The Adventure That Lies Ahead | PJO x HP

CHAPTER 3

Word of the bathroom incident spread immediately. Wherever Percy went, campers pointed at him and murmured something about toilet water. Or maybe they were just staring at Annabeth, who was still pretty much dripping wet.

She and Isa showed him a few more places: the metal shop (where kids were forging their own swords), the arts-and-crafts room (where satyrs were sandblasting a giant marble statue of a goat-man), 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.

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," Percy apologized.

"Whatever."

"It wasn't my fault."

She looked at Percy skeptically, and he realized it was his fault. He'd made water shoot out of the bathroom fixtures. Percy nor Isa didn't understand how. But the toilets had responded to him. He had become one with the plumbing. Isa didn't know how the toilet had responded to him unless...

'Nah. That's too crazy! He can't be a son of Poseidon... Right?' Isa though.

"You need to talk to the Oracle," Annabeth said, making Isa snap her head at her.

"Who?"

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

Percy and Isa stared into the lake, wishing somebody would give them a straight answer for once. Isa didn't blame Percy or anything, but ever since he'd arrived things have been fishy. She knew everything that happened at camp, but when he came, it was like she was out of the loop. At the bottom of the lake, there were two teenage girls sitting cross-legged at the base of the pier, about five meters below. They wore blue jeans and shimmering green T-shirts, and their brown hair floated loosely around their shoulders as minnows darted in and out. They smiled and waved as if they were long-lost friends. Well, technically they and Isa knew each other as they talked a bit.

Percy didn't know what else to do. He waved back with Isa who was already waving back enthusiastically with a smile.

"Don't encourage them," Annabeth warned. "Naiads are terrible flirts."

"Naiads," Percy repeated, feeling completely overwhelmed. "That's it. I want to go home now."

Isa snickered while Annabeth frowned. "Don't you get it, Percy? You are home. This is the only safe place on earth for kids like us."

"You mean, mentally disturbed kids?"

"I would have found that offensive, but that's actually pretty funny," Isa said with a playful smile and laugh.

"I mean not human. Not totally human, anyway. Half-human," Annabeth said.

"Half-human and half-what?"

"I think you know."

Percy didn't want to admit it, but he was afraid he did. Even Isa knew he did. Percy felt a tingling in his limbs, a sensation he sometimes felt when his mom talked about his dad.

"God," Percy said.

"Half-god." Isa corrected. "Your father isn't dead. Percy. He's one of the Olympians."

"That's... crazy."

"Is it?" Annabeth asked. "What's the most common thing gods 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?"