The Third Camp

Chapter one: Courtney

I drifted down the halls of my junior high with a tired aura glowing around me.

I hadn't slept much last night, I was up until about two in the morning reading... I read way too much.

Not paying any attention where I was going, I ran into someone.

"Oh, sorry about that!" I squeaked, diving to grab my stuff off the floor before the stampede of teens in the hall can crush my textbooks.

"It's alright. You okay?" A hand was offered to me as I was down on my knees to get my stuff.
I took it and I was helped to my feet. I looked up at the boy.

Whoa.

He's was cute. Tousled blonde hair, and freckles spotting his nose and cheeks. He was smiling warmly. I thought I recognized him, but I wasn't sure where from. Did I have him in one of my classes? I cleared my throat, realizing I hadn't answered his question. He was still smiling.

"I'm fine. Thank you."

"Cool. Hey, don't we have science together?"

That's where I knew him from!

"Yes, I think so."

"Well, see you then."

"Right. See you. Bye." I mumbled and quickly drew my hand away from his, rushing past him and down the steps, I was off to lunch.

Setting my stuff down in my normal spot and going to get in line, I was trying to make sure I wasn't hyperventilating. I tend to do that when I run from stuff. Suddenly I felt a light pinch on my shoulder. My friend Leo Valdez stood there.

"Stephen told me that he's found another Half-blood. He said to keep an eye out." Leo shuffled away.

I sighed and let my thoughts wander. A new half-blood? That was probably the third one in the entire school, not including Leo and I. What now? Would they be Greek or Roman? Would we have to call Jason down? Uhg.

I continued forward in the line to get my food. I spotted the boy I had ran into in the hall just ahead of me in line. He seemed to be examining something in his hand, it looked like a notebook. I rubbed my head and turned forward, moving up in line. As I rubbed my head, I glanced at my S.P.Q.R. tattoo. The trident looked dark against my pale skin, as usual. I had made sure to wear long sleeves or a sweatshirt ever since I had received the mark at Camp Jupiter.

"Hey Neptuna." A voice spoke behind me.

I quickly covered up my tattoo and turned toward my friend Hailey.

"What was that?" She asked.

"Nothing." I blurted out.

She had read those dang books about the Percy Jackson world, and would know what my tattoo meant in a second.

"That wasn't nothing." She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes it was."

"Dude! What site did you find that on? I want one!" Hailey pulled my sleeve up and gaped at my very real tattoo.

"What? Oh yeah, Amazon." I sighed with relief.

She thought it was a temporary tattoo, one of the ones you put on using a wet towel.

"Can you order me one?" She breathed, wide-eyed at the tattoo.

"No, my mom didn't like me ordering it in the first place." I chuckled, thinking back on my mother's reaction to the tattoo.

She had nearly had a heart attack.

"Aww... I'll have to ask my mom for one myself. Anyways, can I have your Teriyaki Beef today?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure." I glanced ahead of me, seeing that it was Teriyaki beef day. "Why not?"

"I'm nervous about that quiz in Language arts. I'll bet I'll fail it."

"Seriously? You think? I'll fail it, most definitely. We both know that she hates me."

"She reminds me of a Ferrie."

"You mean Fury? Like as in those totally, super fake fate-telling grandma's in the Percy Jackson books?"

"Hey! They aren't completely fake!" Hailey argued "I think that guy in your science class read them and took them to heart. I heard him and some other guy arguing, they said something about 'Why are you following me?' then they other guy said something about how the 'gods put him up to it'. It was weird. Then that guy ran out of the room looking ticked."

"The... The kid from my science class? I have lot's of guys in my science class. I'm gonna need you to elaborate, okay?"

"That blonde one. The super hot one. He's standing over there." Hailey pointed to the boy I had run into.

"Oh, him." My face turned pink. Dang, am I blushing? What the heck?

"Oh my gods! You like him! Don't you?" She grinned at me.

"Shut up, Hailey." I scoffed. "I just ran into him in the halls. Literally. Hey, come on, the line's moving." I tried to change the subject, stepping up to get my food.