Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Honestly, after coming to terms with the fact that Mr. Brunner wasn't actually Mr. Brunner and was in fact a horse? Okay maybe he hadn't fully come to terms with it, but still. They had a nice enough tour around the camp.

As the two passed the volleyball pit, several of the campers nudged each other, he saw one pointing at the Minotaur horn in his hand and heard another one say, "That's him."

He caught sight of an older boy, maybe seventeen or eighteen who was crouched near the volleyball pit. His eyes seemed to follow Percy as he walked alongside Chiron. He had curly brown hair, though Percy thought there were a few clumps of strands that looked lighter, suntanned skin and sharp green eyes. He was wearing a baggy long sleeve shirt despite the heat and a red cross arm band. He looked like he belonged on some sports team but he had this deep, messy scar across his nose. When he noticed Percy was staring back he offered a small smile before he was all but tackled by a younger looking blond boy.

Most of the campers he saw looked older than him, and their satyr friends that trotted around in the same bright orange camp shirts looked bigger than Grover.

Shy wasn't a word that Percy would often use to describe himself, but the way everyone stared at him as if they were expecting some grand performance was making his skin crawl.

He looked back at the farmhouse they'd left and realized it was much taller than he'd originally realized. Four stories with sky blue siding and white trims, it looked like a seaside resort that Percy and his mom could never dream of going to.

He was studying the weathervane on the top that looked a little like an eagle when something drew his eyes. A shadow in the uppermost window of the attic gable. Something had moved the curtain, only for a moment but he suddenly felt like he was being watched by something much greater than all the campers.

"What's up there?"

Chiron looked over to Percy with a small smile, following where he was pointing. When his eyes found the window, his smile melted away. "Just the attic."

Percy tilted his head. "Does somebody live there?"

"No." He said like it was the end of the conversation. "Not a single living thing "

And that didn't feel like a lie, but he was sure he'd seen something move that curtain. He looked back at the attic but the feeling had passed.

Weird.

"Come along." Chiron's hand fell on his back, guiding him further from the farmhouse. "We have lots to see before tonight."

As they walked through the strawberry fields, Chiron told him the camp grew them to send off to restaurants in New York and Mount Olympus. "It pays our expenses, and the strawberries are quite easy." He explained that Mr. D had an effect on fruit bearing plants, it worked best on wine grapes, but he wasn't allowed to grow them. So strawberries it was.

He saw lots of campers in the fields, picking strawberries and playing with each other. It seemed peaceful. He saw an older girl, maybe fifteen, with long curly brown hair and darker skin ushering a pair of younger campers along, she had the usual camp shirt and a long, flowing white skirt. He spotted what looked like COUNSELOR printed in bold letters across the back.

"Jasmine." Chiron offered when he noticed Percy staring. "She is the head counselor for cabin four. You will meet her formally soon as well as the other counselors."

Percy only hummed, wondering if the older boy he saw at the volleyball court was a counselor too. He had looked older than her.

He watched a satyr playing a pipe, the music causing lines of bugs to flee the strawberry patches and he wondered if that was something Grover could do. He frowned at the thought of his satyr friend.

"Grover isn't in a lot of trouble right?" He asked, looking over at Chiron. "He was a good protector, really."

Chiron sighed quietly, sliding his jacket off his shoulders and draping it over his horse back like a saddle. "Grover…you must understand, he has very big dreams, Percy. Bigger than what may even be reasonable. But, the first step to reaching that goal, he must first demonstrate an act of overwhelming courage by succeeding as a keeper, those who find and escort new demigods safely to Half-Blood Hill."

Percy frowned. "But he did that."

"While I...may agree with you, but it is not my place to judge." Chiron said, shaking his head. "That decision lies with Dionysus and the Council of the Cloven Elders. They may not see this latest assignment as a success give that Grover lost you in New York." He sighed. "And then, of course, there's the unfortunate…hm…fate of your mother, and you had to bring him across the border as he was unconscious. The council may not consider this a display of courage on his part."

Percy wanted to protest, say that this wasn't Grovers fault! But, he did suddenly feel guilty, really guilty. If he hadn't slipped away from Grover in the first place, he might not have gotten in trouble. "He'll get a second chance, right?"

The centaur winced, lowering his head. "I am afraid that was his second chance, my boy. And the Council was not keen on giving him such a chance after what happened the first time. I did advise him to wait before trying again…he is still so small for his age."

Percy tilted his head, suddenly curious. "How…how old is he?"

"Oh, he's twenty-four."

Percy gawked. "Huh? And he's in sixth grade? That makes no sense!"

"Satyrs mature half as fast as humans, Grover has been the equivalent of a middle school student for the last four years."

"That's…horrible."

Chiron only hummed in sympathy. "At any rate, Grover is quite the late bloomer, even by satyr standards, and he is yet to accomplish much in the way of woodland magic." He sighed. "Perhaps now he will turn his focus elsewhere and pursue a new career."

"That isn't fair!" Percy complained, crossing his arms. "What happened the first time? There's no way it was that bad."

Chiron didn't answer. "Let's move along then, shall we?"

Percy didn't want to drop the subject so fast, unfortunately he wasn't given the chance as Chiron started walking away. He followed, glancing back over at the hill and his mind wandered. His mother.

Chiron had toed around the subject, never explicitly said she'd died so maybe, just maybe…

"Chiron." The centaur looked over at him. "If the gods and Olympus and all of that is real, is…" he frowned, "is the Underworld real too?"

