Ch. 6 The Demigod Camp
PERCY POV:
I had a vivid dream.
It was storming on the beach, and two beautiful animals, a white horse and a golden eagle, were trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf. The eagle swooped down and slashed the horse's muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagles wings. As they fought, the ground rumbled, and a monstrous voice chuck-led somewhere beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder. I ran toward them, knowing I had to stop them from killing each other, but I was running in slow motion. I knew I would be too late. I saw the eagle dive down, its beak aimed at the horse's wide eyes, and I screamed, "NO!" I woke with a start.
I woke up on a soft bed with sunlight streaming down on my face from the window. It seemed like I was in a hospital room due to the smell of antiseptics and the white bed sheets. I was feeling a mild pain in my chest like someone had punched me in the ribs. That was when the events of the previous night came flooding into my mind.
I had fought the minotaur with a dozen other monsters and killed them before entering the camp. He had been injured while fighting the Minotaur. A guy named Will Solace, a son of Apollo had led him to the infirmary and given him a piece of ambrosia and he had eaten it before he drifted off to sleep due to exhaustion.
I groaned and sat up before stretching. My mouth was horribly dry. On the side table, I saw that a glass full of iced apple juice... well, nectar was kept. I flexed my fingers before picking the glass up and bringing the straw to my lips. As I took a sip, energy rushed into my body. Whatever pain I had in the chest also ebbed away. The nectar tasted like my mom's blue chocolate chips cookies. It was the first time I have drank the divine drink of gods.
"How are you feeling man?" A familiar voice asked. I looked up and saw that Grover was standing there, leaning on the frame of the door way.
"Fine now especially after drinking this drink." I said taking a couple of more sips.
"That is nectar, the divine drink of gods. You shouldn't drink a lot of that stuff. Demigods can drink it in limited amounts only without burning up."
"Oh. Okay, last sip." I said before taking a big sip and putting the glass back down. Grover nodded seeing me put the glass down.
"What is the time?"
"A little after 11 AM. You slept like a rock because of the exhaustion from fighting the monsters. Wait here and don't get up. I am gonna call Will." Grover said before going out of the room.
That was when I realized that the resident god in my head was silent. 'Alexander?'
There was no response and I called again. Alexander was still silent.
'ALEXANDER!'
#Uh... huh... what happened?# He asked groggily.
'Oh thank the gods. You were not responding! What happened? Were you asleep?'
#More like... (yawn)... knocked out. I used a lot of energy in keeping the storm at bay. I passed out shortly after you went to sleep.#
'Oh okay. I was just worried.'
#Worry not kid. I am not going anywhere. And I also wanted to say, good work with the Minotaur and the monsters. You did well.#
'It wouldn't have been possible without the training you gave me. I would have been a confused kid and most likely would have died in that attack.'
#Perhaps, Perhaps not. But still, I am very proud of you.# Pride welled in my chest at the praise. Alexander was a tough teacher to impress. He would encourage me with compliments but this was the first time that he had said that he was proud of me.
That was when Will Solace entered the room followed by Grover and started checking him.
"How do you feel? Is there any pain?" Will asked.
"I feel fine. And no. There is no pain now" I replied.
"Good, now..." Will asked me a dozen other questions and instructed me to do different movement before ascertaining that I was alright.
"I think you can be given a clean bill of health now. Though we will keep you till you have had lunch before discharging you just in case." Will said in a stern voice that said that he won't be taking any arguments. I decided to just accept it as Lunchtime was hardly an hour away.
"Can I ask you two questions?" I asked and Will made a go ahead motion. "Who exactly are you dude? You are too young to be a doctor."
"I am Will Solace-"
"The son of Apollo. Yes, I know that. But, I am asking why are you the one treating me? Don't you have like qualified doctors in the camp?"
"Oh, I assure you that I may not have a certificate but I am a son of Apollo. Do you know what he is the god of?"
