Ok, so! This is my longest chapter so far :D *cheer* and my favorite ^-^

Oh but I have some REALLY epic stuff waiting… of just you wait for the next 3 chapters… they will be the most epic by FAR! Actually, I already have the plot of chapter 5 planned out :P and it involves Apollo in an afro

^-^ 333 erm… moving on…

Annabeth: she doesn't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Me: and if I did, as you know, Apollo would be my happy hostage… but in an afro and we'd be at a roller rink listening to disco music :D

Annabeth: ….you have issues with Apollo….

Me: what KIND of issue?

Annabeth: obsession issues.

Me: well, I cant help it if he's freakishly hawt, now can I?

Annabeth: whatever weirdo.

Me: :P ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

CHAPTER THREE: I BECOME REALLY POPULAR WITH THE GODS

I woke up to the sound of a door slamming, our cabin door. I sat up and sleepily rubbed my eyes. It was way too early for anyone to be awake. I et it go, and dug in my bag. I pulled out all the clothes I had brought. Some t-shirts, jeans, shorts, a hoodie, and a casual dress. I decided that since to day was my birthday, a casual dress would be appropriate. I slipped it on. It was knee-length with spaghetti straps, and was a pale yellow. A large orange flower hairclip accented my reddish-brownish eyes. I put on my shoes and went outside. After a stretch, I noticed everyone was gone. I slowly looked around, but gave up and went to the Big House for breakfast. No one there. I sighed and walked around. I knocked on Annabeth's cabin. No answer. On Percy's (out of sheer desperation) cabin. Still nothing. I wandered around until I got to the woods. I wandered around until I saw someone. I was about to ask them where everyone was, but he ran to the creek. I quickly followed, but soon tired of jogging. I heard some whispers before I got there - then silence. I took a step into the clearing where the creek was. I almost had a heart attack.

"SURPRISE!" Annabeth screamed, throwing a handful of confetti over me. For a split second I just stared at her, then toppled over backwards. I didn't faint, but I came pretty close to it. I think my heart skipped a beat. She helped me back up, and a bunch of the other campers also jumped out, a little too late. I saw Percy throw his hands up uncaringly and head back towards camp. A bunch of others did this, but Annabeth's cabin stayed.

"Happy 8th birthday, Vadetta!" she congratulated. I smiled hugely.

"Wow! This is awesome!" I squealed. For the first time, I got the first good look around me. I saw a few streamers lodged in tree branches, and a banner that said HAPPY 8TH VADETTA hanging right over the creek. There was a table with a cake with 8 candles. It was chocolate with purple frosting. Everyone who stayed shared a piece after I blew out my candles. Annabeth lit them with a match. I just stared into the flames, even the tiniest source of heat warming me. I hated to blow them out, but I had to. I thought good and hard about my wish.

I wish I would get claimed, I thought as my wish. I blew out the candles with only half a breath. Everyone clapped, and I cut the cake. Right after we ate, we went to join everybody else at the Big House, who were eating breakfast. We brought the left-over cake and scraped it into the fire, hoping the Gods would enjoy the lovely scent of purple frosting. I sat at the crowded Hermes cabin, not even paying attention, when some dude in a wheelchair tap his glass with a spoon. All eyes were on him.

"We have something to celebrate today!" he announced. A roll of whispers rolled through the crowd. "Our newest camper - Vadetta - is turning 8 years old, which makes her one of the youngest campers we've ever had!"

A few people clapped, but most didn't care. I didn't really care either. Which is why I was really surprised to see everyone staring at me with wide eyes. I scanned around myself for the source of the stare, and found it floating above my head. A small, spinning Trident right above my hair. Was this what they meant by being claimed? But before anyone could say anything, the Trident was knocked out of the airspace above my head and replaced with a light bolt. What? Being claimed by two gods? Was that even possible! everyone gasped. I gulped loudly, and turned to Annabeth for support. She was mumbling something to Percy about something called the Oracle. The lightning bolt vanished, leaving me as the focus of the stares. I didn't know what to make of it either.

"Was that… being claimed?" I whispered. They all nodded.

