{This chapter picks up right after the previous one.
We do not own Danny Phantom or Percy Jackson, only this story and our original characters.}
After Thanatos left, Danny trudged back to the Big House, gripping his duffel tightly in his hand. Chiron and Annabeth were waiting for him on the front porch. Annabeth held Danny's textbook in her hands; he must've forgotten it on the porch earlier.
Danny stopped at the base of the stairs, a moody gloom filling the air around him. "So, what's next?" He muttered.
Chiron regarded Danny with kind eyes. "Well, normally you would go to the Hermes' cabin, but Mr. D has only agreed to let you stay for the week if you stay in the Big House where he can... keep an eye on you."
"Great." Danny grumbled. "So he can murder me in my sleep or something..."
Chiron didn't say anything to refute Danny's comment. "It's activity time right now, so all of the campers are doing activities such as arts and crafts, archery, and canoeing." Chiron turned to Annabeth. "Annabeth, could you take Danny with you to your next class, if he so wishes?"
"Actually, can you just show me where I'll be staying?" Danny interrupted, jostling his duffel. "This is kinda getting in the way."
"Of course." Chiron looked at Annabeth again. "Could you show Danny to one of the guest rooms on the fourth floor? I would do so myself, but..." He gestured to his lower body.
"Oh, yeah! You're a..." Danny trailed off; his brain was not functioning at the moment.
"A centaur, yes." Chiron smiled jokingly. "Most newcomers are quicker on the uptake."
"Yeah, I'm pretty stupid, I know..." Danny mumbled under his breath.
Chiron frowned, but Annabeth spoke up before he could respond. "Let's go upstairs, okay? Then we could go grab some food from the gift shop if you want."
"I'm not hungry." Danny replied, but he gestured for her to lead the way inside.
They headed into the Big House. Mr. D was nowhere to be seen, for which Danny was grateful. Annabeth led Danny up the stairs.
The second floor looked very different from the first; there were several guest rooms stocked with what looked like medical supplies. Annabeth explained that they used the second floor as an overflow infirmary of sorts for injured campers. The third floor had more guest rooms and a common area with a large table covered in clutter; Annabeth told him that the floor was being used mostly for storage.
Finally, they reached the fourth floor. It was like the third, with a small common area and several bedrooms. It was very dusty, like it hadn't been cleaned in a while. There was a green trapdoor—likely an attic entrance—on the ceiling right above where the stairs ended. When they got close to it, Danny involuntarily shivered as cold tingled at the back of his throat; whatever was up there sort of felt like a ghost, but... not quite.
"We're not going up there, are we?" Danny asked apprehensively.
"No one goes up there unless they're going on a quest." Annabeth replied.
"A quest?"
Annabeth ignored Danny's question as she glanced over at him. "You look pretty worn out."
"You can say that again." Danny said tiredly as he looked around at the bedrooms. "So why am I staying all the way up here?"
"I don't honestly know," Annabeth began. "It doesn't seem like such a good idea to have a new camper so close to the... attic."
Danny narrowed his eyes. "Why not? What's up there?"
Annabeth looked away as if she were hiding something. "Uhh, you can... ask Chiron later." She handed Danny his textbook. "I've gotta get to class, though. See you at dinner?"
"Yeah, see you." Danny muttered as Annabeth left him alone on the fourth floor landing of the absolutely massive farmhouse.
Danny looked around at the various closed doors. He chose the door to his right and opened it. Inside was a bed with faded blue covers, a nightstand, a desk, and a stand-alone wardrobe. In front of the desk was a dusty window overlooking the strawberry fields behind the farmhouse.
Well, I guess I'll take this room. Danny decided. He tossed his duffel bag and book at the foot of the bed, pulled off his hoodie (his arm was wrapped in an elastic bandage that covered his mark) and flopped down onto the mattress. The second he hit the covers, the stresses of the day seemed to fall on him all at once, quickly draining what energy he had. Maybe... I'll just take a quick nap...
Danny awoke to late-afternoon sunlight streaming in through the window. He hadn't had any dreams; he guessed he was just too worn out from the events of earlier. He sat up and stretched. Danny didn't know what to do next. He didn't know what time it was, but nobody had come and gotten him for dinner, so it was probably still somewhat early in the evening.
He looked out the window; past the strawberry fields, he could see what looked like an archery range, and past that was the southern half of the woods. His curiosity began to eat at him. I can take a short flight over there, can't I? Just for a little bit; nobody will even know that I'm gone.
