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FIC: Daughter of Wisdom, chapter 6
Title: Daughter of Wisdom
Author: shiiki
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson, Luke Castellan, Grover Underwood, Chiron, various others, Gen
Fandom: Percy Jackson
Summary: What Annabeth Chase wants most is to undertake a quest, and when that chance comes, she’s taking it-even if that means teaming up with the son of her mother’s biggest rival. She thinks she’s prepared for everything that could happen, but right from the start, nothing goes to plan. And everything she thinks she knows about the quest, her life, and her family, may just be turned on its head. An alternate PoV retelling of The Lightning Thief.
In this chapter
Chapter Title: I Am Appointed Tour Guide To A Minotaur-Slayer
Rating: PG
Characters: Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson, Chiron, Luke Castellan, Clarisse La Rue
Word Count: 4,147
Chapter Summary: Annabeth shows Percy around Camp Half-Blood and tries to size him up.
A/N: Once again, all recognisable dialogue comes from Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.
Back to Fic Content Page
Cabin eleven was empty except for Timothy Greaser, who was already nursing a twisted ankle from the morning’s activities. No two campers from different cabins were allowed alone inside a cabin if they were of different genders, so I sat down on the front steps and opened a book to read while I waited. It was Dad’s latest guilt gift: a Greek text on Athenian architecture. I pored over categories of column structures until Luke showed up fifteen minutes later, leading the enormous Hermes group-all his half-siblings plus all the unclaimed campers, whose godly parentage was yet unknown. Practically every camper did a stint in cabin eleven when we first arrived: Hermes was a jack-of-all-trades kind of god and travel was one of his specialities. Supposedly that was why cabin eleven was the most welcoming. Personally, I thought it was just Luke. He had a way with newcomers, making them feel like part of the family.
He’d done it for me even before we’d come to camp.
The Hermes group must have just come from sword-fighting class, because they all looked tousled and sweaty, and some of them bore cuts and scrapes from where they’d got careless. Luke’s sword was swinging from his belt.
'Oh hey, Annabeth,' he said. 'What are you doing here?'
I jumped to my feet. 'Chiron sent me,' I said. 'He’s putting the new camper here.'
'The Minotaur guy?' Connor Stoll said. 'Sweet!'
His brother nudged him. 'Dude, you’re not supposed to use the name.'
'Hey, if the new kid killed it, it’s not like it can reform in a day and come after me.'
Luke got a funny look in his eyes, like he was mentally calculating how many campers they had now. I think some of the other campers were thinking of it, too, because they had sour looks on their faces. Evidently the rumours that had popped up around Percy Jackson simply couldn’t outweigh the fact that they were already overcrowded in there. Then Luke’s expression cleared and he clapped his hands together.
'Well, you heard the girl. We’ve got a new guy coming, let’s clear a space.' He opened the door for his grumbling cabin mates.
'I still say Solace was exaggerating,' Jason Bingley muttered as he passed. 'Like, did you see the kid? Scrawny dude like him against a bull-man? Puh-lease.'
'Is he going to be here soon?' Luke asked me.
'Um, Chiron roped him into Pinochle when I left,' I said. 'Grover was with them. I guess they’ll have to give him the orientation video, too, but yeah, soon, I guess.'
Luke shrugged and started to go in. 'I’d invite you in,' he called back, 'but it’s a little crowded, as you probably know.'
'Er, no problem. I’ll just wait out here.'
I thought Grover would be the one to bring Percy, but Chiron himself was leading him over, coming from the direction of the beach, as though they’d gone on a tour of the place first. I couldn’t remember the last time Chiron had personally given a tour. I frowned as they approached. First a house call, now a tour-in spite of what Chiron had said to me, he sure was treating this kid like he was something special.
'Annabeth,' Chiron said, 'I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy from here?'
'Yes, sir,' I said. Percy looked nervously at me. I tried not to look embarrassed that the last thing I’d said to him had been a stupid remarked.
Chiron turned to Percy. 'Cabin eleven,' he said, pointing. 'Make yourself at home.'
I knocked on the door. Someone kicked it open and we peered in. Luke’s campers were still cleaning up after their sword-fighting lesson. I couldn’t see where they’d prepared a spot for Percy, it was so crowded. The regulars even had to stash their bags on their bunks, as they had so many undetermined kids with bedrolls on the floor.
'It’s Chiron!' someone hissed, and everybody leapt to their feet quickly to bow. Chiron nodded back at them.
'Well, then, good luck, Percy.' He clapped Percy on the shoulder. 'I’ll see you at dinner.' He nodded again to all of us and galloped off in the direction of the archery range.
The whole cabin turned their eyes on Percy, who hung in the doorway, as though unsure of whether he wanted to enter. He was still clutching the Minotaur’s horn like it was a lifeline. Maia Reyes noticed it and pointed, whispering to Timothy Greaser. There was a long, awkward silence as cabin eleven stared at Percy, sizing him up, while Percy just stood there dumbly. I could see many campers’ faces fall as they realised he seemed more dorky kid than suave hero.
'Well?' I said, when nobody moved. I gave Percy a small nudge. 'Go on.'
He took a step forward and tripped, nearly dropping the horn. He caught the doorframe to steady himself. Half the cabin was silent, staring at him as though undignified entrance. The other half either snickered or grinned like they’d been handed a treat. Most of those were Luke’s real siblings-the practical jokers, who probably thought Percy was easy prank fodder.
