σɾɳιƚԋαʂ (ρʝσ x ɱαʅҽ σƈ)

I Get A Tour of Camp Half-Blood

Theo's POV

Greek gods are real, satyrs eat aluminum cans, and a Latin teacher is a centaur...Now I've seen everything.

Chiron, Percy, and I passed the volleyball pit. Several campers nudged each other. One pointed at the minotaur horn that Percy was holding and another pointed at me. Another one said, "That's them."

Most of the campers were older than me and Percy. Their satyr friends were bigger than Grover and Eric, all of them trotting around on orange "CAMP HALF-BLOOD" T-shirts, and no pants so their goat legs were out in the open for everyone to see.

I saw Percy look back at the farmhouse, then saw something.

Percy: What's up there?

Chiron looked at where Percy was pointing, which looked like the attic, and his smile faded.

Chiron: Just the attic.

Percy: Somebody lives there?

Chiron: No. Not a single living thing.

I looked back at the farmhouse and saw the attic curtain move. What the hell?

We walked through the strawberry fields, where campers were picking bushels of berries while a satyr played a tune on a reed pipe.

According to Chiron, the camp grew a nice crop for export to New York restaurants and Mount Olympus, which pays for their expenses.

As we watched the satyrs play their reed pipes, Pery asked Chiron...

Percy: Grover won't get in too much trouble, will he? I mean...he was a good protector. Really.

Chiron: (sighs) Grover has big dreams, Percy. Perhaps bigger than they are reasonable. To reach his goal, he must first demonstrate great courage by succeeding as a keeper, finding a new camper and bringing them safely to Camp Half-Blood.

Percy: But he did that!

Chiron: I might agree with you, but it is not my place to judge. Dionysus and the Council of Cloven Elders must decide. I'm afraid they might not see this assignment as a success, or even that of Eric's for that matter. After all, he lost his life bringing young Theo here, and Grover lost you in New York. Then there's the unfortunate...ah...fate of your mother. And the fact that you both were unconscious near the property line, the Council might question whether this shows any courage on Grover's part, or Eric's.

Theo: That's just wrong and you know it. Eric did protect me with his life. If that doesn't show any courage, I don't know what does. And I'm pretty sure Grover would've done the same with Percy.

Chiron: Like I've said, Theo. It is not my place to decide. The Council will make their choice soon enough.

I just shook my head in disbelief. Why would they punish Grover or Eric for something that wasn't in their control? It's not like either of them summoned the Minotaur or the Odontotyrannos, and it's like they decided to crash the cars they were in with lightning.

Somebody else summoned those monsters, and Zeus was being a child-hating bitch.

Percy: He'll get a second chance, won't he?

Chiron: (winces) I'm afraid that was Grover's second chance, Percy. The Council was not anxious to give him another, either, after what happened the first time, five years ago. Olympus knows I advised him to wait longer before trying again. He's still so small for his age...

Percy: How old is he?

Chiron: Oh, 28.

I'm sorry, WHAT?!