"But being claimed by two Gods is unheard of, let alone two of the Big Three…" the guy in the wheelchair mumbled. What were the 'Big Three'?

"Wait… which two Gods just claimed me?" I asked in confusion.

"B-by… by Zeus and…" Annabeth couldn't say the other name.

"And Poseidon," Percy spoke up and finished for her. I looked at Percy. Poseidon was his father.

"How can I be claimed by two different Gods?" I wondered. No one answered.

"Wait, which cabin will she be put in if she was claimed twice?" someone directed at the wheelchair dude.

"Well… I'm not sure, but I will be arranging a meeting with the Gods very soon. For now, since Poseidon's Trident appeared first, I suppose she can bunk in the Poseidon cabin with Percy."

I froze. The thought of spending every night with him terrified me.

"Um, don't you think I could just stay in the Hermes cabin? Or maybe go to the Zeus cabin?" I pitched.

"The Gods and spoken. Until I find out your true father, you will be bunking with Percy," he said in a very final tone. A shiver went up my spine.

"Uhm… I really would be fine staying somewhere else…" I persuaded. The man sighed.

"Very well. You may stay in the Hermes cabin if that is what you want," he agreed finally. I sighed in relief. It was a very awkward day. Right after breakfast I went to talk to wheelchair guy.

"I am Chiron," he introduced. I shook his hand firmly.

"I'm the activities director. It's great to have you here."

"Thanks… by the way, what are the 'Big Three'"? I asked.

"The three most powerful Gods - Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades - all swore to never have anymore children. Of course, they did. And you, child, will not be having a pleasant birthday if the day continues the way I predict," Chiron replied darkly. I tightened up.

"Um… what do you mean?"

"Never mind. For now, have Annabeth show you around to your training lessons."

There were so many lessons I had a hard time keeping up. There was Ancient Greek, Archery, Pegasus riding lessons, sword training, canoeing, and that's all I could remember. Ancient Greek I picked up easily, so that wasn't a challenge. I was decent enough at archery; I hit the yellow zone, which is only a few spots away from a bulls eye. But in Pegasus riding lessons, I did horrible. The pegasi seemed to really hate me. But I couldn't figure out what I had done. After one purposely dropped me off its back, I quit. When I tried to hold a sword, I just about fell forward. It was so heavy I couldn't even stand upright. Annabeth suggested I just try a small-bladed knife, and that was way easier. Canoeing was… well, not easy or hard. Just normal. During all my lessons I received some glares, dirty looks, and heard a lot of whispers whenever I entered the room. It wasn't until I decided to take another walk on the beach (away from the water) that things got better. Annabeth was helping Percy with his Ancient Greek, so I took a little break. I kicked the sand a bit with each step, watching the horizon. I noticed the sun going down, fading over the foamy water in streaks of purple and golden orange. The clouds were a pale blue, and it was a lovely combination. I was so mesmerized I didn't even notice the guy until I ran right into him. When I kicked sand, my foot first hit his shin, then my head on his shoulder. I stumbled back.

"Oh… ow… I'm sorry, I wasn't even paying attention…" I muttered, rubbing my head. The guy laughed. I looked up at him. He was tall, probably about 15 or 16. He was pretty handsome… maybe even hot. I noticed a red and orange streaked sports car parked along the beach, with no tire tracks behind it. His hair was shaggy and fell just below his ears. I blushed slightly.

"Hey, hey, no biggy! I probably should'a given you a heads up I was standing here. Anyway, I just had to come to meet the girl everyone's talking about!" he said. He thought for a moment.

"Vadetta is eight

She was claimed today by

Zeus and the Sea god", he recited a haiku. I stared at him, then clapped a few times. He took a shallow bow.

"Wait a second… how do you know that?" I asked in shock.

"Well, I know and see just about everything. Everyone who's anyone knows about you!"

"Who are you, exactly?" I wondered aloud.

"Oh, I guess I should formally introduce myself. I am Apollo, God of the Sun, Music, and Poetry," he smiled. His teeth seemed to glow in the sunset. My eyes lit up.

"Wow! I never pictured you so…"

"Laid back? Cool?" he plugged in the words. Honestly, I wanted to say good-looking, but there was no way I was going to say that in front of him.

