Chapter 2

The statement faded into the silence of the room. Papa's eyes radiated intensity. All I could manage was, "What?"

Fletcher took over. He enunciated with surprising coherence. "A demigod. Half human, half god. Greek god. Like Athena, Zeus, Hermes, all them. Like from world history."

I thought for a moment. It was a silly memory to recall at that moment, but I remembered acting out scenes from The Odyssey in that class, everyone mispronouncing words and tripping over bedsheet togas. I had played the role of Poseidon, god of the sea.

Papa looked at the floor. "Your mother," – that caught my attention – "was a goddess." He had a sad, almost lonely look in his eyes.

I shook my head, trying to understand. "Is this some kind of joke? Are you really joking about Mom? Whatever it is, it isn't funny!" I was suddenly fuming.

"Alexey, no. I need you to listen to me. Look me in the eyes." I did as I was told, but I could feel tears forming, as they always did when I got worked up.

"Your mother was a goddess," he repeated. "I did not know this at the time of our… meeting. I did not even know her name. We had our night together, and she left. Three days later, you were at my doorstep, with a note. It said— hang on, I still have it."

He left for his room and came back a few moments later with a folded, yellowed stationery card. He passed it to me, and with trembling hands, I opened it. There, in simple, gold script, 'Our son. Forgive me.' I stared down at it for a long time. This was all too much. I knew that he couldn't be joking – this note was clearly very old. Yet, all rationality and reason within me was screaming, This isn't real! You're going crazy!

I shook my head again. "Then how did you find out? How did you discover what she was?"

"When you appeared only three days later, I thought I had gone mad. But I knew you were mine. I was certain of it. I didn't know how it was possible, but I knew that a higher power was at work. Over the years, as you grew up, more and more I felt as though I had been blessed. You were a gift. And then, a year ago, Fletcher here came to me, telling me that he was sure you were a demigod. He explained everything to me. It all suddenly made sense."

I still stared at the note. If all this was true, then I was a demigod, like in the old stories. I was the son of some Greek goddess. "So, you don't know which goddess she was, then?" I asked, my voice scratchy.

"No, I do not. Our friend here, though, hopes to help us find out. Which brings me to my next point. You are in danger, and we don't have much time." The look on Papa's face… It was devastation.

"Your godly powers are growing stronger, and that means your scent is growing," Fletcher stated matter-of-factly. He had somehow become all-business over the course of the last ten minutes or so.

"My… scent?"

"Yes. Monsters can smell you. Those women back at Vasily's yesterday? Those weren't mortal women, Alexey. They were empousai, blood-drinkers. They were attempting to seduce you with their charmspeak. However, fortunately, you were immune. We were lucky that I was able to shoo them off, but, I don't want to push that luck. Your demigod scent grows stronger everyday. And, I have a feeling that you're a demigod of great potential – the son of some very ancient goddess. I can sense your power."

"My power…" I echoed.

"So, our next course of action is to bring you to Camp Half-Blood. It's a camp for people like you – half-bloods, of the Greek variety, out on Long Island. I'd like to get going very soon, actually."

"How long would I have to go for?" I sighed with resignation. I had gone insane, and there was nothing to be done about it.

"Well, indefinitely. At least until you learn to defend yourself. Even then, returning home for the school year would be risky. Many campers stay year-round…"

I glanced at my Papa, trying to wrap my head around this all. His eyes pleaded with me, but not without revealing the despair he felt. I decided then that I had to be strong for him. "Alright," I croaked, "I'll go."

In half an hour, I had packed a duffel bag with the essentials – a few changes of clothes, my toiletries, and a picture of Papa and me on the beach. I had taken a few moments to study it; we looked so happy, so carefree, standing in front of the ocean. In just two days, all that had changed. I had a sickening feeling that things were going to get worse from here.

Now, the three of us stood by the front door, Fletcher and I ready to make the drive to this Camp Half-Blood place. Teary-eyed, I couldn't look up at Papa. It was unbearable knowing that I was leaving him alone. He pulled me into a tight hug.

"You will be safe, Lyosha. This is for the best. I love you," he whispered in my ear.

"I love you too, Papa," I managed, trying to fend off sobs. After a few moments, he let go, and Fletcher opened the door.

"We'd better get going," he asserted gently.

I looked up at Papa then. "I'll come back as soon as I can. And I'll write you." Fletcher had mentioned that I was not allowed to bring my cell phone; apparently the signal alerted monsters.

Papa put a hand on my shoulder and said, "You will make me proud. Now, go."

