ੈ｡ﾟ ･ׂׂ ✩ MANEATER ⌇˚ɞ act i 
──── the daughter

· 。ﾟ *. 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 ONE ,
───── ❛ shirley temples and pac-man ❜

𝙋𝙀𝙍𝘾𝙔

THE SUN WAS setting on camp half blood as Percy and Grover sat by the fire. Percy took a look around camp and smiled. It was only his first day here but he was starting to love it here. Percy shook his head. His mother was gone. He shouldn't be happy. The world was nothing without her. He was nothing without her. Percy turned to Grover who was holding an amber colored drink in hand. 

 "Here, have a drink." Percy took the drink and brought it to his mouth. He recoiled at the taste because he was expecting apple juice. It wasn't that at all. It was chocolate-chip cookies. Liquid cookies. And no just any cookies—his mom's homemade blue chocolate-chip cookies, buttery and hot, with the chips still melting. Drinking it, his whole body felt warm and good, full of energy. His grief didn't go away but he felt as if his mom had just brushed her hand against his cheek, given him a cookie the way she used to when he was small, and told him everything was going to be okay. 

Before he knew it, he had drained the glass. Already thirsting for more, he asked Grover, "What was that?"

"It was nectar, the drink of the gods. You probably can't have any more. What did it taste like?"

"Like my mom's cookies." Grover smiled sadly and put his hand on Percy's shoulder sympathetically almost to say that he was here for him and everything was going to be okay.

"Come on, let's go see Chiron and Mr. D." Grover led Percy to the other end of camp and his breath caught. They must be on the north shore because the valley marched all the way up to the water, which glittered about a mile in the distance. Between his mom's death and the beautiful scene before him, Percy simply couldn't process everything he was seeing. The landscape was dotted with greek buildings that looked like ancient greek architecture— an open-air pavilion, where Grover and him had just eaten, an amphitheater, a circular arena—except all of it looked brand new, their white marble columns sparkling in the son, In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high-school age kids and satyrs played volleyball. Canoes glided across a small lake. Kids in bright orange t-shirts like his and Grover's were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range. Others rode horses down a wooded trail, and unless he was hallucinating, some of those horses has wings. 

At the other end of camp, on a small porch, two men sat across from each other at a card table. There were three girls standing next to them. One was was a black-haired girl who was leaning on the porch rail. She smiled as Percy walked toward them. One was a blonde-haired girl who was smiling fondly at the other girl. The last was a brown-haired girl with a small scar on her left temple. She had a scowl on her face as she stared Percy down. He thought she looked like a goddess. The first man was small, but porky. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple. He looked like the painting of baby angels— cherubs. Except, a middle-aged cherub who lived in a trailer park. He wore a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt, and he would've fit right in at one of his stepfather, Gabe's, poker parties. Though, Percy had a feeling this guy could have outgambled even his stepfather. 

"That's Mr. D," Grover murmured to me. "He's the camp director. Be polite. Those three girls, that's Annabeth Chase, Aurora Allegri, and Lyra Sinclair. They're campers, and Annabeth and Aurora have been here longer than just about anybody. Lyra, on the other hand, is pretty new. She's like you, she came last month and is still adjusting. She's pretty different, you'll understand what I mean when you meet her. And you already know Chiron..." 

He pointed at the guy whose back was to Percy. First, he realized he was sitting in the wheelchair. Then Percy recognized the tweed jacked, the thinning brown hair, the scraggly beard. 

"Mr. Brunner!" Percy cried. 

Percy's old latin teacher at Yancy Academy turned and smiled at him. His eyes had that mischievous glint they sometimes got in class when he pulled a pop quiz and made all the answer choices B. 

"Ah, good, Percy and Grover," he said. "Now we have six for cards." 

He offered Percy a chair to right of Mr. D, who looked at Percy with bloodshot eyes and heaved a great sigh. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp. There. Now don't expect me to be glad to see you."

"Uh, thanks." Percy scotted a little farther away from him because, if there was one thing he had learned. form living with Gabe, it was how to tell when an adult had been hitting the happy juice. Mr. D was no stranger to alcohol.

"Annabeth? Aurora? Lyra?" Mr. Brunner called to the three girls.

They came forward and Mr. Brunner introduced them. "This is Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. This is Aurora Allegri, daughter of Apollo. And this is Lyra Sinclair, daughter of Hera."

"But I thought you said Hera was married to Zeus." Percy said. 

The brown-haired girl, Lyra, rolled her eyes. "It's a long story, don't ask." 

The blonde girl, Annabeth, nudged the other girl.  "Lyra, be nice." Lyra gave her an apologetic look and turned back to Percy and gave him a shrug.

"Girls, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now."

"Sure, Chiron," they responded in unison. 

Lyra was probably his age, maybe a couple inches shorter, and a whole lot more athletic looking. With her pale skin and her straight brown hair, she was almost exactly what Percy had imagined the goddess Hera too look like. Except her eyes. They were a startling dark brown that contrasted with her pale skin. She was pretty, but intimidating too, as if she were analyzing the best way to take me down. Annabeth also looked his age but a couple inches taller. She was also lean. Her dark skin glowed in the sunset and Percy thought she looked like a fighter.  Aurora looked like a ball of sunshine. Her blonde hair was brighter than the sun and her eyes were a shockingly bright blue. As they were walking out, Lyra turned back to glance at him. He didn't know what she was going to say but it sure wasn't, "You drool when you sleep." Then she sprinted off down the lawn to catch up with her friends leaving Percy flabbergasted behind her. 