Chiron's face darkened. "Yes, child." He paused, looking away with a thoughtful expression like he was choosing his words carefully. "There is a place where spirits travel to after death, but I urge you to put that out of your mind."

Percy frowned. "But-"

"Come along, let us see the forest." He scowled, but Chiron was already trotting away from him and this topic.

The woods were huge, taking up at least a quarter of the valley with trees so tall and thick Percy wondered how long they'd been growing. "The woods are stocked if you wish to try your luck. But go armed." Chiron told him.

Percy blinked. "Stocked? Wait, armed? Armed with what?"

"You will see. Capture the flag is Friday night, do you have your own sword and shield?"

"What?"

"Ah, I suppose you would not. A size five may fit, I will speak with Charles."

Percy wanted to ask who Charles was but Chiron was heading back toward the heart of the camp.

He showed Percy the archery range where a few campers were shooting targets, he spotted one boy who managed to hit a bullseye on each one. Percy didn't think he could even manage to hit the target at all.

Next was the lake where he spotted a few people in canoes, then the stables where a pair of girls - he spotted the same COUNSELOR stamped across the back of the older ones shirt - were tending to the horses, the amphitheater where Chiron said they held campfires each night, then the javelin range and finally the arena that Chiron said they held fights in.

"Fights?"

"Oh duels, cabin challenges and the like. It will also be where you will learn how to sword fight with your counselor. Not lethal, usually."

He turned his attention to a huge building and pointed it out. "Ah, the dining hall." Percy frowned. The thing was nice and all, a pavilion framed in white columns overlooking the sea, dozens of tables lined the area inside. But it had no roof and no walls.

"What if it rains?"

"We still have to eat, no?" Percy gave up after that.

The grand finale of the tour were the cabins. Twelve buildings nestled in the woods near the lake arranged in a U with two at the base and five in a row on either side. The only thing they had in common were the brass numbers above the door, odd numbers on the left side, even on the right. They were potentially the weirdest assortment of buildings he'd ever seen.

Nine had smokestacks like it was a tiny factor. Four looked like a greenhouse with vines climbing the walls and a roof with grass on the top. Seven and eight had similar structures, and both had stylized decals of a sun and moon, seven looked like it was made of gold - it reflected the sun in a way that made it hard to look at - but eight looked like it was made of silver, and seemed to swallow the light of the sun.

The cabins faced a commons about the size of a soccer field that was dotted with statues, fountains, flower beds and a pair of basketball hoops. The centre held a stone-lined firepit with a fire lit despite the warmth - a young girl was tending to the flames, but Chiron paid her no mind.

When they passed, she lifted her head and offered Percy a small smile.

At the head of the field were the only other pair of cabins that looked similar was one and two. Large and marble buildings with heavy columns in front. One was the biggest and bulkiest, polished bronze doors that shimmered like a hologram, when the light hit them, it looked like lightning bolts arced across them. Two, on the other hand, was much more elegant with slimmer columns decorated in pomegranates and flowers, the silver doors had carvings of peacocks.

"Zeus and Hera?" Percy guessed, looking at Chiron who nodded. "They looked empty.'

"Many are." Chiron agreed. "One and two never hold any campers."

So, if he was understanding correctly, each cabin belonged to a different god like a mascot. Or…what was the word Chiron had used during one of his lectures as Mr. Brunner? Patron? Either way. Twelve cabins for each of the twelve Olympians.

But that didn't explain why they'd be empty.

He paused at the bottom of the porch to cabin three. It wasn't as elegant as one or two, made of rough grey stone studded with pieces of seashells and coral, like the slabs were taken from the ocean floor. He stepped up the stairs, pushing the door open.

"Oh, Percy!" Chiron called.

But Percy had already stepped inside. Almost immediately he was a smell that sent him back to the shore at Montauk, the salty scent of the ocean. The interior walls glowed dimly like abalone and there were six empty bunk beds with silk sheets. It looked like nobody had ever slept in them.

It felt so…sad and lonely.

Chiron's hand on his shoulder pulled him from whatever trance he'd been stuck in. "Come along."

Walking away from the three empty cabins, he noticed how lively the other cabins seemed.

Number five looked fierce, like a warriors home. Above the brass number was a wild boars head that had eyes seemed to follow him. Inside, he saw a group of campers, a pair were arm wrestling while three or four others sat around watching, looking quite amused. He caught the eye of a girl who didn't look much older than him, thirteen or fourteen, wearing a camp t-shirt under a camo jacket. She looked strong, long, curly brown hair and dark eyes, she got a wicked look in her eyes as she smirked at him.

He pulled his eyes away from the cabin, keeping himself in line with Chiron while avoiding his hooves. "I haven't seen another centaur."

"You have not." Chiron agreed, seeming a little sad. "My kinsmen are a wild and barbaric folk, I fear. You may encounter them in the wilderness but none will reside here for it is against their nature."

Percy looked up at him, frowning a little as he considered his next question. "You said that your name was Chiron." He said, tilting his head. "Are you really…"

"The Chiron?" He asked with a small smile. "From the stories, trainer of Hercules and the like? I am."

"Then…shouldn't you be dead?"

Chiron paused, like he hadn't expected the question. "Well, I honestly do not know about should be. I suppose…I cannot be dead. Eons ago, the gods granted my wish to continue the work that I loved. They allowed me to be a teachers to heroes so long as I was needed. I gained as much as I lost from that wish. However, I am still here, so one can only assume I am still needed.

