Chapter 7: Exchanges
"English"
Thoughts
A Slavic Language
At the same time, just in front of Half-Blood-Hill
Even though the magical border of Camp Half-Blood had been restored by the Golden Fleece, Percy Jackson still occasionally patrolled along the borders of the camp, when he had time. Nominally, it just was to make sure that the magical boundary really had been restored properly, and that no monster could get into the camp. In reality Percy liked to use the time to just be alone with his thoughts, away from the other campers. During these times Annabeth joined him now and again, mostly to make sure that Percy didn't get caught up inside his head too often.
Currently, the two were just passing the volleyball court, where an intense game took place.
"So" Percy asked and rolled his shoulders. "How is Thalia doing?"
"Oh, she's doing alright." Annabeth answered. "Right now she's training in the arena with Clarisse or one of her siblings, I think"
"Oh gods, I pity her"
"Who?", Annabeth asked. "Clarisse or Thalia?"
"Both", Percy answered. "I mean, have you seen these two fight? They are ruthless! Even I wouldn't want to face either of them!"
"Ha!", Annabeth laughed. "I think so too!"
"Glad to see you're agreeing with me there", Percy laughed. "Happens rarely enough!"
Annabeth huffed, though a slight smile graced her lips "I agree with you whenever you say something worthwhile"
She smirked "Happens seldom enough, but even the gods allow us some miracles, I guess"
"Pah", Percy retorted eloquently, smiling all the while. Honestly, he had missed the banter between Annabeth and him. Of course, he would never admit it in her presence. If he did so she would never let him live it down, smart, eloquent harpy that she was. "Anyway, will you stay here for the next term? Or do you want to try your plan to go to school with Thalia?" Percy asked, just as the two of them reached Half-Blood-Hill and Thalia's pine came into view.
Annabeth shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. Maybe, but it depends on Thals. If she wants to go, then I will do so as well. What about you?"
Percy shrugged as well. "I mean, probably? Mom wouldn't want me to risk my life and my future just to stay with her. I don't like it, I love her and I love staying with her, but at the same time, I don't want her to be in danger because of me, you know?" Percy sat down and gazed at the grass at his feet. "Does that make sense? I feel like it does but at the same time I think I'm being kind of selfish"
Annabeth stepped up to him and laid a reassuring hand upon his shoulder. "I don't think that it's strange", she said. " I think that's what a normal person should feel"
Percy just shrugged and continued staring at his feet. "Maybe", he said. "Maybe not. Can't say that I had the most normal of childhoods. Or that I'm the most normal of people"
Annabeth laughed, though there was a bitter note amidst her cheer. "Yeah, same for me, all things considered".
As the two reached the foot of the hill, Percy looked around, he saw something
- Hey look, at Thalia's pine". Percy said suddenly.
Both narrowed their eyes as they made their way over to the tree on the hill, drawing their weapons, just in case it was an attacker, or a saboteur.
As they came closer, they could now make out two people, one male and female. The boy looked to be around Percy's age, though it was hard to be certain from the distance. The girl at his side seemed to be clearly younger than that. The boy looked up to the golden fleece, seeming very interested in it.
Percy nudged Annabeth. "You've ever seen these two?"
"Nope", Annabeth answered, popping the "P". "Seem to be new Demigods. Look, one of them even has a familiar or some such" She nodded to the boy, where a rather large, blue bird lazily circled above the boy's head.
"There's no satyr accompanying them, though", Annabeth noted.
"I don't like this, Annabeth", Percy muttered. "I got a bad feeling about this"
"Should I inform Chiron?"
"That would be best, yes", Percy said, his hand lightly resting on Riptide's hilt.
Without another word Annabeth took off, directly to the Big House. Meanwhile, the two arrivals had made the track up the hill, always staying beneath Percy's watchful gaze. At long last, they crested the hill and Percy came face to face with them.
Upon looking at the strange boy, Percy's bad feeling intensified, turning foreboding and even a bit menacing. Something was definitely not right here, that much was clear.
"Stop right there", Percy said, his posture faux-realaxed, while inside he was coiled like a spring. "Who are you and what do you want here?"
The boy stepped up and Percy could finally inspect him more closely.
He was a a bit taller than Percy and similarly muscled. Shoulder-length, black hair and glowing, light green eyes were his most defining features. There seemed to be an inner glow to his eyes and his face was handsome in a way that only those of divine blood could ever hope to be. A golden trident was slung over his back and the strange, blue bird he saw before was perched on his shoulder, observing the scenery with an eerily judging gaze. On his thigh sat a dagger that looked like a blood-infused tooth of a large creature, and in his right hand he held a sword, roughly the size of riptide in its blade form, but the blade was a dark-green Colour, reminding Percy of the deepest depths of the ocean.
Percy was taken aback at how similar the boy looked to him, so much that he almost forgot about the girl.
"Hello", the boy answered in a tense, cautious voice. "Is this Camp Half-Blood?". His speech was accented. Not overly much, but still so that Percy noticed it right away. He knew better than to be rude about it though. He might not be the sharpest blade in the armory but his mum had made damn sure that smelly Gabe's manners (or lack thereof) did not rub off on him.
"Might be", Percy answered. "Might not. Depends on who is asking"
"Vjekoslav Fedychenko, Son of Veles is asking", the boy retorted.
Percy's eyebrows rose. "Never heard of him. Or you for that matter. If you wanna pretend to be someone important, pick a person that people actually know".
Yet inside, the name Veles stirred something in Percy, as if the name should be familiar to him.
The other boy's eyes narrowed. "I am here because you called us for help. Now I am here and I am not welcome? I was told you Greeks live in your own world, but damn, that is rude"
"What do you mean with that, us Greeks?", Percy asked, head slightly tilted. If these two clowns were agents of Kronos or any of the other Titans, Percy would show them no mercy, that much was clear
The other boy seemed confused. "You Greeks are Greek." , he answered. "I do not know what more you want me to say"
"Look, pal, I'll ask you again. Who are you and what do you want here?"
The boy took a breath and gritted his teeth. "As I said already, my name is Vjekoslav Anatoly Volodymyr Fedychenko. I am a son of Veles, god of water, forests, music, magic and trickery. One of your gods came to my Father and asked him to send somebody over to help you with a problem. And I was sent over."
Just as Percy wanted to tell the guy to fuck off to the next insane asylum, the clopping of hooves was heard. Percy tilted his head slightly, and saw an intrigued looking Chiron, a confused Annabeth and an annoyed looking Mr D coming up the hill.
"Holy smokes, Is that a centaur?" the girl asked, reminding Percy that she was there as well.
As the group arrived at the tree, Percy opened his mouth to tell that this guy needed to be sent to a mental hospital, it was surprisingly Mr D to speak first.
