Chapter Thirteen - It's Percy

"So what did you mean earlier?" I asked as we walked down the path together. "When you were asking if I was real or not, I mean."

Percy stopped walking.

"It's kinda dumb," he said.

"Well, yeah," I agreed, stopping and turning to face him. "I mean, I'm pretty solid. It would take one hell of an imagination to make me up."

"No, that's not... It's... Look, I used to dream about my dead sister sometimes," Percy said, looking down. "Except she wasn't dead, she was lost. Or hurt. Alone. I would wake up in the middle of the night upset because I knew she was out there but I couldn't help her. Mom probably felt worse about it all, but I didn't think about that at the time. And there wasn't even a lot she could really do about it anyway. Money was always tight, so therapy was out of the question and Gabe wouldn't go for it even if we could afford it. He probably thought talking about your problems instead of hitting them just made you weak.

"Of course, the school psychiatrists just don't really measure up - especially when I kept getting kicked out at the end of each year and would have to start fresh with someone else a few months later. Eventually I just stopped talking about the dreams because I finally realized I was upsetting mom just as much as they were upsetting me. And then I stopped having them for a while."

He looked up at me, continuing; "Then I started having them again last year. Except they were nothing like before. Where before she was alone and scared, now she had friends and had grown up to be some kind of superhero in training or something. Fighting multi-headed snake monsters, throwing around fire from her hands and running around with wolves.

"Of course, I thought... Well, I don't know what I thought. I think I was trying not to think about it," Percy said.

"So you didn't tell anyone about these new dreams?" I asked

"Why would I?" Percy asked with a sigh. "I don't know what I thought it all meant, but I wasn't sure I wanted to go around talking about power fantasy dreams featuring a girl that kind of looked like me. Can you imagine the field day Ms. Griep would have with that?"

I had no idea who that was, but if I had to guess she must have been the guidance counselor at his latest school. I couldn't imagine what anyone - much less a mortal - would make of dreams like that. Especially the way he described them to me. I reached out to put my hand on his shoulder, but hesitated. The motion must have caught his attention, though, because he looked up. Something in his expression seemed to physically pull at my heart, and I found myself hugging him before I fully realized I'd moved. The hug was brief, but it felt like it lasted much longer.

"Sorry about that," he said when we pulled apart. "Today's been..."

"Alot?" I hedged.

"Yeah," he chuckled, then frowned. "I wake up in a strange place and my best friend is a goat from the waist down, gods are real, my sister's alive and mom..."

His voice cracked and his face twisted as if he was trying not to cry. I completely understood.

"Yeah, I can relate," I said. "Actually, I kinda wanted to talk about mom with you. See, we were planning on having a funeral for her. The kids in Cabin Ten, I mean. We've been working on designing a shroud to be burned - apparently that's how they do funerals here. They burn the bodies on a pyre. But, the thing is, I don't really know anything about her. I was too young to really remember her... Or really even know her."

"I... I'd like to tell you about her," Percy said.

"I'd like that," I smiled.

We spent the rest of the walk talking about mom - well, Percy talked and I learned. She'd apparently gotten married not long after she... I... not long after we'd been separated from each other. The way Percy's jaw clenched when talking about his... our step dad made me worried. Still, even as much of a jerk his stepdad seemed to be, mom didn't take any of his crap. He'd once commented that food couldn't be blue, so she'd made a point of making blue food whenever possible.

I couldn't help but grin at the levels of petty that would take. In addition to her rebellious streak (as Percy claimed she called it), she was also really smart and all around a great mom. She'd worked at a candy store, which made a strange sort of sense to me. After all, Silena's dad owned a chocolate shop in the Village.

Before I knew it, we'd arrived outside Cabin Eleven. Compared to all the other cabins, Eleven seemed the most cabin-like. Unlike the warehouse of Cabin Nine, Eleven was more box-shaped. Where Cabin Ten was bright pink with white trim, Eleven had a basic coat of brown paint that was peeling slightly. Of course, there was a caduceus over the door marking it as Hermes' cabin much like Aphrodite's had a dove and dad's had a hammer and tongs.