His eyes darted desperately around as though hoping someone would take over for him. I sighed and introduced him.
'Regular or undetermined?' Maia Reyes asked. She sounded a little wistful; her own parental status was still up in the air.
Percy gawked at her as though she was speaking Chinese. I frowned. Hadn’t he seen the orientation video? It should have explained everything.
'Undetermined,' I answered for him, which was the truth as far as I knew. If Percy knew any better, he didn’t correct me, not even when the cabin groaned.
Luke stepped in front of the others. 'Now, now, campers, that’s what we’re here for,' he said, smiling warmly. 'Welcome, Percy.'
See, that was what I meant-Hermes cabin might be the de facto unwanted kids’ hangout, but it was Luke who made it their haven. He parted the campers and showed Percy the section of floor they’d cleared for him. It was tiny, barely enough for a sleeping bag, but it wasn’t like any of the others had much more room. Years ago, I’d entertained a brief period of wishing I could be in cabin eleven, with Luke, but once I actually saw it, I was pretty happy with my place in cabin six.
Plus, I was glad enough now not to be Luke’s sibling.
'This is Luke,' I told Percy. He looked at me and his expression seemed to say, Are you kidding me, which I thought pretty insulting. I narrowed my eyes at him. 'He’s your counsellor for now.'
'For now?'
'You’re undetermined.' Luke didn’t seem to take any offence. His voice was still warm and easy-going. He explained about Hermes’s patronage and acceptance for newcomers.
Percy looked around, as though he didn’t think much of this. 'How long will I be here?'
'Good question,' Luke said, although it wasn’t. 'Until you’re determined.'
'How long will that take?'
The other campers were rolling their eyes and laughing now, like they couldn’t believe how dumb the kid was. All their visions of him as a great Minotaur-slayer were clearly melting away. Luke was still smiling patiently, but I knew that expression: the kid’s slow, but what can you do? If I left him here, the explanations would probably go on forever.
'Come on,' I said, stepping in. Might as well carry on with the tour, like Chiron had asked. 'I’ll show you the volleyball court.'
'I’ve already seen it.'
How thick-headed was this kid? You’d think he would be glad for the excuse to step away from an awkward situation.
I grabbed his wrist. 'Come on.' I dragged him out of the cabin then let go of him, putting my hands on my hips. 'Jackson-' I almost called him Percy, since I’d been referring to him in my head for two days by the only handle I’d known, but remembered his last name just in time, 'you have to do better than that.'
'What?' he said defensively.
Olympus help me. Minotaur or not, the kid was hopeless. 'I can’t believe I thought you were the one,' I blurted out.
He flared up immediately, and if our following conversation was anything to go by, I knew it was time to write off another idiot new half-blood. He started by discounting his encounter with the Minotaur with the most flippant attitude, then displaying a complete ignorance about monsters in general. I had to explain everything to him, from their origins and life force, to why we avoided their names. And then he still didn’t seem to get what we were. What he was.
I felt like crying. Here I’d been primed to expect a great hero, trained and quest-ready, already half-trained and well-prepared by Chiron, but I was dealing with a half-blood who was slower than most of the new kids. It was indeed like Chiron had promised: this kid needed years of training and preparation.
'Face it, you’re half-blood,' I said, after laying out all the signs-troubled school life, ADHD, dyslexia-for him (which he should have known if he’d just paid attention to the orientation video).
I could tell from his face that he was finally starting to accept it. Before he could argue or respond in any way, though, Clarisse came striding over from cabin five, flanked by three of her half-sisters.
'Well,' she said nastily, 'a newbie!'
'Clarisse,' I said. 'Why don’t you … go polish your spear or something?'
'Sure, Miss Princess,' she said, rolling her eyes. 'So I can run you through with it Friday night.'
It would have been more threatening if I hadn’t evaded her every time we clashed in training. The children of Ares would never get that all the brawn in the world was useless without a decent battle strategy. 'Errete es korakas,' I snapped. 'You don’t stand a chance.'
'We’ll pulverise you,' Clarisse said. She looked at Percy, sizing him up. 'Who’s this little runt?'
I made the introductions. Percy looked dumbfounded, but I was starting to think that was just his natural expression. 'Like … the war god?'
'You got a problem with that?'
Most kids would have backed off with Clarisse sneering at them. To my surprise, Percy shot back, 'No. It explains the bad smell.’
All three of Clarisse’s sisters sucked in their breath. I was torn between amusement at Percy’s wisecrack, admiration at his boldness, and exasperation at his stupidity. Taunting Clarisse was like poking a sleeping dragon in the eye. You needed a ton of guts to do it, but if you had half a brain, you wouldn’t even consider it. I had the sudden feeling that this wouldn’t be the first time I’d find myself caught between conflicting emotions.
Sure enough, Clarisse advanced threateningly on Percy. 'Stay out of it, wise girl,' she growled when I tried to step in-it was debatable whether letting Clarisse rough Percy up was part of what Chiron intended as part of a tour. I decided it was probably better to let Percy deal with it himself. If he was going to be a camper, he needed to learn not to poke at sleeping dragons, so to speak.
I think a part of me also still hoped he might prove that I shouldn’t write him off just yet.
