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chapter two
( THIS IS HOME )
A cold gray ocean stretched out to the left. Snow-covered fields, roads, and forests spread to the right. Directly below them was a green valley, like an island of springtime, rimmed with snowy hills on three sides and water to the north. A cluster of buildings, ancient Greek temples, a big blue mansion, ball courts, a lake, and a climbing wall that seemed to be on fire. But then their wheels came off and the chariot dropped out of the sky.
Annabeth, Katherine and Butch tried to maintain control. The pegasi labored to hold the chariot in a flight pattern, but they seemed exhausted from their burst of speed, and bearing the chariot and the weight of six people was just too much.
"The lake!" Annabeth yelled. "Aim for the lake!"
Katherine's eyes wide open. She not really like the lake, river or even ocean much which can understood because she's fire but the lake at winter? well, maybe too much.
And then—BOOM.
The biggest shock was the cold. She was underwater, didn't know which way was up.
Then faces appeared in the green murk—girls with long black hair and glowing yellow eyes, Naiad. They smiled at her, grabbed her shoulders, and hauled her up.
They tossed her, gasping and shivering, onto the shore. Nearby, Butch stood in the lake, cutting the wrecked harnesses off the pegasi. Fortunately, the horses looked okay, but they were flapping their wings and splashing water everywhere.
Jason, Piper, Leo, and Annabeth were already on shore, surrounded by kids giving them blankets and asking questions. Somebody took Katherine by the arms and helped her stand.
"You know you not good at lake." Austin, son of Apollo. Katherine remember him, he's one of sibling of Will. "Shut up."
Not have to use much things, Katherine is dry in second later. Like was told, she's fire and she can do stuff like this. None make any sane heh?
Katherine looked back at the water and saw Naiad below the surface, their hair floating in the current. Disappeared into the depths. A second later the wreckage of the chariot was tossed from the lake and landed nearby with a wet crunch.
Will not going to like this. Katherine thought and sigh.
"Annabeth, Katherine!" Speak of the devil— Will Solace pushed through the crowd. "I said you could borrow the chariot, not destroy it!"
"Will, We're sorry," Annabeth sighed. "We'll get it fixed, We promise."
Will scowled at his broken chariot. Then he sized up Piper, Leo, and Jason. "These are the ones? Way older than thirteen. Why haven't they been claimed already?"
"Claimed?" Leo asked.
Before Annabeth or Katherine could explain, Will said, "Any sign of Percy?"
"No," Annabeth admitted. Katherine bite her lip as nervous, It's been three days and they have no luck on finding him.
The campers muttered. Katherine set her hand on Annabeth's shoulder to comforting.
Another girl stepped forward—tall, Asian, dark hair in ringlets, plenty of jewelry, and perfect makeup. Somehow she managed to make jeans and an orange T-shirt look glamorous. Drew Tanaka, daughter of love.
She glanced at Leo, fixed her eyes on Jason like he might be worthy of her attention, then curled her lip at Piper as if she were a week-old burrito that had just been pulled out of a Dumpster.
"Well," She said, "I hope they're worth the trouble."
Leo snorted. "Gee, thanks. What are we, your new pets?"
"No kidding," Jason said. "How about some answers before you start judging us—like, what is this place, why are we here, how long do we have to stay?"
"Jason," Katherine said, "I promise we'll answer your questions. And Drew"—she frowned at Her "all demigods are worth saving. But I'll admit, the trip didn't accomplish what we hoped."
"Hey," Piper said, "we didn't ask to be brought here."
Drew sniffed. "And nobody wants you, hon. Does your hair always look like a dead badger?"
Piper stepped forward, ready to smack her, but Katherine said, "Piper, stop."
"We need to make our new arrivals feel welcome," Annabeth said, with pointed look at Drew. "We'll assign them each a guide, give them a tour of camp. Hopefully by the campfire tonight, they'll be claimed."
"Would somebody tell me what claimed means?" Piper asked.
Suddenly there was a collective gasp. The campers backed away. Katherine realized their faces were bathed in a strange red light. She turned and smirk.
Floating over Leo's head was a blazing holographic image —a fiery hammer.
"That," Annabeth said, "is claiming."
"What'd I do?" Leo backed toward the lake. Then he glanced up and yelped. "Is my hair on fire?" He ducked, but the symbol followed him.
"This can't be good," Butch muttered. "The curse—"
"Butch, shut up," Katherine said. "Leo, you've just been claimed—"
"By a god," Jason interrupted. "That's the symbol of Vulcan, isn't it?"
All eyes turned to him.
"Jason," Annabeth said carefully while Katherine frowned, It's two time he said gods name as roman. "how did you know that?"
"I'm not sure."
"Vulcan?" Leo demanded. "I don't even LIKE Star Trek. What are you talking about?"
"Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaestus," Katherine said, "the god of blacksmiths and fire."
The fiery hammer faded, but Leo kept swatting the air like he was afraid it was following him. "The god of what? Who?"
Annabeth and Katherine turned to Will. "Will, would you take Leo, give him a tour? Introduce him to his bunk-mates in Cabin Nine." said Katherine.
"Sure, Kat."
"What's Cabin Nine?" Leo asked. "And I'm not a Vulcan!"
"Come on, Mr. Spock, I'll explain everything." Will put a hand on his shoulder and steered him off toward the cabins.
Annabeth and Katherine turned her attention back to Jason. They studied him more like he was a complicated blueprint. Finally Annabeth said, "Hold out your arm."
Jason had taken off his windbreaker after his dip in the lake, leaving his arms bare, and on the inside of his right forearm was a tattoo. A dozen straight lines like a bar code, and over that an eagle with the letters spqr.
"I've never seen marks like this," Annabeth said. "Where did you get them?"
Jason shook his head. "I'm getting really tired of saying this, but I don't know."
The other campers pushed forward, trying to get a look at Jason's tattoo. The marks seemed to bother them a lot—almost like a declaration of war.
"They look burned into your skin," Katherine noticed.
"They were," Jason said. Then he winced as if his head was aching. "I mean ... I think so. I don't remember."
No one said anything. Katherine bite her lip again, she could looking through his head and watch his memories but that will be rude also he lost his memories, that's wouldn't make she saw anything anyway.
"He needs to go straight to Chiron," Annabeth decided. Turn to Katherine with knowing she the only one as demigod who knew much about big house. "Kat, Please."
Katherine sigh. "Sure." She look at Jason. "This way. I'll lead you to him." And start to led Jason toward the big blue house on the hill.
