chapter two
002. percy jackson

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      I VOLUNTEERED for extra shifts at the infirmary so I could keep an eye on the boy. Sorry, look after him. If I had gone to Chiron with my request for switching my chores in cleaning the pegasus stables with Jay in order to interrogate the boy with the Minotaur horn the moment he woke up about things I shouldn't even know too much about, I don't think that conversation would have gone down exactly the way I would have wanted. The strange boy wasn't exactly helping my cause, however, because he wasn't waking up in the time I predicted. Not that it was normal for him to wake up a few minutes after I sat down at his bedside, but I'm impatient, and those few minutes ended up feeling like hours. 

    I couldn't help but be impatient. He could know everything. After waiting for so long, here the boy from my dreams was▬with the Minotaur horn and everything. He could know what this stolen thing was, who took it, where and why. He could be the demigod of the prophecy Annabeth and I read parts of when we were little. We should have never gone for it▬should have never let our curiosity win over and see what was hidden inside the pendant that hung around the Oracle's neck. But we had, and now we were burdened with parts of the future without knowing how it would all come together▬the Fates had only given us pieces of threads from the strings of so many lives, and it was a hard lesson for a daughter of Apollo to learn: sometimes, knowing the future was a curse, and never a blessing. No wonder the Sight sent some mortals mad. 

    The Prophecy said that there would be a child of the Big Three▬the first child of the Big Three since Thalia. Another forbidden child who would reach sixteen against all odds. After the Second World War, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades made a pact never to have any more demigod children because they became far too powerful and far too dangerous. This prophecy not only meant the pact had been broken▬again▬but it also meant that this child was destined to be dangerous and unpredictable, with the potential to either save Olympus or be the one to stand amongst its destruction. 

    But ... He didn't look dangerous. Far from it, actually. 

    The boy looked like the least scary person in the world, which was something rare when all of the people I knew had troubled pasts, wielded dangerous weapons, and weren't afraid to hurt someone in Capture the Flag if it meant having glory attached to their name. He had no scars on his face from failed quests, his hands weren't calloused from holding a sword, and he looked like he couldn't even lift a weapon, let alone swing it. 

    He looked how I imagined a normal twelve-year-old boy would look▬Normal, as in mortal. As in he didn't have to worry about dying if he left Camp, nor did he have to worry about destinies, monsters, prophecies and training to survive. He was blissfully ignorant of the world shrouded by the Mist, and I couldn't help but feel a little envious because I had never known anything but this world. 

    The boy had messy black hair that hung over his eyes in curls. Some light freckles dusted over his pale cheeks. There was no frown on his face and no clench to his jaw. His clothes were dirty with mud, and I had gotten him a new Camp shirt to hang over the foot of his bed to change into when he woke up. This boy didn't look like he could have killed a Minotaur, and yet the horn on his bedside table told a different story. 

    And yet, how could a Minotaur slayer drool in his sleep?

    Over the days he slept, I watched over him in between classes and chores. I rushed over to the infirmary as quickly as I could every morning, after lunch, after every training session and after dinner▬just in case he was awake. Annabeth checked in every now and then, just as curious. Grover was around almost as much as me. I've known Grover since I was little, and he found me, Annabeth, Thalia and Luke on the run. He had led us to Camp. And since then, he had barely aged. Satyrs aged differently from humans. He looked like he was a lankly twelve-year-old, but truthfully, Grover was in his late twenties. But he matured just as slow▬in a way, he was like a twelve-year-old in almost every way. I could tell he was close with the boy, Percy Jackson▬was his name. He had spent almost an entire school year with him, keeping an eye on him, making sure he was safe▬it was hard for a satyr as caring and as loyal as Grover not to get attached. 

    Grover was a little surprised to see me▬again, and again, and again. At one point, he frowned and tilted his head, wearing an orange Camp Half-Blood tee shirt and supporting furry goat legs and freshly polished hooves. "What are you doing here?" he had asked me. 

