Why a year? Demigods have so many advantages, I need a reasonable amount of time to give my oc a fighting chance... even the weakest demigod starts off super strong, faster, durable and they all heal faster. Some more so than others, I needed a realistic time to develop.

I am sorry for the change, but the last story sucked bad. All tell and no show...

Everything about this story is superior...

Each morning Rowan taught himself Ancient Greek, learning on his own since no one wanted to teach him and Charlie was busy with his Cabin. He learned fast though, always had and soon he was able to read a bit of Homer on his own. The rest of the day, he'd rotate through outdoor activities. Ones he chose on purpose, knowing they'd be most useful and give him a chance to learn magic more thoroughly as well as hang out with Charlie was planned.

Archery was fun, and soon he decided to continue practicing that art form as he actually had some talent there. Nothing amazing, but nowhere as bad as Percy who shot backwards...

Then there was gardening, which was useful for magic. "Hey, you've got a green thumb." One kid said, Mr. D's son. "I'm Castor, by the way... anyway, your planting those flowers perfectly. Really, it's impressive for a newbie."

He smiled back. "Thanks, I like this, it's relaxing and nice to know that I can do some good with or without magic. Plus gardening is so vital to magical crafting, so why not right?"

"Hehe... sure. Hey I know people are giving you the cold shoulder, but my brother Pollux and I are cool with you. Feel free to hang out with us whenever, we won't treat you like crap."

That lifted his spirit considerably as he listened to Castor's instructions on how to transplant the plants better and he even promised to show him some magic to bolster plant growth. That was a really exciting prospect.

Finally forging which brought him into the Forges with Charlie.

"Hey, kid, how goes it?" The older boy asked.

"Oh not bad, just a bit tired. There is so much to do in addition to my normal workouts."

Charlie laughed. "I imagine so, there is a lot of to really... but it's important to find whatever gives you the best chance at survival. Now, speaking off, I heard you were good with a bow, so that will be helpful, but I think also working to be better with a sword is vital. Spears are too big for your, as is a hammer, and daggers are speciality weapons. No, you need a good blade. I did some research into our records, there are some ways for you to wield a magical weapon, it needs to be made of silver, as it channels magic perfectly, blessed with your blood. Are you ready to bleed?"

He smiled. "Not the first time."

"Well, get ready. Once we get your sword ready, and get you a buckler, we can start on your training. I want you to be safe, you deserve that much at least."

"""

Training with a sword was hard, but a year of hard core exercise made it a lot easier for Rowan. He slashed and jabbed, and soon found his rhythm but he also found he lacked the raw natural stamina of a demigod. He had to stop and rest a lot but Charlie took that time to instruct him guide him and eventually humiliate him in a spar. Still, he found that he was not entirely helpless. He had some talent... just not a lot...

Soon, after his lessons were over on Friday afternoon, he went for a walk around Camp and found Percy and Grover by the Lake. Deciding he would try and make friends, not wanting to be isolated in a camp of hostile demigods, he walked over to them. "Hey guys." He quickly saw that Percy had holes on his shirt, singed like he had climbed the Lava Wall, same as his arm hair. Chuckling, he muttered a spell over Percy, and his shirt sealed itself shut.

"Cool!" Percy said.

"Simple spell, I have had to cast that on all my clothes, it helps with training for enchantment." He sat next to them and after a few minutes Percy asked Grover how his conversation had gone with Mr. D.

His face turned a sickly shade of yellow.o "Fine," he said. "Just great."

"So your career's still on track?"

He glanced at Percy nervously. "Chiron t-told you I want a searcher's license?"

"Well... no. He just said you had big plans, you know ... and that you needed credit for completing a keeper's assignment. So did you get it?"

Grover looked down at the naiads weaving baskets in the water. "Mr. D suspended judgment. He said I hadn't failed or succeeded with you yet, so our fates were still tied together. If you got a quest and I went along to protect you, and we both came back alive, then maybe he'd consider the job complete."

"Well, that's not so bad, right?"

"Blaa-ha-ha! He might as well have transferred me to stable-cleaning duty. The chances of you getting a quest... and even if you did, why would you want me along?"

"Of course I'd want you along!"

Grover stared glumly into the water. "Basket-weaving ... Must be nice to have a useful skill."

Percy tried to reassure him that he had lots of talents, but that just made him look more miserable. The three of them talked about canoeing and swordplay for a while, then debated the pros and cons of the different gods with Rowan stating Hecate seemed the best if she could use all magic. Even Percy agreed. Finally, Percy asked him about the four empty cabins, something on Rowan's mind for a few days by then.

"Number eight, the silver one, belongs to Artemis," he said. "She vowed to be a maiden forever. So of course, no kids. The cabin is, you know, honorary. If she didn't have one, she'd be mad."

