Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or Harry Potter.
Reading The Ever Twisting Wind: The Lightning Thief
Chapter Two: I'm a Demi-What?!
"So, anyone else want to have a go?" Percy asked.
"I'll read, Percy," Annabeth said with a small roll of her eyes. She plucked the book from his hand and turned the page.
It was official: Andi had the weirdest dreams, ever.
There was this golden eagle and white horse fighting, it involved lots of screeching and slashing talons from the eagle and whining and bucking from the horse.
It was like some kind of full on death match or something.
"If only," Ares said with a sad sigh.
The glares from both Poseidon and Zeus were ignored promptly.
She woke up a few times before going back under. Andi remembered lying in a soft bed being spoon-fed something that tasted like a buttered croissant. Only it had the consistency like pudding. A girl with curly blond hair with neat looking grey eyes hovered over the black haired girl, smirking as she wiped off some stray bits from Andi's chin.
When she saw Andi's eyes open, she asked, "Since the other one didn't know,
"Which would be me." Percy nodded.
"Oh, wait, we get to see stupid Percy again?" Nico asked with a grin.
"Hey!"
"Sorry, sorry. I mean, we get to see younger stupid Percy again?"
Percy glared at the smirking Nico, while the others snickered.
maybe you can help. What will happen at the summer solstice?" She asked…well, interrogated more like.
"Wha?" Andi moaned out, her eyes blinking at the natural lighting in the room.
The blonde looked around, as if afraid someone would overhear. "What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks!"
"One word. Just one, and I'll cram a rock down your throat," Annabeth said without looking up from the book.
Leo and Thalia, both ready to tease Annabeth, shut their mouths promptly.
"Leave 'e 'lone." The small girl mumbled while trying to sit up, but the girl gently pushed Andi back down, even as she struggled a bit.
"Relax, you're safe." She told the injured girl genuinely.
Andi didn't believe her and rolled off the bed. Face met floor and blackness followed.
"Oh, the poor dear." Rhea frowned while the demigods snickered again.
Even the second time around, that was still funny.
She awoke again some time later, confined to the bed once more but the interrogating girl was gone while a new guy was in her stead. He was a husky blond dude, and dressed like a surfer. He stood in the corner of the bedroom keeping watch. He had blue eyes- at least a dozen of them-on his cheeks, his forehead, and even the backs of his hands.
"Argus looks to have adapted to the times well," Rhea said.
"Indeed," Hera said with a smile.
It was wicked cool, she thought, before sleep demanded her noggin once more.
When Andi finally came around for good, there was nothing weird about her surroundings and she saw that a window was by her side. Outside of it, she gazed across a meadow at green hills in the distance. The window was cracked open to allow the breeze in, which smelled like strawberries (which she loved).
It was heavenly to her really, like something out of a postcard.
She yawned a bit, clicking her tongue somewhat and felt as though she'd been in Egypt for a while from how dry her mouth was. While looking around, lo and behold, another infirmary…she was really starting to hate ending up in one all the time!
On the table next to her was a tall drink. It looked like iced apple juice, with a yellow straw and a paper parasol stuck through a maraschino cherry.
"An appletini? That's not good for after a concussion," Apollo said with a huff.
Andi looked at it critically, like it could be poisonous…but her gut was saying otherwise and when her gut spoke, she tended to listen.
"Listen to the wisdom of the instinct," Percy said with a nod.
"But always think something through when you can," Annabeth said afterwards. She gave her beau a pointed look. "Are we really going to repeat ourselves?"
"...No..."
"Good."
So, she decided to see if it would kill her or not. Her hand was a bit weak at first, but after a few flexes of her fingers and rotating of the arm; she got the feeling back in it while picking up the glass, or more like moved it enough so her mouth could reach the straw.
Andi took a tiny sip, just in case and gasped lightly, it was like a strawberry tart, but liquefied…it was brilliant. Andi felt a bundle of energy build up in her from the potion, she assumed, and felt as though she could lift a tractor. She eagerly had some more, enjoying the strawberry goodness.
After licking her lips a bit, she put the half filled cup on the table, before proceeding to pull the blanket off and swing her legs to the sides. Andi then started her infirmary exercises. Swinging her legs back and forth to get the feeling back in them while rotating her shoulders. She winced a bit however as she moved her left one.
"That landing was a doozy," Jason said with a grimace.
She peeled the neckline of the plain white shirt she was currently in down a little and saw bandages wrapped around her shoulder. Lifting up the hem of the shirt, she saw that some had been wrapped around her flat stomach too.
There was a cat-call whistle.
"Who dares?" Artemis asked, glaring around the room.
"...Me." Ares grinned. An arrow was fired into his right eye. "GAH! BITCH!"
"More where that came from."
"Artemis, enough!" Zeus barked.
"Fine..." Artemis muttered sourly, returning to her seat and folding her arms over her chest, her bow disappearing into thin air.
She'd bet her Chocolate Frog card collection that the wound was going to leave a scar. Great, just what she needed. More scars.
After the bit of stretching, Andi stood up and only wobbled a little bit. She saw her messenger bag and sneakers in the corner and checked them immediately. Her cloak, stuff, wand, and ring were in it. She tried to pick up the bag, but her body wobbled at the action. Frowning, she left the bag there for now and after struggling into her sneakers, proceeded to open the infirmary door that led outside and walked out onto the porch.
As she got out, she looked onto the postcard-esque scene that she had glimpsed from the window and it was even more breathtaking than she had imagined. She could just look at it for hours, it was so peaceful.
"Meh, I've seen better," Dionysus said with a scoff. "If there were less of those dreadful things around."
"...You mean the demigods, don't you?" Demeter asked dryly.
"Of course!"
There were a few chairs, tables, and lounge chairs spread about the porch. A boy occupied one; he had short black hair and green eyes that looked rather gloomy. He looked about her age. His legs were covered by a blanket and had a pillow to his back. On his lap was a shoebox and in it was a jagged white and black horn.
"…fault." The girl heard the boy said to another boy in an American accent. Leading her to believe she wasn't in jolly ol' England anymore.
Bollocks.
"No, she's not supposed to be in anything until...Ohh, Bollocks, not Bullock...Got it." Apollo nodded.
"...Your stupidity astounds me," Artemis said dryly.
"You're just jealous that I'm a riot and you're not." Apollo stuck his tongue out at her.
"Real mature."
"At least one of us is."
"Twins..." Hestia cut in with a frown.
"Sorry Hestia." The two chimed.
"Yes, it was. I was supposed to protect you." Said the curly brown haired boy. He was leaning against the porch railing, looking like he hadn't slept in a week. He was wearing blue jeans, Converse hi-tops and a bright orange T-shirt that said CAMP HALF-BLOOD.
The name caught the witch's attention. Why was this supposed camp named that? In wizarding society she was a half blood, since her dad was a pureblood wizard while her mum wasn't, but do they label people like that in America too?
"Did my mother ask you to protect me?"
"No. But that's my job. I'm a keeper. At least...I was."
"But why..." the sitting boy asked, sounding woozy, Andi wanted to know too as she took a casual sip from the drink in her hand. Shamelessly eavesdropping, a habit that she had picked up from school.