Fletcher and I went through the door and got in his bright green VW Beetle, which was parked along the sidewalk. As soon as we were moving, I fixed my gaze away from him and out the window, allowing my tears to escape silently. I stole one last look at the condo I had spent my whole life in. My inhibitions told me that the next time I came here, nothing would be the same.

"The journey will take about two hours," Fletcher proclaimed, interrupting my thoughts. "If we're quick enough, we shouldn't have to worry about any encounters."

I wiped my eyes and turned on him. "What happened to you? Why are you talking like that?"
He looked over at me like I had gone crazy. "What? Oh, you mean my undercover dialect." He smirked. "That was fake."

"So my best friend for a whole year was fake."

"No, of course not! We're still best friends. But I had to do everything I could to protect you without raising any suspicion. So, I disguised myself as someone so remarkably below average that you'd never expect I was assigned to be a lookout for you. The truth is, though, I'm one of the best satyrs at Camp Half-Blood!"

"Assigned? Great, probably the only real friend I've ever had was actually assigned to me. What is a satyr?"

"Oh, goodness! Of course you don't know. A satyr is a creature that is half human, half goat. Here, see for yourself." Much to my dismay, Fletcher began pulling his pants off, and I covered my eyes.

"Dude, what are you doing?" I demanded, blushing furiously.

"It's okay, you can look," he answered, chuckling. Slowly lowering my hand, I looked at his legs and saw that they were… coated in fur. Goat fur. This day just had to get weirder. But it explained why Fletcher always wore pants, never shorts.

"Many satyrs training to become keepers are planted at schools throughout the country, scoping out potential demigods. New York City, of course, is a hotbed of divine activity. When I met you, I knew what you were right away. Dyslexic, ADHD – usual signs." I found myself feeling a bit self-conscious. What did that have to do with being a demigod? "But like I said, I could sense your power. I truly believe you're something special." As if being half god weren't special enough.

The remainder of the trip went smoothly enough. Fletcher was right; we'd had no paranormal mishaps. As we drove, the cityscape turned into countryside, and eventually strings of hills and strawberry fields surrounded us.

"We're approaching the border. Hang on."

Suddenly, he veered right off the road and started driving up a large hill. Holding tight to my seatbelt and looking up, I could see a tall pine tree and— was that a statue? We reached the top and Fletcher stopped the car. We were overlooking a large valley, a huge, light blue house at the bottom, surrounded by other Greek-inspired structures, the sun setting over a thick, forboding forest. This was the place from my dream.

I eyed the forty-foot statue warily, but, immobile it was nothing compared to the dragon I realized was snoozing wrapped around the tree.

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood," Fletcher said. We descended the hill and parked right outside the house. As we got out, I noticed a very tall man stepping out onto the porch. Upon closer inspection, I realized the man was actually— a centaur?! The torso of an old man in a dress shirt and sport coat morphed smoothly into the body of a large, white stallion. I felt intimidated as we walked up the steps and stood before him.

"Well, Chiron, another assignment has been successfully completed."

"Well done, Mr. Meadows. If you could return your vehicle to the garage, I will take it from here. Alexey Lebedev, is it?" He directed the question at me. I nodded shyly. Fletcher departed, driving down a path leading over some of the hills that surrounded the camp. "Excellent. You can follow me. I'm sure you have many questions."

And that I did. It would be nice to finally get some direct answers. The centaur called Chiron led me inside to a cozy living room. Looking around, I saw a set of couches in front of a coffee table, facing a fireplace. Just above that, a leopard head was mounted on the wall. Except, it was moving, snapping at the air, trying to catch a fly that was buzzing around.

"Don't mind Seymour. Though I can't say he wouldn't bite you if he had a body, he cannot do it from up there." Looking away from Seymour, I spotted an electric wheelchair in front of the fireplace facing the couches. Before I knew it, Chiron backed up toward it and sat into it, his equine rear-end magically vanishing. Where his horse body had been, a pair of false human legs now sat. I gawked at him.

Chiron laughed. "That never gets old. Go on and have a seat. You and I have much to discuss." I obeyed him, sinking into one of the leather couches.

All the questions I had swirled around in my mind, and I desperately tried to grab at one to ask. Embarrassingly, all I could come up with was, "How?"

Chiron knitted his eyebrows. "I imagine that question could refer to many different things. Could you please clarify?"

"How is any of this possible? How are there gods and goddesses? How is any of it real?"

