I had fallen asleep on the taxi ride to camp. I was kinda tired, trying to find Nico DiAngelo was kind of hard.

I had woken up when the taxi exited on Route 25A. We headed through the trees along the North Shore until a low ridge of hills appeared on our left. Annabeth told the driver to pull over on Farm Road 3.141, at the base of Half-Blood Hill.

The driver frowned. "There ain't nothing here, miss. You sure you want out?"

"Yes, please," Annabeth handed him a roll of mortal cash, and the driver decided not to argue. I wouldn't from the look of how much she got.

Annabeth, Percy, and I hiked to the crest of the hill. The young guardian dragon was dozing, coiled around the pine tree, but he lifted his coppery head as we approached and let Annabeth scratch under his chin. Steam hissed out his nostrils like from a teakettle, and he went cross-eyed with pleasure.

"Hey, Peleus," Annabeth said. "Keeping everything safe?"

The last time I'd seen the dragon he'd been six feet long. Now he was at least twice that, and as thick around as the tree itself. Above his head, on the lowest branch of the pine tree, the Golden Fleece shimmered, its magic protecting the camp's borders from invasion. The dragon seemed relaxed, like everything was okay. Below us, Camp Half-Blood looked peaceful- green fields, forest, shiny white Greek buildings. I breathed in deep and sighed. Home. I'm back home.

The four-story Big House sat proudly in the midst of the strawberry fields. To the north, past the beach, the Long Island Sound glittered in the sunlight.

But...something felt wrong.

There was tension in the air, as if the hill itself were holding its breath, waiting for something bad to happen.

We walked down into the valley and found the summer session in full swing. Most of the campers had arrived last Friday, so I already felt out of it. Yay. The satyrs were playing their pipes in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow with woodland magic.

Campers were having flying horseback lessons, swooping over the woods on their pegasi. Smoke rose from the forges, and hammers rang as kids made their own weapons for Arts & Crafts. The Athena and Demeter teams were having a chariot race around the track, and over at the canoe lake some kids in a Greek trireme were fighting a large orange sea serpent. You know, a typical camp day.

"I need to talk to Clarisse," Annabeth told us.

I looked over at Percy who stared at her as if she'd just said I need to eat a big, smelly boot. "What for?"

Clarisse from the Ares cabin was one of Percy's least favorite people. She never really messed with me unless she was insulting Percy by doing so. She once tried to beat me to a pulp, but Percy interfered (this was right after my kidnapping, I was still really weak). Percy then got pummelled.

"We've been working on something," Annabeth said. "I'll see you later."

"Working on what?" Percy asked unconvinced. I squinted at her, trying to figure out this project.

Annabeth glanced toward the forest.

"I'll tell Chiron you're both here," she said. "He'll want to talk to you two before the hearing."

"What hearing?" I asked.

But she jogged down the path toward the archery field without looking
back.

"Yeah," Percy muttered. "Great talking with you, too."

--page break--

As we made my way through camp, Percy and I (more him then me) said hi to some of our friends. In the Big House's driveway, Connor and Travis Stoll from the Hermes cabin were hot-wiring the camps SUV. Silena Beauregard, the head counselor for Aphrodite, waved at Percy and I from her Pegasus as she flew past. I looked for Grover, but I didn't see him. Finally we wandered into the sword arena, where both of us usually go when we're in a bad mood. Practicing always calms me down.

"Wanna spar?" I asked Percy.

"Yeah."

We walked into the amphitheater and my heart almost stopped. In the middle of the arena floor, with its back to me, was the biggest hellhound I'd ever seen.

I mean, I've seen some pretty big hellhounds. One the size of a rhino was on Princess Andromeda. But this hellhound was bigger than a tank. I had no idea how it had gotten past the camp's magic boundaries. It looked right at home, lying on its belly, growling contentedly as it chewed the head off a combat dummy. It hadn't noticed me yet, but if I made a sound, I knew it would sense me. There was no time to go for help so it was just me and Percy.

"Okay Percy. Here's the-" I looked to see Percy wasn't beside me. He was halfway to the hellhound, sword pulled out and uncapped.

"Yaaaaah!" He screamed. I sighed, pulling Hurricane, still in pen form, out and ran down. Percy had brought down the blade on the monster's enormous backside when out of nowhere another sword blocked his strike.

CLANG!

The hellhound pricked up its ears. "WOOF!"

I pushed my legs faster before Percy could do something stupid. Again.

Percy, of course, instinctively struck at the swordsman-a gray-haired man in Greek armor. He parried his attack with no problem.

"Whoa there!" he said. "Truce!"

WOOF!" The hellhound's bark shook the arena.

"That's a hellhound!" Percy shouted just as I got there. No way that hellhound is tamed. I thought, putting the pieces together.

"She's harmless," the man said. "That's Mrs. O'Leary."

I blinked. "Mrs. O'Leary?" Percy asked.

"You named a hellhound?!" I asked in shock.

At the sound of her name, the hellhound barked again. I realized she was excited. She nudged the soggy, badly chewed target dummy toward the swordsman.

"Good girl," the man said. With his free hand he grabbed the armored manikin by the neck and heaved it toward the bleachers. "Get the Greek! Get the Greek!"

Mrs. O'Leary bounded after her prey and pounced on the dummy, flattening its armor. She began chewing on its helmet.

