You do not have to read this chapter to understand the camp's lore

Man, I had a rough time before coming to camp. My life was just twists and turns. I lost many-a-thing, but gained things too. What do I mean? Well. you'll just have to see.

My name is Adnaan Lozan. I am a child of Zeus. I was only eight when my house burnt down, and I lost everything. It was quite a long while ago now, almost seven years,  and the memory is foggy, though it lingers. Oh, it lingers all right. I was out of the house the day it burnt down, I don't remember exactly what it was I was doing. I do remember, however, returning to my home to see it ablaze. I heard the sirens of fire engines in the distance, and fled. I lived on the streets of England for two years, until I lucked out and successfully stowed away on a ferry, landing me in Denmark.

Denmark was exciting. Not for any touristy reason, no. It very literally kept me on my toes, my heart was constantly racing. At the time, I was unaware I had any special powers. Sure, I had been pursued by strange things back in England, but I thought as soon as I left the country I'd be fine. Boy was I wrong. I was, and am, a Greek demigod. But Denmark is territory of the Norse. And let's just say they didn't take all too kindly to strangers from different Pantheons turning up.

Every waking moment I was peering over my shoulder, anticipating the next encounter. Sometimes it would be a human, much like myself. Other times I was less lucky. When I wasn't being chased by Norse demigods and einherjar I was being chased by a wide plethora of giants, or wolves looking for a meal. There was one time I encountered a giant snake, which was likely a servant of Loki.

There was one occasion, however, which changed my life completely forever. I was in the depths of Sweden, fleeing from a frost jotun, when I received something. A gift, which I found out later to have been from my father.

I was running through a wide valley, the jotun in my wake and gaining fast. I knew this would be the end of me. Without a weapon, I couldn't defend myself. I had not yet discovered my abilities, let alone honed them. Suddenly, however, I heard a distant noise. A faint cawing. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I had just heard the call of a golden eagle. You may think this has no significance, but if you know me well you will know I have a companion. I was about to meet one of my closest friends.

I looked up out of curiosity, and saw a brown shape flying towards me. Or specifically, towards the frost jotun who was chasing me. I didn't see it happen, as I was significantly smaller then the lumbering giant, but the brown shape of a bird closed in on the thing's head. Suddenly, the giant yelled and put his hands to his right eye. He fell down, now sitting in a cross-legged position. I took this opportunity as one to flee the scene. I didn't want to die.

Around half-an-hour later, I thought I had sufficiently hidden from the imposing threat. I had found a small forest, and had decided to settle down there for the night. Before I could make a crude lean-to I heard another caw, this time much closer. I turned around and saw an eagle perch on a nearby tree, about ten feet away. I don't know how, but I knew it was the same eagle as before.

"Thanks for the save back there," I said.

The eagle cawed and tilted its head, as if to say 'well duh.'

"So what? You some sort of guardian angel in disguise?" I asked the bird. "I could use some magic about now."

The eagle cawed, this time it retracted its head as if it were horrified by the idea. This made me chuckle.

"Some day I wish to learn magic." I said. "I've seen people throw rocks which explode, or make themselves bigger."

The eagle cawed again, as if saying 'good luck with that.'

They then promptly flew away, though somehow I knew they were nearby.

That was my first encounter of many with that bird. I later named them Volt, and figured out they were a her (don't ask how). Over the next year or so I left Sweden, and eventually made it to Italy. Italy was more forgiving than the Norse countries. The Roman and Greek mythos were very similar, so instead of having angry people and angry monsters, I just had angry monsters.

After a couple months I managed to stow away on a plane to America. I figured the fact I could keep constantly on the move was one of the reasons I was surviving so long. It hadn't been long since I had touched down in America, barely a month and a half, before I first heard from my father.

I was bunking down in an alley-way in central Texas. It was late at night- or perhaps early in the morning. Time had lost its meaning after being on the streets for five years. There was solely day and night, and this was certainly night. At this stage, Volt and I had become good companions, rarely leaving each other's side. I had already guessed Volt was unlike other eagles, as she was extremely smart and protective of me, almost as if she had been instructed to oversee me. Another strange factor about her was that I felt like I could understand what she said. Or at least what she cawed.

After I had settled in for the night, a shimmering figure appeared opposite where I was sitting. It was the shoulders up of a man. He had a broad stature, and a well-trimmed beard. I couldn't see much of his body, but he was clearly a fighter. His face was cold, but when he saw me notice him it warmed up a bit. I didn't know why, but I recognised this man. He reminded me of myself.

"Greetings, child," the figure said. "I see you and your eagle have bonded well."

Volt appeared to bow slightly next to me, which I found slightly ominous.

"I sent her to watch over you when you were in the north. I hope she's served you well."

"I'm sorry," I said. "Do I know you? And how did you just appear there?"

"Ah, my apologies. I seem to have overlooked that factor. I am your father. And I have appeared via the means of Iris Message"

"My father died before I was born."

"No, your father was forced to leave before you were born. It's the drawbacks of being a god."

"You're a god, huh? Norse?"

The old man chuckled. "No, I am not Norse."

"Wait, you're telling me there are other gods?"