He breathed out through his nose. These were probably his most frequently asked questions. "Those are rather complex questions that require rather complex answers, but I will try to put it in simple terms. The Greek gods and goddesses… They have always been alive, for they embody the spirit of Western Society. After Greece fell, even after the Roman Empire fell, the gods remained, moving along to wherever the Western flame burned the brightest."

"So now they're here? In America?"

"That's right. As a matter of fact, the home of the gods, named Olympus after the original Mount Olympus in Greece, now floats above the Empire State Building in your very own New York. They have never been far away, Alexey Lebedev. The symbols of the gods are so prevalent in Western culture that the gods themselves will likely never fade. They will continue to rule over nature and humanity."

Chiron was right; even in his "simple terms," those were rather complex answers. So, the gods weren't just figureheads – they actually controlled the earth, just like the myths said. I took a deep breath. "Okay. So, then, what is this place, exactly?"

"Ah, Camp Half-Blood." I detected a twinkle of pride in his eyes. "This camp serves as both a refuge and a training facility for demigods. You see, I have trained heroes for eons, preparing them for quests and battle. When the gods moved to America, I established this camp as a way of continuing that responsibility."

"So, this is the only camp of its kind, then?"

"Well, there is a Roman camp, Camp Jupiter, in San Francisco, but you will learn about that at a later time. For now, do you have any other questions?"

"Um, yeah, one more thing. My father mentioned that you could help me find out who my mother is. How do you go about that, exactly?"

"Yes, determination. I am somewhat surprised that you were not claimed the moment you stepped foot in camp, for the gods agreed that they would claim their children by age thirteen. However, the gods are finicky. Perhaps once you get settled in, your patron goddess will send a sign of her recognition." I thought I heard a touch of concern in his voice, as if something about my situation troubled him. "Well then, it is getting rather late. Camp curfew will be setting in soon, so we'd better get you to your cabin.

In the twilight, Chiron walked me over to a rectangle of cabins surrounding a field of green. In the center was a hearth, a fire blazing within. As we entered the green, something strange happened – the fire jumped up, as if we had startled it, suddenly burning brighter. If Chiron noticed, he did not acknowledge it.

As we walked across the field, Chiron explained, "There are currently twenty cabins, each representative of a god or goddess. Indefinitely, you will stay in cabin eleven, the Hermes cabin, until you are determined."

We approached a cabin standing at the southwest corner of the rectangle. Many of the cabins were pretty bizarre-looking, but this one looked just like a regular old cabin. Chiron opened the door and led me inside, and whatever activities may have been occurring inside suddenly ceased, everyone staring right at me.

At that moment, I wanted to disappear. I wasn't especially good at interacting with other people, particularly people my age, and to make matters worse, many of these kids had mischievous looks in their eyes. One of these sets of eyes approached us.

"Chiron," the tall, curly-haired boy spoke. "New camper?"

"Yes. Campers, this is Alexey Lebedev, who at the moment is undetermined. Regardless, I expect all of you," – he looked pointedly at a pair of smirking girls sitting at the top of a bunk bed – "to be welcoming to him. Now then, Connor, please show Alexey to his bunk. Alexey, tomorrow morning I will send someone to give you a tour of the camp. Goodnight, everyone."

Connor nodded, and Chiron departed. The door shut and, with my welcoming party gone, I felt a flare of anxiety. Connor turned to me while everyone else went back to what they were doing.

"Hey there, Alexey. I'm Connor Stoll, head counselor of the Hermes cabin," he piped excitedly.

"Hi," I squeaked.

"So, you'll be sleeping in that bunk over there," he stated, pointing to a single twin bed in the very back left corner of the cabin. "You shouldn't be here too long. We hardly ever keep undetermined demigods for much time these days. This place used to be chock-full of unclaimed half-bloods. Thanks to Percy Jackson, though, that isn't the case anymore."

"Percy who?"

"Jackson. He's amazing. You'll probably meet him tomorrow. He and Annabeth actually just got back from their first two semesters of college in New Rome."

"New Rome?"

"Ah, details. You should go get settled, I'm about to call lights out."

I woke up to giggling. A lot of giggling. As I sat up, the giggling increased. Uh oh, I thought. I looked at my feet poking out from underneath my blanket. That's when I realized that my skin was bright pink. Like, all of it. I turned my hands over and began to panic. What was happening? Was this what "claiming" was? Looking up, I saw three girls standing at the foot of my bed, not giggling, but smiling in sadistic triumph. The two girls on either side I recognized from my own cabin; the girl in the center I had not seen before.

