Andy Black and the Marvelous Wizarding World of Demigods

Chapter 2 - Summer 2008

Percy Jackson may not have realized how dramatic his entrance to camp was compared with most of the other campers, including me, but he certainly had to have noticed the looks he got from everyone as Chiron gave him the mandatory tour of camp.

Clarisse hated him at first sight. He had skinny little arms and dark lanky hair and walked like he thought everyone was gonna beat him up.

"He's practically asking for it," she grumbled. The two of us were in her cabin the next day, on friendly terms again once she'd punched Conner and I into dumping red paint over the lovely artwork I'd talked Conner, Travis, and Chris into doing the day before. The drawings were gone, now, sadly.

"Asking for what?" I asked, shouting a little over the rock music blaring through the arm wrestle tournament that was going on down on the floor. I'd been taken out on the first round.

"Newbie, over there," she said, gesturing out the door where Percy Jackson was walking past with Chiron, curiously glancing in at the chaos and then retreating quickly. "He's asking to be beat up. He's barely taller than you are. Betcha he thinks he's all that for being - how old is he? 12? Little shrimp."

"He is," I retorted. "And you never make fun of me for being 11. I'm even younger than he is." Gosh, sometimes Clarisse really thought she was all that for being 14.

"Do you want me to start making fun of you?" She snarled, then laughed. "You've been here for years. Most of the time you know what's up. I hate to admit it, but you are... slightly competent with a weapon."

"Coming from a daughter of Ares, I will take that as a compliment," I said. "I asked Chiron about him this morning. He's the kid Chiron was gone for on all year. You know he never does that. Percy Jackson's his name. Annabeth seems to think he's 'the one.'"

Clarisse grumbled. "She thinks that with every new camper. I don't even know what she's looking for. A soulmate?"

I shrugged as Sherman called my name and I got down onto the floor. Someone had cheated, a fight had ensued, and now the arm wrestling tournament had been restarted. "You can't deny this one really put up a fight with that Minotaur!" I called up at Clarisse. "Maybe he's a brother of yours. Maybe your dad got with a girl who's 5 feet tall, you never know."

Clarisse jumped off the bed. "Eh I'm gonna go check him out, see how good he is in a fight."

I rolled my eyes, but Sherman slammed my wrist to the ground so hard I was pretty sure it was gonna bruise.

"Ouch, buddy. " I held my arm. "Why'd you have to be so aggressive."

"Andy, you're asking a son of Ares that?" He said grinning. He slapped my back. "Get out of here if you're gonna be a baby."

I stuck my tongue out at him and headed to my cabin. Cabin 11. Not because my father was Hermes, but because Hermes takes in outcasts and since my father refused to claim me, I had no idea where I was supposed to go.

Since I'd been here for four years and was at camp year round instead of going to school in the winter, I'd managed to snag a top bunk. Obtaining an actual bed was rare in the Hermes cabin, since Hermes had so many kids and all the undetermined were in here.

I clambered up to my bed and rubbed some more salve on my side. The burns were almost gone, thanks to the magical stuff. Now they only hurt about as much as a severe sunburn.

"You missed meeting the new kid," Luke called up to me as he came out of the bathroom.

"I met him yesterday!" I yelled back. "Saw the whole fight with him and that monster, but it was far away and was over by the time I got there."