I didn't turn around.

"I don't belong here, Jim," I said stiffly.

He walked towards me and then around to face me.

At this point, I wasn't at the least surprised that my best friend was half goat. Nor was I shocked that he wasn't wearing any pants.

He set his eyes firmly on mine and said, "Sure you do. It's why we brought you here. Besides, you haven't even met the guys here."

"Oh, I've seen enough," I said bitterly.

He arched a brow. "What happened?"

I told him about what Lucas did but I left out the part about the prophecy.

"Oh, him," Jim chuckled. "I'll take care of it."

When he saw that I wasn't convinced, his expression grew stern.

"There are children here who were orphans their entire lives. Kids who never met their mortal parents. Those who did, many don't have pleasant stories to share. They were outcasts in their own families. Camp-Half Blood is the one place they find acceptance," Jim explained.

An owl hooted in the distance. I felt a little self-centered. At least I had a caring mother...

"You won't find a place like this out there," Jim said, jerking his thumb towards the road ahead. "This isn't just a safe haven, it's home."

I curled my lip. "You got me, Jim. Let's go."

He tousled my hair and we walked back, recounting stories of High school shenanigans.

He led me to a clearing with two long logs, covered with campers, joking and chatting.

There was a massive bonfire in the center of the crowd. The flames licked the air feverishly.

The crowd immediately went silent. I turned and saw why: Chiron had raised an arm. I also discovered he was a centuar.

"Good evening all," he said, turning towards me. "We have a new camper joining us." He gestured for me to introduce myself.

I felt a hundred pairs of eyes staring at me.

I cleared my throat. "Hi everyone. Uh, I'm Jeremiah. And um, I'm from Brooklyn."

There was muted conversation and stifled laughter. Chiron stomped his hooves and hushed the crowd. Then he beamed as he said, "Welcome to Camp-Half Blood."

The crowd cheered and whooped and fist pumped. I hoped the glow of the fire covered my blush.

Once that was over with, I took a seat next to Helen. We feasted on smores and told ghost stories.

This one guy named Eric told a story about the Cabin for a godess named Nike and everyone was shaking in their boots. I noticed Helen moved closer towards me by the end of it.

Then, it was time to go. "Alright everyone, straight to bed. Ares campers, I don't want a repeat of the Celestial Bronze-bathroom incident," Chiron said, scowling.

I didn't even want to think about what might have happened.

I fell asleep on the floor of the Hermes cabin, since they didn't have a bed for me.

When I woke up, I realized my toothbrush was missing. It was then when I learned Hermes was also the God of thieves.

I yawned and spruced up using my spare brush. The campers in my cabin were still snoring, with the exception of one girl on her phone in a bunk bed.

I stepped outside and wandered aimlessly. The birds were chirping and tweeting but some shouts over on the grass caught my attention.

I walked over and spotted some guys huddled over someone. There were a bunch of other campers standing to the side. Lucas stood with a football tucked between his arm and his ribs.

"Take him to the infirmary," one guy said.

"Alright but we don't have any substitutes," another guy complained.

They both looked around and one of them set his sights on me. He walked up to me, placing his arm on my shoulder.

"You know how to play football, right?" he asked.

"Um, yeah but--"

He held my shoulders and said, "We're down nine points. We need this stop, we only got seven minutes left."

I hardly ever played football. I would probably hinder these guys more than I could help.

He stole a glance at Lucas. "It's their possesion. You're gonna be our wide reciever. Ok?"

He didn't wait for a response. He clapped his hands and shouted, "Alright boys, let's get this show on the road. Big boy Ares thinks he can win another one."

Lucas grinned sadistically at the mention of his previous victory.

If it's against Lucas, I can play.

The guys lined up, and I took my position in front of their wide reciever.

"Readdyy. Hike!"

The ball was passed to the quarterback. Of course Lucas was the QB.

I kept an eye on the wide reciver as he ran down the field. The boy juked, running to the left and the right, and I struggled to follow him.

Keep an eye on the play, I thought. Luckily, the boy slowed down.

From the corner of my eye, I spotted Lucas: he stood scanning the field, with none of our players close enough to tackle him.

The wide reciever lunged towards the left side and broke into a run again. I raced after him but I realized too late that I had fallen for his trap. He didn't intend on running to the left, he faked it, and his deception bought him room.

He was only fifteen yards away from a touchdown. No, no, no, I thought, as I saw a flying brown shape.

Lucas had thrown the ball to his wide reciever.

I sprinted to close the gap between the boy and myself.

Then, everything happened in slow motion.

The ball came flying down.

The wide reciever raised his outstretched arms.

I stepped and propelled myself with my foot.

I jumped and the ball was in my grasp.

There was a split second of confusion. Even I didn't realize what had happened.

Then it hit me. Interception. Now I run.

I broke into a sprint in the opposite direction. The boys started shouting and rambling.

"Get him!"

A boy ran towards me and leaped. I spun out of the way and continued running as the boy probably face-planted.

"Mike!"

Two guys were coming. One from the left and one from the right. My teammate tried to tackle one of them but the guy got away.

