(Percys POV)
I had a weird dream of riding a big red dragon into a battle full of monsters; some looked demonic. Most of them wanted to kill me others wanted him. I tried to protect my dragon but he got stolen away in the end.
I woke up once still a bit damaged from the fight with the minotaur still a bit doozy. I don't know if what I saw was true but I was being spoon-fed something that tasted like peanut butter only it was pudding. The girl with curly blond hair hovered over me smirking as she wiped food of my mouth with a a napkin.
When she saw my eyes open she asked me "what will happen at the summer solstice?"
"What" I managed to say with a bit of difficulty.
As though worried that someone may listen, she glanced around. "What's going on" What was stolen we have only got a few weeks.
I dont know I managed to say before falling asleep.
Next time I woke up a big blonde dude was standing in the corner of the bedroom and there was no sight of the girl. The blonde dude over closer examination was looking over at me with his eyes….he had over a dozen of the eyes he even had eyes over on his hands and cheeks.
When I fully recovered and I looked around my surroundings I was in a room that looked like an infirmary or a clinic. My attention was suddenly brought to the attention of a resting brown haired boy who looked to be around the same height as me but I could see he was at least half Japanese. The brown haired boy said in a bit broken English "Oh man did you finally wake up" Percy didn't feel sarcasm coming from this boy but genuine worry only one other person who is the same age as Percy did it before and that was Grover. Percy raised his fist forward and said I am Percy, Percy Jackson to the boy laying in bed and his arms covered in Bandages he also raised his fist forward and said I am Issei Hyodou.
(At that moment the greatest friendship was born).
Sometime later
Grover showed up to the infirmary later with tea. He handed me the tea and said careful drink it while its hot. Grover was wearing an orange T-shirt with camp half blood said on it. So I knew it wasn't true but I still hoped that mom was alive and all this was a bad dream, a nightmare. Thanks for saving my life said Grover. I wanted to your welcome but then that would make it come true. Grover moved silently and placed down a shoe box. When I opened the shoe box I saw the horn of the minotaur covered in dried blood.
The Minotaur I said.
Percy It isnt a good Idea too.
That's what he is isn't he? I asked with a serious tone, The Minotaur is Half bull and half man. Grover looked at me and said in a sad tone you and Issei have been asleep for 2 days now how much do you guys remember. My mom is she… Grover looked down. I am so sorry to hear that said Issei, I looked at Issei with a sad look well I have to go outside, (I was afraid to cry in front of my new friend). When I went outside there were groves of trees, a winding stream, and a huge strawberry farm and in a distance, there was a pine tree on top of a hill. I ran up to the hill, I sat in front of the Pine cone tree, My mother was gone my only pillar of support everything was spinning was it cause I was injured, I didn't care anymore and I started to feel empty. Grover and Issei followed me, Grover apologized to me saying I am the worst Saytr in history, well that says a lot if I look carefully I can see tiny horns poking out from his head. Percy I am sorry I failed to protect you, did I say it was your fault. Did I ask you to protect me or did my mom I asked in a husked voice. Its our job to protect young demigods. As I went back to my bed with Issei and grover and drank the tea It felt like every single fatigue was removed as I felt rejuvenated the tea tasted like the best hot chocolate the same one my mom used to make.
How do you feel? asked grover
Like I can chuck Nancy Bobofit a hundred feet.
BTW don't drink anymore of that stuff.
What do you mean.
He took the glass out of my hand and said cmon Chrion and Mr D are waiting you follow too Issei, Oh call me Ise, ok Ise.
As we walked for a little while and we reached a big house as I looked around the surroundings. As I thought to myself. The valley on this side of the house marched all the way up to the water, which gleamed approximately a mile away, indicating that we must have been on Long Island's north shore. I was just unable to digest all I was seeing between here and there. There were several structures scattered around the landscape that resembled ancient Greek architecture, such as a circular arena, an amphitheater, and an open-air pavilion, but they were all brand-new, with white marble columns that gleamed in the sunlight. Twelve high school-aged children and teenagers played volleyball in a nearby sandpit. Gliding across a little lake were canoes. Around a group of cabins tucked away in the woods, children wearing bright orange T-shirts similar to Grover's were chasing one another. At an archery range, some people fired targets. Others rode horses along a path through woods, and if my vision was correct, some of their horses had wings.
Two men were seated across from one another at a card table at the end of the porch. At their side, leaning on the porch rail, was the blonde who had spoon-fed me peanut butter-flavored pudding. The guy in front of me was short but plump. He had curly hair that was so dark it was nearly purple, a crimson nose, and large, watery eyes. He resembled those images of infant angels, or what are they called, hubbubs? Cherubs, no.