"Morning, newbie," the middle one spoke. My eyes shot around the cabin, and I felt my face heat up as I saw people now laughing out loud. If this was the person Chiron had chosen to give me a tour, then I could do without one.

"Wh—what?"

"Knock it off, Lou Ellen," a voice called from the front of the cabin. Two boys about my age stood there, one with shaggy blond hair and tan skin and another with dark, messy locks and, despite the season, very pale skin.

The girl on the left returned, "Aw, come on, Will. We were just welcoming our new friend." As the two walked over, the pale-skinned boy shot them a rather dark look. The girls pursed their lips and, giving in, backed away from my bunk.

The girl on the right began, "If you insist on ruining the fun—"

"We do," the dark-haired one interrupted. Grimacing, the girls finally walked away, muttering things like "killjoy" and "prince of darkness" and "angel of death." Suddenly, my skin was back to normal.

The two boys came over to the right side of my bed; they both wore orange t-shirts that said 'Camp Half-Blood.' The two were quite a pair; they seemed to be complete juxtapositions of one another, like day and night. One smiling, one frowning. One with his arms at his sides, one with his arms crossed. The boy called Will began to speak.

"Hey there! I'm Will Solace, head counselor of the Apollo cabin. This here is Nico di Angelo. He's my 'special guy,' if you will."

Nico di Angelo rolled his eyes and blushed. "I can introduce myself. I'm a son of Hades. Chiron sent us to show you around."

"Well, actually, he only sent me. But this guy here... Can't get rid of him."

"Actually, Will dragged me along. Anyway, get dressed. First we'll go to breakfast—"

"And then we'll give you the grand tour! By the way, pink suits you."

So these two were a thing. That explained the bickering and blushing. It didn't explain how on Earth these two polar opposites came together.

Once I was dressed, they walked me to the Greek pavilion I had seen from my hilltop entrance. The view was fantastic, overlooking the Long Island Sound. As we entered, a few campers sitting at a table at the front waved us over. The three of us sat down on a stone bench, me next to Will and Nico on Will's other side, at the end.

I found myself across from a Latino boy with curly brown hair and a wild look in his eyes (it was a little unnerving when he smiled at me) and a Native American girl whose eyes seemed to change color as the light reflected off of them. Next to me was an older girl with curled blonde hair and intense gray eyes that looked as if they'd seen a lot. "Who's this?" she inquired, examining me.

"Guys, this is Alexey Lebedev," Will introduced. "He arrived yesterday evening with Fletcher Meadows, and I've just decided that from now on he will be sitting with us." They all looked at him as if he'd said this before, but he kept going. "You see, Alexey, you're lucky because if you'd arrived before this summer, you would've been stuck sitting with a bunch of sneaky Hermes kids since back then the cabins each had to sit together. But after Nico and I found a loophole, people started complaining and Chiron dropped the rule. You can thank us later, or right now if you want!"

"Um, thanks," I mumbled.

"Anyway, what are you guys waiting for? Introduce yourselves!"

"We were waiting for you to stop talking," the boy across from me answered. He looked at me, smirked, and greeted, "I'm Leo Valdez. Son of Hephaestus. Let me know if I can fix anything for you." He pulled a wrench from nowhere, twirling it on his finger. It promptly went flying and landed in a plate of eggs that sat in front of another girl sitting next to him, at the end. "Oops. And that's my girlfriend, Calypso." Calypso appeared to be considering knocking him upside the head with her new wrench.

Kaleidoscope-eyes next to him leaned forward, grinning warmly. "I'm Piper McLean, and I'm a daughter of Aphrodite, so you won't have to worry about any flying wrenches coming from me." McLean? That sounded familiar for some reason. Next to her, a boy with short, neatly cropped blond hair and glasses reached across the table and shook my hand.

"I'm Jason Grace. Technically I'm a son of Jupiter, but you probably know him as Zeus." Jupiter? Wasn't that what the Romans called him? The boy had toned arms, one of which had tattoos of some markings, and he gave off a natural kind of air of respectability.

"I'm Annabeth Chase, head counselor of the Athena cabin," spoke the girl next to me. Connor had mentioned her last night. So that must mean…

"And I'm Percy Jackson," said a boy leaning forward from her other side, a relaxed smiling on his face. He had dark hair and shocking sea green eyes. "I'm a son of Poseidon. Who is your parent?"

"Oh, I'm undetermined," I revealed. Percy only nodded, blinking. I was reminded that by now I should probably have been claimed.

