Reborn in The Lightning Thief

Clarisse Gargles Some Toilet Water

After Chiron gave me a short tour of the camp (with Percy next to us and excitedly adding on every few minutes), he dropped us off at the Hermes cabin. Cabin eleven, the number above the door read.

Chiron said something about archery lessons before leaving us with Annabeth, who was reading some sort of Greek book (literally- the words were all in ancient Greek).

Unlike the rest of the cabins, this one looked relatively normal. Honestly, I'd want to be a son of Hermes if it weren't for Luke. I did not want to sleep in the same room as him. Besides, I'd probably get pranked all the time.

Inside the cabin, sleeping bags and other trinkets littered the wooden floor. There were around 20 campers crammed into the room.

"Weird. This is the second one today. Let me guess, undetermined?" one girl spoke up. Annabeth nodded, and a few of them groaned.
A sandy-haired dude with a friendly smile walked out from the crowd, attempting to quiet them down. For some reason, he struck me as the opposite of friendly. And I had a hint of who he was already.

"It's Harley, right? I'm Luke. Nice to meet you." He stuck out his hand, and chills went down my spine. The guy was about nineteen, and tall and muscular. He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different-colored clay beads. Below his right eye, there was a thick white scar that ran all the way down to his jaw.

Luke? As in Luke Castellan? I hesitated before shaking his hand, returning the smile. Act normal. As far as they know, Luke is just your average camper.

"Harley's a cool name. Like the motorcycle," one guy commented. I nodded in recognition, trying not to look weary. "Luke is going to be your temporary counselor," Annabeth said, her gaze lingering on the teen a second too long. Right, I almost forget she had a crush on him. Percabeth remains supreme though.

"Temporary?" I asked. "Until you're claimed by your godly parent," Luke explained. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers." I nodded in understanding.

"Come on, you two. I'll show you the volleyball court." Annabeth grabbed my wrist, dragging me and Percy away after giving a brief goodbye to Luke. "So, you and Luke, huh?" I asked, grinning. She blushed. "What- what? Gods, no! He's just an old friend of mine."
"Mhmm."
"It's true!"
"What are you guys talking about?" Percy looked confused. I stifled a laugh. "Nothing," Annabeth told him, releasing her grip.

"What'd you take us here for?" I asked, rubbing my wrist. "I wanted to confirm something. It's true, isn't it? That you two killed him?"
"The Minotaur?" Percy asked. I nodded. "It was like 90% Percy though. I only managed to stab him once."
"Uh- which, in turn, made killing him a whole lot easier," Percy intervened. Annabeth sighed. "In that case, finding which one of you is the one is going to be a lot more complicated."
"The one?" She shook her head, dismissing her words.

"Besides that, how can we be sure we're... well, that we belong here?" Percy asked. "You already know about nectar," Annabeth started. "If a normal human drank that, even a little, they would combust."
"But-"
"Let me guess, you've been kicked out of several schools? ADHD and dyslexia?"
"How did-"
"It's normal for demigods. Taken together, it's practically a confirmation. The letters float off the page when you read, right? That's because your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek. And the ADHD- you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom. Those are your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Face it Percy, you're a half-blood."

A half-blood. Me and Percy. Come on... why couldn't I have been a clear-sighted mortal, at the very least? Why did I have to be reborn with my memories intact in a "fictional" universe? And as if that wasn't enough, why did I have to be only half human?

"Are you sure you're feeling okay? You look kinda pale," Percy said, placing a hand on my shoulder. I nodded, smiling. "I'm fine. Just thinking."

Then a husky voice yelled, "Two newbies in one day, huh?" I looked over. A girl with stringy brown hair was heading our way. Her brows looked like they were permanently furrowed, and she had three other girls behind her, all big and mean looking like her, and all wearing camo jackets. (It didn't make for a good fashion statement.)

"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"
"Sure, Miss Princess," the big girl said. "So I can run you through with it Friday night."
''Erre es korakas!" Annabeth said. I was surprised when I understood what she'd said- Greek for 'Go to the crows!' I had no idea what that meant, but I'm sure it was something bad.
"You don't stand a chance."
"Watch us. We'll pulverize you," Clarisse said, but her eye twitched.

She turned to face me and Percy. "Who are these runts?"
"The one on the left is Percy Jackson. The one on the right is Harley Allen. They're the new campers," Annabeth said. "This is Clarisse, daughter of Ares."
"Like ... the war god?" Percy asked. Clarisse sneered. "You got a problem with that?"
"No," he said. "It explains the bad smell."

Annabeth and I sighed simultaneously. Clarisse growled. "We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy."
"It's Percy."
"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you."
"Clarisse-" Annabeth tried to say.
"Stay out of it, nerd."
"Leave him be, Annabeth. This is how he always acts at new places." I said as Percy handed me his Minotaur horn.  Annabeth looked troubled, but she didn't make a move.

Before Percy could get ready to fight, Clarisse had him by the neck and was dragging him towards a cinder-block building that I knew immediately was the bathroom. Percy fought back, but Clarisse's grip was apparently like iron because she kept her meaty hand right around his neck.

"Percy-" I started, but he managed to interrupt me. "Stay out of this, Harley! And you too, Annabeth."
"Ooh, trying to be all tough in front of your friends, huh?" Clarisse taunted.

She dragged him into the girl's bathroom, and me and Annabeth followed hesitantly.
There was a line of toilets on one side and a line of shower stalls down the other. It smelled- well, just like any public bathroom. Horrible.

Clarisse's friends were all laughing as she pushed him towards one of the toilets.
"Like he's 'Big Three' material," Clarisse said. "Yeah, right. Minotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid looking." Her friends snickered.

Annabeth stood in the corner, watching through her fingers. I gripped the Minotaur horn in my hands.

Clarisse started pushing Percy's head toward the toilet bowl. Trying not to gag, I grabbed Annabeth's wrist and stepped out of the bathroom. I didn't want to get drenched with toilet water, and I'm sure she didn't want to either. Annabeth looked like she was trying to choose between going back in or asking why I'd dragged her out.

Before she could, there was a sudden eruption from inside, and the sound of chaotic yelling. The two of us exchanged looks as the rushing sound lasted a few seconds longer before the door blasted open and Clarisse and her goons were blasted into the mud.

Slowly, I opened the door, blinking at the sight. The entire bathroom was practically flooded. Percy was standing the middle of the room, the only dry spot. Even though the room was drenched, his clothes and hair were perfectly dry.

He stood up, legs shaking. Annabeth gawked at him. "How did you..."
"I don't know."
Hesitantly, he walked to the door. Outside, Clarisse and her friends were sprawled in the mud, and a bunch of other campers had gathered around to gawk.

Clarisse's hair was flattened across her face. Her camouflage jacket was sopping and she smelled like sewage. I would've laughed if not for the horrible smell.

She gave Percy a look of absolute hatred. "You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead."
Before Percy could retort and start a war, I grabbed his arm and dragged him away as Clarisse's friends did the same, hauling her back to cabin five.

Annabeth stared at Percy as I released him. I couldn't tell whether she was just grossed out or shocked.
"What?" he demanded. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking," she said, "that I want you on my team for capture the flag."
"Capture the flag?"
"Harley, I'm gonna need you to keep Percy in check. You guys are friends, right?"
"Yeah, but-"
"Perfect. You'll be on the same post. Just try not to die."