Chapter 178 - Camp Half-Blood

(So, here is some description of Camp Half-Blood for those who hadn't read Percy Jackson novels)

(This information come from riordan.fandom.com/wiki/Camp_Half-Blood)

(Be careful, this contains spoilers for those who want to read the original novels. Still, I recommend it to understand more about what is going to happen in the next chapters. I'm not going to write it because it is a lot of information and it may be annoying for most of you. I'm only going to write here the most important things)

Camp Half-Blood is a Greek demigod training facility located on the north shore of Long Island. The camp is directed by the god Dionysus, who the campers call "Mr. D," and Chiron, a Centaur who is the activities director. It is also the Greek counterpart of Camp Jupiter, a Roman camp in San Francisco, California.

The camp has magical borders which are enforced by the Golden Fleece, retrieved by the satyr Grover Underwood, the Cyclops Tyson, and demigods Percy Jackson, Clarisse La Rue, and Annabeth Chase. Stolen from Polyphemus' island, it was placed on Thalia's pine tree, ensuring that no monster could get into camp. The Fleece stays on the tree, guarded by the dragon Peleus, its magical powers protecting the camp from monsters and invaders.

The camp is described as being the only safe place for half-bloods, although in The Heroes of Olympus series it is revealed that there is a similar camp for Roman demigods – Camp Jupiter, located in San Francisco.

The half-bloods live in cabins (one for each of the twelve Olympians; later, many more cabins were added for minor gods and goddesses after Percy's request in The Last Olympian), and eat at the dining pavilion. There is also an archery field, a sword-fighting arena, a climbing wall with lava for training, an amphitheatre, stables, an armoury, and the Big House.

The camp's cover name is Delphi Strawberry Service, a reference to the name of the Oracle of Delphi.

(There is more important information about this camp, but it is up to you if you want to know about it.)

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Drako had never been in Camp Half-Blood, so Percy had to explain a lot of things to him.

See, the camp has the ultimate magic climate control. Nothing gets inside the borders unless the director, Mr D (who is the god Dionysus), wants it to. Even Percy thought it would be warm and sunny, but instead, the snow had been allowed to fall lightly. Frost covered the chariot track and the strawberry fields.

The cabins were decorated with tiny lights, like Christmas lights, except they seemed to be balls of a real fire. More lights glowed in the woods, and weirdest of all, a flame flickered in the attic window of the Big House, where the Oracle dwelt, imprisoned in an old mummified body. Drako wondered if the spirit of Delphi was roasting marshmallows up there or something.

"Whoa," Nico said as he climbed off the bus. "Is that a climbing wall?"

"Yeah," Percy said.

"Why is there lava pouring down it?"

"Little extra challenge. Come on. I'll introduce you to Chiron. Zoë, have you met—"

"I know Chiron," Zoë said stiffly. "Tell him we will be in Cabin Eight. Hunters, follow me."

When she said Hunters, she wasn't talking about Drako. He knew it, and he knew that he wasn't going to reside in the same cabin as them.

"I'll show you the way," Grover offered.

"We know the way."

"Oh, really, it's no trouble. It's easy to get lost here if you don't—" he tripped over a canoe and came up still talking—"like my old daddy goat used to say! Come on!"

Zoë rolled her eyes, but Drako guesses she figured there was no getting rid of Grover. The Hunters shouldered their packs and their bows and headed off toward the cabins. As Bianca di Angelo was leaving, she leaned over and whispered something in her brother's ear. She looked at him for an answer, but Nico just scowled and turned away.

"Take care, sweethearts!" Apollo called after the Hunters. He winked at Percy. "Watch out for those prophecies, Drako. I'll see you soon."

"What do you mean?"

Instead of answering, he hopped back in the bus. "Later, Thalia," he called. "And, uh, be good!"

He looked at Drako with an identifiable look. He gave a mysterious smile when he spoke, "Be careful, your presence here is significant to us. Even my vision of prophecy becomes cloudy when you get involved."

He then turned again to look at Thalia. He gave her a wicked smile as if he knew something she didn't. Then he closed the doors and revved the engine. They turned aside as the sun chariot took off in a blast of heat. When they looked back, the lake was steaming. A red Maserati soared over the woods, glowing brighter and climbing higher until it disappeared in a ray of sunlight.

Nico was still looking grumpy. Drako wondered what his sister had told him.

"Who's Chiron?" he asked. "I don't have his figurine."

"Our activities director," Percy said. "He's—"

"A centaur," Drako interrupted. "The one who has taught the greatest number of heroes, one of the best teachers of all times. His legend is well known."

"If those Hunter girls don't like him," Nico grumbled, "that's good enough for me. Let's go."

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Drako was surprised when he realized how empty the camp was. But soon he understood why it was like that. Most half-bloods only trained during summer. Just the year-rounders would be here—the ones who didn't have homes to go, or would get attacked by monster too much if they left.

But there didn't even seem to be many of them, either.