Percy considered that. Being a teacher for three thousand years definitely wouldn't have made his top tn things to wish for. "Does it ever get boring?" He asked, looking up at the centaur.

"Oh, no, no." Chiron said, shaking his head. "Horribly depressing, at times, but never boring."

He frowned. "Depressing? Why depressing?"

Chiron decided he was deaf again. "Oh look, Annabeth is waiting for us."

The girl he'd met at the big house earlier was sitting on the stairs of the last cabin on the left, eleven, with her nose in a book. She lifted her head when the pair approached, first looking at Chiron and then looking at Percy with a frown. He tried to see what she was reading, but couldn't make out the title. At first, he assumed it was just his dyslexia but then he realized the title…wasn't even English. Was that Greek?

"Annabeth." Chiron said, pulling Percy out of his staring contest with the book. "I have a class to supervise at noon. Would you take Percy from here?"

"Yes, sir."

Chiron gestured to the cabin, that looked the most like a summer camp cabin. It looked worn down from years of use, the brown paint on the walls was peeling. Above the brass number was one of those doctor symbols, what was it called again? A caduceus, maybe?

"Cabin eleven." Chiron said. "Make yourself at home, Percy."

From the doorway, he could see a lot of people, way too many people to fit in all the bunk beds in the cabin, the floor was covered in sleeping bags and it made it look like an evacuation center.

Chiron didn't step through the door, the frame wasn't tall enough, but the campers bowed when they saw him. "Well, have fun then. I will see you both at dinner."

He left Percy in the doorway with over a dozen eyes on him, the campers sizing him up and he sighed. He knew this routine, having gone through it at every school he went to.

His gaze shifted, locking onto a bright green from the corner of his eye, finding Alabaster on a bottom bunk. He was sitting with his chin propped on the shoulder of another boy around his age, glossy black hair and brown eyes that seemed to be different shades. Behind those two was another boy laying with his head hung over the edge of the bed so he could peer at Percy.

"Well?" Annabeth urged, crossing her arms. "Go on."

So, of course he tripped over his feet coming in the door and made a complete fool of himself.

Behind him, Annabeth let out an exasperated sigh, stepping in behind him. "Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven."

"Regular or undetermined?" The boy laying behind Alabaster asked.

Percy stared at him blankly, unsure of what to say, so Annabeth spoke instead. "Undetermined." Several people groaned.

"Alright, alright calm down." Percy looked over as an older guy stepped forward. "That's why we're here, come on now. Welcome Percy, we're happy to have you."

He was about nineteen and looked pretty cool, tall and muscular with short, curly blond hair but Percy could spot the dark roots. He had a friendly smile, wearing a camp shirt that had been modified to be a tank top and Percy could see a leather necklace around his neck. Five coloured beads hung from it, and a glance at Alabaster showed he had the same. The only thing unsettling about the guy in front of him was the jagged scar running across the right side of his face, which seemed to cause his right eyelid to droop.

Percy thought back to the boy he'd seen at the volleyball court, a similar looking scar but across his nose.

"This is Luke." Annabeth said, messing with her hair. "He's going to be your counselor for now."

Percy looked over at her with a frown. "Why for now?"

"You're undetermined." Luke said, offering a small smile as he tucked his hands into his pockets. "It means they don't know which cabin you're supposed to be in, so you're here. Eleven takes all newcomers, naturally, our patron is Hermes, the god of travellers."

Hermes. He filed that away. One was Zeus, two was Hera and eleven was Hermes.

He looked around the cabin again, floor covered in sleeping bags and looking too full for anyone to really be comfortable or feel at home. His eyes fell on a section near the foot of the bunk Alabaster was sitting on that was free of sleeping bags and Luke hummed. "You can take that space if you want." He offered. Percy thought his voice sounded strained. "We'll get you set up with a sleeping bag and some pillows before lights out."

Percy looked down at the box in his arms, Luke raised an eyebrow and he wondered if the counselor knew what was inside. His eyes flickered up and between the campers eyeing him when he remembered that Hermes was also the god of thieves. A few campers looked sullen, a few looked amused, others were grinning at Percy in a way that made his skin crawl.

He looked up at Luke. "How long will I be here?"

Luke sighed. "Very common question. Until you're claimed and we know which cabin you'll be apart of."

"How long will that take?"

Luke gave him a pitying look, Alabaster exchanged a look with the dark haired boy he was sitting with and a lot of the other kids started laughing.

Annabeth grabbed his wrist. "Come on. I'll show you the volleyball court."

"I've already-"

"I'll show you again." She dragged him out the door and away from the cabin. Percy glanced over his shoulder once they were off the porch and noticed Alabaster following them out.

When they stood at the threshold between cabin one and two, Annabeth whirled around, giving him a scathing look as Alabaster took a spot at her side. "You have to do better than that, Jackson."

"What?"

She rolled her eyes, brushing her hair out of her face. "Gods, I can't believe you were supposed to be the one."

"Beth-" Alabaster started but Percy spoke over him.

"What is your problem!" He hissed. "All I know is that I killed some bull guy-"

"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth snapped, snarling in a way that made her sharper than normal canines more obvious to Percy. That was…odd. "Do you know how many people at this camp wish they had that chance?"

"To die?"

"To fight the Minotaur!" She shouted. "What do you think we train for?!"

Percy rolled his eyes. "Please, if that thing was the real Minotaur from those stories-"

"There's only one?" Alabaster finished his statement in a drawl. "And he should be dead?" Percy blinked. "Monsters don't die, not like we do."

