The Beginnings of an Olympian

11 | Cabin 3

"Poseidon's trident," said Chiron in disbelief. "Symbol of the Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Alexander Fischer, Son of the Sea God." All at once, the camp got to one knee still in shock at what had been said.

1st Person | Alex's POV
(Italics within the text below are thoughts not spoken out loud)
1003 words

I stood there awkwardly. People were still kneeling, even Chiron bowed his head. I didn't like all the attention on me. Things were bad enough already, but the magnitude of the situation hit me like a bus. I was the son of Poseidon. That also means Percy was my half-brother. My father and my brother were Olympians. One of them already wanted me dead. I'm pretty sure being claimed by said person's father just sealed my fate.

Fuck.

Will was the first to come out of it. He stood up and walked over to me with a tentative smile. "I'll show you to your new cabin," he said kindly. He took me by the shoulders and led me away from the crowd. I heard some hushed whispers and some not-so-really hushed whispers. I had no idea what they were saying, but I knew one thing for sure; no one expected my parentage and no one knew what to make of it.

Will and I finally made it to cabin 3. It was well built, long, low, and sturdy, not grand like some of the other ones. The exterior walls were of rough gray stone embedded with pieces of seashell and coral. When I opened the door, it smelled of sea spray. The interior walls flowed like abalone, a shimmery shell. I saw 6 made bunk beds, but one looked recently used. On the wall next to that bed hung a dented shield. On the corresponding dresser was a bull horn that looked exactly like the Minotaur horn from the fight yesterday, except the bottom of this one looked jagged as if it were torn from the bull instead of left as a spoil of war.

I had no belongings, so I plopped down on an empty bed towards the back by a water fountain. Will came in and sat next to me. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Are you ok?"

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. "What just happened? Why is everyone freaking out? Not that I'm not freaking out because I am, but I don't understand..." I trailed off at the end, not really knowing what to say next.

"It's been a long day. I'm sure you're tired. You've probably got a ton of questions, but they can wait until the morning, yeah?"

"Yeah. Ok. Goodnight, Will."

"Night, Alex." And with that, I was alone in my new cabin. I was about to drift into sleep when a small light appeared over by the fountain. I hopped out of bed and walked towards it.

Sitting in the middle of the fountain were two sets of books. Somehow, they weren't getting wet. I fished them out of the fountain and looked at the two on top. One was titled "The Lightning Thief" and the other said "The Lost Hero". My curiosity got the better of me, so even though I was exhausted, I opened to the first chapter, "I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher", and began to read.

~The Beginning of Realizations~
1st Person | Will's POV
(Italics within the text are thoughts not spoken out loud)

I looked up and saw Alex looking like a deer in the headlights. He seemed overwhelmed, and I couldn't blame him. He couldn't catch a break. And even though none of this was Alex's fault, I knew Alex didn't see it that way.

I stood up and walked over to Alex, trying for a smile. "I'll show you to your new cabin," I said. He wasn't moving, so I steered him away from everyone towards the cabins. Piper was now standing, still soaked, with the rest of the seven, plus Nico. They were all having an intense conversation. I'd probably hear about it from Nico later, but for now, I wanted to make sure Alex was ok.

On our way over to the Poseidon cabin, I couldn't help but wonder what would happen next. I knew Percy wouldn't blame Alex for anything, but would he be mad at his father? Would he accept his half-brother? Then I realized.

Shit. No one told Percy about Alex. He doesn't know who Annabeth died for. And he wasn't there for the capture the flag game, so he doesn't even know he has a brother! Wow. Some luck sons of Poseidon have.

I was pulled from my thoughts when we made it to cabin 3. After admiring the outside, Alex walked in. He looked more like his age just then; a kid with little worries, mesmerized by the décor. He glanced at Percy's bed and I know he was questioning the other Minotaur horn laying on the dresser. After taking it all in, he plopped down on a bed towards the back near the mini fountain, so I went over and sat next to him. We didn't say anything for a while, but I broke the silence. "Are you ok?"

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "What just happened? Why is everyone freaking out? Not that I'm not freaking out because I am, but I don't understand..." He trailed off at the end, not really knowing what to say next.

Even though he sounded unsure about what was going on, I felt like he knew exactly what happened. He probably didn't want to accept what it meant.

Just like Percy. Not as smart as Athena's children of course, but certainly not dumb as people might think. Just a little oblivious sometimes.

I sighed inwardly. I didn't know how to explain everything, so I just said, "It's been a long day. I'm sure you're tired. You've probably got a ton of questions, but they can wait until the morning, yeah?"

"Yeah. Ok. Goodnight, Will."

"Night, Alex." And with that, I left him alone in his new cabin. I felt bad for the poor kid. He could find a new family here. Make it his new home. Make some new friends. But the fates are never kind.

What do the fates have in store this time?