Something told me these people had a lot of stories to tell. I bet they had shared many adventures, too, if that's what heroes still did these days. I couldn't help but feel a little out of place at their table despite their warm welcome – like a loser sitting with the popular kids.

All around us, pretty young women walked about the twenty or so tables of the pavilion carrying trays with breakfast foods of all varieties: eggs, bacon, muffins, waffles, even cereal and milk. Annabeth, catching my gaze, explained to me that they were dryads – wood nymphs. In addition to them, winged girls called harpies flew around collecting empty plates.

At the head table, a few yards away from ours, stood Chiron. He looked… tired. Exhausted, even. It was as if he'd aged overnight. In a tall chair next to him sat a girl that must've been Percy and Annabeth's age, with frizzy red hair and a grim look on her face. They were discussing something quietly and, much to my chagrin, occasionally glancing over at me. I wondered what they were saying.

"Who is that next to Chiron?" I asked Annabeth quietly.

Looking over at the head table, she replied, "Oh, that's Rachel Dare." The way she said it made it sound like she wasn't particularly fond of the girl. I decided not to ask. "She's our oracle – she carries the spirit of Delphi. I wouldn't recommend talking to her unless you want a quest thrown your way."

"Quests? You don't like them?"

"Well, I mean, some people like them – it's honorable to be chosen for a quest and all that – but I think I've had more than my fair share, honestly. Many of us have." She motioned to the others. So I was right; this was a seasoned bunch. My shoulders slumped a little.

"So, Alexey," Piper addressed, drawing my attention, "where are you from?" Everyone looked at me, waiting for an answer.

"I'm from Little Odessa, or, well, Brighton Beach, in Brooklyn," I stammered. "If you're wondering about my name, though, my father immigrated from Russia."

"Russia? Don't let me find out you snuck any vodka into the camp," Leo quipped. Piper slapped his arm playfully. I smiled at the exchange. Even if these guys were probably out of my league, I had already taken a liking to them, and I felt myself perk up a little.

A nymph lay down a plate of breakfast in front of me, but as she walked away, I realized she hadn't filled my chalice. "So, uh… Do I have to ask for a drink?" I inquired of no one in particular.

"Oh!" Piper chuckled. "Just say the name of any drink you want, and it'll fill up with that. Plus, it'll never run out. I don't suggest knocking it over." The group laughed at that. Piper must've been good with people.

"Oh, okay. Um," I considered for a moment. "Café au lait." Sure enough, the chalice swirled with tan, steaming liquid. It was amazing, to be frank.

"Good choice. You might need it, sleepy-head," Will chided. I grinned and dug in.

After breakfast, Will, Nico, and I departed, and they showed me all around the camp. It seemed that a lot was expected of young demigods; the camp had the climbing wall with lava, an armory, a forge (where demigods themselves shaped weapons and armor), an archery range, and even a combat arena. At the arena, I was introduced to an overwhelmingly large and friendly, pitch-black dog called a hellhound. Her name, appropriately enough, was Mrs. O'Leary. And nearby, I got to see real-life pegasi at the stables.

They took me as far as the thick forest in the west, Nico stating ominously that I'd get a good look inside on Friday. Will clarified that he was referring to the weekly game of Capture the Flag. Today was Wednesday. That meant I had only two days to prepare. Before I could begin to freak out, they dragged me all the way back across camp to the hill where I had arrived.

"I thought we'd bring you here last because it's the most interesting place in camp, in my opinion. It sort of represents some of the wildest things that have happened and been done by people here. We call this hill Half-Blood Hill. Almost all demigods get their first look of the camp from here."

"I didn't," Nico interjected. "My first view was from the sky. That is, until we crashed Apollo's chariot into the lake." I didn't push for any further details on that.

Will pointed at the pine tree that loomed at the very top. "That's Thalia's Pine. It marks the border of the camp. Thalia Grace, Jason Grace's sister, is a daughter of Zeus, and she's a Hunter of Artemis. But for years, her soul was sealed within that tree." Nico yawned. Will gave him a side-eyed glare. "You see, about eleven years ago, Annabeth, Thalia, and Luke Castellan showed up at Camp Half-Blood. Except, Thalia didn't really make it. She was overtaken by monsters. Fortunately, Zeus took pity on her and turned her into this tree." Real fortunate, I thought.

"Then, after Percy Jackson arrived five or so years later, Luke poisoned the tree to weaken the border's magical protection. He was under the influence of Kronos, king of the Titans – long story. But then, Percy, Annabeth, Grover Underwood, and Clarisse La Rue went on this big quest in the Sea of Monsters – the Bermuda Triangle – to recover the Golden Fleece that you see hanging on the tree now. They knew it would heal the tree, but what they didn't know is that it would bring Thalia back to life."