That's all. He had the appearance of a middle-aged cherub who had grown up in a trailer park.
He would have been perfectly at home at one of Gabe's poker parties, wearing a Hawaiian shirt with a tiger print, but I had the impression that he could have outgambled even my stepfather.
I heard Grover whisper, "That's Mr. D." He is the camp director. Be considerate. Annabeth Chase is the girl. Despite only being a camper, she has spent more time here than most others. And Chiron is someone you already know.
He gestured toward the man facing away from me.
I first became aware that he was seated in a wheelchair. Then I recognized the scraggly beard, the thinning brown hair, and the tweed jacket.
"Mr. Brunner!" I sobbed.
The Latin instructor turned to me and grinned. When he pulled a pop quiz and gave all of the multiple-choice responses B, his eyes had that sly gleam that occasionally appeared in class.
He answered, "Ah, good, Percy." "Now we have enough people for pinochle, five now."
He offered me a chair on Mr. D's right, who gave me a bloodshot look and let out a long sigh. "Oh, I guess I have to say it.
Greetings from Camp Half-Blood. There. Don't expect me to be happy to see you now.
"Thanks, I guess." Since I had discovered one thing from living with Gabe, I moved a bit more away from him. was how to determine whether an adult has been using happy juice. I was a satyr if Mr. D didn't know what booze was.
"Annabeth?" The blond girl was called to by Mr. Brunner.
She stepped up, and we were introduced by Mr. Brunner. "Percy and Ise, this young woman helped you both recover. Why don't you go check on Percy's bunk, Annabeth, my love? For the time being, we will place him in cabin eleven and Ise in cabin eleven.
"Annabeth said," "Yes, Chiron."
She was a lot more athletic-looking, perhaps a few inches taller, and definitely my age. She looked nearly precisely like the stereotypical California girl I had imagined, with her wavy blond hair and deep tan, but her eyes marred the picture. They were strikingly gloomy, akin to storm clouds; attractive, yet menacing, as though she were figuring out how to defeat me in combat.
"You drool when you sleep," she said instead.
Her blond hair flew behind her as she dashed across the yard.
"So," I began, eager to shift the conversation. "Mr. Brunner, you work here?"
The former Mr. Brunner remarked, "Not Mr. Brunner." Regretfully, that was a pseudonym. You can refer to me as Chiron.
"All right." Looking at the director, I was completely bewildered. "And Mr. D, is there anything that represents?"
Mr. D ceased rearranging the cards. He gave me a look as if I had just let out a huge belch. Names have a lot of power, young man. You don't use them carelessly all the time.
Chiron-Brunner interrupted, "I must say, Percy, I'm glad to see you alive."
I haven't visited a prospective camper at their home in a very long time. I would hate to believe that I have squandered my time.
"House call?"
"I came to Yancy Academy this year to teach you. Naturally, most schools have satyrs on duty to keep an eye out. However, Grover informed me as soon as he saw you. I chose to come upstate because he felt you were unique. The other Latin instructor was persuaded to take a leave of absence by me.
I made an effort to recall the start of the academic year. Although it seems like a very long time ago, I vaguely recall that during my first week at Yancy, there was another Latin teacher. After that, he vanished without warning, and Mr. Brunner attended the class.
You came to Yancy to just teach me I asked.
Chiron looked at me and Ise and said you two might be two of the newest additions to the camp and the most promising people here but you guys still have a lot to learn.
"Grover, are you playing or not?" Mr. D asked anxiously.
"Yes, sir!" Although I didn't understand why he should be so terrified of a plump little man wearing a Hawaiian shirt with a tiger print, Grover shuddered as he sat down in the fourth chair.
"Are you guys proficient in pinochle?" Mr. D gave me a wary look.
I said, "I'm afraid not."
"Sir, I'm afraid not," he said.
"What is this location? Why am I here? Why would you travel to Yancy Academy merely to instruct me, Mr. Brun—Chiron?
Mr. D snorted. "I posed the same query."
The cards were dealt by the camp director. Every time one fell into Grover's pile, he winced.
As if to convey that I was his best student regardless of my grade, Chiron gave me a sympathetic smile, just like he used to do in Latin class. He thought I would know the answer.
"She stated..." I recalled her dejected gaze, gazing out to sea. Despite my father's wishes, mother informed me she was scared to send me here. She stated I probably wouldn't be able to leave once I was here. She desired for me to remain near her.