"What is it this- oh great, you're already here", Mr. D groaned as he spotted the foreigner. Percy and Annabeth turned to Mr D, before blurting out "Wait, you knew this guy was coming here?", at the same time.
"Indeed, we did know", Chiron said, as he gazed over the boy. "You must be Vjekoslav, right?" he asked.
"Yep, that is correct, I am Vjekoslav Fedychenko, son of Veles, but please call me Veko". He held out his hand to Chiron and Dionysus, Chiron shook it with a hint of caution, Dionysus didn't, he just looked at Veko with a mixture of disdain, boredom and an extremely small amount of interest.
"Ну, це було грубо", he muttered as he dropped his hand. Percy had no idea what this could mean, and seemingly, nobody else could too. (Translation: "Well, that was rude")
Chiron turned to the girl, who still looked extremely confused, slightly frightened and curious "And who are you child?"
"I'm Nyssa Barrera", she mumbled, while hiding slightly behind Vjekoslav.
Just the moment that Nyssa and Veko crossed the magical barrier into camp, a flaming Hammer appeared over her head, startling Veko slightly, who looked intrigued and confused, while Nyssa was… also confused. "What does that mean?" she asked warily.
"You've been claimed by your godly parent, in your case you have been claimed by Hephaestus"
"Hmm", Nyssa hummed, as if she knew exactly what was going on.
Chiron audibly cleared his throat. "Percy, Annabeth, please introduce Nyssa to her siblings, and then come back please".
"Alright" Percy chimed, and Annabeth nodded, albeit reluctantly.
Nyssa looked up to Veko, who nodded to her, as if encouraging her to go along with it.
When Nyssa and the two teenagers had left, Veko turned to the other two people again. The Todorat, called Charon, if Veko thought correctly, still looked on edge, yet interested at the same time.
"Well then, Vjekoslav. I believe we have several things to discuss".
"Thanks, but call me Veko please, Mr. Charon. And you, Mr. God".
The Todorat and the fat ugly guy in Leopard pants both raised their eyebrows at him.
"My name is Chiron, child. I would appreciate it if you could remember this".
Veko's mouth formed an 'O', as he tried to remember who Charon was.
"Sorry for confusing the names, but you do have someone named Charon, right?"
"Apology accepted, Yes, he is the one who brings the souls of the dead to the underworld."
"Okay, good to know". Veko's eyes turned to the other dude, who was sipping a diet coke.
"And who are you?" Veko asked curiously.
He groaned deeply before answering. "I suppose I have to tell you. For you I am Mr. D, or Lord Dionysus, boy". His voice was drawing and uninterested, and he his purple eyes looked at Veko with a huge amount of disdain, and the slightest hint of interest. Veko shrugged his shoulders.
"Now then Veko, the Olympian council decided that you will be allowed to stay here for a probation time of four months, and at the end it will be determined if you will be allowed to stay, or not". Chiron spoke up again.
„Sounds good, do you have some sort of agreement prepared for me that I have to sign where rules are stated, and all of that stuff?"
With a flourish, Chiron produced a piece of parchment and pressed it into Veko's hand. The writing was in Ancient Cyrillic.
"Is this a magical treaty or just a simple piece of paper?" Veko's tone held a hint of suspicion as he eyed the document. "Just to let you know, I will not sign any magical treaties or blood treaties here."
Chiron's expression remained neutral, but a twinkle appeared in his eyes. "It is not a blood treaty, I can assure you of that." Veko narrowed his eyes in response.
"Prove it," he challenged. "Prove that it is a normal treaty."
Mr. D's own gaze sharpened as he leaned forward. "You do not trust us?"
A wry smile tugged at Veko's lips. "Of course I don't. First, you are a god. Second, you are from another pantheon, one that fought several wars against my own. And third, trust must be earned."
Veko turned his attention back to Chiron, his stance defensive and watchful.
"Now prove it". His voice came out sharper than anticipated.
"Very well, I swear on the river Styx that this Treaty is just a simple piece of parchment, and is in no way magical or enchanted". A thunder sounded in the distance.
Veko read the paper thoroughly. It included things like that he had to abide by the Greek rules, not give confidential information to third parties without permission, that he wouldn't do any sabotage or terrorism, only kill if necessary, and more.
"Quick question, am I allowed to tell my friends back home some things about here? Like, how your town here is managed and organized and stuff like that." Veko asked, not looking up from the parchment.
"It depends if you include confidential information or not, like the location of the camp, for example. But basic things like the ones you've mentioned shouldn't be a problem. I assume you have a method of communication ?"
"I do".
After reading the treaty five times over, Veko took a pen and wrote his name on the bottom of the page.
"All right, what will I have to do now that I'm here?" Veko was quite curious.
"Percy and Annabeth, the two who are taking care of Nyssa, will explain everything you need to know, but for now, Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, Veko. I hope you will enjoy your stay!"
"Thanks, I hope so too. Oh, and by the way, where can I get my Passport stamped?"
Mr. D and Chiron looked at him like he was crazy.
Well, he was. A little bit.
"I'm sorry, Passport stamping?" Chiron repeated confused.
"Well, yes? Standard Protocol when entering another Pantheons Territory." Veko pulled out his Passport and opened it, flipping to a page where his passport had once been stamped by the authorities of the German Pantheon, when he and the boys had been to Munich to visit the Oktoberfest.
"Right here. Usually, it's done by the office of foreign demigods' registration.". Chiron looked intrigued. "Interesting. But yes, we can do that." Chiron took Veko's passport, grabbed a Stamp from somewhere in his pouch and stamped it. "All right, thank you". Veko replied.
"You're welcome" Chiron clapped his hands, before taking a look at Atesh.
"My, my, I haven't seen a Phoenix in centuries. Lest one so majestically", he said wistfully, "What is his name, and, If I may be so bold, where did you find him, and convined him to stay with you? Phoenixes are very proud beings with immense power who don't give their trust easily, after all"
"His name is Atesh", Veko said proudly, "And he is just awesome. And I found him while on a quest for Svarog, our god of fire, and some monsters were using him as some sort of perverse 'living-power-generator', and after I freed him, he decided to stay with me", Veko told, while stroking over Atesh's soft feathers. "Something I am very glad and grateful for".
Atesh meanwhile looked proud that even here, he was recognized to be beautiful and awesome!
"And does the name have a specific meaning?"
"Yes, it does. Atesh simply means 'fire' in the Crimean Tatar language"
"It fits very well, I must say"
But Veko had another question for Chiron, and he really didn't know how to put it politely "Well, uh, not to be rude or anything Mr. Chiron, but, like, weren't you killed?" he asked awkwardly.
"Well, sadly yes, but I lived!" he said casually, as if talking about the weather, while Veko raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Oookay, but like, were you not you hit by this arrow while giving up your life for this dude who gave the fire away?".
