CHAPTER TWO
( welcoming the newbie )

BEING PART OF THE APOLLO cabin included the amazing (please note my sarcasm) job of working in the infirmary, since he is also the god of medicine and some of us have abilities that make the job easier to other campers from different cabins.

     Oh! Did I forget to mention that demigods are able to inherit their parent's abilities? Silly me, must've slipped my mind. Well, if you're about to ask yourself if I have any type of ability, don't worry about your pretty head. I'm about to tell you. I'm part of the group that has healing powers, one's that make my hair glow as I use it. Pretty cool, huh? Wrong. It's totally inconvenient, since my energy is drained after using it. Thanks a lot, Dad. Most abilities are like that, but not all. You have to be completely lucky to still be standing on your two feet after using your ability.

Anyway, since last night a boy was found unconscious on the entrance of camp, I was told to bring him to the infirmary until he was nursed back to health. Grover Underwood, another friend of mine, who was also a satyr, had been admitted into the infirmary too, him being found right beside the mysterious boy. I remembered the last words I heard Annabeth say before we both dragged the boy inside, and I could recall the familiar glint behind Chiron's eyes. This was the boy Chiron had been watching for the last couple months – maybe he could also be the answer to the prophecy.

It was my turn to watch over the unconscious boy since I had swapped duty with Molly, and I hoped it would be a lot more interesting than this. I spent my time in the infirmary grimacing in disgust at the trail of drool that escaped the boy's mouth with every second he passed asleep. As more time went by, I couldn't help but notice the slight similarity between him and the boy from my recurring dream, though that conspiracy was brushed off. It was too quick and it didn't make any sense – Annabeth would've probably called me paranoid if I told her about it.

Suddenly, I heard some movement from the cot and  saw the boy's eyes open. I dared to ask, "What will happen at the summer solstice?"

He managed to croak a tiny, "What?"

I panicked and took a look around the infirmary, afraid that Annabeth or someone would overhear what I was asking. The rational part of my body screamed to let the boy be, but the other was desperate. 'What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks!'

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, "I don't — "

Somebody knocked on the door, and in a quick act of panic, I filled his mouth with pudding.

The door of the infirmary swung open, and in walked Annabeth with an unreadable look behind her eyes. Part of me was praying to every god out there that she didn't hear me ask the boy all these questions. Instead, she uttered her quick hello before moving to my side, and I was thankful she didn't quiz me on what just happened.

"He's still asleep?" she asked, defeated.

I nodded and she huffed. "It won't take long before he does, though."

Silence filled the infirmary, but it wasn't awkward. There was some sort of doubt radiating off Annabeth's body, and I could sense there was something bothering her. Probably the same things that were bothering me, and both were laying on a bed in front of us.

"You think he's the one?" I questioned her, cutting through the silence.

"I honestly don't know," she confessed. "But can you imagine?"

I let out a snort. "Mostly, yeah," I shifted on my feet. "Might be the first interesting thing that happens around here."

Annabeth shoved my shoulder playfully, but there was a hint of laughter behind her eyes. She moved to cup her mouth with her hand to restrain her laugh, and I found myself doing the same before I rationalized. My eyes moved to the boy asleep on the cot and our laughter died out. Exactly after that, the door to the infirmary swung open, and in came our familiar friend, Grover Underwood.

Grover wasn't like us in some sense – he wasn't a demigod. He was a satyr, which are creatures that are half human and half goat. His horns weren't visible yet, but most satyrs had them. Their prime duty is to protect nature, but they're also known for guarding and protecting other half-bloods. He, for example, was the one who guided Annabeth and I to camp for the first time.

"Chiron wants you outside," he voiced out. "Mind if I stay with him?"

I nodded, since I had been told how close he'd gotten with the unconscious boy and could sense the guilt behind his eyes. I placed a hand on his shoulder for comfort before leaving through the door with Annabeth on my side. Since the infirmary was located in the Big House, our journey to find Chiron wasn't as long as it normally would. He was on one of the outside tables, playing his classic card game with Mr. D.

He waved at us silently before asking about the boy's state, to which I told him that he shortly woke up before falling back asleep. Chiron predicted he might be awake in a short while, and told Annabeth and I to wait here for some reason. I didn't know how long we sat there on the porch while Chiron and Mr. D played pinochle, but before I knew it, I could hear footsteps coming from the inside of the house.