"Normal," Mr. D remarked. They are typically killed in this manner. Are you bidding or not, young man?
"What?" I inquired.
I followed his impatient explanation of how to bid at pinochle.
Chiron remarked, "I'm afraid there's too much to tell." "I'm afraid our standard orientation video won't cut it."
I said, "Orientation film."
Chiron said, "No." Alright, Percy. Grover, your companion, is a satyr, as you are aware. You are aware that you have slain the Minotaur," he said, pointing to the horn in the shoe box. No minor accomplishment, either, boy. You could be unaware that powerful forces are at play in your life.
The energies that you refer to as the Greek gods are very much alive.
I gazed at everyone seated at the table.
I waited for a voice to say, "Not!" However, all I received was Mr. D shouting, "Oh, a royal marriage." Trick, trick! As he added up his points, he laughed.
Grover hesitantly said, "Mr. D, may I have your Diet Coke can if you won't eat it?"
Grover sobered as he chewed a large piece of the empty aluminum can.
"Hold on," I said to Chiron. "You're implying that God actually exists."
"All right," Chiron responded. "God—God, capitalized G. That is a very different issue. We will not address the metaphysical.
"Metaphysical? However, you were just discussing—
"Ah, gods, plural, as in, magnificent creatures that govern the natural forces and human activities: the everlasting gods of Olympus." That is a less serious issue.
"Not serious?"
Indeed, quite. We talked about the gods in Latin class.
"Zeus," I said. "Hera. Apollo. You're referring to them.
On a cloudless day, distant thunder appeared once more.
Mr. D remarked, "Young man, if I were you, I would really be less casual about throwing those names around."
I responded, "But they're stories." "They are—myths, to explain the seasons, lightning, and other things."
They are the beliefs held prior to the development of science.
"Science!" Mr. D laughed. He replied, "And tell me, Perseus Jackson"—I winced when he spoke my own name, which I kept a secret—"and tell me, what will people think of your'science' in two thousand years?"
Mr. D went on.
"Well? They'll refer to it as primitive jargon. That's what. Yes, I adore mortals; they are completely perspectiveless. They believe they have made great progress. Chiron, have they? Tell me, look at this boy.
Even though I didn't like Mr. D, there was something off about the way he referred to me as mortal, like though he wasn't. The idea of why Grover was obediently watching his cards, munching his Coke can, and keeping his mouth quiet was enough to make my throat turn.
"Percy, whether you believe it or not, the fact remains that immortality entails immortality," Chiron remarked. Can you picture never dying for a second? Never going away? Existing forever, just as you are?
How would you feel about being referred to as a myth or an ancient tale that explains lightning if you were a god? What if I told you, Perseus Jackson, that one day you would be referred to as a myth, made up only to help young boys cope with the loss of their mothers?
My heart was racing. For some reason, he was attempting to enrage me, but I refused to allow it. "I wouldn't like it," I responded. However, I reject the existence of gods.
"Oh," Mr. D said, "you'd better." "Before you are burned alive by one of them."
"P-please, sir," Grover said. His mother passed just recently. He's stunned.
As he played a card, Mr. D said, "A lucky thing, too." "It's bad enough that I have to work with boys who don't even believe at this dreadful job!"
As if the sunlight had temporarily bent and woven the air into glass, he waved his hand and a cup materialized on the table. Red wine poured into the glass itself.
Chiron hardly looked up, but my mouth fell open.
He cautioned, "Your limitations, Mr. D."
Mr. D pretended to be surprised as he examined the wine.
"To me, dear." Gazing up at the sky, he said, "Old habits! Apologies!
More thunder.
When Mr. D waved his hand once more, a brand-new Diet Coke can replaced the wineglass. With an unhappy groan, he popped the soda's lid and resumed playing cards.
Chiron gave me a wink. "Mr. D took a fancy to a wood nymph who had been off-limits after offending his father a while back."
I repeated, still gazing at the Diet Coke can as if it were from space: "A wood nymph."
"Yes," Mr. D admitted. "My father enjoys punishing me." Prohibition, the first time. Horrible! What a terrible decade! He sent me here the second time because, well, she was incredibly attractive and I couldn't help myself. Blood Hill Half. Brats like you can go to summer camp. "Be a more positive influence," he advised me. "Work with young people instead of tearing them down."
Ha! Totally unjust.
Mr. D sounded like a sulking small child, perhaps six years old.
"And..." I stumbled, "Your dad is."
