Thank you soooooo much to my reviewers and followers! Woohoo! 7! Okay, that sounds kind of pathetic, but I'm just soo glad at the positive response I'm getting.

Also, sorry for any confusion. The hellhound Annabeth killed was not Mrs. O'Leary. I would never kill Mrs. O'Leary! Also, you'll see another reason in this chapter.

Chapter Five

Annabeth

"Finally! Summer!" I yelled into my phone as I flopped onto my bed, my backpack and shoes long forgotten.

"Ahh Annie," Thalia replied over the phone. "You hear that sound? Smell that scent? Do you?"

"No, I hear the scent and smell the sound," I answered sarcastically. I swear I could hear Thalia roll her eyes.

"Well, do you?" she demanded. I sighed.

"Yes, Thalia, I do."

"Do you know what it is?"

"No, Thalia, I don't," I responded again, playing along.

"It is the scent and sound of freedom! No school for almost three months!"

"Oh gee, I hadn't noticed," I grumbled, rolling my eyes. I had no reason to be bitter, but I was because Thalia was already at camp, and her happy voice reminded me that I wasn't. My school ended later and I had to miss the beginning of camp. She was smelling this "freedom" from the strawberry fields of Camp Half-Blood. I was smelling it from my room overlooking the city.

See, camp was like a second home to me. After I'd run away, the friends I'd met were Thalia and Luke. Luke was a son of Hermes and was now in college in Oregon. Thalia stayed at camp year-round, once in a while leaving on trips. When we'd arrived in camp, the activities director, Chiron, had become a second father to me and even when I stopped going to camp year-round I was still very close to him. To miss any time at camp was a bummer, and it just made me jealous of Thalia that she was there without me.

"Annie, tsk tsk," Thalia continued. "You should be happy for your best friend. We can't all be enjoying school like you."

"First, don't call me Annie. Second, maybe you're not my best friend anymore. Second, part B, your decreased social status could be from calling me Annie. Third, you would enjoy school more if you tried harder, consequently achieving better grades." I growled at her, slamming her with logic.

"First, I'll call you Annie as much as I want. Second, please, I know I'm still your best friend. Second part B, relating back to my first point, I'll call you Annie as much as I want, regardless. Third, I don't think school is teaching me usefull things, consequently losing my interest, failing to conquer my time and care. Third part B, I joined debate team this year." I could hear her grinning at this last part.

"Wow, Thalia, congratulations! I'm so glad to see you climbed down from your tree to join school," I responded, but my tone was mocking, and Thalia heard it.

"Whatever, Annie. I'm still close enough to my tree to through a pine cone at you."

"Sure. So anyway, how's camp?" I changed the subject, happy I had riled her up, if only slightly.

"Eh, same," she shrugged through her voice (Hey, you know what I mean). "Oh! Grover brought another boy in today. Pretty powerful, maybe big three?" I was instantly intrigued. Who? I mean, son of who?

"Really?" I asked, knowing and not really caring if I sounded eager. "He's not claimed yet? How old is he?"

"Yeah, undetermined," she sighed. "And he's your age, sixteen." That shocked me. For some reason I had imagined a younger boy, maybe thirteen.

"Sixteen?" I choked out. "And Big Three? How could he have survived? I mean, Grover wasn't there the whole time, was he?"

"I don't know," Thalia admitted. "I have no idea how the monsters didn't track him. Hopefully his parent will claim him soon, maybe after capture the flag."

"Oh wait! I should get there in time for that! I'm leaving tomorrow morning."

"You're so predictable. Never can be away from camp, can you, Annie?"

"Of course not," I said sweetly. "I have to go. Oh, and Thalia?"

"Yeah?"

"Say hi to your new cousin for me." I hung up, trying and not succeeding to hold in the laughter that came with the mental picture of Thalia's paling face.

I arrived at camp in time for dinner. I quickly stowed my trunk by my bed in the Athena cabin then hurried to the dining pavilion. I sat down next to my half-brother Malcolm and was greeted by the rest of my siblings.

