Clandestine~ (A Percy Jackson and the Olympians fanfiction)

Chapter 3: Swords, dinners, and flag

(singular of course)(for those of you counting, this is near death number two)

~*~

Word of the bathroom incident spread immediately. Wherever we went, campers pointed at Perseus and murmured something about toilet water. Or maybe they were just staring at Annabeth, who was still pretty much dripping wet.

We showed him a few more places: the metal shop, the arts-and-crafts room (where satyrs were sandblasting a giant marble statue of a Pan), and the climbing wall.

Finally we returned to the canoeing lake, where the trail led back to the cabins.

"I’ve got training to do," Annabeth said flatly. "Dinner’s at seven thirty. Just follow your cabin to the mess hall."

"Annabeth, I’m sorry about the toilets."

"Whatever."

"It wasn’t my fault."

She looked at him skeptically, he seemed to have a realization. We all knew it was.

"You need to talk to the Oracle," Annabeth said.

I scoffed, shaking my head. I muttered to myself, annoyed, "Seriously."

"Who?"

I roll my eyes, "Not who. What. The Oracle. Annabeth will ask Chiron."

He stared into the lake. Two teenage girls sitting cross-legged at the base of the pier, about five meters below, looked back. They smiled and waved like he was a long-lost friend. He waved back.

"Don’t encourage them," Annabeth warned. "Naiads are terrible flirts."

"Naiads." He repeated, sounding completely overwhelmed, "That’s it. I want to go home now."

I frowned, "Don’t you get it, Perseus? You are home. This is the only safe place on earth for kids like us."

"You mean, mentally disturbed kids?"

"I mean not mortal. Not totally mortal, anyway. Half-human."

"Half-human and half-what?”

"I think you know." I tilted my head towards him, sighing.

And he did know. Sometimes you just know….

"God," He said, "Half-god."

Annabeth nodded, "Your father isn’t dead. Percy. He’s one of the Olympians."

"Probably." I interjected, "But there's a good chance he's just a minor god."

"That’s… crazy."

I scoffed gently, "Is it? What’s the most common thing gods did in the old stories? They ran around falling in love with mortals and having kids. Do you think they’ve changed their habits in the last few millennia?"

"But those are just –" He paused, reconsidering, "But if all the kids here are half-gods –"

"Demigods," Annabeth said. "That’s the official term. Or half-bloods."