Mr. D responded, "Di immortales, Chiron." "I assumed you gave this boy a foundational education. Naturally, Zeus is my father.
I looked up Greek mythological D names. Wine. The tiger's skin.
All of the satyrs appeared to be employed here. Grover winced as though Mr. D were his boss.
I said, "You're Dionysus." "The wine god."
I said, "You're Dionysus." "The wine god."
Mr. D gave an eye roll. Grover, what do they say these days? Do the kids exclaim, "Well, duh!"
"Yes, Mr. D."
Then, of course! Jackson, Percy. Maybe you thought I was Aphrodite.
"You are divine."
"Yes, kid."
"You are a god."
I noticed a sort of purple fire in his eyes as he turned to face me directly, giving me the impression that this whining, fat little man was just revealing a small portion of who he really was. I saw visions of sailors screaming as their hands transformed to flippers and their faces lengthening into dolphin snouts, drunken warriors driven wild by battle lust, and grape vines strangling doubters to death. I was aware that Mr. D would show me worse things if I pressed him. He would infect my brain with a disease that would keep me in a rubber room in a straitjacket for the rest of my days.
"Child, would you like to test me?" he whispered softly.
"No, sir. No."
The fire somewhat died. He resumed playing his card game. "I think I win."
"Mr. D, not quite," Chiron remarked. "The game goes to me," he declared after setting down a straight and tallying the points.
"I'm worn out," Mr. D declared. "I think I'll sleep before tonight's sing-along. But first, Grover, we must discuss your subpar performance on this project once more.
Grover had beads of sweat on his face. "Yeah, sir."
Mr. D looked across at me. "Percy Jackson, cabin eleven. Also, be mindful of your etiquette.
Grover followed him pathetically as he swept into the farmhouse.
"Will Grover be alright?" I questioned Chiron. "Yes" said Chrion.
I said, "Mount Olympus." "Are you implying that there is a palace there?"
Mount Olympus is located in Greece. Then there is Mount Olympus, which was formerly the location of the gods' residence and the meeting place of their powers. The palace changes, Percy, much like the gods do, but it is still known as Mount Olympus in observance of the ancient customs.
Do you imply that the gods of Greece are present? As in—in America?
"Well, of course. The gods follow the Western heartbeat.
"What?"
"Come on, Percy. You refer to it as "Western civilization." Do you believe it to be merely a theoretical idea? It is, in fact, a living force. For thousands of years, a collective consciousness has been burning brightly. The gods are involved.
You could even argue that they constitute its origin, or at the very least, they are so inextricably linked to it that they cannot ever disappear unless Western civilization as a whole is destroyed. Greece was where the fire began. Then, as you are well aware—or as I hope you are, given that you completed my course—the gods and the heart of the fire relocated to Rome. Yes, sometimes with different names—Venus for Aphrodite, Jupiter for Zeus, and so forth—but the same energies and gods.
The idea that I appeared to be a part of Chiron's we, as though I were a member of some club, was particularly overwhelming.
Chiron, who are you? Who am I?
Chiron grinned. I understood that he couldn't get out of his wheelchair, yet he moved his weight as though he were. His paralysis extended from his waist down.
"Who am I?" he wondered.
We all want an answer to that question, don't we? We should get you a bunk in cabin eleven for the time being, though.
You'll have to make new acquaintances. And tomorrow's classes will have plenty of time.
In addition, I absolutely love chocolate, and tonight there will be s'mores by the campfire.
He eventually got out of his wheelchair. However, there was a peculiarity in his approach. His legs remained motionless, but his blanket dropped off them. His waist continued to elongate, beyond his belt. He was taller than any male, so I initially assumed he was wearing really long, white velvet underwear, but as he continued to get up from the chair, I understood that it wasn't underwear; It was the muscle and sinew of an animal's front covered in rough, white fur. Furthermore, it wasn't a wheelchair. It was a huge box on wheels, some sort of container, and it had to have been magic since it couldn't have contained him all. A long, knobby-kneed leg with a massive polished hoof emerged. The box was then empty, just a metal shell with a few artificial human legs attached, followed by another front leg and then hindquarters.
I gazed at the enormous white stallion that had just exited the wheelchair. However, my Latin teacher's upper torso was seamlessly grafted to the horse's trunk where its neck should have been.
The centaur exclaimed, "What a relief." My fetlocks had gone sleepy from being cooped up in there for so long. Hurry up, Perseus Jackson. Let's get to know the other campers.