"...Still better than my other cousins," Percy said with a frown.
"...Ouch, Percy," Jason put a hand over his chest. "Ouch."
"Okay, well, second best to you dude."
"Ah, thanks bro."
"...The bromance is real," Piper said lowly, bursting into laughter when the two teens sent her a confused look.
"Don't strain yourself," Curls said, "here." He held the glass to the black haired boy's lips.
"Uh, hello?" Andi greeted awkwardly.
Startled, the curly haired boy let out a nervous bleating noise that sounded goatish as he turned to her. The girl smiled, the noise was funny. "You shouldn't even be standing." He said in a shocked whisper as he walked over to her and gently led her into sitting down in one of the lounge chairs next to the other boy, much to Andi's protest.
"Good. Good. Let's not get into that subject," Rhea said with a small smile as she looked at her youngest son and youngest daughter.
"Mother!" They scowled at the tittering Titaness.
"Oh, teasing you two over this is so much fun!"
"Yes...So fun." They mumbled in discontent.
About sitting down, not next to the boy…but he did look kind of wimpy.
"Beat Ares."
"If I didn't have an arrow in my eye, Poseidon, I'd kick your ass!"
"Uh-huh, sure you would." Poseidon smiled at the god of war in amusement.
She hoped it doesn't rub off on her.
"Hey, I'm only a little tired. I'm a big girl. Some freaky snake lady can't take me down." Andi stated with a cute pout, "More importantly, where is this? Some kinda magical summer camp the States have?" she asked in wonder.
"Big is debatable."
"Ooh, the satyr fires a shot."
"...It's shots fired, Hazel." Leo corrected with a snicker.
Hazel huffed. "Whatever, I'm learning."
The girl heard him mutter before he turned to her and spoke in a normal speaking voice, "Kind of, it'll be explained in a bit." He assured the girl.
"I'm sorry, what was that first part furry chin?" Andi asked menacingly with narrowed eyes, as she sipped her potion through the straw.
The curly haired boy held his hands up defensively and bleated a nervous laugh, "Nothing, nothing. So, I'm Grover. Nice to meet you, uh?"
Andi smirked, her chin held high, "Name's Andi, best damn witch you'll ever meet!" They gave her some odds looks, but she ignored them. Clearly they were stunned by her awesome declaration. Andi looked over Grover again, "So, Grover? You look sorta more like a Clover to me."
"I still have to call him that," Percy said with a smirk.
"Same." "Oh yeah." Nico and Thalia agreed, grins on their faces.
The black haired boy sniggered at that while Grover slumped, "Yeah, uh, thanks." he said weakly.
"Hey Grover, she's a riot. Is she a err… camper here?" the green eyed boy asked
"She's new, like you. Just appeared on the border of the camp. Andi, this is Perseus Jackson."
"Charmed." Andi said with a smirk to the boy.
"Yeah, um, same. Call me Percy, though." He said, "Wait, witch? Like in magic and wizards and stuff?" Percy asked with disbelief in his tone as he finally caught on to what Andi was actually saying.
"Do you believe in magic-Oh, come on, I was quoting it I wasn't going to sing it!" Apollo frowned when Artemis glared at him.
"Sure, you say that now."
"Of course." Andi exclaimed to him like he was an idiot.
Percy just blinked like an owl in bewilderment.
"So, can you tell me what happened to you?" Grover asked the young girl.
"I was all alone in the park, on the swings and then BAM! This freaky snake lady was trying to stab me with a spear. She was very mean too, even as I stabbed her in the neck."
"You killed a Dracanae? Without any training?" Grover asked sounding impressed.
Andi snorted, "Please~! That was nothing! I took on a giant basilisk once.
"And that can't be misinterpreted in any way at all." Frank mumbled with a sigh.
"She's like twelve, dude." Leo pointed out.
"I know, but from me, it's not as creepy because I'm not an immortal."
'No, it's creepy because you're a beefcake."
"...Shut up."
A Draca-what's-it ain't a challenge compared to that. Even got a cool knife to prove it." She waved off, her ego being a bit boosted for the slaying of a monster, or two.
Grover blinked, "You mean that Drakon you killed, right?" he said
It was Andi's turn to blink, "Drakon…aren't they, like, the mommies and daddies of dragons or something?" she asked remembering hearing about that from her dragon obsessed friend, Hagrid.
Grover nodded, "Yep, that knife of yours? It was made from a monster's tooth. And that tooth wasn't a basilisk's Andi, they're way smaller. You killed a Drakon." He said in an awed tone, "Chiron confirmed it himself. Everyone knows by now." He stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Great, now I'll have to top that somehow..." Percy mumbled.
"...You stopped Kronos..." Annabeth reminded him.
"Right, right..."
"A what?" Percy asked, a clueless expression on his face.
"So I killed a super dragon or something?" Andi asked, getting a nod from the fuzzy chinned boy, "Wicked." She answered with a grin stretching across her face.
"Hey, you said not to say the name?" Percy said, a bit put out by the looks of it, while speaking at Grover.
Grover turned to him, "I said the race, not the actual name of the monster like you tried to do." He countered.
"Shame Newb-Percy. For shame." Leo wagged his finger most menacingly at the screen.
"Very funny." Percy mumbled, rolling his eyes.
Andi yawned and turned to Grover, "Hey, can you grab my bag for me? I tried to get it...but I'm still a little asleep I guess." she yawned.
Grover nodded, "I'll go get it. You two just relax, please." He pleaded.
Grover walked into the house to get the bag and now it was just a boy she didn't even know and herself. Sitting around and basking in the awkward silence.
"So, you're British." The Jackson boy said to her, trying to start a conversation.
"And failing."
"Thalia, no commentary, please."
"I promise nothing."
Andi looked at him funny, "No, I'm French, really." she answered with an eye roll, "Of course I am, what gave it away you Yank?" she asked mockingly. She was still hyped up on adrenaline from wondering about where she was and what the fudge was going on, so she was very irritable right now.
The boy frowned a little at her answer while looking a bit pink in the cheeks, "Fine, just asking. Never met someone from England before." He stated, and from the sounds of it, trying to be civil.
Andi sighed, "Sorry, just, this is kinda messing with me. All this." she stated with a wave of her arm, "Just jumpy I guess."
"No, that's the ADHD," Percy said. "Once you get a good nights sleep it should settle down. Sort of."
"Eh, ADHD isn't so bad...The Dyslexia, though, that's obnoxious." Leo groaned.
"That's gotta suck for you guys," Frank said with a sympathetic smile.
"It does." Hazel sighed sadly.
He looked back and nodded with a tiny smile, "Yeah, I'm a bit weirded out too, so I can understand."
"Cool, glad someone does because I sure don't."
They both laughed a bit as Grover came back with Andi's messenger bag.
For a while, the black haired kids just sat in silence as they both sipped their drinks. It was very yummy.
They had finished about three quarters of their servings when Grover asked, "Was it good?"
Percy nodded while Andi spoke, "It was amazing." she said in slight bliss.
