The Lighting Thief (Annabeths POV)

Percy Digs Where He Shouldnt Be

I showed Percy a little more of the camp. I showed him the metal shop, the arts-and-crafts room, and the climbing wall. We eventually made it to the canoe lake where the trail led back to the cabins. "I've got training to do," I said flatly. I was really annoyed with Percy at this point. I sighed before talking again. "Dinners at seven-thirty. Just follow your cabin to the mess hall."
"Annabeth, I'm sorry about the toilets."
"Whatever."
"It wasn't my fault."
I looked back at him, raising an eyebrow. "Not your fault? Then who's was it?" I asked. He didn't respond. I sighed. "You need to talk to the Oracle," I said
"Who?"
"Not who. What. The Oracle. I'll ask Chiron." Percy stared into the lake. He noticed the river naiads. They waved at him all flirty like, and I rolled my eyes. They were terrible flirts. Percy waved back. "Don't encourage them," I warned. "Naiads are terrible flirts."
"Naiads," He repeated. I could tell he was overwhelmed. "I know it's overwhelming, but this is your home now. There's no going back." I explained."This is the only place on earth for kids like us."
"You mean, mentally disturbed kids?"
"I mean not human. Not totally human, anyway. Half-human."
"What's the other Half?"
"I think you know."
Percy didn't respond, his grip tighnted on the pier railing. I could tell Percy didn't want to admit it. He took a deep breath. "God," he said. "Half-god." I nodded."Your father isn't dead, Percy. He's one of the Olympians."
"That's... crazy."
"Is it? What's the most common thing god's did in the old stories? They ran around falling in love with humans and having kids with them. Do you think they've changed their habits in the last few millennia?"
"But those are just -"
Percy stopped himself. He was about to call it all a myth. "But if all kids here are half-gods-"
"Demigods," I corrected. "That's the official term. Or half-bloods."
"Then who's your dad?" My grip tightened on the railing. I felt myself grit my teeth. I hated my dad. I took a deep breath and loosened my grip. "My dad is a professor at West Point," I said. "I haven't seen him since I was very little. He teaches American history."
"He's human."
"What?" I snapped."You assume that it has to be a male that finds a female attractive?" I asked and looked away. "How sexiest is that?" I mumbled
"Who's your mom then?" Percy asked.
"Cabin six."
"Meaning?"
I straighted and turned back to Percy. "Athena, goddess of wisdom and battle strategy,  more commonly called warfare."
"And my dad?"
"Undetermined." I said. "Your dad hasnt claimed you yet. No one knows."
"Except my mother. She knew."
"Maybe not, Percy. Gods don't always reveal their identities."
"My Dad would have. He loved her."
I gave Percy a cautious look. I didn't want to burst his bubble, but it probably wasn't true. My dad didn't even know who my mother truly was until I was born. "Maybe you're right. Maybe he'll send you a sign. That's the only way to know for sure: your father has to send you a sign claiming you as his son. Sometimes, it happens."
"You mean sometimes it doesn't?"
I ran my palm along the railing and took a deep breath. "Percy, why do you think so many people are in the Hermes cabin? Not all those kids are Hermes kids. Most of them are undetermined. They haven't gotten claimed." Percy seemed to be thinking, I knew how he felt. All those kids that never got claimed. "The gods have a lot of kids. And sometimes they just don't care about us. They ignore us," I explained. He didn't respond. I thought about all the time I had spent in the Hermes cabin. Sure, it was only a couple of days, but I still thought my mom didn't care about me. "So I'm stuck here," Percy said. "That's it? For the rest of my life?"
"It depends," I said. "Some campers only stay the summer. If you're a child of Aphrodite or Demeter, you're probably not a real powerful force. The monster's must ignore you, so you can get away with a few months of summer training and live in the mortal world with the rest of the year but for some of us it's too dangerous to leave. We're year rounders in the mortal world attract monsters, and they sense us. They come to challenge us. Most of the time, they'll ignore us until we're old enough to cause trouble-about 10 or 11 years old, but after that most demigods either make their way here or they get killed off a few manage to survive in the outside world and become famous. Believe me if I told you the names you know some. Some don't even realize their demigods, but very few are like that."
"So monsters can't get in here?"
I shook my head. "Not unless they're intentionally stocked in the woods or specially summoned by someone in the camp."
"Why would anybody want to summon a monster?"
"Practice fights. Practical jokes."
"Practical jokes?"
"The point is, the borders are sealed to keep mortals and monsters out. From the outside, mortals look into the valley and see nothing unusual, just a strawberry farm."
"So... you're a year-rounder?"
I nodded. I pulled out my clay-bead necklace. I had five beads. Every year, we got a bead for surviving another year. My necklace matched Luke's, except I had a gold college ring on mine. It was my father's. "I've been here since I was seven," I told him. "Every August on the last day of the summer session, you get a bead for surviving another year. I've been here longer than most of the counselors, and they're all in college."
