WORD OF THE BATHROOM INCIDENT SPREAD IMMEDIATELY.
wherever percy went, campers pointed at him and murmured something about toilet water.
or maybe they were just staring at eve and annabeth, who were still pretty much dripping wet.
they showed percy a few more places:
the metal shop (where kids were forging their own swords),
the arts-and-crafts room (where satyrs were sandblasting a giant marble statue of a goat-man),
and the climbing wall, which actually consisted of two facing walls that shook violently, dropped boulders, sprayed lava and clashed together if you didn't get to the top fast enough.
finally they returned to the canoeing lake, where the trail led back to the cabins.
"i've got training to do," annabeth said flatly. "and eve's got to get back to the healer tent. dinner's at seven thirty. just follow your cabin to the mess hall."
"annabeth, i'm sorry about the toilets."
"whatever."
"annie!"
"it wasn't my fault."
she looked at percy sceptically, and eve saw him realise that it was his fault.
he did make water shoot out of the bathroom fixtures.
eve didn't understand how.
but the toilets had responded to him.
it was like he had become one with the plumbing.
"you need to talk to the oracle," annabeth said.
is it finally time? eve wondered.
"who?"
"not who. what. the oracle. i'll ask chiron."
percy stared longingly into the lake, wishing somebody would give him a straight answer for once.
he wasn't expecting anybody to be looking back at him from the bottom, so his heart skipped a beat when he noticed two teenage girls sitting cross-legged at the base of the pier, about five metres below.
they wore blue jeans and shimmering green t-shirts, and their brown hair floated loose around their shoulders as minnows darted in and out.
they smiled and waved as if he were a long-lost friend.
they perked up when they saw eve too- and smiled brightly at her
percy didn't know what else to do. so he waved back.
eve also waved back enthusiastically as if they were best friends.
"don't encourage them," annabeth said as she immediately lowered eve's arm. "naiads are terrible flirts."
while eve wasn't looking, annabeth gave the naiads a look which immediately made them drop their smiles.
"naiads," percy repeated. "that's it. i want to go home now."
annabeth frowned. "don't you get it, percy? you are home. this is the only safe place on earth for kids like us."
"you mean, mentally disturbed kids?"
"i mean not human. not totally human, anyway. half- human."
"half-human and half-what?"
"i think you know."
percy didn't want to admit it, but he was afraid he did.
he felt tingling in his limbs, a sensation he sometimes felt when his mom talked about his dad.
"god," he said. "half-god."
annabeth nodded. "your father isn't dead. percy. he's one of the olympians."
"that's... crazy."
"is it? what's the most common thing gods did in the old stories? they ran around falling in love with humans and having kids with them. you think they've changed their habits in the last few millennia?"
"but those are just – but if all the kids here are half- gods –"
"demigods,' annabeth said. "we're demigods, or half-bloods."
"then who's your dad?"
eve immediately felt annabeth's hand tighten around hers- her father was a sensitive subject.
"my dad is a professor at west point,' she said. "i haven't seen him since i was very small. he teaches american history."
"he's human."
"what? you assume it has to be a male god who finds a human female attractive? how sexist is that?"
eve placed a hand over their intertwined hands and annabeth immediately felt relaxed.
"who's your mom, then?" percy asked.
"cabin six."
"meaning?"
annabeth straightened. "athena. goddess of wisdom and battle."
"and you eve?"
"apollo" eve replied. "god of healing, archery, music, the sun... you get the point."
"what about your mom?" percy wondered out loud.
"s-she's dead." eve responded quietly.
annabeth immediately leaned into the girl- knowing how dearly she missed her mom.
"and my dad?"
"undetermined," annabeth said, "like I told you before. nobody knows."
"except my mother. she knew."
"maybe not, percy. gods don't always reveal their identities."
"my dad would have. he loved her."
annabeth gave percy a cautious look. as if she didn't want to burst his bubble.
eve understood what percy meant though- she knew her mom would've told her.
but the fates took her away too early.
"maybe you're right. maybe he'll send a sign. that's the only way to know for sure: your father has to send you a sign claiming you as his son. sometimes it happens."
"you mean sometimes it doesn't?"
annabeth ran her other hand along the rail. "the gods are busy. they have a lot of kids and they don't always... well, sometimes they don't care about us, percy. they ignore us."
eve knew percy understood what she meant. he had seen some of the kids in the hermes cabin, teenagers who looked sullen and depressed, as if they were waiting for a call that would never come.
eve knew exactly how they felt- she was in the same situation a while back.
percy had known kids like that at yancy academy, shuffled off to boarding school by rich parents who didn't have the time to deal with them. but eve agreed, gods should behave better.
"so i'm stuck here," percy said. "that's it? for the rest of my life?"