"What did it taste like?" He sounded wistful.
"Well if he had one sip..." Hades trailed off wistfully.
"He'd turn into a flower, Hades."
"We don't know that! Anything could happen!"
"...I'm willing to test this new experiment-," Ares started to say, a patch over his eye.
"No." Zeus glared at his son and brother.
"Aww..." "Tch."
Percy frowned somewhat while the girl blinked, wondering why hadn't he have any?
"Sorry," Percy said. "I should've let you taste."
Grover's eyes got wide. "No! That's not what I meant. I just... wondered."
"It tasted like a strawberry tart to me." Andi supplied to him.
"Chocolate-chip cookies," Percy said. "My mom's. Homemade." Andi sighed a bit at that, wistfully thinking about how lucky Percy was. He heard her and looked curious.
"Doesn't your mom make you anything home made?" he asked
"Smooth." Nico nodded.
"Shut up, how was I supposed to know?"
"No."
"Why?" he asked, making the blue eyed girl grit her teeth.
"Dead." Andi said bluntly.
He winced, "I'm sorry, um, your dad?"
"Dead." She said in annoyance. Take a hint; we all aren't lucky like you. Andi thought darkly.
"Well, to be fair, his uncle kidnaps his mother," Hermes said, since luck one a minor domain of his.
"Yes, thank you for the reminder, Hermes." Hades drawled sarcastically while Poseidon glared at him.
"No problem, Hades," Hermes said with a nod.
Percy stopped talking and turned away embarrassed. Andi was thankful.
Grover sighed. "And how do you two feel?"
"Like I could throw Nancy Bobofit a hundred yards." Percy answered him, happy to get away from this awkward moment.
"Who?" Andi asked
"A bully in my old school." He answered her.
"Oh, I'd just punch them in the face; it gets them to back off."
"Yes, but it also gets you in trouble, which I obviously don't do enough of without trying." Percy grumbled sarcastically.
"You're a magnet for trouble, Percy." Annabeth sighed.
"Believe me, I know. I mean, a cannon blew up a school bus once. A cannon! I don't even know how that's possible!"
"...Was it a naval cannon?" Poseidon asked.
"Maybe. Why?"
"Oh...No reason."
She stated with a shrug, "Anyway, I feel like I could run a marathon and not even feel a smidge tired." Andi said with a playful yawn, getting Grover to chuckle lightly.
"That's good," Grover said. "That's good. I don't think you could risk drinking any more of that stuff."
"What do you mean?" Percy asked in confusion.
Andi frowned, "Yeah, I mean, sure it's a potion, but shouldn't we finish it for the full effect?" she asked. She may have average grades in potions, but she was good enough to know that much at least. Seriously though her grades in potions should be higher but the evil potions professor hated her dad's guts, and had carried that grudge over to her too for being his 'evil spawn' and thus tried to fail her in every class. Greasy git.
"Aw, but he's like the ultimate secret agent! Snape's a dick, but he's a good dick!"
"Apollo! Language!" Rhea glared at her grandson.
"I'm just sayin'!"
Grover didn't answer and took the cups gingerly, as though they would blow up at any second if he didn't handle them with utmost care, "Come on. Chiron and Mr. D are waiting."
It was then the girl noticed that the porch wrapped all the way around the farmhouse.
Percy's legs looked wobbly as he tried to walk that far. He should have done infirmary stretches like she had. She was feeling much better already and was able to stand up fine.
"Excuse me for not knowing about infirmary stretches..." Percy grumbled again. Why did he like Andi again? ...Oh yeah, she was funny.
Grover offered to carry his Minotaur horn and her bag, but Percy had said he'd hold on to it, looking stern. Andi thanked him though while handing her stuff to him, trusting the boy.
"Not trusting Grover, Percy?" Thalia tisked. "Shame."
Percy gave Thalia a look. "I trust Grover with my life...At that moment, my mom had been snatched by a god, I just found out monsters are real and my best friend had lied to me about why he enjoys Rasta hats and enchiladas so much."
"...Fair enough."
As they came around the opposite end of the house, Andi caught her breath once more.
They must've been on the edge of the States or something, because on that side of the house, the valley rolled all the way up to the water, which glittered about a mile in the distance. Between here and there, the girl simply couldn't process everything without getting giddy. The landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture-an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, and a circular arena-except that they all looked brand new, their white marble columns shining in the sun. In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school-age kids and satyrs, whom were cool to see since she'd never met one before, were playing volleyball. Canoes were gliding across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts like Grover's were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range. Others rode horses down a wooded trail, and some of their horses had wings! Andi knew that the Wizarding world had winged horses, but these looked grander somehow.
"That's because they're legit." Poseidon smirked. "Nothing beats a good ol' fashioned Greek pegasus."
"...Gonna disagree with you on that one, Dad." Percy mumbled. That Maserati spider was still the coolest thing in the world and he would get one...some how...
Down at the end of the porch, two men sat across from each other at a card table. The blonde haired girl who'd spoon-fed the witch croissant-flavored pudding and tried to interrogate her, was leaning on the porch rail next to them.
The man facing the kids was small, but plump. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple. He looked like he could out eat her uncle and cousin, and that was saying something. But he also looked like someone you would always see at a party of the more adult variety, mostly because of the alcohol. He wore a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt. The main thing that got Andi however was how powerful he was. She inwardly shivered at the power rolling off him in waves. Sure, Dumbledore was strong, yes, but this man? He made the headmaster look like an ant, or something even lower on the food chain.
"Far, far lower on the food chain," Dionysus said with a huff. "I wonder how this one will differ from the old fool we've previously read up on."
"Or, radical thought, he's a grandfatherly figure without any ulterior motives? Eh? Eh?"
"...Apollo, why are you so Dumble-hard?" Hermes asked.
Apollo hung his head. "Because I'd go gay for Gandalf."
"...Wha-I don't even...O-Okay."
"That's Mr. D," Grover murmured to the kids. "He's the camp director. Be polite. The girl, that's Annabeth Chase. She's just a camper, but she's been here longer than just about anybody. And Percy already knows Chiron..."
He pointed at the guy whose back was to them.
The first thing Andi realized about this Chiron character was that he was sitting in the wheelchair. He had a tweed jacket, thinning brown hair; a scraggly beard that fit him just right, unlike the headmaster's which was so long it made the old wizard look like a Merlin wannabe.
"...Okay, that's true, I'll give her that." Apollo mumbled.
"Mr. Brunner!" Percy cried out. The black haired girl looked at him funny, why was he shouting? But she was too busy trying to recall where she remembered the name Chiron from to comment.
The man looked at them and had this twinkle in his eye that somehow glinted with mischief even as he smiled kindly.
"Ah, good, Percy," he said, before he turned to the small girl, "And you must be Andromeda Potter, excellent, now we have four for pinochle…" he trailed off as his eyes widened while looking above her head.
Andi looked up and saw a yellowish gold holographic lightning bolt thing above her.
"Wow, just going right out and claiming her like that?" Rhea blinked in mild surprise. "You must really care for her."
"Of course I do." Zeus rumbled, slightly insulted by his mother's surprise.
