Percy felt elated as he left the palace of his father. The meeting with his stepmother went far better than he could have hoped and he was very glad for it. For years Apollo had told him about the evil stepmother of Olympus. The stories he had been told about Hera were gruesome and just by the way the Queen of Olympus had looked at him today it was obvious that not all of Apollo's tales had been exaggerated. But it was obvious that Amphitrite was nothing like Hera. She was cold, rightfully so, he had to admit that, but she wasn't vengeful.
By the looks of it he was given a chance. A chance to prove himself to his family. He wondered whether this was his father's idea. His father didn't talk to him, but sent his son and wife instead. At least this was what made the most sense to Percy. In a way he was disappointed that his father did not want to talk to him in person. But what else to expect from the man who had not looked for him even once in the last twelve years?
Was his father like Hades? Welcome one child with open arms, then sent the other away because his actions did not please him? Was his father displeased with him for being Apollo's champion? Maybe. Or maybe because he had helped Hades and brought one of his children to the Underworld where neither Zeus nor Poseidon could harm the girl. The rivalry of the big three was legendary after all.
He knew that pondering this too much would get him nowhere and he just wasn't one to brood. No one would be able to do that after living with Apollo. Speaking of the devil, the sun-god himself appeared in the nearby gardens, followed by his daughter, showing his brightest grin.
"There he is, the boy who conquered all the odds." Apollo said, as he approached Percy and flung an arm around the boy's shoulder. "Today you have done the impossible, Percy, you got Artemis to speak positively about a man."
"That is good, I think..."
"It is." Apollo said with a nod.
"And what is the final verdict?"
"Nothing major. You have to go to Camp Half-blood until Zeus and Athena have cooled down a bit. It won't be for long. A few months at most."
"Camp, really? I'm not really into that kind of free time activities." Percy was not very happy about going to Camp Half-blood. Being cooped up with the other demigods in a supposedly safe camp sounded dreadfully boring. He wouldn't be able to get a decent fight in months... no monsters would get into that camp.
"Yep. And you have a new guardian now."
"So you finally got tired of me." Percy said with a half-hearted smirk.
"Nah, I never get tired of my little bro. I can't wait until you are old enough to come to the bars with me. Nine more dreadful years before you are allowed to drink in this country. Maybe I should take you on a holiday trip to some country where..."
"Right." Percy knew he had to stop Apollo before the god would finish his thoughts. Otherwise they would make a side-trip to gods know where on the world. "So who is this new guardian?"
"Oh, you know her."
"If you say Athena I will jump off Olympus."
"No. She would have liked to use you for some experiments to sate her curiosity, but Zeus has other plans for you. No, your new guardian is someone you actually know." Percy looked at Apollo in disbelieve. "Yes. Artemis. She and I are now both responsible for you correct upbringing and training. Which means that I will train you and she will make sure that I only teach you what she deems right."
"Great... a man hating goddess is responsible for me... makes me feel real special and safe."
"Well, it could be worse." Ariadne said, "It could have been Aphrodite. Just imagine what she would do with you."
Percy shuddered at the thought. "Don't make jokes about that. She and Hermes already forced me to wear this outfit, "He pointed at his clothes as he said that, a disgruntled look on his face.
"I actually like the new look. The chicks dig that..."
"Apollo, I'm still twelve. I'm not interested in getting laid every night." Percy interjected.
"Yeah, yeah. That will change soon enough and then you will come to me, begging for dating advice."
"Right... So, what now? Straight to Camp Boredom?"
"Nope, first we go and get something to eat. Then I will take you and Ariadne to the camp." Apollo grabbed the shoulders of the two demigods and flashed all three of them away from Olympus, to a house Percy knew all too well. Though during his last visit this place was crawling with Hunters. And by the looks of it Apollo had not been here since.
"Okay kids, freshen up, then I will take you to a great restaurant I visit often."
"Fancy or casual?" Percy asked, knowing well what Apollo must have planned.
Apollo grinned widely. "Fancy of course. For my daughter and my champion I will only have the best." Ariadne wasn't sure what exactly Percy and Apollo were talking about, but she was sure she heard Percy mutter the word 'show-off', as the boy looked somewhat exasperated.
"Dad, I really don't wish to spoil your enthusiasm about this, but I don't think that my clothes are good enough for such an occasion." Ariadne looked slightly embarrassed at her father, but Apollo merely laughed. "This isn't funny. Hunters never need any clothes except our hunting outfits."
"Sunshine, don't worry. I have everything covered. I knew you would come to me one day, so I have a room ready for you. My house is your house. And the awesome dad I am, I have prepared for all eventualities."
"Isn't that against the law? You are not allowed to take care of me."
"All eventualities, sunshine. I'm not taking care of you. Percy will be responsible for you and I am responsible for him. Awesome, isn't it? They can't admonish me for meeting you 'accidentally'. " Apollo grinned smugly at the two stunned demigods, proud of his ingenious idea.
"What do you mean I am responsible for her?" Percy asked.
At the same time Ariadne asked another question, "The gods actually allow that?"
"Yes, sunshine. And Percy, I told you that I have great plans for you." Then he walked towards the house, away from Percy and Ariadne.
"Now it's official, he is nuts." Percy muttered.
"The other gods will surely punish him for this. Actually... I'm sure his punishment begins right now." She smiled sweetly, before she looked towards the house. She was waiting for something. Then he heard it.
"What the Hades! My porn! ARTEMIS!" Apollo's yells could be heard in the entire neighborhood. Ariadne and Percy were laughing raucously.
Apollo was still distraught about the loss of his special collection, when he and Percy sat on the couch in the living room. Percy remembered many evenings spent here, talking about ancient myths or just watching Apollo's favorite shows on TV. It was always odd to imagine him as a god when he was like this. He always seemed so much closer to the mortal world, especially in comparison to his sister, who sought the solitude of the wilderness.
"So, Percy, looking forward to going to the camp?"
"Nope... Can't I just stay here and continue hunting monsters?" Percy whined lightly.
Apollo patted him on the shoulder, a small smirk back on his face. "Can't help it, it is safer for you at camp. And just think about all the pretty girls there, you will be the Casanova of the camp. What else could you be after my awesome training."
"You've got to be kidding me. The girls there are the daughters of the gods and goddesses, their parents might kill me for even thinking about doing what you do to your... partners."
"Nah, most of them care little about their children's escapades. So as long as you stay clear of my girls, you will have little to worry about. I'm also ready to bet that Aphrodite's daughters would practically beg for a chance to date you."
"Judging by their mother they have to be slightly insane..." Percy retorted.
Apollo laughed. "No, judging by their mother they have to be hot. I will be severely disappointed, should you not manage to hook up with at least one of them." He said with a mock stern voice and expression.
"You're nuts. Who did I piss off to get a maniac and a man-hating maiden as my guardians?"
"Percy, Percy, Percy. You have a lot of growing up to do." Percy looked disbelieving at Apollo, before the god continued. "But maybe you are not interested in Aphrodite's daughters, because you have already seen some even more beautiful girls." He looked closely at his champion, trying to find any clue whether his assumption was right. "Come on, tell me, we are among bros here."
"I don't know what you are talking about." Percy said cautiously.
"You are not fooling me, Percy. I know that the other girls in your group had nothing on my little sunshine, but one of them should have caught your interest. So, who was is it? Is it Hades daughter?" He waggled with his eyebrows.
"Are you insane? Hades would gut me for even thinking about something like this. I just got him to stop hunting me like some wild beast, I'm not interested to get back to that."
"Yes, the overprotective father can be quite the mood killer." Apollo said with a nod. "So who else? Don't tell me you have taken a fancy to Ares little rascal."
"Gods, no. She is like female version of her father."
"Yes, not very pretty indeed." He sounded oddly relieved about this. "The only leaves... no way..."
"Don't even finish that thought. Though I have to admit that Zoe made me slightly curious, her tendency to try to maim me is not really helping. And the whole Hunter thing makes any further thoughts in that direction redundant."
"You're right. Try not to fall for someone like Zoe. Impossible to conquer and not really worth the risk. Though the two of you already got quite cozy in that casino."
"How...?" Percy was surprised. He really hoped that none of the gods would find out about that... incident. Artemis would castrate him for sure.
"But you should try your luck with some girl at camp. No need to provoke Artemis any further I guess. You already have enough enemies among the gods."
"Can we please talk about something else or at least get a move on?" Percy asked impatiently.
Apollo smirked, showing that it was quite obvious that this topic was not over yet. "Sure. I'll go and see what's keeping Ariadne so long. Then we will go out for a big party."
Percy relaxed on the couch with a deep sigh. Apollo could be such a pain in the ass. He knew that the sun-god meant nothing bad by it, but his insistence to convince Percy to lead a life of debauchery was getting quite annoying sometimes.
Chiron walked through Camp Half-blood, watching the young demigods train. He felt like a great burden had been lifted of his shoulders when Clarisse and Annabeth returned to tell him that the Master Bolt had been returned and that a war between the gods had been averted. It troubled him though that one of the kids from his camp had turned traitor and left them forever. But at least there would be peace between the gods. He did not want to see any of the children in this camp fight and die in a war. Little did he know that war would inevitable in a few years.
But he was also looking forward to another event that was coming very soon. The arrival of a demigod who has never been to the camp before. His former student, Percy Jackson. He knew he had grossly underestimated the boy during his short stint as a teacher at Yancy. Percy had him fooled for the entire time. But now the son of Poseidon would come to Camp Half-blood and Chiron was sure that his presence would change the camp for sure. A demigod with an impressive history like Percy was bound to attract the attention of all other campers.
He got close to Half-blood Hill, as he saw a small group of demigods standing there, watching something or rather someone near Thalia's pine tree. There were three people, a man and two youngsters, a boy and a girl. They stood near the tree, talking quietly, before the man left in a bright flash, leaving only the youngsters behind. But the man had not disappeared completely, instead he reappeared next to Chiron, whispering something into the Centaur's ear, before finally left for good.
The whispering among the demigods rose to a wild frenzy when the two newcomers came closer, revealing themselves to be a black haired boy and a blond girl, both no older than twelve by their looks. The whispering turned into shouting, when holograms appeared above their heads, revealing their godly parents to everyone near them.
Chiron quickly approached them, before he bowed slightly before the boy. "Hail Perseus Jackson, son of the Sea God, champion of the Sun and ward of the Moon." The demigods looked flabbergasted when they heard that, before all of them knelt, as demanded during the claiming of a child of the Big Three. "And let us also welcome his friend, Ariadne, daughter of Apollo."
"Your dad overdid it this time, Ariadne. I didn't expect anyone to kneel before me..." Percy said, as he looked around uncomfortably. He really did not want to this kind of attention.
"I can assure you, Percy, that this was not Lord Apollo's doing. All demigods have to show respect to a child of the Big Three when they are claimed by their parents." Chiron said, as he approached Percy. "Everyone else back to their training, the show is over." The demigods followed the order only begrudgingly, clearly curious about these new arrivals.
"Mr Brunner?" Percy asked in surprise, as he saw his former Latin teacher in his true form.
"In this world I'm called Chiron, but I'm sure that your patron has already told you about that much. I am happy to finally have you here in this camp."
"A centaur. That explains it." Percy said.
Chiron looked confused for a moment. "I believe you have me at a disadvantage. What does this explain?"
"The smell of horse droppings every time I stood next to you..." Percy said matter of factly. The demigods around them started laughing lightly, while Ariadne gave Percy a light whack on the back of his head. "Hey, what was that for?"
"Don't insult the camp staff on your first day here, Percy."
"Oh... right."
"I can see that my father has rubbed off on you much more than Lady Artemis had feared..."
"Hey, I am not like Apollo." Percy protested.
"Yeah, I'm much more awesome than my little bro." Out of nowhere Apollo had appeared behind Percy and Ariadne, scaring them with his sudden return. "Don't worry, I won't be here for long. Just forgot to give something to my little sunshine." He took a necklace out of his pocket and placed it around his daughter's neck. "Just to keep you safe." With a last smile at his champion and his daughter he disappeared in a flash.
"Well... that was... different." Chiron said drily.
Percy chuckled. "You don't even know half of it. So what now?"
"Ah, yes. I believe we can skip the orientation video and the usual talk. You both obviously know what you are, which makes this easier. I would introduce you to Mr D, but he has stated that he has no wish to meet either of you. You wouldn't know why, would you?" It was a good question. Percy knew that Mr D was actually Dionysus and he had seen first hand that this god does not like him very much. During the council meeting Dionysus was one of the few who had voted for Percy's execution and judging by the way he had glared at the son of Poseidon, it was obvious that there was something that Percy should know about this particular god. Maybe it was because of the whole son of Poseidon thing.
The demigod children of Poseidon had a habit of being hated by other gods. Artemis hated Poseidon's children because of Orion, Athena hated them because of Poseidon, Hera hated them just for being demigods... then Percy remembered something Apollo had told Percy about his half-brothers and about the gods. Dionysus is married to Ariadne, the Ariadne from the myth about the Labyrinth and the Minotaur... and that Ariadne was eventually betrayed by Theseus... son of Poseidon...
"Just my luck. Was there even one half-brother who wasn't a complete and utter moron?" Percy muttered.
"Done with cursing you brothers?" Ariadne asked with an all to familiar smirk.
"Don't mock me, you haven't met your siblings yet." Percy retorted.
"Alright children, don't bicker." Chiron said, as he felt the beginning of what might turn into a migraine, should those two continue like this. They were worse than some siblings. "I think we should continue with a small tour. To show you the facilities of the camp and you new home."
"Alright. Lead on." Percy said.
Chiron gladly obliged. He lead the two newcomers around, showing them the Big House, the stables, armory and amphitheater and archery ranges. At all times they were followed by and ever growing crowd of demigods, all curious about the son of Poseidon who had arrived. News had spread fast and soon everyone knew about Percy and especially about how he was introduced. Especially the Apollo campers seemed intrigued by the two new demigods. Their father's champion and a new sister, this day was very interesting for them.
Eventually the group arrived at the Cabins, the place where Percy and Ariadne would live from now on, whenever they would stay at the camp. The Cabins were built next to each other in a U shape, each visibly representing the god or goddess whose children lived inside. They varied in size, the biggest being the Cabins of Hermes, Apollo and Aphrodite, the Olympians with them most children. When Percy saw the overcrowded Hermes Cabin he was glad that his father had not wasted any time to claim him. He knew he wouldn't have liked staying there with so many other kids. He could see that Luke actually sugar-coated the whole place. It looked even worse in real.
When he saw Apollo's Cabin he actually couldn't bear looking at if longer than necessary. It was brightly golden, representing Apollo's bright and overbearing personality. Even Ariadne looked slightly annoyed by it. Or maybe it was the fact that it was also very crowded. Not even remotely as bad as Hermes' Cabin, but still very crowded. After living in the wilderness with the Hunters it was obvious that she was not used to be around so many people all the time.
Then they approached another Cabin, one that was obviously uninhabited. Poseidon's Cabin. It was a long building, with all the windows facing the sea. The outer walls looked like the bottom of the ocean floor, decorated with seashells. To Percy it looked like a place he would gladly call home.
The first thing he noted, after he had entered the Cabin was that the walls glowed like abalone. Percy couldn't help but smirk. Maybe coming to the camp had at least some good points. Very few, but still some good points.
"This is so cool. It isn't the same home like Apollo's house in Queens, but still, this is cool." He finally sat down on one of the six bunks in the main room, allowing him a moment to let this all sink in.
"Man, I'm already getting jealous." Ariadne said, before she sat down next to him. "You get all this to yourself and I have to share my new home with a whole bunch of brothers and sisters that already started to creep me out after only five minutes with them." She lightly shoved his shoulder, causing him to fall over. He really didn't mind, the bed was very comfy after all. "Can't I stay here? Dad said you are responsible for me, so share." She knew she was childish, but this was also the first time since the death of her mother that she lived without the fear of sudden monster attacks. Now she could allow herself to act a bit more like a girl of her age and not like a trained huntress, roaming the wilderness on the search for prey.
"I'm afraid that is not possible. You may visit your friend here, but not after sundown. And surely Lord Apollo wouldn't want you to stay in another god's cabin when he has provided his children with a great home in this camp." Chiron said, as he slowly got closer to the two.
"This sucks..."
"Well at least you can visit me. And your siblings can't all be bad. Maybe you will start to like them soon..." She merely gave him a blank look. He had not followed her, when she visited the Apollo Cabin for a few moments. He had not seen the chaos inside. "...or not."
"Well, children, this concludes our tour. You can roam the camp freely for the rest of the day. From tomorrow on you will join the other campers in the usual activities." The Centaur told them. "Percy, usually the counselor of each cabin leads his or her siblings to the activities, but since you are the only camper in this cabin we should find something different for you. Because of your affiliation with Apollo it might be good for you to join the other Apollo Campers in their activities."
"Yeah, at least I would have one sane person with me." Ariadne said.
"Sure. Don't see a reason to refuse that."
"Good, I will send Micheal tomorrow to fetch you for the first activities." As he saw Percy's questioning stare Chiron elaborated. "Micheal Yew, one of the senior campers in the Apollo Cabin." And with these words the Centaur left the two demigods alone.
The sun shone brightly through the windows of Poseidon's Cabin on the morning of Percy's first full day at Camp Half-blood. The son of Poseidon was still sleeping peacefully after an eventful evening and his first campfire sing-along. It was just strange for him to be around so many demigods, but he was confident that could get used to this.
But right now he wanted to sleep, but the sunlight wouldn't let him. No matter how he turned and tossed around, the sun was always shining directly into his face, much to his growing annoyance.
"Get lost Apollo... I wanna sleep..." Percy mumbled in his sleep.
What he did not know at the moment was, that he was no longer alone in the room. "Told you he would still be sleeping." It was obvious that Ariadne had come to wake him up.
"Damn, sleeping like a dead man, even though dad seems very insistent on waking him up." Another person, a boy, said.
Ariadne laughed mirthfully. "You don't even know half of it. He even managed to sleep though Lady Artemis lieutenant, one of the worst man-haters you can find, was sleeping on his chest."
"What? He is twelve and already managed to bag a girl like Nightshade? I saw her the last time the Hunters visited the camp and damn that girl is cute. Her personality is a big turn-off though." Another boy said with an awed voice.
"You misunderstand, Zoe was drunk that night. And I mean she was completely smashed." Ariadne said.
"Well you have to break the ice somehow."
"Men..." Another girl grumbled. "You are worse than dad on your good days."
Percy finally had enough and opened his eyes. Apollo had not managed to wake him up, but his children did it quite well. Now he could understand why Ariadne wanted to stay here. "Can you all please shut up. I was trying to sleep here."
"Get up, Percy, or else you won't get any breakfast." Ariadne said, as she stole his blanket from him to force him to stand up.
"Fine..." Percy yawned loudly as he stood up. "And who are the visitors? Siblings?" It was obvious that all of them had to be children of Apollo. Will looked like a younger version of Apollo and Kayla looked very similar to Ariadne, except for her slightly darker hair color. Only Micheal stood out with his black hair and brown eyes, but his features were very similar to his father.
"Yep. Those two dunderheads are my brothers, Micheal and Will, the girl over there is my sister Kayla." Will even winked at Percy in a way that Apollo usually did. For some moments Percy thought that Apollo had somehow tricked the gods and found a chance to be with his kids. But that was of course ridiculous. No, this boy was just a carbon copy of his father. Apollo must be so proud of him.
"Could all just wait outside while I get dressed?" Percy asked calmly. The boy's left without protest, soon followed by Ariadne. Kayla remained a moment longer, studying the son of Poseidon closely. Maybe she just wanted to know a bit more about her father's champion... or maybe it was because of the fact that Percy slept without a shirt on. She left hastily once Percy saw her staring at him though. "Don't even think about it, Apollo's daughters are off limit."
Not five minutes later he rejoined the small group of demigods and followed them towards the dining pavilion. The children of Apollo bombarded him with questions about their dad and his adventures with the sun-god, until they had finally reached the pavilion. But Percy's peace shouldn't last.
"Jackson. Thought you could escape me for long, didn't you." Percy looked around, trying to find the source of the offending voice, until his eyes finally rested on the face of Ares' daughter, Clarisse La Rue.
"What?"
"You. I. Arena. Now." Without waiting for an answer she grabbed his arm and dragged him off. Percy did not offer much resistance, still confused about what exactly he had done to invoke the wrath of Ares' daughter.
"Is that a normal occurrence?" Will asked Ariadne, as the Apollo campers followed Percy.
"I'm not sure. I believe that usually Ares himself forces Percy to fight him, not his kids. But from what Percy has told me, this is not unusual..."
Many more demigods had followed them, all now watching the confrontation that was about to start. Percy had just arrived the day before, but it was obvious that he was the most exciting thing that had happened to camp in recent history.
"Now we fight, prissy. I will prove my worth to my father by beating you to a bloody pulp." Clarisse exclaimed loudly, as she gripped her spear tightly.
Percy yawned again. "Do we have to do this before breakfast?" Clarisse only glared more at him. "Fine..." Percy grumbled. He summoned his sword from the amulet Apollo had given him and got ready. "Okay, bring it."
As Clarisse charged the demigods around them started to cheer. Some for her, but more demigods cheered for Percy. But no matter who would win today, it was obvious that this would quickly become a regular event in camp. Percy definitely wouldn't be bored any time soon.
A/N: And with this the first story ends. I think this a good place to finish this story.
I know that there re still some unanswered questions, like whose voice Percy keeps hearing and some other things. All of this will be explained in later stories. From the beginning I had planned to write several stories for the Apollo as Percy's guardian idea. And I will write the entire storyline, which will include at least two more stories, maybe three, depending on the progress.
I will post the first few chapters of the sequel soon, including some new chapters. So yes, I am continuing the sequel, but I can't make any promises about quick updates. Oh well, I will post a notice here as soon as the sequel is up again...