, this is my favorite of all." I said proudly.
We walked in through the front door; the inside of the house was amazing. I had made sure that the decorations were all very modern in the living room and entertainment area. We walked into the kitchen, which had black granite countertops, dark gray cabinets, and a dark cherry wood floor. All of the appliances were stainless steel and shined in the sunlight that came through the large bay windows and French doors. A large table was on one side of the kitchen and sitting at the table playing pinochle were Chiron and Mr. D.
"Percy, Annabeth, good to see both of you." Mr. D said, clearly his going home to his wife after the summer was still agreeing with him. He was as happy as a lark.
"Good to see you too, sir." I said.
"You two look great, so good to have you both back this summer." Chiron said as he gave both of us a big hug.
"Thanks, Chiron." Percy and I said at the same time.
"Do you know how many campers have arrived so far?" I asked.
"Well not many. We have a counter in the security barrier that keeps a log on how many campers pass through. So far the system showed twenty campers." Chiron said as he looked at a computer readout sitting on the kitchen table.
"That seems pretty low even for this early in the summer, don't you think?" I said.
"Your right, we usually have three times that many by now at least." Chiron said.
"Maybe the campers are coming later because we do have a higher average age this year than years past." Mr. D said, I didn't even know he kept track of those sort of things.
"You might be correct, it is early. Officially the arrival date is not until next week." Chiron said.
"Let's wait for a few more days before we worry too much. We haven't heard of any monster attacks lately anyways." Mr. D said.
"The lunch bell should ring in a few minutes, you two should get to the mess hall. We'll see you there in a few minutes." Chiron said.
Percy and I said our good-byes and walked to the mess hall.
"You think something bad is going on don't you?" Percy asked.
"It might be nothing, but yeah this few campers doesn't make sense with the year-round campers we probably have one hundred campers total now. As Chiron said we should be between two hundred and three hundred camper by now." I said as I tried to analyze the situation.
"Well I hope nothing is wrong, but until the official camp date we can't jump to conclusions, but we should at least talk to Theseus. Hopefully, he'll show up soon, maybe we will see him at lunch, come on." Percy said as we walked to the mess hall.
I had a bad feeling and more importantly my mind was telling me that something wasn't right. Something was happening to campers, something very wrong.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. There was a lot to cover I hope I was detailed enough for you on the new camp design.
