Lucky you guys! You get your chapter four days early! Happy Thanksgiving! I'm terribly sorry that you don't get Annabeth's POV for this part yet, (coming soon) but Percy decided he wanted to narrate.
Percy's POV
"I say you still owe me brownies," Jason mumbled as he helped tighten the strap of my sling.
I snorted, "That wasn't our deal. Besides, I think you got your revenge," I nodded to my arm the medic was now backing carefully--after a beautiful stitching and wrapping job--into the sling. Apparently the cut was deeper than I'd expected, and required immobilization for two days before I could ditch the sling.
"Try not to move it," Austin said sternly, checking to make sure my hand was well supported, "We don't want to pull those stitches out."
Austin was really young for a doctor, but pretty old for a camper. He had been head counselor for the Apollo cabin for years, helping out with the previous camp medic whenever help was needed. When the old guy retired, Austin volunteered for the job, since it was about time he graduated anyway. Most people just left when they were eighteen or nineteen to start college life or start their careers.
"I guess this means I win that swimming competition we were going to have tomorrow," Jason wiggled his eyebrows at me.
"If that'll make you feel better," I sighed.
"And don't get it wet either," Austin added, standing, "Alright, you two had better get up to dinner."
Despite his teasing, I could tell Jason was feeling a bit guilty about my injury. As we walked up the hill to the dining pavilion, he stuck his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders. Those who didn't know him very well might think he was just being a sore loser, but even though he acted like he hated losing, I think Jason would rather lose than have someone else get hurt.
I nudged him with my slung elbow, "Don't be so hard on yourself. It was partially my fault anyway."
He was quiet for a minute, then, "Percy, do you ever think that we shouldn't be doing this?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well," he kicked a pebble, "you should know, you're time in public school showed that normal kids don't do what we do."
I understood what he was getting at. "You think we should all be going to public school, learning to be civilized people who have never held a sword or dropped smoke bombs from a tree in the middle of Capture the Flag?"
"I...I don't know." Jason looked down, "Never mind."
The dining pavilion was in view, but I didn't think anybody had noticed our approach yet.
After a moment's pause, I said, "There's one thing different about public school. At least, Goode didn't have it. Camp Hero is full of awesome, good people who have learned to work as a team. At Goode, it was a bunch of losers who had to pick on other kids to build their self esteem. That doesn't happen at Camp."
"You're right," Jason nudged me, "I guess there is a reason for all the war games and team-building exercises. I always though Chiron was making us do busywork."
I stared at him. Even in the two short weeks I'd been at Goode, I had been introduced to the terrible time waster, busywork. "You have no idea."
We entered the pavilion to exuberant cheers. Several people raised their hands as if wanting one of us to join them at their table. But that was against the rules. Chiron and Mr. D. had it in place that everyone sat with their cabin-mates to avoid any craziness with, But I wanted to sit by her, Chiron! Katie sat next to her this morning! or...something like that.
Unfortunately, that meant some of us had to sit alone. Including me.
Sometimes, my half-brother, Tyson, joined me at camp. But he worked for our dad most of the time, and couldn't always make the trip. So, I grabbed my tray and sat at the Poseidon table. You might be wondering why Chiron or Mr. D. or whoever let such disparity to happen in cabins.
You're placed in a cabin with people who (supposedly) like the same things you like, think the way you think, and are skilled at things you're skilled at. In a way, you become like siblings--or at least, that's what I've observed, not having had much experience myself--you constantly try to one-up each other because you're worried that they're getting better than you.
I'm actually kind of glad I don't have to deal with the competition. I'm the Poseidon kid, the one and only water dude.
Anyway, I think Chiron lets certain kids be alone for a good reason. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but he's all about letting us grow, and learning to get through hard things. I don't think he does it all on purpose, he just doesn't try to be one of those teachers that chooses groups to make sure everyone is included. Sure, it sucks to be the kid who's chosen last for kickball, but sometimes, if you want to be a part of something, you have to be the one to make the first step. Sitting there, waiting for someone to notice that you're miserable will just make you more miserable when nobody does notice.
At least, that's what I've figured out.
As I was eating my fabulous burger (with one hand, which is not easy), Chiron rolled out in front and everybody immediately quieted.
"I hope you're all enjoying your dinner, because it will soon be over. In ten minutes, we will be moving down to the amphitheater for campfire and to announce some new recruits!" Chiron gestured to a table on the far side of the pavilion. I cheerfully clapped on the table along with everybody else until I started to recognize the new kids sitting there.