"Oh, sure...and Poseidon didn't claim Percy at an opportune moment by coincidence," Hades said with a snort.
"Don't bring me into this!" Poseidon grumbled.
"Ugh, while this is really cool, what's up with the lightshow?" Andi asked as she observed the obnoxiously glowing bolt.
She wasn't answered as Grover, dragging down a confused Percy, dropped to their knees along with Annabeth as Chiron bowed his head and Mr. D looked on with mild interest. Andi turned to see everyone outside the porch, getting on their knees, too.
She was so lost right now.
"All hail Andromeda Potter, daughter of Zeus, Thunderer, Lord of the Sky and King of Olympus!"
"I still want to hear God of Theatre added to that lineup of titles."
"Shut up, Poseidon."
The man in the wheelchair spoke loud and clear as everyone who was kneeling looked at Andi like she was some kind of rare zoo animal that had just gotten off the endangered species list.
She snapped her head back to the people she semi-knew and saw Grover looked like he was going to faint, Percy looked even more confused, and that Annabeth girl looked like she had won the lottery if that smile was anything to go by. Chiron had a grim face as if something bad had happened as Mr. D just went back to shuffling those cards in his hands like nothing important had happened.
Andi's inner protocols activated.
"Wha? Daughter of who? Where? How? Potato?!"
"It was amusing the first time around, but now I wonder why her mind went to potato during this. Incoherent gibberish followed by passing out would be more appropriate," Dionysus said analytically.
Yeah, her mind was shorting out.
Ithink I need a fainting couch please
"See? She agrees with me."
…Okay, where did that come from? Andi thought to herself as she tried to blink away her confusion at what happened.
Everyone stood up and she heard whispers behind her from the kids around her, but she didn't listen to them.
Andi looked at Chiron and hoped that her face was suitably screaming 'Help me!' very loudly. She was freaking out and needed some help. Her heart was pounding once more like a jackrabbit as her palms felt like they were sweating from how nervous she was.
Thankfully the man in the wheelchair understood and spoke calmly to her, "Andromeda, please, come and sit. All will be explained." He said soothingly as she shakily nodded and took the seat next to him.
He motioned for Percy as well, and the boy took the seat next to Mr. D, who looked at them with bloodshot eyes and heaved a great sigh. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood and you, welcome to the family." He said to Andi with mirth, like she was a joke or something.
"Well, she is." Dionysus smirked.
"...You're rather chatty," Zeus said dryly. "Would you like to keep chatting for the next hundred years?"
"...No sir..."
"As I thought."
"There. Now, don't expect me to be glad to see you."
"Uh, thanks." Percy said as he scooted a little farther away from him.
Andi's mind was going over what she knew was going on and just took what she personally thought was the biggest shot in the dark, "You're a God." She blurted out to the tiger shirt man.
"Darn, my money was on the Easter Bunny." Leo mumbled.
Dionysus glared at him while the other demigods (un)fortunate enough to deal with the god snickered.
"Well, look at that, at least one of them is sharp on their little toes." Mr. D said in a drawl.
"Annabeth?" Chiron called to the blond girl.
She came forward and the middle-aged man introduced them. "This young lady nursed you both back to health. We needed a bit more help from Apollo cabin for your wounds Andromeda, but she was still a great help. Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now. And if you can, some supplies for Andromeda for Cabin One."
"Because it's a bank." Poseidon chuckled.
"It is not a bank!" Zeus protested.
"...It's a bank." Jason mumbled while Thalia spoke freely.
Poseidon smirked victoriously while Zeus scowled at his children's betrayal.
"Um, thanks." Andi said to the girl who nodded back like it wasn't a problem. "Call me Andi sir, please." she said to the man in the wheelchair politely. She was British after all and taking refuge in being polite when things were going crazy was pretty ingrained in them. Plus she found her name to be a mouthful.
Chiron gave her a kind smile and a small nod.
Annabeth said, "Sure, Chiron." Her tone sounded excited as she looked at Andi. She looked like she was probably her age, being maybe a couple of inches taller, then again Andi was kinda short, and the other girl was a whole lot more athletic looking. So Andi might be wrong in her assessment. With her deep tan and her curly blond hair, she was almost exactly what the Brit thought a stereotypical American girl would look like,
"That's true...except for the eyes," Percy said with a small smile.
except for her wicked looking eyes. They were a startling gray, like storm clouds; which the foreigner always loved to watch, but had this confident look in them that Andi herself often had. But Andi's eyes were kinda dead at the moment since she was far out of her comfort zone right now.
Annabeth glanced at the Minotaur horn in Percy's hands, then back at him. Percy looked like he was expecting something from her.
She said to him, "You drool in your sleep."
"And thus, Percabeth began."
"Shut up, Piper." Annabeth grumbled with pink cheeks while Percy brooded at his snickering/giggling friends.
Andi cracked up, "Oh man, your face…" She trailed off into giggles at his dumbfounded face; it helped ease her mind a bit.
Then the girl sprinted off down the lawn, her blond hair flying behind her.
"So," Percy said, looking like he wanted to talk about anything other than his drool.
"But it's so fascinating."
"Leo, not funny." Percy frowned at the snickering elf-like pyro.
"I beg to differ."
"Shut up, Thalia."
"You, uh, work here, Mr. Brunner?"
"I thought his name was Chiron?" Andi spoke, pausing suddenly at the name as it finally clicked, "Wasn't that the guy who trained heroes?" she asked curiously.
The man gave Andi a wide smile, "Indeed he did." He spoke with a small chuckle while Mr. D rolled his eyes, "Not Mr. Brunner," Chiron corrected Percy, "I'm afraid that was a pseudonym. You may call me Chiron."
"Okay," said Percy, sounding totally confused. Andi was there with him. He looked at the director. "And Mr. D ... does that stand for something?"
"Divine." Andi murmured somewhat loudly.
"More like it stands for 'douche'," Apollo said with a snort.
"As they say today, talk to the hand, Apollo, because my face ain't hearing it."
"...Wow, you are ...so very wrong." Apollo snickered.
Mr. D stopped shuffling the cards. He looked at Percy as if they boy had just swallowed a turkey whole. "Young man, names are powerful things. You don't just go around using them for no reason." He said as his gaze shifted to the girl a bit, as if her guess was right. Well, that he was a divine being and that wasn't his name.
"Oh. Right. Sorry." Percy mumbled
"I must say, Percy," Chiron broke in, "I'm glad to see you alive. It's been a long time since I've made a house call to a potential camper. I'd hate to think I've wasted my time."
"House call?" Percy asked as Andi listened, surprisingly patient.
"Considering who her father is, yes. That is surprising." Hera mused.
Zeus sent his wife a betrayed glare while his siblings, immortal children and even his mother laughed at him.
The demigods were wise enough to keep their snickering stifled under hands or by biting their lips.
"My year at Yancy Academy, to instruct you. We have satyrs at most schools, of course, keeping a lookout. We have fewer though in Britain, which is why we likely missed you Andi."