"Yes, I do. Phoebus Apollo, the son of Zeus and the Titaness Leto, the brother of Artemis. He is the god of archery, music, poetries, truth, prophecy, healing, diseases, and most importantly the Sun. He is the speaker of prophecies and the guardian of the oracle of Delphi after he rescued it by slaying Python. Also, a part of the twelve gods of Olympus."
There was stunned silence for a few moments.
"You know, if I didn't know better, I would say that you are a son of Athena. But, you can't be as your mother is a mortal and you don't have the trait of a child of Athena." A feminine voice said from the doorway. An athletic looking Californian blonde was standing at the doorway. Her shoulder length blonde hair fell on her shoulder in curls. Her most prominent feature were her eyes though. They were startling grey which shone with intelligence.
"Trait of child of Athena?" I asked genuinely not knowing what she was talking about.
"Children of Athena have grey eyes like our mother." She said.
"So, you also are a child of Athena I guess?"
"Yes."
I stood and went closer to her before sticking my hand out. "Percy Jackson. Nice to meet you."
"Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena." She said in a prideful voice as she shook my hand. I just gave her a lopsided grin.
She looked away briefly before she picked up a box lying on the nearby cabinet. "Here. Chiron told me to give you this." She said handing me the box. I was confused for a moment as I had the storm rider on my wrist in band form along with the riptide in my pocket. I had just put on my shoes and my bag was lying next to the bed I slept in. So what was she giving me?
I opened the box and saw that it was a horn. I looked at her questioningly.
"It is the horn of the Son of Pasiphae that you slayed yesterday night. It is a spoil of war."
"Oh. I forgot about that he left a souvenir behind. Thank you."
"Your welcome. I have to go to take the monster defense class." She said before she sprinted out of the room.
I just stared at her retreating form.
"She is the head counselor of Cabin 6: Athena's cabin. Annabeth has been here longer than most campers." Will said.
"How many?"
"She will get her sixth camp bead at the end of this summer." It was Grover who answered.
"Camp bead?"
"Yes, each person has a necklace and we all get a bead to mark surviving a summer at the camp. I have three and am the Head counselor of the Apollo cabin and that is why, to answer your question, I am undisputedly the best healer in the camp, bar Chiron. With my dad being the god of healing and all, I can heal pretty much anything non-fatal." Will answered.
"Oh, that's cool." Percy said.
"Now, what was your second question?"
"Where's the bathroom and the showers? Can I take a bath before Lunch, Dr. Solace?"
"You can. But, I will check you after Lunch one last time." He replied.
I got out of the Infirmary only after Will had checked me over twice more to ensure that I was in perfect condition. As I got out, I got the first proper look of the camp.
The landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture-an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, a circular arena-except that they all looked brand new, their white marble columns sparkling in the sun. In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school-age kids and satyrs played volleyball. Canoes glided across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts like Grover's were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range.
The camp simply was beautiful. A short distance away, I spotted even a few Pegasus' flying in the sky. And the location was near the sea. A mile away from where I stood, I could feel the immense, unrestrainable power of the sea.
"Come. You have to go to see Chiron and Mr. D." Grover said, before he led me to the big house. When we arrived there, Chiron was sitting in his wheelchair with another guy around a table. The other guy was small, but porky. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple. He looked like a cherub who'd turned middle-aged in a trailer park. He wore a leopard skin Hawaiian shirt and was sitting on a throne like chair, with a bunch of grapes in his hand.
"That's Mr. D. He's the camp director. Be polite." Grover said.
#Dionysus.# Alexander said. He wasn't exactly fond of the God of wine as he had made Hestia lose her position as an Olympian goddess and held bitterness towards heroes despite the fact that he himself was once a demigod. Also, Alexander said that Dionysus was the weakest god on the Olympian council as he wasn't born a full god. But, had agreed that Dionysus could give punishments worse than death if needed due to his domain of madness and that ability was useful in the battlefield.
The two immortals looked up as Percy neared them.
