Okay, so, I understand this chapter is a bit short. I get that. This is what I was gonna tag on to the end of the last chapter, getting it closer to 4000 to 5000 words as I would like to get out per chapter. That amount feels the most balanced and satisfying to work with. I just wanted to get it out once i finished it and made sure it's what i wanted it to be before being read.
And I also understand that the explanations given by Percy might be a bit confusing to wrap your head around, and I will answer any and every question concerning them that comes my way following this chapter. If there is one I plan on including in the story, it will be separate from the answer sheet I'll pin on to one of the future chapters. I will make sure to flesh out as much of Percy's plan as I feel I must. Some of this will stay under wraps and be brought to light as the story moves forward, but I will answer any questions of confusion that come my way. Thank you for enjoying and supporting this story.
Percy looked across the ping pong table, at the many faces who surrounded it now. He remembers many of them, more grown up than he last saw them, but there were now many more faces surrounding the tables. He couldn't tell if they were all for individual cabins or if some were representatives of more than just one cabin. He'd ask Chiron about that later, on how the old trainer managed with all the new cabins and children of all the gods.
Percy decided not to take his seat in place of Poseidon's cabin. No other siblings existed to take his place around the table, so J took his seat to represent the sea son instead. Percy, on his part, stood beside Chiron, who had taken seat in his magical wheelchair of hiding horse-sized bodies, at the head of the table. He didn't like taking up the offers godhood gave him, but for the matter at hand it only seemed right to take place at his trainer's side.
The campers were in a frenzy, discussing back and forth with one another beside them or across the table from them about various things, the god in their presence being one talked about in hushed tones. Percy didn't mind their unease; he understood well the feeling of a god in his presence in the past.
Percy was dragged out of his observations as Chiron slammed his hand on the table, drawing the attention of all the campers and bringing their conversations to a halt to start a new one. The centaur gazed along the faces of all the campers, making sure all were focused on him now. And aside from J who kept his gaze at the ceiling silent, all heads had turned to him.
"Good," Chiron began, leaning back in his wheelchair. "Perseus, would you like to start? I think you have more to say than I do here." Percy smiles down at his mentor and nodded, taking his attention to the table surrounded by campers.
"First, let us leave whatever questions you have for me until after I've said what I want to," Percy told those surrounding the table. "Then I'll answer what I can. First and foremost, I wish to indulge you all in an offer I have been given permission to make." This statement rose eyebrows from around the ping pong table, even some from the friends he recognized.
"Lord Zeus has given me the permission to open up a new camp, one my partner and I will be in charge of. He is allowing us to open up an advanced camp that teaches more than just fighting and other activities taught here, but will also offer something a lot more open compared to the education and life opportunities compared to those at Camp Jupiter. The placing of the camp itself will be somewhere else, to allow for a more diverse setting. It is nice here and all, I do admit, but I wish to show more of the world to you all, so we will be moving it elsewhere. There is an age limit to who is allowed to come to the new camp, since what is being offered is for those of age to be moving forward in life, and joining the camp is optional. You are not forced to attend or move to this camp if you are old enough; depending on your life here in state or your family situation, you may stay here instead. All privileges and housing and catering is going to be offered, similarly to how it is here at Camp Half-Blood.
"Training will be more diverse and intense, but the teaching itself will be applied to more outer world focuses, and of a higher education level. You will be taught what you need to know to apply it to the world around us without having to attend a college if you choose to join. As things go on, several of you will be appointed as 'teachers,' or more accurately instructors, for those around you when assistance is asked of you. You won't be told to do too much, don't worry about that; we will make sure you're only doing as much as you're best at doing and can manage."
Percy took a pause to look over at the faces in confusion, sighing and placing a hand on his head. "Yes, I understand it is a bit confusing," Percy confessed. "This is the first time I've really said this out loud to a larger group of people, and phrasing it the way I did to acknowledge you and not what it meant to the gods. To save myself the trouble, I will allow you to ask me your questions now, about both my offer and anything else that may be troubling your mind." Several hands immediately shot up, and it took the sea spawn a second to process before he choose someone. His first choice was a girl several seats down on his left. "You first. And I don't think we've met. To all of those I haven't met before, please introduce yourself by name and representative. I'd like to get to know you all."
The girl nodded and lowered her hand. "Cathy Green, representative of the Demeter cabin. You said there was an age requirement but you never did specify what that requirement is."
"Oh, right. Sorry." Percy rubbed a hand on his forehead. "Age minimum is going to be 16. I understand not everyone has the same situation as those around them as to what life outside of camp is like, but your summer camp will be accommodating to the ages of those allowed in, to mix your future as a demigod with your future as a member of society. If you have parents to return to outside of the summer, I do recommend contacting them and telling them of your new situation. Also, mobility will be offered. Transportation to camp will be supplied on our behalf for those of you with families stationed in other states. Next." Percy pointed to a boy several seats further down on the same side.
