After Time

Nineteen

Jason

"Come on," Annabeth ordered. "I'm taking you to Chiron."

Even before I was electrocuted, I was having a pretty terrible day. First, I had woken up on a bus, holding hands with a girl I didn't know, talking to a boy I had never met and told to follow a class on a field trip I had never heard of. The only thing I could remember was my name, Jason Grace.

On the trip, we were attacked by Storm Spirits and nearly died, only to be nearly killed by a rampaging daughter of Athena and her search for Andromeda Jackson.

The worst part was that no one seemed surprised I was there. Everyone seemed to know me, even when they took me to Camp Half-Blood. 'The Only Safe Place for Demigods', they called it. That felt wrong, for some reason. Being there felt wrong. I had this sense of unease as if the ground had decided I was unwelcome and was waiting to swallow me up.

Annabeth led me through the camp and up to a large, three-story house, painted entirely in baby blue. On the porch, there was a table with an unfinished game of cards. Next to it, was a teenage girl with caramel hair and light features. "Annabeth," she greeted. "Chiron and Perseus are inside."

"The usual?" Annabeth asked, causing the other girl to nod. The daughter of Athena sighed, "Figures. Thanks, Calypso."

As soon as the door opened, all three of us were all but yanked inside by a dark-haired boy with sea-green eyes and an aura of power that made me nervous.

Once we were inside, I got a better look at the boy. He was tall, only slightly shorter than me. His raven-black hair fell over his eyes. He had a lean, swimmer's build and long, worn fingers. His sunken eyes suggested the remains of a once horrible sleep schedule, and while he didn't speak, he gently took Calypso's hands.

"Perseus," she greeted regally, clearly unable to keep the smile from her face. He kissed her cheek, before turning to Annabeth and me.

"I'm sorry, I'm lost right now," I said. "What is going on?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Everyone this is Jason. I found him at the canyon along with two others. Gleeson is getting them situated."

The boy, Perseus, made some kind of symbol with his hands.

"The boy, Leo, I think, was claimed by Hephaestus when we arrived," Annabeth told him. "The girl is quite clearly an Aphrodite kid. I'm sure she'll be claimed later tonight."

"Yes, the goddess does enjoy it when her children make an impression," said a voice from behind me. I turned to see an older man in his fifties, wearing a tweed jacket and sitting in an electric wheelchair. "And you would be the son of Zeus. My name is Chiron, I am the Activities Director here."

Perseus' eyebrows shot up, and he looked me over in more detail.

"I'm Jason," I told the man. "I'm really confused. I woke up on a bus, and all of the people there seemed to know me, then Annabeth showed up and demanded I give her Andromeda Jackson, whoever that is, and the only thing from my past that I remember is my name."

Perseus whistled, giving Annabeth an exasperated look. She only glared at him and made various symbols with her hands.

"Jason," Chiron said, gesturing to Perseus. "This is Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon." The man paused, waiting for a reaction, but he seemed surprised when it didn't come. "He is the Head Counsellor for Cabin 14 and will be looking after you whilst you, ahem, settle in."

Perseus, or Percy, reached out and shook my hand with a smile.

"Percy, my boy, in your Patron's absence, perhaps it would be best for you to check in on your new charge, even if she will not be staying long. I will send Jason after you in a moment."