The Lightning Theif

Chapter 12

The next morning I moved into Big house stating that until a cabin for Hades wasn't built I wouldn't stay in the Hermes Cabin, no offense to any of them.

Nobody mentioned the night before, but I knew that they were all talking about it behind my back. That night had scared everybody. And everywhere I went I heard them whispering and calling me a monster, a freak, everyone was scared of me. It was really starting to piss me off. Even Luke had stopped training me in sword fighting, not that I needed it.

Annabeth still had the little battles of wit's in the mornings, but she seemed distracted. Every time I said something, she scowled at me, as if I'd just poked her between the eyes.

After lessons, she would walk away muttering to herself.

Even Clarisse kept her distance, though her venomous looks made it clear she wanted to kill me for breaking her magic spear. I kinda regret breaking her spear as it was from her father so I visited the Hephestus cabin and gave them blueprints to a spear concept I had. At first they wanted nothing to do with me but after seeing the blueprint they got excited.

Beckendorf had told me that I would need to make the spear myself but he agreed to teach me and was happy I didn't back down from the challenge. And I spent quite some time between training and studying, at the forge with Charles Beckendorf.

One night, I heard a clopping sound at the door, a hoof knocking on the threshold.

"Come in?"

Grover trotted inside, looking worried. "Mr. D wants to see you."

"I see." I mutter and grab a shirt and follow Grover out.

We walked to the front porch of the Big House. Dionysus sat at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke, just as he had on my first day. Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheelchair. They were playing against invisible opponents--two sets of cards hovering in the air.

"Well, well," Mr. D said without looking up. "Our little celebrity."

"Please, I am no celebrity with how I am treated." I rolled my eyes.

"Come closer," Mr. D said. "And don't expect me to bow to you, mortal, just because you have two daddies who are part of the Big 3." A net of lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder shook the windows of the house.

"Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus said.

Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards. Grover, the poor goat, was cowering behind the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth.

"If I had my way," Dionysus said, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."

"Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron put in.

"Nonsense," Dionysus said. "Boy wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."

"Mr. D—" Chiron warned.

"Oh, all right," Dionysus relented. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness." Dionysus rose, and the invisible players' cards dropped to the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do."

Dionysus picked up a playing card, twisted it, and it became a security pass.

He snapped his fingers and the air seemed to fold and bend around him. He became a hologram, then a wind, then he was gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind.