Chapter 3

Friend or Foe? You decide, obviously

"Don't take what Annabeth said offensively too much. She's just, overprotective, I guess," Percy explained to me as we walked down the steps from the Big House. I nodded. "Is it always like this when someone sketchy comes here?" I asked with a smile, hands in my pocket, and my eyes trained on Percy, who finally looked relaxed upon my arrival. He laughed, and I joined him. "Not all the time. My arrival here did stir up some tension, though, but hopefully I didn't look too sketchy."

"Why did you stir up tension? I mean, I get that finding a kid from any of the Big Three is definitely rare but why? You're the same just as everyone else here at this camp, I presume," I inquired thoughtfully. He shrugged and said, "When I arrived here, I was bruised and battered, and I was told that I fainted before I even crossed the arch. My friend, Grover, had to drag me across the boulder."

"What happened? Were you hurt?"

"I was ambushed. Or more specifically, we were ambushed. My mom, Grover, and I were on our way here, but we were attacked by the Minotaur." I'm pretty sure my eyes bugged out of my head, and my mouth opened unattractively upon hearing this. He turned around and laughed at my expression. "Don't worry, I killed it, but let's just say that the time after that was pretty rough because I was sent on another quest to retrieve Zeus's master bolt and somehow rescue my mom who was taken captive along the way. And we were on a deadline, too."

Dang. And I thought what happened earlier was too much for one afternoon. We walked leisurely around the camp with Percy showing me where everything was such as the different cabins and who they represented, the arena where everyone trains, the showers, the dining hall, and even the stables where he introduced me to all the majestic pegasi and horses. Percy explained the schedule of an ordinary camper to me, but I couldn't help but feel nervous about having to interact with the others aside from Percy.

Even up until now, I was still shy about meeting new people. I mean, I can introduce myself to someone if I wanted to, but I have to be wary of these people because I'm obviously in their territory, so they can easily outnumber me no matter how much of a fight I put up. I just hope not all of them would have the same reaction as that Annabeth chick.

"So you're name's Adora." Percy said it more as a statement, probably trying to test the waters with trying to get the pronunciation of my name correctly.

"And yours is Percy, which I learned a couple of minutes ago," I said laughing. "Don't worry, you said my name right; just think of it as Dora from T.V. but with an 'a' in front of it, thus making me the center of teasing from my peers," I said humorously. God, what I would give to change my name sometimes.

Percy was laughing at what I said, then beckoned to me that I was going in the opposite direction of where he was leading. I felt my face heat up slightly and looked down bashfully. Yep, definitely living up to my role as being a natural borne idiot by day and klutz by night. Ai…

We were walking down a well-lit hallway, and we emerged into a place that blew my mind. I gasped. We were in the center of a huge amphitheater. Its bleachers rose up around us like waves, getting higher and higher the more we looked up. Percy explained to me that they used the amphitheater on a daily basis after dinner for sing-a-longs and bonfires and sometimes for camp meetings. I could only pay half of my attention to Percy's voice, for I was staring at this place and all the possibilities it possesses. Dreams of performing in beautifully structured places such as this came into my mind, and my dreams since childhood seemed to make me even more homesick for the childhood I never really had.

As we walked back to the Big House, campers of all kinds and ages were staring at us. Well, I'm pretty sure mostly at me, seeing as how I'm the only one not wearing an orange shirt. I ducked my head down when Percy was talking to me, completely oblivious to all the stares. He probably noticed my silence after a while and looked at me confusedly then looked around at the campers still staring.

"What, haven't you all seen a new camper? Get lost," he shouted. I tried hiding even more behind my hair and clasped one hand over my right upper arm, rubbing it to soothe my jumpy nerves. Can I get even shyer?

Percy turned his attention to me and saw my anxious expression to get out of here. "Gods, I'm sorry, Adora. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Hades, I'm such an idiot." I chuckled at his response. "Percy, it's fine. Thanks for defending me; not a lot of people do that for me, really. And you're not an idiot. Most of the time," I finished while smiling. He looked at me, playfully pretending to be offended at my comment about his idiocy. We continued our walk to the Big House where he told me that I should get my camp schedule from Chiron and reassured me that he'll get me when it's dinnertime. As he stood across from me about to leave, I stopped and thanked him for everything he had said and done for me today. He smiled warmly at me and said, "You're family now, Adora, and here at camp despite the many differences we all have, we all protect our family."