With a glance at each other, and a shared shrug, I knocked twice and we both stepped inside. My first thought was that Silena would have a heart attack if she came in here. The floors were cluttered with trash, dust and clothes - to say nothing of the various sleeping bags and army style cots scattered around. There were also several bunk beds lined up front to back and shoved up against all four walls like some kind of book shelves for sleeping people. The place was also packed with kids of varying ages and states of dress - though thankfully they at least all had pants or shorts on. My first instinct was to turn around and walk back outside. I only barely managed not to do that.

"Well, this is unexpected," Luke said, looking up from his bunk. "Does Beckendorf need something?"

"Huh? Oh, no," I said. "Nothing that I know of. Actually, Chiron sent us."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "Something about Percy not being officially claimed yet. Even though he's my brother."

"Ah," Luke said with a slight frown. "Yeah, I get it. The gods have a plan, and it's up to them to share it with us when they see fit. Until then, we keep our heads down and our noses clean." He turned to look at Percy, "Welcome to Cabin Eleven. The beds are all full up, but there should be a spot for you somewhere."

"Why's it so crowded?" Percy asked.

"Just the way things are around here," Luke said with a shrug. "A few of us are actually children of Hermes, but most of the kids here are like you. Unclaimed. Nobody knows where to put them, so they come here. Which is convenient since my dad welcomes everyone."

"That's not fair," Percy said, and I found myself agreeing with him. "It isn't right."

"Heh, now you're singing the cabin anthem," Luke chuckled. "Still, we don't turn anyone away. When you're here, you're family. And we take care of each other."

"Luke, Luke!" The door burst open and Andromeda came rushing in. Her dark, curly hair was now a tangled mass of leaves and twigs - and one twig that still had leaves. Her hands and shoes were covered in drying mud, and there was a streak of dirt on her face where she'd probably wiped or scratched an itch. But the most eye catching part of her disheveled appearance was the radiant smile that seemed to make her amethyst eyes sparkle in the dim light of the cabin. She didn't seem to see anyone other than Luke as she ran up and thrust her cupped hands forward to reveal...

"It's a rock," Luke said.

Andromeda frowned, her eyes narrowing into the beginnings of a glare.

"It's a cool rock?" Luke self-corrected.

"Yeah," Andromeda beamed. "I found it down by the creek. Don't worry I didn't go in. As if I would. But look, it looks like there's a leaf in it. I think it might be a fossil, but I really can't tell."

"Yeah, that's really cool," Luke nodded. "But you know you shouldn't be going off into the woods alone."

"I wasn't alone, though," Andromeda said. "Andros was with me."

At that moment, the door to the cabin opened to let in Andromeda's brother. He was slightly less disheveled - though his shoes were just as muddy - but he was breathing hard as if he was out of breath.

"What the hell, Andromeda? Why'd you leave me back there?" Andros groused, then paused as he noticed me and Percy. "Oh, he woke up?"

"Yeah, he did," I nodded.

"He's standing right here," Percy said, frowning.

"Yeah, he is," I grinned at him. "Does he also have a name?"

"You know my name," he said. "It's Percy."

"Well, It's Percy, meet Andromeda and her brother Andros," I said.

"Uh, hey," Andros said.

"What're you doing here?" Andromeda asked me. "I'd have thought you'd be back with Silena and them finishing the shroud."

"Or at least getting started on it," Andros said half under his breath.

"I was just showing It's Percy to his cabin," I said, grinning as Percy shifted slightly at the nickname. "Apparently, according to Chiron at least, unless he actually gets claimed, he can't just stay in Nine and Ten with me."

Andromeda and Andros both frowned, and Luke spoke up; "Which is why we're going to make sure he feels welcome here for as long as that takes. Yeah?"

"How long does it take?" Percy asked.