"it depends," annabeth said. "some campers only stay the summer. if you're a child of aphrodite or demeter, you're probably not a real powerful force. the monsters might ignore you, so you can get by with a few months of summer training and live in the mortal world the rest of the year."
that was something that eve disagreed with, she knew children of aphrodite and demeter that were some of the strongest demigods she knew- annabeth just hadn't seen them angry before.
"but for some of us," annabeth continued. "it's too dangerous to leave. we're year- rounders. in the mortal world, we attract monsters. they sense us. they come to challenge us. most of the time, they'll ignore us until we're old enough to cause trouble – about ten or eleven years old – but after that most demigods either make their way here, or they get killed off. a few manage to survive in the outside world and become famous. believe me, if i told you the names, you'd know them. some don't even realize they're demigods. but very, very few are like that."
"so monsters can't get in here?" percy asked.
annabeth shook her head. "not unless they're intentionally stocked in the woods or specially summoned by somebody on the inside."
"why would anybody want to summon a monster?'
"practice fights. practical jokes."
"practical jokes?" this made eve immediately think of the stolls.
"the point is, the borders are sealed to keep mortals and monsters out. from the outside, mortals look into the valley and see nothing unusual, just a strawberry farm."
"so... you're a year-rounder?"
annabeth nodded. from under the collar of her t-shirt she pulled a leather necklace with five clay beads of different colours.
annabeth's didn't just have beads though, she also had a golden charm with the rod of asclepius which eve had gifted her, and a big gold ring strung on it, a college ring.
"i've been here since i was seven,' she explained. "every august, on the last day of summer session, you get a bead for surviving another year. i've been here longer than most of the counsellors, and they're all in college."
"why did you come so young?"
she twisted the ring on her necklace. "none of your business."
"oh." percy stood there in the uncomfortable silence.
eve decided to break the silence. "i'm not a year-rounder, i go with my aunt every winter break."
"is your aunt cool?" percy asked.
"yeah, she's the best." eve smiled while she thought of her aunt, she missed her right now.
"so... i could just walk out of here right now if i wanted to?" percy concluded.
"it would be suicide, but you could, with mr d's or chiron's permission. but they wouldn't give permission until the end of the summer session unless..."
"unless?"
"you were granted a quest. but that hardly ever happens. the last time..."
her voice trailed off. and eve was reminded of what happened last time-
"back in the sick room," percy said to eve, "when you were feeding me that stuff –"
"that was ambrosia." eve replied
"yeah. and when you left to get grover- annabeth asked me something about the summer solstice."
annabeth's shoulders tensed. "so you do know something?"
"well... no. back at my old school, i overheard grover and chiron talking about it. grover mentioned the summer solstice. he said something like we didn't have much time, because of the deadline. what did that mean?"
annabeth clenched her free hand. "i wish i knew. chiron and the satyrs, they know, but they won't tell me. something is wrong in olympus, something pretty major. last time i was there, everything seemed so normal."
"you've been to olympus?"
"some of us year-rounders – luke and clarisse and i and a few others – we took a field trip during winter solstice. that's when the gods have their big annual council."
"but... how did you get there?"
"the long island railroad, of course. you get off at penn station. empire state building, special elevator to the six- hundredth floor." annabeth looked at percy like she was sure he knew this already. "you are a new yorker, right?"
"oh, sure." as far as eve knew, there were only a hundred and two floors in the empire state building known to humans, so he was probably confused about that.
"it's alright percy, i've never been either." eve said. "i've spent all of my winters with my aunt so i haven't had the chance to visit."
"right after we visited," annabeth continued, 'the weather got weird, as if the gods had started fighting. a couple of times since, i've overheard satyrs talking. the best i can figure out is that something important was stolen. and if it isn't returned by summer solstice, there's going to be trouble. when you came, i was hoping... i mean – athena can get along with just about anybody, except for ares. and of course she's got the rivalry with poseidon. but, i mean, aside from that, i thought we could work together. i thought you might know something."
percy shook my head. eve was getting worried that annabeth was pressuring and pushing him a bit too much.
"i've got to get a quest," annabeth muttered to herself. "i'm not too young. if they would just tell me the problem..."
eve could smell barbecue smoke coming from somewhere nearby. and eve heard percy's stomach began to growl.
she told him to go on and find cabin eleven to eat with while she stayed with annabeth.
he nodded and waved goodbye as he ran towards the food.
eve turned back to annabeth as she was tracing her finger across the rail, as if drawing a battle plan.
"something still bothering you einstein?" eve asked jokingly.
"hmm? sorry i zoned out-" annabeth said sheepishly. "it's just this feeling you know? i need a quest- i just have to prove myself to her."
eve's expression tightened. "you don't have to prove anything to anyone annie, i know how you feel, but this might be something that's out of our hands."
"you don't understand- i need to show her that i'm worthy of being her daughter, i need to show her that i'm strong enough." annabeth rambled on.
"hey- hey, deep breaths okay?" eve warned gently as she placed a hand on annabeth's chest- her heartbeat suddenly doubling.