I'm pretty sure if my smile could get any bigger, it probably did at his words. I ran forward and hugged him; Percy seemed like the older brother I never had, and it shocked me how so much can change in just one day. He hugged me back once he recovered from his sudden shock and finally bid his farewell to me when I let go. I smiled, thinking that things could be turning up for the better.

I walked into the living room/meeting room where I first came in with Chiron and remembered to get my schedule from him and to find out where I would be sleeping. I mean, if I had to sleep on one of these couches I would be fine with that, too. But definitely away from that creepy jaguar head that seems to follow me whenever I enter the room. I proceeded to try and find Chiron in this house, but it was hard since this house was so freaking huge. I swear I'm pretty sure I passed the same bathroom twice already. I found a hallway that I hope I didn't pass through before and tried to find some kind of noise to see if Chiron was in any of these rooms. I heard some noise further down to a room and knocked, hoping it was Chiron behind the door. The door swung open to reveal that it was indeed him, and I breathed in relief. As I was about to speak to him, one of the closed doors down the hall abruptly opened to reveal a grumbling, porky guy in a somewhat hideous Hawaiian shirt with a newspaper tucked under his arm and a can of Diet Coke in his other walking, or more like stumbling, towards us.

He looked like one of those guys you can find in about any place who managed to look like a chubby baby and a full grown man at the same time, with curly Black hair darker than mine. He looked half-awake by his appearance, and when his gaze saw me and Chiron, he looked completely past us as if he didn't see us and then did a complete 360. His gaze was completely on me, which burned with scrutiny and something else. Recognition? He took a sip of his Coke and regarded Chiron in a bored tone.

"What," he belched here, "in my father's name is she doing here?" he said while narrowing his bloodshot eyes and pointing a finger in my direction.

"Mr. D, this is our newest camper, Adora De Luca, and-"

"No," he interrupted rudely while scratching his rather large belly, "I mean, what is her kind doing here? In this house, in this camp? Last time I checked, and I really don't, this place was for demigods who all have the same sappy story of how they were chased by monsters until they practically stumbled on the hill and were discovered by either a satyr or another bratty camper? Since when did the invitation extend to rogue wizards?"

Him saying that felt like a slap to the face; I could feel my hands curling into fists as I tried to control my growing irritation.

"I'm not a rogue for you information. Those idiots wouldn't last an hour trying to figure out how to make something appear and disappear like a cheap, sleazy magician you hire for a kid's birthday party. And seemingly, the invitation was extended for a while, or were you too drunk or passed out to notice?" Uggh, I hate when people do that: they stereotype anyone who says they're a 'wizard' thinking we all wear those stupid pointy hats like Merlin or have freaking wands like Harry Potter. Chiron paled slightly at my words and said as if he were scolding a small child that, "this is Mr. D, the camp director." I snorted and rolled my eyes in response. Mr. D laughed a wheezy, humorless laugh.

"Looks like we got a feisty one on our hands, or more like on your hands, Chiron, since I'm presuming you're the one who allowed her to enter campgrounds." He snorted and took a swig of his drink. "Never thought I'd see the day." He walked closer to us and peered at me like I was gum on the bottom of his sandal or something. I returned the gaze, not backing down. His eyes blazed when he spoke.

"I would watch your mouth, Infinite. Be grateful that I've allowed your mere presence in this forsaken camp, rather than kick you out, which I can in a matter of seconds and send you back to your own kind."

He turned to Chiron and spoke in an emotionless tone saying, "I would definitely keep an eye out for this one; I fear that you aren't fully aware of just how powerful her aura is and just how truly destructive she is. She's you responsibility now." With saying all that, he abruptly turned and walked away, leaving Chiron staring wide-eyed at me asking if I was okay and me standing in the exact same spot, breathing heavily and still riled up from his words.