    Grover was hard to lie to▬not only because we knew each other so well but also because he was an empath, he could sense exactly what I was feeling. I stammered awkwardly as I glanced between him and Percy Jackson still asleep on the bed. "Uh ... chores?"

    But I stayed. I kept hoping each time I showed up, Percy would wake up. Because not only could he know all of our questions about the solstice and the prophecy, but...

    He could also know the purpose of my gift.

    It wasn't until mid-afternoon one day, not long after he first arrived that he finally stirred. 

    I was trying to feed him some ambrosia, the food of the Gods that, when administered in little servings, helped heal us quicker than normal. Trying to feed him was a challenge because I had to keep scraping up the drool from his chin with my spoon▬as disgusting as it kind of was, I couldn't help but bite back chuckles. But then, his eyes fluttered open and my chuckles died into a startled hitch of my breath in the back of my throat. 

    I stared at him for a long time. He stared back at me, looking very confused. I didn't know what I should say. I had been mulling over my questions so much▬over and over again▬that now I had gotten my chance, I was at a loss for words. 

    Perhaps I should have been a bit more sensitive to him only just returning to consciousness, but my thoughts overwhelmed and so I blurted out in a whisper: "What will happen at the summer solstice?"

    Percy Jackson blinked, perplexed and a little delirious.

    "What?" He just croaked out.

    I glanced around, checking to see if anyone was around, in case anyone had heard. I turned back to him. "What's going on? What's stolen? Please, we only got a few weeks!"

    "I'm sorry, I don't ..."

    There was a knock on the door, and I quickly shoved the spoon in his mouth to stop him from talking.

    Another day passed, and Percy Jackson was now fully conscious, up and moving. The summer day was bright overhead, the sunlight glaring down onto the fields and forests that the camp mingled with and around. The Big House stood on the slopes overlooking it all, and I was momentarily caught by the view of my home▬and how beautiful it was. Annabeth and I were hovering on the porch of the Big House that morning while Chiron and Mr. D continued their game of pinochle under the shade of old wooden support beams and porch chimes. We were waiting for Grover to arrive with Percy. I hated waiting. I tried to distract myself by watching the volleyball game down the slope▬hoping it would help the time pass by quicker. Mr. D's small, pudgy hand placed a card down in front of Chiron▬a six of spades. His curly hair, so black it was almost purple, blew slightly in the wind.

     Finally, Grover and Percy arrived. He looked much better, and now I had a good look at him. He had a pale face with sea-green eyes that reminded me of the ocean. His black hair, now dry, was ruffled and stuck up at the back. He wore the camp shirt I got for him and it was a little big. He stood a little shorter than Gover, kicking the grass up with his sneakers as he made his way over. When they drew closer to the porch, his eyes widened at Chiron.

    "Mr Brunner!" exclaimed Percy.

     I glanced at Annabeth, curious. 

    "Ah, good, Percy," said Chiron with a smile. "Now we have four for pinochle."

    He offered Percy a chair to the right of Mr D, who looked at him with his watery, bloodshot eyes and heaved a long, annoyed sigh. "Oh, I suppose I must say it." He grumbled, his words murmuring and slipping together into a low, constantly exasperated drone. "Welcome to Camp Half-blood. There. Now don't expect me to be glad to see you."

    Percy's brows knitted together. "Uh ... thanks." He scooted his chair a little further away from him. I could hear a breath of sarcasm▬subtle but clipping at the end of his voice. I wondered whether he knew he was being sarcastic to a god. And if he did, then some part of me was regrettably impressed by a death wish like that. He picked at the cards in front of him, but slid them aside, not particularly interested in playing. He noticed Annabeth, and me hovering nearby and tilted his head, eyes narrowing in a curious recognition. I pursed my lips and didn't meet his intrigued stare. 