He stared blankly at the brunette. "That makes total sense."

Annabeth glared at him. "They don't have souls like we do. You can dispel them, for a whole lifetime if you're lucky. But they're primal forces, Chiron calls them archetypes. Eventually they reform."

Percy blinked, head tilting his head as he took in the information. His mind wandered to Mrs. Dodds. "So…if I killed one by accident with a sword-"

"The fu-" Annabeth shot Alabaster a look and his voice tapered off, "I mean…your math teacher." He said, stilted like he was reading from a script.

Annabeth stared blankly at him and then looked to Percy. "She isn't gone, she'll be back. All you did was make her mad."

Percy frowned at them. "How do you know about that?"

"You talk in your sleep." Annabeth deadpanned.

"You almost called her something." He said, looking at Alabaster. "A fury? They're like…Hades' torturers, aren't they?"

Annabeth's eyes widened and Alabaster's hand settled on her shoulder while she looked down at the ground like it would open up under them.

"Names are a powerful thing, Jackson." Alabaster said carefully. "You really should avoid calling them by name, even here. If we have to address them, we call them Kindly Ones."

Percy sighed, rolling his eyes. All this nonsense about names. He looked over at cabin eleven again. "Why do I have to stay there, anyway? And why is it so crowded? There's plenty of empty cabins right here." He pointed between one and two.

Annabeth turned pale while Alabaster's expression darkened. "You don't get to choose your cabin, Percy." He muttered, like he was annoyed as he stared over at cabin one. "The cabin you're assigned to depends on your parents."

"Well, only one parent." Annabeth murmured.

Percy looked between them as they stared at him. "My mom is Sally Jackson, she works at the candy store down in Grand Central Station. Well…she used to."

"I'm sorry about your mom. But that's not what we're talking about." Annabeth sighed, looking past him. When he turned his head to see what she was looking at, he found cabin six. It looked minimalistic but elegant, marble pillars decorated with silver fabric and garlands, on the roof there was a carving of an owl. "We're talking about your other parent."

"My dad? He's dead, I never knew him."

Annabeth and Alabaster exchanged a look, looking like this wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation. "Your father isn't dead." Alabaster said.

"How can you say that? Do you know him?"

"Of course not."

"Then how-"

"Because we know you." He interrupted. "You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us."

Percy scowled at him. "You don't know anything about me."

"No?" Annabeth crossed her arms. "You didn't bounce around between schools? Never been kicked out of any?" Percy stared at her. "Guess you didn't get diagnosed with dyslexia or ADHD, huh?"

He swallowed around the lump in his throat. "How do you even…nevermind. Why does that even matter?"

Annabeth hummed. "All those factors together is a sure sign. English is hard to read because your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek, you're impulsive, can't sit still because you need to be ready for battle, you have reflexes that will keep you alive in a real fight - like with your math teacher or the Minotaur. The attention problems are because you see too much, your senses are better than regular mortals." She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "Your teachers want you medicated, most of them are monsters who don't want you seeing them for what they really are."

"This sounds like personal experience."

"It is." Alabaster said mindlessly. "Well, it is for most kids here. You wouldn't have survived the Minotaur or the Kindly One if you weren't one of us Percy. And you definitely wouldn't have survived the ambrosia and nectar."

"The what."

"The stuff you were getting while you were in the big house, probably tasted like something familiar? It would've killed you if you were a normal kid, turned your blood to fire, your bones to sand and you'd be dead. Face it, Jackson, you're a half-blood."

Percy's mind was reeling, so many questions that he didn't even know where to start, except he didn't have to because someone else approached them.

"I thought I smelled some fresh meat."

He looked over to see the girl from cabin five approaching, flanked by two other people Percy assumed were her cabin mates.

"Clarisse." Alabaster groaned quietly.

"Why don't you go polish your spear or something and leave us alone?" Annabeth asked, frowning.

"Of course, miss princess. It needs to be clean so I can run you two through with it Friday night."

“Erre es korakas!” Alabaster hissed. Percy, somehow, understood what it meant despite the fact that it absolutely wasn't English. Go to the crows, which he assumed was worse than it sounded. "You don't stand a chance!"

"You're ass is grass, Torrington." She sneered before turning to Percy with a wicked grin. "Who's the newbie?"

"Percy." Annabeth muttered. "This is Clarisse, daughter of Ares and head counselor for cabin five."

"Ares? The war god?"

Clarisses eyes narrowed. "Got a problem?"

Percy's hands flew up. "No, nope. No problems at all." He considered his next words for a moment. "Explains the smell."

Clarisses lip curled and she made a low growl that reminded Percy of an angry dog. "You're perfect material for our initiation ceremony, Prissy."

"Percy."

"As if I care." She snapped, stepping closer.

"Clarisse-" Annabeth started to say while Alabaster attempted to step between her and Percy.

Clarisse only shoved Alabaster back. "Stay out of it, wise girl. You too torch brain." His nose scrunched up at the name.

Annabeth looked over at Alabaster with a pained look but they seemed to settle on not intervening. Percy didn't want their help anyway, he was the new kid and that meant earning his own rep not hiding behind other people.

He held the shoebox in his hands out to Annabeth who took it. As he was turning back to Clarisse, mentally preparing for a fight, she grabbed the back of his shirt and started dragging him towards a building not too far from the cabins.

It was a shack that he knew without being told was the bathrooms. He struggled against the hand clamped around his shirt, but Clarisse didn't even bat an eye at him. She dragged him into the girls bathroom, a line of toilets on one side and a line of showers in the other. He was a little surprised to find that it…kind of just smelled like nothing.

