There's A First For Everything (HP/PJO Crossover)

Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX: I Figure Out Who My Dad Is

I was slowly getting my head wrapped around the whole thing the next few days that it felt almost normal, even though I was getting lessons from satyrs, nymphs, and a centaur.

Everyday Annabeth taught me Ancient Greek, and we talked about the gods and goddesses in the present tense. It was weird, but, I'd gotten used to it already. Because of my dyslexia, Ancient Greek wasn't that hard for me to read. But, unlike most demigods, I could still read English better than them, since I grew up being able to read thanks to my lovely Aunt...

After that, I'd go around camp, deciding which I was good at. Luke, the head counselor of the Hermes Cabin, tried to teach me sword fighting. Luke was about nineteen. He was tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. He also had a leather necklace with four different-colored clay beads, like Annabeth's. Turns out, I was good at sword-fighting, adequate, but I could tell that this was not going to be my strength. I thanked Luke then went to different places.

I tried wrestling. I was pretty good, I even beat a few of the regulars. Only Tyler and Clarisse La Rue, a girl from the Ares Cabin-yes, she is my half-brother's half-sister. Weird, right?-were able to defeat me. "There's more where that came from, punk," she mumbled in my ear.

I was great at canoeing, but I had no idea why, so don't ask me.

I knew the senior campers and counselors were watching me, trying to decide who my dad was, but they weren't having an easy time of it. I was a bit strong as the Ares kids (except for Clarisse. She's a strong as a log), and I was fine with a dagger, but I don't feel like using a sword when in battle. I could tinker a bit, but I'm not a good as the Hephaestus kids. Plants. I shudder. They don't like me at all.

The only thing that I was really good at was at archery. Chiron was beyond pleased. He thought maybe TJ was wrong about the child of Hephaestus thing, maybe I was a child of Apollo. Secretly, I didn't really like Apollo, dunno why though...

Even though I was only here a few days, I'd already grown accustomed to camp. I would eat dinner with Cabin Eleven, scrape part of my meal into the fire, and try to feel some connection to my real dad. Nope. Nothin'. Everytime I did scrape part of my meal into the fire though, I'd smell the salty tang of the sea...

Despite that, I tried to forget about my father for a while. Surely he'll claim me. I tried to stay positive but today well, I can get impatient, okay? So yeah, maybe gods had important things to do. But couldn't they call once in a while? Show that they care about you or something?

~^~^~^~

Thursday afternoon, Luke taught sword-fighting lesson. The whole Cabin gathered at a big circular area.

We started with basic stabbing and slashing, using some straw-stuffed dummies in Greek armor. I guess I did okay. At least, I understood what I was supposed to do and my reflexes were good. But, still, something felt wrong when I used a sword. If this wasn't compulsory, I'd never attend this class.

We moved on to dueling in pairs. Luke announced he would be my partner, since this was my first time. "Good luck," one of the campers told me. "Luke's the best swordsman in the last three hundred years." "Maybe he'll go easy on me," I said. The camper snorted.

Luke showed me thrusts and parries and shield blocks the hard way. With every swipe, I got a little more battered and bruised. My energy was getting sapped by the second. "Keep your guard up, Allie," he'd say, then whap me in the ribs with the flat of his blade. "No, not that far up!" Whap! "Lunge!" Whap! "Now, back!" Whap!