Turning back to Mr. Brunner, Percy asked, "So, you work here, Mr. Brunner?"

"Not Mr. Brunner, my boy. I'm afraid that was only a pseudonym. You may call me Chiron."

"Okay..." Totally confused, Percy looked at the director. "And Mr. D... does that stand for anything?"

Mr. D stopped shuffling the cards. He looked at Percy like he had just belched loudly. "Young man, names are powerful things. You don't just go around using them for no reason."

"Oh. Right. Sorry"

"I must say, Percy," Chiron-Brunner broke in, "I'm glad to see you here."

"Grover, are you playing or not?" Mr. D said impatiently.

"Yes, sir!" Grover trembled as he took a chair, though Percy didn't know why he should be so afraid of a pudgy little man in a tiger-print Hawaiian shirt. 

"You do know how to play cards, right?" Mr. D eyed Percy suspiciously.

"Not every well," he said. 

"Not very well, sir" Mr D replied

"Sir," Percy repeated. He was starting to like the camp director less and less. 

"Well," he told Percy, "It is, along with shirley temples and Pac-Man, one of the greatest thing ever to be invented by humans. I would expect all civilized young men to know the rules."

ততততততততততততততত

ONCE PERCY got over the fact that his latin teacher was a horse, Grover started to walk him over to cabin eleven. On the way, they ran into Annabeth, Aurora, and Lyra. Percy noticed the necklace around Annabeth and Aurora's necks, it had six beads, all a different color, on it. 

"What is that," he asked, pointing to Annabeth's neck. 

She smiled, "Oh, it's my camp necklace. We get a bead for every year we're here." Percy did the math and gaped. 

"You've been her since you were 6?" 

"7, actually. Rory and I came together. I'm thirteen." Annabeth responded. She smiled at Aurora. He looked at Lyra's neck, she didn't have a necklace. 

"What happened to your necklace?" 

Lyra stared at him as if he was stupid. "I've only been here for a month, Clueless, so I haven't received my necklace yet." Percy frowned at the nickname but brushed it off. He was still thinking about her mother, Hera. He would have to ask Grover later about how Hera had mothered a daughter when she was supposed to be loyal to Zeus. 

"Anyways," Annabeth spoke, "Let's get you to cabin eleven. Cabin eleven is for all the kids who haven't been claimed by a god yet. And the children of Hermes, too."

"God of travelers." Percy said. 

"Exactly. You know your greek mythology well." Percy was reminded of his mom, who had taught him all of his knowledge. His heart ached. Lyra looked at Percy with a knowing look, as if she knew what he was going through. 

They arrived at cabin eleven and said bye to the three girls . "So, I have to meet with The Council of the Elders soon, but Luke, the head counselor will help you out. Bye Percy!" Grover said. He hobbled off into the woods and Percy took a look at the cabin. 

Out of all the cabins, eleven looked the most like a regular old summer camp cabin, with the emphasis on old. The threshold was worn down, the brown paint peeling. Over the doorway was one of those doctor's symbols. A winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it. What did they call it...? A caduceus. Percy stepped inside. It was packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds. Sleeping bags were spread all over on the floor. It looked like a gym where the Red Cross had set up an evacuation center. "Regular or Undetermined," someone called through the mess. 

"Undetermined, I think." Percy replied. The entire cabin groaned. A guy who was a little older than the rest came forward. "Now, now campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there."

The guy was about nineteen, and he looked pretty cool. He was tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with six different colored clay beads that reminded him of Annabeth's. The only thing unsettling about his appearance was a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash. "I'm Luke." He said, "I'll be your counselor for now."

"For now?" Percy questioned. 

"You're undetermined. They don't know what cabin to put you in so you're here. We take all newcomers and all visitors."

"How long will it take until I'm determined?" The campers all laughed. Percy heard someone enter the room and the cabin went silent. He turned and saw Lyra staring murderously at the campers.

"Who took my hairbrush? I know one of you thieves did it! Don't lie to me, the consequences will be bigger than if you just own up to it now" The cabin was silent. "Whatever, you guys have until tomorrow to return my hairbrush or I swear I will make your lives an above ground Tartarus." She turned to Percy. "Percy come on," She motioned out the door and started to walk out. It felt wrong not to follow her so he waved goodbye to cabin eleven and headed out after her. 

Outside the cabin, Lyra was walking towards the larger cabins on the other side of the semicircle. "Come, Annabeth and Rory want to talk strategy for capture the flag tomorrow. Chiron put you on their team and they haven't won in years. You won't be the reason they lose again." Percy hurried to catch up with Lyra as she walked at a breakneck speed.

Percy's curiosity got the best of him. "How are you a daughter of Hera?" Percy questioned. Lyra stopped dead in her tracks and Percy almost ran into her. She turned to face him. 

"Why do you want to know?"

"I was just wondering. My mom told me Hera didn't have demigods because she was loyal to Zeus." Lyra sighed.

"Again, it's a long story. Win capture the flag for us, and maybe I'll tell you."

Percy smiled. 

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 𝒅𝒊𝒗 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒔 .ೃ࿐

ahhh first chapter done!! i've actually planned everything
out now so prepare for chapters to start rolling out
(unless i get lazy). sorry this chapter was so long. (i say
that but every chapter is going to be this long). 

anyways let me know if you enjoyed! and as
always don't forget to interact and comment
so i can get some much needed validation!

thanks for reading <3