Intertwined Fates • Parallel Universe • PJO (Book 1, The Lightning Thief)

Chapter 6 - I Make An Enemy, And A Friend (Pt: 1)

Quote of the Chapter ~

Life is locomotion.

If you're not moving,

You're not living.

But there comes a time when you've got to stop running away from things,

And you've got to start running towards something.

You've got to forge ahead.

Keep moving even if your path isn't clear.

Trust that you'll find your way.

~The Flash

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CHAPTER SIX - I MAKE AN ENEMY, AND A FRIEND

We found Chiron right where I had said he would be: the outside of cabin eleven, with Percy and Annabeth.

Chiron was the first to notice me. "Ah, Miss Aetos, I see that you've recovered quite well," he said.

Percy wheeled around, shock, disbelief, relief... and was that pride written on his face? He was holding a curved bull's horn, striped black and white. A souvenir from our fight with the Minotaur. Yes our. While we were walking to the Hermes Cabin, The Fates spoke to me. After my fight with the bull-headed son of Pasiphaë, while I had temporarily blacked out, he had stabbed the Minotaur with the horn I had chopped off. I let him keep it, because at the moment, he thought that he had just lost his mother. That was the last thing he had left of Sally... or at least that's what he thought.

When our eyes met, I grimaced. His once intoxicating, alluring, sparkling, sea-green eyes had lost their playful sparkle and are now dull. Just murky pools of sea-green mixed with self-anger, sadness, defeat and grief. He sighed in relief, his eyes turning into the original dazzling colour, and for a split second, he looked like a normal 12 year old meeting his friend after a long time.

He took 3 massive steps, and crushed me in a bear hug rivaling my big sister's one. My smile dropped a bit, but I put it back on like nothing happned. In Yancy, I had no time to think this through, and now, I'm missing my big sis more than anything. I missed her warm hugs, and her reassuring smile. I was dragged back to reality as a sharp painshot through my arm.

I hissed in pain. While he was hugging me, he crushed my bad arm between the both of us. Percy tensed, and let go of me like I was a bomb ready to detoriate. "Oh, Selene I'm so sorry. Are you okay? I didn't mean to!" He rambled.

I laughed. "I'm fine, you doofus." Then I took my good arm and wrapped it around his neck, pulling him into another hug. His arms wrapped around my waist cautiously, like he was afraid to hurt me again. "I'm okay," I whispered reassuringly. "We're both okay. Grover's okay. Don't worry. It's okay."

He nooded, his chin bouncing up and down my shoulder.

It was Annabeth that broke our best friend moment.

She cleared her throat, and offered me her hand once I had let go of Percy. "Hi," she said. "I'm Annabeth Chase, but I guess you already knew that."

I beamed at her, and returned the handshake. "I did, but it's cool hearing you say it. I'm Selene, Selene Aetos."

She gave me a friendly smile, but like Grover's, her eyes held caution. She was trying to figure me out; deciding weather or not I would be an ally, or an enemy that she has to take down.

"I saw your fight with the Minotaur. How did you do that? Where did you learn that? Where did your knives come from?" She asked eagerly, her eyes glinting. I guess her inner Athena was kicking in. But then again, I guess that it was already there.

I laughed. "Slow down, slow down. I self-taught myself to master a sword, spear, dual swords, a bow and dual knives. Where my knives came from... well that's for me to know, and you to find out. As for how I did that... well why don't you find out. You, me dual at the arena later." I challenged her. And no, I was not in for a death wish. I was one of the best of the best, as my parents had told me.

She smirked. "Bring it on, Aetos."

"Oh I will, Chase." We both burst out laughing.

When we calmed down Will turned to Chiron as said. "Sir, we have an interesting development. Selene was just claimed."

Annabeth and Chiron looked at me, their eyes wide. My cheeks felt hot, and I ran my hand through my hair. I tended to do that when I'm nervous, like right now. Their stares were unnerving alone - with her stormy grey eyes and his millennium old ones - but together it made me feel like I was underneath a microscope. Percy stared at me, confusion evident on his face.

"So soon?" Chiron asked. "What is your patentage, child?"

"Zeus," I said, but it came out as more of a squeak. I cleared my throat, and tried again, louder and clearer this time. "Zeus."