"What, a satyr?" Andi asked in confusion. Chiron merely mentioned towards Grover, causing the girl to look at the aforementioned boy. He nodded and took off his hi-tops and showed his hooves sticking out of his jeans.
"Yes, Grover alerted me as soon as he met Percy." Turning to address Percy directly, Chiron continued. "He sensed you were something special, so I decided to come upstate. I convinced the other Latin teacher to ... ah, take a leave of absence." Chiron explained.
"And me? How do I fit into all of this?" Andi cut in impatiently.
"Again, much like Zeus."
"Demeter!" Zeus glared at his sister, while she smirked back at him.
He was, after all, partly to blame for her daughter's marriage to their brother.
Chiron gave a frown, "We had no idea about you, Andi. If we knew who you were...we would have brought you to safety here at camp far sooner. Though I must say that even without any proper training, you still performed admirably. Slaying the Drakon? Excellent job my dear, most impressive." The man complimented and Andi smiled a little at the praise.
"I kinda wish I had." she muttered honestly, trying to put her head around all this. She didn't know why, but she just felt this place was better than her magical school, that she felt more at peace here or something.
"You came to Yancy just to teach me?" Percy asked, veering the conversation back in his direction.
"That sounds very familiar." Hestia mused playfully.
"Not you too!" Zeus groaned while Poseidon brooded.
"I don't do that...er, well, I haven't done that lately...no more than fifty years, tops."
Chiron nodded. "Honestly, I wasn't sure about you at first. We contacted your mother; let her know we were keeping an eye on you in case you were ready for Camp Half-Blood. But you still had so much to learn. Andi, if we had known about you, we would have contacted your family as well of course."
"They are not my family." Andi spat out with venom as the wind started to circle around her in response to the sheer hatred she felt for those things.
Chiron gained this look as if he had heard this all before and nodded to Andi while holding up his hand in an effort to calm her. It somewhat did, but her fists were still clenched tightly.
"Nevertheless, you both made it here alive, one from the other side of the ocean no less. And that's always the first test."
"Using magic to survive a monster attack. Yeah, that's fair. I only had to travel the country for who knows how long before Grover found me," Thalia said bitterly.
Zeus gained a small grimace and Jason rubbed his sister's arm soothingly.
"You do know how to play pinochle?" Mr. D asked abruptly as he eyed them suspiciously.
"I'm afraid not," Percy said.
"I'm afraid not, sir," he said to the boy.
"Sir," Percy repeated with a frown, maybe D stood for Demanding?
"Douche." Apollo sang, a guitar riff appearing from nowhere.
"Yes, thank you for that, Apollo." Rhea commended her grandson dryly.
"Anytime, Gram!"
"I do, sir. It's the one with the large hand and you make combinations, yes?" Andi asked to be sure since it had been a while since she played.
Mr. D nodded, "Yes it is, and at least you have some manners." He said, as if mocking Percy, "Well, it is, along with gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, one of the greatest games ever invented by humans. I would expect all civilized young men and women to know the rules."
"I'm sure the boy can learn," Chiron said.
Andi's breaking point hit, "Can, can we talk about what is going on? Please? I'm kinda losing it here." she said while alternatively looking at Chiron or Mr. D. She just wanted to know what the hell was happening!
Mr. D looked like he wanted to laugh, "A child of Zeus saying please, amazing." She heard him mutter, "We sure she's his?"
"It is worrying." Hades nodded.
Zeus scowled at the god of the underworld.
The sky rumbled a bit.
"Temper, temper, Zeus."
"You are not one to be saying that, Hera." Zeus growled at his wife.
Chiron just gave the director a deadpan stare.
"What she said." Percy spoke, looking for answers as well, "What am I doing here? Mr. Brun-Chiron-why would you go to Yancy Academy just to teach me?"
Mr. D snorted. "I asked the same question."
"Never did get that answer," Dionysus said thoughtfully.
The camp director dealt the cards. Grover stood off to the side, nervous as can be. Chiron smiled at them sympathetically, "Percy," he said. "Did your mother tell you nothing?"
"She said..." Percy thought for a beat, "She told me she was afraid to send me here, even though my father had wanted her to. She said that once I was here, I probably couldn't leave. She wanted to keep me close to her."
"Typical," Mr. D said. "That's how they usually get killed.
"...He's right..." Hermes said, a pained look on his face as he did.
"True." Apollo nodded solemnly.
"Humph, why you're both so broken up, I'll never understand." Dionysus grumbled.
"We're not broken up, it's physically painful to agree with you on something concerning demigods. It's like agreeing with Ares' logic," Hermes said. He tapped the side of his head. "Something up here starts to hurt. A lot."
"Screw you, Half-Pint." Ares grumbled.
"The nerve!" Dionysus huffed.
How about you young lady?" he asked the girl.
Andi held her cards and looked at them a bit, but her mind wasn't really into it, "My mother died when I was one sir…but," she said, her mind turning, "If what I'm figuring out is right, then the man I thought was my dad, was my step-father…right?" she asked shakily. She didn't want to accept what she was piecing together, because if it were true then her whole life has been a lie. Instead, she was desperately hoping all this was just some very real dream.
"Bingo." The god replied with all the enthusiasm of a sleeping cat.
"Way to crush children's dreams, D. Give me some skin!" Ares grinned, holding his hand up.
"...I wouldn't touch your hands with a ten foot pole while I was drunk, Ares." Dionysus grumbled.
Ares scowled and let his arm fall. "Dick."
"He said it, not me!" Apollo was quick to point out.
And there it was. What little innocence she had left in her, after all her misadventures at Hogwarts and her 'childhood', that little hope she had for the perfect Potter family that she'd never know, were crushed in an instant, "I fold." Andi choked out while shakily placing the cards down, looking at her hands as the wind that had been circling around her unnaturally for some time now picked up even more speed.
Chiron gave her a sad smile, "I am sorry you had to reach such a revelation on your own and without warning Andi." He said comfortingly, but the girl was numb and ignored him. Forcing the tears that may have spilled back, she refused to cry like a child.
She had never been a child; she didn't have a childhood, period. She was a tough girl who had to learn her life lessons the hard way. Whenever she had been pushed down in the past, she had always stood up and kept moving onward. This, this was just another bump in the road was all, yep, just another bump…the size of a freaking mountain.
"Good luck getting over that alone," Leo said with a snort.
Andi's breath was shaky as Mr. D asked if Percy was going to bid, the boy didn't know how and Mr. D impatiently explained how to do so.
"I'm afraid there's too much to tell," Chiron said to them. "I'm afraid our usual orientation film won't be sufficient."
"He's afraid of a lot of things, isn't he?" Ares asked with a smirk.
"...It's happened...Ares has made a pun based off of sentence structure..." Athena mumbled in horrified awe.
"We're doomed..." Hermes agreed.
"Eh, we've got a bit longer. Don't go freaking out just yet," Apollo said with a nonchalant wave of his hand.
Ares lost any anger that may have been building up as he looked at Apollo in confusion. "Wait, what do you mean?"
"...Er, nothing. Annabeth, read. Read now."
"Orientation film?" Percy asked.