    "Claire?" Chiron's voice made me glance up. I fiddled with my fingers and shuffled on my feet awkwardly. I quickly tried to hide it, taking a deep breath and rolling my shoulders back. I approached the table, putting on my best confident and brave face. My gaze drifted over to Percy again▬I couldn't stop myself. He had a frown on his face now as he took in everything around him▬it was a look a lot of new demigods had when they first arrived at camp. Being introduced into this world for the first time was a crazy experience. "Claire, this is Percy Jackson," Chiron introduced us properly. I slipped my hands into the pockets of my denim shorts. "Percy, this young lady helped nurse you back to health." Percy gave me an awkward wave. I should have probably waved back, but I barely noticed▬all of my questions, my dreams, my hopes and desperate expectations flooded my mind. He could be the answer to everything. He needed to be. "My dear, why don't you and Annabeth go and check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now."

    My eyes were still fixed on the boy with the Minotaur horn. I wondered how the Hermes cabin was going to fit in any more demigods. "Sure."

    He was holding onto the Minotaur's horn. I glanced down at it in Percy's hand, and the sight was almost surreal. The Minotaur was one of the most dangerous monsters from the old myths. Everyone who wanted to be noticed and become a great hero wanted to have the chance to fight that thing▬trained every day to be strong enough to do it. And Percy faces the Minotaur without any training and slays him? It was almost unfair. I swallowed hard. He had been in my dreams for months now▬He was supposed to help me understand why I had been cursed with my powers. It was almost scary to be face-to-face with the truth▬what if it wasn't what I wanted? What if it turned out to be something tragic? For so long I had searched for an understanding and now that I had the chance to finally be given one, I wanted to shrink away and ignore it. What if I was disappointed?

    I couldn't ask any of the questions I wanted to with Chiron and Mr. D around. I chewed on the inside of my cheek and looked back up at Percy, feeling my heart hammer with anticipation. I quickly cleared my throat and stood up straighter, not wanting him to think I was some awkward, shy and incapable demigod. So, I told him:

    "You drool when you sleep."

    I turned back to Annabeth and hurried over to her. We jumped down from the porch onto the grass and took off at a run down the slopes. I glanced back at the last minute, seeing Percy sitting there with Grover▬but all of my questions would have to wait. We passed the volleyball courts and the archery grounds. The arts and crafts building was overflowing and smoke from the forge curled up over the tree tops. We passed all of the campers going about their day-to-day timetables between classes, and chores and simply enjoying their free time in the summer weather▬reuniting with friends and family after the winter. 

    We walked past the many cabins▬a U-shape around a bonfire amongst the woodland of Long Island. It didn't take us long to get to cabin eleven which sat at the foot of the 'U', built upon creaking wooden foundations and decorated with peeling brown paint. The Hermes cabin was the only cabin at Camp Half-Blood that looked like a normal summer camp cabin. We stopped in front of the door; a caduceus was nailed to the wood. 

    Annabeth sat down on the wooden steps and took out her book on Greek architecture. I watched her with a soft huff▬I knew the moment her head was stuck inside her books, it was almost impossible to talk to her. I wondered how she could simply switch her focus so easily to a book when there was so much happening and someone like Percy Jackson back at the Big House. I wondered what they were talking about. I clenched and unclenched my hands, pacing around as I considered running back up to the Big House and finding a place to hide and eavesdrop on their conversation. 

    So much was going on in my head. I swung a little from the porch handle around the front of the Hermes cabin, trying to make sense of my thoughts and questions. It was like I was having five different conversations going on at the same time in my head. One: the summer solstice and whatever was stolen. Two: did I remember to make my bed this morning? Three: what questions should I ask Percy? How would I ask them? What were his answers going to be? Four: Who was Percy Jackson? Was he actually a child of the Big Three? Who was his father? And five: how was Percy Jackson going to help me▬what did he know about my powers? After waiting for so long, could Percy be the one?

    Thirty minutes felt like four hours before I could see Chiron and Percy making their way down the hill. I nudged Annabeth's knee with my foot to grab her attention, eager for the pair to finally reach the Hermes cabin. I rushed to hide my excitement▬because that was embarrassing of me. I pulled Annabeth to stand up before quickly standing to attention and doing my best to act nonchalant. The daughter of Athena gave me a weird look, annoyed at her reading being interrupted. 