Now looking amused, Chiron chuckled before continuing "Well, yes, I was killed and gave up my Immortality for Prometheus. However, the gods of Olympus decided to resurrect me, as the training of new heroes is a task that goes on forever".
Mr D groaned boredly, muttering about Prometheus beeing a fool, before looking at Veko and Atesh. "Alright, don't cause trouble. Both of you, Viktor and Andrew. I'm watching you two. And now I will take a nap". And Mr D, or Mr Dick, as Veko had just decided to nickname him, waddled off to the large blue farmhouse.
What a fucking asshole, Veko thought.
Veko opened his mouth, but Chiron was faster, "He gets the names wrong on purpose Veko, you must know that he is quite frustrated, as he has been grounded to watch over the camp for 100 years, without being allowed to drink his wine".
"Okay, still no reason to be so… unfriendly"
"Ah, look, Percy and Annabeth are coming back"
Veko looked down the hill and saw that, indeed, his (very much less attractive) look-alike and the blonde girl came running back to them.
Annabeth almost ran into his face, stopping only a meter before him "Okay, start explaining, like right now! Where do you come from? Who is this Veles guy? Why are you even here? What is that strange, blue bird? How did you survive so long without being at Camp? How are-"
"Gods, Annabeth, don't forget to breathe, and let him answer", Percy interrupted her.
Veko looked at her confused, and Chiron looked a tad bit guilty.
Don't they know that other pantheons exist? Are they really that ignorant? Were they never told?
"I meant it exactly as I said it. My father is Veles, the god of water and some more things of the Slavic pantheon."
Annabeth squinted at him, and Percy raised his eyebrows. "Slavic pantheon? Like, gods of other lands and peoples? But... that doesn't make sense. There's only the Greek gods, we would've known it." Her voice trailed off as she tried to process the information. "And you're saying your dad isn't a god from our pantheon?"
"Yes, I am"
"And how can we believe you?"
"Look, pal, It's your issue if you believe me or not, I don't really care. I came here to learn and experience new things, not to convert you to another religion", Veko countered Annabeth, who now looked to Chiron questioningly.
"Is he telling the truth? Is there really another Pantheon? Why did you never say anything Chiron?" Annabeth looked slightly excited, but also had a look of light betrayal on her face.
"Ah, well" Chiron sighed, rubbing his head. "I always intended to tell you about this when you reached twenty years, in order to let you settle in, and not to overwhelm you. But as Veko is here, you seem eager, so I shall indulge you now." He turned to Veko. "Tell them everything, from the beginning. And remember, no leaving out any juicy details."
"Well then" Veko began, scratching the back of his neck. "Sure, well, the Slavic pantheon is real. It is not just us, you know?. There are the Germans, the Celts, the Baltics, the Turks, the Norse..." His voice trailed off as he saw their jaws drop. "Yeah, exactly. There is a lot to learn."
Annabeth's eyes were as round as silver dollars as she tried to process this new information."This is… Just so much to take in…", she murmured to herself. Percy, meanwhile, was grinning from ear to ear, his teeth glinting in the sunlight. Only then did Veko notice that, like his own, some of Percy's teeth seemed more pointed and sharper, like those of a young shark. "Yay?! So, like, we have to fight more monsters than just the ones from Greek mythology? This is just what we needed!" He said in the most sarcastic way possible.
"Yes, well" Chiron interjected, "I think it's important to remember that every pantheon has its own set of rules, customs, laws and territories. Just because they may not be as well-known here doesn't mean they're any less powerful or important. Now, you two, I have an Archery class to teach, and I would like you two to show Veko around Camp, show him everything, and answer his questions!"
"Sure thing Chiron" Percy agreed.
And Chrion galloped off to Gods know where, which left a very akward silence between the trio.
Annabeth coughed drily
"Well, this is akward"
„So, um, what happens now? And where is Nyssa?" Veko asked them.
„Nyssa is being taken care of by her siblings, don't worry. We will show you the most important things about the camp and answer any question you might have". Percy explained.
"But you answer a question first, Vjekoslav-" Annabeth started
"Veko please"
"What's that bird thingy on your shoulder?"
Not Happy with being called a bird thingy again, Atesh glared at Annabeth, who looked at him with a lot of interest. Percy did as well and noticed the Phoenixes expression, and he could swear he looked annoyed.
"Man, I'm gonna mention this a lot" Veko muttered quietly, before answering.
"His name is Atesh, and he is a Phoenix."
Annabeth's eyes went wide in awe, and she couldn't help but start firing off questions again, while bouncing on the balls of her feet "Wow! That's crazy, where do phoenixes even live, what are their powers and..."
„Does she ever breath?" Veko asked Percy, who chuckled in return. „Sometimes she does"
Annabeth playfully thumped Percy on the shoulder, before continuing with her questioning. Veko decided to answer the most common questions first.
"Well, I am not sure where Phoenixes live, or where they come from, but I am sure they live in warm and fiery places, at least that is where I found Atesh. As for their powers, well, they can regenerate from ashes, are basically immortal, can breathe fire that can easily melt steel, they have immense physical power, oh, and their tears can heal all kinds of poison." Veko listed while softly scratching Atesh, who flapped his wings in approval, looking pleased.
"Huh, he seems to like being admired, doesn't he?" Percy asked.
"Yeah, he does, but he has all the right to do so, he's just amazing".
Percy's curiosity was piqued at the thought of meeting another child of a sea god, someone who shared his connection to the powerful element. He couldn't wait to see what kind of abilities this person possessed. "So, do you have water powers too?" he asked eagerly, "Can you control water and manipulate it with your mind? You know, being a son of a water god?"
Veko raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his voice as he replied casually, "Yeah, I can do that."
With a simple movement of his hand, a shimmering sphere of water materialized before them. Veko effortlessly manipulated and bent the liquid with his mind, creating intricate patterns in the air before finally throwing it towards Percy. The demigod caught it effortlessly and with a simple flick of his wrist, transformed it into a small Pegasus before letting it land gracefully on the ground.
Percy's face lit up with excitement as he exclaimed, "Wow, that's amazing! Finally, I have someone who can train with me!" He flashed Veko a grin, before adding sincerely, "But only if you want to, I mean."
Veko chuckled and nodded eagerly, "Of course! It sounds be great to have someone to train with."
Percy and Annabeth then decided to give Veko a tour of the camp, starting with the strawberry fields.
Veko had taken out a notepad, preparing to write down all the information he could about Camp Half-Blood, as Percy and Annabeth were showing him a strawberry field, they explained how it was a source of income for the camp that allowed them to get supplies from the mortal world.
"Children of Demeter and the satyrs typically tend to the plants, and of course Mr. D's presence is a boost for them as well. While not as receptive as grapes, they are used to make strawberry wine we also sell."
