I Think We Might Have Annoyed a God
POV Percy
“Come on, hurry up,” Grover said as we followed him along a stone path after coming out of the forest. Between the trees, you couldn’t really see much yet; except, well… trees.
I’m not going to lie. A slight excitement was starting to build in my chest. After all, I was honestly expecting a camp that was even more magical than Hogwarts, or at least more magical than the wizarding world in general.
But when we finally stepped out of the forest, the first thing I noticed once I had a clear view of the place was… well, a camp. Cabins lined up with Greek numbers on them; teenagers and younger kids going in and out. Some of them were running around, playing and having fun.
I should clarify that their idea of fun seemed to be trying to cut each other’s heads off with real swords. Though, to be fair, I could tell they didn’t have an edge, so that would be kind of hard to pull off. In another part of the camp, I could see archers practicing target shooting.
And yeah, I was a little disappointed. I had been expecting more… golden lights and stuff like that.
But they were doing the same things Harry and I usually do during our vacations in Avalon. You could even say that… were we at Dred’s camp?
I wonder if Dred would make a good camp director. What do camp directors even do, anyway? I should probably ask the director of this place and give him a few ideas for Dred. Although, technically, it’s just Harry and me, so I don’t know if that really counts as a camp.
Ah, right. I’m getting off track again.
Yeah. We had arrived at Camp Half-Blood. And I really was expecting something more divine.
Oh. Is that a horse with wings? Okay, I’ll give them a point for that. Though I’ve already seen a unicorn, so it doesn’t surprise me that much.
…
POV Harry
The place feels more or less like what I expected. It’s very Percy-like. Everyone fighting with swords, bows and arrows, and making dumb faces. Completely his style. I’m sure he’ll feel right at home here.
The problem is that I don’t see any wizards, which makes me wonder if there even are any.
Also, there’s a blonde girl staring very intently at Percy from between some bushes, but I don’t think he’s noticed yet. He’s still shaking his head for some reason. Probably something stupid. Maybe thinking Avalon could count as a camp or something like that. No… I don’t think his thoughts go that far. But being Percy… it’s debatable.
“Come on, I’ll take you to meet the activities director. And maybe… Mr. D,” Grover said, though the last part didn’t sound very convincing.
Looks like this place also has a slightly crazy director.
…
General POV
Grover led the two boys forward as they continued looking around with some interest, while several campers stopped what they were doing to stare at the newcomers.
Among them, a blonde girl suddenly ran off in the direction Grover was taking them.
“This is the Big House,” Grover introduced, which, well, really was a big house. It was a bright blue building, fairly old-looking but impressive in size, with a classic style. White columns supported a large porch that wrapped around part of it. “This is where decisions are made. It’s also where Chiron lives, and—”
“Mmm,” a grunt came from the porch, cutting Grover off and drawing the attention of all three. “You’re making too much noise this early,” a grumpy, irritated voice complained.
Percy and Harry looked toward the source of the voice. It belonged to a middle-aged man with a slightly bulging stomach. He looked sloppy and irritated. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and casual pants, his cheeks were flushed, and his hair was messy. His eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses.
Percy stared at him for a moment before glancing at his brother, who subtly shook his head, already knowing Percy might say something that wouldn’t go over well. Basically, Percy was thinking the man looked like a cherub who had retired to the countryside.
“Mr. D, I’m sorry,” Grover said nervously when he saw the man. Mr. D shot him an annoyed look, then reached around on the table beside his reclining chair until his hand closed around a can of Diet Coke. He took a long sip, swallowing noisily, the sound unpleasantly wet.
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Then he looked back at Grover, then at Harry, and finally at Percy.
“You… you’re Peter Johnson, the new one, right? And your brother… Henry Peters. Yes, yes, yes, I’ve already heard about you. Two very annoying women, really very annoying, who talked to me about you so I wouldn’t mistreat you. But I’m not promising anything,” Mr. D said, waving his hand dismissively, as if trying to shoo them away.
Both Harry and Percy frowned at how rudely he was speaking to them.
“That’s not my name,” they said in unison, equally annoyed.
Grover almost jumped at their reaction and quickly grabbed them both, covering their mouths.
“Shh. It’s fine, just let it go. You don’t want to mess with him. Really,” Grover whispered urgently.
As Percy and Harry pulled Grover’s hands away—
“Hey, he started it,” Percy said.
Harry’s expression was clearly irritated.
“He’s Mr. D. The D stands for Dionysus, if you know what I mean,” Grover explained quietly.
Meanwhile, Dionysus was simply watching them with a mocking smile, taking another sip of his drink. He seemed to be studying both of them with interest from behind his sunglasses.
“The god Dionysus?” Harry asked, slightly surprised.
“Don’t lie,” Percy said, glancing sideways at the god, who looked more like an unemployed guy squatting in someone else’s house without permission.
