"How long have we been out?"
"Two days...how much do you remember?"
Percy and Grover's voices poked at my consciousness, making me stir. But I left them shut. I drowned out all the noise they were making and allowed myself to rest in this rather soft bed. Actually, where was I? You know it doesn't matter, I'm just going to close my eyes and relax here.
Then I felt someone nudge me, which made me groan.
"Oh, Clay is awake too, well, as awake as he is in this state." Said Grover.
For some reason, I don't know, I could tell they looked at each other before grinning.
"Whopper, Whopper, Whopper, Whopper."
I tightened my eyes and muttered "Noooo, stop."
"Junior, Double, Triple-"
"Okay, okay!" I say, forcing my eyes to open groggily. "I hate that stupid ad."
I growled as I sat up on the bed, rubbing my eyes. It's too early for this. I turned to glare at them, only to stop at the sight of them. They were both wearing bright orange T-shirts which said CAMP HALF- BLOOD in black letters on the chest area, a little lower than the words is a silhouette of a black pegasus running. I then looked at Percy, who was giving me a grin, though I noticed his eyes seemed tired and his hair messy, indicating that he had just woken up.
I then looked at Grover, who was smiling, though he was more forced. "I'm happy to see you in good health, Clay."
"Thanks?"
I squinted my eyes, noticing that he had tiny horns that were nearly covered with his messy, wild hair. I trailed down, seeing his donkey or rather, goat legs.
"Oh God," I whispered as events that had happened earlier flashed in my brain like a movie. "It happened, didn't it?"
Percy and Grover's smiles dropped. "Yeah, sorry. Both of you. You guys saved my life."
It was silent between us, but after a few moments, I grunted as I removed myself off the bed, stumbling as I got up. Percy and Grover quickly supported me before I fell face-first.
"Careful! We couldn't exactly give you ambrosia like Percy, so you're still not in peak condition yet. Go easy."
I took a slow breath and allowed them to support me before I was able to move somewhat. Not gracefully, but enough, I don't need them to balance me. Percy and I then turned to Grover and gave him a hard look; he looked away, guilty.
"You have a lot of questions, huh?"
"That's an understatement, dude. Was that thing really the minotaur from Greek myth?"
My question made Grover flinch. "P-Please don't say their name. Names have power."
"That's what Sally-" I paused and I looked at Percy, whose mood turned for the first. He seemed incredibly exhausted while also pissed at the time.
"Grover is my mom, really-..." He cut himself off.
Grover bit his lip. "I'm sorry." He moaned out, stomping his hoof on the wooden floor.
"I'm the worst satyr in the world, I'm a failure of a Keeper."
"Hey." I calmly walked up to him and put my hand on his shoulder.
"It's all right, you didn't want this to happen." I tried to soothe. "But Grover, Percy and I are still confused about what's going on. Please, we need to know everything."
"Yeah, Grover, what Clay said."
"But I was supposed to protect you, and I got knocked unconscious." Our words did not even lift his mood a bit.
Percy walked forward, probably to comfort Grover like me, but stumbled and groaned as he clutched his head. Grover quickly reacted, going over a small table and retrieving a glass of iced apple juice with a green straw and even an umbrella. Grover gives it to Percy, who thanked him before drinking it. Seeing the rather refreshing and cold drink, I just noticed how dry my throat was. Not only that, I felt incredibly hungry.
"Yo, save me some," I say. Percy removed his lips from the drink and was about to hand it to me.
"Don't!" Grover shouts in alarm, causing Percy and me to flinch.
"Uh, why not exactly?"
"Well, it would lead to combustion from the inside out."
"What!?" Percy and I shouted in unison.
Percy was so rattled that he accidentally loosened the grip of the glass. But Grover catches it before it can shatter to the floor.
"Careful!"
Percy looked at his abdomen in terror, while I backed away from him. Grover bit his lip to stop laughing.
"Don't worry, it's safe for half-bloods. But Clay can't drink it."
I was going to ask him what he meant by that, but stopped. Half-Blood? What is that? I'm getting more questions and answers. I really don't like it.