"Then Demeter is your deity of nature and stuff?"
"Yup, goddess of Agriculture, harvest, grain, fertility, farms and so on and so forth"
"Hmm, so she is the Greek counterpart to Yarilo. Interesting, and is the strawberry wine any good?" Veko asked curiously, as he took notes on his notepad.
"We aren't allowed to drink it, we're still under 21, you know, Camp Rules and stuff"
Veko tilted his head to the right, before speaking again.
"But did you Greeks not invent the wine? And well, who cares if you are under 21? Back at home we are allowed to drink and buy Alcohol with 14, and sometimes even younger, since we demigods have a relatively high alcohol tolerance."
"So like, even stuff like Vodka and Gin?" Percy asked
"Well, yes. Like I said, our Alcohol tolerance is pretty high". Percy and Annabeth exchanged a lookat that.
As Veko scribbled more things down, Annabeth became interested in his notepad.
"So what are you're on about?" She asked him curiously
"I'm writing down all the differences between here and home, and compare them to each other" Veko answered while showing them his notes.
"Is this your script?" asked Annabeth curiously, unable to read it. "Oh, yes, it is, it is the ancient Cyrillic alphabet, all of us Slavs know how to read or write it". Both of them looked interested at the letters, some similar to ancient Greek ones.
"This is beyond me; can you even read or write in English?"
"With a lot of difficulties, I can, but my dyslexia makes it almost impossible, our brains are wired on reading ancient Cyrillic, and other alphabets become very challenging to read. Even the modern Cyrillic script is not as easy"
"It's the same with us, you know" Percy chimed in, "We can read Ancient Greek, but other things become difficult as well. Nice to know we aren't the only ones".
Then Veko thought of something that had been bugging him for some time "Speaking of languages, why aren't you speaking Greek around here, you know, being Greek demigods and stuff?"
Percy and Annabeth looked thoughtful at the question, before Annabeth answered him once again "I'm not sure myself, but I would imagine the reason is because all of us here were born in America, and our mortal parents spoke English with us, and so it just kind of stuck"
"Just wish I knew that before I started learning Greek, you know? So many hours wasted…"
"Oh, you did? Why? And what can you speak?"
"Well, I started learning Greek because I thought you all would speak it, and also as a sign of respect, you know? Since it would be pretty rude to come to another land and expect everyone to adapt to your needs".
Veko grinned sheepishly before answering "And to answer your other question, I learned mostly Insults, but also things like introducing myself and other basic crap, like numbers, colors, shapes, weapons, and so on."
Percy laughed at that "Nice to know you got your priorities sorted, can you teach me some insults in, uh… what language do you Slavs even speak?"
"And aren't there multiple Slavic languages?" Annabeth threw in, having read about languages and language families a few days ago.
"True, there are 17 Slavic languages, or 13 languages, if you consider Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian and Montenegrin as the same language that are just different dialects from each other".
"Cool, and what languages do you speak excalty?"
"All 17 of them, that would be Ukrainian, Russian, Belarusian, Rusyn, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Sorbian, Kashubian, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Montenegrin, Slovenian, Macedonian, Bulgarian and Torlakian. Most of us know at least 10 languages, but that is due to the similarities of the Slavic languages, and the ease to learn more."
Percy whistled impressed, while Annabeth gaped slightly.
"Holy Hera, you speak 17 languages?!"
Ruffling through his hair and grinning a bit, Veko continued, feeling a bit smug.
"Well, 20 actually, I also know Arabic, Armenian and English."
"That's impressive, can you also read them?"
"It is difficult, but with a lot of concentration I am able to do it, but It is a pain in the ass, I can tell you that".
Percy was the first to speak, "Shit, dude, that's insane! I manage English, Ancient Greek, some Atlantean and a little bit of German, and here you are, a walking translation dictionary."
Veko shrugged modestly. "Well, it is not like I had much of a choice. Growing up with all these different Slavic languages around me, I kinda had to learn them all to communicate with everyone"
Annabeth was next to speak: "Hey, maybe you could teach us some Slavic phrases later?"
"Alright, sure, but we maybe we wait some time, other people here may want to learn something as well."
"Fair enough, so how do you say 'son of a bitch' in your language?" Percy grinned, while Annabeth rolled her eyes, but smiling.
Veko let out a laugh before answering "In Ukrainian it would be 'suchiy shin', but in Slovak it would be 'Syn sučky'. A good example to see that our languages are similar, yet not the same".
"suchy sihn", Percy said slowly, "is that pronounced correctly?"
"Almost"
As they continued exploring the camp, Veko couldn't help but notice that, despite being a very beautiful place, the number of people at Camp Half-Blood was significantly less than what he was used to back home. Even the smallest Slavic demigod town, Adjunyia in Montenegro, had more inhabitants than this camp.
And there are no adults, toddlers, or young children. Only teenagers… But why? Didn't the Greeks like to fuck other into oblivion?
But he didn't voice his confusion out loud, instead he took notes and decided that he would ask those questions later.
Percy and Annabeth showed Veko around the archery range, where he saw some campers practicing their aim with bows and arrows.
Next, they went to the canoeing lake, where Veko could see some kids paddling around in colorful canoes. The water looked calm and inviting, but he knew better than to underestimate any body of water in a demigod camp. Annabeth mentioned that there were also some naiads living in the lake, who helped train campers in swimming and water-related activities.
They then made their way to the Pegasus stables, where Veko saw some beautiful winged horses grazing in a nearby field, and several of them in the sky.
At the javelin range, Veko watched as some campers threw javelins at distant targets. He noticed that they were using different techniques and styles based on their individual strengths and abilities. This reminded him of his training back home where he had to adapt his fighting style depending on who his opponent was.
Against Luka, he mostly used a combination of his own water magic, as well as fast strikes with Zastupnik to try and get close to Luka, as his double-ended scythe was less useful when the opponent was close. When Veko spared with Jasna, he mostly fought defensivly, due to how aggressive and fast paced Jasna's fighting style was. He would then bide his time until she made a mistake, which he would then try to exploit.
"And this is the arena where we're having our training duels, mostly with spears, swords and daggers, usually non-lethal". Percy explained to him, ripping Veko out of his thoughts.
"Hmm", Veko hummed as he scanned the arena. Some kids were currently sparing in the sandy middle against each other, and more were sitting in the stands, watching the combatants.
"It's almost time for lunch, but I think we still have time to go over the cabins ", said Annabeth, just when a girl with startling, electric blue eyes, black hair, and a spear in her hand exited the arena, and jogged over to the group.
"Hey there guys", she greeted Percy and Annabeth cheerfully, before looking at Veko with interest.
"Didn't know you had a twin, Fish Face" She teased, before extending her hand.
"Hey, I'm Thalia, Daughter of Zeus".
