❦𝓕𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓒𝓻𝓲𝓶𝓮❦ - 𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓬𝔂 𝓙𝓪𝓬𝓴𝓼𝓸𝓷

𝐼𝒱. 𝐸𝓍𝓅𝓁𝒶𝒾𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓇 𝒞𝓇𝒶𝓏𝓎 𝒫𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈

𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓎 continued the tour, getting a few odd looks and hushed whispers about the bathroom incident. They saw the metal shop, where Zoe said 'hi' and high fived almost all the campers there. They also saw the arts-&-crafts room (where satyrs were sandblasting a giant marble statue of a goat-man (presumably Pan)) and the rock wall which actually consists of two facing walls that shook violently, drop boulders, sprayed lava, and clash together if you didn't get to the top fast enough (Zoe loved racing Annabeth to the top). They finally made it to the canoe lake where the path led back up to the cabins.

"I've got training to do," Annabeth said flatly. "Dinner's at seven-thirty, just follow your cabin to the mess hall."

"I'm sorry about the toilets."

"Whatever." The girls say in unison.

"It wasn't my fault."

They both look at him skeptically. "You need to talk to the Oracle."

Zoe whipped her head around to Annabeth and stared at her. "Annie, no."

"Who?"

"Not who," Annabeth continued, ignoring Zoe. "What. The Oracle. I'll ask Chiron."

"Annabeth! No!" Zoe whisper shouted at her.

"Why 'no'?" Percy asked, shifting his gaze between the two best friends.

"Because-" Annabeth cut Zoe off this time.

"Nothing. It's nothing. I'll talk to Chiron and see what he thinks." Zoe glared at Annabeth but kept silent.

Percy looked down at the lake, his face flashing with surprise as he saw the naiads sitting cross-legged at the base of the pier, about twenty feet below. Today, they wore blue jeans and shimmering green T-shirts. Their brown hair floated around their shoulders, minnows darting around. They smiled and waved, Percy waving back.

"Don't encourage them," Annabeth warned. "Naiads are terrible flirts."

"Naiads," Percy repeated. "That's it, I want to go home now."

Zoe frowned. "Don't you get it? You are home, Percy. This is the only safe place for kids like us."

"You mean mentally disturbed kids?"

"She means not human. Not completely human at least. Half human." Annabeth adds.

"Half human and half what?"

"I think you know." Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

A look of resigned acceptance crossed his face. "God. Half god."

Annabeth nodded as Zoe sent him a small smile. Annabeth continued, "Your father isn't dead, Percy. He's one of the Olympians."

"That's... crazy."

"Is it?" Zoe questioned.

Annabeth continued to explain. "What's the most common thing the gods did in the old stories? They ran around falling in love with humans and having kids with them. Do you think they've changed their habits in the last few millennia?"

"But those are just-" He paused. "But if all the kids here are half god-"

"Demigod. That's the official term." Annabeth input.

"Or half-bloods," Zoe added.

"Then who's your dad?" Percy questioned and Annabeth's hands tightened over the railing.

Zoe put a hand on her shoulder as Annabeth explained, "My dad is a professor at West Point. I haven't seen him since I was very small. He teaches American History."