Free Web NovelChapter 112: Chapter 112: Purpose
Camp Half-Blood
Honestly, Percy had never cared about being the center of attention. It was not that he tried to be; on the contrary, it simply felt irrelevant to him. He had already gotten used to it from the moment he arrived at camp. If people wanted to stare, then let them stare.
Anyway, a few days had passed since the camp had taken a turn. Damon had not appeared again, and with that, the camp had continued moving along normally. Most of the demigods had been claimed, and the number of gods showing interest in their children had increased enough for it to be noticeable. Life in general was much better at camp for many of them.
Only a few remained unclaimed, and he was one of them. That was what bothered the black-haired boy the most. Percy walked toward dinner along with the other campers, trying to ignore the stares falling on him from every direction. Some watched him with curiosity, others with pity, and some with simple discomfort, unsure whether to approach him or not. It did not surprise him too much. Since he arrived at camp, he had already gotten used to people looking at him strangely.
Not being claimed had turned him into a black sheep even among demigods. Great. Percy did not know what his father was thinking, but he swore he liked him less with every passing day.
He chose not to dwell on it and kept his attention on what was right in front of him. Graving two portions of meat from his tray and tossing them into the fire, thinking of Damon. It had become a habit ever since he received a letter from his mother saying she was alive and well. Since then, his mood had improved so much that he almost wanted to leave camp, but Chiron did not let him.
He couldn’t exactly say he was worried about his mother. From what the letter said, Hades, as a form of apology, had given her enough wealth to never have to work again in her life. Besides, her relationship with Gabe had ended in a rather strange way, something about brain manipulation or some thing like that. Percy still did not understand all the details, and honestly, he did not have any desire to know.
The point was that he was grateful to Damon. If he hadn’t met him, who knows how long it would’ve been before he heard from his mother again?
With that thought in mind, Percy took his tray and walked toward one of the tables. Before, he probably would have had to sit at the Hermes table with the rest of the unclaimed, but the camp’s rules had become much more relaxed these last few days. After so many gods started claiming their children, Chiron had stopped insisting too much that every camper sit only at their cabin’s table.
That did not mean everyone would sit wherever they wanted. Most still avoided the tables of other gods out of simple habit or respect. No one in their right mind would sit at Artemis’s table without permission, for example. Even the Ares table was still a place many preferred not to approach.
But Damon’s table was different. Everyone seemed to understand that the new king of the gods was not the type of god who would be offended because someone ate there. That’s why Percy headed straight for the table and took a seat without giving it much thought.
Some looks followed him, but no one said anything. Percy pretended not to notice as he placed his tray in front of him and settled onto the bench. freeweɓnøvel.com
"Well, well, if it isn’t Seaweed Brain," a familiar voice said.
Percy looked up and saw Annabeth approaching with her tray. Thalia was beside her. The daughter of Zeus had easily integrated into camp, spending most of her time with Annabeth and sometimes with Luke. No one had really touched Zeus’s cabin, so she lived there without any complaints, and Damon had not said anything about it either.
Percy rolled his eyes at the nickname. "Yeah, I’m happy to see you too," the black-haired boy said at their teasing.
"Hope you don’t mind if we sit with you," Thalia said, placing her tray in front of him before sitting down.
"No, not at all. I don’t own the table," Percy replied, dismissing the matter.
Thalia looked at him with a teasing smile. "You sit here all the time. Don’t tell me you’re secretly Lord Damon’s son?"
"Don’t bother him, Thalia," Annabeth said, taking a seat as well. "It’s obvious Percy trusts Lord Damon a lot. It has nothing to do with being his son. Besides, do you see Percy with red hair?"
"Relax, relax, I was only joking," Thalia replied, raising her hands with fake innocence. "Besides, Damon probably doesn’t even care. You know how he is."
Annabeth rolled her eyes at her friend’s jokes. Percy, for his part, decided to play along.
"Yeah, well, if you want, we can try our luck at Artemis’s table and see if we make it out alive," the black-haired boy said.
The two demigoddesses laughed at his nerve. "Look how brave you’re getting," Thalia said with a smile. "Mentioning the goddess who hates men the most like it’s nothing."
"Well, Lord Damon said that thing about names having power is bullshit," Percy muttered quietly, only loud enough for them to hear. "I don’t see why we should be scared."
All of this happened under Chiron’s gaze, who watched the scene from a distance before returning to his conversation with Dionysus, who seemed more annoyed than usual.
Thalia let out a small laugh. "We’d better stay away from the Hunters. They’d probably shoot you with an arrow the moment they find out you sat at their table."
"I don’t think Lord Damon would allow that," Percy muttered.