"Ah, good Percy, Grover. Now, we have four to play pinochle if you both join." Chiron said before offering me a seat next to Mr. D. "This is Mr. D by the way Percy." I looked at the god critically and came to one conclusion: He doesn't look anything like a god.
"You are Dionysus. God of Wine, Grape-Harvest, Festivity, Madness, Religious Ecstasy and Theater. Aren't you?" I said.
Mr. D looked startled at the fact that I had recognized him so easily. He turned to the other two present there. "Did any of you tell him this?" He asked and they solemnly shook their heads. The god turned back to me. "How did you know that I am Dionysus?"
"When Grover and Chiron didn't take your name and instead, called you Mr. D, I concluded that you were probably a god as they had told me that names have powers and I should exercise caution while taking names. You are wearing a leopard hide shirt and eating grapes. The leopard is your sacred animal and you are the god of wine which is made from grapes mostly. There was only one god that fit the description and whose name started with the letter D. Dionysus." I bullshitted my way out of the question. Okay... it sounded like an extremely valid reasoning but, if Alexander hadn't told me that Mr. D was Dionysus, it would have taken me a few minutes to figure it out.
The god actually looked impressed. "Never in my years at this camp has any of the brats recognized me at first sight, have they Chiron?"
"No, I don't remember any hero recognizing you at first sight in the past 2 decades that you have been here, Mr. D. Atleast not till we gave hints or you outright told them." Chiron replied to Mr. D's question before fixing him with an expectant look.
#Damn Percy. It looks like you impressed the drunkard.#
Mr. D sighed. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, even though you are the first half-blood to recognize me at the camp, don't expect me to be glad to see you."
"Umm... Thank you. I guess and it is... err... an honor to meet you." I said to keep things polite. No need to piss off the camp director on my first day, who coincidentally happens to be a god. Right?
"Thank you, Sir." He said
"There is no need to call me sir, Mr. D." I said,
Mr. D's eyes burned with purple flames at my statement. I saw visions of grape vines choking unbelievers to death, drunken warriors insane with battle lust, sailors screaming as their hands turned to flippers, their faces elongating into dolphin snouts.
I didn't back down at the stare though. What the hell seemed to be his problem?
#He was telling you to address him as sir. He didn't call you sir.#
'Oh shit!'
"I was saying... that you will refer to me as sir, Perseus Jackson. Or, Lord Dionysus."
"Oh... yes, sir." I said, not wanting to get blasted to ashes, which was something Alexander won't be able to save me from. He could save me from getting transformed into a Dolphin or becoming mad due to Dionysus powers but, if he blasted me, even Alexander would be helpless.
The fire in Mr. D's eyes died down. "I am tired. I will play pinochle some other time. I will be taking a nap before the sing-along tonight. Before that, we need to talk about your performance, Grover."
Then he turned back to me. "Cabin eleven, and mind your manners, Percy Jackson. I will be watching you." With that, he got up and left the place, with Grover following behind him.
"You need to be careful what you say around the gods Percy. And I will be glad to see you live as long as possible. It's been a long time since I've made a house call to a potential camper. I'd hate to think I've wasted my time." Chiron said.
"House call?"
"My year at Yancy Academy, to instruct you. We have satyrs at most schools, of course, keeping a lookout. But Grover alerted me as soon as he met you. He sensed you were something special, so I decided to come upstate. I convinced the other Latin teacher to... ah, take a leave of absence."
"Oh. That's cool I suppose."
Chiron smiled before saying, "Come along now. I will give you a tour of the camp. Lots to see."
As Chiron gave me a tour of the camp, several campers started pointing at me and talking in hushed whispers. I heard the words 'New kid', 'Minotaur', 'awesome fight' quite frequently from them.