"What did it taste like? The drink." Grover asked Percy, who pondered for a brief moment before responding.
"It tasted like chocolate chip cookies, my mom's. Homemade." His sea-green eyes seemed to dim a little.
"And what do you feel like?"
"That I could benchpress two Clay's."
"Hey!"
"That's good, come on. Chiron and Mr. D are waiting, and they'll explain everything."
Grover gestured to us to come with him, but before we went out, Grover gave us something. The Minotaur's horns. The one where I dodged, which leads to the monster getting its horn stuck and being forced to break it to escape. While Percy's is the one where he broke the horn and plunged the sharp part into his forehead, finally killing it. Percy seemed to stare at it with a complex emotion, while I had the urge to stab the minotaur with his horn, too.
We finally exited the cabin and went behind it. Almost instantly, I felt breathless. Now, I have never been to a summer camp before. I wanted to go to one, but being an orphan and broke, I'd never get the chance either. I did research on it a little bit, and it seemed fun.
The grass and trees were incredibly vibrant and heavy. And the oxygen...I took in a huge breath. It felt incredibly refreshing, a total night and day difference between here and the streets of New York. We walked as Percy and I looked with amazement at the area.
There were a lot of structures that looked like Greek architecture, and surrounding them were fresh and healthy trees. Since we were on top of the hill, I could see a good amount of stuff here; there was an arena. Like a full-on battle arena, in fact, I could see a couple of guys a little older than I am, clashing swords, an archery field where people with bows aimed at the circular target. There was even a climbing wall with...lava pouring down.
"Hey, Grover, is this approved by whatever organization handles camp safety?"
"Nope."
"Okay."
There were some other things that I didn't like that could kill you, like canoeing on the lake. A volleyball court is being played on with satyrs and other kids. There was even a stable, where they kept horses, one of them neighing as they spread their wings. Yeah, WINGS. Pegasus, the winged horse in Greek mythology.
Pretty much all of them are wearing those bright Camp Half Blood shirts. As we walked, I could see some of them looking at us with curiosity, and they whispered, looking at Percy. But when they turned to look at me, they were visibly...well, they weren't mad, but they looked like they wanted me to get out of here. I flinched when one of them stopped walking to glare at my way as we passed them. Percy noticed this and was about to speak up, but I dragged him away before he said something stupid.
Soon we arrived at a large house. And on a porch were two men sitting down across from each other with a card table in the middle. Next to them is a random blonde girl about my age. The first looked like...Well, I don't want to be rude, but he kind of looks like a bum. He had black shaggy hair and a scruffy beard.
Wearing that rather tacky tiger-patterned Hawaiian shirt. He doesn't look that terrible compared to Ugliano, but he doesn't look like he presents himself well. I flinched when he looked at me for a second before going back to his game.
"This is Mr. D, the camp director." Grover introduced.
That's the camp director? He doesn't even look like he wants to be here.
"Be nice," Grover whispered to Percy. "That's Annabeth Chase; she pretty much nursed you to health and watched over both of you."
I looked at him weirdly. A girl watched me sleep, hoping I didn't pass gas while I was unconscious. Grover then pointed to the other man, parallel to Mr. D.
"Mr. Brunner?"
I muttered, but Percy exclaimed his name. Mr. Brunner gave us his signature warm smile as he waved to us.
"Ah, Percy, Clay, you've awakened."
Mr. Brunner then shifts his eyes to Mr. D and gives him a look. He rolled his eyes.
"Yes, yes, welcome to Camp Half Blood. There, I said it." He says, not even bothering to look at us.
Mr. Brunner sighed and shook his head. He then called out to the blonde girl and introduced her to us. Annabeth Chase, I'll admit, she was pretty. Probably the prettiest girl I've seen in my age group. She had tanned skin and her blonde hair was curly.
On the surface, she looks like your typical California girl. But that image was ruined by her intense eyes. Her's was colored grey, sharp and analytical. I could tell she was sizing us up, her pupils looking at us, feet head to. As if thinking of ways to kick my butt.