"Vjekoslav Fedychenko, Son of Veles, but call me Veko please."
"Who exactly? And holy crap that is one cool looking bird!"; she exclaimed, while nodding at Atesh, who looked torn between being smug and angry at being called a bird.
AGAIN.
And so Veko, Annabeth and Percy explained to her that Veko was actually from another pantheon-, something which Thalia found weird. They also told her what she needed to know about Atesh.
"So, how and why did you get here anyway?"
"Basically, I was forced to go because the dad of Percy dad called in a favor from my father, and he sent me over."
"Huh, so your gods are similar to ours in terms of not asking us anything."
"Not all of them, some of our gods usually won't force you to do something, they actually ask you."
Now a Quartet, the group arrived at several cabins, all different from each other, which were arranged in a large U-Shape.
"So, and this is where we live, each of the cabins corresponds with each of the Twelve Olympians. Cabin One is obviously Zeus' Cabin." Annabeth said, pointing to the cabin at the very front.
The cabin was made entirely of white marble and looked like a mausoleum, with heavy columns. The big bronze double doors were polished in such a way to provide a 'holographic' effect of lightning bolts passing across.
"And you stay there?" Veko asked, looking at Thalia with a raised brow as she nodded with a sigh.
"Yeah. But don't think it's all great having a cabin to yourself, it honestly sucks. There's nothing in there except a giant statue of my dad that feels like it's always watching you. I actually had to put my stuff in the only corner where it's not constantly watching me." Thalia said, honestly hating staying in the cabin by herself, feeling like she's back in her tree.
Constant watching? Must feel weird to masturbate…
"Who is the Slavic counterpart to Him?", asked Annabeth, intrigued.
Veko answered, while he was making sketches of the cabins' layout.
"It would be Perun, he is the main god, as well as the god of thunder, lightning, war, and justice. Maybe you could also count Stribog, as he is the god of the wind and sky."
"What about the cabin next to his?", Veko asked, looking at a marble, formal-looking building, graceful with slim columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. It is done similarly to Zeus' Cabin except smaller, however, it's more graceful. Having slimmer columns with pomegranates and flowers around them. The walls also had images of peacocks carved on them, as well as the doors.
"That's Hera's. And it's only to honor her, since as the Goddess of Marriage, she doesn't have any demigods or affairs."
"The Slavic counterpart would probably be Lada, the goddess of Love, marriage and beauty."
"Is she even allowed to have demigods?" Thalia inquired.
"Yup, she sometimes has demigod children, but not very often",
Annabeth had also taken out a notepad and was also writing down information that Veko was telling them. Veko then thought for a moment, before adding more: "Or, you could also count Dodola, the goddess of rain and spring as Hera's counterpart, since she is married to Perun, and thus the wife of the main god. And her name is also the namesake of a rainmaking ritual, which is still performed to this day, when we need some rain".
"And how does this ritual work?", Percy asked, full of interest.
"A child between the ages of 7-14 would dress up in a dress or skirt of vines, leaves, flowers, tree branches and so on, would then go around the village, town or wherever you live, followed by all the other kids of the village, who were sometimes carrying oak or beech branches, while singing the ritual prayer, stopping together at every house, where the hosts would sprinkle water on the chosen one, who would then shake and thus sprinkle everyone and everything around it, the hosts also gift treats such as bread, eggs, cheese, sausages etc., in a later period also money, chocolate or sweets to children who shared and ate them, and the hosts would then drink a swig of alcohol and drop a drop of blood into a fire, as a sacrifice in the honor to Perun and his wife",
Annabeth scribbled furiously on her notebook, her pen flying across the page as she tried to keep up with Veko's detailed explanation. The speed at which she wrote was almost comical, and Veko couldn't help but wonder if the paper would catch fire from the friction.
Thalia smirked mischievously at Annabeth's note-taking before chiming in, "I think we should try this ritual for fun, but let's dress Percy up in only a skirt. I bet he'll look absolutely adorable." She said as she reached up to pat him on his head playfully.
Percy raised an eyebrow in amusement, "Oh really? So you want to see me topless?"
Thalia shrugged nonchalantly, "I don't particularly care, but I have a feeling Annabeth would surely appreciate it."
Annabeth's cheeks flushed pink at Thalia's teasing words. She stammered out, "Th-Thalia, stop saying such things!"
Huh, she didn't even deny it…
Veko smirked at that, while Percy coughed to shift the conversation back to their original topic, asking, "So have you been the 'main part' of this ceremony before?"
"I haven't, but my brother Maksym has been, and my friend Jasna as well", Veko said, while looking at the next cabin with interest.
"This one looks nice", said Veko as he pointed towards a building that, rather than looking like a temple or mausoleum, was a long, low building with windows facing the ocean. The cabin was made from rough sea stone, pieces of coral and seashell embedded into the outside walls, and a trident with a big bronze number 3 over the door.
Percy flashed a smile as he led the group towards his father's cabin. "This is my dad's cabin," he explained, gesturing to the structure. "I'm actually the only one living here at the moment, but it's pretty cool. There is a fountain inside, and also beautiful coral decorations."
"Yeah, sounds really nice, like a place to call home."
"And Is that cabins roof actually made of grass?" Said Veko, as he was being genuinely confused by the next cabin.
The cabin was a light brown color and covered in flowers and tomato plants grow on the walls and doorway. Wildflowers and roses grow on the porch, while the roof itself seemed to be made entirely of grass.
"Yep, that's Demeter's Cabin, don't ask how the roof can be real grass. It's better for your sanity to just accept it." Said Thalia, shaking her head, having chosen to just blame magic for anything she hasn't figured out, while Veko nodded slowly in response.
"After that is the Ares' Cabin." Annabeth said, looking at the next cabin in annoyance, where the four could hear loud rock music blaring from. "He is the god of war, and the son of Zeus and Hera", she explained to Veko, while Percy scowled at the mention.
Huh, so there has been bad blood.
The cabin was badly painted red and has a large boar's head over the door with barbed wire on the roof. "And if you go there, watch out for the land mines."
"Ha, Landmines? Sounds just like Bosnia", Veko said more to himself.
"Who the heck is Bosnia?", Percy asked.
"Bosnia is a territory in the Balkans. During the Yugoslav wars in the 1990s, parts of the country were mined, and some of these mines still have not been removed to this day", he explained.
"Oh, so you Slavs have a lot of infighting?", Annabeth inquired.
Veko sighed, as if he was tired, "The mortal Slavs? Yes, and a shit ton of it. The non-mortals on the other hand barely fight themselves, we learned pretty early that we have to stick together, and not slaughter each other all the time".
"And who is the Slavic version of Ares?", Thalia asked.
