The Adventure That Lies Ahead | PJO x HP

CHAPTER 45

Isa smiled when she saw Camp Half-Blood. It was her home and it was good to be home. But what made her even happier was that it was the Christmas holidays. Christmas is Isa's favorite time of the year and her favorite holiday. She enjoyed it more than her birthday. In Isa's opinion, camp looked absolutely beautiful during Christmas even if not a lot of campers stayed over.

The snow had been allowed to fall lightly. Frost covered the chariot track and the strawberry fields. The cabins were decorated with tiny flickering lights, like Christmas lights, except they seemed to be balls of real fire. More lights glowed in the woods, and, weirdest of all, a fire flickered in the attic window of the Big House, where the Oracle dwelt, imprisoned in an old mummified body. Percy wondered if the spirit of Delphi was roasting marshmallows up there or something.

"Whoa," Nico said as he climbed off the bus. "Is that a climbing wall?"

"Yeah," Isa said.

"Why is there lava pouring down it?"

"Little extra challenge," Isa told him. "Come on. We'll introduce you to Chiron."

Percy said, "Zoë, have you met⎼"

"I know Chiron," Zoë said stiffly. "Tell him we will be in Cabin Eight. Hunters, follow me."

"I'll show you the way," Grover offered.

"We know the way."

"Oh, really, it's no trouble. It's easy to get lost here, if you don't⎼" he tripped over a canoe and came up still talking⎼ "like my old daddy goat used to say! Come on!"

Isa laughed at Grover but hid it.

Zoë rolled her eyes, but Isa guessed she figured there was no getting rid of Grover. The Hunters shouldered their packs and their bows and headed off towards the cabins. As Bianca di Angelo was leaving, she leaned over and whispered something in her brother's ear. She looked at him for an answer, but Nico just scowled and turned away.

"Take care, sweethearts!" Apollo called after the Hunters. He winked at Percy and Isa. "Watch out for those prophecies, Percy, Isa. I'll see you soon."

"What do you mean?" Percy asked.

Instead of answering, he hopped back on the bus. "Later, Thalia," he called. "And, uh, be good!"

He gave her a wicked smile as if he knew something she didn't. Then he closed the doors and revved the engine. Percy and Isa turned aside as the sun chariot took off in a blast of heat. When Isa looked back, the lake was steaming. A red Maserati soared over the woods, glowing brighter and climbing higher until it disappeared in a ray of sunlight.

Nico was still looking grumpy. Isa wondered what his sister had told him.

"Who's Chiron?" he asked. "I don't have his figurine."

"He's not part of Mythomagic. He's our activities director," Isa said.

Percy said, "He's... well, you'll see."

"If those Hunter girls don't like him," Nico grumbled, "that's good enough for me. Let's go."

From the look on Percy's face, Isa could tell he was surprised about how empty camp was.

Isa couldn't blame him. Most half-bloods only trained during the summer. Just the year-rounders would be here⎼the ones who didna have homes to go home to or would get attacked by monsters too much if they left. But there didn't even seem to be many of them, either.

Percy and Isa spotted Charles Beckendorf from the Hephaestus cabin stoking the forge outside the camp armory. The Stoll brothers, Travis and Connor, from the Hermes cabin, were picking the lock on the camp store. A few kids from the Ares cabin were having a snowball fight with the wood nymphs at the edge of the forest. That was about it. Even their old rival from the Ares cabin, Clarisse, didn't seem to be around. Isa wondered where she was.