"Can I go take a walk or something?" Andi asked while her mind was in a haze as she fiddled with her hands. She looked as though she was going to hyperventilate soon.
"I'm afraid there are still some important things to discuss Andi," Chiron said to her gently before looking at both newcomers, "Well, you two. You know your friend Grover is a satyr. You know"-he pointed to the horn in the shoe box-"that you, Percy, have killed the Minotaur. No small feat, either, lad. What you may not know is that great powers are at work in your life, something that Andi has mostly figured out. Gods-the forces you call the Greek gods-are very much alive."
"And old." Percy nodded.
"Percy Jackson!" Rhea chided her grandson. "It isn't polite to speak of someone's age."
"What? I just said the gods were old." Percy pointed out.
"...Ouch, Percy. Ouch." Poseidon mumbled, brooding at his son's bluntness whereas the rest of his family glared at him.
And there was her second confirmation, great. Andi clenched at the fabric of her shorts tightly. She was trying her best to calm down, and it was not working.
Percy stared at everyone around the table, waiting for someone to say that everything was all a joke. Trust me; I really want it to be one, too. Andi thought bitterly.
But all they got was Mr. D yelling, "Oh, a royal marriage. Trick! Trick!" He cackled as he tallied up his points.
"I still don't understand that game," Percy said with an exasperated sigh.
"Humph, it would do the camp some good for you all to learn it," Dionysus said snobbishly.
"Then why don't you teach them?" Athena suggested.
"And spend more time with them than I already have to? Pass."
"Mr. D," Grover asked timidly, "If you're not going to eat it, could I have your Diet Coke can?"
"Eh? Oh, all right."
Grover bit a huge shard out of the empty aluminum can and chewed it mournfully.
"Wait," Percy told Chiron. "You're telling me there's such a thing as God."
There's one playing cards with us! Andi shouted in her head, how could this kid not feel it?!
"Well, now," Chiron said. "God-capital G, God. That's a different matter altogether. We shan't deal with the metaphysical."
"...Does He exist?" Percy asked. "That was pretty vague –"
"It's complicated, Percy." Poseidon interrupted firmly. "Christo-Judaism is a subject that we don't approach here on Olympus."
"Like the Egyptians, Norse, Meso-American-"
"Yes! Confound it, Poseidon, keep your son from reminding us that many of the sacred laws were broken by Hades' daughter!" Zeus snarled.
"That only happened because the rest of you are so high on your horses you refused to negotiate and just took their presence as an insult," Hades said with a scoff. "I remember Jupiter's tantrum when Rome began to follow the metaphysical–"
"Silence!" Zeus snapped.
"Metaphysical? But you were just talking about-" Percy started, but Chiron cut him off.
"Ah, gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Olympus. That's a smaller matter."
"Smaller?"
"Sounds less complicated than the bible."
"We like to keep it that way." Apollo nodded. "Sure, some prophecies can be a bit vague, but they're supposed to be. Unlike that magic little book the mortals seem to love. Dunno why, the series has a crappy ending."
"...Apollo, what have we told you about referring to other religion as fictional works?" Hera asked with a frown of annoyance on her face.
"Not to do it...in public."
"Oh, but privately it's fine, Hera?" Rhea asked. A small frown of her own was plastered on her face as she glanced at her daughter, who betrayed nothing. "I see..."
Andi stated, her breathing finally back at a normal pace from calming herself. Somewhat, all the jumble of emotions that she had been feeling as the revelations kept coming were just suppressed for now. She knew, with absolute certainty, that it would explode out of her soon enough, but for now at least it was contained. Mr. D snorted in amusement at that one.
"Yes, quite." Chiron answered to both of the kids, "The gods we discussed in Latin class."
"Zeus," Percy said. "Hera. Apollo. You mean them."
And there it was again-distant thunder on a cloudless day.
"Young man," frowned Mr. D, "I would really be less casual about throwing those names around, if I were you."
"Ah, he can use my name. I love it when people say my name! It's why I sponsored that song." Apollo grinned widely.
"But they're stories," Percy said. "They're-myths, to explain lightning and the seasons and stuff. They're what people believed before there was science."
"Bad wording there, Percy." Andi muttered with a grimace and looked to the 'Myth' across from her.
"Science!" Mr. D scoffed. "And tell me, Perseus Jackson"-Percy flinched-"what will people think of your 'science' two thousand years from now?" Mr. D continued. "Hmm? They will call it primitive mumbo jumbo. That's what. Oh, I love mortals-they have absolutely no sense of perspective. They think they've come so-o-o far. And have they, Chiron? Look at this boy and tell me."
"Eh, give them a few more millennia to clean the place up a bit, D."
"Shut up, Hermes."
"I mean, magic makes science go out the window. And I know Medea was real for a fact, and she was of god blood. So was Circe, an immortal or something, right?" Andi asked Chiron, who nodded, "So gods don't sound that far out there. Maybe a bit since I'm still trying to wrap my head around it…" the girl trailed off, maybe questioning her sanity in light of all this. It was like entering the magical world all over again…but about a good twenty times harder to process.
"We're always harder."
"ARES!"
"Worth it." The war god sniggered.
Mr. D rolled his eyes, "At least one of them gets it." He scoffed, before taking a second look at his hand and scowling at the cards, looking for all intents and purposes highly offended at the scraps of paper.
Percy kept his mouth shut and looked at Andi as if she had gone crazy. Been there, done that. Grover was chewing on his can, keeping his mouth shut too.
"Percy," Chiron said, "You may choose to believe or not, but the fact is that immortal means immortal. Can you imagine that for a moment, never dying? Never fading? Existing, just as you are, for all time?"
Percy looked like he was going to say something, but shut his mouth for a second, before asking, "You mean, whether people believed in you or not," he said carefully.
"Exactly," Chiron agreed. "If you were a god, how would you like being called a myth, an old story to explain lightning?
"It's offensive." Zeus huffed.
"Well, in a sense, it does keep us immortal," Athena said. "Story-telling for mortals has kept their wits sharp since they learned to speak formally, and as the saying goes, history repeats for those who forget. Mortals haven't forgotten us, as they continue to tell our stories, learn of us in greater detail and convert us into forms of entertainment."
"You're welcome, by the way," Apollo said dryly. He crossed his arms and huffed. "I'm never thanked for making you all sign that Public Domain waiver."
"...I don't thank you because of that damned Disney film." Poseidon grumbled.
Hades smirked. "Under the sea."
"Shut up."
What if I told you, Perseus Jackson, that someday people would call you a myth, just created to explain how little boys can get over losing their mothers?"
Andi bristled at that and glared at the man, could he really say anything crueler than that? A mother's sacrifice was nothing to scoff at! Her own had done the same and she was proud to call Lily Potter her mother even if Andi barely remembered anything about her.
"I wouldn't like it. But I don't believe in gods." Percy said.
"I was young and stupid, let's leave it in the past!" Percy growled at Nico when he made to speak.
"...Stupid-er. You were stupid-er." Thalia corrected with a smirk on her face.
Percy glared at her.
"He was more naïve than he was stupid," Annabeth said in her boyfriend's defense.