I filled my plate with food, offered a sacrifice, then began to eat. Ahh, I loved camp. I looked around, taking in all the familiar sights: Chiron and Mr. D at their table, Thalia sitting with Grover at the Zeus table, the violent-even-at-dinner Ares cabin, and all the other tables. I glanced at the Aphrodite table, thinking how I had convinced Piper to visit me at camp. Hopefully she would be claimed and train here.

My eyes finally landed on the ever-full Hermes table. My eyes were caught by an unruly mob of black hair on a well-muscled guy who looked about my age. He must be the new kid Thalia told me about.

I mentally nodded, satisfied that I now knew who the newbie was. I'd have to ask Thalia more about him later. Heck, I didn't even know his name!

I then turned my attention back to my dinner and my siblings, extremely content to be back at camp.

The next day, I went with my cabin for sword training in the arena. It was Thursday, and this was our schedule. I had quickly taken back command of the cabin as head counselor and Malcolm had been fine with allowing me to take control. This meant that we stuck to the schedule.

The Zeus cabin joined us, but Thalia was the only member, so really just Thalia joined us. When we got there, we quickly paired off to spar while some of the older kids taught the younger ones. I decided to go against Thalia, as usual.

We were quite a pair; she fought with a spear and I fought with a knife. However, we both fought well enough that the weapon difference didn't faze us. Instead, we launched right into the battle.

Thalia started attacking, as usual. She jabbed at my side and I dodged slightly, slashing at her arm as it passed by my side. She angled the butt of her spear to deflect the strike then danced out of my range.

We circled, wary. I knew up close I had the advantage because I could maneuver the dagger in small spaces and find weaknesses in her armor. However, Thalia's spear had a larger reach and could keep me from getting close.

She jabbed again but I knocked it away with my blade. Pulling back, we began to circle again. I was vaguely aware of some of my siblings watching us, but that was the usual. Both of us had been training for nine years; we were good.

"Are we allowed to use hand to hand techniques?" Thalia threw at me. I narrowed my eyes.

"If you can. Why not go all out our first duel?" I challenged. She laughed, and then lunged for a third time. This time, though, I shot out my left hand and grabbed her spear shaft as I dodged. I tried to pull her off balance but she changed her stance and twirled the spear to dislodge my hand. I let her, spinning under the shaft and using my hold to pull her a bit closer before my hand was forced into a position where I had to let go.

Now up close to her, I darted my knife in direction of the hand holding her spear but she moved it down. Analyzing the possible routes for her spear as it moved down, I quickly jumped up and narrowly avoided the sweep she used to try to knock me off my feet.

I stabbed toward her neck; she blocked me. She jabbed back at my neck; I ducked under and brought my knife back to her arm. She swept her spear down, knocking my knife away.

We continued this way for a minute, neither one of us gaining the upper hand. We were both starting to breathe heavily and I was getting impatient. I feigned to her left then stabbed toward the small crevice in her chest armor. Her spear came up to block me, lying diagonally across her body. She placed both hands on the shaft and pushed hard. I braced my arms, both hands on my dagger hilt now. I began to think of a plan. I knew Thalia would be able to beat me with strength and I needed to find a way to win before she forced me to the ground.

Thalia's eyes flashed for a millisecond to something behind me and that was all the distraction I needed. I loosened my resistance to her push, making the space between her body and her spear grow. I ducked to the left and under the spear and maneuvered right in close, as though she were hugging me with her spear.

Her face registered surprise right as I held my dagger to her throat. She then glowered but soon laughed.

"I surrender! Nice one, Annie!" she said, releasing me from her spear. "I've gotta admit, I did not see that one coming." I laughed.

"That's because you looked behind me. Daughter of Athena, Thalia. I always have a plan," I responded smugly. She laughed again, heading to a bench with our water bottles.

"You're right. I was looking behind you because we've gathered quite an audience."