"Zeus?" Annabeth asked with disbelief. "How? It's not possible. No, No, NO! This cannot be happening. Thals... You look nothing like her. How is this possible? No!!! Another child! Δεν μπορείς να το κρατήσεις μέσα στο παντελόνι σου, έτσι δεν είναι, Δία; Άλλο ένα παιδί των "τριών μεγάλων"! Θεοί του Ολύμπου, βοηθήστε με. Τι θα κάνουμε τώρα; Η προφητεία. Όχι, αυτό δεν είναι δυνατόν. Ο δεύτερος. Υπήρχε ένα δεύτερο. Πού είναι το δεύτερο. Οδήγησέ με, Αθηνά, οδήγησέ με. Καταραμένη να είσαι, Μοίρα, καταραμένη να είσαι." Annabeth ranted, as she paced. She kept tugging at her father's college ring, something I noticed that she does when she's nervous or agitated.

Even Chiron couldn't keep his composure. He faltered, his millennium old eyes showing shock, disbelief, and uncertainty. Clearly even he hadn't expected that as much as Annabeth and I had.

Annabeth turned to Chiron. They were looking at each other grimly. I kinda looked like they were having a conversation with only their eyes, like they did in 'The Lost Hero'. Thankfully, like Piper, I could also read expressions, and eyes well.

It went something like this -

Annabeth: Another child of Zeus? How can this be happening? Why me?

Chiron: Calm down child. You're going to scare them even more.

Annabeth: But do you think that she's related to Thalia? From her mom's side? They don't look alike at all. What if-

Chiron: Child, We will talk about this later. Both of them- or at least Percy is scared right now. We will talk later.

They both turned towards me. Chiron regarded me with his old eyes. "Well," he said, his gaze unsure. "I guess you won't be needing to stay in cabin eleven now. Will, please show Selene to Cabin One when she is ready."

I nooded, and sighed in relief. The last thing I needed was to be a ticking time bomb. I had enough on my plate already. One slip-up and boom, the world's gone. No pressure.

He turned towards Percy next. "Cabin eleven," he said, gesturing towards the door with peeling brown paint and a caduceus over it. It's probably in such bad shape because it was so over-populated. "Make yourself at home."

Percy stood in the doorway. He looked nervous, so I slipped my hand into his, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He smiled gratefully at me, his eyes shining with gratitude. We may have only known each other for a few months, give or take, but after two near-death experiences, the bond between you and said friend becomes pretty unbreakable. He reminded me so much of Har- No Selene, don't think about him. You're at Chap Half-Blood. But I wonder...

When the campers inside the Hermes cabin saw Chiron, they all stood up and bowed respectfully. "Well, then," he said. "Good luck, Percy. I'll see you and Selene at dinner."

He galloped away, towards the Archery range. I snuck a glance to the Sword-fighting arena. The people sparring were now watching me fearfully, yet some were looking at me curiously. Probably the Athena kids. A wistful smile adorned me face as I thought about the Archery-range and the Sword-fighting arena, but I shook my head. Right now, I needed to be there for Percy. Archery and Sword-fighting could come later.

Will looked at me, and said, "I'm guessing you want to stick around here for a while?"

I nooded. "If that's okay, I'll see you and everyone else at dinner? I know where to go."

Will shrugged and said, "Fine with me," and then started to make his way back to the infirmary.

I turned back towards the Hermes cabin.

Annabeth was staring at Percy, waiting for him to make his move. "Well?" she pressed. "Go on."

I nooded encouragingly when he looked at me for reassurance. He took one step inside, and promptly tripped over the door-frame. I heard a few stray campers snicker, and I glared in their gendral direction. Like I said, my glare is as scary, if not more as Percy's perfected glare. They shuddered. If looks could kill, they would be ten feet under.

"Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven," Annabeth said.

"Regular or undetermined?" Somebody asked, somewhere towards the back.

"Undetermined," Annabeth and I said at the exact same time. She looked at me with an eyebrow raised, like a silent question: how could you possibly know that?

I mumbled, "Sorry, habit."

The camperes all groaned in annoyance.

"Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there." An older camper spoke, weaving his way up to the front. Luke Castellan. He was a tall, handsome young man with short-cropped sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, an athletic and muscular build, and a sneaky look like all children of Hermes, but good-looking features. He looked like he was old enough to go to college. The only thing un-attractive on him was a thick, deep pale scar that ran from the bottom of his eye down to his chin. In the book it said that the scar was caused when Luke stole a golden apple and was then clawed by the guardian dragon of the tree (Ladon). I scowled.

He turned towards me, a friendly smile plastered on his face. "I haven't seen you around here, before. Are you new here too? Regular or Undetermined?"

I crossed my arms, and took a step forwards. "Luke Castellan, huh? Well, Mr. Castellan, I don't know why, but I don't like you. I'm watching you like a hawk. And by the way, I'm determined, actually. Zeus."

The campers gasped. I knew that news travled fast in CHB, so they probably already knew that a child of Zeus was claimed, but didn't know what I looked like. Luke's posture stiffened, yet the corner of his mouth twitched, and my scowl deepened. I didn't like this guy, I knew that for sure. But what didn't I like about him? Something about his face, his body language... he wasn't someone that I wanted as a friend.

"This is Luke," Annabeth said to Percy, her cheeks tinted red. "He's your counselor for now."

Luke... it was on the tip of my tounge. His name sent a jolt through my spine, like I had been electrocuted, in a bad way. I knew he was a bad guy, at least I thought he was. This was important. I had the same feeling as when I was taking my trig final, on my second last day as me, not book me, just me. I knew that I knew the equations, they just weren't processing in my brain. I knew that Luke was essential to this story, but why? That memory felt stolen, as if the Fates took it from me, and where it previously was, there was now an empty void.

That confused me. If I was here to prevent the next great war, why would they be stealing valuable information from me?

I didn't know it then, but if I had remembered why I hated Luke so much, I could have prevented a lifetime of misery, for everyone.

Percy's voice jarred me out of my thoughts. "For now?" He asked.

"You're undetermined," Luke said. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our perton, is the god to travellers."

"Also the god of all tricksters, and thieves." I muttered under my breath. If anyone heard me, they didn't show it.

Percy looked around. I could read his facial expressions, and he most certanly didn't like what he was saw.

"How long will I be here?" He asked.

"Good question," Luke replied. "Until you're determined."

"How long will that take?"

Everyone laughed, some quite bitterly. I took Percy's hand in mine again. It might've looked childish to the other campers, but he'd already saved my life twice. If we weren't protective over one another, then what would that have made us?

"Come on," Annabeth said to us. "I'll show you the volleyball court."

"I've already seen it." I smacked the heel of my plam against my forehead. Sometimes, Percy could be really dense.

"I haven't. Come on," I said, helping Annabeth drag him out of cabin eleven, the camper's bitter laughs still echoing in my head.

*

When we were a few meters away, Annabeth said, "Jackson, you have to do better than that."

"What?" He asked stupidly. i***t.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "I can't belive I thought you were one of them," she muttered under her breath. "Sorry, Selene, It's a package deal."

My eyes narrowed. I was about to reply, but Percy beat me to it. "What's you're problem?" he demanded, he temper flaring. "All I know is, I help kill some bull guy to save my friends-"

"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth scolded him. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"

"To get killed?"

"To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?" She was getting worked up now, each breath making her whole body move up and down.

Percy shook his head, disbelif written across his features. "Look, if the thing I fought really was the Minotaur, the same one in the stories..."

"Yes."

"Then there's only one."

"Yes."

"And he died, like, a gajillion years ago, right? Theseus killed him in the Labyrinth. So...?"

Annabeth sighed, exasperated. "Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed. But they don't die."

"Oh, thanks. That cleares it up."

Annabeth looked at me like: Is he always this annoying?

I chuckled. That was an answer enough for her.

I decided to try my luck at explaining. "Percy," I said, making him look towards me. "Monsters don't have souls, not like you and I do. We can scatter their essences for a while, a few years, maybe a whole lifetime, if we're lucky, but they are never truly gone. They're primal forces, like the gods. Eventually, they will re-form." Annabeth looked at me, impressed. Probably beacuse I basically used the same words she was planning on using.

