Because I Care

The New Camper

Clyde.

Flying over New York - no windows, safety nets, or hooky thingys. Just wind, two nerds and a hot girl.

"Perseus, what the hell is this?" I screamed over the wind, and all three of them grinned at me.

"Well," Annabeth said. "It's actually 'What the Hades.'"

"But that's a Greek god!" I yelled, totally confused.

"You'll see later," Jason assured me, and right then we broke through a layer of clouds to see a camp.

It looked pretty normal, which was why I thought it was. But when we got closer, and I saw the difference. There was rock climbing, but lava was pouring out from the top. There was archery, but they were shooting a fabric people. There was a lake with canoes lining the sides of a dock, but in the water there were people with fins and everything...

We landed with a thump next to a small river or stream or whatever, and a bunch of kids - my age and younger - with orange T-shirts that read CHB ran up to us. This one kid with a aviator jacket and jet black hair like Percy's reached us first.

"Hey Nico!" Annabeth said, and I was so dizzy I couldn't walk straight, let alone think.

The kid Nico said, "So was it easier than when you picked me up?" and Percy grinned.

"Yeah, he doesn't ask as many questions."

Then this really pretty girl with choppy hair ran up, and she hugged Jason. "Annabeth told me about how they rescued Nico, and I was worried you weren't going to come back!"

Jason kissed her cheek, and Percy reached for Annabeth's hand, everyone smiling and laughing.

"What is this?" I asked, and finally everyone looked at me.

"You're a demigod," Nico explained. "We all have a Greek godly parent, and probably sometime today, thanks to Percy, you'll get a sign." Everyone turned to Percy and beamed at him, and for once I was jealous. What did he do to get all of this special treatment?

Yo boss, someone was saying in my mind. Can I get a sugar cube? That dude was heavy!

"Whoa," I said out loud, and stumbled backwards.

"Wait," Percy said. "What happened?"

"Someone called me boss, and then asked for a sugar cube," I explained, and Annabeth turned a little paler. I left out the part about someone being heavy.

Whoa! Fat dude can hear me? Boss, this isn't good...

"Calm down Blackjack," Percy ordered the horse. "You can have one later." The pegusus snorted and trotted away to a stable.

"Gods," Nico said, and they all stepped away from me, except for Percy. He had this face of anger, and it was super intimidating.

"What's going on?" an old man in a wheelchair asked, and the crowd parted for him to get to me. He smiled, and took my hand. "Clyde, is it?"

"Yeah," I stammered, and started sweating.

"Look!" someone said, and everyone's eyes turned to me. They all bowed, and it felt kind of good.

"Welcome," old man said. "Son of Poseidon."

Everyone looked shocked, like I blew up or something.

"Tyson has a new brother," Percy mumbled, and rose from where he had knelled down. "C'mon. I'll show you our cabin."

"Our cabin?" I asked. The cheerful mood that was there when I arrived was gone. There were no smiles.

"Percy is a son of Poseidon, too," Annabeth explained, and looked a Percy with worried eyes.

"Psh, no way," I scoffed, and water from the river rose.

"Don't believe her?" Percy snarled, and pure fury was in his eyes.

"Percy!" Annabeth cried out, and the water splashed back, half of it soaking me. Or rather, I thought it had.

"Oh my... gods?" Several people nodded, telling me that that was okay to say.

"Who do you think you are?!" Percy demanded, and got up in my face.

"Hey, just because I have no idea where I am does NOT mean you get to be better than me," I reminded him, but he didn't back down.

"Curse you," Percy whispered, and stormed away with Annabeth, her golden curls flying behind her.

"Please," old man pleaded. "Let's go to the big house."