We had a pleasant tour after I got over the notion that my Latin teacher was a horse, but I was cautious not to follow him. I apologize, but I did not trust Chiron's back end as much as I trusted his front end after doing pooper-scooper patrol in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade a few times.
When we were crossing the volleyball pit. Many of the campers were whispering to each other and pointing at the minotaur horn I was carrying and they were also pointing at Issei he was carrying a large sharp tooth, when I saw that tooth I asked him where you attacked by a shark or something, when I asked him that he had an expression of being zoned out. He quickly snapped out of it and smiled eviliy and said a chimera. I was surprised hearing that and hoped I never meet one. I could still hear the campers whisper saying look at those two.
I was younger than the majority of the campers. Grover was dwarfed by their satyr companions, who all walked around wearing orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirts and little else to hide their exposed, shaggy rear ends. Even though I'm not usually bashful, I felt uneasy with the way they looked at me. They seemed to be anticipating a flip or something from me.
I turned to face the farmhouse. It was four stories high, sky blue with white trim, and much larger than I had anticipated. It resembled an affluent beach resort. I was examining the brass eagle weather vane atop when I noticed a shadow in the attic gable's uppermost window. For a brief moment, someone had moved the curtain, and I could clearly feel that I was being watched.
"What's up there?" I questioned Chiron.
His smile vanished as he looked in the direction I was pointing. "Only the attic."
"Is there anyone who lives there?"
"No," he responded definitively. "No living thing at all."
I sensed that he was telling the truth. However, I was also certain that something had caused that curtain to shift.
With a slightly strained tone, Chiron said, "Come along, Percy." "A lot to observe."
While a satyr played music on a reed pipe, we strolled into the strawberry fields where campers were gathering bushels of fruit.
According to Chiron, the camp produced a good crop that was exported to Mount Olympus and restaurants in New York. "It covers our costs," he clarified. "The strawberries also require very little work."
"He'll have another chance, won't he, Grover?"
Chiron flinched. Regretfully, Percy, that was Grover's second opportunity. After what had transpired five years prior, the council was also hesitant to grant him another. Olympus is aware; I told him to hold off on attempting again. For his age, he is still quite little.
"What is his age?"
"Oh, twenty-eight."
"What? He's in sixth grade, too?
"Percy, satirs mature half as quickly as humans do. For the previous six years, Grover has been the equivalent of a middle school student.
"That's unfair," I remarked. What went wrong the first time? Was it truly that awful?
Chiron instantly averted his gaze. "Shall we proceed, shall we?"
"Chiron," I murmured. "If Olympus, the gods, and everything else are real..."
"Yes, kid?"
Does that imply that the Underworld is also real?
Chiron's face grew serious.
"Yes, kid." He hesitated, as though he was picking his words carefully. "After death, spirits go to a certain place. However, I would advise you to ignore that for the time being until we get further information.
"Until we know more," what do you mean?
"Come, Percy. Let's explore the forest.
I became aware of the size of the forest as we approached. With trees so tall and dense that you could think no one had lived there since the Native Americans, it occupied at least 25% of the valley.
"The woods are stocked, if you want to try your luck, but go armed," Chiron stated.
"Stocked by what?" I inquired. "What are you armed with?"
"You'll see. It is Friday night when the flag is captured. Do you own a sword and shield of your own?
"Mine—?"
"No," Chiron replied. "I doubt that you do. A size five should work, in my opinion. Later, I'll go to the armory.
"Does Issei have his own shield and his sword" When I asked that Ises eyes lit up as he said look at this. He took out a red cylinder and a gold armband. On closer insection the red cylinder looked like a lighter which he squeezed lit it on Ises hand was covered in flames and out of those flames came out a sword. A one-handed longsword with a blade that seems to pulse like a heartbeat. The edges of the blade glow crimson, and its fuller is engraved with a pattern of intertwining roses and thorns. The hilt is encrusted with a ruby shaped like a teardrop, glowing faintly. After Ise pulled it out Chrion had a shocked expression while Ise was giddy and said I call this bloodsweep and on the other hand came out a golden flash almost blinding. Out a shield the shield is a large, kite-shaped piece with a scaled texture, resembling the hide of a dragon.
The rim is edged with jagged patterns that evoke dragon fangs, giving it a fierce, predatory look.
At its center lies a roaring dragon head emblem, its eyes formed from glowing rubies that flicker like embers. Chiron started saying something under his breath in ancient greek almost as if he was praying to someone and doing the claw motion on the heart and pointing at Ises weapons. "I call this one Ignis Draconis". The camper where also shocked at what Ise pulled out. As we get ready for capture the flag.