Tales of Camp Half Blood

Tale 25: Camp Counselor Meetings

"Call a head counselor meeting," Chiron said grimly once Lee had finished explaining all they'd managed to learn from Percy. The report from some of the forest nymphs backed his story, Luke truly had betrayed them. Lee didn't even have time to feel sorry about the loss of someone who used to be a friend. All he could feel now was anger that Luke could do something like this. Gods Percy was so young, how could Luke live with himself knowing he'd almost murdered a child?

Annabeth had arrived only moments ago. She was sitting at Percy's bedside with tears in her eyes, "And what about the Hermes cabin?" Lee asked Chiron, "obviously their current head counselor won't be in attendance. Should I tell them to pick a new one?"

"Don't worry about it for now," Chiron sighed, "we'll be making an announcement to the whole camp within an hour anyway. The Hermes cabin can pick a counselor after and I'll catch whoever it is up to speed on all we discuss later."

Lee nodded, "and just send them here," Chiron added before he could leave, "I assume Annabeth won't want to leave Percy's side. We can just meet in the infirmary."

"Got it," Lee sighed, running a tired hand through his hair as he walked quickly outside. Almost immediately he was met with Selina's worried face. Apparently she'd been one of the first people to spot Percy and had helped Chiron and Jo drag him to the infirmary.

"Is he ok?" She asked urgently, "What's going on?"

"He's fine," Lee quickly assured his friend, "you can head into the infirmary now, we have a counselor meeting as well."

Her face paled slightly, "is something else wrong? Why would we need to meet if Percy is ok?"

"Chiron will explain in the meeting," he told her. She must realize something else was seriously wrong at this point. Usually they only had counselor meetings at the beginning and end of summer. The beginning so that everyone can get organized for the inevitable flood of campers about to come to camp. And the one at the end of summer to decide on the new bead to represent the year.

Lee scowled as he remembered that meeting. Only two days ago, Luke had been laughing with the rest of them around the ping pong table as they reminisced on the new memories they'd made over the summer and voted for what they should choose. He'd even been the one to offer the design for the black and sea-green bead meant to honor Percy. How he could sit there and praise the kid when he attempted to kill him only two days later was chilling.

"I- do you want me to help gather the others?" Selina offered with pursed lips.

"Yeah actually that'd be great," he said, "go grab Beckendorf and Clarisse. I'll get Katie, Castor, and Pollux."

"I'm here!" Katherine came over.

"What about Luke?" Silena asked.

Lee grimaced, "just grab those two please Lena," he said, "I don't even wanna talk about it. Chiron will explain everything once we're all assembled."

Thankfully, she seemed to pick up on his negative mood and didn't ask any more questions after that, "got it," she nodded, squeezing Lee's shoulder gently in a silent attempt at comfort before the two of them hurried outside and split up.

Lee silently cursed the fact this had happened the same day that all the summer campers were leaving. Camp was in enough chaos as it was. Already half the summer campers had left, but the ones who hadn't had seen Percy's body being carried to the infirmary. Almost everyone was in the common area outside the cabins, milling around in confusion.

Dionysus's cabin was one of the first, and since there were only two campers it wasn't hard to find Castor and Pollux. He called out to them, causing both the blonde boys to hurry up to him, "Lee what the Hades is going on?" Pollux demanded, "All we see is Percy on the verge of death being carried to the infirmary and then Chiron coming back out and warning us all about some scorpion."