The Lost Hero (Jason Grace x OC)

4

We soon realized Annabeth's heart wasn't in the tour.
She talked about all this amazing stuff the camp offered—magic archery, pegasus riding, the lava wall, fighting monsters—but she showed no excitement, as if her mind were elsewhere. She pointed out the open air dining pavilion that overlooked Long Island Sound. (Yes, Long Island, New York; we'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.
I wondered who ran the camp, and how they'd known me and my friends belonged here. I wondered if I'd have to stay full time, or if I'd be any good at the activities. Could you flunk out of monster fighting? A million questions bubbled in my head, but given Annabeth's mood, I decided to keep quiet.
As we climbed a hill at the edge of camp, we got an amazing view of the valley—a big stretch of was to the northwest, a beautiful beach, the creck, the canoe lake, lush green fields, and the whole layout of the cabins—a bizarre assortment of buildings arranged like a Greek omega, with a loop of cabins around a central green, and two wings sticking out the bottom on either side. I counted twenty cabins in all. One glowed golden, another silver. One had grass on the roof. Another was bright red with barbed wire trenches. One cabin was black with fiery green torches out front.
All of it seemed like a different world from the snowy hills and fields outside.
"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 us like she was trying to judge how we were handling the news.
"You're saying my mom was a goddess." Piper said.
Annabeth nodded. "You're taking this awfully calmly."
Piper took a shaky breath. "I guess after this morning, it's a little easier to believe. 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?" I asked.
"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. Sometimes it takes a little longer, but you saw how fast you and Leo were claimed once you 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. 'Round thirteen is usually when it starts. That's why we send protectors into the schools to find you guys, get you to camp before it's too late."
"Like Coach Hedge?"
Annabeth nodded. "He's—he was a satyr; half man, half goat. Satyrs work for the camp, finding demigods, protecting them, bringing them in when the time is right."
I had no trouble believing Coach Hedge was half goat. I'd seen the guy eat. I'd never liked the coach much, but I couldn't believe he'd sacrificed himself to save us.
"What happened to him?" I asked. "When we went up into the clouds, did he . . . is he gone for good?"
"Hard to say." Annabeth's expression was pained. "Storm spirits are . . . difficult to battle. Even our best weapons, Celestial bronze, will pass right through them unless you can catch them by surprise."
"Jason's sword just turned them to dust," I remembered.
"He was lucky, then. If you hit a monster just right, you can dissolve them, send their essence back to Tartarus."
"Tartarus?"
"A huge abyss in the Underworld, where the worst monsters come from. Kind of like a bottomless pit of evil. Anyway, once monsters dissolve, it usually takes months, even years before they can reform again. But since this storm spirit Dylan got away—well, I don't know why he'd keep Hedge alive. Hedge was a protector, though. He knew the risks. Satyrs don't have mortal souls. He'll be reincarnated as a tree or a flower or something."
I gazed at the cabins below, and an uneasy feeling settled over me. Hedge had died to get us here safely. My dad's cabin was down there somewhere, and possibly siblings. I tucked my hands under my arms, trying to stop them from shaking.
"It'll be okay," Annabeth promised. "You have friends here. We've all been through a lot of weird stuff. We know what you're going through."
"I've been kicked out of five different schools the past five years," Piper said. "My dad's running out of places to put me."
"Only five?" Annabeth didn't sound like she was teasing. "Piper, we've all been labeled troublemakers. I ran away from home when I was seven."
"Seriously?"
"Oh, yeah. Most of us are diagnosed with attention deficit disorder or dyslexia, or both-"
"I'm ADD," I said. "So is Leo."
"Right. It's because we're hardwired for battle. Restless, impulsive—we don't fit in with regular kids. You should hear how much trouble Percy-" Her face darkened. "Anyway, demigods get a bad rep. How'd you two get in trouble?"
I sighed. "Stuff always happened when I was around. The first place I lived was an apartment in Charleston. I got really angry at my mom for something, and all the water in our house started running, the sinks, the tub. They wouldn't turn off. We tried everything. So we moved. The last time was when I really got in trouble. Me and my mom were fighting. She wanted to send me to the Wilderness school. I refused to go, and we got in a big fight. I got so angry that I lost control. All the pipes in the entire complex burst, flooding every room on every floor. The whole place flooded and collapsed. After that, my mom said she never wanted to see me again, and sent me to Wilderness school." 
Annabeth put a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay. You couldn't control it. We can help you."
"Yeah well." I said. "I'm not getting my hopes up. Your turn Piper."
"I steal stuff," she said hesitantly. "Well, not really steal . . ."
"Is your family poor?" Annabeth asked.
Piper laughed bitterly. "Not even close. I did it . . . I don't know why. For attention, I guess. My dad never had time for me unless I got in trouble."
Annabeth nodded. "I can relate. But you said you didn't really steal? What do you mean?"
"Well . . . nobody ever believes me. The police, teachers, even the people I took stuff from, they're so embarrassed, they'll deny what happened. But the truth is, I dont steal anything, I just ask people for things. And they give me stuff. Even a BMW convertible. I just asked. And the dealer said 'Sure. Take it.' Later, he realized what he'd done, I guess, then the police came after me."