To his credit, Percy didn’t back down. He passed me his Minotaur horn and raised his fists. He didn’t stand a chance against Clarisse, though. She had him in a headlock quicker than you could say Zeus, and dragged him over to the latrines. It was clear that Percy’s first fighting lesson would involve the cardinal rule: never let the bigger guy get a grip on you.
'Like he’s "Big Three" material,' Clarisse sneered. She shot me a derisive glance. 'Yeah, right. Minotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid-looking.' I put my hands to my face. I knew what was coming; she’d dunked plenty of kids' heads in the toilet bowls, anyone foolish enough to cross her.
But then there was a low rumble that might have been thunder. Every pipe in the toilet trembled, and water erupted from the toilet like it was a fountain. Clarisse dropped Percy, who landed on his butt. The toilet fountain splashed straight at her, forming a jet that blasted her into one of the showers. Her sisters started towards Percy, but the other toilets came to his rescue, hosing them down. The showers came alive and joined the party with so much force that Clarisse and her sisters started spinning about, buffeted by the jets of water.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or groan. Instead, I just stood there in shock as the water crashed back down to the ground, drenching me in the process. (Fortunately, I closed my mouth in time.) The toilets and showers shut off, but the bathroom was completely flooded-except for a half-metre radius around Percy. He got shakily to his feet.
'How … how did you …' My mind was whirling. Certain gods could pass on supernatural abilities to their children, but this was beyond anything any of the campers could do. He probably wasn’t Hermes or Athena, and exploding toilets didn’t seem like Aphrodite or Apollo’s style. Ares was always a possibility, though I hoped not. The only person I knew-had known-with powers to rival these was Thalia. She’d been able to call down lightning on occasion. A flame of hope surged up over my earlier disappointment.
Percy shrugged. 'I don’t know.'
Outside, a group of campers-including several of Percy’s new cabin mates-had gathered to gawk at Clarisse lying in the mud. Luke was among them, studying Percy with the same, calculating look he’d worn when I’d told him Percy would be in cabin eleven. I guess everyone was re-assessing their initial impression of him, given this new display.
Still no godly claim appeared around him. I remembered what Chiron had said about the gods being unlikely to make a claim too soon.
Clarisse tried to threaten Percy again, but he matched her taunts easily. She tried to charge him again, but her sisters, displaying a rare moment of wisdom, dragged her back to cabin five. She flailed and kicked all the way, demanding to be let back at him.
A sudden idea sparked in my head.
I might have no idea who Percy Jackson was, but for now, he was a Hermes camper. And it just so happened that Luke and I were planning an alliance for capture the flag. A battle strategy started to fall into place: Ares’s fatal flaw was that they thought with their muscles, and could never stand coming off worse in a fight. Percy had already shown Clarisse up; she was going to be out for blood now, first chance she got. I knew exactly how I could capitalise on that. The rest of it was just details, like where to set the trap.
'What?' Percy said, and I realised I was staring at him. 'What are you thinking?'
There were so many answers to that question. I went with what I had last considered. 'I’m thinking,' I told him, 'that I want you on my team for capture the flag.'
'What’s capture the flag?'
'You’ll find out. Come on, I’m supposed to finish your tour.'
We didn’t chat much as I showed him around. He told me Chiron had already taken him around the fields and the armoury, so I took him by the eastern side of camp. I watched him carefully at each station, but he didn’t seem to show any particular affinity for any of them. No clues there. He’d gone back to being a wide-eyed dork who knew nothing at all about the gods and was fascinated by the peculiarities of camp. I still didn’t know what to make of him. It was incredibly annoying. I needed more information.
I had to go around three o’clock-I was signed up for Luke’s afternoon sword-training session, and I figured I ought to change out of my still-dripping clothes first-so I pointed out the trail back to the cabins and gave Percy quick instructions about dinner.
'Annabeth,' he said uncertainly. I prepared to repeat myself, but instead he continued, 'I’m sorry about the toilets.'
I didn’t know what I was meant to say to that. 'Uh, whatever.'
And then he said the most ridiculous thing ever: 'It wasn’t my fault.'
I raised my eyebrows. I could understand that he hadn’t a clue how he’d got the toilets to attack Clarisse-a lot of half-bloods with minor powers said learning to control them was an awkward business-but there as no way he could believe that it had nothing to do with him. He looked at me helplessly, as though hoping I had the answers. Well, I didn’t. I couldn’t unravel the mystery of Percy Jackson. He might be so many things: a son of Zeus, the half-blood with a special destiny, the one I’d been waiting for all along. All those maybes, unfortunately amongst a few certainties that were definite marks against him: he was dull-witted, smart-mouthed, and completely irreverent. He was like a prophecy: incredibly vague and impossible to make sense of.
That gave me an idea. 'You need to talk to the Oracle.'
'Who?'
'Not who-what. The Oracle.' I thought about explaining, then decided it was probably better not to. I didn’t want to give him nightmares. 'I’ll ask Chiron.' Surely once Chiron heard about Percy’s stunt with the toilets, he’d see the sense in it. The Oracle would know, wouldn’t she, if Percy was the One? I remembered too that I hadn’t told him about her words to me the night Percy had shown up. His arrival had driven it clean out of my head.
i looked over at Percy. His attention had drifted already-not unusual for half-bloods, as most of us are pretty ADHD-and he was leaning over the pier rail, waving at a group of naiads at the bottom of the canoe lake. I couldn’t tell if he’d even heard what I’d just said.