I looked around, surprised. All the Athena campers had stopped training to observe us, and it looked like the Hermes cabin had come to watch too. I smiled at them all then walked with Thalia to the water. I remembered distractedly that Hermes had training after us. They must have come early.

"Huh. I hadn't realized the Hermes cabin was watching," I commented as Thalia chugged her water.

"I know," she replied, finishing her gulping. "I just noticed, but what caught my attention was my potential cousin."

"He's here?" I asked, surprised. Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Duh, he's in the Hermes cabin till he's claimed. He was watching us." She glanced over her shoulder. "Still is actually. You should go introduce yourself."

"What? No! I'm tired and sweaty and I need water," I protested, quickly grabbing my water bottle and opening it.

"Oh, is Annie embarrassed?" Thalia taunted. "Modeling has changed you." I nearly choked on my water and spluttered at her.

"W-w-what?" She laughed at me.

"Annie, it's ok. I can understand how embarrassed you would be to meet a new guy wearing a camp T-shirt and shorts." She nodded sympathetically.

"Excuse me?" My eyes flashed and I straightened. Thalia was playing with me, I knew, but I had my pride and I couldn't let her say those things.

"Really, Annabeth, it's okay. You don't have to get riled up." She was trying not to laugh. I let out one last 'humph' before I marched over to the audience, sheathing my dagger and holding my water bottle.

The Stoll brothers, Connor and Travis, were sneaking up on Malcolm, probably trying to pull some prank. I marched over to them and said really loudly,

"Hey Connor, Travis, miss me?" Malcolm whipped around and narrowed his eyes at the Stolls. I smirked as they glared at me.

"Yeah, tons, Annie," Travis muttered.

"What did you just call me?"

"Annabeth, I mean Annabeth!" Travis stuttered. Connor dragged him away with a last smile toward me. I smiled satisfactorily, and then turned back to the dispersing crowd.

My smile almost faltered when I saw the new guy looking at me. He glanced down when he met my eyes. He was tall, tan, and still had as messy of hair as when I saw him last night at dinner.

I gulped and marched right up to him.

"Hi, I'm Annabeth." He looked startled to see me but quickly recovered and smiled shyly.

"I'm Percy."

"So, you're new?" I asked, leaning against the fence next to him. He nodded.

"I got here Monday. I didn't see you though."

"No, I just got here yesterday, school didn't end as early as I would have liked."

"Oh. But you've been here before?"

"Yes. Must demigods make their way here around twelve years old."

"I didn't," he blurted out.

"I hadn't noticed," I remarked, rolling my eyes.

"Hey! This is still kinda new to me," Percy protested.

"What is? Stating the obvious or being a demigod?"

"Being a demigod."

"Right, because stating the obvious, as you just did, relates to being a demigod," I teased him.

"Yes, it does."

"Fine then. So, you have your training now?"

"What?" He looked at me, completely clueless. He has such green eyes, like the sea. I felt myself drowning in the color. I blinked, trying to clear my mind. I covered being flustered by being annoyed.

"Weapons training?" I gestured behind me at the arena. "Or did you just come to watch me?"

"What? No! I came to practice!" he hurried over to the weapons rack and tested a sword.

"Swordsman, are we?" I asked, leisurely making my way over to him.

"Yeah, but I can't get a well-balanced blade," he muttered, distracted by testing the sword weights.

"Well, you'll find one. These are just practice blades, there are more in the armory." I shrugged.

"How do you know?" he asked, frowning at me. "Don't you use a knife?"

"Yeah, I do," I responded, annoyed. "But I'm trained to use a sword too. I've been training for years. Plus, they have knives in the armory."

"Oh. Ok." He turned back to the swords, but I noticed that he looked sheepish.

"So, I'll see you around?" He turned back to me and gave me a smile. My stomach fluttered, but I told myself it was just dehydration. I looked into his green eyes and smiled back.

"Yeah, see you." And with that, I left the arena.

Yeah! Go Percabeth! So, thanks for reading! I'm glad I could update this soon :P

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