"Perun and Svetovit would be the closest ones, but In a way the goddess of Dawn, Zorya Utrennyaya, could also count"
The next cabin itself didn't have anything special about it, being the most simple looking as gray building with plain white curtains and a design of an owl over the door.
"And whose cabin is that?", Veko asked as he looked at it.
"The cabin of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. And it looks way better on the inside, it's filled with thousands of books and old scrolls to read, 3-D models of buildings, blueprints, old war maps and armor, cupboards filled with materials to build things, as well as SMART boards to write down anything we need! And I'm the Head Counselor of the cabin!" Annabeth said, puffing her chest out in pride, making Percy smile at her enthusiasm while Thalia rolled her eyes fondly.
"Ah, her Slavic counterpart would probably be Gamayun, she spreads divine messages and prophecies, as she knows everything of all creation, gods, heroes, and all of that crap. She was also said to have foretold the death of monarchs and heads of state, like that of my cousin Josip."
"The next Cabin belongs to Apollo, the god of the sun, healing, music, art, poetry, truth, and prophecy. He is a son of Zeus, as well as the Titaness Leto"
"Leto you say? You probably do not mean Leto Atreides, right?" Veko asked as Percy chuckled at the question. "Oh, you read Dune?" Annabeth asked, interested.
"I didn't read it, but I listened to the Radio play of it, but only to the end of the third part".
"Me too", Percy chimed in, while Thalia looked confused.
„What the Hades is Dune?"
„A Science Fiction Book Series that came out in the 60s, the plot gets really confusing, and its pretty philosophical at times. „Oh, okay"
„But back to your question, Veko, no I'm not talking about Leto Atreides. Our Leto is a Titaness-
„Weren't these guys in charge before your gods came into existence?", Veko interrupted Annabeth, „Sorry"
„Yes, the Titans were basically the parents of the gods, and before them came the primordials."
„Holy crap that's confusing. Probably still more understandable than the Hindus."
„Does your pantheon have something like the titans?"
„Nope, it has been only the gods".
Veko had to squint his eyes when he tried to look at the cabin, as it was shining so brightly. "Is it reflecting sunlight or generating its own?" he asked, genuinely perplexed.
"Probably both, but at least it only glows during the day," Percy replied.
"It's too bright for my liking," Thalia grumbled.
"To be fair, you dislike anything brighter than black, Thalia," Annabeth chimed in.
"You used to be much nicer when we were younger, Annie!" Thalia retorted. Percy, Veko, and Atesh couldn't help but snicker.
"Speaking of age, how old are you, Veko?"
"I just turned 15 on August 9th."
"Belated congratulations then!"
„His closest Slavic counterpart would be Dažbog, sometimes also called Svarožić by some Southern and Eastern Slavs or Radhošt by a few Western Slavs. He is our god of the sun, the light, and he is also known as the bringer of Life. He is fittingly married to Zorya Utrennyaya, and he carries the sun across the sky, from east to west".
„Thats basically the same that Apollo does, he drives his Chariot across the sky, bringing the sun,"
„And who is this Zorya Utrenn-thingy-Goddess?", Thalia asked.
Veko chuckled before answering. „It's Zorya Utrennyaya, and the last name is her title. You see, there are three goddesses with the name Zorya, they are triplets. And each of them represents a different time of the day. Utrennyaya means 'morning Star', her other Sisters are Zorya Vechernyaya, meaning 'evening Star' and Zorya Polunochnaya, the 'midnight Star' to us".
Annabeth leaned in, her curiosity piqued. "And have you ever actually met one of them?" she asked.
Veko shifted uncomfortably and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, not exactly," he admitted. "But when I was 8 years old, I may or may not have accidentally shot a football straight through a window of Zorya Polunochnaya's temple. It ended up hitting a statue of her, knocking the head clean off." Veko winced at the memory.
"And let me guess," Percy said wryly, "she wasn't very happy about that."
Veko chuckled nervously. "You could say that. For the next three months, she made sure to have a bright star shine into my room, every night, making it nearly impossible to sleep."
Annabeth couldn't help but laugh at the image in her mind. "I bet you learned your lesson after that."
Veko nodded sheepishly. "Oh yes, and then some. The priestess in the temple also made me help her in the temple as a form of punishment and apology to her." He shook his head with a rueful smile. "Let us just say that I have learned to be much more careful with playing football around any type of religious buildings since then. But really, who would be so stupid to build an open air football field right next to a temple?"
„Well, at least she refrained from cursing you with something gross like Tentacles that grow out of your balls or something", Percy commented.
Veko, Annabeth, Atesh and Thalia all raised an eyebrow at the interesting description of the curse. „You speaking from experience or did you watch too much Hentai?"
„What even is Hen…" Thalia started before Percy interrupted her. „No and no, but some Greek god probably cursed someone with something like that".
„Good to know"
The next cabin was all-silver with silver curtains, decorated with paintings and carvings of wild animals, but mostly the stag.
"Well, at least that one is not glowing like Chernobyl". Veko said as he gazed at the structure, Percy snorted audibly at the joke, Annabeth raised her blonde eyebrows, while Thalia looked at Veko confused again, wondering what 'Chernobyl' was.
„That one is the Cabin of Artemis, she is the goddess of the hunt, archery, wilderness, animals, forests, the Moon, maidenhood, and childbirth. She is also Apollos twin sister. Her cabin is only used when her hunters come to camp, otherwise it's empty because she has no kids. Being a virgin goddess and stuff". Thalia explained, while looking asour.
„Ironic", said Veko. „She is the goddess of childbirth, yet she won't give birth to a child herself".
„Was that a reference to Revenge of the Sith when Palpatine tells Anakin the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the wise?" Percy asked with a grin. Veko answered, while having a similar smile on his face.
„Indeed. It seems you are useful at spotting references to the best movies of all time"
„Naturally, one needs to have priorities, right?"
Thalia and Annabeth exchanged an exasperated look, while letting out a sigh: „Boys…" both of the girls muttered simultaneously.
Veko turned to face Thalia again, „And who are those 'hunters' you mean, Thalia?"
Her face scrunched up even more, like she had bitten into a lemon.
„A group of semi-immortal maiden girls who travel around with Artemis, hunting animals and monsters alike."
„Only girls?" Veko pried further.
„Yes, only girls. According to them, boys, or 'males', as they would call you, are not trustworthy, and all of them are a bunch of abusive rapists and assholes."
Veko thought for a moment, before replying.
„That does sound really sexist to me. And let me guess, they are all for gender equality, yet they treat us boys like crap?"
„10/10 points, Veko. They all do, and it's really hypocritical if you ask me. I mean, I'm also for equal treatment of girls and boys alike, but then you have to really pull it through, and not just put one side down, while taking the moral high ground yourself. Oh, and to them, all women except for Aphrodite are saints who can't do anything wrong!". Veko looked just dissapointed and also confused by Thalia's words, while Percy seemed downright angry, and Annabeth looked thoughtful. Atesh meanwhile let out a croak that sounded like he was imitating a vomiting person, making the four demigods laugh out.