    Chiron and Percy stopped in front of us. Percy and I shared another awkward glance. He was slightly shorter than me, too. The incredulous look on his face made me flush at the cheeks▬what was he incredulous about? Was there something on my face? I tried to stand taller again and look cool. I caught myself after a moment, realising I was trying to impress him and that was even more embarrassing. Why did I want to look impressive? I knew why▬because he somehow had slain a Minotaur, and apart from all of my questions and my expectations, some part of me wanted him to like me. 

    "Girls," Chiron towered over us now that he wasn't seated in his wheelchair. From the waist up, he was human wearing a checkered button-up even in the heat, but from the waist below, he was a mighty white stallion with powerful legs and hooves that kicked at the dirt. It was a nervous habit of his▬and I wondered what he was so nervous about. "I have masters' archery at noon. Would you take Percy from here?"

    I gaped. I was about to protest. Yes, Percy was important, but there was nothing more important than masters' archery▬not when I was close to beating Lee's record for split arrows. But Chiron gave me that look▬the same look he would give me whenever he found me eavesdropping, sneaking into the infirmary, or secretly trying to take more cookies than I was allowed. I sighed but nodded.  

    "Yes, sir▬," said Annabeth, while I mumbled a reluctant, "▬Fine."

    Chiron smiled softly at us before turning back to Percy. "Cabin eleven," he gestured to the wooden exterior and the peeling paint. "Make yourself at home."

    Percy glanced cabin eleven up and down. That incredulous arch of his brow and look in his sea-green eyes returned when he noticed the peeling paint. I rolled my eyes, impatient and reached over to nudge his shoulders to get him moving.

    "We don't have all day, Drool Boy."

    He shot me a flat scowl at the nickname. Annabeth opened the door, however, and his attention switched as quickly as the snap of someone's fingers. Percy tilted his head, eyes wide and inquisitive as he peered inside. 

    The Hermes cabin is packed with people, and I mean packed. Every single bunk was taken, and nearly every single ounce of space on the floor was filled with swags and blankets. Much like the outside, the walls inside cabin eleven were peeling with paint. The floor was dusty, there were cobwebs in the corners and people's belongings everywhere. Though, despite it being overwhelmed with campers, there was always something cozy and welcoming about the Hermes cabin▬and I always felt as if I was somehow returning home even though I never slept there. Chiron didn't enter because the door was too low for him, but every single camper inside bowed respectively to him.

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

    He galloped away.

    Once Chiron was gone, we were left in a growing awkward silence. I glanced around at all the curious eyes watching us▬campers ranging from elementary school to college, some of them the children of Hermes, of minor gods and goddesses, or unclaimed. Some of them have been here for years and were still waiting to hear from their godly parent▬waiting and waiting for even the smallest sign. You could tell who were the children of Hermes. They all had the same crooked smile and wild, mischievous eyes under wild hair. 

    Annabeth quickly grew tired of the awkward silence. She glanced back at Percy who hadn't moved from the doorway. "Well?" she prompted him with a jerk of her head. "Go on."

    Upon entering, Percy tripped. I sighed softly, closing my eyes and letting my head drop in disappointment. Some of the Hermes campers sniggered, but they didn't say anything.

    "Percy Jackson," I said, holding my hands out to the people in the room, "meet cabin eleven."

    "Regular or undetermined?" asked Connor Stoll, and I grimaced.

    "Undetermined," I winced and everyone in the cabin groaned.

    But from the crowd, someone stepped forward and held up his hands, settling the frustrated groans with ease. Luke smiled, glancing around at everyone. His blonde hair was ruffled over his forehead, and his eyes were bright. Even with the ghoulish scar along the side of his face, he looked kind and welcoming. I smiled, too when he met my gaze. "Now, now, campers," he said. "That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have the spot on the floor, right over there." 