The swordsman smiled dryly. He was in his fifties. I guess, with short gray hair and a clipped gray beard. He was in good shape for an older guy. He wore black mountain-climbing pants and a bronze breastplate strapped over an orange camp T-shirt. Oh Chiron. You didn't get an instructor...

At the base of his neck was a strange mark, a purplish blotch like a birthmark or a tattoo, but before I could make out what it was, he shifted his armor straps and the mark disappeared under his collar.

"Mrs. O'Leary is my pet," he explained. "I couldn't let you stick a sword in her rump, now, could I? That might have scared her."

"Who are you?" Percy asked.

"Promise not to kill me if I put my sword away?"

"I guess." I shrugged. He sheathed his sword and held out his hand. "Quintus."

We both shook his hand. It was as rough as a sandpaper. I put my capped sword away.

"I'm Percy Jackson and this is my twin sister Amanda," Percy said. "Sorry about-How did you, um-"

"Get a hellhound for a pet? Long story, involving many close calls with a death and quite a few giant chew toys. I'm the new sword instructor, by the way. Helping out Chiron while Mr. D is away." Ha, knew it.

"Oh." Percy said. I tried not to stare as Mrs. O'Leary ripped off the target dummy's shield with the arm still attached and shook it like a Frisbee. "Wait, Mr. D is away?"

"Yes, well...busy times. Even Dionysus must help out. He's gone to visit some old friends. Make sure they're on the right side. I probably shouldn't say more than that."

If Dionysus was gone, that was the best news I'd had all day. With him away, this summer might actually be cool. On the other hand, if Dionysus had gotten off his butt and actually started helping the gods recruit against the Titan threat, things must be looking pretty bad.

Off to my left, there was a loud BUMP. Six wooden crates the size of picnic tables were stacked nearby, and they were rattling. Mrs. O'Leary cocked her head and bounded toward them.

"Whoa, girl!" Quintus said. "Those aren't for you." He distracted her with the bronze shield Frisbee.

The crates thumped and shook. There were words printed on the sides, but with my dyslexia they took me a few minutes to decipher:

TRIPLE G RANCH
FRAGILE
THIS END UP

Along the bottom, in smaller letters: OPEN WITH CARE. TRIPLE G RANCH IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR PROPERTY DAMAGE, MAIMING, OR EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL DEATHS.

"What's in the boxes?" I asked.

"A little surprise," Quintus said. "Training activity for tomorrow night. You'll love it."

"Uh, okay," Percy said, though I wasn't sure about the "excruciatingly painful death" part.

Quintus threw the bronze shield, and Mrs. O'Leary lumbered after it. "You young ones need more challenges. They didn't have camps like this when I was a boy."

"You-you're a half-blood?" Percy didn't mean to sound surprised, but I'd never seen an old demigod before.

"Yes, Percy. How else would he be able to get through the border?"

Quintus chuckled. "Some of us do survive into adulthood, you know. Not all of us are the subject of terrible prophecies."

"You know about our prophecy?" I winced.

"I've heard a few things."
Before Percy was able to ask what few things, Chiron clip-clopped into the arena. "Percy, Amanda, there you are!"

He must've just come from teaching archery. He had a quiver and bow slung over his #1 CENTAUR T-shirt. He'd trimmed his curly brown hair and beard for the summer, and his lower half, which was a white stallion, was flecked with mud and grass.

"I see you've met our new instructor." Chiron's tone was light, but there was an uneasy look in his eyes. "Quintus, do you mind if I borrow these two?"

"Not at all, Master Chiron." I almost snorted.

"No need to call me 'Master'," Chiron said, though he sounded sort of pleased.

"Come, Jacksons. We have much to discuss."

I took one more glance at Mrs. O'Leary, who was now chewing off the target dummy's legs.

"Well, see you," I told Quintus.

As we were walking away, Percy whispered to Chiron, "Quintus seemed kind of-"

"Mysterious?" Chiron suggested. "Hard to read?"

"Yeah."

"Where did you even find him?"

Chiron nodded. "A very qualified half-blood. We've kept in touch over the years. Excellent swordsman, I just
wish I understood..." Whatever he was going to say, he apparently changed his mind. "First things first, Percy. Annabeth told me you two met some empousai."

"Yeah." Percy told him about the fight at Goode, and how Kelli had exploded into flames.

"Mm," Chiron said. "The more powerful ones can do that. She did not die, Percy. She simply escaped. It is not good that the she-demons are stirring."

"What were they doing there?" I asked. "Waiting for us?"

"Possibly," Chiron frowned. "It is amazing you survived. Their powers of deception...almost any male hero would've fallen under their spell and been devoured."

"I would've been," I admitted. "Except for Rachel and Amanda."

Chiron nodded. "Ironic to be saved by a mortal, yet we owe her a debt. What the empousa said about an attack on camp-we must speak of this further. But for now, come, we should get to the woods. Grover will want you there."

Piecing it together I asked in shock, " What does the Council of Cloven Elders want with Grover?"

"A formal hearing."

________________________

Well hey there.

School's been like Hades his wrath on me seven hours a day.

So sorry for no updates. I feel bad about it.

I'm so excited for BotL. Like you guys have no idea of my evil plans. (Hehehe)

Comment, Vote, and be prepared.

Ems out!✌🏼️