„Well, then I hope that I won't meet her, or her sexist firing squad, from what I heard, I really like our versions of her more".
„Versions? As in Plural?" Annabeth immediately noticed.
„Yup, first, we have Khors, the god of the moon. He is responsible for the rise and descent of the moon, governing the night, providing light in the darkness, and leading us safely back home during the night. The three Zoryas I told you about before are actually his daughters", Veko explained.
„Fittingly, his wife Devana is the Slavic goddess of wild nature, forests, archery, hunting and also of the moon. She is also the protector of the forests and wild animals, and the patron of hunters. But opposed to your Artemis, she is not a virgin goddess, she has no sexist firing squad kissing her ass, and she has godly children and demigods", Veko said as he pulled out one of his worn family albums from his blue backpack, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and nostalgia wash over him. The pages still looked good, and the faces in the photographs and paintings were still as familiar as the day they were taken, due to a nice piece of magic.
"What's that tome?" asked Annabeth as she looked at the thick book. On the Front the words:
Сімейний альбом сім'ї Федиченків, частина четверта, 500 р. до н.е. - 500 р. н.е. were written in Dark Blue Cyrillic Letters. (Translation: Family album of the Fedichenko family, part four, 500 BC - 500 AD)
"It is the fourth installment of my families' family album, in which all members of the Fedychenko family are listed, in this part are all of my ancestors written that have lived from 500 BC until 500 AD."
A few turned pages later, and Veko had found what he was looking for. "Ah, here he is," Veko pointed to a photo of a stern-looking man who had sharp features, short brown hair and one silve eye, the other one was missing. "This is Vladislav Fedychenko III., one of my ancestors. He lived from 446 until 319 BC, and was a son of Devana."
"Holy smokes, your family is ancient!" Annabeth exclaimed, her eyes widening in amazement. "How far back does your family tree even go?"
"To the year 2774 BC," Veko replied proudly. "That was when Pervush Fedychenko officially took on the name Fedychenko, and thus established our family line."
Percy let out a low whistle. "Damn, so your family has been around for... 4,784 years? That's truly impressive."
„Impressive Maths Percy", muttered Annabeth, having not expected this.
Veko couldn't help but rub the back of his neck nervously, a habit he had developed when feeling overwhelmed. "Well, um, yeah? Thank you, I guess. But yes, Vladislav III. was a son of Devana. Unfortunately, I did not inherit any of her powers due to how much time has passed."
"Wow," breathed Annabeth in awe. Percy and Thalia also looked impressed. It was hard to fathom just how long Veko's family had been around and all the history that came with it.
Thalia's curiosity got the best of her as she turned to Veko and asked, "And is Devana a nice goddess?"
Veko replied with a smile, "Yeah, She is pretty chill, but always on the move due to her nature as a hunting goddess. However, if you happen to stumble across her, I guarantee you will have a pleasant time. She provides food, shelter, and even joins in on some video games. Oh, and do not be surprised if she offers you a drink or twenty."
The three Greeks couldn't help but burst out laughing at the thought of a powerful goddess participating in such mortal activities. "Oh man, can you imagine playing Mario Kart against a goddess?" Percy chuckled. "Well, Just be prepared to have your ass handed to you by her." Veko answered smiling.
Thalia and Annabeth also grinned at the idea of a deity who could kick butt in both hunting and video games. "Well, she doesn't sound too bad," Thalia said with a laugh.
„Well, that's a nice factory there", Veko said as his eyes wandered over the next cabin
"That's Hephaestus' Cabin, they're the ones in charge of maintaining the weapons and armor for campers." Annabeth said. „Hephaestus is the god of blacksmiths, fire, forging, volcanoes and craftsmanship. And he is a son of Zeus and Hera".
„Hmm", hummed Veko. „He is similar to Svarog then. Svarog has all of the attributes that you mentioned, he is said to live in a Volcano, but nobody knows where exactly. He also crafted the weapons for the gods, and according to various folk songs and legends, he also crafted the sun, and he then gave it to his Son, Dažbog, making him the god of the sun".
Suddenly Annabeth remembered something that Veko said earlier.
Sometimes he is also called Svarožić
„Is that maybe where Dažbog's other name comes from? It was Savroć or something like that, wasn't it?"
„Exactly, I was about to get to that. Svarožić could be translated as 'The Son of Svarog', that is the reason for his second name."
„Fascinating", she whispered to herself.
Next was a wooden cabin with a painted blue roof, pillars, checkerboard deck with steps and gray walls. It also had a pink door and potted carnations by the window. And even from here, Veko could smell the perfume coming off of it.
"What…is that…thing?" Questioned Veko, not sure if it could even be called a cabin, making the Daughter of Zeus snicker.
"That's Aphrodite's Cabin or, as I like to call it, the Barbie House".
Noticing Vekos confused gaze, Annabeth elaborated further: „Aphrodite is the goddess of beauty, love, desire, passion, pleasure, and fertility. Her father is Ouranous, the personification of the sky, and she has no mother".
Veko raised his eyebrows at that. „And how does that work?"
„After Ouranous' son cut off the dick of his dad, it fell into the ocean, and through some godly shenanigans, Aphrodite somehow came into existence". Percy explained. Annabeth looked like she wanted to correct him, but then stopped herself, muttering that it wasn't even a false explanation.
„Well, um, that is… weird I guess?"
"A basic summary of everything that ever happend in the Greek pantheon"
With it looking to be the largest, oldest and most worn-looking, peeling brown paint, and a caduceus over the door, Veko turned to the next Cabin.
"What happened to that one?" Veko asked with a raised brow, wondering why it looked so rundown, while Thalia, Percy and Annabeth frowned.
"That's…the Hermes' Cabin, where the unclaimed demigods go, since Hermes welcomes them, given how he's the patron of travelers, thiefes and roads. But it's…really crowded." Annabeth said, making Veko frown.
"Why?"
"Because all of the unclaimed Demigods go there, as well as those parents don't have cabins, so…they don't bother to even claim their Kids." Said Percy with her frown growing, while Veko shook his head, while Atesh trilled a dissapointed sound.
"Do any of the Gods even claim their kids when they show up, or do you guys have to risk your lives just to be acknowledged?" Veko asked, wondering if any Olympians even cared enough to claim their children when they arrive.
"Some of them, Apollo, Hepheastus, Aphrodite and my mom for example. They all claim their children the moment they arrive. But for the rest…" Said Annabeth.
"Ignore you and probably don't even remember if someone is their kid or not." finished Percy, with Annabeth sighing and nodded in response.
