What I see and hear over the next few days makes absolutely no sense. Once, I wake up in time to see the sea-green eyes guy ( I decided to call him that ) feed me pudding. It tastes like fish soup, the kind my mother always made, and I want to start crying again. I don't want to look weak, though, so I settle on saying a whole selection of swear words inside my head. Sea-green eyes looks at me, sadly, like he knows how I feel. Then I slip back into the world of unconsciousness.

The next time I wake up, I notice Mr Lapiz and a guy with a lot of eyes watching me. Literally a lot of eyes. They're on his forehead, his palms, even his chin...

Finally, I open my eyes, and there is nothing un-normal about my surroundings, except they are better than what I'm used to. I'm sitting in a leather chair, with a pillow behind my neck and a blanket on my legs. Next to me is a table with a paper cup on it. It's full of some sort of green liquid, and for a moment I think that they are trying to poison me again. It has some ice cubes in it.

" Hey. "

says a familiar voice, and I watch as Juniper walks up next to me. She is wearing a Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, whatever that means. I nod at the drink.

" I'm not drinking this. The last time I drank something, it was because a certain somebody tipped it down my throat, and knocked me out. "

I mutter. My throat feels dry, and I desperately want a sip of the drink, no matter what I tell Juniper. At these words, Juniper cringes.

" It... Wasn't like that. I needed to get you here right away, because I knew you were being followed. But I also knew you would ask too many questions, and I couldn't afford to waste time. You were in danger. "

she says, staring at her sneakers. I shrug, like it's no big deal, but of course, I DO want to know. Then, cautiously, I grab the drink in my shaking hands and raise it to my lips and take a sip. I recoil, because I was expecting apple juice. But what I taste is unmistakably dark chocolate. Liquified dark chocolate. Before long, I empty the cup. I stare at the cup, sure that I just had a warm drink, but the ice-cubes haven't even melted. Suddenly, I notice that Juniper is looking at it wistfully, like she wished she could have had some. This makes me guilty, because I usually share what I have with her.

" Sorry. I should have let you have a sip. "

I tell her. She shakes her head.

" What did it taste like? "

she asks. This makes me even more guilty, and I feel my face going red.

" No, you had to drink it all, anyway. Just... Out of interest. "

" Dark chocolate. The chocolate my mother brings home from work, she owns a chocolate factory. "

I say. I really don't want to talk on the subject, so I turn my head away and see what I'd missed when I woke up.

A huge, grassy area is ringed by little hills, on top of one of them is the pine tree. Down in the fields, there is a volleyball pit, where teenagers in the same shirts as Juniper are playing ball with ( I rub my eyes ) a couple of satyrs. In the far area, their is a canoe lake, with canoes bobbing up and down on the smooth surface. On the left, there is a circular arena and what looks like stables. More than half of the right side of the fields is a forest, and on the edge of the forest, is the weirdest ever collection of cabins.

The cabins form a rectangle around a huge fire pit, where everyone obviously sits to toast marshmallows in the afternoon. Also, the cabins look WAY cooler than the normal school ones.

Cabin number 1, if you look at it the right way, seems to have streaks of lighting running across the sides. It's very grand and huge, just like the cabin beside it, number 2. This one, though, is covered in silvery peacocks. Cabin nine looks like a mini factory, with pipes sticking all over the place. Cabin 7 is so bright, it is hard to look at. To make a long story short: whatever this place is, it's awesome.

I keep gawking at the fields until Sea-green eyes' voice brings me back to reality.
" Hello, Hailey. Enjoying the view? I was in the exact same position as you, exactly 6 years ago. I'd also lost my mother, and I'd also defeated the monster who did it. Here, "
he says, as he hands me a cardboard box. I stare at him and take it, opening it to find the tooth of the sphinx that killed my mum.
" Thanks, "
I mumble. It's all I can say, really. The awkward silence afterwards is broken by Mr Lapiz, who choses that moment to roll in on the scene in his wheelchair. Immediately, Juniper perks up.
" This is Percy, Hailey. He saved the world last summer, so... You know. Be nice. And you already know Chiron, of course. "
she says in rapid-fire machine-gun mode, as if she wants to impress the Latin teacher.
" Mr Lapiz? "
" Chiron, my dear. "
he says.
" Ok, um... Isn't Chiron a centaur who trained heros and all that stuff in the Greek mythology? "
I ask. I don't mean to be rude or anything, but it's true. Mr Lapiz - Chiron - smiles warmly.
" Yes. And I am the centaur, Hailey. Yes, the same one from the stories, " he chuckles, when he sees the dumbfounded expression on my face.
" But then... But then, aren't you supposed to be dead? "
I stammer.
" Hmm. I don't know about should be. Well, I can't be dead if I'm alive, right? "
he says. He has a good point.
" You're in a wheelchair. "
I tell him. Ha! Beat that, Mr Lapiz!
" Yes. I prefer to stay in it for first encounters. But if you insist... "
then he rises from his wheelchair.

Well, he doesn't really rise. It just seems like his body is getting longer and longer... And longer...

Then I see white rising, and I think that he's wearing underwear, but realize two seconds later that the 'underwear' is a palomino horse's body. Wow. So he really is a centaur.

" Come on, Hailey. I'll show you around. "
he tells me. I get shakily to my feet, and follow Chiron as he gallops off towards the arena.