Before Thalia could respond, Chiron softly struck the ground with one of his hooves, drawing the attention of all the campers. The conversations slowly began to die down until the dining pavilion became quiet enough. Even the children of Ares stopped teasing each other for a moment, though some were still smiling as if they already knew something fun was coming.
"Campers," Chiron began, looking at the different tables. "As many of you already know, tonight we will have the capture the flag game."
Instantly, several tables reacted. Everyone began murmuring among themselves. Percy, for his part, only looked around in confusion. He had heard the game mentioned before, but from the way everyone reacted, it seemed to be much more important than the name suggested.
Chiron raised a hand to recover the silence. "I know there are now more cabins and more tables than before. The camp is no longer limited only to the twelve main Olympians, and that is a good thing. Many of you have recently been claimed, and your places in the camp will be respected."
Percy noticed several campers sitting at the new tables straightening a little when they heard that. They simply seemed relieved that someone finally acknowledged they existed.
"With that said," Chiron continued, "for tonight’s game, I believe it would be best for the minor tables to work in support of the major ones. It would not make sense to divide the camp into too many groups when many of you are still learning to work together. So each minor cabin will be assigned to one of the main teams according to their abilities and affinity."
Thalia leaned forward a little, clearly more interested now. The black-haired girl’s nature was screaming with excitement at the idea of beating up a few demigods.
"Is that a good idea?" Percy asked quietly.
"Of course it is. It allows everyone to play while representing their cabins," Annabeth answered quietly, without taking her eyes off the centaur. "With more cabins and more claimed gods, everything needs to be made clear so no god gets offended while things don’t become too big to control."
Percy nodded, understanding the logic. "I think I shouldn’t play this," the black-haired boy murmured nervously.
"No way, no way, Seaweed Brain. You have to play. Just stay on the other team, away from mine, so I can beat you up," the black-haired girl said teasingly. A shiver ran down Percy’s back as he imagined being hit by Thalia. The daughter of Zeus was definitely not someone he wanted as an enemy.
Chiron continued speaking before Thalia could say anything else. "The rules will be the same as always. Two teams, two flags, boundaries marked within the forest. Weapons will be allowed, but serious injuries and attacks with intent to kill will not be permitted. Any camper who breaks those rules will be removed immediately."
Percy raised his hand almost instantly, causing several looks to move toward him. Chiron blinked, a little surprised by the interruption. "Yes, Percy?"
"Just to confirm," Percy said slowly, frowning. "Did you say real weapons?"
Some campers let out small laughs. Percy ignored most of them, though he could hear several children of Ares murmuring among themselves from their table. Chiron, for his part, kept his expression calm. "That is correct. It is part of the camp’s training."
Percy lowered his hand a little, but he did not stop frowning. "Then I’ll pass."
The dining pavilion became quieter. Annabeth turned her head toward Percy in surprise, clearly not expecting him to say it so directly in front of everyone. Dionysus, for his part, narrowed his eyes before responding, his voice loaded with bad humor.
"Kid, it’s not that serious. All campers have to participate. The capture the flag game is an important camp tradition. It helps demigods learn teamwork, strategy, and combat. It has always been that way."
"I don’t know," Percy answered, a little self-conscious under so many stares. "I don’t feel ready."
From the Ares table, a voice let out a mocking laugh. "What’s wrong, Seaweed Brain? Are you scared?" Some of the children of Ares laughed, making Percy turn his gaze toward them, annoyed. Thalia placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him before things went any further.
One of the children of Ares rose slightly from his seat, looking at him mockingly. "You talk a lot for someone who hasn’t even been claimed."
Instantly, several uncomfortable murmurs spread through the dining pavilion. Even some campers who had recently been claimed, and others who barely knew Percy, understood that the comment had been a low blow. A bitter expression appeared on the black-haired boy’s face, but before he could respond, a freezing air invaded the place. Damon appeared near the entrance, and from his expression, he was not happy at all.
Chiron straightened immediately. Dionysus, who was already in a bad mood after being excluded from the twelve Olympians, had been drinking from his cup when he felt Damon’s presence.
"Oh, shit." The god of wine choked on his drink, coughing as he tried to recover his composure.
Damon walked between the tables toward the center of the dining pavilion. His gaze passed over the campers, who had been laughing only moments ago and now had their mouths shut, and finally stopped on Chiron.
"Chiron," Damon said, looking directly into the centaur’s eyes. Chiron could not help but feel every hair on his body stand on end as those blue eyes pinned him in place.
"What is the purpose of this camp?" Damon asked.
The question reached the ears of every camper, but it also confused them. The purpose was pretty clear, wasn’t it?
Chiron took a second to answer. "To teach the children of the gods how to defend themselves from the monsters outside the camp."
Damon held his gaze. "Then explain to me why children with divine blood are being trained to fight other children with divine blood, and not the monsters that actually want to kill them."
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