Annabeth Chase and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

I Become a Tour Guide

Chiron and Percy reached to me to cabin eleven. I looked at Percy critically while he leaned in to see what I'm reading. I slammed my book shut and looked up. "Annabeth," Chiron said. "I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy from here?"

Great. Now I was becoming a tour guide for a seaweed brain idiot. "Yes, sir." I said.

"Cabin eleven," Chiron said to Percy. "Make yourself at home."

Percy looked inside from the doorway. He scrunched up his nose from all of these people inside the cabin. "Well, then," Chiron said. "Good luck, Percy. I'll see you at dinner."

Chiron ran, I mean, galloped toward the archery range. I turned to the doorway and noticed Percy was looking at me. "Well? Go on." I prompted.

He walked inside but then tripped like a total idiot. Snickers were coming from the kids' mouths. 

I sighed and said, "Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven."

"Regular or undetermined?"

Percy had that same confused look plastered on his face. "Undetermined." I announced.

Everyone groaned in unison. Luke pushed through the crowd. "Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there."

"This is Luke," I said. My voice sounded softer than my usual stern voice. Percy glanced at me and raised his eyebrow. I think he saw me blushing. I looked at him, my face hardened again. "He's you counselor for now."

"For now?" Percy babbled.

Luke gave a warm smile to Percy. "You're undetermined," Luke explained. "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 travelers."

Percy bit his lip. "How long will I be here?" he asked.

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

"How long will that take?" Percy snapped, having a little sass in him. I slapped my hand on my forehead.

I grabbed his arm. "Come on. I'll show you the volleyball court."

"I've already seen it." Percy said.

I dragged Percy outside. Laughing ate up the whole cabin. "Jackson, you have to do better than that." I told him.

Percy flinched when I called him by his last name. "What?"

I rolled my gray eyes. "I can't believe I thought you were the one." I mumbled.

"What's your problem? All I know is, I kill some bull guy-" 

I yelled at him. "Don't talk like that! You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"

"To get killed?"

"To fight the Minotaur!" I corrected Percy. "What do you think we train for?"

Percy shook his head. "Look, if the thing I fought was really the Minotaur, the same one in the stories. . ."

"Yes."

"Then there's only one."

"Yes."

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

"Monsters don't die, Percy." I told him. "They can get killed. But they don't die."

Percy lowers his head. "Oh, thanks. That clears it up."

"They don't have souls, like you and me. You can dispel them for a while, maybe for a whole lifetime if you're lucky. But they are primal forces. Chiron calls them archerypes. Eventually, they re-form."

Percy started to get it. "You mean if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword-"

"The Fur. . . I mean, your math teacher. That's right. She's still out there. You just made her very, very mad."

He raised his eyebrow. "How do you know about Mrs. Dodds?"

"You talk in your sleep." I said, remembering his mumbles.

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

I glanced at the ground. He knew. And I had to tell him every truth.