"Correct. I am Zeus. Greek god of the sky, lightning and thunderstorms, among other things."

"Oh," I said. "I've read about you. You tricked your father into spewing out your siblings and overthrew the Titans."

"I see you are well-informed. This is good."

"I read Greek myths before bed back at home. Well, when I had one, at least."

A wispy look appeared in Zeus's eye. "I am sorry about the fire. I was powerless to stop it, and in turn you lost your mother. She was a remarkable woman."

"Yeah, yeah. Enough of the pity. I've heard it all already, just before being almost taken into an orphanage. Why are you contacting me now?"

"Straight to the point." Zeus said. I heard slight annoyance in his voice, but I didn't hear any anger. "The gods have been reawakening. Mingling with mortals again. I wish to task you with the job of travelling to the abandoned area of Camp Half-Blood, on Long Island. There you will find a few other demigods like yourself. Together you must rebuild camp."

"Head east fifteen-hundred kilometres until you reach Florida. Then head north-east a further thirteen-hundred kilometres until you reach New York. Then head for Long Island, and you will quickly find an abandoned camp within a ring of hills."

"That sounds like it'll take a while. But I've nothing better to do," I turned to my eagle. "It'll be fun, right Volt?"

Volt cawed with enthusiasm.

"Ah, you named your eagle. I suppose that makes sense. Volt, I trust you will speed up this journey?"

Volt cawed, this time with respect.

"Hang on, speed up the journey how exactly?"

"That you'll find out. First you must rest. Then, tomorrow, travel to a bar a few blocks away. You'll know it when you see it. Ares will be there, and he will have something for you."

"Ares, huh? Two gods in as many days."

"Be careful when dealing with Ares. He can be... ah, picky at times."

"Well, thanks, I guess."

"I must go now. I hope this information has served you well. Goodbye, my son." The image of Zeus disappeared.

Despite being told to find rest, it didn't come all too easily. Thoughts and questions plagued my mind until I eventually fell asleep. The next day I did what I had been instructed to. I made my way to a bar a few blocks away. It took me about half an hour to find it. It was only early afternoon, so there weren't that many customers. There was, however, a large, burly man sitting by the door, and two tall figures joshing about by the bar, clearly drunk. I entered the bar.

Immediately the guy in the corner set his eyes on me. The two by the bar ignored me. I couldn't see the man's eyes as he was wearing heavy tinted sunglasses, but a faint red light seemed to be emanating from behind his shades. He motioned for me to approach him with his finger. I walked towards the man, though I couldn't work out why. I didn't want to walk towards this stranger, yet I was.

When I got to the table, the man spoke in a deep voice. "You Zeus's kid, eh?"

I locked eyes with his sunglasses. "I'm guessing you're also a god then."

"Ares," said Ares. "Your half brother. On the godly side, of course."

"Zeus told me you had something for me."

"Right to the point. I like your style."

Something about this man irritated me. I didn't know why, but I felt a deep sense of unrest, which quickly started churning into anger. I wasn't angry at anything or anyone in particular, but just being near this guy was enough to trigger a negative reflex which wasn't a good sign. I don't often get angry, but when I do I get really angry.

"Ya' see, there aint no such thing as a free lunch, kid. If you want your daddy's gift you're gonna have to work for it."

"What do you want me to do?"

"See those two guys over there?" Ares subtly pointed at the two figures by the bar. "They're a couple of cyclops. They've been annoying me for the past couple hours. If you can get rid of 'em for me then the gift's all yours."

"You're asking me to kill a couple of cyclops? I have no weaponry."

"Use your wits, kid. Or take 'em down in hand-to-hand combat. That last one would be more enjoyable for me to watch."

"Wits it is," I muttered, turning and heading towards the cyclops.

I sat on the table by the bar, formulating a plan. Once I knew what I was doing, I decided to listen in for information. I sat for quarter of an hour, surveying the cyclops. I overheard them speaking, though the only thing of note was their names. The one on the left, the slightly taller one; his name was Andy. The one on the right, the slightly shorter one; his name was Bartholomew.

After I found out their names I enacted the second part of my plan. I left the bar and looked for a DIY store. Luckily I found one nearby. I managed to snag a small tub of rat poison, one with a label reading "WARNING: LETHAL TO HUMANS" which was perfect for my intentions.

After "buying" the poison, I returned to the bar and sat back down, waiting. I was sitting there for almost an hour before the cyclops on the left, Andy, got up and headed to the toilet. A few minutes later, he returned, but before he could get back to his friend I intercepted him.

"Hey, I heard your friend talking smack about you while you were in the toilet," I said.

Andy looked confused. "What was he saying?"

"He was talking to the barista. He seemed to be flirting, and I heard him say something like 'Andy is such a pathetic excuse for a cyclops. He's so scrawny for his age'"

Andy's expression changed from confusion to shock to rage. "I'll show him who's pathetic," he growled. Andy slowly walked towards Bartholomew. Bartholomew turned to greet him, and was met with an uppercut to the jaw, sending him onto the floor. The two swiftly got into a very intense fist-fight. While they were rolling around on the floor, which kept the barista occupied, I sneakily tipped some of the rat poison into Andy's drink.