Not that she needs to plan, she was a couple of inches taller than Percy, who was taller than me slightly. Not to mention, her body looks athletic, like someone from track and field. She noticed me staring and narrowed her eyes, causing me to swallow a lump in my throat and straighten my posture. Her grey eyes drifted to Percy, giving him an unimpressed look.
"Annabeth, could you please check Clay and Percy's bank? Percy is moving to cabin eleven for now, Clay will..." Mr. Brunner stops himself, unsure what to say next.
I raised a brow. What the heck did I do? Annabeth nods, and before leaving, she gives us a side eye.
"You drool in your sleep." She said to Percy, before turning to look at me. "And you need to learn to be quieter."
Her eyes twitch. "You snore too much."
That's all she said before she dashed off somewhere. I frowned. What's her problem? Also, I don't snore that loudly when I'm sleeping.
"She has a point, you know," Percy whispers.
"Shut up."
I shook my head, eager to change the subject before Percy or Grover roasted me for my sleeping habits. "So, Mr.Brunner, you work here?"
"Not, Mr.Brunner." He said. "I'm afraid that was a pseudonym; you can call me Chiron."
Chiron? That name sounded awfully familiar, so I racked my brain to try to recall. For some reason, all the weird things I've encountered have been something from Greek Myth. Satyrs, the minotaur, pegasus and the Greek structures. Then it hit me, remembering a little fact I learned in third grade from my history teacher at the time. Hercules and Achilles were trained by one person.
His name is Chiron.
"You mean Chiron, the same guy who trained Hercules and a couple of other heroes from myth, that Chiron?"
"The very same." Mr. Brunner or Chiron confirmed.
But there was a problem, I looked at his waist. And as expected, he had normal human legs and is in a wheelchair. I was about to ask him about it, but Percy spoke up first.
"So, uh, does Mr. D stand for something?" He asked.
Mr. D stopped shuffling his cards and turned to look at Percy with an odd expression.
"Names have power, you don't get to just use them for no reason!"
"Sorry?" Percy says in a confused voice.
"I must say, Percy." Chiron starts. "I'm very glad you survived both of you. Usually, I don't make house calls, but I know that after you had slain the minotaur, no small feat, you are indeed special."
Chiron says, eyeing Percy.
"House call?" Percy asked.
"Yes, satyrs are tasked to go to schools to find children like you. Grover contacted me; he sensed you're special, and just like that, I was the Latin teacher in Yancy Academy."
"Seriously, you just walked, re-went to the school and said, 'yeah, I'm a teacher now'."
There was a glint of amusement in his eyes. "A crude version of the story, but that's how I came to be. I...convinced the first Latin teacher to take a leave of absence."
Okay, it's a little weird how I phrased it, but cool. Though I found it strange that he seems to be interested in Percy specifically. If the theory I'm brewing in my head is correct, then Percy and I should be the same. But everyone, for some reason, is treating me like I'm not the same as him.
"But why would you go that far to teach me specifically?"
Chiron gave him a quizzical look. "Percy, did your mother tell you anything?"
"About what?"
Chiron didn't answer and let Percy figure it out. Percy, a couple of moments later, told everyone what I already heard about his and Sally's conversation about her reluctance to send him here. Mr. D huffs.
"Typcial. That's how they usually get killed."
Chiron sighed. "It seems our orientation film won't be sufficient." He shakes his head.
"Percy, Clay. You've seen bizarre and impossible things, things that shouldn't be possible, but they are indeed a part of our reality."
I nodded along. In my peripheral vision, I could still see Percy being confused.
"The minotaur, satyrs, as you've seen, are indeed real and alive. Greek Myth isn't really myth, it's historical."
"That means..." Percy's eyes widen.
"Yes, even what we call Greek gods are alive."
Percy's jaw dropped. And while I was expecting it, I froze, hearing it confirmed caused me to get chills on my spine. I knew it, after this whole Greek thing and the minotaur and satyr being real, the head honchos should be real as well.
"You're telling me, gods are real. Like Jesus."
