I definitely remember my first day at Camp Half-Blood. Back then, I was still twelve and everything was simple. I got decent grades, exercised, and monsters only came about once a week. Going to Camp was something my mom had pushed me to do, claiming that I was getting to the age where monsters would attack more. So, I ran over to camp.
Camp was pretty weird back then. There were a lot of monsters invading every day, and everyone was yelling about a dead tree constantly. They kept talking about a Clarisse and Percy or something, and I was generally confused.
Chiron understood. He invited me to talk with him. He seemed surprised to find that I knew my godly parent, and that I already could control my powers. So, he had the Stolls show me to the Hermes cabin. They were pretty cool, and very surprised too when they found out they couldn't fool me. No matter how many tricks they pulled, I knew them all; it was in my blood. It was really crowded; my guess was that Dad really loved having kids. But, for some reason, they seemed excited that I was a son of Hermes. It took me a while to learn that unclaimed demigods came to our cabin.
Then came my official "Welcome to Camp" swirlie.
I remember it was after first climbing the rock wall. I nearly got burned by the lava dripping down. My feet may have been fast, but my arms were only as fast as any twelve year old's. I headed back to the cabin, only to be cornered by four tall, strong Ares kids. Nobody but Chiron knew about my powers at camp. They just assumed I was a regular weak and annoying little kid. One of them muttered something about being careful and Percy Jackson. Seriously, back then, I had no idea who he was and why he was a legend. Everyone talked about him, and I had no clue as to why he was a beast. I mentally made a note to ask Connor or Travis about it. The tallest kid pushed me down. In a rough voice, he said:
"Percy Jackson was a wimp, but a bit powerful. This guy is just a wimp." He stared at me and smiled. "You know what we do to newcomers?"
"No," I squeaked, "and for your sake, I'd like to keep it that way!"
The kids stared at me for a second, then burst into laughter. Here was a scrawny kid on the ground threatening grown men and women by then. It was a hilarious situation.
"Grab his legs," the leader ordered, "Clarisse isn't here, but we can still make this special."
I sighed. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
Five minutes later, people were astounded to find four kids with their heads stuck in toilets with a twelve year old boy escaped completely unscathed. No one had pulled that stunt since Percy Jackson(Again with the name. Seriously, that guy was like Trump these days.). Connor and Travis were slapping me on the back all through dinner, and were happy to tell me about Percy, as long as I paid.
After an hour and twenty dollars, I was given the general breakdown on the master bolt snatcher and the hero of Olympus. I really wanted to meet this guy to see what he was made of.
By the time Percy Jackson came back, everyone knew how fast I was, I had been banned from capture the flag(for obvious reasons), and I had barbells tied to my shoes to keep me from tearing up the camp.
When he got back, I sized him up in around three minutes. I saw his recklessness, but I also saw skill. I could see the ADHD symptoms, but I also saw a strategist. He was definitely used to offense and only played defense when necessary. He looked harder than the guys I ordinarily fought at camp. My only chance would be relying on my speed.
Annabeth Chase was way easier. She was a strategist, but her fighting style was limited. She could defend herself, but she mostly relied on outwitting the enemy, like Odysseus. I just had to avoid her deception and beat her in swordplay.
