Chapter 3

"So, you are saying this is the future?" Horatio asked slowly.

All the heads of the cabins were reassembled at looking at Horatio Evans, as confused as ever.

"Can you tell us what happened before you woke up here?" Chiron asked. Horatio grimaced.

"I … fell." He said slowly.

"That's all?"

Horatio looked to the ground. "I was … being chased by a couple of constables." He finally admitted. "So I ran and then I fell, and woke up here."

"What did you do to get chased by the police?" Clarisse, daughter of Ares, asked amused.

"Nothin'." He muttered. "But they thought I did, and if they had arrested me, I would be hanged by now."

A few people gulped.

"Ha-hanged?" Lou repeated. "But you're not even 18!"

Horatio stared at her and then, for reasons no one understood, started laughing bitterly.

"Why on earth would they not hang me because I'm not 18?" He asked, obviously finding this very funny. "I once knew a twelve year old lad who got hanged for piracy!"

Everybody stared at him in horror.

"They … hanged a twelve year old?" An Aphrodite girl stammered. Horatio nodded gravely.

"So, Mister Chiron, how do I get back home? I left my family all alone, they need me."

"Your father said you need to do it yourself, but I don't know how."

Horatio flinched when Chiron used the word 'father', but he got used to the fact that people thought that that God was his father.

"Do it myself?" He said, clearly not liking the idea. "Mister Chiron, I don't have the slightest idea how, and personally, I think this is just a dream. I do not believe in Greek Gods, and I don't even see why I am talking to you, I'll just take the next fair to England."

Everybody stared at him. Finally someone said "Fair?"

Horatio frowned. "Yes, a fair, a ship. A boat, whatever it takes to get me over the Pacific."

"A fair?" The boy repeated.

"No, I'll just swim." Horatio said, crossing his arms over his chest. These people were starting to annoy him, they weren't what you'd call polite nor intelligent.

"Why not take the plane?" Percy asked, glancing around the room. Horatio tipped his head to the side and looked at him.

"The what?"

"The airplane, you know, flying thing I sadly can't use?"

Horatio closed his eyes and shook his head, and then he looked at Lily, who was standing next to him.

"What is that?" He asked. Lily opened her mouth to reply, but Chiron interfered.

"Nothing of your concern child, if you are so convinced that this is a dream, than you can stay here." Chiron looked tiered, he didn't want to argue with the kid anymore and so he declared the meeting closed and went away.

There had never been a child of Cronus in Camp Half-blood, so he stayed in Hermes cabin where he had even found an empty bed to use. He had nothing with him, but he got offered those weird clothes everybody here wore, he didn't say anything and just took them without complaint. In the morning he would wash his shirt in the sea so he could wear that again, he didn't like 'T-shirts'.

He lay on the bed, staring at the one above him, and thought of his sister, when out of nowhere, the head of a boy appeared above him. He had dark hair and the face of an elf. He was about 16, like Horatio and grinned down at him.

"Hi there, what's your name? I'm John. Nice to meet you."

Horatio sat up and stared at the boy.

"I'm Horatio Evans." He held out his hand which, after a while, John grabbed and shook happily.

"So you're from the past?" He asked, sitting down on the bed next to Horatio's.

"Everybody seems to think so."

"What year?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"What year are you from?"

"1865." Horatio answered. John nodded.

"Is it true you're a son of Cronus?"

Horatio sighed. "Apparently." He admitted.

John looked at him with respect. "That is so awesome." He eyed Horatio's pockets and looked disappointed, he didn't seem to have anything with him.

"So, you're rich?"

Horatio stared at John, unbelieving at what he saw.

"No, not really, though I don't see what concern it is to you whether I am rich or poor."

John laughed at that. "Oh, we're going to be great friends!"

Horatio lifted an eyebrow but smiled.

Friends were good things, and he liked John.