"That's Mr D," I heard Grover murmur to the new guy on their way to the table. 'He's the camp director. Be polite. The girls, that's Annabeth Chase, and the one on the left is Maia Diaz. They're just campers, but have been here longer than just about anybody. And you already know Chiron "

"Mr Brunner!" He cried.

Chiron turned and smiled at him. Since I had no clue what the boy was saying, and why he referred to the activity planner in that way, I raised an eyebrow at Annabeth. She just shrugged in response. Thanks, a lot blondie.

Chiron eyes had that mischievous glint. "Ah, good, Percy," he said. "Now we have four for pinochle."

He offered him a chair to the right of Mr D, who looked at him with his typical bloodshot eyes and heaved a sigh. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now don't expect me to be glad to see you."

"Uh, thanks," The boy, now known as Percy, scooted a little further away from him in an almost automatic way. I was no stranger to that type of behavior, and I squinted my eyes at it.

     "Maia? Annabeth?" Chiron called us. We came forward and Chiron introduced us. "This young lady nursed you back to health, Percy. Maia, Annabeth, my dears, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now."

Annabeth said, "Sure, Chiron," while I playfully saluted.

Annabeth took the lead on the path, meanwhile I glanced at the Minotaur horn in his hands, then back at him. His face expressed that he was waiting for some sort of compliment from my part, something along the lines of, You killed a Minotaur! or Wow, you're so awesome! or something like that.

Instead I smirked, "You drool when you sleep."

Then I sprinted off down the lawn, following Annabeth right ahead.

The newbie, Percy, had stayed behind with Chiron as he gave him a tour of camp on the way to Cabin Eleven, so Annabeth and I had to find different ways to entertain ourselves as we waited. Annabeth always carried a book with her, so it was no surprise that she sat down on a rock to read, but I had no interest in reading while I waited. I toyed with the sun charm in my bracelet and entertained myself with it, remembering when it was gifted to me.

Time passed by, and I heard a set of footsteps along with Chiron's familiar hooves clicking against the grass. I lifted my head to see them approach our place, and the Percy boy looked a lot more uncomfortable to be around me, especially after what I told him back at the Big House.

"Girls," Chiron announced his presence, "I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy from here?"

"Yes, sir."

"Cabin Eleven," Chiron told Percy, gesturing towards the doorway. "Make yourself at home."

Out of all the cabins, Eleven looked the most like a regular old summer camp cabin, with the emphasis on old. The threshold was old and worn down, with its original brown paint peeling down. Over the doorway was Hermes's caduceus.  Inside, it was packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds. Sleeping bags were spread all over on the floor.

Chiron couldn't pass the threshold since the door was too low for him to pass through. But when the campers saw him they all stood and bowed respectfully.

"Well, then," Chiron said. "Good luck, Percy. I'll see you at dinner."

He galloped away towards the archery range. Percy stood in the doorway, looking at the kids. They weren't bowing any more. They were staring at him, sizing him up as they regularly did with any newbie that entered the cabin. I remembered the time that happened to me. Jeez, I'd hate to be in the poor guy's position. Sorry, that was insensitive.

"Well?" Annabeth prompted. "Go on."

What I didn't expect was for him to start his first impression by tripping in the door. There were some snickers from the campers, and I did my best to refrain from smiling, looking over to the side to avoid getting caught. None of them said anything.

I cleared my throat before speaking, 'Percy Jackson, right?' He realized I was looking at him and nodded, "Meet cabin eleven."

"Regular or undetermined?" Somebody asked.

Annabeth took that question, "Undetermined."

Everybody groaned, which was a typical reaction. Luke Castellan, the cabin counselor, stepped in to his defense. "Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there."

Luke Castellan was one of my closest friends in camp, and he was a pretty cool guy. He'd been by Annabeth's and my side even before we got to camp, and has always acted in a brotherly demeanor toward me since he was seven years older. He was tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly, reassuring smile, completely different from the nasty scar he had on the side of his face. He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals and the camp's signature bead necklace, which we all wore.

"This is Luke," Annabeth presented, and her voice changed. I frowned at the tone, which was one I've never heard from her. I glanced in her direction and squinted my eyes when I saw her cheeks turning pink. "He's your counselor for now."