I snapped my eyes towards the right and the left. Too much commotion on the left.

Not enough room on the right.

If I run fast enough, I think I can squeeze through before these guys tackle me.

I picked up the pace and felt a strange calm. Somehow, I ran faster than I did before.

The two guys approached.

"Go, go, get through!"

Both guys closed in, arms ready to tackle me.

I raised the ball over my head, turned sideways and slid through the narrow gap.

Fingers grazed my ribs and some held my shirt but I was too swift.

There was conflict ahead of me but my teamates cheered me on. The two teams tackled each other, my teammates carving a path for me to run through.

Someone cursed as I stepped twenty yards away from the touchdown line.

Another guy came from the crowd. I didn't see him earlier. He dove for my legs, grabbed my shoe and tugged.

My shoe slipped off but I kept running.

The guy threw my shoe on the ground and rushed to his feet as I ran.

Ten yards.

Someone was behind me. I could hear their panting. I turned briefly to see someone dive for my legs.

He clutched my calves briefly but I jumped in time to avoid getting ensnared.

This time, the boys only stared. Everyone stopped running.

I slowed down and stepped over the touchdown line.

I panted, though I wasn't really out of breath.

Why was everyone looking at me like that? Even my teammates had shocked expressions. Some of them were nudging each other and pointing.

I looked around but I didn't see anything.

Finally, a teammate came over and pointed above my head.

There was a glowing symbol of a shoe with feathery wings floating above my head.

I felt a chill run down my spine. It made sense. I had felt that same calm as I ran to slay the Manticore.

The boys started cheering and whooping, some spinning their towels, others laughing with glee.

"Son of Hermes!" they chanted.

They picked me up and perched me on their shoulders. "Jer-em-i-ah! Son of Hermes!"

We were so excited we forgot we were in the middle of a game.

Lucas had to remind us we still had three minutes.

While the boys lined up, he approached me with a sour expression. "You're not special. You got claimed, big deal. But you are still just pathetic. You and your cabin--you guys aren't worth anything to anyone. We all know you won't become anything."

He snorted. "If monsters couldn't sniff you out all your life, you're no threat to anyone."

I furrowed my brows. What's his deal? Why is he always trying to put me down? I felt the urge to say something and another desire to punch him in the face.

Before I could do anything, the game resumed.

We lost.

Though we were at the end of the field, we still missed the field goal. Lucas's team was unable to score as well. However, since we missed the field goal, we were still down by three points. Time expired before we got another possesion.

Lucas smirked at me as his team celebrated.

The boy who had chosen me as the wide reciever came over and rubbed my head. "We did good. We did good. Let Big Boy Ares enjoy his victory, for now."

I laughed. "You hate his guts too?"

He flashed me a smile and I saw he was missing a tooth. "Navar, nice to meet ya," he said, extending his hand.

I shook and our team headed out.

News got around quickly but before I could do anything else, things got serious.

I was wandering and I stumbled upon a squirrel I think was chasing something. While I was trying to figure out what it was, someone called my name.

I looked over my shoulder and spotted Helen. "Chiron wants to see you." She looked serious.

We headed over and I noticed two campers were already seated. Lucas and Jessie.

Chiron crossed his arms. "Lucas, you know why I've called for you. Jeremiah, Helen, Jessie, you three are going on a quest along with Jim and Lucas."

Jim stepped into the room, as if on cue.

"We have had two quests within the last three months and all six of those campers have disappeared without a trace. This is unheard of, for all of the years I have served here. Your job is to retrieve our campers before the summer solstice. We must obey the oracle for we dont know what will happen if we delay the quest," Chiron said.

He turned towards me and I met his eyes of perpetual concern. "I'm sorry we didn't have more time. We will only have today and three more days to train you. Then, we'll have eight for the quest."

Today must be June 10th, then. I had lost track of time after the Manticore incident.

Chiron went on. "Jim is the guardian satire and he holds an impressive record when it comes to protecting demigods. Helen is our most proficient archer. Though she is a daughter of Iris, she outclasses even the members of Apollo's cabin with her bow and arrow. Lucas has mastery of steel weapons--the only sword fighter better than him is Jim."

Lucas maintained a smug expression but Helen looked distant.

Chiron turned to me. "You have been chosen because the oracle gave you the prophecy. I don't know how your tour ended up in the attic of the Big House," he said, glaring at Lucas, "but that is the way things stand. Jessie has earned this quest, as she lost her younger brothers in the previous one."

A heavy silence fell upon the room at the mention of the lost campers.

Mr D entered the room sipping a diet Coke and he belched without warning.

"Excuse me. Er, don't get killed kids." He left the room.

Chiron sighed.

He surveyed us and said, "Don't be distraught. The oracle is often ambiguous and indirect. She may state something and mean it metaphoriacally rather than literally. I expect you all to prepare and to be cautious."

Alright, as long as Jim is coming. Maybe now I can get even with Lucas. I might also get a chance to talk to my mother. She has some explaining to do.

Chiron dismissed us and I was called for immediate sword fighting lessons with Jim.

We stood, in an arena, face to face.

"Lets begin," Jim said.