Half-Blood High

XXII

                               Hazel

"Alright, next question?" Chiron said. Six hands shot up. He looked us over, stroking his salt-and-pepper beard thoughtfully.

"How about... Jason."

Jason lowered his hand. "Sir, you've said we are all demigods, correct?"

Chiron nodded. "Yes, that is correct."

"Are there others like us? Are they here at the school?"

"Hey!" Percy objected. "That's two questions!"

Chiron ignored him and looked to Lupa, who was still sitting by my feet. It was a bit odd to see my Headmistress as a wolf, but I'm pretty sure that ship had sailed.

It was Lupa who answered his question.

"Yes. There are other demigods at Jupiter Academy, and here at Half-Blood High. Not all of the students are of godly descent though. Nymphs, naiads, fawns, and gifted mortals are also enrolled at both of our schools."

Great. Now I was going to school with people made of trees. I wondered if Octavian was a nymph. Was that possible? And on a completely unrelated note, were they scared of axes?

While I was contemplating showing a blade to Octavian, Jason spoke up. "What do you mean by "gifted mortals"?"

Chiron answered him. "Gifted mortals are mortals who have displayed an exemplary knowledge or interest in Greek and/or Roman mythology. I believe Percy is aquatinted with one such mortal."

Percy looked confused. "I am? Who?"

"Rachel Elizebeth Dare. She is quite a fascinating young muse. Her paintings of Greek architecture are stunning!"

Percy turned a little red at the mention of her name. Next to him, Annabeth looked annoyed.

"So," Jason continued. "There are fawns here?"

"Yes. We call them satyrs. Percy, your friend Grover Underwood is one of them."

Percy looked bewildered. "Next you're going to tell me my sister is a mermaid."

"I sincerely doubt that. Mermaids originate from Slavic mythology. Perhaps you are thinking of naiads, part fish, part human servants of Posideon, god of the-."

"Okay, Okay. I get it. Can we please move on to the next question?" Percy threw up his hands in surrender.

"Of course. Let's see, Frank."

Frank pursed his lips. "What's with the weird tunnels under the school? The ones that Hazel and I took to get here?"

"Ah!" Chiron exclaimed. "That would be Daedalus' Labyrinth. He built it long ago, to hold the minotaur. It was magical, and it grew. Now, it expands all over the world, a network of uncontrollable tunnels under every continent. It is impossible to control, and highly unpredictable. You were lucky you ended up in our courtyard, and not in Australia."

Percy glanced up. "Is that how Annabeth and I found the Atrium? The Labyrinth?"

Chiron nodded. "Yes. Kronos was somehow able to bend it to his will so that the tunnels led you to him."