My vision tunneled, No way.
The burly Asian kid, the tall blond dude, the girl with frizzy red hair, the Native-American girl who always made fun of me in history, the chick who tried to give me a swirly, and Annabeth. All of them.
The whole point of coming back to camp had been to get away from them. Okay, maybe not the whole point, because it was really just homesickness that drew me back to Camp. But, the reason I hated Goode so much was because of that group of kids. This was my home. I had just barely said to Jason that the thing that makes Camp great is the element of family we all have. These public-school kids had already demonstrated that they were not willing to add any members to their family.
I'll admit, most of my jumble of emotions at seeing them was made up of fear. Not of what they could do to me, they were just a bunch of bullies. No biggie. It was the thought that they had followed me to my sanctuary. I worried that they would destroy what made Camp Hero my home.
I couldn't finish eating. My stomach was in knots. I really wanted to go to bed and forget that I'd ever seen them. Instead, I sipped my coke and thought about how I would react to this...turn of events.
Instinctively, a part of me wanted to give them a taste of their own medicine. Now they were the new kids in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by people who had been friends for years. Shouldn't they be outsiders as much as they had made me? For a moment, I let myself relish the thought of telling all my friends how terrible those kids really were. I had enough status that most everybody would probably turn on them.
The thought didn't bring the satisfaction I wanted. It just made me feel more nauseous.
I thought about the lonely lunch hours laying on the back lawn at Goode. If just one person had thought to stop and say hello, if someone had asked me to sit at their table, it would have meant the world to me. If there had just been one person to stand up for me when I almost got a swirly, or when other kids laughed at my lame answers, it would have made Goode that much better.
That's when I remembered that Annabeth had reached out to me during lunch that day. Now, our roles were switched. I could understand how much courage it had taken to stand apart from her friends and approach the kid they all labeled as different. I felt a rush of gratitude toward her for making an effort, and I realized I couldn't set the whole camp against them.
Not only would that make all my peers and teachers look at me in a new light, but I wouldn't be able to live with the knowledge that I had done to someone else, what had been done to me.
Gradually people started moving towards the amphitheater. I tossed my tray and shoved my hands in my pockets, steeling myself to do what I was thinking. I tried to convince myself it would be pretty funny to see their faces when they recognized me. If they recognized me. The last thing I wanted to do was welcome them to camp, but I knew that's what I had to do.
I spotted Thalia making her way over to their table. "Thalia!"
She turned and walked over to me, "What's up?"
I nodded to the group of kids waiting for her, "You were one of the testers for them weren't you?"
"Yeah, with Malcolm and Beckendorf."
"Right," I pursed my lips, then forced the words to come out, "Before they sit down tonight, would you mind letting me say a few words?"
Thalia raised an eyebrow, "Are you volunteering to give a speech, Percy Jackson? Because normally I'd have to coerce you or Nico or Grover to do it."
"Nope," I grinned sheepishly, hoping she didn't read too deeply into it, "I want to do it this time. See you down there then." I made my escape before Thalia could tease me anymore.
By the time I reached the amphitheater, everyone had already assembled. There were s'mores being roasted, songs being sung, and mini-pranks being played. Basically your normal day at Camp Hero. I slid onto the end of the front row next to Jason, Nico, Leo, and Hazel. Hazel smiled warmly, Leo flashed a peace sign, Nico just gave me a dark look, and Jason looked at me questioningly.
"I'll explain later," I said, hoping that I wouldn't ever have to explain why I was late.
Leo and Hazel seemed to be having some kind of argument, but I couldn't hear them over the racket some Ares kids were making right behind us in an attempt to out-sing the Apollo campers leading sing-along.
Only a few minutes after I'd taken my seat, everyone quieted. Chiron had wheeled out in front, with the fire to his back. He smiled around at the bleachers, waiting for complete silence.
"A good day, everyone," his voice boomed, "I saw many clubs and cabins working hard. I won't bore you all with a speech because I know you're all anxious for me to get to the point. This week's laurels go to...Archery!"
A huge cheer went up from the other end of the bleachers: mostly Apollo kids. There were some random members from other cabins crammed in there. Thalia was one. A boy from Halfbreeds ran over to them and started emptying his arms of laurel wreaths.