"Well, I got claimed on my first day at lunch," I told him.

"It could be that fast," Luke agreed. "But, don't worry if it's not. The gods are... busy." He turned to look at Andromeda and Andros. "Why don't you two go get cleaned up? Then you can help out with the shroud. I have a feeling that it's probably going to move a lot quicker now that It's Percy's awake." I laughed as Percy groaned. It seemed like the nickname was going to stick. "We've got the paddle boats today anyway, so you've got an excuse."

"'kay!" Andromeda said.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Andros said.

Annabeth was standing next to the door and narrowly avoided being bowled over by Andromeda when we stepped outside. I was at once relieved that she wasn't hurt, and strangely jealous that it wasn't me - though I couldn't tell you which one of them I was actually jealous of... or why.

"Oh! Hey," Annabeth said, stumbling to catch herself. "What in the world happened to you?"

"Hmm? Oh! Rock collecting," Andromeda grinned. "You know how it is. What are you doing over here? Not that I'm not thrilled to see you, of course."

"I was just coming over to check on things," Annabeth said, glancing at me and Percy in a manner that suggested we were the 'things'.

"Oh, well Luke's pretty much given him the welcome speech," Andros said. "We were on our way to go clean up some before going to catch up with Silena's group. We figure with Percy awake, things can start moving along."

"Probably for the best," Annabeth agreed.

"Hey, check it out," a girl called out in a husky voice. "Fresh meat!"

"Oh, no..." Annabeth groaned.

"Don't pay attention to her," Andromeda cautioned.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" The girl shouted. "Don't you kow it's rude to ignore people?"

"Seriously," Andros said. "Just keep walking."

"Who is that?" I asked.

"Clarisse," Andromeda said. "Daughter of Ares."

"What? You mean like the war god?" Percy asked.

"You got a problem with that?" Clarisse growled, having caught up to our group. She was a big girl, in a way that even Phoebe hadn't been, and was flanked on either side by two other girls with similar sneers on their faces. Her hair was short and either light brown or very dirty blonde, and her face seemed to be stuck in a perpetual scowl. She wore a jungle camo jacket with the sleeves ripped off showing her thickly muscled arms. "I'll pulverise you."

"Hey, back off," I said, stepping forward.

The daughter of Ares made a show of looking around before, very exaggeratedly, leaning down to look me in the eye. Yeah, okay, I'm short. I get it. Still, she only had about seven... or ten inches over me. Seeing my glare only seemed to amuse her, and she laughed in my face.

"Stay out of this, runt," She sneered. "I've squashed bugs bigger than you."

"And I've fought a Hydra that smelled better than you," I said. "What's your point?"

"You've got a big mouth for such a small fry," Clarisse growled.

"Runt and small fry," I said with a dramatic sigh. "I'm thinking your insult game is really the only thing stunted around here."

"That does it!" She growled and lunged at me with both hands. She might have been a decent fighter, but I'd practiced sparring with girls who were literally blessed to be the best hunters. Compared to them, she might as well have been moving through molasses. I grinned, ducking her easily and striking out with a quick jab to her kidney. Her eyes bulged as she doubled over, allowing me to deliver a two-fisted haymaker to her jaw laying her out.

"Whoa," Percy said.

"Yeah," Annabeth agreed.

"Damn," Andromeda said.

"I'm telling mom," Andros grinned as Andromeda sputtered out a protest.

Clarisse's two friends were busy standing there slack-jawed and buggy eyed, so I snapped my fingers to get their attention; "Hey, stop gawking and get her to the infirmary."

They looked from me to the prone Clarisse, then at each other before moving to heft her up between them.

"She's not going to be happy," Annabeth said, once they were out of earshot. "On the one hand, you dropped her like a bag of rocks and she'll respect that. On the other hand, you definitely humiliated her. She'll probably want to pay it forward at some point."

"She's big," I said. "But she's slow. I'm not worried."

Annabeth said nothing, but I could tell she was thinking. She was always thinking.