"And it took him how long to realize you liked him?"
"...Aren't you a Hunter?"
"Ladies, let's focus on the story," Rhea said before a verbal spat could begin between the two teenage girls.
"Oh, you'd better," Mr. D murmured. "Before one of them incinerates you."
Grover said, "P-please, sir. He's just lost his mother. He's in shock."
"A lucky thing, too," Mr. D grumbled, playing a card. "Bad enough I'm confined to this miserable job, working with boys who don't even believe."
"It's not like you have to watch Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, Dionysus," Hestia said with a frown.
"Might as well...then I'd find some rum nearby that Captain Hook fellow..." Dionysus mumbled.
He waved his hand and a goblet appeared on the table, as if the sunlight had bent, momentarily, and woven the air into glass. The goblet filled itself with red wine.
Percy's jaw dropped, Andi blinked in surprise at the elegant conjuring, but Chiron hardly looked up.
"Mr. D," he warned, "your restrictions."
Mr. D looked at the wine and feigned surprise.
"Dear me." He looked at the sky and yelled, "Old habits!
"My ass that's an old habit," Zeus said with a scowl. "You made that wine deliberately."
"It wasn't intentional, I swear!"
"Humph, I'm sure."
Sorry!"
More thunder… That's him, right? Her father? Andi balked at the thought.
Mr. D waved his hand again, and the wineglass changed into a fresh can of Diet Coke. He sighed unhappily, popped the top of the soda, and went back to his card game.
"Ah, c'mon, D. It's refreshing." Hermes smirked.
"Bah, it's tolerable." Dionysus mumbled.
Chiron winked at them. "Mr. D offended his father a while back, took a fancy to a wood nymph who had been declared off-limits."
"A wood nymph," Percy repeated, still staring at the Diet Coke can like it came from outer space.
"Well, he's not entirely wrong. I did manifest it warm, had to cool it off somehow." Dionysus joked.
"...You guys can't do that...right?" Leo asked.
"Oh, believe me, Linus, we could if we so wished."
"Yes," Mr. D confessed. "Father loves to punish me. The first time, Prohibition. Ghastly! Absolutely horrid ten years! The second time-well, she really was pretty, and I couldn't stay away-the second time, he sent me here. Half-Blood Hill. Summer camp for brats like you. 'Be a better influence,' he told me. 'Work with youths rather than tearing them down.' Ha. Absolutely unfair."
Mr. D sounded about six years old, and was pouting like a little kid.
"And ..." Percy stammered, "Your father is ..."
"Mr. Zap-Happy himself." Andi said in a low tone, but the sky still gave off a far off thunder boom, as if she was heard.
"She was heard." Poseidon smirked. "That's him showing his disapproval."
"Very subtle." Hades nodded.
"Like you two are any better." Zeus grunted.
"Di immortales, Chiron," Mr. D said. "I thought you taught this boy the basics. My father is Zeus, of course. Same as the girl here." He said pointing to Andi.
Percy looked as though he was thinking really hard, the daughter of Zeus was afraid he would pop a blood vessel any moment before he spoke up, "You're Dionysus," the boy said. "The god of wine."
Mr. D rolled his eyes. "What do they say, these days, Grover? Do the children say, 'Well, duh!'?"
"Y-yes, Mr. D."
"Then, well, duh! Percy Jackson. Did you think I was Aphrodite, perhaps?"
"My least favorite line," Aphrodite said with an offended huff. "As if I'd be so dreadfully absentminded to wear one of his animal print shirts."
"So you admit that you're airheaded?" Artemis asked innocently. She smirked when Aphrodite glared at her. "You did say that you tend to be absentminded. Something has to fill the space between your ears."
"Oh, be quiet, you deer poop sniffer!"
Andi cringed at the very thought.
"You're a god." Percy said.
"Yes, child."
"A god. You."
"Yes!" she groaned at Percy, "Have you not been listened to my comments, at all?" the girl asked him, but he ignored her in favor at staring at Mr. D…why that twerpy Yank!
Mr. D gave Percy this hardened stare and the boy started to cringe a bit.
"Well, when a mortal first thinks of a god nowadays they tend to think of Hugh Jackman, Chris Helmsworth or Liam Neeson," Apollo said with a small smirk. "Or Tristan McLean."
Piper groaned into her hand while Aphrodite sighed happily.
Dionysus glared at Apollo. "And what does that have to do with the scenario?"
"D, when do you ever look like one of those guys?"
"...Screw you, Apollo."
"Nah, I'm not into winos."
Andi looked to Chiron, "Is he allowed to invade our minds?" she asked him in a whisper, not liking the thought of the God of Madness, now that she remembered some stories, being allowed to do that all willy nilly-like.
Chiron shook his head and said that Mr. D wouldn't do that. So she summed it up that Percy just pissed the god off, neat for him.
…What he gets for ignoring me, Andi thought with a tiny huff.
"Would you like to test me, child?" the god said quietly.
"No. No, sir." Percy stammered out, with a bit of panic in his eyes.
"At least Peter has some sense of self-preservation," Dionysus said with a snort.
He turned back to his card game. "I believe I win."
"Not quite, Mr. D," Chiron said. He set down a straight, tallied the points, and said, "The game goes to me."
Mr. D narrowed his eyes at Chiron like he was going to do something, but instead he just sighed through his nose, as if he were used to being beaten by the handicapped man. He got up, and Grover stood at attention.
"I'm tired," Mr. D announced,
"Thanks for the heads up." Hermes rolled his eyes. "Geez, you're definitely our brother. Has to make a show out of everything."
"I was merely giving a reason for why I didn't smite the cheeky bastard then and there," Dionysus said with a huff.
"I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight. But first, Grover, we need to talk, again, about your less-than-perfect performance on this assignment."
Grover's face beaded with sweat, "Y-yes, sir."
Mr. D turned to us. "Cabin Eleven, Percy Jackson. And mind your manners. Cabin One for you Andi Potter."
He swept into the farmhouse, Grover leaving Andi's bag as he followed miserably.
"Will Grover be okay?" Percy asked Chiron, looking concerned.
"He looks like he's walking to death row." Andi frowned, feeling sorry for the satyr.
"She shouldn't. I've never had to punish a satyr before," Hades said dryly. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "If I could though...I think I would put a freshly cooked mutton before them. Force them to smell it for a good century or so and then, as their mouths water, force them to eat it."
"...Aren't there already cannibalistic satyrs?" Poseidon asked.
"Yes, but they're eating a goat, Poseidon, not another satyr."
"...Wow, that is cruel." Poseidon mused.
"Please, this is just off the top of my head. Give me more time, a millennia or so, and you'd be stark white with what I could come up with."
Chiron nodded, though he looked a bit troubled. "Old Dionysus isn't really mad. He just hates his job. He's been...ah, grounded, I guess you would say, and he can't stand waiting another century before he's allowed to go back to Olympus."
"Mount Olympus," Percy said. "You're telling me there really is a palace there?"
"Also a volcano on Mars." The child of lightning pointed out, remembering all the astronomy classes she had at Hogwarts.