He was trying to fight against her, summon the strength he used to fight the Minotaur but was useless.

Behind him, Clarisse snickered. "And Silena said he was big three material, please." She muttered, pushing him toward a toilet. "The Minotaur died laughing after seeing your stupid face." The friends she'd brought along snickered.

Percy's eyes flickered to Annabeth and Alabaster who were standing in the corner, her hands covered her face while he watched in sympathy, looking like maybe he'd gone through this song and dance as well.

Clarisse shoved him onto the ground and pushed his head towards the toilet, the smell unique smell of toilet water and rusting pipes reached his nose and he fought against the hand pushing him down. He glared down at the water like it personally offended him, repeating a mantra of I'm not going in there again and again.

There was a tug in the pit of his stomach and something rumbled under the floor. The pressure pushing his head down lessened as the girl behind him seemed to register that something was wrong.

The water in the toilet shot up, arcing over Percy's head. Clarisses hand disappeared from behind his head and he scrambled back. He looked over his shoulder at Clarisse as she was knocked off her feet as the water sprayed from the toilet like a fire hose. The other toilets rumbled and starting spraying her friends when they tried to help her, all but flushing them from the bathroom entirely.

Once they were out of sight, the water all shut off just as fast as it started. He looked over to the corner where Annabeth and Alabaster were standing, looking like they'd been caught in a sudden heavy rain for a few seconds, but they weren't soaked which was a little surprising given that everything around them had been. Annabeth was glaring at him while Alabaster looked a little dazed.

When he looked down, Percy realized he was sitting in a circle of dry floor, not a single drop of water had hit him. He stood up on shaky legs.

"How.." Annabeth started, then scowled like this situation was offensive.

"I don't know." He mumbled.

Alabaster bypassed them entirely, peering out the door with a quiet snicker. Percy followed him, finding Clarisse and her friends in the mud, the other campers had gathered around at the commotion. Clarisses hair was flattened across her face and her jacket was dripping.

Another girl, the counselor he'd seen in the stables earlier, stepped over, seeming a little hesitant as her hands hovered near Clarisse but didn't touch. Clarisse didn't even look at her, eyes locking onto Percy with a furious look. "You are dead." She snarled.

The girl beside her winced, finally placing her hands on the other girls shoulder. "Risse.."

"Shut your mouth unless you wanna gargle toilet water again." He responded.

Another counselor stepped in to hold her back as she tried to lunge at him. "Let's go." He said, pulling her back off towards cabin five. The campers circled around parted for the three. "And get back to your activities!"

He turned back to the duo behind him and paused. Annabeth was staring at him like she was disgusted and angry, and looking to Alabaster didn't answer anything, just added more questions, he had this dark look in his eye like something was wrong.

"What?" He crossed his arms. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking," Annabeth mumbled, looking over at Alabaster who's expression remained the same even as a small smile played her lips, "that we need Hermes on our side for capture the flag."

Word of the bathroom incident spread like a wildfire, resulting in more people staring at him as the three walked through camp.

They showed him a few more places that Chiron hadn't, the forges - though they didn't go in, Percy saw Clarisse inside with the counselors that had pulled her off earlier - the arts and crafts shed and the climbing wall.

Climbing wall was…an understatement. It was two walls facing each other that would shake, drop boulders, spray lava and crash together after an allotted time.

"What happens if you don't get up in time?" Percy asked, looking at Alabaster who frowned.

In place of answering, he pointed at someone who was about halfway up when the walls started moving together. They stayed on the wall for a few seconds but then let go and fell back onto a mat at the bottom and was immediately tended to by two kids wearing arm bands.

After all that, they returned to the lake where Annabeth stood at the head of the path that led back to the cabins.

"I have training to do." Annabeth muttered, turning to leave. "Dinner is at seven-thirty, Bast will help you."

"I'm sorry." He mumbled. "About the toilets."

"Whatever

"It wasn't my fault."

Alabaster cocked an eyebrow and Annabeth stared at him blankly. With the silence hanging between them, he realized it was his fault. Somehow. Even though he didn't understand how he'd made that water shoot out the way it did, he was responsible.

"He should talk to the Oracle." Alabaster murmured, Annabeth's head whipped over to him like she was going to snap at him, then paused and considered the words.

"The who?"

"What, not who." Alabaster corrected mindlessly. "Maybe we could talk to Luke." Annabeth punched him in the arm and he made a pitiful noise as he pouted at her.

As they whispered to each other, Percy looked into the lake with a frown, wishing for some kind of straight answer. He all but jumped out of his skin when he noticed two teenage girls sitting on the floor of the pier, twenty feet down.

They both looked up at him with smiles and waved as he watched minnows dart in and out of their hair floating around them. Mystified, he waved back.

"Don't encourage them," Annabeth sighed, "naiads are awful flirts."

"Naiads," Percy echoed mindlessly, "that's it. I wanna go home now."

Annabeth frowned and Alabaster gave him a look of pity. "You really don't understand? You are home, Percy. This place is the only safe haven for kids like us in the world."

"You mean mentally disturbed kids?"

Alabaster snorted and Annabeth shot him a look. "I mean not human. Not entirely, at least."

"Half-human." Alabaster mused.

"And half what?"

Annabeth's eyebrow lifted. "Haven't you figured it out yet?"

He frowned because, as much as he didn't want to admit it, he had. Clarisse, daughter of Ares. "Half-god."