I felt an irrational annoyance at the naiads, though it wasn’t really their fault. Percy was so impossible. 'Don’t encourage them,' I told him. 'Naiads are terrible flirts.'
'Naiads,' he said. Suddenly, his face crumpled into abject sadness. 'That’s it. I want to go home now.'
That look-it tugged mercilessly at my heart, dulling my irritation. 'Don’t you get it, Percy?' I said gently. 'You are home. This is the only safe place on earth for kids like us.'
'You mean, mentally disturbed kids?'
I should have been offended, but he still looked like he’d been punched in the gut. Even Clarisse’s attempt to stuff his head down a toilet hadn’t affected him this bad.
'I mean not human,' I said. 'Not totally human, anyway. Half-human.'
'Half-human and half-what?'
I fought the urge to grind my teeth. Hadn’t we already been over this? I thought of Luke and how patient he would be. I opened my mouth to explain everything again, then stopped myself. The look on Percy’s face wasn’t really one of cluelessness, but fear. He kind of knew the answer. If I kept telling him straight out, it would probably just give him the chance to deny it.
'I think you know,' I said instead.
I was right. Percy shivered, and then said, 'God. Half-god.'
I guess I didn’t really know what it was like to have that truth come crashing down on you. I remembered some other campers, who had been flabbergasted at the news, but my dad had always been straight with me about my parentage-I’d learned later that it was probably why the monsters had started after me early. The more you know, the easier for them to scent you out. By the time I was seven, I’d seen plenty.
Sure, Percy had faced a Minotaur, and maybe a Fury, but those were only two instances. I’d been making him out to be another Thalia because of how he’d slayed the Minotaur and made it safely to camp with Grover, but it was a totally different situation. Thalia, Luke, and I had known what we were. We’d had each other. Percy had never met another demigod. And I got the feeling his mom must have kept him pretty sheltered. I would have felt jealous, except I remembered Grover saying that the Minotaur had got his mom.
I should have been more understanding from the start. One more mistake by the counsellor-in-training. I felt bad. So I stayed and answered the rest of his questions. I didn’t even get too ticked off when he assumed my dad was the god, like goddesses didn’t exist or something.
I drew the line when he asked why I’d been at camp so long, though. I didn’t talk about my family with anyone, not even Luke (who knew enough not to ask). I wasn’t about to start sharing details about my absent father and the stepfamily who preferred me gone. Some things were private.
'So,' he said at last, 'I could just walk out of here right now if I wanted to?'
Had he forgotten how he’d been chased here already? I wanted to remind him about the Minotaur. 'It would be suicide, but you could,' I said diplomatically. 'With Mr D’s or Chiron’s permission. But they wouldn’t give permission until the end of the summer session unless …' There was one exception to the rule, and it was one I’d been hoping to get.
'Unless?'
'You were granted a quest. But that hardly ever happens. The last time …' That was Luke’s quest, the one he’d failed. The two companions who’d gone with him hadn’t made it back. Sometimes I thought that was partly why Chiron insisted that the prophecy meant I had to wait.
Percy changed the subject. 'Back in the sick room, when you were feeding me that stuff-'
'Ambrosia,' I supplied.
'Yeah. You asked me something about the summer solstice.'
I looked at him sharply. 'So you do know something?'
'Well … no,' he admitted. 'Back at my old school, I overheard Grover and Chiron talking about it. Grover mentioned the summer solstice. He said something like we didn’t have much time, because of the deadline. What did that mean?'
The bubble of anticipation rising inside me deflated. But for the first time, I felt some kinship with him. 'I wish I knew,' I said. 'Chiron and the satyrs, they know, but they won’t tell me. Something is wrong in Olympus, something pretty major.' I told him about our winter solstice field trip, and the weird weather after, and what I’d managed to glean since then about a theft and the insinuation that something bad would happen at the summer solstice if things weren’t set right by then. I left out the stuff about the prophecy. I didn’t want to scare him, and anyway, if it was meant for him, he’d find out when he met the Oracle. 'I thought we could work together,' I finished. 'I thought you might know something.'
I hoped he might share something, like a clue to his parentage-I was still holding out for Zeus-or maybe another detail he already knew, something to add to my arsenal of arguments to take to Chiron that the gods needed a quest, but Percy just shook his head mutely.
I growled in frustration. For a moment things had seemed so promising. Over to the east, the tip of Thalia’s tree was visible along the horizon, green-gold in the afternoon sun. It reminded me, as always, that I had yet to prove myself worthy of her sacrifice.
'I’ve got to get a quest,' I sighed.
The naiads in the lake waved up at me, smiling tauntingly as if to say, silly little girl, you know what Chiron will say-you’re too young, you’re not ready. 'I’m not to young,' I muttered mutinously. 'If they would just tell me the problem, I could solve it.'
A soft breeze wafted across from the direction of the amphitheatre, carrying with it the smell of barbecued meat. Percy’s stomach gave a low rumble and he sniffed the air hopefully. I realised he probably hadn’t eaten all day.
'Go ahead,' I told him. 'I’ll catch you later.'
I didn’t watch him run off. I stared at the pier rail for a bit, trying to piece something together from the little Percy had said, but came up completely blank. After a minute, I remembered that I needed to get to sword training, and I was now really late.
