bet on it, bet on it

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Annabeth showed them a few more places: the metal shop (where kids were forging their own swords), the arts-and-crafts room, and the climbing wall, which actually consisted of two facing walls that shook violently, dropped boulders, sprayed lava, ...

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Annabeth showed them a few more places: the metal shop (where kids were forging their own swords), the arts-and-crafts room, and the climbing wall, which actually consisted of two facing walls that shook violently, dropped boulders, sprayed lava, and clashed together if you didn't get to the top fast enough.  The less than smart part of Maisie's brain really wanted to give the wall an attempt. But they continued on past.

Finally they returned to the canoeing lake, where the trail led back to the cabins.

"I've got training to do," Annabeth said flatly. "Dinner's at seven-thirty. Just follow your cabin to the mess hall."

"Annabeth, I'm sorry about the toilets."

"Whatever."

"It wasn't my fault!" Percy defended.

She and Maisie both looked at him skeptically, and Percy realized it kinda was his fault. That he made water shoot out of the bathroom fixtures. He didn't understand how. But the toilets had responded to him. He had become one with the plumbing.

"You need to talk to the Oracle," Annabeth said.

"Who?"

"Not who. What. The Oracle. I'll ask Chiron."

Maisie was trailing behind, deep in thought.  She momentarily glanced down at the water and thought she saw-

She did a double take, and stepped on the base rail of the pier to get a better look.  There, sitting 20 feet below the surface of the water, were two teenage girls.  Their long brown locks floated loose around their shoulders, while tiny minos swam around them.  They looked up at her, smiled coyly and waved their fingers in greeting.  Maisie waved back.

"Don't encourage them," Annabeth warned her, making Percy turn around to see what his friend was doing. "Naiads are terrible flirts."

Percy walked over to Maisie and followed her line of sight downward.  He gave a noise of disbelief, clearly overwhelmed. "Naiads? That's it. I'd like to go home now."

Maisie didn't know why, out of everything else that had happened, this was his breaking point. There were pretty water girls waving at them! She found this an upside compared to everything else.

"Well you're gonna have to get used to calling this place home," Annabeth said.

"Why?" Percy asked, his tone dangerously close to whiny.

"Cause it's the only safe place for kids like us," She stated.

"You mean, mentally disturbed kids?" Percy said, scared his friend had already succumbed to the insanity of this place as he watched her lean further over the railing to stare at the naiads.

Annabeth looked at Maisie and rolled her eyes before answering Percy's sarcastic question. "I mean not human," she said. "Not totally human, anyway. Half-human."

𝑳𝑶𝑵𝑮 𝑳𝑰𝑽𝑬 || 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒚 𝒋𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒙 𝒐𝒄Where stories live. Discover now