Annabeth's POV

"Hey! You're new here, aren't you? Alyssa right?" I asked her as she walked towards me, an overnight bag in her hand. She had long strawberry blond hair, and dark brown eyes. She seemed maybe a year or two younger than me. She looked up, a really disgusted expression on her face. "Who else would I be? And who are you?" I was actually taken aback. No one ever talked that way in this camp, especially not to me! How dare she?

"Look.." I said calmly, my face a mask, not showing the storm that was raging inside of me. I rarely ever got this angry. When Percy's being a real Seaweed Brain, then yeah, but usually? No. I was quite good at controlling my anger...not to boast or anything. "I know you're new here, but let me tell you: that kind of attidude is not accepted. Just because this is a demigod camp doesn't mean that being rude is fine."

Alyssa rolled her eyes, and not too subtly either. " What. Ever." She looked at her perfectly manicured nails, completely ignoring me. I raised my eyes to heaven. Daughter of Aphrodite. Definitely. Not to be like..racist? No, not to be....godcist or whatever, but only a daughter of Aphrodite would ever be so self centred.

"Well. I have to show you to Chiron. This way." I kept my words short and clipped so my calm demeanor would not be broken. She looked quickly at me. Was it just my imagination or did she look pleased?

I would be glad to hand over this little brat into the experienced hands of Chiron, who'd spent years controlling these Mini-Aphrodites. We strode over to the Big House. Chiron was standing outside, talking to some of our younger campers about why Sponge Bob can't live in the lake. Finally throwing up his hands in defeat, he told them that he'd see. The small campers, delighted, zoomed away.

"Chrion, this is our new camper, Alyssa." I told him, giving him my special, 'She's definitely Aphordite,' look. He nodded sagely and gestured for Ayssa to follow him so that he could show her the film that every new camper needed to watch.

Finally with the weight of Alyssa off my hands, I aimlessly wandered around the camp, helping people wherever they needed it. A quarrel here, a stolen watch there...life wasn't easy for a counselor like me. After a while, I spotted Percy by the sword arena, slashing furiously at a wooden dummy. Soft golden light from the sinking sun was reflected off Riptide, and Percy's dark hair hung in his eyes. I ambled over to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned around and smiled warmly; a smile I knew he only reserved for me. "Hey, Wise Girl. How many fights did you break up? I think your last record was....28 in a day! Tell me you broke that record!"

I slapped lightly at his arms. "Shut up!"

He laughed his super sweet laugh and laced his fingers into mine. As we walked towards the dining hall, I couldn't have asked for a better boyfriend.

The dining hall was filling up by the time we got there, and laughs and shouts filled up the atmosphere. The Stoll twins were placing gum on the Aphrodite cabin's tables, and I knew that the shrieks of the beauty girls would be more than enough entertainment for tonight.

I left Percy at the Poseidon table, waving to Ella and Tyson, who had come to camp for a holiday. They smiled and waved back, and I was unbelievably happy to see them holding hands, Tyson's giant one clasped around Ella's slender fingers.

"Hey Malcolm. How's the project going?" My half brother was working on a system to track any monsters lurking nearby. If they can track us, why can't we track them? That was the reasoning behind his project. I have to admit, I rather liked it. The fact that monsters can smell us had always irritated me. But now, we might be able to pay them back in kind.

"Amazing. The Hephaestus cabin really helped out with those transmitters."

"If you need any help, don't hesitate to ask, okay?"

I slipped into a seat and watched the Aphrodite table, which was right opposite ours, intensely, for two reasons: 1-To capture the first moment those girls and boys scream when one them tried to reach for salt or sugar or whatever and find themselves stuck and 2-To look for Alyssa. Beside me, a few seats to the right, a small commotion was going on. I snuck a look to the side, went back to observing the Aphrodite table and did a double take.

A small crowd was formed around a girl sitting on the Athena table. I lent forward to take a look, and fell back in astonishment.

Alyssa?

What the heck was she doing? Didn't she know not to change tables? Sighing, I heaved myself up amd headed over to her. Parting the crowd, I went up to her and tapped her shoulder. She was talking animatedly to Cassandra, another Athena girl. Cassandra smiled at me. Alyssa turned around, and instantly a haughty look came upon her delicate features. "What?" She snarled. Cassandra looked taken aback. "Umm...Alyssa? That's Annabeth! She's the oldest camp counselor! She played a key role in taking down both Kronos and Gaea! She...she survived! Nobody speaks to her that way!"

Alyssa looked at her, and I pleased to see a faint look of surprise cross her features. She looked back at me, and slightly raised her left eyebrow. A slight smile creased her mouth. "Sorry Annabeth. I guess I was being quite a snob. I'm sorry." I was taken aback. Was she apologizing? Daughters of Aphrodite never apologized! Exception being Piper, of course. I regained my composure. "S'ok. I suppose you were claimed as Athena after I left?"

She hesitated, although I wasn't sure why. She was Athena wasn't she? "Umm...yeah." And she looked away, straight at Chiron. He looked right back, then saw me glancing at their exchange in interest and offered me a slight smile. I raised my eyebrows in return, like, "What is happening?" He just smiled again.

Chiron turned around and walked onto the wooden platform. Stamping his hooves on the floor to get the attention of the demigods, he cleared his throat.

"Demigods...as you know, our Roman counterparts will be arriving the day after tomorrow. Hephaestus cabin, are you prepared to travel to New Rome?"

A small, scrawny figure stood up from the Hephaestus table. Leo. He held his fingers up to his forehead and said, "SIR YES SIR!"

I smiled. Ever since his return, Leo had taken over as the head of the Hephaestus cabin. Chiron began to speak again.

"Good. Well...there was a guest among us today."

I frowned. Did he mean Alyssa? Then why guest? Chiron never introduced new demigods this way! What the hell was going on?

"She was here, and I quote the same words, to inspect the state of this camp and the behaviour of the demigods." I saw Connor's and Travis' eyes widen. They were seen by so many people pulling pranks. Any one of them could have blabbed to this 'guest'.

"I now welcome her to the stage. Alyssa...please come on."

Alyssa stood up with a slight smile and strode confidently to the dais. But as she walked, she was changing. Her casual clothes were replaced with an old style greek woman's dress. It was cinched by a thin golden belt. Alyssa herself was aging; she was no longer a teenager, but a middle aged woman. And all of a sudden, I realised who she was.

"Athena." I said softly and Athena turned around to smile at me. She continued to the dais, where Chiron stepped down. Athena turned to face the demigods. The stunned demigods looked instinctively to the Athena cabin and the Athena cabin rose and bowed. Following their lead, the entire camp rose and bowed.

Athena smiled, an activity she rarely practiced. "Please demigods...rise."

"I came down here, as Chiron explained, to monitor your behaviour. And I must say, I am extremely pleased. Annabeth, my child, please step forward."

I was paralyzed, but I felt my fellow cabin mates push me forward, and before long I was in the lime light. "Annabeth...Alyssa was such a mean person to you." She paused, and continued with a slight smile. "I was such a rude person to you. And yet you kept your composure and didn't let your anger show. " She turned back to the corwd as a whole. "All of you welcomed me and treated me like an equal, even though, to use slang, I was a newbie. I am suitably impressed."

She smiled once more, and then disappeared in a flash of blindingly white light. Everyone gasped. I turned to Percy, who raised an eyebrow and I grinned.

Even in a place as unexpected as a demigod camp, unexpected things happen.

Sorry I really don't know how a goddess should act! Any feedback is greatly appreciated!!!