"Why did you come so young?"
I twisted my college ring. He didn't know anything about me. He shouldn't care. "None of your business," I told him.
"Oh."
There was silence for a moment. He had no right butting into my business. I could hear him shift on his feet.
"So... I could just walk out of here right now if I wanted to?"
"It would be suicide, but you could, with Mr.D's or Chiron's permission. But they wouldn't give you permission until they end of the summer session unless..."
"Unless?"
"You were granted a quest. But that hardly ever happens. The last time.."
I stopped myself, and my voice trailed off. It hadn't gone well last time. Luke came back with a huge scar. He seemed... different since then. "Back in the sick room," Percy said. "Back when you were feeding me that stuff."
"Ambrosia."
"Yeah. You asked me something about the summer solstice."
I felt my shoulder tense. He knew something. "So you do know something?"
"Well... no. Back at my old school, I overheard Grover and Chiron talking about it. Grover mentioned the summer solstice. He said something like we didn't have much time because of the deadline. What does that mean?"
My fists clenched around the railing. I want to know, but no one will tell me.
"I wish I knew. Chiron and the saytrs, they know, but they won't tell me. Something is wrong in Olympys, something pretty major. The last time I was there everything seemed so... well normal."
"You've been to Olympus?"
" Some of us year-rounders, Luke and Clarisse and I and a few others. We took a field trip during Winter Solstice. That's when the gods have their big annual council."
"But... how did you get there?"
"The Long Island railroad, of course, you get off at Penn station. Empire State Building, special elevator to the six hundredth floor." I looked at him. He should've known this. He was from New York, right? I wasn't even from New York, and I knew this. "You are a New Yorker, right?"
"Oh sure." I could tell he didn't want to insult my intelligence again. "Right after we visited," I continued. "the weather got weird, as if the gods had started fighting. A couple of times since I've overheard satyrs talking. The best I can figure out is that something important was stolen. And if it isn't returned by summer solstice, there's going to be trouble. When you came. I was hoping... I mean- Athena can get along with just about anybody except for Ares. And of course, she's got that rivalry with Poseidon. But I mean, aside from that, I thought we could work together. I thought you might know something." Percy shook his head. I sighed. I needed a quest. But Chiron always told me I was too young. "I've got to get a quest." I muttered to myself. "I'm not too young. If someone would just tell me the problem," I glanced at Percy. If this kid was getting a quest in the next week, I was going to die. I've been here for five years. There's no way. I smelled barbecue smoke, It was the dinner for later. I heard Percy's stomach growl. And I laughed. "Go on. I'll catch you later," I told him. He nodded and went off. He left me tracing my finger along the pier. If only I had a quest. I took a deep breath and decided to head back to the Athena cabin. I got in, and no one was there, I grabbed my orange tank top and some new jeans to change into. I decided to read, and I passed by the shield on the wall. I saw my reflection. My curly blonde hair, my cold grey eyes, and my tan skin all seemed to sparkle in the reflection. I sighed and walked towards the bookshelf. I was looking through the books when my other siblings showed up from training. I greeted them, and they greeted me as well. As soon as they put their weapons away. The conch horn blew. "Six fall in!" I said. My sibling lined up, and I stood in front of them as we walked out of the cabin. I noticed Percy in the back of the cabin eleven line. He looked back at me. He almost looked surprised to see me in front. Sure, I wasn't the oldest out of the camp or my cabin, but I had been there the longest. We sat at our table. Finally, Chiron pounded his hoof on the pavilion floor and raised his glass. "To the gods!"
Everybody else raised their glasses. "To the gods!" My cabin stood up to give our offerings. I ended up at the same time as Percy. I scraped part of my food into the fire. "Athena," I whispered. I returned to my seat. Chiron pounded his hoof again to return our attention to him. Mr. D got up with a huge sigh. "Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels."
Cheers erupted from cabin five. I hated sitting next to them. I rolled my eyes. I was tired of them. "Aw, is someone mad your little useless battle strategies don't work?" Clarisse mocked me. I glared at her. "Right, because constantly sending people to the infirmary is the best answer." I responded. She glared at me. She couldn't come up with a come-back. I smirked. Chiron pounded his hoof again to regain our attention.
"Personally," Mr. D continued. "I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have a new camper today. Peter Johnson."
Chiron murmured something.
"Er, Percy Jackson," Mr. D corrected. "That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on."
Everybody cheered, and we all headed to the amphitheater. The Apollo cabin led a sing-along about the gods per usual. After we all joked around, and ate s'mores. Later, the conch horn blew, and we headed back to our cabins. I picked up a book and started reading. But all I could think about was Percy. Could he really be the one? I wish I knew.