Percy glanced at me, then back to the blonde haired daughter of Athena. "You mean if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword-"

I elbowed him slightly. "Hey, I was there too! I most definitely helped."

"Yeah, sure, you were there. But you didn't actually swing the sword, did you?"

"Well, technically, she was already turning into dust because of my-"

Annabeth cleared her throat. We both whipped our heads in her direction. "Do you always blicker like this?" We both shrugged. We hadn't really had a whole lot of time for bickering, as of late.

She shook her head. "Anyways, the Fur- I mean, your math teacher. That's right. She's still out there. You two just made her very, very mad." Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Annabeth, I thought.

"How did you know about Mrs. Dodds?" Percy asked.

She shrugged. "You talk in your sleep."

"You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?"

Annabeth and I both glanced nervously at the ground, like it was going to swallow us whole. "Percy," I warned. "You shouldn't invoke they're names, even here, where we're protected."

Annabeth nodded. "We call them the 'Kindly Ones', if we have to speak of them at all."

"Look, is there anything we can say without it thundering?" Percy whined. I winced, but at least he knew that he sounded whiny, too. "Why do I have to stay in cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks right over there," He said, gesturing to the three empty cabins at the end of the commons area.

Annabeth paled. "You don't just choose a cabin, Percy. It depends on who your godly parents are. Or... your parent.

I stared at him, hoping that he would get it quicker now that I had been already been claimed by Zeus.

"My mom is Sally Jackson," he said. No such luck. "She works at the candy store in Grand Central Station. At least, she used to."

I rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. "I'm sorry about you're mom, Percy," Annabeth said. "But that's not what I mean. I'm talking about your other parent. Your dad."

"He's dead. I never knew him!" Percy exclaimed.

Annabeth sighed. She looked at me for backup. I shook my head, wanting to stay out of this conversation.

She sniffed, irritated with me, but she adressed Percy again. "Your father's not dead, Percy."

"How can you say that? Do you know him?"

"No, of course not."

"Then how can you say-"

"Because I know you. You wouldn't be here if you didn't belong. If you weren't one of us." she said, gesturing between me and herself.

"You don't know anything about me. And I'm pretty sure Sel here hasn't given you the 411 on me, yet."

"No?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "I bet you moved around from school to school. I bet that you were kicked out of a lot of them."

"How-"

"Diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD, too."

Percy flushed red. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Annabeth looked at me again. I sighed, and decided to grant her wish. "Taken together, it's a sure sign," I said. "The words float off the page when you try to read, right? It's the same with me, and Annabeth, and mostly everyone here. That's because our mind is hardwired for Ancient Greek, not English. And the ADHD - you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom. That's your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, Percy, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Think about it - we were the only ones that could remember Mrs. Dodds, apart from Grover and Chiron. The rest of the school, they were human, and that's why no one could remember her." By the time I had finished my little speech, Percy was looking at me like he was seeing me in a whole new light. Except his face was full of suspicion.

"You sound like... you went through the same thing?" His eyes narrowed. He was very close to that glare, the one I never wanted to be at the other end of.

Thankfully, Annabeth sensed me discomfort, and took over. "Most of the kids here did. If you two weren't like us, then you wouldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the Ambrosia and Nectar."

"Ambrosia and Nectar." Percy deadpanned.

"The food and drink that we were giving you guys to make you better. That stuff would've killed a normal kid. It would have turned your blood on fire, and your bones to ash, and you would've been dead. Face it, Percy. You're a half-blood."

I jabbed Annabeth in the side. "Nice. Real subtle, Annabeth. Real subtle." I said. She playfully rolled her eyes at me.

Percy's eyes swam with confusion. I tried for a sympathetic smile. "Percy it'll all make sense-"

I got cut off by a girl walking towards us, her three friends/half-siblings in tow. She had the height of a basketball player and the muscular body of a rugby player, making her the most physically adept female fighter at Camp Half-Blood. In The Last Olympian, she was described as being a foot taller than Michel Yew, who is 4'6", making her 5'6". She had dark-pig like eyes, and stringy pale brown hair, which was currently tied back into a bandana. In the book, Percy had also described Clarisse, along with the rest of her siblings, as having the same vicious sneer as their father, Ares, which I can see clear as day.