Chiron explained about the 12 cabins representing the 12 Olympians, about the Delphi farm service, about Olympians influencing the modern world etc. He showed me the arena, dining pavilion, Armory and the forge along with the woods before telling me that they were stocked and I should go in there armed. He also explained to me why Dionysus was here at the camp instead on Olympus. Apparently he had been chasing after some wood nymph who had been declared off limits, twice. Alexander translated it by saying, #That means Zeus had set his sight on that Nymph and didn't like his son becoming his competition for the Nymph and even after the warning, Dionysus didn't stop pursuing her and Zeus got angry and banished him to the camp.#
He finally led me to get a closer look of the cabins which were arranged in an inverted U-shape. And they were, without doubt the most bizarre collection of buildings I'd ever seen. Except for the fact that each had a large brass number above the door (odds on the left side, evens on the right), they looked absolutely nothing alike. Number nine had smokestacks, like a tiny factory. Number four had tomato vines on the walls and a roof made out of real grass. Seven seemed to be made of solid gold, which gleamed so much in the sunlight it was almost impossible to look at. They all faced a commons area about the size of a soccer field, dot-ted with Greek statues, fountains, flower beds, and a couple of basketball hoops.
In the center of the field was a huge stone-lined firepit. Even though it was a warm afternoon, the hearth smoldered. A girl about nine years old was tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick.
Several cabins like Zeus, Hera, Poseidon and Artemis were completely empty. I nearly entered my Father's cabin due to the pull I felt to it but Chiron pulled me out but not before I had caught a peek.
Soon, Chiron handed my tour over to Annabeth as he had to go to take the archery class.
"Cabin eleven. Make yourself home." Chiron told me before leaving for the archery range.
Annabeth stood there analyzing me like a science project.
"What? Are you going to stand there ogling me or are you going to say something." I said after a few moments.
"I was not OGLING you!" She hotly replied.
"Uh-huh. You were. Now, can you lead me to Cabin 11? Or do I have to do that myself?"
"Come." She curtly replied and lead me to a cabin which looked more like a red cross camp. The door had a caduceus symbol on it. The Hermes cabin then. I concluded.
The cabin was overcrowded with kids of all ages. They all were staring at me, trying to size me up. I immediately understood that they wishes to intimidate me. Not going to happen.
"Well, go on." Annabeth said and I stepped inside the cabin and looked at all of them with raised eyebrows. "Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven."
"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked.
"Undetermined." Annabeth answered and everybody groaned. What the hell did undetermined mean?
#It means that your dad hasn't claimed you yet. So, your parent is undetermined. As soon as Poseidon claims you, you will be moved to cabin 3.#
'Ok. But why are these guys upset that I haven't been claimed yet?'
#I will tell you afterwards, or I have a feeling that the daughter of Athena will.#
A guy who was a little older than the rest came forward. "Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there."
The guy was about nineteen, and he looked pretty cool. He was tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different-colored clay beads. The only thing unsettling about his appearance was a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash.
"This is Luke," Annabeth said, and her voice sounded different somehow. I glanced over and could've sworn she was blushing. She saw me looking, and her expression hardened again. "He's your counselor for now."
"For now?" I asked.
"You're undetermined," Luke explained patiently. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."
"Okay. How long until I am determined then? Is there like a date or time limit when my dad will send a sign of sorts?"
The campers all laughed.
"Come on," Annabeth told me. "I will show you the Volleyball court." She said pulling me away from the door.
"What?"
"Jackson, you have to do better than that. I can't believe I thought you were the one."
"I am sorry, but this is too early to say if I am the one for you. We have just met." She sputtered at my meaning but I ignored her and continued "But now, can you explain to me why the fact that I asked when I would be claimed?"
"That's not what I meant!" she exclaimed. "I didn't mean it like that!"
"O...K... But, can you answer my question."
She calmed down and looked at me for a moment before sighing. "Percy, when a demigod arrives at the camp, they sometimes get claimed within a few days. A few get claimed if they bring some kind of glory to their parents and such. And sometimes..." She trailed off.
"They don't?"
She nodded.
"You mean to say that some kids here, go all their life without knowing who their mother or father is!? Why?"
"The gods are busy. They have a lot of kids and they don't always... Well, sometimes they don't care about us, Percy. They ignore us."
