The Child of Hera

Chapter 3-Annabeth

Annabeth walked down the beach and looked out at the horizon.  It felt good looking at the sea, it reminded her of Percy.  He was at Camp Jupiter at the moment, but she had to stay behind because Jason wanted help deciphering a scroll he was going to use in one of the temples he was building.  He would be back tomorrow.

But her mind wasn't on Percy for once.  She was thinking about the strange little girl that had arrived at camp Yesterday.  Annabeth and Piper had taken her around the camp and every time they had tried to tell Birdie what the name of one of the activities, she had interrupted them with the correct name and information on the subject.  It was as if she had been living there her whole life.

Annabeth sighed and sat on the ground.  Can't everyone read minds?  Birdie had asked.  But then, she said nothing more on the subject.  No matter what she and Piper had tried to pry out of her, they couldn't get her to talk.  She just kept changing the subject.

Annabeth got up.  It was time for the counselor meeting.  As she walked into the big house, she heard a shout.  She rushed down the hall and into the room with the ping pong table, and found that Conner Stoll had dropped a water balloon on Piper from behind.  Jason was wrapping a towel around her shoulders and glaring at him.  Annabeth smiled, she remembered when Luke had been carefree enough to do that.  Before his quest with the Hesperides, he had been just like Conner and Travis, but more brotherly towards her.

She sat down next to Piper and looked at where Chiron usually sat. But he wasn't there.  Annabeth shrugged, he was often late. She looked around the table and started listening to the conversation.

"She's got to be Hermes," Conner was saying, "She pulled a huge prank on the whole cabin this morning.  She had this huge series of strings that was tied to the ceilings of our bunks.  Then she pulled one of the strings and it dropped a dozen water balloons on each of us, waking us up!  Then she pulled another string and a bunch of feathers fell down on everybody and stuck to us!"

"Oh," said Piper, with a sly smile, "that's why you looked like a chicken at breakfast this morning!" 

Conner scowled and everyone else laughed.  Eventually he joined in.

"No way," said Katie Gardener, "she has got to be Demeter.  She was walking by the strawberry fields earlier, and the plants just flourished!  The strawberries grew big and ripe, even though it's April!"

"People, people," said Leo, standing up, "Did anyone notice the huge ball of fire she appeared in?  She's quite obviously one of Hephaestus's kids."

"Leo, she found some Laistrigonians catapulting things into the sky.  The stuff was landing on people, and hurting them, so she went to stop them.  They managed to load her into a catapult, with a bunch of wood.  They set it on fire and launched her into the sky.  It was probably dumb luck that she didn't get hurt," said Piper.

"Piper, everyone here knows, there's no such thing as dumb luck for a demigod."

"Suit yourself," she replied.

Annabeth sighed, they were talking about Birdie, obviously.  She wished Percy were here.  He would know what to do with this bright eyed girl.  

Then she herd a knock on the door.  Katie stood to open it, and there was Percy!

"Hey, Chiron told me to tell you guys that he was going to be late," he said, standing there like an idiot.

Annabeth ran to him and hugged him.

"You weren't supposed to be back until tomorrow!" she exclaimed.

"Well, if you want me to go back for another week-"

"NO!  I mean, I'm glad you're back.  We have...interesting news."

"What?"

"A demigod, sixteen, who hasn't been claimed.  She says she can read minds."

"Oh.  Dionysus maybe?"

"She would have been claimed.  She appears to have abilities from almost all of the Olympians."

"Uh oh."

"What?" she asked.

"Prophecy."