Chapter 37

I love my cabin. Everyone else has been weird about it because all they know is that I've been claimed by Triton and then by Poseidon. No one besides the other gods knows that I am Poseidon's daughter.

"I hope everyone finishes their meal quickly," I say to Luke, jumping with anticipation in my seat, "I'm so excited for capture-the-flag."

He smirks at me, "Well, with the daughter of Triton on our team, how can we lose?" He hands me my helmet and shows me the weapons.

"Can I use my own sword?" I ask him.

"Yeah, you can use any of your items. See Clarisse over there," he says pointing in her direction discreetly, "She has her own spear, a gift from her father. Watch out for her, that spear of hers is electric."

"Thanks. I just feel better with my sword. Connected with it. I don't know if that makes sense," I say, feeling embarrassed.

"It makes total sense. No worries. Get ready, we start in five minutes, you're on border control, ask Annabeth to show you where it is," he replies, already looking battle-ready.

I went over to Annabeth and she took me to the creek, and when I was left alone, I knew that shit was about to happen.

I hate the Fates. How is this following Percy's timeline almost exactly? Isn't there something like the butterfly effect? No, because our fates are weaved by the Kindly Ones. Am I destined to live life in the same manner as Percy? Well, at least I can beat Clarisse again if she attacks.

"Stand by the creek, keep the reds away. Leave the rest to me. Athena always has a plan," Annabeth said, very humbly might I add.

Clearly, she wants me on the team, giving her a look, the look that says, 'I don't like you at the moment.'

It took me a minute to realize that the feeling I'm having right now, this uncomfortable feeling, is one of being watched, by something dangerous. Growling comes from between the trees, a sound I know too well. The sound of a hellhound. It's too deep to be a dog's, or a mountain lion. I've spent enough time in the Underworld to know that sound.

And suddenly it disappeared.

I'm on edge, sword at the ready, alert like never before (except when I was chased by the minotaur).

"Cream the punk!" Clarisse screamed, coming from the opposite side of the growling, across the creek, along with her posse, just as loud as her.

They charged at me. Yay, five against one. How fair!

They all attacked at once, one hit after the other. I dodged Clarisse's spear as much as I could while taking down her siblings, but she got her hit in, spear clashing with shield and I can feel my arm go numb from the electric shock.

Her brother kicked me in my stomach and I landed with a thud on the ground. They were laughing at me. Assholes! That hurt.

I got up and backed into the creek, feeling the water rejuvenating me. No longer feeling numb in my arm, or pain in my stomach. I smiled at them, not just a smirk, but an evil smile that would make even my father uncomfortable.

They ran at me, and I took them out, one by one. Clarisse ran at me, but I sidestepped and she missed me by a few inches with her spear. She came at me again, as soon as she thrust, I caught the shaft between the edge of my shield and my sword, and I snapped it like a twig.

"Ah!" she screamed. "You idiot! You corpse-breath worm!"

She probably would've said worse, but I smacked her between the eyes with the butt of my sword and sent her stumbling backwards out of the creek.

"You know Clarisse, I've been called worse things by better people," I say, snorting at her.

Luke, along with a few other teammates ran towards the boundary line with the red team's banner, showcasing that we won.

I was about to join the celebration when Annabeth's voice, right next to me in the creek, said, "Not bad, hero."

Oh yeah, she has that invisibility cap.

"Where the heck did you learn to fight like that?" she asked. The air shimmered, and she materialized, holding a Yankees baseball cap as if she'd just taken it off her head.

"Around," I reply, rolling my eyes.

Did she seriously watch me the entire time? Creepy.

"You set me up," I said. "You put me here because you knew Clarisse would come after me, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out."

Annabeth shrugged. "I told you. Athena always, always has a plan."

"A plan to get me pulverized. At least I could fight them off."

"I came as fast as I could. I was about to jump in, but ..." She shrugged. "You didn't need any help."

I came out of the creek and immediately felt bone tired. My arm started to go numb again. Annabeth looked worried all of a sudden.

"Woah, are you okay?" Annabeth asks.

"Yeah, water energizes me, and keeps me going."

She narrows her eyes at me.

Before I could ask why she is looking at me like that, I heard that canine growl again, but much closer than before. A howl ripped through the forest.

The campers' cheering died instantly. Chiron shouted something in Ancient Greek, "Stand ready! My bow!"

Annabeth drew her sword, I still had mine in my hand

There on the rocks just above us was the Hellhound I heard earlier.

It was looking straight at me. Why is the Hellhound here? Dad is so gonna kill Uncle Hades.

Nobody moved except Annabeth, who yelled, "Rhea, run!"

She tried to step in front of me, but the hound was too fast. It leapt over her—an enormous shadow with teeth—and just as it hit me, as I stumbled backwards and felt its razor-sharp claws ripping through my armour, there was a cascade of thwacking sounds, like forty pieces of paper being ripped one after the other. From the hound's neck sprouted a cluster of arrows. The monster fell dead at my feet.

Chiron trotted up next to us, a bow in his hand, his face grim.

"Di immortales!" Annabeth said. "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't ... they're not supposed to ..."

"Someone summoned it," Chiron said. "Someone inside the camp."

Luke came over, the banner in his hand forgotten, his moment of glory gone.

Clarisse yelled, "It's all Rhea's fault! Rhea summoned it!"

"Be quiet, child," Chiron chided her.

Poseidon's POV

"You mustn't interfere, Uncle P," Apollo said, standing next to me in my palace. "The Fates will be angry. This is the path she must take."

"You think I don't know that Apollo. I will throttle Hades if he has something to do with this," I reply, agitated beyond belief, witnessing the Ares kids attack Rhea and then the attack with the Hellhound.

"You know as well as I that the Hellhound has been summoned by another member of the camp. Uncle H is not responsible for this," Apollo says.

"Why do you care?" I ask, narrowing my eyes.

"Uncle H isn't as bad as everyone makes him out to be. And from what 've heard, he likes Rhea," he replies.

"You've been snooping," I state. I will kill him if he brings harm to her.

He raises his hands in surrender, "I won't do anything to her. I promise. The Fates have spoken to me. There is a prophecy concerning Rhea and the daughter of Athena. She has to be claimed. Truly claimed by you so that she can go on her quest and find father's bolt."

Clenching my fist, I release a breath. I knew that the truth would be revealed, but I had hoped that Rhea could've spent a longer time at camp. And so I claimed her in front of the entire camp.

"Uncle P, the others, they're upset at what you've done to Zeus," Apollo says.

"Let them be. They know that if they wanted to die, then all they would have to do is to harm her," I reply.

"I understand how you feel uncle. There were so many times I wished I could take my revenge on those who had hurt and had killed my children. But we are not allowed to intervene," he says.

"Oh, but we interfere anyway. When you and your sister fight, it is your children that get in the crossfire, or her hunters. Olympians are petty nephew."

"Ha, you're part of the pettiness Uncle P," he replies with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

"I never said I wasn't. I like being petty and above all, I like getting what I want," I reply, smirking at him.

Rhea POV

They were staring at something above my head.

A trident, shining brightly above my head.

"Your father," Annabeth murmured in shock, "is Poseidon."

Everyone looked shocked.

"Great, he just had to reveal it now," I murmured under my breath.

All around me, campers started kneeling, even the Ares cabin, though they didn't look happy about it.

"Poseidon," said Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Rhea Jackson, daughter of the Sea God."