"If they enough time to go and shag around, they can't be that busy to just send a sign saying 'Hey, you see that one? That's my kid.' That would take no more than a few seconds!" I said and thunder boomed in the sky. Annabeth looked up nervously at the sky.
"Percy... It is... not... just drop it, okay?" Annabeth said.
#It is sad that gods don't claim their children... They have grown ignorant in such areas Percy... You are right that they are not that busy but some simply do not care about mortal affairs.#
'Then I will find a way to change that.' I thought with determination.
#It's not that easy Percy.#
'Then I will find a way.'
Alexander didn't say anything and chose to remain silent.
"You know, you are very lucky that you got to kill the Minotaur? Many campers would kill to get such a chance."
"To put their life in danger? To get killed?"
"No... To fight monsters like the Minotaur. To gain honor."
"I feel so honored already." I said with sarcasm. I fought the Minotaur to save my and Grover's life and to return to my mom at the end of the summer. I was everything for my mom and she was everything for me... except Alexander perhaps... I couldn't bear to think what would happen to her if I died. Family came first. Then yourself. Then your duty. And at the last, came shit like ego, honor and accomplishments.
You should fight for your family or to protect yourself or as a duty. Not for gaining an accomplishment. No need to put your life in danger needlessly.
You should return home at the end of the day. Back to your family or what you considered as your family atleast. Nothing was more important. If you died, you won't be able to accomplish anything and cause grief to your loved ones due to your death.
"Don't say things like that! For several campers, they would see it as a way to get recognition from their godly parent and get claimed!"
"Well... I totally see how it is such a big deal 'cause I am yet to get claimed."
Annabeth hesitated. "It may happen at dinner tonight... the new campers who get claimed mostly happens when either the demigod enters the camp or when they are introduced to the camp at dinner at night." She didn't sound sure though.
That just increased my rage at them. Even my father hadn't claimed me yet! And why, I didn't know. He has shown that he is caring to me by putting barriers around my home in Manhattan and protecting the home from monsters and divine deities. He also gave me a weapon. So, why hasn't he given the sign?
#I guess he is delaying it. With Zeus's master bolt missing, if he claims you, it put you in the direct line of fire for being his son and if he does so, it will be a last resort to prevent a war between himself or Zeus until, the bolt is found atleast. He wants to protect you.#
'Oh, when you put it like that...'
#Yes, you shouldn't blame your father for not caring for you. Poseidon is perhaps one of the only gods who cares for all his kids. His loyalty towards his kids never wavers. He cursed Odysseus and his crew to have the most difficult voyage after Odysseus stabbed Polyphemus. He cared for Polyphemus even though he is a monster... a cyclops. The only instance when Poseidon didn't really defend his child was the Orion incident. After Orion had tried to rape one of Artemis's huntresses, and Artemis had killed Orion, Poseidon was initially furious and wanted to drown the whole hunt, refusing to believe Artemis. But, when Artemis gave proof, he let it go... even though the sea was at turmoil for several months that followed. He didn't seek any retribution though.#
'Oh.'
"What are you thinking?" Annabeth asked breaking me from my conversation with Alexander.
"Stuff." I replied and she dropped it.
"So, I am struck till my dad claims me?" I asked.
"It depends," Annabeth said. "Some campers only stay the summer. If you're a child of Aphrodite or Demeter, you're probably not a real powerful force. The monsters might ignore you, so you can get by with a few months of summer training and live in the mortal world the rest of the year. But for some of us, it's too dangerous to leave. We're year-rounders. In the mortal world, we attract monsters. They sense us. They come to challenge us. Most of the time, they'll ignore us until we're old enough to cause trouble-about ten or eleven years old, but after that, most demigods either make their way here, or they get killed off. A few manage to survive in the outside world and become famous. Believe me, if I told you the names, you'd know them. Some don't even realize they're demigods. But very, very few are like that."
