The Daughter

chapter 12 - panic at the disco

"i'm laughing on the outside, crying on the inside" - laughing on the outside, bernadette carroll

Annabeth Chase

I felt awful.

We ended up taking the Gray Sisters' cab to Camp Half-Blood. It was the fastest way, even if there was an excess amount of turbulence. But with the atmosphere being this somber, it felt like the smoothest ride I'd ever taken.

None of us said anything. None of us knew what to say. This wasn't the plan. Not even in the slightest. Katelyn wasn't supposed to be found out by anyone. A monster was not how she was supposed to find out about this part of her life. It was supposed to be gradual. It was supposed to be her choice. But now, Percy and I were taking her away from everything she knew with little to no explanation and only the knowledge that her life was in great and constant danger. It was a shock that she only broke down once. I wouldn't have even been able to get up from the floor.

We arrived at camp in no time. We thanked the sisters before they sped off and started to head toward Half-Blood Hill, the main entrance to the camp.

"Holy shit," Katelyn breathed when we arrived at the top. "This place is huge."

"Yeah," Percy answered, looking like he had just seen the camp for the first time as well, "Would you like a tour?"

"A tour would be nice." So we gave her a tour. We showed her the cabins, the volleyball courts, the infirmary, some of the woods, the strawberry fields, the amphitheater, the archery, and the canoe lake.

"This is by far the coolest place I've ever been to," Katelyn said, smiling for the first time.

"Yeah, it's pretty awesome," Percy replied.

"How do I know which cabin I stay in?" She asked.

"You get placed according to your godly parent," I answered, "If you don't know you're godly parent, then you get put into the Hermes cabin."

"Oh," she looked in the direction of the cabins, "Do people just know who their godly parents are?"

"Not usually," Percy said before I could answer, "I didn't know until I arrived. People get claimed by their parent. They give you a sign."

"What was your sign?"

"After capture-the-flag, a glowing trident appeared above my head," Percy said candidly.

"Oh wow. Flashy."

"Go big or go home, right?" Katelyn laughed. I was happy to see them getting along. I was even happier to see Katelyn smile.

"Considering that they live on top of the Empire State Building," I added. "Definitely go big or go home."

"Wait," Katelyn said, looking stunned, "The Empire State? They live on top of the Empire State Building?"

"500th floor," Percy responded.

"The Empire State Building doesn't have that many floors."

"Magical floor," I said.

"Oh," Katelyn said quietly, "Okay."

"Usually, there are more people here," I continued, "But it's off-season."

"So," Katelyn said tentatively, "What now? Do I get settled in?"

"You will," I answered. "But first, you should meet Chiron."

~~

Katelyn Sullivan

I was barely holding it together. I didn't like crying. It was draining, and it made me tired. I tried my hardest to stay upbeat throughout the tour. Yeah, the camp was cool, the cabins were gorgeous, the strawberries looked delicious - even though I wasn't sure I was allowed to eat them - and I had always wanted to try archery, but it also made me sad. Especially because my mom always wanted us to try archery together. But I needed to be okay, because this was my life now, and I couldn't run away from it. And if I ran, I died.