“I’m telling you the truth,” Grover insisted, widening his eyes in desperation to make them understand how serious this was.
“If he’s a god, then…” Percy said, turning to face Dionysus directly as he walked closer to him.
Harry watched his brother for a moment and, before Percy could even say anything else, let out a quiet sigh. Like he already knew exactly what was coming.
“Dad?” Percy asked, looking at Dionysus, who froze for a moment, the can still in his hand.
Meanwhile, Harry suddenly found the ceiling incredibly interesting. Anything was better than acknowledging the secondhand embarrassment radiating from his brother.
Grover opened and closed his mouth, not knowing what to say.
Dionysus sat up straighter and removed his sunglasses, a faint smile forming on his face. “That’s right, Peter. I am your father,” he said calmly.
“I’m Percy,” Percy replied.
“Exactly. It’s good to finally meet you, my son. Peter,” Dionysus answered again.
“I said it’s Percy,” Percy repeated, his tone sharper this time.
Harry, who couldn’t take it anymore, smacked the back of his brother’s head. “Percy, idiot. Obviously he’s not your father. I mean, do you really think Mom would fall in love with this thi— someone like that?” he said, correcting himself at the last second. “You don’t even look like him. Honestly, if Dudley were the one claiming him as a father, that would make more sense. I mean, just look at him,” he added, his reasoning painfully solid. “Can you imagine growing up to be like that?”
Grover had gone pale listening to Harry’s logic, which was both brutally honest and disturbingly coherent.
“Well… that’s true,” Percy said, staring at Dionysus. “Mom is always surrounded by guys like Adrien, Dorien, and, even if I hate to admit it, Mark. They’re all really cool. And she doesn’t even seem interested in them,” he added, still looking at Dionysus. Both of them shook their heads in clear rejection. “Obviously, I’m going to be way more handsome than him.”
“I don’t know, that’s debatable,” Harry said, shaking his head.
“Seriously. I mean, look at him. He looks like a washed-up cherub. I think pretty much anyone is more handsome than him,” Percy added.
Dionysus’s smile slowly tightened as he listened to them, and his eyes took on a dangerous look.
“You know, I really don’t—” he started, raising a finger to point at them.
Suddenly, the decorations around him, flower pots and plants alike, began to grow rapidly, shattering their containers as small buds burst open and bent toward him, as if they were watching.
And for a moment, the shadows of the place seemed to change completely.
Harry looked down at the ground. Where his shadow should have been, there was nothing. None at all. Just the brightly lit floor beneath his feet.
It lasted only an instant, but it was enough to make him blink several times, a faint confusion crossing his face.
Percy didn’t notice the shadows at all. He was too busy staring, genuinely interested, at the flowers now surrounding the area.
Meanwhile, Dionysus glanced around with a deep frown, clearly irritated.
“Yes, yes, fine. I accepted the deal and I’ll honor it. I expect you to honor yours as well,” he said irritably, before leaning back and putting his sunglasses on again.
“Get them out of here before I turn them into dolphins,” Dionysus told Grover, closing his eyes.
“Yes, Mr. D. Right away,” Grover replied quickly, grabbing Percy and Harry by the arms and dragging them as far away from Dionysus as possible.
…
“You are both insane. Completely insane,” Grover said once he finally stopped and turned to face them seriously. He still couldn’t believe what they had just said in front of Mr. D.
“So rude,” Percy said as soon as Grover let go of him, clearly annoyed. “Obviously, he started it. My name is Percy Jackson. And his is, well, Harry. Right?” he added, looking at his brother.
But Harry seemed distracted by something else.
He held his head lightly, embarrassed as the realization of what he’d said in front of a god finally hit him. , he thought. He was usually careful with his words around others, but this time he had failed spectacularly.
Suddenly, the sound of hooves echoed nearby.
Both of them looked up and saw a man wearing elegant, classically styled clothing. It wasn’t flashy, but it was clean and perfectly kept. His hair was well groomed, and he carried a calm, reassuring aura, like a teacher. Not a magical teacher. Just… a teacher.
That would have been true, if the lower half of his body hadn’t been that of a horse, its black coat neatly brushed.
“You’re… the centaur from the Forbidden Forest,” Percy said as he recognized him.
Harry studied him with a bit more seriousness.
“It’s good to finally meet you properly. Percy Jackson and Harry Potter,” the man said with a gentle smile. “You did well, Grover. You brought two demigods to camp and kept them safe.”
“Thank you, Chiron. It wasn’t too difficult. They had some pretty strong friends with them,” Grover replied quickly, clearly happy.
“Come. You’ve seen the camp, but not in depth. I’ll show you around,” Chiron said, clearly wanting to speak with them more calmly.
Before moving forward, Harry noticed the blonde girl from earlier again. She was staring intently at Percy, then glanced at him and quickly walked away.
Harry frowned slightly as he watched her go. He didn’t say anything, but he had definitely noticed.