"Er-no, Percy, I think he's referring to gods like Zeus-" I flinched when I heard a distant thunder despite it being a clear day.
"Clay, names have power; it would be wise for you not to say such names so carelessly." Chiron chidded.
Making me red and rub the back of my head as I mutter an apology. Percy shakes his head in disbelief.
"But those are just fairytails, they exist to just explain the weather and seasons and all that stuff. They're what people believed before science."
"Science!" Mr. D scoffed, still playing around with his cards. "Its honestly very funny how you believe your 'science' has brought you sooooo far. Like explaining a phenomenon differently makes you all so smart."
What is his problem? Actually, what is Mr. D.? I get a bizarre feeling about him. And the way he talks, as if he isn't human. Is he...?
"Percy, you may choose to believe or not, but the fact is that immortal means immortal. Regardless of the passage of time, they will always be there. Time may have passed for the gods, but they are still very much alive and exist in the modern day."
"Yeah, but..."
I sighed, finally stepping in.
"Why is it so hard to believe, Percy? I mean, didn't we nearly get killed by...Mr. Bullman."
"I know, but it's hard to wrap my head around. Like this is crazy! Why are you casual about this?"
"I mean, either you put something in my food and this is all a dream, or this is all real. If a Mr. Bullman and Satyrs can exist, why not the very gods responsible for their existence?" I shrugged. "I mean, Mr.D probably is a god."
"Wait, wha-!?" Percy exclaimed.
Chiron and Grover looked at me in surprise. Mr.D regards me curiously, and for a moment, I could have sworn his eyes flashed purple. "Oh, what makes you say that?"
"First off, you're the camp director of this place full of satyrs and other supernatural beings. Then the way you talk like you're immortal yourself, and there is something about you, the way you yourself, like you're above it all." I explained.
"While I have no clue which god you are, you're probably are one."
Mr. D chuckled. "This one is pretty smart, Chiron, for someone who isn't half blood!"
I blinked. Now I'm the surprised one. "I'm not? But I thought I was."
"Okay, slow down, you are going way too fast. So he," Percy points at Mr. D, "Is a god? And what the heck is a half-blood!?"
Chiron and Grover look at me with curiosity. "Clay, how did you-"
"Find out? Honestly, I'm not going to lie, it's hard to believe this whole thing is happening. But I just used clues, the way we could see stuff other normal people can't." I say, pointing to my eyes.
"Then Mrs. Dodds called Percy a godling, which meant either a weak minor god or a child of one."
Grover bleated, right on the money.
"Then there is Chiron, being the teacher of known popular heroes like Hercules and Achilles, both are children of gods. And this whole camp. Camp HALF blood, that's what Percy is, isn't he and everyone else who isn't a satyr or any other creature walking around here? A child of a god, a demigod."
"Whoa, whoa. Mom wasn't-"
"I'm not talking about your mom, you're dad."
"But..." Percy pauses, thinking, unsure what to feel.
I could hear Chiron clap his hands to get our attention. He looked at me with proud eyes, which made me feel warm. It felt nice. When was the last time someone actually looked at me that way? I couldn't help but grin.
"Bravo, truly impressive, Clay. I'm truly impressed by your deduction. You are correct, Percy and the other campers are here, children of the gods, that's how Percy is able to see through the mist and strong enough to beat the minotaur."
"Then..." Percy starts softly. "Then who is my father?"
Grover and Chiron look at each other before giving Percy a sad look.
"It's undetermined."
"Oh..."
Percy stared at the floor, disappointed. I put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. I felt bad for him, I truly am. But I took a deep breath and asked the question that had been in my mind as soon as I started connecting the dots of this whole thing.
"What about mine? Do you know who my godly parent is?"
Mr. D snorts but doesn't say anything. I gave him a confused look and turned to Chiron for some answers.
"Clay, my boy. You are truly smart, in fact, if you had been a demigod, I would have figured you child of Athena."
"If? Then what am I?"
Chiron pauses before answering. "You are a full mortal. 100% No godly blood dwells within you."