"Well, what would you expect? They're gods, they're probably too busy to care or notice." Thalia said with a shrug, having accepted that most gods don't care about what the person they slept with did, after all's said and done, nor when their children are forced to run from monsters for years.
Veko's words were as sharp, his frustration evident in the way he spat them out. "That is no excuse," he declared firmly, "if they can not be bothered to care enough about their kids to even claim them, then they should not have kids at all." Percy nodded in agreement, his own thoughts wandering to his father. "They only care enough when they need you to do something for them, we're just tools and entertainment to them, and not people."
As they made their way through the camp, Veko's mind was consumed by thoughts of the dangerous game being played by the Greek Gods with their demigod children. He couldn't help but think back to his hitory lessons in school, when the Karelian Revolution had been the main topic for some time.
In 1848, the Karelo-Finnish Gods and their oppressive Puppet-monarchy were overthrown in by their demigods in a violent revolution and civil war, something which had caused huge shock-waves to rip across Europe, as it marked the first time that demigods had successfully rebelled against their divine parents. The news had spread like wildfire, inspiring other demigods across Europe to rise up too, and in the Baltic and Hungary, revolutions were initiated. Demigods from other places like Iberia, Ireland, Gaul, Germany, Caucasia, Turkistan and Scandinavia had then demand reforms from their own gods, who were smart enough to implement some. Even the Slavic gods were not immune to the winds of change, narrowly avoiding a revolution themselves by granting basic rights to their demigods. He coudn't help but wonder if the Greeks actually knew this, but he doubted it.
Annabeth and Thalia remained silent, knowing there was nothing they could say to refute Veko's words. They too had experienced the sting of their parents' indifference, only being acknowledged when it suited their needs.
Their tour of the camp continued as they made their way to Dionysus' cabin, the final stop on their journey. As they approached, Veko took note of its appearance - a simple log cabin with walls and roof adorned with grapevines. Compared to the other cabins, it seemed almost plain.
But what struck Veko as well was the lack of other cabins or religious structures in the vicinity. He looked at his Greek companions with slight confusion, wondering why there weren't more altars, shrines or temples dedicated to their gods. It seemed strange to him that such powerful beings wouldn't have elaborate displays of worship scattered throughout their camp. It was a Starking difference to home, where they had temples in the cities temple district, and multiple shrines were scattered around the city. In most of the houses, there could also be found small altars to various gods.
"Are you not missing some gods here?", he asked. "Like your god of the underworld, Hades, as well as, I think Hestia was her name? Why don't they have cabins? And maybe some altars or shrines to honor all of your other gods. You have a few of them, right?"
"Hestia doesn't have a cabin, since she gave up her throne as an Olympian to Mr D in order to prevent any infighting on who would give up their throne to him. And Hades… well, he's not exactly welcomed and I don't think his kids would be." Said Thalia said, knowing how terrified everyone is of her uncle and any kids he had likely wouldn't be welcomed. „Oh, and Hestia is over there". She pointed towards the centre of the camp, where a fire was lit. Squinting his eyes, Veko could make out a young girl, looking around 8 or 9 years old in a dress, tending to the flames.
„This is Hestia, then?".
„Yeah, she is." She's not like other gods, you know? She listens to you, gives you advice and makes you feel welcome, because she is the goddess of the hearth and home."
Would I be welcomed there?
Then she turned around, looking at him with a small smile on her face.
You'll be welcomed by my hearth anytime, young Fedychenko.
"That is no excuse to exclude either of them, I mean Hades may be the god of the underworld, but I would not say that makes him evil- Veko started, when Thalia rudely interrupted him. "Well, say what you want, but he's an Asshole to me, considering he sent a lot of monsters after me just because my dad couldn't keep his dick in his pants, which caused me to kind of die and be turned into a tree for some years! I'm glad I won't have to be reminded of him while I'm here!"
"Oh, okay. Sorry about that", Veko said softly.
Then he turned to Percy and Annabeth, asking them if they had a bad experience with Hades.
"He held my mother hostage and made me believe she was dead for a time," he began. "And then he accused me of stealing his helmet of Darkness and then tried to kill me simply because I exist. You know, since it's clearly my fault that my dad got mom pregnant. So yeah, safe to say I'm not his biggest fan."
There was a moment of awkward silence before Veko muttered another apology.
"Don't worry about it," Percy replied with a shrug. "You couldn't have known.", as the tension dissipated slightly.
"It's time for lunch now", Annabeth said, in an attempt to change the subject, something which Thalia and Percy were grateful for.
Well, Compared to Morana, Hades sounds downright pleasant to hang out with…
Does he also want you to sacrifice the same number of souls to him every year as corresponds to your age, and gives you a painful scar in your face like Luka when you fail?
"What do you do if it rains during a meal?" asked Veko as the four made their way over to the dining pavilion, which was a bunch of tables and pillars that stood under sky.
"It never rains here, except the gods want it, so we don't worry about that"
"Oh, okay"
As they made their way to the dining pavilion, Veko couldn't help but notice the curious stares and hushed whispers directed at him and Atesh. He could hear snippets of conversations as they passed by different campers.
"Who is this dude"
"I've never seen him before."
"What is that blue bird?"
"You aren't wearing a camp shirt, so you obviously stand out here," Annabeth said to him, as if she could read his thoughts. "And probably also because nobody here has ever seen a Phoenix before."
"Speaking of, don't expect me to wear these shirts, they are ugly as fuck"
"Finally somebody agrees with me on this!" said Thalia
"While we're on that topic, why do you wear so much Adidas anyway?"
"I'm Slavic, so its kind of in my blood to wear Adidas, it's simply the best"
"Well, just don't let Nike hear that"
"Nike the brand? Why?"
"No, the goddess of Victory is also called Nike"
"So, like, are you even allowed to wear Adidas?"
"I think so, but she probably expects her children to only wear Nike"
Veko looked at the trees, where he saw something really strange. A woman with green skin was melting out of a tree!
"Hey, is that a nymph over there?"
"Close, those are actually called dryads, they are kind of the waiters during meal-times, and they are running instructors, as they have centuries of practice of running from horny gods, so don't be sad if they outrun you"
"Okay, good to know."
"And the Donkey-Human dudes that look like Satan sent them up?"
Percy and Thalia laughed, while Annabeth snickered and corrected him.
"Satyrs are actually half goat and half human, and they are sent out into the mortal world to collect demigods and bring them here. And don't call them donkey, or you will be trampled by a horde of them".
When Veko looked around, he counted around 100 campers, a few dozen satyrs, and a dozen assorted dryads and naiads, which seemed to be the entirety of camp Half-Blood.
Overall, Veko was not really impressed by what he saw so far.
But he was determined to keep an Open mind.
—
Next up:
Chapter 8: Sons of the Ocean