"For now?" Percy asked.

"You're undetermined," Luke explained patiently. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."

I looked over at the floor, where the small section that would become Percy's bed was. That's when I also noticed he had nothing on him besides that stupid Minotaur horn, and I felt bad for him. What I expected as a result were the different looks that the other campers in the cabin were giving him; mostly sullen and suspicious, some grinning stupidly, and the rest – who practiced the part of Hermes being the God of Thieves – were waiting to take something from his pockets .

"How long will I be here?" Percy inquired.

"Good question," Luke said. "Until you're determined."

"How long will that take?"

The campers all laughed.

I cringed internally. Annabeth was already looking at me when I set my eyes on her, and we both shared the same thought. With a subtle nod, she stepped forward and harshly grabbed onto Percy's elbow, trying to pull him away from the cabin.

"Come on," she told him. "I'll show you the volleyball court."

He didn't realize we were trying to save him from further humiliation. "I've already seen it."

"Come on."

She grabbed Percy's elbow and dragged him outside with extreme force. I could hear the kids of cabin eleven laughing as we left the cabin, and all I could offer was a scowl at them, since I was on some sort of probation for cursing out at some Hephaestus Cabin campers that had laughed at Will when he first got here.

When we were a few meters away, Annabeth said, "Jackson, you have to do better than that."

"What?"

She rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "I can't believe I thought you were the one."

I nudged her with my hand, urging her to keep quiet. This Percy guy seemed like the type to ask annoying questions, and we simply didn't have the energy nor the answers that were needed.

"What's your problem?" His tone grew louder, already getting angry. "All I know is, I kill some bull guy – "

"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth scolded him. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"

"To get killed?"

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

He shook his head. "Look, if the thing I fought really was the Minotaur, the same one in the stories — "

"Yes."

"Then there's only one."

"Yes."

"And he died, like, a gajillion years ago, right? Theseus killed him in the labyrinth. So. . ."

"Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed. But they don't die."

"Oh, thanks. That clears it up."

"They don't have souls, like you and me," I jumped in to explain. "You can get rid of them for a while, maybe even for a whole lifetime if you're lucky. But they are primal forces. Chiron calls them archetypes. Eventually, they reform."

"You mean if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword – "

"The Fu – I mean, your math teacher," I continued, stopping myself before I could utter the full name out. "Yep. She's still out there and you just made her really mad."

"How did you know about Mrs Dodds?"

"You talk in your sleep."

He wanted to comment on that, but refrained himself and stayed on the topic. "You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?"

Annabeth glanced nervously at the ground, worried behind her eyes. It's not like I could blame her. I even spared the sky as an instinct before returning my eyes to him. "You shouldn't call them by name, even here. We call them the Kindly Ones, if we have to speak of them at all."

"Look, is there anything we can say without it thundering?" He whined. Gods, is there anything he can't say without complaining? "Why do I have to stay in cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks right over there." Percy pointed to the first few cabins, Annabeth and I exchanged a glance.

"You don't just choose a cabin, Percy. It depends on who your parent is," I stared at him, waiting for him to get it.

"My mom is Sally Jackson," Percy stated as if it was obvious. "She works at the candy store in Grand Central Station. At least, she used to."

"I'm sorry about your mom, Percy," Annabeth cut in. At this point, Percy was moving his head back and forth between her and I as if he were watching a tennis match. "But that's not what she meant. I'm talking about your other parent. Your dad."

"He' s dead. I never knew him," Annabeth sighed. "Your father's not dead, Percy."

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

"No, of course not."

"Then how can you say – "

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

"You don't know anything about me."

"No?" She raised an eyebrow. By now, Annabeth and I were surrounding him like two vultures. It reminded me of the past where we were in Percy's position. "I bet you moved around from school to school. I bet you were kicked out of a lot of them."

"How –"

"Diagnosed with dyslexia."

"Don't forget ADHD, too," I pointed out.

"Silly me."

Percy averted his eyes to the floor in embarrassment. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Taken together, it's almost a sure sign," Annabeth dusted herself off before going on a full rant. "The letters float off the page when you read, right? That's because your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek. And the ADHD – you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom. That's your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, Percy, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are."

"You sound like. . .you went through the same thing?"

"Most of the kids here did," I crossed my arms over my chest. "If you weren't like us, you couldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar."