"Okay... but I was asking about cabin eleven and not the camp. I am going to go back to my mom at the end of the summer regardless. And, how can you say that the children of Demeter and Aphrodite weak? Aphrodite and Demeter are very powerful goddesses. Demeter is an elder Olympian while Aphrodite was literally born from Ouranos's, who is the primordial of the sky, severed genitals and the sea, which was Pontus, the primordial of the ocean. She is the literal goddess of love, which, I may say is one of the most powerful emotions in the world because each person loves someone be it their girlfriend, wife, friend or family. That is a pretty powerful domain isn't it?"
"Er... when you say it like that... I think-"
"Well, what do we have here? A newbie!" A husky voice interrupted. I turned and saw three mean looking girls coming towards us.
"Why don't you polish your spear or something Clarisse?" Annabeth said to the girl but I doubted she was going to listen.
"Sure, Miss Princess," the leader of the girls-bully gang said said. "So I can run you through with it Friday night."
''Erre es korakas! You don't stand a chance." Annabeth said.
"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse said, but her eye twitched. Perhaps she wasn't sure she could follow through on the threat. She turned toward me. "Who's this little runt?"
I raised my eyebrow. How on earth was I a runt? I was the tallest guy in my age group, with a lean, muscular body and six pack abs to top it all. And, I was also an inch taller than her.
"Percy Jackson," Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares and the head counsellor of the Ares cabin."
"Hmmm... the war god... that explains her intelligence."
"What was that about my intelligence?"
"Do you even know the meaning of the word runt? I am taller than you and you are calling me runt."
"We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy." She said ignoring my statement.
"See! That just proves my point! You can't even take a simple name as Percy properly! It is Per-cy. Not Prissy."
"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you."
"Clarisse-" Annabeth tried to say.
"Stay out of it, wise girl."
"Do you call every child of Athena wise girl or wise boy?" I asked her with amusement before handing the shoe box to Annabeth. I need to prepare for the coming fight. I was a newbie at the camp and needed to earn my rep. That was when Clarisse grabbed me by my neck and started dragging me towards the bathroom.
She had an iron grip but, I was Percy Jackson. I grabbed her hand with both my arms, took a step back and went under her arm before standing straight. She grunted in pain as her hand was twisted brutally due to the move. Alexander had taught me the technique for self defense. I kicked her on the outside of her knee, hard enough to damage her knee and she fell to the ground crying in pain.
I stepped back. "So, is your initiation ceremony over, or do I need to do something more?" I asked her in a dangerous tone. I didn't want to hurt her needlessly. She just needed to understand that I didn't like being bullied and she couldn't bully me.
Clarisse looked at me with pure loathing before she gingerly got up. "You are dead... new boy. Just... wait... and watch..." She wheezed before she left with the other two girls, limping all the way
I looked back at Annabeth and she handed me my box which contained the Minotaur horn back. She had a calculating look on her face.
"What is going on in the Athenian brain of yours?"
"I am thinking that I want you on my team for the capture of the flag on Friday."
TheGirlofManyFloods: Hey... I saw the fic you are talking about. 'Percy Jackson and the lost god' by Momentei. That's the fic you are talking about, right? I just read a few chapters a couple of days back and I must say that the theme is similar. Adamos, as far as I have read, seems to have problems with Satyrs and has revealed himself already to Hestia. I don't plan on Alexander hating anyone specifically except for his father (Kronos) and a few other titans. Adamos was banished for some sort of crime by the council. While, Alexander 'died' by Gaia's hand. Also, their domains are different. Only our base theme is same. But, thank you for recommending this fic to me. It looks interesting. But, my idea will be vastly different than what is done in that fic (Atleast what I gauged from reading the fic's first few chapters).
A-gods-flame: As far as I have planned- no. Alexander being in Percy's head will be a secret known to none other than Sally as far as I have planned.
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Read my story 'The Rise of the Last Potter' if you read Harry Potter fics. I am currently on the Triwizard tournament in that fic and the next chapter will be Harry doing the First Task- which is different from canon. (this is as of 25th September 2021.)
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