    "That's Luke," Annabeth's smile grew wistful. But when she saw Percy looking, her gaze hardened. "He's your counsellor for now."

    "For now?"

    "You're undetermined," said Luke 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 travellers."

    There was silence as Percy glanced around the room once more and his gaze stopped at the dusty spot on the floor. "How long will I be here?" 

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

    "How long will that take?"

    Annabeth and I winced, cringing at each other. The whole cabin laughed. Percy looked around, clueless as to what was funny. The second-hand embarrassment made me want to hunch up▬I couldn't handle how the air grew very awkward and very suffocating very quickly. 

    I turned to Percy. "Come on, we'll show you the volleyball court."

    "I've already seen it."

    "Come on," I repeated, more forcefully this time and grabbed his wrist, pulling him out of the building. Annabeth followed us. The Hermes cabin still laughing behind us.

     When we were outside, I shoved Percy in front of me. He stumbled and sent me a startled, annoyed look. "You've got to do better than that," I told him.

    "What?" He spun around, watching Annabeth and I catch up with him. 

    I sighed. I tried not to be annoyed with him, but I couldn't help it. I had waited for so long for him to show up▬expecting someone who would be able to tell me everything I needed to know. That was what my dreams all told me. And yet, here the boy with the Minotaur horn was, and so far, he has drooled in his sleep, he has tripped over his own shoes, and he was making a fool of himself in front of the other campers. That wasn't who I imagined. I imagined ... well, I don't know exactly▬but not him. And the hopes that had kept me going until this moment were starting to diminish the more and more time I spent with Percy Jackson. This had to be some joke from the Fates, and the gods must be laughing from above▬this was their game: promising me that all my questions would be answered and then they send me ... this. 

    I looked away from Percy, pushing past his shoulder and marching down the pathway towards the lake with an upset scowl on my face. "I can't believe I thought you were the one," I grumbled under my breath.

    "What is your problem?" Percy clenched his fists as he stumbled to keep up with me. "Who even are you? All I know is I killed some bull guy▬"

    "Don't talk like that!" Annabeth snapped, frustrated. "Do 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?"

    A small scoff escaped his lips and he glanced between us, looking at Annabeth and me as if we had two heads. "Look," said Percy, "if the thing I fought really was the Minotaur, the same one in the stories..."

    I glanced back at him. "Yeah?"

    "Then there's only one."

    "Well, obviously."

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

    I rolled my eyes. "And I thought you knew something." Percy's stare went flat. "Monster's don't die, Percy," I explained impatiently. "They can be killed, but they can't die."

    "Oh, thanks." He replied sarcastically. "That clears it up."

    Okay, I was on the verge of throttling this boy.

    "They don't have souls, like you and me," said Annabeth, arching a brow at us. "You can dispel them for a while, maybe even a whole lifetime if you're lucky. But they are primal forces. Chiron calls them archetypes. Eventually, they reform."

    Percy nodded slowly, trying to take it in. "You mean if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword▬"

    "The Fu ..." I closed my eyes, biting my tongue. We couldn't say their names, not here, not anywhere. Names are powerful and dangerous. "I mean, you're maths teacher. Yeah, she's still out there. You just made her very, very mad."

    Percy frowned. "How did you know about Miss Dodds?"

   "You talk in your sleep."

    "You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?"

    Annabeth and I hesitated. We shared an anxious look. I looked down at my feet, expecting the grass to wilt, the ground to split open, thunder to crash down, and suddenly we would be swallowed whole. I huffed, annoyed and set my frustrated stare on Annabeth▬waiting for her to explain everything to Percy because I couldn't. I was never given new campers because I just got way too impatient, and I could never explain anything well. I just turned on the camp orientation film and left them be, hoping that the video would do all the explaining for me. And the more and more questions Percy asked, the more I started to realise that the gods were playing a joke. It was easier to be angry than it was to be disappointed▬because the moment I stopped to think that all of the hopes, dreams and ideas I had formed in my head for so long were just that, ideas, I felt a little sick. 