"Well! Two newbies!" she said. I groaned internally. I really didn't want to deal with her then. But, I had to. It was written in the book.

Annabeth sighed. Clearly she was in the same mindset as me. "Clarisse, why don't you go polish her spear, or something?"

"Sure, Miss Princess," Clarisse said. "So I can run you through with it on Friday Night."

"Erre es Korakas!" Annabeth cursed. The Greek came easily to me, as I knew it would, but it was still suprising to hear. It sounded like she was speaking English, but her voice had changed, taking on a different tone, a different accent. She had said 'Go to the Crows!' which, out of context, didn't sound very threatening, but the tone in Annabeth's voice made it sound like the worst cures known to mankind (or demigod-kind). "You don't stand a chance against the Athena Cabin."

"We'll pulverize you." Clarisse backfired. I tried not to catch her eye-twitch, but it wasn't very subtle. She turned towards Percy and me. "Who's the runts?"

"Percy Jackson, Selene Aetos," Annabeth introduced, "Meet Clarisse-"

"La Rue," I finished, "Daughter of Ares." Clarisse glared at me. I had to learn to stop jumping into conversations.

"You sure know an awful lot, for someone who's been passed out for two days, girly," Clarisse sneered.

"I learn quickly." I said, my words coming out rushed. She didn't look convinced, in fact, she looked even more suspicious.

Clarisse was about to comment, no doubt another insult, but Percy beat her to it. "Ares... the war god?"

She turned towards him, and sneered in response. "You got a problem with that?"

"No," Percy said, rolling his shoulders back, and trying to size her up. "It explains the bad smell."

I smacked the heel of my palm against my forehead. Percy and his non-filtered brain were going to end up with a black eye, if he kept talking. Yet, despite my disapproval, I chuckled. I mean, you've got to admit, it just a little funny.

Clarisse narrowed her pig-like eyes. "We've got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy."

"Percy."

"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you." She sneered.

"Clarisse-" Annabeth spoke up.

"Stay out of it, Wise Girl." Clarisse growled. I tried my hardest not to burst out laughing. It had always been funny to me that Percy's endearing nickname for Annabeth was coined by one of his least favourite people. [Yes Beth, your nickname came from that encounter. Don't you remember?]

Annabeth kept quiet. Percy handed her the Minotaur horn, and crouched down a bit, in a fighting stance.

A surge of protectiveness washed over me. I should have kept my mouth shut, like Annabeth, but after Percy and I were threatened multiple times in the past few months by vicious monsters, Clarisse La Rue didn't seem all that intimidating.

"Hey!" I shouted, which caused Clarisse and her siblings to glare at me. "Lay off of my friend."

Clarisse snorted in laughter. "What, you want to go first, girlie? Bring it on." She took a step towards me, no doubt ready to deck me, or grab me in a choke hold, but what she didn't know was that I knew how to fight very well. Not to sound cocky, but I was probably better than Persassy Jackson himself. [Don't look at me like that Percy, you know that it's true]

The world seemed to slow down. I anticipated her every move. Her arm stretched out slowly, like it was moving through water. I could calculate exactly where she would land her punch, whether it was because of my ADHD, or me being a Math whiz, I don't know.

I turned on my heel, and ducked underneath her outstreached arm. Clarisse, unable to stop her momentum, stumbled forward. While she was unsteady, I swung my good elbow outward, and it connected with her nose. There was an audible c***k, and Clarisse grunted, obviously in pain, doubling over.

Percy and Annabeth looked over at me, their faces full of shock. I burst out laughing. "You-your expressions! Hahaha. Oh-oh my gods, yo-you should lo-look at your expre-expressions! Priceless, I tell you, absolutely priceless."

Annabeth chuckled. "I guess that I made the right choice to agree to duel you."

Clarisse's syblings just stood there, frozen, like Medusa's victims, like they didn't know what to do. Clarisse straightened up, and when she looked at me, I could see that her nose was defiantly broken. Purple bruises were already starting to form around her dark eyes.

I swallowed hard, and took a nervous step back. I had meant to hit her on her cheek and knock her off balance, not break her nose. Clarisse respected courage, but she didn't handle getting hurt well - by someone smaller then her no less - very well.

I held my breath, waithing for the return punch, but instead...