Dinner Going Up In Smoke
Percy was becoming talk of the camp again.
Word of what happened in the bathroom spread instantly, resulting in campers pointing at him and murmuring about toilet water.
Lykos and Annabeth continued showing Percy a few more places: the Forge, the Arts and Crafts Centre and the Climbing Wall.
They eventually returned to the Canoe Lake, where the trail led back to the cabins.
"I've got training to do." Annabeth said flatly to Percy and Lykos. "Dinner's at seven thirty." She then said to Percy. "Just follow Lykos and your cabin to the mess hall."
"Annabeth, I'm sorry about the toilets." Percy apologised.
"Whatever." She shrugged off.
"Hey! He didn't mean for you to get wet, okay? Just accept his apology." Lykos snapped at her, which made Percy look at him appreciatively, though he still looked guilty. Annabeth, meanwhile, looked away before she looked back at Percy.
"You need to talk to the Oracle." She told Percy.
"Who?"
"Not who. What. The Oracle. I'll ask Chiron." She corrected him.
Percy stared into the lake, looking like he wanted straight answers.
He didn't expect to see two teenage girls sitting cross legged at the base of the pier twenty feet below in the lake. They wore blue jeans and shimmering green t-shirts. Their brown hair floated loose around their shoulders as minnows darted in and out.
Lykos chuckled as they smiled and waved at Percy like he was a long lost friend. Percy waved back and Lykos now laughed.
"Easy, Romeo, don't encourage the naiads. They're terrible flirts." Lykos told him.
"Naiads." Percy repeated, feeling overwhelmed. "That's it. I want to go home now."
This made Annabeth frown. "Don't you get it, Percy? You are home. This is the only place on Earth for kids like us."
"You mean mentally disturbed kids?"
"I mean not human. Not totally human, anyway. Half-human." Annabeth snapped back.
"Half-human and half-what?"
"Percy, you already know, stop trying to deny it." Lykos told him
Percy looked deep in thought as he had to accept what had been implied.
"God. Half-god."
Both Lykos and Annabeth nodded, the latter saying "Your father isn't dead, Percy. He's one of the Olympians."
"That's… crazy."
"It isn't, really. Remember the old stores? Where the gods ran around and made love with humans, having kids with them? They don't just change their habits over the last few millennia." Lykos pointed out.
"But those are just -" Percy cut himself off from saying myths again, remembering what Chiron said that he may end up a myth himself. "But if all the kids here are half-gods -"
"Demigods." Annabeth said. "That's the official term. Or half-bloods."
"Then who's your dad?"
Lykos tensed and looked over at Annabeth, whose hands tightened around the pier railing. He knew that her father was a bit of a sore subject.
"My dad is a professor at West Point. I haven't seen him since I was very small. He teaches American history."
"He's human." Percy said, making Lykos roll his eyes.
"What? You assume it has to be a male god who finds a human female attractive? How sexist is that?"
"Who's your mom, then?"
"Cabin six."
"Meaning?"
"She's the Daughter of Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Strategy." Lykos told him, which made Annabeth straighten with pride.
"And my dad? And Lykos' mom?"
"We're undetermined Percy. No one knows. My dad talks about my mom a lot, though I think he doesn't really know her." Lykos said coolly. For the past few weeks, a thought has been nagging at him: that he just may be a son of Artemis. All of the clues make sense. He feels comfort in the moonlight, he's a natural with a bow and arrow and is able to communicate with animals among other things. And given her distaste towards men, there's no doubt she despises him.
"Except my mother. She knew." Percy said.
"Maybe not, Percy. Gods don't always reveal their identities." Annabeth told him.
"My dad would have. He loved her." Percy replied.
Lykos and Annabeth looked at him cautiously, especially Lyko, given who he suspects is his father.
"Maybe you're right. Maybe he'll send a sign. That's the only way to know for sure: your father has to send you a sign claiming you as his son. Sometimes it happens."
"You mean sometimes it doesn't?"
Annabeth ran her palm along the rail while Lykos leaned against it. "The gods are busy. They have a lot of kids and they don't always…. Well, sometimes they just don't care about us, Percy. They ignore us."
Percy looked at Lykos and he then recollected some of the campers in the Hermes cabin, looking sullen and depressed.
"So I'm stuck here. That's it? For the rest of my life?" He asked them.
"It'll depend." Lykos started off. "Some campers only stay for the summer. Children of Aphrodite or Demeter don't exactly have powerful forces. The monsters could ignore you, meaning you can get by for a few months of summer training and live out in the mortal world for the rest of the year."
"But for some of us, it's too dangerous to leave." Annabeth took over. "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 realise they're demigods. But very, very few are like that."
"So monsters can't get in here?" Percy questioned.
"Excluding the ones intentionally placed in the forest or summoned by someone on the inside." Lykos shook his head.
"Why would anybody want to summon a monster?"
"Practical fights. Practical jokes."
"Practical jokes?" Percy repeated what Annabeth said.
"The point is, the borders are sealed to keep mortals and monsters out. From the outside, mortals look into the valley and see nothing unusual, just a strawberry farm."