Danny stood up from the bed and transformed into his alter ego. He went invisible and glanced back at the bedroom door. Just a quick flight. Danny phased through the window and flew away from the Big House. No one will know.
Danny soared over the strawberry fields and watched as campers went about their business; some were picking strawberries, others were practicing archery, and he could even see a few people sparring in what looked sort of like a small colosseum. Danny came to a stop once he passed the tree line and became visible again. He looked around at the woods, feeling more at ease now that he was flying without a destination in mind.
Danny roamed the woods, staying high enough above the ground that the various monsters he saw left him alone. He didn't know how to feel about Camp Half-Blood; he was sure that it was a great place for demigods to be safe and learn to protect themselves, but... he wasn't a demigod. He wasn't fully human, either. He was just a freak. Mr. D didn't want him here, and he could tell that Chiron was hiding how he felt as well. Annabeth had tried to be nice to him, but Danny had been an idiot and he was sure that he had made her uncomfortable; she probably didn't want to talk to him anymore.
Danny didn't know why he was feeling so worried, he was just... really afraid of screwing up. Of not being good enough or strong enough to help anybody, and afraid of letting people down. When he had just been on his own in Amity Park, his workload had been busy, but manageable. This, however... Danny didn't know if he could keep this up.
Danny was pulled out of his pondering by a shout. He instinctively went invisible and flew back to the edge of the woods to see what was going on. The sun had sunk a little more in the sky; how long had he been in the woods? He could see groups of campers walking around as if they were looking for something. A person in the group closest to him yelled out clearly-
Oh, great.
They were looking for him.
Danny flew down and hid behind a tree. Waiting until the coast was clear enough, Danny transformed back to his human form. The light from his transformation drew the attention of the closest camper: Annabeth.
"Who's there? Show yourself!" Annabeth pointed a glowing bronze dagger in Danny's direction.
Danny stepped out from behind the tree with his hands up. "Umm, hi?" He grinned nervously.
"Danny?! What are you doing out here?" Annabeth demanded, lowering her dagger.
"... exploring?" Danny shrugged.
"In the woods?!" Annabeth said in disbelief.
"I mean, it wasn't that bad..." Danny shrugged. "I've faced way worse back home."
Annabeth shook her head. She called out to the other campers. "I found him! Go tell Chiron to call off the search!"
Oh, crap... What did I do now? Danny's face burned with embarrassment for the umpteenth time that day.
Annabeth sheathed her dagger and threw her hands up in exasperation. "Danny, you can't just... you need to tell somebody when you go somewhere before just wandering off! Di immortales, what were you thinking?"
"I just wanted to get some air, I didn't think..." Danny trailed off. Of course I didn't think, when do I ever do that? He groaned internally.
Annabeth looked like she wanted to scold him some more, but just then Chiron came cantering up to them.
"Danny! Thank goodness, I was worried that Mr. D had gone back on his promise and done something... regrettable." Chiron glanced at a group of campers that was heading north. "Well, we're all going to be a bit late to dinner, but that's alright. There'll still be plenty of time for capture the flag before lights out." Chiron turned to Danny. "Danny, will you walk with me to the dining pavilion?"
Even though it had been phrased as a question, Danny was pretty sure he didn't have a choice. Chiron waved at Annabeth to go on ahead, and he started a slow walk back up the hill. Danny trailed along beside him, his head down.
"That was rather impressive, Danny." Chiron commented. "Would you like to tell me how you left the Big House without anybody noticing?"
"I... went through the window." Danny replied. It wasn't a lie, but...
"Ah, yes," Chiron nodded. "The fourth floor window, which was still locked from the inside." He eyed Danny curiously. "Would that be a trick your mentor taught you?"
"Well, not exactly..." Danny looked away and rubbed the back of his neck.
They walked in silence for a while before Chiron spoke up again. "I wasn't very open to the idea of allowing you to attend this camp, but your mentor mentioned that you are not just a regular mortal; you have some... powers, in a sense, that you could use some help mastering."
Danny's eyes widened, but Chiron raised a hand to calm him as he continued. "He did not tell me exactly what they are or how you came to have these abilities. He said that was for you to share, if you wished to do so. However, I am the immortal teacher of many heroes; I have seen some very strange things in my time, and I can certainly keep a secret. I only wish to help you, Danny."
Danny thought for a moment before quietly responding. "You probably haven't seen anything quite as strange as me..."
Chiron smirked. "Try me."
Danny was still unsure; there was something about the kind centaur that Danny felt he could trust, but he was still understandably wary. "When... when I'm ready, I'll tell you, okay?"