I now at least had some perspective on what Annabeth had been talking about. I couldn't imagine doing that stuff. "Wow. That's… a lot. You really know your stuff. So what about the dragon underneath the tree?"

"Oh, that's Peleus. He was raised by Chiron and Argus to protect the Golden Fleece." I glanced from the dragon to the giant womanly statue, bracing myself in case it started talking. Or maybe the dragon would start talking first. Maybe the two would have a conversation. I had no idea what to expect anymore.

"So then, I'm sure you're wondering about that statue."

"Yeah, I was, actually. I had a dr— ah, never mind. Go ahead." I hadn't been careful enough; Nico sent a look my way, obviously figuring out what I had been about to say. Luckily, he didn't mention it.

"That's the Athena Parthenos. I don't know if you've heard of it, but basically it's this giant statue that was carved by the ancient sculptor Phidias, and it was placed in the Parthenon. Then, when the Romans invaded Greece, they stole the Parthenos, and for eons it went missing. Not even the later Romans knew what happened to it. Regardless, the loss of the statue really sort of killed morale in Greece, and that was what the Romans were really after.

"So every generation, Athena would send the best of her children on a quest to recover her statue, but they all failed. Except for Annabeth, of course. She's so smart. But then, she didn't really have a way to bring it back here because she was already on another quest with the Seven, so Nico here shadow-travelled it all the way back here. Pretty great, isn't he?" Will concluded, grinning at his boyfriend. Nico allowed a small smile.

"Yeah, that's cool." Whatever shadow-travelling was. It sounded scary. "But what is the Seven?"

"Oh, right. I forget that you know literally nothing, haha." I grimaced, blushing. "No, don't be embarrassed! We all knew nothing at some point. Anyway, the Seven were seven demigods chosen to fulfill the Prophecy of the Seven. They were Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, and Leo, plus Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang from Camp Jupiter. Maybe you'll get the chance to meet them some time – they're really cool. But basically the Seven had to stop Gaea, primordial goddess of the earth, from destroying everything. Needless to say, they succeeded."

So even Jason, Leo, and Piper were the real deal. I would bet all the tips I made working at Vasily's – even though that wasn't very much – that there was a lot more to all of these stories than what was included in Will's summaries.

At that moment, a horn blew in the distance.

"Time for lunch!" Will cried excitedly.

We found ourselves at the same table in the same seats. This time, though, at least I knew more about the people I was sitting with. Grilled burgers were on the menu, which I found pleasing, but I noticed that Piper was eating a veggie burger.

"You're a vegetarian?" I blurted. "I— I mean, sorry, that was rude. It's none of my business."

Piper gave me a friendly smile in return. "No, that's okay! Yes, I am."

"That's cool. I've thought about doing it…"

"Awesome! You should! I can help you." She seemed very excited by the prospect; it made me feel good that she would do that for me.

"Uh oh. Looks like Piper has recruited you. I'd back out now if you ever want to taste meat again," Leo butted in. Calypso snickered next to him.

"Shut up, Leo! He can do what he wants. Don't pressure him," Piper defended.

"Don't pressure him? You're one to talk!" Piper slapped his arm, but a grin was cracking her façade of anger. The two abruptly started laughing, and the rest of the table joined in.

For the second time that day, the two made me smile. These spats were probably a regular thing for them, like they were siblings. That's what it felt like they all were – a family. I only hoped I wasn't overstaying my welcome.

"Hey, Alexey," Percy began. "So, Annabeth and I were talking, and since you're new and all, we were wondering if you'd be up for some swordfighting lessons after lunch. It's a good place to start for a newly-realized demigod – self-defense." They had talked about me?

"Uh, sure. But I don't really have a sword or anything."

"That's what the armory is for! We'll find one that's just right for you." Truthfully, I didn't think there was a sword that was just right for me, because I never thought that, in my life, I would ever need one. But then again, it would be nice to get some training before my sure death on Friday.

"Alright then."

"When they're through with you, I can teach you some Roman tricks!" Jason called.

"Yeah, and then I can fit you for some self-repairing armor I've been trying to perfect," Leo added.

"After that, I can teach you a thing or two about healing," Will chimed in.

"See? We don't bite," Piper concluded with a crooked grin. All of this attention was a little overwhelming, but it made me feel warm inside. Maybe, just maybe, I could fit in here.