     "You shouldn't call them by name, even here," murmured the daughter of Athena pointedly. "We call them the Kindly Ones if we have to speak of them at all."

    Percy rolled his eyes and slumped. "Look, is there anything we can say without it thundering?" He gestured angrily at the rest of the cabins behind us. "Why do I have to stay at cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks over there." 

    "You don't choose a cabin, Percy," Annabeth eyed Hera's cabin carefully, her cheeks growing a little pale. Let's just say that Athena and Hera aren't all buddy-buddy. "It depends on who your parents are. Or ... your parent."

    I could see Percy's face fall. Some of my frustration and anger simmered▬and I felt a little bad. I pursed my lips and looked away, wishing I could think before I spoke. He had just witnessed his mother die in a horrible way▬taken by the Minotaur. And now, he was finding out he was the son of a Greek god. It was a lot. I guess, in some ways, I might have been lucky I was introduced to this world so young▬it became my normal. I barely even remembered my life before it to miss it. 

    "My mom is Sally Jackson," he said. "She works at the candy store in Grand Central Station. At least, she used to."

    I hesitated. I fiddled with my fingers and glanced at him again, trying to choose my words carefully and not just blurt out the first thing that came to mind. I thought of Thalia and how her death still made me ache in my chest years after, and that helped me to take a breath and think through my disappointment and anger. "Look, Annabeth and I are really sorry about your mom, Percy. But that wasn't what she meant. We're talking about your dad."

    "He's dead. I never knew him."

     I chewed on the inside of my cheek. "You're father's not dead, Percy."

    Percy frowned and immediately grew defensive. "How can you say that? Do you know him?" 

    His defensive attitude made me defensive. "No, of course not."

    "Then how can you say▬?"

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

     "You don't know anything about me."

    "No?" I stepped up to him, tilting my head as I threw his short tone right back at him. "I bet you moved from school to school constantly, probably because you were kicked out of a lot of them."

    Percy stammered. He flushed and pursed his lips, unable to meet my gaze. "How▬?"

    "Diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD too," added Annabeth, crossing her arms. 

     He glanced at us and bristled. "What does that have to do with anything?"

     "Taken together, it's almost a sure sign," explained Annabeth carefully. "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," I continued, watching his reaction intently. "That's your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, and if you learn to use them properly, they will 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."

    "Y▬you sound like ... you guys went through the same thing?"

    "The majority of us all here did," I started walking again, following the winding path through the trees. We passed the forge and the amphitheatre. A group of campers from the Aphrodite and Demeter cabins were going for a run. "If you weren't like us, you couldn't've survived the Minotaur, not to mention the Ambrosia and Nectar."

    "Ambrosia and Nectar?"

    "The food and drink we were giving you to make you better. That stuff would have killed a normal kid. It would've turned your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead," Annabeth picked up a twig from the ground and started fiddling with it. She picked apart the stems. "Face it. You're a half-blood."

    Percy didn't say anything. He frowned down at his shoes as he followed us, kicking the stones in the pathway. He watched a pair of campers fight each other with wooden swords under the shade of the trees nearby. He looked distant▬as if he didn't truly feel as though he existed in this moment, and was either dead or walking inside a very confusing nightmare. I pursed my lips. I knew I should say something▬I knew I should try to help him feel better, to offer an understanding from someone who has been in his life for a very long time. I didn't know what, though. I wasn't good at this▬at complicated emotions. I never got the chance when an annoying voice called out.

    "Well, a newbie!"

    We spun around. I immediately scowled when I saw who was making her way towards us. Clarisse La Rue, the daughter of Ares. She was about two years older and tall for her age▬muscular, mean and incredibly aggravating. Her curly hair was pulled back off her face with a red bandanna. She was wearing the camp shirt tied at her waist with a black hair tie, and camo pants and stomped along the path with heavy combat boots. Three of her sisters flanked her side. Every single one of them wore camo jackets and always seemed to have permanent sneers on their faces. 

