The Sun and The Sea

The Oracle's Daily Stroll

Thalia was not a natural. 

She drove them into the lake. The sun bus was now covering the water. 

Apollo wished the Hunters luck and told Thalia to be good. With one last glare at Percy and a ruffled of Finley's hair, he was off. 

"It may just be me," Percy whispered to Finley as she begrudgingly fixed her hair as Apollo left. "or your dad doesn't like me."

"You have this thing where you piss off every immortal being possible," Finley joked. "It's kinda your thing."

"I haven't done anything to him!"

"Who knows," Finley shrugged her tan shoulders. Percy wondered who she managed to hold a perfect tan with the slight snow covering the ground. He chopped it up as being the daughter of Apollo, granting her amazing skin. "You probably did something. Seeing as he is the God of Prophecy, he could see the future. Maybe you did something in the future that really pisses him off."

Percy looked ready to object but knew it was a possibility and simply shrugged. "Probably."

As Percy and Finley made their way to the Big House, a small blonde boy sprinted towards. 

"Finny!" He exclaimed. He is turning twelve soon but was already showing signs of mental maturity. It seemed to come early to some half-bloods. "Have you seen my book ancient remedies?"

"Sorry, Will," Finley frowned. "I haven't. I need to talk to Horse Man then I'll help you look."

Will Solace nodded before running away after waving at Thalia, Percy, and Nico. 

Charles Beckendorf from the Hephaestus cabin stoking the forge outside the camp armory. The Stoll brothers, Travis and Connor, from the Hermes cabin, were picking the lock on the camp store. A few kids from the Ares cabin were having a snowball fight with the wood nymphs at the edge of the forest.

The Big House was decorated with strings of red and yellow fireballs that warmed the porch but didn't seem to catch anything on fire. Inside, flames crackled in the hearth. The air smelled like hot chocolate. Mr. D, the camp director, and Chiron were playing a quiet game of cards in the parlor. 

Chiron's brown beard was shaggier for the winter. His curly hair had grown a little longer. He wasn't posing as a teacher this year. He wore a fuzzy sweater with a hoofprint design on it, and he had a blanket on his lap that almost hid his wheelchair completely. He smiled when he saw the group. 

"Percy! Thalia! Ah, and this must be—" 

"Nico di Angelo," Percy stated. "He and his sister are half-bloods." 

Chiron breathed a sigh of relief. "You succeeded, then." 

"Well..." 

His smile melted. 

"What's wrong? And where is Annabeth?"

"Oh, dear," Mr. D said in a bored voice, "Not another one lost."

Both Percy and Finley had been trying not to pay attention to Mr. D, but he was kind of hard to ignore in his neon orange leopard-skin warm-up suit and his purple running shoes. A golden laurel wreath was tilted sideways on his curly black hair, which must've meant he'd won the last hand of cards. 

"What do you mean?" Thalia asked. "Who else is lost?" 

Just then, Grover trotted into the room, grinning like crazy. He had a black eye and redlines on his face that looked like a slap mark. "The Hunters are all moved in!" 

Chiron frowned. "The Hunters, eh? I see we have much to talk about." 

He glanced at Nico. 

"Grover, perhaps you should take our young friend to the den and show him our orientation film."