"Jake Kaleson, representative of the Hephaestus cabin. Where, exactly, is this camp supposed to be located? How do you already have a place for us before you got the permission to run this camp?"
Percy smiled and bowed slightly in the boy's direction. "I'm happy you think so highly of me to assume I was prepared ahead of time. Actually, this was something my partner here and I have been working on for a few years now. We've had a base of sorts larger enough to turn into a training ground, and we've conversed with the gods separately to gain their approval and respect to make this all happen. Lord Zeus was the nail in the coffin, which we only got recently, and I'm happy we did. Yes, you next." Percy pointed down the table to Clarisse.
The daughter of Ares growled slightly. "Who the Hades is he?" she asked, pointing across the table to J, still in his position looking up.
"Can you please stop using my dad's name like that?"
"No."
"This is J," Percy began, gesturing to the man in question. "He's been my guide and company of sorts to help me find what to do and where to go. Most of what we did was his idea, and I only took charge closer to the end of our time away from here."
"Who is his godly parent?"
"I don't have one." Clarisse looked away from Percy after her second question, now focusing on J who had responded and lowered his head to look at her. "I've already given my response to Percy's other friends about that same question. It would be greatly appreciated if you refrain from asking any more questions about me." The two stared each other down, glare versus blank stare, before J turned to face Percy. "May I go and bring her to meet everyone here? She complained a lot about not coming in the first place that I don't want to go back and listen to more of it."
"You sure that's a good idea?" Percy questioned with a soft smile.
"At least give me some company I can bear being around."
"Fine. You can go." J let out an emotionless cheer before standing up and disappearing in a soft light.
Percy kept his smile as most everyone else around looked at the empty space slacked jawed in awe. "He's a god?" Nico asked aloud, looking over to his cousin in shock.
"No." Percy shook his head as he talked. "I sent him myself. I figured out a way to keep the blinding light to a bare minimum while transporting people so none of you get vaporized while having your eyes opened."
"Wait," Annabeth began, finally speaking up, "how did you figure that out?"
"Hard work, determination, and too many years. It was a pain; I can promise you that much."
"And who was J referring to when he kept saying 'her'?" Nico questioned.
"Well." Percy clapped his hands together in front of his smile. "J and I did go a long while alone on our adventures, but after a while we found a place to call home and even had someone join us, which is the girl J was mentioning without detailing. She has been good company and has been helping out on our escapades every now and again."
"So you got a new girlfriend to share with your new boyfriend?" Clarisse joked with her own smug grin, hoping to seep under Percy's skin. It faltered only slightly when he snickered and hand to place a hand over his own mouth.
He wanted to say something. He really did. Just so he wasn't the only one laughing. But their reactions to his reaction to her response was too good to pass up and change. He'd rather sit in his joy alone until J returned so he had someone to join in on the secret joke, just before it could be ruined. He removed his hand from his mouth, looking down the end of the table to Clarisse, Nico, Thalia, and Annabeth having the best of the reactions, before he felt the tugging in the back of his head signaling J's ready.
"Oh, speak of the devil." With another small flash, appearing at the door of the meeting room, two figures appear. The most recognizable is J, standing straight and taller than people remember him begin, while standing next to, and holding his arm around the neck of, a teenage girl struggling in his grasp and trying to beat him for her freedom.
"Let go of me!" she whines, elbowing and smacking him in the side and his gut. J just looks down at her.
"We're supposed to make physical contact when we transport so Percy has less work to do," J responds calmly, moving slightly as she hits him more.
"That doesn't mean choke me!"
"Well, you told me I wasn't allowed to hold your hand so you left me with no other option."
"You had so many other options!"
"Well I wasn't going to hold you upside down. You don't scream and complain as much like that."
"J, Hailey, please." The two aforementioned characters stop their verbal argument, though only one would agree to it being that, and turned their heads to look at the new god. "We have company. Talk now. Fight later."
The now named Hailey wiggles out of J's chokehold, which he does nothing to make it easier on her behalf, and she runs to and tackles the torso of the man beside the centaur. "Sorry, dad. J's just being mean again."
"No, I'm being loving and caring. I'm offended you can't tell."
"Well, you're also offended when we can't tell you're offended, and also offended when we don't believe you when you tell us you're offended. You bounce remarks off us like you're practicing tennis." Percy smiled in the direction of his partner still standing at the door and then down at the younger girl hugging him by the chest.
Only to remember they weren't alone in the room and were being stared at by near two dozen people frozen in place after hearing the word "dad" come out of the girl's mouth.
"Ah, shit. I gotta explain this now. Hold on."