"And of course," Chiron continued, "I would like to remind you all that we have a game of Capture the Flag on Friday. The teams are as follows: Athena is leading the Apollo, Hermes, Hecate, Hypnos, and Poseidon cabins, and Ares is leading Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, Zeus, Artemis, Hades, and Hephaestus." Chiron waited a minute for the jeering and catcalling to subside before continuing, "However, before you all start making your game plan, which I'm sure Athena has already completed, I have some new campers to announce!"
There was excited cheering. Everyone was anxious to have new numbers to their ranks. My stomach knotted even more. The group of kids from Goode shuffled into the light of the fire. They stood close together and glanced up at the crowd nervously. I caught Annabeth glance quickly away from me and noticed she didn't seem nervous at all. She stood straight and eyed down the assembled campers as if trying to calculate how they would attack her. A smirk formed on my mouth, though I'm not sure why.
Chrion called them forward one by one, and I realized it was the first time I'd actually heard all of their names: "Frank Zhang, Clarisse la Rue, Piper McLean, Rachel Dare, Luke Castellan, and Annabeth Chase. Thalia, would you like to announce their cabins?"
Thalia stepped up from among the group of new kids, "Sure, Chiron. When you're announced, your cabin will cheer, and you will take a seat with them," she said to Annabeth and her friends. "Right. Frank and Clarisse got Ares," a cheer right behind me that forced me to cover my ears, "Piper is Aphrodite," there was a round of obnoxious girly hoots and giggles from both genders. I was more than a little pleased to see the look of displeasure on Piper's face. "Luke is Hermes," mad cackles and titters erupted from the Hermes crowd, "and Annabeth made Athena," Malcolm rose to his feet with the rest of his cabin as Annabeth joined them. It was then that I realized they had the same last name: Chase. Malcolm's sister was Annabeth?
Thalia turned to the last girl, Rachel, "Apparently they don't make cabins good enough for Rachel. I talked to Chiron about finding a place for you, and he suggested that it's been years since we had an honorary Oracle. In Greek mythology, the oracle was a young maiden who was blessed with the spirit of prophecy. She could give revelations of the future. Now, it's just a position of respect. You will have the same privileges as the senior counselors, plus your own bedroom. Do you accept?"
Rachel looked a little stunned, her face almost as red as her hair, "I--I guess."
The crowd gave her a polite applause.
"Now," Thalia shouted over the restless crowd ready for bed. Rachel took a seat in the front row next to a Half-breed I'd never talked to. "Before you all make your way down to the cabins--you know the drill--I have a very special speaker for you tonight. To initiate our new recruits and give them a proper Camp Hero welcome, I present today's tournament winner, Percy Jackson!"
I kind of forced myself out of my seat, so I stumbled a little making my way out front and center. Thalia smirked at me amid a few friendly snickers. Let me just take this time to say that I had absolutely no idea what I was going say to these kids who obviously hated me.
I started by clearing my throat, "Ahem. Yes. Welcome...to Camp." Great, this was going wonderfully. I decided I needed to get comfortable before I got to the point, so of course, I went and told my life story: "So, normally Thalia has to bribe one of the senior counselors to give this speech that everyone, except the new kids, has heard a million times. But today, you know, I was feeling pretty good," Lie, "and thought it would be fun to give the newbies my two-cents about life at Camp Hero."
Behind me, Thalia said loudly, "Or you're just dying for more popularity."
There was a round of snickering. I looked back at her and wiggled my eyebrows. "You're just jealous," which got a couple of laughs.
"Anyway," I continued, clearing my throat again. I wasn't sure how to proceed from there. I wanted to extend the hand of friendship, but I also didn't know if I could keep the defensiveness out of my voice. "Camp Hero is my home. This place--oh and I guess the people too--has a very special feeling. There's a certain camaraderie that only comes from training together, whatever your weapon of choice may be. There is math, and history, which are great and all, but I think most everyone here would agree that combat training is the best class." A shout of approval from the crowd. "The thing that makes Camp great," I continued, deliberately seeking all six of them out and making eye contact, (yes, their expressions were hilarious), "is that we all work together. Sure, we have mock-combat where we fight each other and can get hurt," I lifted my sling for evidence, "but we're a family. We protect each other.
"I know in today's world, you don't hear this very often--at Camp we're a little old fashioned--but I would be prepared to die for any one of these people sitting in the stands right now. And I'm sure they would be willing to do the same for me. Sure, go to your classes and learn awesome sword tricks or how to build your own robot, but never forget that we are a family." And that's when my brain decided to stop speaking. I stood there for a moment, opening and closing my mouth like a fish, then I offered a nod and quickly sat back down.