Annabeth nodded. "Your father isn't dead, he's one of the Greek gods."

"That's insane."

Alabaster hummed. "Think about it, what's the most common thing the gods did in the stories you read?"

"Fell in love with humans." Percy responded absently.

"Do you truly think that habit would change?"

"But those are-" he frowned. He remembered Chiron's warning that he may be considered just a myth in a few hundred years. He changed course. "So if all the kids here are half-god-"

"Demigods," Annabeth supplied, "is the official term."

"Or half-blood." Alabaster added.

"Sure. Then who are your dad's?"

Annabeth's face twisted and Alabaster a nose scrunched up in disgust. Percy got the feeling he'd just trespassed on two very sensitive subjects.

"My father is a professor at West Point, he teaches American history." Annabeth said, crossing her arms.

"He's human."

"You think only the male gods can have demigod kids? Sexist, much."

Percy frowned at her. "Then who's your mom."

"Cabin six."

The cabin she was looking at earlier? "Which means..?"

"Athena. Goddess of wisdom and battle."

Sure, why not.

He looked at Alabaster. Luke had said that cabin elevens patron god was Hermes, so, "your dad is Hermes?"

Alabaster snorted. "My father lives in London. I'm unclaimed like you."

Oh. He shifted on his feet. "So, nobody knows who my father is."

Annabeth sighed. "Nobody but him knows." Alabaster murmured something under his breath and she shot him a look.

"And my mom. She knew."

Alabaster hummed. "Maybe, maybe not. The gods don't always reveal their identities."

"My dad did. He loved her."

Annabeth gave him a look that he knew meant she didn't believe him, but she didn't say anything. "Maybe you're right and he'll send a sign. That's the only way to know for sure, if he sends a sign to claim you. Sometimes it happens."

"And sometimes it doesn't?"

Annabeths eyes flickered to Alabaster who scowled. "I've been here for five years, Percy."

"Five…" He frowned.

"And I haven't been claimed." Alabaster sighed. "I've seen campers come and go without ever being claimed. It happens sometimes, most of the time it doesn't."

"The gods are busy." Annabeth said like she was reciting something she'd been told a million times. "They have a lot of kids and…they don't care about us. They ignore us."

"We only exist to be cannon fodder to them." Alabaster muttered.

He thought back to the kids in the Hermes cabin, the teenagers who looked sullen and depressed, waiting for a call that would never come. He knew kids like that at Yancy, shuffled off to fancy boarding schools by rich parents who didn't have the time, or effort to care, for them. But gods? Gods should behave better.

"So then, I'm stuck here." Percy said, crossing his arms. "That's it? For the rest of my life."

"Not exactly." Annabeth responded. "Some campers only stay the summer, some of them aren't a real powerful force and monsters may ignore you. It means you can get by with a few months of summer training and go live in the mortal world the rest of the year. For some of us, it's too dangerous to leave."

She sighed heavily. "Or, we don't have a place to go. So, we're year-rounders. Monsters can sense us outside, come to challenge us. Most times, they ignore us until we're old enough to cause trouble, when we get to that point, we come here or…get killed off."

Annabeth shrugged, looking over at Alabaster. "Some manage to survive out there, there's a few if I told you the names of you'd know them. But very few are like that."

"Monsters can't get in here, then?"

Alabaster shook his head. "Up there, see the big pine tree?" Percy followed where he was pointing. "It serves as a border around the valley, no monsters get passed unless they're stocked in the woods or summoned by someone in here."

Percy frowned. "Why would you want to summon a monster?"

"Practice fights, practical jokes, the like." Annabeth sighed. "Point is, the borders are sealed to keep mortals and monsters out. Mortals can't see any of this, just a strawberry farm."

Percy didn't really understand how anyone could just…not see this whole camp, but he opted not to question it, he already had too much information to process, he didn't want more. "So…you two? You're year rounders?"

Annabeth nodded, tugging a necklace from under the collar of her shirt. It was the same leather necklace that he'd seen around Alabaster and Luke's necks, except Annabeths had a golden ring strung on it, some sort of college ring. "I've been here since I was seven," she told him, "every August, on the last day of the summer session, the counselors design a bead for surviving another year. We've been here longer than most of the counselors."

"Seven? Why'd you come so young?" He asked, looking over at Alabaster who had the same number of beads, that plus he'd mentioned he'd been here for five years. Alabaster didn't look older than her, which meant he also came to camp at seven or younger.

Annabeth only scowled, twisting her ring. "Is that any of your business?"

"I…guess not, no."

"Then why are you asking?" Alabaster peered at her with a raised eyebrow, but said nothing.

Percy decided to change the subject. "So, could I just walk out of here right now?"

"If you're suicidal." Alabaster deadpan. "Mr. D and Chiron need to give you permission or you'd get in trouble. But, they wouldn't sign off until the end of summer unless…" He trailed off, frowning.

"Unless?" Percy pressed.

"Unless you got a quest." He finished, yelping when Annabeth elbowed him in the ribs.

"But that hardly ever happens!" She hissed, glaring at him. "You know what happened the last time…"

Percy looked between them, wondering if he should ask what happened last time. He figured it may not be a good idea, given the scathing look Alabaster was getting. "Back in the sick room.." he started, drawing the duos attention to him again, "when you were feeding me that stuff-"

"Ambrosia." Annabeth offered.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. You asked me something. About…the summer solstice?"

Her eye twitched. "You do know something."

"No." He said quickly. "Back at school…I heard Grover and Chiron talking about it. Said something about the solstice, that there was a deadline. What does that mean?"

