The drive to Camp Half-Blood took about two hours, but it didn't feel that long. My mom had my favorite music playing, mostly some of Green Day's classic songs, as well as a bit of Blink-182. A smile was lingering on my lips, and I was putting all thoughts of my feelings out of my mind. Those were to be dealt with during long nights when I couldn't sleep, not during fun car rides with Mom.

When we finally rolled into Montauk, I breathed in the fresh scent of the sea through the open window. I relaxed into the seat of the car.

"You excited?" Mom asked.

I nodded. "Definitely. It should be fun."

She smiled. "Good. I'm going to miss you, but I know you'll have a good time."

She pulled over to a small pathway with a flimsy sign that said "CHB: THAT WAY" with an arrow directing us to the trail. The path led up a big hill with a huge pine tree at the top. We got out of the car and I tugged my bag from the trunk.

"This is where we part," Mom breathed out.

I leaned closer and hugged her. "I love you, Mom. See you soon."

"Love you too, Perce. Good bye."

I grinned, trekking up the hill. As soon as I passed the pine tree I felt like I was transported into another world. The air was warm and smelt of strawberries. I could hear the excited squeals of young kids, as well as laughter.

I looked over my shoulder and saw my mom still standing by the car, staring at me. I waved, and she waved back, before sadly climbing in the car and driving away.

I continued marching, down the hill that time, and used the signs scattered around as reference. One said that the cabins and dining pavilion were to my left, the arena and archery range were to my right, and the Big House was just past that. I decided that I should head to the Big House, seeing as that sounded like a place where the officials were.

The Big House was a huge three story farm house, painted baby blue with white trim detailing the windows and framework. It had a large wrap-around deck that had a table and a few lounge chairs on it.

I marched up the front stairs and stepped inside. There was a desk, and seated behind it was a familiar face.

"Katie?"

She giggled. "That's me. What's up, Percy?

Katie Gardner was a small girl with long brown hair and grassy green eyes. She was the head of the gardening club, and also partook in cooking club. She was one year above me, in the same grade as Travis Stoll. They had a love/hate relationship, and I can't say I'm not to blame for that. I may or may not have helped the Stoll brothers prank her once or twice. Don't give me that look! I played a minor part, all right?

I smiled warily. "Hey. I'm here to join the camp for the rest of summer. You...work here?"

She bit her lip. "Kind of. The older campers rotate through the different jobs. You can direct one of the activities with another Senior Camper, or help out here at the Big House, or even assist at the infirmary. So, you need to get signed in?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, you tell me."

Katie laughed. "Okay. First, just sign this sheet so that we 'know you're here.' Then fill out this short questionnaire so that we know where to place you."

"Huh?"

"We base where you stay in your downtime off of your likes and dislikes. Each cabin is derived from one of the twelve Olympians, and what they did. You participate in activities with your cabin mates, eat with them, and sleep with them," she explained as I signed the first form.

"Oh. What cabin do you have."

"Demeter, goddess of agriculture."

"Cool. So, is this all of the paperwork?"

Katie nodded. "Yup. You can sit over there while you fill it out. It might take a long time, it depends"

I took the clipboard from her and went to go sit down. The questions were kind of odd.

What do you do the most in your spare time?

I like to listen to music, I wrote. I also hang out with friends. I'm on the school's swim team too.

What is your favorite sport?

Like I said, I swim.

What is your favorite season, and why?

I'd have to say summer, because one: I get free time from school and get to hang with friends, and two: the weather is warm enough to comfortably swim outdoors.

How bad is your temper?

It depends, I guess. I get really ticked when people mess with people I care about, but I can keep my cool when people are trying to bug me personally.

If you could have any pet, what?

Probably some sea creature. Having a friendly dolphin or whale hanging around would be pretty neat, but I would feel bad about keeping it captive. I would still love hanging around with them, I'd just be guilty about it, I guess.

If you could be any animal, what would you be?

Once again, probably a sea creature. Maybe a sea horse. Those guys are pretty cool.

Do you prefer having a lot of friends or a few very close companions?

I'd rather have a couple of reliable buddies, and I believe that I do at the moment.