"So… are both of you year rounders?"
"I'm not. I arrived at camp back in February." Lykos revealed to him.
Annabeth, though, nodded, pulling out from under her shirt a leather necklace with five clay beads of different colours, like Luke's. Except hers also had a gold ring strung on it, Lykos knew it was her father's college ring.
"I've been here since I was seven." She said. "Every August, on the last day of summer session, you get a bead for surviving another year. I've been here longer than most of the counsellors, and they're all in college."
"Why did you come so young?" Percy asked.
Lykos sighed to keep calm and not snap at Percy while Annabeth twisted the ring on her necklace. "None of your business."
"Oh." Percy said before causing an uncomfortable silence. "So… I could just walk out of here right now if I wanted to?"
"It would be suicide, but you could, with Mr. D's or Chiron's permission. But they wouldn't give permission until the end of the summer session unless…."
"Unless what?" Percy asked.
"Unless you're granted a quest. But there hasn't been a quest until a couple of years ago. It didn't turn out well." Lykos said, recollecting Annabeth telling that the person on that quest was actually Luke, which was how he got the scar on his face.
"Back in the sick room…" Percy said to Annabeth. "...when you were feeding me that stuff -"
"Ambrosia."
"Yeah. You asked me something about the summer solstice."
This made Annabeth's shoulders tense. "So you do know something?"
"Well… no. Back at my old school, I overheard Grover and Chiron talking about it. Grover mentioned the summer solstice. He said something like we didn't have much time, because of the deadline. What did that mean?"
Annabeth clenched her fists and Lykos crossed his arms with a frown.
"I wish I knew. Chiron and the satyrs, they know, but they won't tell us. Something is wrong in Olympus, something pretty major. Last time I was there, everything seemed so normal."
"You've been to Olympus?" Percy asked in shock.
"Some of us year rounders - Luke and Clarisse and I and a few others - we took a field trip during winter solstice. That's when the gods have their big annual council."
"But… how did you get there?" Percy asked in confusion.
"The Long Island Railroad, of course. You get off at Penn Station. Empire State Building, special elevator to the six hundredth floor." She replied, like it was obvious. "You are a New Yorker, right?"
"Oh, sure." Percy replied.
"She's serious about the Empire State Building. There's an elevator that goes right up to Olympus." Lykos backed her up.
"Anyway, right after we visited, the weather got weird, as if the gods had started fighting. A couple of times since, we've overheard satyrs talking. The best we figured out is that something important was stolen. And if it isn't returned by summer solstice, there's going to be trouble. When you came, I was hoping… I mean - Athena can get along with just about anybody, except for Ares. And of course she's got the rivalry with Poseidon. But, I mean, aside from that, I thought we could work together. I thought you might know something."
Lykos felt bad for Annabeth. She told him how she wanted to go on a quest since being told of the Great Prophecy.
"I've got to get a quest." She then muttered to herself. "I'm not too young. If they would just tell me the problem…."
They all then smelled barbecue smoke from nearby.
Percy's stomach growled and Lykos led him onward, Annabeth saying she'd catch them later.
The two boys left the pier and back to the Hermes cabin.
Once they made it there, everyone was talking and hanging around as they waited for dinner.
Lykos thought about how he and Percy stood out compared to a lot of the other campers in the cabin, who had similar features: sharp noses, upturned eyebrows and mischievous smiles. They'd be called troublemakers if they ever attended school.
The two boys walked over to their spots and plopped down.
Luke came over and joined them, a smile on his face.
"Found you sleeping bag." He told Percy. "And here, I stole you some toiletries from the camp store."
"Thanks." Percy said as he took said toiletries.
"No prob." Luke said as he sat with him and Lykos, pushing his back against the wall. "Tough first day?"
"He's officially made enemies with Clarisse." Lykos joked, making Luke chuckle.
"I don't belong here, though." Percy said. "I don't even believe in gods."
"Yeah." Luke said bitterly. "That's how we all started. Once you start believing in them? It doesn't get any easier."
Lykos felt sorry for Luke, considering what Annabeth told him about his relationship with his father, Hermes.
"So your dad is Hermes?" Percy asked.
Luke ended up pulling out a switchblade from his back pocket and Percy looked fearful for a second that he'd gut him, though he was only going to scrape mud off the sole of his sandal.
"Yeah. Hermes."
"The wing footed messenger guy."
"That's him. Messengers. Medicine. Travellers, merchants, thieves. Anybody who uses the roads. That's why you and Lykos are here, enjoying cabin eleven's hospitality. Hermes isn't picky about who he sponsors."
"You ever meet your dad?" Percy asked.
"Once." Luke simply replied, making it clear that is all he'll say about it. However, he looked up and managed to smile.
"Don't worry about it, Percy. The campers here, they're mostly good people. After all, we're extended family, right? We take care of each other."
"Besides, I'll be by your side if you want it." Lykos reassured Percy, who looked at him and Luke gratefully.
"Clarisse, from Ares, was joking about me being Big Three material. Then Annabeth… twice, she said I might be 'the one'. She said I should talk to the Oracle. What was that all about?" Percy asked Luke.
