Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does. I wish I did…..
FROM THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER:
I ran outside to see a black-haired boy drag a satyr up the steps and collapse on the porch. Chiron and I stood over him, and I felt a surge of hope pass through me.
"He's the one. He must be." The words came out of my mouth before I had a second thought.
"Silence, Annabeth." Chiron said. "He's still conscious. Bring him inside."
Chapter 2
I stared at the black-haired boy lying on the porch. He looked about my age, a bit shorter.
The satyr next to him moaned, "FOOOOD!!!". Typical Grover…. Wait, Grover? So THAT'S where he was. All I knew was that Grover had sensed a strong half-blood in Manhattan and called Chiron. Apparently, the boy was the half-blood who was 'special'. He had to be the one.
With difficulty, I carried him onto the deck chair. I put a pillow behind his neck and a blanket over his legs. I turned around to find Grover coming to his senses.
"Grover? Are you alright?" I asked.
He sat up. "Hmm….? Where's Percy? The monster… is it gone? Oh, Annabeth! Hey! Um, why am I at the Big House? How did I get here?" He stood up and brushed the dust off his furry behind.
"That boy, he dragged you all the way here from Thalia's pine. The monster… was that, you know, Pasiphae's son?"
"Yup. Pretty scary. Um, excuse me."
He got up and went inside to the Big House. I sat on the railing, looking up at the sky, which was clearing up. Then I remembered about the summer solstice. I didn't know exactly what was so important about it, only Chiron and the satyrs knew.
I had heard only a bit of their conversations, and the only information I ended up with was that something was stolen.
Wait a minute…. I thought. Maybe that kid knows something. He isn't awake yet, but I'll find out something soon. I need that quest.
I walked into the Big House to see Grover wearing his "human" disguise, watching as Chiron and Mr. D played pinochle. After filling up a glass with nectar and a bowl with ambrosia, I set it on the table next to Percy. I sat there, putting my hand on his forehead, adjusting the pillow, pulling up the blankets and spoon-feeding him ambrosia. He mumbled something about his evil math teacher Mrs. Dodds, who apparently was a Fury. I couldn't help smile at how the boy looked so… so… I don't know, cute? Whatever.
Finally, he stirred and opened his eyes. I looked at him and said, "What will happen on the summer solstice?"
"What?" he muttered weakly.
I looked around; making sure no one was listening. "What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks!"
He looked confused. He mumbled, "I'm sorry. I don't…"
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, and I shoved ambrosia in his mouth. He was asleep again. I left the glass of nectar beside him and went to breakfast.
When I got there, I filled my plate with eggs and bacon in silence, and dumped some omelet into the fire. Athena, please, please let him be the one. I need to get out of here. I need to find out about the solstice.
With that, I sat down with my cabinmates at our table. "Hey, Annabeth. Where've you been?" said Delilah, one of my half-sisters.
"We woke up and you were gone."
"Hope you don't mind," said Sora. "but we cleaned your stuff, too. Wanna get a good cabin inspection score."
"Whatever." I said. "New guy. Fought a monster by Thalia's pine. I was taking care of him. He's pretty worn out." I finished my bacon and stood up. "See ya later."
I went back to the Big House to see the boy with black hair still sleeping. I chuckled at how he drooled in his sleep. Leaning on the railing in front of him was Grover, with a shoe box in his hand. Whatever it was, I didn't really want to know. I walked around to the other side of the porch, where Mr. D and Chiron and played pinochle. I never got the game, but it was a kinda amusing sight to watch.
Soon after, Grover and the new guy walked towards us. "….the camp director. Be polite. The girl, that's Annabeth Chase. She's just a camper, but she's been here longer than just about anybody. And you already know Chiron…" I heard Grover say.
"Mr. Brunner!" said the boy. Mr Brunner? Oh, I get it. He taught the guy.
I stood there watching introductions and such, until I heard Chiron say, "Annabeth?" I came forward and looked at the boy. "This young lady nursed you back to health, Percy. Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now." Said Chiron.
I saw the box that Grover had in Percy's hands, and inside was the horn of the Minotaur. Wow. I thought. What do I say? I said the first thing that came to mind. "You drool when you sleep." I said. WHAT THE HADES?!?!? I gave my best "I-don't-have-a-care-in-the-world" look and turned around once I realized what I said. Naturally, I sprinted away as fast I could.
I stopped once I got to the cabins, and sauntered over to my cabin, the Athena cabin. I grabbed my architecture book from under my pillow, then made my way over to Cabin Eleven. I walked inside, stepping over countless sleeping bags and possessions, and found a spot on the floor. It was the only room they had. Good enough, I thought. He's the one, he's the one. Then I stood outside and cracked open my book.