Chapter 7
Author: shiiki
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson, Luke Castellan, Grover Underwood, Chiron, various others, Gen
Fandom: Percy Jackson
Summary: What Annabeth Chase wants most is to undertake a quest, and when that chance comes, she’s taking it-even if that means teaming up with the son of her mother’s biggest rival. She thinks she’s prepared for everything that could happen, but right from the start, nothing goes to plan. And everything she thinks she knows about the quest, her life, and her family, may just be turned on its head. An alternate PoV retelling of The Lightning Thief.
In this chapter
Chapter Title: I Am Appointed Tour Guide To A Minotaur-Slayer
Rating: PG
Characters: Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson, Chiron, Luke Castellan, Clarisse La Rue
Word Count: 4,147
Chapter Summary: Annabeth shows Percy around Camp Half-Blood and tries to size him up.
A/N: Once again, all recognisable dialogue comes from Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.
Back to Fic Content Page
Cabin eleven was empty except for Timothy Greaser, who was already nursing a twisted ankle from the morning’s activities. No two campers from different cabins were allowed alone inside a cabin if they were of different genders, so I sat down on the front steps and opened a book to read while I waited. It was Dad’s latest guilt gift: a Greek text on Athenian architecture. I pored over categories of column structures until Luke showed up fifteen minutes later, leading the enormous Hermes group-all his half-siblings plus all the unclaimed campers, whose godly parentage was yet unknown. Practically every camper did a stint in cabin eleven when we first arrived: Hermes was a jack-of-all-trades kind of god and travel was one of his specialities. Supposedly that was why cabin eleven was the most welcoming. Personally, I thought it was just Luke. He had a way with newcomers, making them feel like part of the family.
He’d done it for me even before we’d come to camp.
The Hermes group must have just come from sword-fighting class, because they all looked tousled and sweaty, and some of them bore cuts and scrapes from where they’d got careless. Luke’s sword was swinging from his belt.
'Oh hey, Annabeth,' he said. 'What are you doing here?'
I jumped to my feet. 'Chiron sent me,' I said. 'He’s putting the new camper here.'
'The Minotaur guy?' Connor Stoll said. 'Sweet!'
His brother nudged him. 'Dude, you’re not supposed to use the name.'
'Hey, if the new kid killed it, it’s not like it can reform in a day and come after me.'
Luke got a funny look in his eyes, like he was mentally calculating how many campers they had now. I think some of the other campers were thinking of it, too, because they had sour looks on their faces. Evidently the rumours that had popped up around Percy Jackson simply couldn’t outweigh the fact that they were already overcrowded in there. Then Luke’s expression cleared and he clapped his hands together.
'Well, you heard the girl. We’ve got a new guy coming, let’s clear a space.' He opened the door for his grumbling cabin mates.
'I still say Solace was exaggerating,' Jason Bingley muttered as he passed. 'Like, did you see the kid? Scrawny dude like him against a bull-man? Puh-lease.'
'Is he going to be here soon?' Luke asked me.
'Um, Chiron roped him into Pinochle when I left,' I said. 'Grover was with them. I guess they’ll have to give him the orientation video, too, but yeah, soon, I guess.'
Luke shrugged and started to go in. 'I’d invite you in,' he called back, 'but it’s a little crowded, as you probably know.'
'Er, no problem. I’ll just wait out here.'
I thought Grover would be the one to bring Percy, but Chiron himself was leading him over, coming from the direction of the beach, as though they’d gone on a tour of the place first. I couldn’t remember the last time Chiron had personally given a tour. I frowned as they approached. First a house call, now a tour-in spite of what Chiron had said to me, he sure was treating this kid like he was something special.
'Annabeth,' Chiron said, 'I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy from here?'
'Yes, sir,' I said. Percy looked nervously at me. I tried not to look embarrassed that the last thing I’d said to him had been a stupid remarked.
Chiron turned to Percy. 'Cabin eleven,' he said, pointing. 'Make yourself at home.'
I knocked on the door. Someone kicked it open and we peered in. Luke’s campers were still cleaning up after their sword-fighting lesson. I couldn’t see where they’d prepared a spot for Percy, it was so crowded. The regulars even had to stash their bags on their bunks, as they had so many undetermined kids with bedrolls on the floor.
'It’s Chiron!' someone hissed, and everybody leapt to their feet quickly to bow. Chiron nodded back at them.
'Well, then, good luck, Percy.' He clapped Percy on the shoulder. 'I’ll see you at dinner.' He nodded again to all of us and galloped off in the direction of the archery range.
The whole cabin turned their eyes on Percy, who hung in the doorway, as though unsure of whether he wanted to enter. He was still clutching the Minotaur’s horn like it was a lifeline. Maia Reyes noticed it and pointed, whispering to Timothy Greaser. There was a long, awkward silence as cabin eleven stared at Percy, sizing him up, while Percy just stood there dumbly. I could see many campers’ faces fall as they realised he seemed more dorky kid than suave hero.
'Well?' I said, when nobody moved. I gave Percy a small nudge. 'Go on.'
He took a step forward and tripped, nearly dropping the horn. He caught the doorframe to steady himself. Half the cabin was silent, staring at him as though undignified entrance. The other half either snickered or grinned like they’d been handed a treat. Most of those were Luke’s real siblings-the practical jokers, who probably thought Percy was easy prank fodder.