"I hate prophecies." Luke said as he folded his knife.
"What do you mean?" Percy asked, making Luke's face twitch around the prominent scar.
"Let's just say I messed things up for everybody else. The last two years, ever since my trip to the Garden of Hesperides went sour, Chiron hasn't allowed any more quests. Annabeth's been dying to get out into the world. She pestered Chiron so much he finally told her he already knew her fate. He'd had a prophecy from the Oracle. He wouldn't tell her the whole thing, but he said Annabeth wasn't destined to go on a quest yet. She had to wait until… somebody special came to the camp."
"Somebody special?"
"I wouldn't worry about it, Percy." Lykos said, though he still pondered Percy being possibly a son of Poseidon.
"Yeah, Annabeth wants to think every new camper who comes through here is the omen she's been waiting for. Now, come on, it's dinnertime."
Just as Luke said that, a horn blew in the distance.
"Eleven, fall in!" He then yelled.
The whole cabin, about twenty one of them, filed out into the commons yard. They all lined up in order of seniority, meaning Lykos and Percy were last.
All the other campers came out from the other cabins, except for one, two and three. The same is said about the Artemis cabin, which now started glowing silver as the sun went down, making it look very striking to Lykos.
Everyone then marched up the hill to the Dining Pavilion.
Satyrs joined them from the meadow, naiads emerged from the Canoe Lake and wood nymphs came out of the forest, as in literally coming out of the trees.
This meant there were a hundred campers, a few dozen satyrs and a dozen assorted wood nymphs and naiads.
Upon arriving at the pavilion, torches blazed between the marble columns and the central fire burned in the brazier.
Everyone filled the tables except for four of them and cabin eleven's table was the most overcrowded. So much so that Percy had to squeeze next to Lykos on the edge of a bench with half his butt hanging off.
Lykos looked and saw Grover sitting at table twelve with Mr. D along with a few satyrs and Mr. D's two sons, who were plump blondes. Chiron stood to one side, the picnic table being too small for centaurs.
Annabeth sat at table six with her half-siblings, who were all serious looking with athletic builds.
Clarisse sat behind Lykos and Percy at Ares' table, clearly gotten over what happened in the bathroom as she laughed and belched with her siblings.
Finally, Chiron pounded one of his hooves against the marble floor and everyone fell silent.
He then raised a glass, saying "To the gods!"
"To the gods!" Everyone, except Percy, repeated with raised glasses.
The wood nymphs then came forward with platters of food.
Lykos noticed that Percy was looking down at his empty glass and said "Say what you'd like to drink and it'll form in the glass. Chocolate milk." He even demonstrated and said drink formed in his glass and he took a sip, enjoying the cold feeling going down his throat.
"Cherry Coke." Percy said and his glass filled with the sparkling caramel liquid.
"Blue Cherry Coke." He then said, making Lykos look with a raised eyebrow and saw the drink turning into a violent shade of cobalt.
"Why would you want it blue?" Lykos asked as Percy took a sip.
"My mom and I eat blue foods." Percy simply replied, implying that his mother buys and makes even normal foods and makes them blue for whatever reason.
"Here you go, Percy!" Luke then said as he handed a piece of smoked brisket.
He loaded his plate and was about to take a bite when he saw that everyone, including Lykos, got up and carried their plates and made their way to the fire.
Lykos walked right up to it and he scraped a piece of the brisket into the flame with a silent prayer: Whoever you are, mom, you'd better Claim me and explain yourself soon or you'll never have me as a son.
He then overheard Luke telling Percy about how the gods like the smell of burnt offerings,
Once dinner was done, Chiron pounded his hoof again for everyone to look at Mr. D, who got up with a huge sigh.
"Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our Activities Director, Chiron, says the next Capture the Flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels."
Ugly cheering rose from the Ares table.
"Personally, I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have a new camper today. Peter Johnson."
Chiron murmured to the God of Wine as Lykos rolled his yet again at Mr. D's behaviour.
"Er, Percy Jackson." Mr. D corrected. "That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on."
Everyone cheered.
They all headed down to the Amphitheatre, where Apollo's children led the usual sing-along with camp songs about the gods as they all ate s'mores and joked around.
Lykos looked and saw that Percy now felt comfortable as no one stared at him anymore and he bumped fists with him and grinned.
Later in the evening, when the fire started dying down, the horn blew again and everyone filed back to their various cabins.
Lykos instantly fell to sleep upon curling up in his sleeping bag, not knowing that his silent prayer would be answered in four days time.
By the doorway to the cabin a female figure stood, one with mousy brown hair and fire-red eyes in a simple brown dress and scarf over her head. She walked through the cabin silently and stopped right next to Lykos' sleeping form.
"Don't worry, Lykos." She said so softly that her voice can make anyone calm and relaxed. "She's just waiting for the right moment. And you'll understand soon enough."
She then walked back out and to the hearth, where she vanished.
Anyone who's read the books will know who that female figure is at the end of the chapter.
And the next chapter is when things will take quite the turn, not just for Percy, but especially for Lykos.