    I crossed my arms, setting my scowl on her. "Clarisse," I greeted her with a sarcastic smile. "What a pleasure it isn't to see you. Don't you have better things to do? Like polishing the spear ol' daddy gave you or something?"

    Clarisse narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, sure thing, Sunshine. So I can run you and Miss Princess over here through with it Friday night."

    "Erette es korakas." Annabeth cursed her. it was Greek for 'Go to the crows.' "You don't stand a chance."

    "We'll pulverise you," Clarisse told us, and I arched a brow. Every Friday, the camp came together for a friendly (not so friendly) game of Capture the Flag. Cabins joined in well-formed alliances to create two teams, Red versus Blue, and it was often the Ares Cabin against the Athena Cabin▬which automatically meant the Apollo Cabin because we always sided with Annabeth and her siblings. So far, Ares Cabin was the reigning champion, but that was going to change this Friday. Capture the Flag was the only time I could use my powers at camp, and every person who went against me never stood a chance. Clarisse knew this. I could see it on her face, but she hid it well. She then turned to Percy. "Who's this little runt?"

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

    Percy blinked. "Like ... the war God?"

    "You have a problem with that?" Clarisse glowered at him.

    "No," he shrugged. "It explains the bad smell."

    My brows shot up, not expecting the comment▬and admittedly was a little impressed. 

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

    "Percy."

    "Whatever," the daughter of Ares rolled her eyes. "Come on, I'll show you."

   I shook my head, looking to Annabeth for help.

    "Clarisse▬" she tried to say but she was cut off.

    "Stay out of it, Wise Girl."

    She gritted her teeth. I quickly stepped forward, holding a hand out between Clarisse and Percy. "Leave him alone, Clarisse. He's not worth it."

     "I'm fine." Percy snapped at me, and I frowned. I scoffed at his tone but stepped back. 

    I tried to do the right thing, but if Percy wanted to walk right into public humiliation and a fight with the children of Ares, that was on him. He can't blame me for it. 

    Percy handed Annabeth the Minotaur horn and steadied himself for a fight. But Clarisse got there first, and I winced when she locked Percy around the neck and dragged him towards the bathroom.

    Annabeth and I followed helplessly. We watched as Clarisse and her sisters pulled Percy, kicking and trashing, into the girls' restroom. I ducked inside, pulling Annabeth with me. I wondered whether there was a way we could step in and stop the inevitable, but things at Camp Half-Blood worked differently than the mortal world, I'm sure. Here, you had to prove yourself to be noticed. If you were weak, then you were going to get yourself killed the moment you stepped outside the border▬and so, everyone here was naturally guarded and less friendly. Everyone here trained to kill monsters, and while we might have each other's backs when it came to danger, every camper was desperate to use their training for something meaningful▬to be noticed, to be seen, to be heroic and glorified. You had to prove yourself. Not just to every other camper to be respected but also to the gods. That was the life we lived▬and while it might be a sad one, it was the reality. Percy needed to prove himself at this moment. If we helped him, then Clarisse would just be even harder on him next time.

    The stench of the bathroom was enough to make me turn up my nose. I never used these bathrooms unless I had no other choice. Clarisse and her sisters were all laughing. They had dragged Percy into one of the stalls. 

    "Like he's 'Big Three' material," snickered Clarisse, pushing Percy down towards the toilet. "Yeah, right. The Minotaur probably fell over laughing, he's so stupid-looking."

    Her friends all let out mean chuckles.

    My breath hitched, and I cringed when Clarisse bent Percy onto his knees and forced him over the toilet bowl. He was still fighting back, stubborn in the face of his fate. I hunched up, but I was unable to look away▬ready for Percy to be completely doused with toilet water. 

    Then something weird happened.

    The plumbing started to rumble. The pipes shuddered. I frowned. Annabeth glanced around, startled. Clarisse's grip on Percy's hair relaxed. 

    Then water erupted from the toilet.