His eyes darted desperately around as though hoping someone would take over for him. I sighed and introduced him.
'Regular or undetermined?' Maia Reyes asked. She sounded a little wistful; her own parental status was still up in the air.
Percy gawked at her as though she was speaking Chinese. I frowned. Hadn’t he seen the orientation video? It should have explained everything.
'Undetermined,' I answered for him, which was the truth as far as I knew. If Percy knew any better, he didn’t correct me, not even when the cabin groaned.
Luke stepped in front of the others. 'Now, now, campers, that’s what we’re here for,' he said, smiling warmly. 'Welcome, Percy.'
See, that was what I meant-Hermes cabin might be the de facto unwanted kids’ hangout, but it was Luke who made it their haven. He parted the campers and showed Percy the section of floor they’d cleared for him. It was tiny, barely enough for a sleeping bag, but it wasn’t like any of the others had much more room. Years ago, I’d entertained a brief period of wishing I could be in cabin eleven, with Luke, but once I actually saw it, I was pretty happy with my place in cabin six.
Plus, I was glad enough now not to be Luke’s sibling.
'This is Luke,' I told Percy. He looked at me and his expression seemed to say, Are you kidding me, which I thought pretty insulting. I narrowed my eyes at him. 'He’s your counsellor for now.'
'For now?'
'You’re undetermined.' Luke didn’t seem to take any offence. His voice was still warm and easy-going. He explained about Hermes’s patronage and acceptance for newcomers.
Percy looked around, as though he didn’t think much of this. 'How long will I be here?'
'Good question,' Luke said, although it wasn’t. 'Until you’re determined.'
'How long will that take?'
The other campers were rolling their eyes and laughing now, like they couldn’t believe how dumb the kid was. All their visions of him as a great Minotaur-slayer were clearly melting away. Luke was still smiling patiently, but I knew that expression: the kid’s slow, but what can you do? If I left him here, the explanations would probably go on forever.
'Come on,' I said, stepping in. Might as well carry on with the tour, like Chiron had asked. 'I’ll show you the volleyball court.'
'I’ve already seen it.'
How thick-headed was this kid? You’d think he would be glad for the excuse to step away from an awkward situation.
I grabbed his wrist. 'Come on.' I dragged him out of the cabin then let go of him, putting my hands on my hips. 'Jackson-' I almost called him Percy, since I’d been referring to him in my head for two days by the only handle I’d known, but remembered his last name just in time, 'you have to do better than that.'
'What?' he said defensively.
Olympus help me. Minotaur or not, the kid was hopeless. 'I can’t believe I thought you were the one,' I blurted out.
He flared up immediately, and if our following conversation was anything to go by, I knew it was time to write off another idiot new half-blood. He started by discounting his encounter with the Minotaur with the most flippant attitude, then displaying a complete ignorance about monsters in general. I had to explain everything to him, from their origins and life force, to why we avoided their names. And then he still didn’t seem to get what we were. What he was.
I felt like crying. Here I’d been primed to expect a great hero, trained and quest-ready, already half-trained and well-prepared by Chiron, but I was dealing with a half-blood who was slower than most of the new kids. It was indeed like Chiron had promised: this kid needed years of training and preparation.
'Face it, you’re half-blood,' I said, after laying out all the signs-troubled school life, ADHD, dyslexia-for him (which he should have known if he’d just paid attention to the orientation video).
I could tell from his face that he was finally starting to accept it. Before he could argue or respond in any way, though, Clarisse came striding over from cabin five, flanked by three of her half-sisters.
'Well,' she said nastily, 'a newbie!'
'Clarisse,' I said. 'Why don’t you … go polish your spear or something?'
'Sure, Miss Princess,' she said, rolling her eyes. 'So I can run you through with it Friday night.'
It would have been more threatening if I hadn’t evaded her every time we clashed in training. The children of Ares would never get that all the brawn in the world was useless without a decent battle strategy. 'Errete es korakas,' I snapped. 'You don’t stand a chance.'
'We’ll pulverise you,' Clarisse said. She looked at Percy, sizing him up. 'Who’s this little runt?'
I made the introductions. Percy looked dumbfounded, but I was starting to think that was just his natural expression. 'Like … the war god?'
'You got a problem with that?'
Most kids would have backed off with Clarisse sneering at them. To my surprise, Percy shot back, 'No. It explains the bad smell.’
All three of Clarisse’s sisters sucked in their breath. I was torn between amusement at Percy’s wisecrack, admiration at his boldness, and exasperation at his stupidity. Taunting Clarisse was like poking a sleeping dragon in the eye. You needed a ton of guts to do it, but if you had half a brain, you wouldn’t even consider it. I had the sudden feeling that this wouldn’t be the first time I’d find myself caught between conflicting emotions.
Sure enough, Clarisse advanced threateningly on Percy. 'Stay out of it, wise girl,' she growled when I tried to step in-it was debatable whether letting Clarisse rough Percy up was part of what Chiron intended as part of a tour. I decided it was probably better to let Percy deal with it himself. If he was going to be a camper, he needed to learn not to poke at sleeping dragons, so to speak.
I think a part of me also still hoped he might prove that I shouldn’t write him off just yet.
