Back Where I Belong

A Potential Recruit

Six months later...

"Bye mom! Have a good day at work!" Percy yelled to his mom as Leo fiddled with some pipe cleaners in his pocket." "Bye honey! Have fun on your field trip!" Esperanza yelled back. Percy and Leo walked into school, excited for their field trip to the museum. Well, Percy was excited, but he knew Leo was nervous. He knew from stories Esperanza told that Leo had bad luck on field trips. One time, he accidentally lit a cannon on a Civil War battlefield and blew up the school bus. Another time, his school went camping and he set the cabin on fire. No one was hurt, but he got expelled anyways. Percy was jolted out of his thoughts by a gruff voice saying, "Well well well. If it isn't the biggest idiot in the school." Leo was pushed from behind and he slammed into the lockers and fell to the floor. Clarisse La Rue, the school bully.

Percy growled, and Clarisse smirked. "Whatcha gonna do, geek boy?" Percy ignored her and held his hand out to Leo, who took it immediately. Percy scowled at Clarisse. "Don't call my brother an idiot." Clarisse didn't even hesitate. "Adopted brother, you mean. That's right. Your own family didn't even want you, freak." She took it too far. Percy softly punched her in the eye, holding back so he didn't give her any lasting damage. Clarisse looked up, a bruise already forming. Percy glared at her, and she flinched. "Go, before I make those eyes match." Clarisse spun on her heel and ran for her life. Leo looked at Percy in awe. "Dude, that was awesome!" Percy grinned. "No one calls my brother an idiot. Now come on. We need to get to class."

At Camp Half Blood that night...

"Chiron, I'm sure Peter is a demigod. Son of Ares, maybe. Look what he did to my eye! He's the adopted brother of Leo, you know, the fire user. If he is a demigod, hopefully his relationship with Leo will make him join our side. If Leo has lived with him for a while, then maybe he knows about the mythological world and if he is a demigod." Clarisse stood in the Big House talking to Chiron, the famous, immortal centaur. Chiron nodded thoughtfully. "Clarisse, watch Peter for a little while, a month at most. If he is a demigod, then he will be valuable to our cause. Kronos grows stronger with every passing day. Maybe this demigod is a child of the Big Three. We still don't have one old enough for the prophecy, for Thalia is with the Hunters and Nico is only thirteen. What does he look like?" Clarisse twisted her dagger in her hands. "Well, he has black hair, a deep tan, and he's tall and muscular. His eyes though. They're... interesting, to say the least. They move, if you know what I mean. They change with his mood, too. With his brother, they're are light and happy, but if I pick on his brother, they get extremely dark and they swirl."

Chiron nodded thoughtfully. "What color are they, my dear?" Clarisse frowned. "I don't know, sir. I can't tell if they're blue or green. Kind of a mix, like the sea, almost." Chiron's eyes widened. "Children of the sea are extremely powerful. By his looks, he could be a son of Poseidon, but Perseus Jackson hasn't been seen in fifteen years. Which reminds me, the boy is a child of the Elder Gods, and he is almost sixteen. He isn't dead, as Lord Hades decreed it so. If he's with the enemy, though, I'm afraid that doesn't bode well for us if he's on their side." Chiron seemed to be talking to himself now, but he soon shook his head and said to Clarisse, "You should get some sleep, Clarisse. You want to be well rested for tomorrow. Don't forget, keep a close eye on Peter."

The next day...

Percy knew something was up with Clarisse. She wouldn't stop staring at him and it wasn't with her usual sneer or glare. Instead, she was watching him carefully and calculating, like she was studying him. Demigod for sure, thought Percy. She looked a lot like the pictures of Ares that Chaos had shown him and she acted like him too. Beating up weaker kids, strong and well built, and of course her facial features. He was shaken out of his thoughts by the Latin teacher walking in.

"Good morning, class. Today we will be further researching the Greek Olympian gods that we learned about at the museum yesterday, and I want you to pick your favorite of these gods and give a presentation on that god. The presentation is due next Friday. Those who need to borrow a computer from school, come with me. Those who do not, you may start working." he told the class. Percy got up and followed the teacher. Which god should he do? His immediate choice was Poseidon, but he thought that would seem a little obvious to the demigod in his class who was watching him 24/7. He chose Athena instead, due to his intelligence and the fact that Athena is Poseidon's rival. That might throw Clarisse off the trail a little, he thought. He set to work.

Enter... Clarisse! Was anyone surprised that Clarisse was at school?

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