"Um, yeah…"

"Well, I don't like to be all stuck-up and stuff like the other gods, and my up-tight little sister…"

"You mean Artemis? Aren't you twins, though?"

"Well, technically, I was born first," he pointed out. I nodded slowly.

"So, um… why exactly did you want to meet me?"

"I wanted to see if I could figure out who your real parent is!" he announced.

"Um… how will you do that exactly?"

"Dunno. But if anyone's gonna know, it's me."

"Ok… well, um, which do you think?" I examined myself for obvious signs.

"Hmmm…" he said quietly. He circled my a few times, looked on the bottoms of my feet, felt around my arms, sniffed my hair, and gripped my shoulders firmly. I blushed for a second.

"Well… you don't seem to like cold water too much, so I won't say Poseidon. But you don't really seem like the short-tempered type like Zeus, either. Hmmm…" was his answer. I considered this.

"Well, um, Lord Apollo, if you don't think I'm Poseidon or Zeus's child, then… whose am I?"

He was silent.

"Well, Vadetta, that I can't be sure of. But hey, I could be wrong. Maybe you don't like cold water because you don't know how to control your abilities yet. Maybe you're not short-tempered like Zeus because you're more like your mom. I just can't be sure," he replied.

"I like your car," I blurted out randomly. He smiled hugely.

"Why thank you! It's actually the sun, believe it or not. I mean, it won't blind you or anything, but it's what I drive. It's supposed to be a chariot, but, that's so two thousand years ago," he laughed. I laughed too.

"We still have chariots. I think they're pretty awesome, but nothing comes close to your… err… sun."

"Well, I appreciate that. I'll have to give you ride sometime," he offered. My eyes lit up and giant smile spread across my face. "But for now I gotta go. The sun's setting, and I should finish my crossing, or Artemis and Zeus will yell at me for dawdling around…"

We both sighed. I liked this guy; he was laid back and cool, not to mention incredibly handsome.

"Well, uh, it was great meeting you!" I shook his hand.

"Oh, by the way… since it's your birthday, I should really give you a present," he went to his car for a moment. He started digging around in the trunk, as if he was looking for something. When he came back out, there was a small box in his hand. He gave it to me. It had yellow wrapping paper on it.

"Happy Birthday, Vadetta. Sorry it wasn't the best. I hope this makes up for it," he winked. I blushed deeply. "But be sure you don't open it unless you're alone. I suppose you could have Annabeth with you, but not a big huge crowd."

I nodded, and slipped it behind my back. He smiled. As he got in his car and drove away across the sea, I waved, and I could have sworn I saw him wave back. I stood there where he had been, staring at the box. I decided that now was as good a time as any to open it. Just as I was ripping the paper, I heard Annabeth run up to me.

"Vadetta! I've been looking everywhere for you!" she panted.

"Oh, sorry, I've been down here," I apologized, staring down at the box.

"What's that?" she asked, eyeing the box.

"Oh, just a birthday gift," I replied simply, blushing again. "I was just about to open it."

"Hmm… who's it from?"

"Uhm, well, Apollo kind of visited…" I whispered, blushing deeper.

"Oh gods… he did not!"

"He did. And holy fire is he HOT!" I exclaimed dreamily. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Oh, trust me, he does that to everyone. Anyways, open the stupid box."

I nodded, and carefully ripped the shiny yellow paper. Inside was a wooden box with an engraved image of the sun, winking at me. I carefully lifted the lid and found a delicate amulet sitting on a bed of fluffy cotton inside. I picked it up and examined it. It was a moon with a sun inside, both smiling. On the back of the moon it read in very small letters, ARTEMIS, and behind the sun it read APOLLO. There was a note taped on the sun.

Hey Vadetta,

Thought this would make a good present for you. Just press either the moon or sun for a little help if you should ever need it. But each one is a one-use only, so make sure its an emergency. You can still keep the amulet, though. Who knows? It just might be good luck. Hope you survive the meeting tomorrow.

Don't miss me too much.

Apollo

It took me a moment to process the words.

