Haunted || Leo Valdez

4 - Piper Doesn't Want the Machine Gun. She Likes Knives

Rebecca tried to help Annabeth, because it didn't seem like her heart was in the tour. Rebecca also wanted to appear helpful, because she wanted Piper to focus on the New Rebecca before she started hearing rumors about the Old Rebecca, as she was sure Leo and Jason were going to hear plenty of stories about ripping out Beckendorf's heart and slaughtering a bunch of nymphs who were spying on Mount Othrys for Camp Half-Blood.

Rebecca was fine if Leo wanted to keep his distance. She could even handle Jason starting to get a bit suspicious. But no one was getting close to Piper, her best friend, with those rumors about the Old Rebecca.

Rebecca tried to make Camp Half-Blood seem like a wonderful place so Piper would stay. She told Piper about all the amazing stuff the camp offered—magic archery, pegasus riding, the lava wall, fighting monsters. She pointed out the open-air dining pavilion that overlooked Long Island Sound. (Yes, Long Island, New York; they'd traveled that far on the chariot. )

Annabeth explained how Camp Half-Blood was mostly a summer camp, but some kids stayed here year-round, and they'd added so many campers it was always crowded now, even in winter, but she had little excitement in her voice. Percy meant the world to Annabeth. Rebecca understood and respected that (Percy insisted on treating Rebecca like his little sister. Rebecca would never admit that she liked it). But she seemed to be putting a bit of a damper on Piper's excitement about the camp.

They climbed a hill at the edge of camp, the Hill where Rachel's cave was. Rebecca let Piper admire the view. Rebecca looked down at the cabins: Apollo's golden cabin, Artemis' silver cabin, where Thalia and the Hunters stayed whenever they came to camp. Rebecca smirked at the chocolate bunnies Connor and Travis Stoll had put on the grassy roof of the Demeter cabin as a prank and the bright red Ares cabin with barbed wire trenches. Finally, she looked at the Hades cabin, which was black with fiery green torches out front. Rebecca decided to check later whether Nico was there.

"The valley is protected from mortal eyes," Annabeth said. "As you can see, the weather is controlled, too. Each cabin represents a Greek god—a place for that god's children to live."

She looked at Piper like she was trying to judge how Piper was handling the news. Piper actually seemed to be taking it pretty well.

"You're saying Mom was a goddess."

Annabeth and Rebecca nodded.

"You're taking this awfully calmly," Annabeth noted.

Piper froze, and Rebecca knew she was hiding something. Rebecca decided to save the interrogation for later. Piper took a shaky breath.

"I guess after this morning, it's a little easier to believe," She said. "So who's my mom?"

We should know soon," Annabeth said. "You're what—fifteen? Gods are supposed to claim you when you're thirteen. That was the deal. "

"The deal?"

"They made a promise last summer ... well, long story... but they promised not to ignore their demigod children anymore, to claim them by the time they turn thirteen," Rebecca explained. "Sometimes it takes a little longer, but you saw how fast Leo was claimed once he got here. Should happen for you soon. Tonight at the campfire, I bet we'll get a sign. "

"Why thirteen?" Piper asked.

"The older you get," Annabeth said, "the more monsters notice you, try to kill you."

"I was twelve when I ran into my first monster," Rebecca remembered. "Stupid manticore."

" 'Round thirteen is usually when it starts," Annabeth continued. "That's why we send protectors into the schools to find you guys, get you to camp before it's too late."