About 10 minutes and 2 chapters later, Chiron and Percy arrived. I looked at Percy, studying him. How can he not know anything about the solstice? I wonder who his parent is… He looked at my book, trying to figure out what it was about.
"Annabeth," Chiron said. "I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy from here?"
"Yes, sir." I said. Chiron then turned to Percy and said, "Cabin Eleven. Make yourself at home."
After the rest of the Hermes cabin bowed to him, Chiron said, "Well, then. Good luck, Percy. I'll see you at dinner." and trotted away. Percy didn't move. "Well?" I said. "Go on."
He tripped as he entered the cabin, causing snickers from several campers. "Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven." I announced. "Regular or undetermined?" asked Stephen Masterson.
"Undetermined." I said. Everyone groaned.
Then, Luke came forward and I forgot everything else. "Now, now, campers," he said. "That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there.
"This is Luke." I said. I felt my cheeks turn hot. I saw Percy looking at me, and hardened my expression. "He's your counselor for now."
Luke explained to Percy how he was undetermined and how cabin eleven takes all the newbies. "How long will I be here?" Percy asked.
"Good question." said Luke. "Until you're determined."
"How long will that take?" asked Percy.
WHAT??? 'How long will it take'?!?!?! Gods, how can he be the one….? Everyone laughed.
"Come on. I'll show you the volleyball court." I said, desperate to find a way to talk to him.
"I've already seen it."
"Come on." I grabbed him by the wrist at pulled him outside.
Once we were out, I looked at him and said, "Jackson, you have to do better than that."
"What?" he asked. Someone's a bit dim-witted. I rolled my eyes and whispered to myself, "I can't believe I thought you were the one."
"What's your problem?" he asked angrily. "All I know is, I kill some bull guy—"
"Don't talk like that!" I said. Doesn't he see how lucky he is? "You know how many kids at camp wish they'd had you chance?"
"To get killed?"
"To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?" I said.
He shook his head, saying "Look, if the thing I fought really was THE Minotaur, the same one in the stories…"
"Yes."
"Then there's only one."
"Yes."
"And he died, like, a gajillion years ago, right? Theseus killed him in the labyrinth. So…"
"Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed. But they don't die."
"Oh, thanks." he said with just a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "That clears it up."
"They don't have souls, like you and me." I explained. "You can dispel them for a while, maybe even for a whole lifetime if you're lucky. But they are primal forces. Chiron calls them archetypes. Eventually, they re-form."
"You mean if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword—"
I realized he was talking about the Fury/math teacher. "The Fur… I mean, your math teacher. That's right. She's still out there. You just made her very, very mad."
"How do you know about Mrs. Dodds?" he asked.
I said, "You talk in your sleep."
"You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?"
He IS that dumb….. I looked down. "You shouldn't call them by name," I warned him. "Not even here. We call them the Kindly Ones, if we have to speak of them at all."
"Look, is there anything we can say without it thundering?" I could swear he was whining. "Why do I have to stay in cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks right over there." He pointed to the first three cabins.
I had to explain to him that who your parent is determines which cabin you're in. He said that his mom was named Sally Jackson, and that she worked in a candy store.
"At least, she used to." Percy said.
I told him that I meant his dad. "He's dead. I never knew him." said Percy.
Here we go again…. "Your father's not dead, Percy."
Like all the rest, he argued. I told him I knew because I know him. Percy.
"You don't know anything about me."
I was going to enjoy this. "No?" I raised an eyebrow. "I bet you moved around from school to school. I bet you were kicked out of a lot of them."
He looked dumbfounded. "How—"
"Diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD, too."
"What does that have to do with anything?" he asked, obviously embarrassed.
Here goes. . . the moment of truth. "Taken together, it's almost a sure sign. The letters float off the page when you read, right? That's because you mind is hardwired for ancient Greek. And the ADHD—you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom. That's you battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, Percy, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are."
"You sound like. . . you went through the same thing?" he half said, half asked.
"Most of the kids here did. If you weren't like us, you couldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar."
"Ambrosia and nectar." he said, trying to get it straight.
"That food and drink we were giving you to make you better. That stuff would've turned your blood to fire and bones to sand and you'd be dead. Face it. You're a half-blood."
Then, out of the things that could've happened next, one of the worst possible happened.
A/N: ok... sorry if it's too much like in the book. that was most of what i was going for. please read and review!!! the first five people to review will get their own character in the capture-the-flag sequence. . . I can't say whether you'll be on the athena side or ares side.... anyway, thanks!
~Sword-WieldingDemigod12697
