The Riptides: Percy's Sister (Percy Jackson And The Olympians)

Book One, Chapter Six 1.6

Once I got over the fact that Chiron is a centaur (which was literally the next five seconds), we took a nice tour. Though I was cautious to not walk behind him. Percy and I had been on horse scoop duty (haha duty) for the Macy's Day Parade a few times... I did not trust his back as much as I trust his front.

We passed by the volleyball pit. Several people nudging each other. One pointed to the minotaur horn. Another said, "That's them."

Most campers were older than us. Satyr friends bigger than Dean and Grover, all trotting in orange CAMP HALF BLOOD shirts, nothing over their shag carpet legs. The way everyone stared at us made me uncomfortable, I clutched onto Percy's arm.

You ever get the feeling you're being followed or watched by something horribly unsafe? Well... I already asked that, but this is more creepy than scary.

I glanced back at the farmhouse and it was much bigger than I realized. A four story tall, sky blue house with white trim. On the uppermost window something caught my eye. I saw a silhouette that moved the curtain.

Percy pointed at the attic, "What's up there?"

Chiron's smile faded, "Just the attic."

"Somebody lives there?" I asked.

"No. Not a single living thing."

Not a single living thing. It didn't seem like he was lying. This seemed like a play on words. A silhouette and it closed the curtain? He told the whole truth, something does live there. Whatever or whoever it is just isn't alive. Exactly like he said. Okay mostly the truth, the No changes things, but it's the principle.

"Come along," his lighthearted tone now a forced tone, "lots to see."

We walked through the strawberry fields, where campers were picking bushels of strawberries while satyrs played tunes on reed pipes.

I couldn't help myself. "Can I pick some?"

"Of course." Chiron answered. "We grow a nice crop to export to restaurants and Olympus. It pays for our expenses and the strawberries take almost no effort." He explained.

I realized I had nothing to put my strawberries in. Sure, I can hold them and wait until I get a bag. I could put it in my backpack, but they won't fit with Oscar and Sprinkles in there.

"Please can I put them in the box?" I asked Percy.

"You want to put freshly picked strawberries in a box with a horn that has dried blood on it?" He asked.

I nodded, "Yes."

He looked me in the eye for a long second.

He handed me the shoebox. "Fine."

I picked with gusto. The only other field trip at Eastview that I liked was when we went to a strawberry orchard. It sprinkled that day. I remember one of the employees saying "The redder the better." We even got to pick our own strawberries. I also remember another employee saying that strawberries aren't berries. Watermelons are berries. I wondered what about strawberries resembles a straw and since they're not berries, why is it in the name?

"Mr. D has this effect on fruit bearing plants: they just go crazy when he's around. It works best with grapes, but he's restricted from growing those, so we grow strawberries instead." Chiron explained.

When I saw the bugs I noticed that they wanted away from the strawberries. I didn't think much of it until we left the patch (my box full). I saw a satyr playing his pipe. His music making bugs leaving like they would from a forest fire. Do all satyrs have this kind of magic? If I gave Dean reed pipes, would the bugs react the same way?