"once the time comes, you will get the chance to go on a quest okay? i promise that the right time will come. i can feel it." eve whispered in her ear as annabeth slowly calmed down.
after taking a deep breath, annabeth's heartbeat slowed down,
140
125
119
100
83bpm - eve sensed.
annabeth sighed as she embraced friend.
"thank you sunshine, genuinely." annabeth breathed. "i don't know what i'd do without you."
"anytime annie. now shall we head to dinner? malcolm and your other siblings are probably waiting on you." eve admitted.
"oh gods you're right! i completely forgot." annabeth realised.
"let's go then."
the two girls walked hand in hand towards the cabins.
just before annabeth dropped eve off at cabin 7, she hugged her tightly.
"about earlier, i know i seem really desperate for a quest- i just want you to know that i would never go on one without you. you and i will go on our first quest together okay?" annabeth asked nervously.
eve laughed. the sound of that made annabeth's whole body relax and start smiling.
"you and i are a package deal einstein, where you go, i go." eve reassured her.
with that, eve pecked her best friend's cheek before running off into apollo cabin- lee was definitely gonna be worried if she was late.
after apologising profusely to lee for abandoning him for the whole day, eve and her siblings headed towards the mess hall.
as they headed to the pavilion, they walked past cabin eight, which looked normal in the daytime, but glowed silver as the sun went down.
eve always thought that shade of silver was beautiful.
they walked up the hill to the mess hall pavilion. satyrs joined them from the meadow. naiads emerged from the canoeing lake. and a few nymphs emerged from the forests.
in all, there were maybe a hundred campers, a few dozen satyrs, and a dozen assorted wood nymphs and naiads.
at the pavilion, torches blazed around the marble columns. a central fire burned in a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub.
each cabin had its own table, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. four of the tables were empty, but cabin eleven's was always overcrowded.
eve sat at her table with her siblings and saw percy squeezed next to luke. she waved at him with a smile as he waved back happily.
she saw grover sitting at table twelve with mr. d, a few satyrs and the twins, castor and pollux, who looked just like their father.
chiron stood to one side, the picnic table being way too small for a centaur.
as her gaze drifted, she saw annabeth sitting at table six with her siblings, who eve always thought looked like bunch of serious-looking athletic kids, all with grey eyes and honey-blonde hair.
she winked at annabeth when she caught her staring.
clarisse sat close by at the ares table. she'd apparently gotten over being hosed down, because she was laughing and belching right alongside her siblings.
finally, chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, and everybody fell silent.
he raised a glass.
"to the gods!"
everybody else raised their glasses.
"to the gods!"
wood nymphs came forward with platters of food: grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, fresh bread and yes, barbecue!
her glass was empty, so eve spoke to it.
"pink lemonade."
she grinned as it filled up with the light pink concoction.
curiously, she looked towards percy- wondering what drink he'd ask for.
she saw his glass fill with sparkling caramel liquid, before he whispered to it once more.
the soda turned a violent shade of cobalt.
eve grinned.
he was slowly fitting in comfortably and looked much happier.
before digging in, she took a portion of her meal and dropped it into the fire, offering the biggest slice of brisket she had.
"apollo, please give percy a sign of who his father is- don't make him wait- and i wouldn't mind him as a brother. thanks dad."
eve caught a whiff of the smoke.
it smelled of hot chocolate and fresh-baked brownies, hamburgers on the grill and wildflowers, and a hundred other good things that shouldn't have gone well together, but did.
when everybody had returned to their seats and finished eating their meals, chiron pounded his hoof again for their attention.
mr. d got up with a huge sigh. "yes, i suppose i'd better say hello to all you brats. well, hello. our activities director, chiron, says the next capture the flag is friday. cabin five presently holds the laurels."
a bunch of cheering rose from the ares table.
"personally,'"mr. d continued, "i couldn't care less, but congratulations. also, I should tell you that we have a new camper today. peter johnson."
chiron murmured something.
"er, percy jackson," mr. d corrected. "that's right. hurrah, and all that. now run along to your silly campfire. go on."
everybody cheered. they all headed down towards the amphitheatre, where apollo's cabin led a sing-along.
eve and her siblings sang camp songs about the gods, ate toasted marshmallows and joked around, the feeling of home becoming the strongest around the hearth.
eve layed her head on her sister kayla's shoulder as they harmonised whilst singing.
and she never caught annabeth staring at her the entire time she sang.
later in the evening, when the sparks from the campfire were curling into a starry sky, the conch horn blew again, and they all filed back to their cabins.
as eve layed in bed, she made a silent prayer to her father- after all, he's the god of prophecy and truth.
please let annabeth finally get the chance to go on a quest, she's been waiting for this her whole life.
also please- send me a sign of what's going on in olympus- i know somethings going on dad, i can feel it.
i'm your daughter after all.