To his credit, Percy didn’t back down. He passed me his Minotaur horn and raised his fists. He didn’t stand a chance against Clarisse, though. She had him in a headlock quicker than you could say Zeus, and dragged him over to the latrines. It was clear that Percy’s first fighting lesson would involve the cardinal rule: never let the bigger guy get a grip on you.
'Like he’s "Big Three" material,' Clarisse sneered. She shot me a derisive glance. 'Yeah, right. Minotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid-looking.' I put my hands to my face. I knew what was coming; she’d dunked plenty of kids' heads in the toilet bowls, anyone foolish enough to cross her.
But then there was a low rumble that might have been thunder. Every pipe in the toilet trembled, and water erupted from the toilet like it was a fountain. Clarisse dropped Percy, who landed on his butt. The toilet fountain splashed straight at her, forming a jet that blasted her into one of the showers. Her sisters started towards Percy, but the other toilets came to his rescue, hosing them down. The showers came alive and joined the party with so much force that Clarisse and her sisters started spinning about, buffeted by the jets of water.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or groan. Instead, I just stood there in shock as the water crashed back down to the ground, drenching me in the process. (Fortunately, I closed my mouth in time.) The toilets and showers shut off, but the bathroom was completely flooded-except for a half-metre radius around Percy. He got shakily to his feet.
'How … how did you …' My mind was whirling. Certain gods could pass on supernatural abilities to their children, but this was beyond anything any of the campers could do. He probably wasn’t Hermes or Athena, and exploding toilets didn’t seem like Aphrodite or Apollo’s style. Ares was always a possibility, though I hoped not. The only person I knew-had known-with powers to rival these was Thalia. She’d been able to call down lightning on occasion. A flame of hope surged up over my earlier disappointment.
Percy shrugged. 'I don’t know.'
Outside, a group of campers-including several of Percy’s new cabin mates-had gathered to gawk at Clarisse lying in the mud. Luke was among them, studying Percy with the same, calculating look he’d worn when I’d told him Percy would be in cabin eleven. I guess everyone was re-assessing their initial impression of him, given this new display.
Still no godly claim appeared around him. I remembered what Chiron had said about the gods being unlikely to make a claim too soon.
Clarisse tried to threaten Percy again, but he matched her taunts easily. She tried to charge him again, but her sisters, displaying a rare moment of wisdom, dragged her back to cabin five. She flailed and kicked all the way, demanding to be let back at him.
A sudden idea sparked in my head.
I might have no idea who Percy Jackson was, but for now, he was a Hermes camper. And it just so happened that Luke and I were planning an alliance for capture the flag. A battle strategy started to fall into place: Ares’s fatal flaw was that they thought with their muscles, and could never stand coming off worse in a fight. Percy had already shown Clarisse up; she was going to be out for blood now, first chance she got. I knew exactly how I could capitalise on that. The rest of it was just details, like where to set the trap.
'What?' Percy said, and I realised I was staring at him. 'What are you thinking?'
There were so many answers to that question. I went with what I had last considered. 'I’m thinking,' I told him, 'that I want you on my team for capture the flag.'
'What’s capture the flag?'
'You’ll find out. Come on, I’m supposed to finish your tour.'
We didn’t chat much as I showed him around. He told me Chiron had already taken him around the fields and the armoury, so I took him by the eastern side of camp. I watched him carefully at each station, but he didn’t seem to show any particular affinity for any of them. No clues there. He’d gone back to being a wide-eyed dork who knew nothing at all about the gods and was fascinated by the peculiarities of camp. I still didn’t know what to make of him. It was incredibly annoying. I needed more information.
I had to go around three o’clock-I was signed up for Luke’s afternoon sword-training session, and I figured I ought to change out of my still-dripping clothes first-so I pointed out the trail back to the cabins and gave Percy quick instructions about dinner.
'Annabeth,' he said uncertainly. I prepared to repeat myself, but instead he continued, 'I’m sorry about the toilets.'
I didn’t know what I was meant to say to that. 'Uh, whatever.'
And then he said the most ridiculous thing ever: 'It wasn’t my fault.'
I raised my eyebrows. I could understand that he hadn’t a clue how he’d got the toilets to attack Clarisse-a lot of half-bloods with minor powers said learning to control them was an awkward business-but there as no way he could believe that it had nothing to do with him. He looked at me helplessly, as though hoping I had the answers. Well, I didn’t. I couldn’t unravel the mystery of Percy Jackson. He might be so many things: a son of Zeus, the half-blood with a special destiny, the one I’d been waiting for all along. All those maybes, unfortunately amongst a few certainties that were definite marks against him: he was dull-witted, smart-mouthed, and completely irreverent. He was like a prophecy: incredibly vague and impossible to make sense of.
That gave me an idea. 'You need to talk to the Oracle.'
'Who?'
'Not who-what. The Oracle.' I thought about explaining, then decided it was probably better not to. I didn’t want to give him nightmares. 'I’ll ask Chiron.' Surely once Chiron heard about Percy’s stunt with the toilets, he’d see the sense in it. The Oracle would know, wouldn’t she, if Percy was the One? I remembered too that I hadn’t told him about her words to me the night Percy had shown up. His arrival had driven it clean out of my head.
i looked over at Percy. His attention had drifted already-not unusual for half-bloods, as most of us are pretty ADHD-and he was leaning over the pier rail, waving at a group of naiads at the bottom of the canoe lake. I couldn’t tell if he’d even heard what I’d just said.