Alabasters eyes flickered between them, Annabeth hesitated at first but then spoke, a little stilted. "I'm…not sure. Chiron and the satyrs know, I think the counselors do too, Luke was acting odd, but they won't tell me. Something is wrong in Olympus, something big. But I don't know what. Last time I was there, everything seemed fine."

Percy blinked. "You've been to Olympus?"

"Some of the year rounders like Luke, Silena, Lee, the two of us, all went to Olympus during the winter solstice. It's when the gods have their big meetings." Annabeth explained.

"How…how did you get there?"

"The train." Alabaster murmured. "What's the station called?"

"Penn."

"Penn station. Empire State Building, six hundredth floor. Aren't you the New Yorker here?" Alabaster asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I…yeah. Sure."

Last he checked, that building only had two hundred floors, not six, but he decided not to bring that up.

"Right after, the weather got all weird," Annabeth continued, "Connor thinks it means the gods are fighting. I've heard the satyrs talking, from what I can figure out, something was stolen and if it isn't returned by the summer solstice it's going to be bad." She sighed, straightening. "When you came I just…I mean…Athena can get along with anyone, except maybe Ares, and there's that whole rivalry with Poseidon. But, aside from that, I thought we could work together, thought you might know something."

Percy only shook his head. "I don't." He wished he did, she looked desperate for information and he felt bad that he didn't have it.

Annabeth turned away. "I've got to get a quest," she mumbled to herself, "I'm not too young if they would just tell me what the problem is…"

The smell of barbecue smoke hit his nose and he felt his stomach growl. Alabaster must have heard it too as he waved Percy off, telling him they'd catch up later. So, he left them on the pier as Annabeth frowned at the water like she was drawing a battle plan while Alabaster hovered worriedly at her side.

When Percy stepped into cabin eleven, the campers inside were talking and playing, seeming like they were just waiting for dinner to roll around. Now that his attention wasn't split in five different directions, he noticed a lot of the campers had the same kind of mischievous smiles that would have teachers pinning them as troublemakers.

Thankfully, he made his way over to his spot of floor and plopped down with his Minotaur horn. He jumped when a sleeping bag hit the floor at his feet, looking up to find Luke standing over him with a small smile. "Found you sleeping bag," he said, holding out a toiletry bag, "and stole you some toiletries from the store."

Percy wasn't sure if he was kidding about the stealing part or not, but he didn't ask. "Thanks."

"Not a problem." Luke told him, taking a seat on the floor beside him, pressing his back to the wall. "Having a tough first day?"

"I don't belong here." Percy said almost immediately, Luke only raised a curious eyebrow. "I don't even believe in gods."

"Yeah, that's how it all starts." Luke hummed. "Trust me, once you start believing in them, it doesn't get any easier." The bitterness in Luke's voice caught him off guard, because he seemed like such an easygoing guy who could handle anything the world threw at him.

Percy tilted his head. "So, your dad…Hermes?"

Luke pulled out a switchblade and for a moment, Percy thought he was about to get stabbed, but the counselor just started scraping mud off his sandals. "Yup."

"The wing-footed messenger guy, right?"

"That's the one." Luke murmured. "Messengers, medicine, travel, merchants, thieves. Anyone who uses the roads. It's why you're in here, enjoying our cabins hospitality. Hermes sponsors just about anyone, he isn't picky."

Percy figured Luke didn't mean to call him a nobody, he just had a lot on his mind. "You ever meet him?"

"Once." Luke said dryly. Percy waited to see if Luke wanted to tell him anything about it, but, apparently he didn't. His eye shifted to the scar. He wondered if the story about his father had anything to do with the scar.

There was another beat of silence and Luke looked up, giving a small smile. "Don't worry about it, Percy. The campers here are good people, we take care of each other."

Luke seemed to understand how lost Percy felt, and he was grateful for that. Because any other case, an older guy like him - counselor or not - would've steered clear from a middle-schooler like Percy. But, despite it all, Luke had welcomed him warmly, and even stolen him some toiletries which was the nicest thing anyone had done for him all day.

Percy let out a heavy sigh and Luke peered over at him, raising an eyebrow, with the counselors attention, he decided to ask him the biggest question, the one that had been bothering him all afternoon.

"Clarisse, from…Ares?" Luke nodded. "She…said something about…Silena calling me being Big Three material."

"Okay, she absolutely should not have said that." Luke muttered.

Percy continued. "Annabeth, twice, said I might be the one and then Alabaster said I should talk to the Oracle. What does all of that mean?"

Luke sighed, folding his knife and scowling at the ground. "I hate prophecies."

"What do you mean?"

His face twitched around the scar. "Long story short, I messed things up for everyone else. For the last two years, since my quest went sour, Chiron hasn't approved anymore. Annabeth…she's been dying to get out there, she wants to prove herself. She pestered Chiron so badly he finally told her that he already knew her fate, that he'd had a prophecy himself. He wouldn't tell her the whole thing, just said she wasn't destined to go on a quest just yet, that she had to wait until somebody special came around."

"Someone special?"

"I wouldn't worry. Annie wants to think every new kid that comes through is the omen she's been waiting for and she's been dragging Al through it all." He snickered softly. "Now, come, it's dinner."

As he got up, a horn blew in the distance and, somehow, he knew it was a conch shell, even though it was the first time he'd heard one.