How would your closest friends describe you?

I guess they see me as a good guy to be around. I always stand up for people when they need me to, and people notice that. People I'm not close with think I'm this perfect leader, and I'm definitely not that. But that doesn't really have anything to do with the question, huh? My closest friends think I'm loyal, kind, funny, and helpful (I hope).

Where do you go to relax? Be specific.

My mom and I always go to this beach here in Montauk. It's where she met my dad and where we've always gone to kind of escape reality.

Lastly, what is your favorite color?

Blue. Hands down.

I slowly double checked my answers before standing and handing the sheet to Katie.

"Sorry it took so long. It's the dyslexia."

She smiled kindly. "No problem. I'll go give this to the Seniors on duty, and find someone to give you a tour."

"Alright."

I stood in front of the counter, tapping my foot. I took in the state of the Big House. It was very homey. I couldn't help but notice the faint scent of fruit, perhaps grapes, which was weird since it was an old strawberry farm. The wooden walls had a few tapestries and paintings scattered along them, as well as a bulletin board. On the board was photos of other campers from earlier in the summer, presumably. There was a few of kids play fighting in the arena, a couple of some canoers in the lake, and one of some of the older kids sitting together by a large bonfire. All of the campers were wearing orange tee shirts with the words CAMP HALF-BLOOD written in a Greek styled font, arced above a black graphic picture of a pegasus. Typically, orange wasn't my color, but I guessed I would be wearing the shirt often during my time at Camp Half-Blood.

Katie waltzed back into the room with none other than Travis Stoll. She had a tiny smile on her thin lips, so I guessed that they were in a good phase of their relationship.

"Hey, Percy, Travis is going to give you a small tour of the camp, but first we're going to take you to Chiron - er, Mr. Brunner. But at camp he goes by Chiron, his first name."

I nodded. "Alright. Let's go, then."

Katie and Travis led me through the cramped hallways of the Big House, eventually bringing us to a halt in a cramped room stocked with living essentials. There was a large wooden desk stocked with papers and writing utensils, a record player with a collection of Italian music resting beside it, and a boombox. There was a bed nestled into the corner of the room, and the entire thing was pretty cramped.

Sitting at the desk, was Mr. Brunner. His dark hair had grown out and he had the beginnings of a scraggly beard. He was still wearing his classic tweed jacket and I could smell the coffee scent lingering on him from a mile away.

"Mr. Brunner!" I exclaimed.

He turned back in his seat. "Ah, Percy. How are you?"

I grinned. "I'm great. Can't wait to get started."

He smiled kindly. "Fantastic. Now, I won't be too hard, but don't be thinking that you get an easy pass through just because you entered late. You will work as hard as every camper."

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Well, go on and continue your tour. I'll catch up with you at lunch time."

Katie, Travis, and I returned to the entrance of the Big House again. Katie stayed back at the desk while Travis guided me out of the house and began the tour.

Travis Stoll was a bit taller than me, with a messy mop of chocolate brown hair and blue eyes that sparkled with mischief. He had a pointed nose and ears that made him appear almost elvish, as well as a snarky half smile that made you wary. He was practically identical to his younger brother Connor, the only difference being their height.

"So, do you want to help Connor and I out with a prank later?"

I chuckled. "Maybe at some point, but I should probably try and stay good for at least the first week I'm here. Next time, though, count me in."

Travis grinned. "Great. So, on this side of the river, we have the Big House - obviously - and then all of the nerdy stuff for the Demeter, Aphrodite, Apollo, and Dionysus kids. There's the volley ball courts right here, then the arts and crafts shack, and the amphitheater. That's where we do campfires after dinner, and where we meet for major discussions. The Apollo kids also put on performances here."

Like Travis said, those places seemed like the opposite of where I'd want to hang out. Across from the amphitheater, though, was a large lake.

"Do you guys do much in the water?" I asked.

Travis shrugged. "We have canoes, but that's about it. Most of the campers prefer to learn or train over swimming, which is weird since this is a summer camp. We have fireworks on the beach over there by the Long Island Sound, though, on the fourth of July."