    The water tunnelled in an arc over Percy's head. Before I knew it, I was drenched from head to toe. I let out a squeal I wasn't proud of. Clarisse and her sisters had it worse. They were hit straight on by the geyser of toilet water, sending them flying away from the stall. Percy was sprawled out on the tiles▬he was completely dry. I frowned. 

    He turned around and more water burst out, hitting Clarisse so hard that she fell to the ground. Her siblings made their way towards her, but every other toilet and shower in the bathroom exploded as well. Soon water was everywhere, spraying and shooting throughout the restroom like a hurricane. Percy had become one with the plumbing; the Supreme Lord of the Bathroom.

    Clarisse and her sisters made a beeline for the exit, pushing and shoving each other on their way out. And as soon as it had started, it all stopped.

    Percy stared at the destroyed bathroom around us, shocked. He stood up, his legs a little shaky. He turned to Annabeth and I for an explanation, but we were just as stumped. I stared back at him, a short, breathless scoff of amazement▬and perhaps a little bit of disgust▬escaping from my lips. The whole bathroom was flooded, the only dry spot was around Percy, and his clothes had not one damp spot on them, nothing at all.

    "H▬how did you ...?" was all I could manage.

    "I don't know," Percy replied, his voice just as breathless.

    Slowly, we trudged out of the flooded bathroom to see Clarisse and her sisters sprawled out in the mud. I would have laughed if I wasn't still so shocked over what I had just seen. Many campers had gathered in a circle around them, gawking and discreetly trying to take photos with film cameras. Jay and Lee were at the front of the crowd. When they saw me, they demanded an explanation but all I could do was shrug. 

    Clarisse tried to stand up but slipped. Her hair was flat across her face and her camo jacket was soaked. She was red with fury. She gave Percy a look of pure loathing. "You are dead, new boy!" she shouted, flustered with both anger and sheer embarrassment. "You are totally dead!"

    Percy wasn't fazed by her vicious threat. "You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth."

    The other Ares campers had to hold her back. They started dragging her back to cabin five. The crowd of demigods had to leap out of the way to avoid her thrashing feet. Soon, everyone started to disperse, chatting to each other in excited murmurs about what had happened▬this was going to be all everyone could talk about for the rest of the day. 

    I slowly fixed my stare back onto Percy, and for the first time since he showed up, I wasn't thoroughly disappointed. But neither was I met with all that I had imagined, either. Instead, I stood there, stunned to silence as I realised that the boy with the Minotaur horn was more of a mystery than I had originally thought. A weird mystery, for sure▬and a clueless one, too▬but a mystery nonetheless. 

    Percy noticed our stares. "What?" he demanded, guarded. "What are you thinking?"

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

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    a/n (2025): i had my work cut out for me this chapter ahhhhhh. somehow i ended up with over 3000 words more than i had originally just by fleshing out descriptions. and still, i feel like i'm leaving it so cringe-worthy but this chapter took me way longer to edit and i have to leave soon for work so here we are.

    lol 12 year old claire had no chill. (13 yr old me had no chill either haha).

    but we love her for it. 

    i still can't believe the horrible things people wrote about her in the comments of this book - about a 12 year old girl. all of these comments saying/joking that she was on her period or that she was 'bipolar', one is incredibly sexist and just not cool/appropiate to say about a character who is 12 years old, but is also incredibly offensive. this fandom was (and sometimes still is) incredibly toxic. it actually disgusts me. yeah, she has a lot of faults, yeah, her experiences, her adhd and her trauma has made her have a very angry, impatient and defensive response to the world. she's always on the attack because she's used to being on edge her entire life. 

    anyway, i hope this edited chapter turned out okay. for rereaders, baby percy and claire! i miss them. they're so grown up now. (i actualy need to update pandora's box i'm so sorry). for new readers, i hope you're still enjoying the chapters that aren't edited <3 my writing has changed a lot and it's ugh, but considering i did start writing this book at 13, the writing is actually pretty good.