After a few more minutes of fighting, Bartholomew let out one last heave before turning into dust. Weary and covered in his friend's dust, Andy picked up his drink and took a sip. I walked back to Ares in the corner.

"Job done," I said.

"There's still one alive," Ares said, right as Andy started choking, and disintegrated.

"What are you talking about?" I asked innocently.

Ares chuckled. "Impressive show there, kid. No violence, but I guess I should give you your reward now." Ares reached into one of his pockets and put two curved knives on the table, each in a sheath. One sheath was black, whilst the other was white. Each of them had a handle poking out the top with a red accent and a blue accent respectively. I unsheathed one of them, and looked at the blade. I could see my reflection in it. It was jet black, with a red highlight. I suspected the other one was white with a blue highlight.

"Kerambits," Ares said. "They're magic, so they'll appear in your hands whenever you want."

"Not bad," I said, before clipping the two knife sheathes onto my belt.

"They're made of celestial bronze, so they can kill monsters. Though they have been painted."

"Much appreciated," I said. "Give father my thanks."

"I'm sure he's watching," Ares said. "Always is."

"See you round, Ares," I raised my hand to my head, with my index and pointer finger extended like a salute, before immediately waving my arm outwards, before leaving the bar. This motion is what I mean when I say "salute-waves" as a farewell.

I left the bar, and started walking down the street. Volt had reappeared. She hadn't come inside with me as she doesn't like indoor places.

"What did Zeus mean when he said you could hasten the journey or whatever?" I asked my companion.

Volt cawed, to grab my attention, then shot into the sky. My gaze followed the shape of her feathered body. Though as she got further away, instead of getting smaller her form appeared to grow in size. Seconds later an eagle as big as a donkey was perched next to me. Easily big enough to fit two people and a couple bags on.

"You could do this the whole time?" I asked.

Volt cawed.

"Of course you could," I grumbled. "This would've made coming to America so much easier."

Volt lowered her wing like a ramp, and I clambered onto her back. She shot into the sky, and started flying eastwards, like I had been told.

It still took a while flying fifteen-hundred kilometres, even on a giant magic eagle. We flew for just over half a day, then Volt had to rest so we set down halfway in a forest for about a day, before finishing the journey to Florida. We had a bit of trouble there. Volt had to rest, as she was extremely exhausted. She made a makeshift nest high up in a tree in a forest near the beach, and starting sleeping, which left me to make a shelter for myself.

Dusk had fallen and I had managed to make a small fire. I was prodding it with a stick, a favoured pastime of mine, before I heard a low growling. I couldn't see what was making the noise, but I didn't think it was just a dog. The growl was lower and more malicious then any dog I had ever heard.

I dropped my stick. A pair of red eyes appeared in the darkness. I stood up quickly. My white/blue kerambit appeared in my left hand, but the right one didn't budge. I was still getting the hang of the summoning thing, so I manually grabbed the black/red one from its sheath.

The pair of red eyes were joined by another two. One to my left, the other my right. The one in the middle lunged. I ducked to the side, but I was scratched down the back by the creature on the right. I yelped, before turning around and slashing wildly with my new knives. I somehow managed to lodge one in its shoulder, but the thing flexed and my knife flew from my hand. I tried to make it appear, but it wouldn't budge. Meanwhile, I felt a sharp pain in my leg. I staggered forwards, luckily still able to walk. I was being destroyed by a trio of shadow dogs.

I turned to face my opposition. One of them was the other side of the fire, with the other two to the left of the fire in front of me, as if they were lining up to kill me. One of the abominable dogs lunged at me. I tried dodging and prevented it from taking off my head, but I didn't prevent it from landing a good hit. One of its claws gashed my cheek, whilst another somehow manage to connect with my left eye. If I thought the scratches to the back hurt, I was wrong. This was true agony. I dropped my remaining knife and clutched by eye, in too much pain to scream.

I heard the growl of one of the beasts as it prepared to leap. In one last-ditch effort to save myself, I flung out my left arm in an arc around my body. I heard a series of booms, and saw through my remaining good eye a flash of what looked like lightning disintegrate the three remaining beasts. Before I could think about anything, I fell to the floor and passed out.

The next couple of days Volt spent resting and I spent recovering. I had made a makeshift bandage/eyepatch for my eye out of a few leaves and the vine of a weeping willow. After resting and recovering, Volt and I spent the next couple of days travelling thirteen-hundred kilometres north-east before I eventually spotted what looked like ruins. Volt landed there, so I assumed it was the right place. There were the remains of a couple of buildings and what looked like some sports tracks. I searched the wreckage of the largest building, what appeared to have once been a bard-like structure, and eventually found a busted open safe with a book in it. I skimmed the pages of the book, and picked up that a guy named Chiron used to train demigods here before the place was destroyed during the Great Evolution.

Over the next few days, other people like me started showing up. We grew bonds and started trying to renovate the place. After it was mostly rebuilt, even more demigods started turning up, in surges almost, like an advertisement was sent out every now and then and each time more demigods would suddenly appear wink wink nudge nude.

-Adnaan Lozan, camp scribe