"Ambrosia and nectar."

"The food and drink I gave you to make you better. That stuff would've killed a normal kid. It would've turned your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead. Face it. You're a half-blood."

Then, an annoyingly husky voice yelled, "Well! A newbie!"

I didn't want to turn my head over at the sound of the voice to know who it belonged to. An involuntary flinch flowed through my body when her voice rang through my ears, and I heard the loud stomps she gave as she marched her way over with three other girls, all wearing camo jackets.

"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"

"Sure, Miss Princess," Clarisse answered. "So I can run you through with it Friday night."

"Errete es korakas," Annabeth said, which I somehow understood was Greek for 'Go to the crows'. "You don't stand a chance."

"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse said, but her eyes twitched. Perhaps she wasn't sure she could follow through on the threat. She turned towards the new guy. "Who's this little runt?"

"Percy Jackson," Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares."

He blinked. "Like. . .the war god?"

Clarisse sneered. "You got a problem with that?"

"No," Percy said, and for a second I thought he was going to be smart and back off, but instead he said, ''It explains the bad smell."

Clarisse growled. "We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy."

"Percy."

"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you."

"Clarisse – " I tried to get her to back down.

"Stay out of it, sunshine."

It's been more than 5 years, Clarisse. Be more creative. Annabeth looked pained, but she did stay out of it, and I didn't really want her help. He handed Annabeth the Minotaur horn and got ready to fight, but before I knew it, Clarisse had Percy by the neck and was dragging him towards a cinder block building that was the bathroom.

As much as Percy tried to fight himself off from her grip, Clarisse was ten times stronger than he was. She dragged him into the girls' bathroom. There was a line of toilets on one side and a line of shower stalls down the other. Clarisse's friends were all laughing, and I didn't know whether to intervene or let Percy at least try to defend himself.

"Like he's "Big Three" material," Clarisse said as she pushed him towards one of the toilets. "Yeah, right. Minotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid-looking."

Her friends snickered. Annabeth stood in the corner right beside me, watching through her fingers. She whispered to me, "Should we do something?"

I didn't answer.

Clarisse bent Percy over on his knees and started pushing his head towards the toilet bowl. Then something unexpected happened. I could hear how the plumbing rumbled, the pipes shuddered. Clarisse's grip on Percy's black hair loosened. Water shot out of the toilet, making an arc straight over his head, and before I could blink, he was sprawled on the bathroom tiles with Clarisse screaming behind him. More water blasted out of the toilet again, hitting Clarisse straight in the face so hard it pushed her down onto her butt. The water stayed on her like the spray from a fire hose, pushing her backwards into a shower stall.

She struggled, gasping, and her friends started coming towards her. But then the other toilets exploded, too, and six more streams of toilet water blasted them back. The showers acted up, too, and together all the fixtures sprayed the camouflage girls right out of the bathroom, spinning them around like pieces of garbage being washed away.

As soon as they were out the door, Annabeth removed her eyes from her fingers. The entire bathroom was flooded.I finally paid attention to the state of my clothes, and saw how we weren't spared from the insane water attack. She was dripping wet, but she hadn't been pushed out the door. Both of us were astonished, opening and closing our mouths like guppies, which we were now due to our soaked state.

I realized that Percy was sitting in the only dry spot in the whole room. There was a circle of dry floor around him and not a single droplet of water on him.  Gods, maybe he is the one after all. There's only one god who could do that.

Annabeth said, "How did you. . ."

"I don't know."

We walked to the door. Outside, Clarisse and her friends were sprawled in the mud, and a bunch of other campers had gathered around to gawk. Clarisse's hair was flattened across her face and her camouflage jacket was sopping, her entire body reeking like sewage. She gave Percy a look of absolute hatred. "You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead."

Percy didn't care about the threat. "You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth."

Her friends had to hold her back. They dragged her towards cabin five, while the other campers made way to avoid her flailing feet.

Annabeth's eyes flickered to mine in some sort of 'you thinking what I'm thinking?' moment. I gave her a nod in confirmation, and Percy mistook our silence for a one of judgment or even disgust.

"What?' Percy demanded. "What are you thinking? Care to share with the class?''

"I'm thinking,'  Annabeth said, 'that we want you on my team for capture the flag."