"It… it's an amulet. He said if I press either the sun or moon it'll give me help… and it's good luck…" I explained, holding it up. The sun and moon over the horizon were just about even, and the amulet was sparkling and glowing in the light. The moon seemed to wink, and I could have sworn the sun was going to burst out laughing. I stared at it for a moment, then slipped it over my head. I pulled my hair over the string.

"It's so beautiful…" I whispered. I absolutely loved it.

"I can't believe a god would go to all the trouble…" Annabeth mumbled in shock. I quickly tucked it under my shirt and started for camp.

"I think I'm gonna hide this from the Apollo cabin, or they might get mad. I wouldn't be too happy if my dad gave a present to some random dude either…"

The horn for dinner blew. I followed my cabin-mates to the dining area and took my place at the end of the table. Everyone was staring at me until Chiron pounded his hoof on the marble. Wait… hoof? No one mentioned his having a horse lower body. Oh well.

"Well… today has been a very interesting day. But I think we should all just take a little break from all the surprises and enjoy dinner. And Vadetta… I need to speak to you after the meal," he said. I nodded nervously. I walked stiffly to the fire pit and scraped in more than usual. Please let all this get sorted out without me having to die or anything. I prayed over and over. I barely even ate my food, even though I had been starving just a little while earlier. The whole time I kept my fist clutched around the amulet, hoping it really was lucky. By what Apollo said about a meeting tomorrow hoping I would live, it didn't sound good. After supper, I had only eaten one strawberry and just a bite of my chicken. I went to see Chiron after all the campers had come back to their cabins. His face was firm, like he knew something bad was going to happen.

"Ah, Vadetta. There's something very serious I need to speak about with you," he said quietly. I nodded nervously.

"W-What would that be about, sir?" I stuttered. I was clutching my pendant from Apollo, praying to him silently.

"Well, that is… your being claimed. I arranged a meeting for tomorrow afternoon. A meeting for you and the Gods in Olympus. You'll be speaking with each God and Goddess one at a time, independently. It will probably take the entire afternoon, so all your lessons are being crammed into the morning," he said louder. I gulped and nodded weakly. He dismissed me. I could barely walk. When I got back to the Hermes cabin, every was staring at me. I was so stiff I could hardly make it to my corner before I collapsed. I buried myself in it and rolled around. I was a sealed burrito wrap. Everyone went back to what they had been doing before, and I was shaking and trembling in my cocoon. My hands were curled around the pendant so hard I could smell just a little blood. When I licked my hand, I tasted the sweet yet warm taste of it. The sharp edges on the sun had cut me from being gripped so hard. My hand was really red and stung badly. I emerged my head from my bag and found everyone sleeping. I didn't know how long I had been in there, but obviously longer than I thought. I quietly reached into my backpack and pulled out some bandages. I carefully wrapped some around my hand, but the blood was soaking through. I put on new bandages, but they soaked through again. I repeated and so did the blood. I was fairly sure this much blood loss wasn't healthy, so I got up and stumbled outside. I walked over to the fire pit and held my hands over the flames like a marshmallow. I quickly felt it warming me up and healing my wound. The bleeding stopped. I unwrapped the bandages and found raw, red skin and a scab. It still stung, so I wrapped it back up. I stayed by the fire until Annabeth found me there. I was just staring into the flames mindlessly. She sat down next to me.

"Nervous?" she pointed out. I didn't reply. "I would be, too. I don't think there's every been a conflict with a camper bad enough for them to meet each god personally… but I guess there's an exception to rule."

This didn't make me feel any better.

"Oh, thanks… that REALLY helps my confidence…" I said sarcastically and elbowed her. We laughed.

"See? Just relax and don't stress about it. I'm sure it'll all work out fine, promise," she reassured. I smiled, but I didn't feel any reassurance.

"I'm gonna go to bed…" I mumbled, and walked off clutching my pendant again. That's when Annabeth caught sight of my bandaged hand.

"Wait… what happened to your hand?" she demanded.

"Erm… nothing important… just a little arrow burn from archery…" I lied. She had a worried look, but I kept walking. She didn't need to know that I had prayed so hard to a god I had just met and developed a huge crush on. No one really needed to know that. I crashed as soon as my head was on my pillow, into dreamless sleep.