Chiron nodded. "Alright."
The dining hall was a large open-air pavilion made of white marble. There were only about thirty or so campers sitting scattered amongst the twelve tables; four of the tables were empty. In the center of the tables was a large bronze brazier with a roaring fire.
Danny noticed a long dark line in the marble floor, like a sealed crack. What happened here? He wondered briefly.
Mr. D sat at another table at the far end of the pavilion, glaring at Danny; two campers that looked like they could be twins sat beside him. Chiron led Danny over to where Mr. D sat, at what Danny assumed was the head table. Mr. D sighed as he stood up to address the campers.
"Well, well. It would seem that our wayward newcomer has been found." Mr. D did not seem that happy that Danny had been found. "Thank you all for your help, I suppose."
Mr. D sat back down, and Chiron placed a hand on Danny's shoulder, smiling encouragingly at him before turning to the audience. "As I'm sure you all know by now, this is Danny Fenton. He'll be staying with us for the week, and hopefully for the summer."
Mr. D scoffed, but Chiron ignored him. "I expect you all to give him a warm welcome."
The campers began to mutter amongst themselves. Danny caught snippets of what they were saying: "He looks kinda like Percy, just... shorter.", "How'd he go into the woods on his first day and not die?", "Who do you think his godly parent is?".
Danny stood there awkwardly; where was he supposed to sit? However, Chiron guided him to a seat at the head table, near the end of the table; Danny got the feeling that Chiron was trying to keep him as far away from Mr. D as possible.
A camper stood up from one of the tables. "Chiron, I thought new campers joined the Hermes cabin?"
The other campers mumbled their agreement.
Chiron raised a hand for silence. "I am aware of the... unusual situation, but Mr. D has said that Danny must stay in the Big House and be at the head table, at least for the first night."
Many of the campers began to talk amongst themselves, though they quieted when Chiron stamped his hoof against the marble floor.
"Everyone can rest assured that this is for the best." Chiron picked up his goblet and raised it high. "To the gods!" He shouted; the campers followed suit.
Girls with pointed ears walked into the pavilion and went around the tables, carrying heaping platters of fruits and cheese and other foods. One of the girls offered a platter of barbecue to Danny with a kind smile. He smiled back and took a few pieces before she hurried away to serve the others at the table.
Chiron leaned over and pointed to the empty goblet next to Danny's plate. "Tell the goblet what you would like to drink."
Danny raised an eyebrow in question, but he decided to try it. "Umm, chocolate milk?" The goblet filled with the desired drink. Danny grinned. "Neat."
Danny went to take a bite of his meal, but noticed the campers were getting up from their tables and scraping a portion of their food into the large bronze brazier. Danny wasn't sure what he should do, but one of the campers—a girl about his age with long brown hair and hazel eyes—gestured for him to stand up and join her.
Danny looked at Chiron, who nodded encouragingly. Uncertain, Danny grabbed his plate and walked over to the girl.
She smiled kindly. "Most new campers don't know that we give the gods a portion of our food at meal times."
"Why? What's the point?" Danny asked.
"It shows respect and gratitude to the gods, even if we don't know who our godly parent is." She seemed a little wistful as she spoke.
Danny remembered the conversation he had with Annabeth earlier that day. "Are you one of those unclaimed kids that stays in cabin eleven?"
"Yes, I am." The girl stepped forward as the line moved. "I'm Aurora."
"I'm Danny, but you probably already knew that, didn't you?" Danny's ears burned as Aurora giggled.
By then the two of them had reached the brazier. Aurora scraped some of the food off her plate and into the fire. "To my mother." She said. She turned back to Danny and smiled. "I'll see ya later, Danny." And with that, she walked away.
Danny was next. He stared into the flames. Who should I say? I don't have a godly parent... Then, Danny had an idea. He scraped a piece of barbecue into the fire. "Thanatos." He whispered quietly.
As the smoke wafted up, Danny was surprised to find that it smelled of poppies and campfire smoke, of wildflowers baking in the summer heat and of forest soil after a rainstorm, and the fruity scent of... a venti unicorn frappuccino? Danny shook his head in tired amusement before heading back to the head table, ready to be done with the day.
{No one will notice, huh, Danny? I think everyone noticed.
Aurora is Amalgamorph's(LombaxMechanic23) original character.
Next week, capture the flag!
F.Y.I.: One-shot ideas/suggestions are welcome! It will just take us a bit to get around to writing them.}