Luke called for the cabin to line up, a little over twenty in total, lined in seniority, so Luke was at the front and Percy was dead last. He watched the other campers filing from all the other cabins, except the three at the end and eight - which had looked normal in the daytime but as the sun went down, it seemed to glow. In contrast, cabin seven, which had been glowing brightly in the sunlight, was dimming.

He eyed the sun and moon decals on the cabins and frowned.

They marched up the hill to the mess hall, satyrs joining them from across the meadow, naiads emerged from the canoe lake, a few girls came from the woods - straight from the trees. In total, there looked to be a hundred campers, a couple dozen satyrs and a dozen assorted nymphs and naiads.

Inside, torches blazed around the marble columns, in the center was a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub that housed a bright fire. Each cabin had a table, each covered in a white cloth trimmed with purple, four tables sat empty while eleven was way too overcrowded. He spotted Grover at table twelve with Dionysus, some other satyrs and a pair of boys who looked like twins.

His eyes shifted to table six, where Annabeth was sitting with a group of more serious-looking kids that shared the same grey eyes as her. He spotted Clarisse behind him at table five, laughing and joking alongside her cabin mates - siblings? Then, he spotted the brunette boy with the scar on his face sitting at table seven, the medical band on his arm was gone, but the kids sitting at his table seemed rather energetic. Beside table eleven, seven seemed to hold the most campers.

After a few moments of the campers around him chatting with each other, Chiron pounded a hoof against a marble floor and the pavilion went silent. He let the silence linger for a beat, then lifted his glass. "To the gods!" The campers echoed the words.

In a flurry, nymphs came through with platters of food: fruits, cheese, bread and barbecue. Percy looked down at his empty glass and Alabaster - who'd taken to sitting beside him - leaned over to say, "Tell it what you want." Percy gave him a skeptical look and he snickered, lifting his own glass. "Root beer." In an instant, the glass was filled, Percy mentally rescinded his doubt.

He looked down at his cup while Alabaster returned to a conversation with the boy to his other side. "Cherry Coke." The glass filled with the caramel liquid. Then, he had an idea. "Blue Cherry Coke." The soda turned a violent shade of cobalt and he smiled.

He drank a toast to his mother, assuring himself that she wasn't gone, not really, not forever. He'd get her back.

"Percy." Luke's voice pulled his attention as the counselor passed a platter of brisket that Percy loaded onto his plate. He was about to dig in when everyone at the table started to get up and head towards the fire. Luke gave him a pitying look and pat his shoulder. "Come on."

As he got closer, he saw that everyone was taking a portion of their meal and dropping it into the fire, the ripest strawberry, the juiciest slice of beef, the warmest, most buttery roll. Luke lowered his voice, speaking close to Percy's ear. "Burnt offerings. The gods, they like the smell."

"You're kidding."

"I'm not." Luke responded, giving him a look that warned him this wasn't something to joke about. Percy couldn't help but wonder why an immortal, all powerful being would like the smell of burning food.

"They like the smell of burnt brisket." He muttered.

Behind him, someone responded. "The like the smell of begging." Percy looked over his shoulder to find one of the boys Alabaster had been sitting with in the cabin, picking through his plate. Alabaster was snickering beside him.

"Chris, watch it." Luke chided, but he looked amused. Then, he stepped towards the fire and dropped in a cluster of red grapes. "Hermes."

Percy stepped up next, frowning at the fire, Luke stood at his side, watching him wordlessly. He didn't know what gods name to say, so instead…whoever you are, tell me. Please. With that, he dropped a slice of brisket into the flames. Miraculously, the smoke smelt of hot chocolate and fresh brownies and a million other things that shouldn't have meshed well together but did.

He returned to the table with Alabaster at his side. He peered over his shoulder at table seven again and then looked to Luke. "Cabin seven." He said. The counselor looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. "It looked like it was glowing in the sun."

"Ah. Yeah, it does." Luke murmured, peering past Percy and at the table. "Eight glows in the moon. They're for Apollo and Artemis, but Artemis doesn't have children, so it's empty." He pointed his fork towards table seven. "Seven's counselor is Lee. The older brown haired guy at the end. He runs the infirmary too so I'm sure you'll get used to his face."

"You're certainly used to his face." Alabaster muttered, sipping from his cup. Percy didn't know what that meant but Luke gave the boy an annoyed look, his cheeks looked a little pink

When the campers had finished eating, Chiron pounded a hoof for silence again. When everyone's attention was at the front, Mr. D got up with a heavy sigh. "Yes, yes, I suppose I'd best say hello." He murmured, peering between the tables. "Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says our next capture the flag game will be Friday. The laurels are presently held by cabin five."

Cheers erupted from the table.

"Of course, I couldn't care less," he continued, "but congratulations regardless. I should also tell you we've a new camper among us today, Peter Johnson." Chiron murmured something. "Ah, Percy Jackson." He corrected. "Hurrah, and what have you. You're dismissed, run along to your silly little campfire. Go, go."

The campers cheered and started filing towards the amphitheater, where Apollo's cabin led a singalong. They sang songs about the gods, ate s'mores and joked around. The best part, was that Percy didn't feel like anyone was staring at him anymore, he felt at home.

He didn't realize how exhausted he was until he was back in the cabin, collapsing onto his sleeping back and curling his fingers around the Minotaur's horn. This time, when he thought about his mom, he had good thoughts. Her smile, the bedtime stories she told when he was little, the way she'd tuck him in, tell him not to let the bed bugs bite.

As his first day at camp came to a close, he wish he'd known how briefly he'd get to enjoy this new home.