Annabeth just nodded. "Interesting. If your dad were the god, I'd say you're a child of Hermes, god of thieves. He can be pretty convincing. But your dad is mortal . . ."
"Very," Piper agreed.
Annabeth shook her head, apparently mystified. "I don't know, then. With luck, your mom will claim you tonight."
"Come on," Annabeth said at last. "There's something else I need to check."
We hiked a little farther until they reached a cave near the top of the hill. Bones and old swords littered the ground. Torches flanked the entrance, which was covered in a velvet curtain embroidered with snakes. It looked like the set for some kind of twisted puppet show.
"What's in there?" I asked.
Annabeth poked her head inside, then sighed and closed she curtairs. "Nothing, right now. A friend's place. I've been expecting her for a few days, but so far, nothing."
"Your friend lives in a cave?"
Annabeth almost managed a smile. "Actually, her family has a luxury condo in Queens, and she goes to a finishing school in Connecticut. But when she's here at camp, yeah, she lives in the cave. She's our oracle, tells the future. I was hoping she could help me—"
"Find Percy," I guessed.
All the energy drained out of Annabeth, like she'd been holding it together for as long as she could. She sat down on a rock, and her expression was full of pain.
I forced myself to look away. My eyes drifted to the crest of the hill, where a single pine tree dominated the sky line. Something glittered in its lowest branch—like a fuzzy gold bath mat.
No . . . not a bath mat. It was a sheep's fleece.
Okay, I thought. Greek camp. They've got a replica of the Golden Fleece.
Then I noticed the base of the tree. At first I  thought it was wrapped in a pile of massive purple cables. But the cables had reptilian scales, clawed feet, and a snakelike head with yellow eyes and smoking nostrils.
"That's a dragon," I stammered. "That's the actual Golden Fleece?"
Annabeth nodded, but it was clear she wasn't really listening. Her shoulders drooped. She rubbed her face and took a shaky breath. "Sorry. I'm a little tired."
"You look ready to drop," Piper said. "How long have been searching for your boyfriend?"
"Three days, six hours, and about twelve minutes." She sighed.
"And you've got no idea what happened to him?"
Annabeth shook her head miserably. "We were so exited because we both started winter break early. We met up at camp on Tuesday, figured we had three weeks together. It was going to be great. Then after the campfire, he . . . he kissed me good night, went back to his cabin, and in the morning, he was gone. We searched the whole camp. We contacted his mom. We've tried to reach him every way we know how. Nothing. He just disappeared."
"How long were you guys together?" I asked.
"Since August," Annabeth said. "August eighteenth."
"That's . . . almost exactly when we met Jason," I said.
Annabeth winced. "So . . . about that. Maybe you should sit down."
I knew where this was going.
"Look, I know Jason thought—he thought he just appeared at our school today. But that's not true. We've known him for months." Piper said.
"It's the Mist." Annabeth said sadly.
"Missed . . . what?" Piper asked.
"M-i-s-t. It's a kind of veil separating the mortal world from the magic world. Mortal minds—they can't process strange stuff like gods and monsters, so the Mist bends reality. It makes mortals see things in a way they can understand like their eyes might just skip over this valley completely, or they might look at that dragon and see a pile of cables."
Piper swallowed. "No. You said yourself were not a regular mortals. We're demigods."
"Even demigods can be affected. I've seen it lots of times. Monsters infiltrate some place like a school, pass themselves off as human, and everyone thinks they remember that person. They believe he's always been around. The Mist can change memories, even create memories of things that never happened."
"But Jason's not a monster!" I insisted. "He's a human guy, or demigod, or whatever you want to call him. My memories aren't fake. Pipers and Leo's too. They can't be fake. They're so real. The time we set Coach Hedge's pants on fire. The time we all watched a meteor shower on the dorm roof . . ."
I found myself rambling, telling Annabeth about my whole semester at Wilderness School, with Piper pitching in at times. I'd liked Jason from the first week we'd met. He was so nice to me, and super funny, he could even put up with hyperactive Leo and his stupid jokes. He'd accepted me for myself and didn't judge me because of the stupid things I'd done. It couldn't all be fake.
Annabeth pursed her lips. "Your memories are sharper than most. I'll admit that, and I don't know why that is. But if you know him so well—"
"We do!"
"Then where is he from?"
Piper knit her eyebrows. "He must have told us, but—"
"Did you ever notice his tattoo before today? Did he ever tell you anything about his parents, or his friends, or his last school? Or—"
"I don't know, but—" I started.
"Kendal, what's his last name?"
My mind went blank. I didn't know Jason's last name. How could that be? I fought the urge to cry.
"Hey," Annabeth said. "We'll figure it out. Jason's here now. Who knows? Maybe it'll work out with you guys for real."
"You brought us up here so no one would see us blubbering, huh?" Piper said, tears running down her face.
Annabeth shrugged. "I figured it would be hard for you."
"If he really did just show up today, then why? How'd he get on the bus? Why can't he remember anything?" I asked.
"Good questions," Annabeth said. "Hopefully Chiron can figure that out. But for now, we need to get you settled. You ready to go back down?"
I gazed at the crazy assortment of cabins in the valley. Our new home, a family who supposedly understood me.
Piper nodded.
"Yeah," I lied. "I'm ready."