I looked where he was pointing and was surprised how close the campground was to the sea. "Cool."

"Right. So right beside the amphitheater is about the only cool thing on this side of Eros Creek is the climbing wall. It's like an obstacle course you'd see on Wipeout or Survivor or something."

I laughed. "Sounds fun. No one gets hurt?"

His blue eyes lit up. "I don't know how to answer that while remaining 'friendly and welcoming' as Katie instructed. Moving along, let's take a walk on the beach."

I smiled. "I'm sorry, but, Travis, my man, I don't swing that way."

He rolled his eyes, nudging me. "Neither do I, brother from another mother. Like I said earlier, this is where we do fireworks. That's the Sound. We've had a couple seals spotted and a few things hanging around in the shallows, but not much excitement takes place here. Over here, though, that's the dining pavilion, or the mess hall, whichever you prefer. We eat out here, and it's always filled with drama."

I recoiled.

Travis laughed. "No, it's not bad, I swear. It's...intriguing."

"Is this your way of telling me you are an Aphrodite camper?" I asked teasingly, raising an eyebrow.

He scrunched his pointed nose up in disgust. "No way. I'm a Hermes kid, god of thieves, trade, and travel, as well as a few other things."

"Is Connor that too?"

Travis nodded. "Yep. Anyway, at the mess hall, you sit with your cabin mates. The odds are on this side - Zeus, Poseidon, Ares, Apollo, Hephaestus, and Hermes - and evens on the other - Hera, Demeter, Athena, Artemis, Aphrodite, and Dionysus."

I nodded. "That's cool."

"Let's keep going. So, speaking of cabins, these are the cabins. They were each designed off of their patron god, so that the residents like it. They go in the same order as the tables in the mess hall, with odds on the left and evens on the right."

"Got it."

"The center here is kind of like the commons. There's the basketball court, a garden, and a small fire pit. Then, we have all of the cool stuff. First there's the arena. This is where we practice sword fighting, and where any challenges take place."

"What are those for?"

"One cabin might challenge another for certain privileges. The bigger cabins, Hermes and Ares, do it quite often. It's exciting. Over here is the armory, where we keep the weapons and armor, duh."

"Wait," I interrupted. "Is this stuff real?"

Travis nodded. "Yeah, but the swords are dulled. You couldn't get hurt unless you really tried to, and even then it might be impossible. Look."

He snatched a small dagger from the shelf and tapped the edge of the blade against his palm. A small indent formed, but no blood.

"That's good," I said. "I'm a clumsy wreck. I'd impale myself."

Travis laughed. "Next is the stables. These guys are pretty neat, but they are feisty. Most campers haven't gotten the hang of horseback riding yet, including me. On our left is the old strawberry fields. We've started using them again to raise money so that we can hopefully do this again in the future. Lastly, if we cut between the stables and the armory, we have the forest. This is where all of the games take place. The best yet is capture the flag. It's just like normal capture the flag, except we have swords and weapons and tricks up our sleeves instead of puny dodgeballs, and we can attack anyone, no matter where we are on the playing grounds."

"This place seems sick," I admitted.

"Glad you like it. Some people weren't so enthusiastic. They're just fussy, though. It doesn't get much better than this."

I smiled, and my stomach rumbled.

"Lunch is soon," Travis said. "Let's see if the Seniors sorted you yet."

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a) Thanks for 2.4K reads! b) First chapter of 2019!

The picture I used as reference for the tour:

First of all...2456 words! Jeez, lol. Secondly, how did you like this chapter? I hope I did a good job explaining things...idk! Also, did you like the small quiz thing? It was pretty fun to write, if I'm being honest haha.

I hope you are prepared to have some Active!Percy, because the next few chapters will be filled with him tryin g out all of the activities camp has to offer. Also, I wOnDeR wHaT cAbIn PeRcY gEtS??? Hahaha.

If you liked this chapter, be sure to leave a vote, and comment what cabin YOU would get! I think I'm either a Poseidon, Apollo, or Artemis camper (In my story the Artemis cabin is basically like the Huntresses, and the Big Three thing doesn't exist...Hera COULD have campers, but no one will be punished lol)