"Yeah, okay. But the other three, the ones at the end. Are those the Big Three?"

Grover tensed. We were getting close to a touchy subject. "No. One of them, number two, is Hera's," he said. "That's another honorary thing. She's the goddess of marriage, so of course she wouldn't go around having affairs with mortals. That's her husband's job. When we say the Big Three, we mean the three powerful brothers, the sons of Kronos."

"Zeus, Poseidon, Hades."

"Right. You know. After the great battle with the Titans, they took over the world from their dad and drew lots to decide who got what."

"Zeus got the sky," Percy remembered. "Poseidon the sea, Hades the Underworld."

"Uh-huh."

"But Hades doesn't have a cabin here."

"No. He doesn't have a throne on Olympus, either. He sort of does his own thing down in the Underworld. If he did have a cabin here ..." Grover shuddered. "Well, it wouldn't be pleasant. Let's leave it at that."

Rowan frowned. "Why, he rarely did anything to earn any such reputation?" They both ignored him... which was rude.

"But Zeus and Poseidon-they both had, like, a bazillion kids in the myths. Why are their cabins empty?"

Grover shifted his hooves uncomfortably. "About sixty years ago, after World War II, the Big Three agreed they wouldn't sire any more heroes. Their children were just too powerful. They were affecting the course of human events too much, causing too much carnage. World War II, you know, that was basically a fight between the sons of Zeus and Poseidon on one side, and the sons of Hades on the other. The winning side, Zeus and Poseidon, made Hades swear an oath with them: no more affairs with mortal women. They all swore on the River Styx." Thunder boomed.

Percy said, "That's the most serious oath you can make."

Grover nodded.

"And the brothers kept their word-no kids?"

Grover's face darkened. "Seventeen years ago, Zeus fell off the wagon. There was this TV starlet with a big fluffy eighties hairdo-he just couldn't help himself. When their child was born, a little girl named Thalia .. . well, the River Styx is serious about promises. Zeus himself got off easy because he's immortal, but he brought a terrible fate on his daughter."

"But that isn't fair.' It wasn't the little girl's fault."

Grover hesitated. "Percy, children of the Big Three have powers greater than other half-bloods. They have a strong aura, a scent that attracts monsters. When Hades found out about the girl, he wasn't too happy about Zeus breaking his oath. Hades let the worst monsters out of Tartarus to tor-ment Thalia. A satyr was assigned to be her keeper when she was twelve, but there was nothing he could do. He triedp to escort her here with a couple of other half-bloods she'd befriended. They almost made it. They got all the way to the top of that hill." He pointed across the valley, to the pine tree where Rowan sensed a powerful sacrifice. "All three Kindly Ones were after them, along with a horde of hellhounds. They were about to be overrun when Thalia told her satyr to take the other two half-bloods to safety while she held off the monsters. She was wounded and tired, and she didn't want to live like a hunted animal. The satyr didn't want to leave her, but he couldn't change her mind, and he had to protect the others. So Thalia made her final stand alone, at the top of that hill. As she died, Zeus took pity on her. He turned her into that pine tree. Her spirit still helps protect the borders of the valley. That's why the hill is called Half-Blood Hill."

"I get it." They looked at him. "I don't like it, but if she was that big of a threat, than the needs of the many outweighed hers... sad as it was. Zeus should have been punished though, for breaking his oath."

Percy stared at the pine in the distance.

"Grover," Percy said, "have heroes really gone on quests to the Underworld?"

"Sometimes," he said. "Orpheus. Hercules. Houdini."

"And have they ever returned somebody from the dead?"

"No. Never. Orpheus came close... . Percy, you're not seriously thinking-"

"No," Percy obviously lied. "I was just wondering. So ... a satyr is always assigned to guard a demigod?"

Grover studied him warily. "Not always. We go undercover to a lot of schools. We try to sniff out the half-bloods who have the makings of great heroes. If we find one with a very strong aura, like a child of the Big Three, we alert Chiron. He tries to keep an eye on them, since they could cause really huge problems."

"And you found me. Chiron said you thought I might be something special."

Grover looked as if Percy had just led him into a trap. "I didn't... Oh, listen, don't think like that. If you were-you know-you'd never ever be allowed a quest, and I'd never get my license. You're probably a child of Hermes. Or maybe even one of the minor gods, like Nemesis, the god of revenge. Don't worry, okay?"

Rowan sighed. "Nemesis is a woman, Grover." And the cowardly Saytr paled even futher. Rolling his eyes, he turned to Percy. "Percy, don't think about the Underworld just yet, wait until you are stronger. I can sense auras, you are extremely powerful, Grover's wrong... you will get a quest, I am almost sure of that. Now, I need to go practice some spells, make some potions, witch stuff. See ya."

Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.

This was a joy to write.

Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.