I felt an irrational annoyance at the naiads, though it wasn’t really their fault. Percy was so impossible. 'Don’t encourage them,' I told him. 'Naiads are terrible flirts.'
'Naiads,' he said. Suddenly, his face crumpled into abject sadness. 'That’s it. I want to go home now.'
That look-it tugged mercilessly at my heart, dulling my irritation. 'Don’t you get it, Percy?' I said gently. 'You are home. This is the only safe place on earth for kids like us.'
'You mean, mentally disturbed kids?'
I should have been offended, but he still looked like he’d been punched in the gut. Even Clarisse’s attempt to stuff his head down a toilet hadn’t affected him this bad.
'I mean not human,' I said. 'Not totally human, anyway. Half-human.'
'Half-human and half-what?'
I fought the urge to grind my teeth. Hadn’t we already been over this? I thought of Luke and how patient he would be. I opened my mouth to explain everything again, then stopped myself. The look on Percy’s face wasn’t really one of cluelessness, but fear. He kind of knew the answer. If I kept telling him straight out, it would probably just give him the chance to deny it.
'I think you know,' I said instead.
I was right. Percy shivered, and then said, 'God. Half-god.'
I guess I didn’t really know what it was like to have that truth come crashing down on you. I remembered some other campers, who had been flabbergasted at the news, but my dad had always been straight with me about my parentage-I’d learned later that it was probably why the monsters had started after me early. The more you know, the easier for them to scent you out. By the time I was seven, I’d seen plenty.
Sure, Percy had faced a Minotaur, and maybe a Fury, but those were only two instances. I’d been making him out to be another Thalia because of how he’d slayed the Minotaur and made it safely to camp with Grover, but it was a totally different situation. Thalia, Luke, and I had known what we were. We’d had each other. Percy had never met another demigod. And I got the feeling his mom must have kept him pretty sheltered. I would have felt jealous, except I remembered Grover saying that the Minotaur had got his mom.
I should have been more understanding from the start. One more mistake by the counsellor-in-training. I felt bad. So I stayed and answered the rest of his questions. I didn’t even get too ticked off when he assumed my dad was the god, like goddesses didn’t exist or something.
I drew the line when he asked why I’d been at camp so long, though. I didn’t talk about my family with anyone, not even Luke (who knew enough not to ask). I wasn’t about to start sharing details about my absent father and the stepfamily who preferred me gone. Some things were private.
'So,' he said at last, 'I could just walk out of here right now if I wanted to?'
Had he forgotten how he’d been chased here already? I wanted to remind him about the Minotaur. 'It would be suicide, but you could,' I said diplomatically. 'With Mr D’s or Chiron’s permission. But they wouldn’t give permission until the end of the summer session unless …' There was one exception to the rule, and it was one I’d been hoping to get.
'Unless?'
'You were granted a quest. But that hardly ever happens. The last time …' That was Luke’s quest, the one he’d failed. The two companions who’d gone with him hadn’t made it back. Sometimes I thought that was partly why Chiron insisted that the prophecy meant I had to wait.
Percy changed the subject. 'Back in the sick room, when you were feeding me that stuff-'
'Ambrosia,' I supplied.
'Yeah. You asked me something about the summer solstice.'
I looked at him sharply. 'So you do know something?'
'Well … no,' he admitted. 'Back at my old school, I overheard Grover and Chiron talking about it. Grover mentioned the summer solstice. He said something like we didn’t have much time, because of the deadline. What did that mean?'
The bubble of anticipation rising inside me deflated. But for the first time, I felt some kinship with him. 'I wish I knew,' I said. 'Chiron and the satyrs, they know, but they won’t tell me. Something is wrong in Olympus, something pretty major.' I told him about our winter solstice field trip, and the weird weather after, and what I’d managed to glean since then about a theft and the insinuation that something bad would happen at the summer solstice if things weren’t set right by then. I left out the stuff about the prophecy. I didn’t want to scare him, and anyway, if it was meant for him, he’d find out when he met the Oracle. 'I thought we could work together,' I finished. 'I thought you might know something.'
I hoped he might share something, like a clue to his parentage-I was still holding out for Zeus-or maybe another detail he already knew, something to add to my arsenal of arguments to take to Chiron that the gods needed a quest, but Percy just shook his head mutely.
I growled in frustration. For a moment things had seemed so promising. Over to the east, the tip of Thalia’s tree was visible along the horizon, green-gold in the afternoon sun. It reminded me, as always, that I had yet to prove myself worthy of her sacrifice.
'I’ve got to get a quest,' I sighed.
The naiads in the lake waved up at me, smiling tauntingly as if to say, silly little girl, you know what Chiron will say-you’re too young, you’re not ready. 'I’m not to young,' I muttered mutinously. 'If they would just tell me the problem, I could solve it.'
A soft breeze wafted across from the direction of the amphitheatre, carrying with it the smell of barbecued meat. Percy’s stomach gave a low rumble and he sniffed the air hopefully. I realised he probably hadn’t eaten all day.
'Go ahead,' I told him. 'I’ll catch you later.'
I didn’t watch him run off. I stared at the pier rail for a bit, trying to piece something together from the little Percy had said, but came up completely blank. After a minute, I remembered that I needed to get to sword training, and I was now really late.
Chapter 7