"Which I nominated as a prime location, but no-o-o, everyone has to be closer to earth to work their magic. Phft, what a crock." Ares scoffed.
"If you'd like to go to Mars, Ares, we'd not fault you for it. Just stay there for a decade or two, get some rock samples, and obstruct any mortal space programs." Athena smirked at her brother.
"...If grandmother weren't here, I'd kick your as-butt."
"Please, we've had that fight before, and you lost. Terribly, mind you."
"You got lucky! The Trojans were distracting me!"
"Uh-huh, whatever helps you feel better, Ares."
Percy blinked and looked at his girlfriend. "Your Mom beat Ares?"
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Duh."
Chiron smiled in amusement at her, "Yes, that too." He said before turning to Percy, "Well now, there's Mount Olympus in Greece. One on Mars just as Andi stated. And then there's the home of the gods, the convergence point of their powers, which did indeed use to be on Mount Olympus. It's still called Mount Olympus, out of respect to the old ways, but the palace moves, Percy, just as the gods do."
"You mean the Greek gods are here? Like...in America?" Percy asked, astounded.
"God bless this country," Apollo said, he and Hermes saluting with tearful smiles on their faces.
"I'm proud t' be 'Merican." Hermes choked up a sob.
"You're both a couple of hams." Artemis groaned into her hand.
"The purest of 'Merican hams!" They returned proudly.
"Well, certainly. The gods move with the heart of the West."
"The what?" they both asked, clueless about the last bit of that statement.
"Come now. What you call 'Western civilization'. Do you think it's just an abstract concept? No, it's a living force. A collective consciousness that has burned bright for thousands of years. The gods are part of it. You might even say they are the source of it, or at least, they are tied so tightly to it that they couldn't possibly fade, not unless all of Western civilization was obliterated.
"...But, wait, didn't Pan...?" Leo trailed off.
"He was a nature god and as Man moved away from nature, his connection became weak," Rhea explained while Hermes looked downcast.
The fire started in Greece. Then, as you well know-or as I hope you know, since you passed my course Percy-the heart of the fire moved to Rome, and so did the gods. Oh, different names, perhaps-Jupiter for Zeus, Venus for Aphrodite, and so on-but the same forces, the same gods."
"Not entirely true, but...then again he didn't mention Camp Jupiter," Jason said.
"And then they died."
Andi snorted, "They're gods, immortal." She said to boy, was he not getting it?
"I meant they fell out of style, and y'know, in the eyes of mortals, became stories," Percy said weakly when everyone looked at him.
"Died? No. Did the West die? The gods simply moved, to Germany,
"Hades was a big hit there in the thirties and forties."
"Zeus, be nice."
"...Yes mother."
to France,
"Worst. Century. Ever." Artemis grumbled.
Aphrodite tittered happily, her eyes glazed over as she became lost in thought.
to Spain, for a while.
"Now that was fun." Hephaestus chuckled. "I believe that is where I discovered my fondness for the language."
"Yeah, but, my Spanish is different than that," Leo said.
"Granted, but learning a language is like tuning a car..."
"And here we go with the car analogies...You know, before this it was like 'forging a sword'," Ares said with a poor impression of Hephaestus.
The smith huffed and sat back in his throne. "Let's see if I ever fix your ride for the next decade or so."
Wherever the flame was brightest, the gods were there. They spent several centuries in Andi's homeland of England. All you need to do is look at the architecture. People do not forget the gods. Every place they've ruled, for the last three thousand years, you can see them in paintings, in statues, on the most important buildings. And yes, Percy, of course they are now in your United States. Look at your symbol, the eagle of Zeus. Look at the statue of Prometheus in Rockefeller Center, the Greek facades of your government buildings in Washington. I defy you to find any American city where the Olympians are not prominently displayed in multiple places. Like it or not-and believe me, plenty of people weren't very fond of Rome, either-America is now the heart of the flame.
"...Wait, people don't like America? Why!?" Nico asked sarcastically.
"The policy of policing the world was fine and dandy until they bombed Japan," Frank said with a snort. "Now everyone, even the people, are afraid in the back of their minds of what the next world war will be like."
"C'mon, World War III in the twenty-first century. Then World War IV a few years later! Swords and shields well be popular again!" Ares grinned.
It is the great power of the West. And so Olympus is here. And we are here."
Well, that was rather informative, Andi thought to herself. So the gods are tied to the belief of the people themselves. Guess gods do need us wee mortals after all.
"Not really, we could always start from scratch-!"
"No extinction," Zeus said firmly with a glare aimed at the war-hungry god.
"Aww...But you did it!"
"They were Father's followers. They had to go."
"Who are you, Chiron? Who...who am I?" Percy asked in a lost tone.
"Who am I...Who am I? ...Jean Val-Shutting up." Apollo mumbled when Artemis held an arrow to his throat.
"I got an idea of who I am, but I'm still confused." Andi said with a frown to the man in the wheelchair.
Chiron smiled. He shifted his weight as if he were going to get up out of his wheelchair, which was weird since he was handicapped, right?
"Who are you?" he mused. "Well, that's the question we all want answered, isn't it? But for now, we should get you a bunk in Cabin Eleven and Andi settled in Cabin One. There will be new friends to meet. And plenty of time for lessons tomorrow. Besides, there will be s'mores at the campfire tonight, and I simply adore chocolate."
And who doesn't? Andi asked herself mentally.
"Are we sure that there's no Aphrodite within her?" Artemis mused with a smirk.
"Hey! Chocolate is delectable!"
"Uh-huh, whatever you say, Love Freak."
And then he did rise from his wheelchair. But there was something odd about the way he did it. His blanket fell away from his legs, but the legs didn't move. His waist kept getting longer, rising above his belt. At first, Andi thought he was wearing very long, white velvet knickers, but as he kept rising out of the chair, taller than any man, she realized that the velvet underwear wasn't knickers; it was the front of an animal, muscle and sinew under coarse white fur. And the wheelchair wasn't a chair. It was some kind of container, an enormous box on wheels, and it must've been a magic item, because it was able to hide all that. A leg came out, long and knobby-kneed, with a huge polished hoof. Then another front leg, then hindquarters, and then the box was empty, nothing but a metal shell with a couple of fake human legs attached.
"...I should probably modify that a little bit," Hephaestus said thoughtfully.
"No! I will!" Leo cut in pleadingly. "Put some missiles on it, maybe a rocket or something-!"
"...Why would Chiron need that?" Percy asked, very disturbed by the mumbles of the resident pyromaniac.
"Duh. Because who doesn't want a tricked out wheelchair?"
Andi stared at the white-bottomed centaur that had just sprung from the wheelchair. Certainly more majestic than the ones she's met, why more civilized too with the refined air around him.
"What a relief," the centaur said. "I'd been cooped up in there so long, my fetlocks had fallen asleep. Now, come, Percy Jackson, Andi Potter. Let's meet the other campers."
"And so the story begins...er, well, the exploration of Camp begins..." Frank trailed off. He held his hand out. "I'll read."
"Smart." Annabeth smiled and the book teleported to Frank's hands. "...Okay, that's really handy."
REVIEW!