The Big House was decorated with strings of red and yellow fireballs that warmed the porch but didn't seem to catch anything on fire. Inside. Flames crackled in the hearth. The air smelled like hot chocolate.

Drako spotted a guy who was radiating divinity, Mr D, and a centaur, Chiron, playing a quiet game of cards in the parlour.

Chiron looked like a middle-aged man from waist up, with thinning brown hair, bushy eyebrows, intense brown eyes and a scruffy beard. His lower half is that of a white stallion.

He wore a fuzzy sweater with a hoofprint design on it, and he had a blanket on his lap that almost hid his wheelchair completely.

Dionysus, also known as Mr. D, is the Greek god of gr.a.p.e harvest, wine, madness, parties, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He also serves as the camp director of Camp Half-Blood, having been placed there by his father Zeus as punishment for chasing after an off-limits nymph.

Dionysus has a chubby face, a red nose and curly hair so black, it looks purple. He has watery, blue, bloodshot eyes from drinking. Although it was winter, he had a tiger-striped Hawaiin shirt. Anyone can tell he's no stranger to wine just by looking at him. However, Drako didn't think that this was his true appearance.

Chiron smiles when he saw them. "Percy! Thalia! Ah, and these boys must be—"

"Nico di Angelo," Percy said. "He and his sister are half-bloods. The other one is Drako, one of the Hunters."

Chiron's and Dionysus's eyes opened wide, but then they relaxed and put on a face of understanding.

Chiron looked at Nico and breathed a sigh of relief. "You succeeded, then."

"Well…"

His smile melted. "What's wrong? And where is Annabeth?"

"Oh, dear," Dionysus said in a bored voice, "Not another one lost."

Drako had been trying not to pay attention to Dionysus, but he was kind of hard to ignore in his neon orange leopard-skin warm-up suit and his purple running shoes. (Like Dionysus had ever run a day in his immortal life.) A golden laurel wreath was tilted sideways on his curly black hair, which must've meant he'd won the last hand of cards.

"What do you mean?" Thalia asked. "Who else is lost?"

Just then, Grover trotted into the room, grinning like crazy. He had a black eye and red lines on his face that looked like a slap mark. "The Hunters are all moved in!"

Chiron frowned and looked towards Drako. "The Hunters, eh? I see, we have much to talk about."

He glanced at Nico.

"Grover, perhaps you should take our young friend to the den and show him our orientation film."

"But… Oh, right. Yes, sir."

"Orientation film?" Nico asked. "Is it G or PG? `Cause Bianca is kinda strict—"

"It's PG-13," Grover said.

"Cool!" Nico happily followed him out of the room.

"Now," Chiron said to the rest of them, "perhaps you three should sit down and tell us the whole story."

.........…

When they were done, Chiron turned to Dionysus. "We should launch a search for Annabeth immediately."

"I'll go," Thalia and Percy said at the same time.

Dionysus sniffed. "Certainly not!"

Thalia and Percy started complaining, but Dionysus held up his hand. He had an angry purplish fire in his eyes which probably meant something bad or godly was going to happen if they didn't shut up.

"From what you've told me," Dionysus said, "we have broken even on this escapade. We have ah, regrettably lost Annie Bell—"

"Annabeth," Percy snapped. She'd gone to camp since she was seven, and still, Dionysus pretended no to know her name.

"Yes, yes," he said. "And you procured a small annoying boy to replace her. So, I see no point risking further half-bloods on a ridiculous rescue. The possibility is very great that this Annie girl is dead."

Even Drako wanted to strangle this god right now. A girl who should have been in his care had disappeared, but he still had this same shitty attitude.

"Annabeth may be alive," Chiron said, but Drako could tell he was having trouble sounding up-beat.

He'd practically raised Annabeth all those years she was a year-round camper before she'd given living with her dad and stepmom a second try. "She's very bright. If… if our enemies have her, she will try to play for time. She may even pretend to cooperate."

"That's right," Thalia said. "Luke would want her alive."

Luke… Drako remembered that Thalia had mentioned him before. He was one of her friends that scape 7 years ago, one of those she died to protect.

Now, it seems that… Luke is an enemy?

Drako still didn't understand well what is the situation here, so he just keeps quiet and learn the story with the little details coming from here and there.

"In which case," said Dionysus, "I'm afraid she will have to be smart enough to escape on her own."

Percy got up from the table.

"Percy." Chiron's tone was full of warning.

Percy knew that Dionysus was not somebody to mess with. But right now, he didn't care.

"You're glad to lose another camper," He said. "You'd like it if we all disappeared!"

Dionysus stifled a yawn. "You have a point?"

"Yeah," he growled. "Just because you were sent here as a punishment doesn't mean you have to be a lazy jerk! This is your civilization, too. Maybe you could try helping out a little!"

For a second, there was no sound except the crackle of the fire. The light reflected in Dionysus's eyes, giving him a sinister look. He opened his mouth to say something—probably a curse—when Nico burst into the room, followed by Grover.

"SO COOL!" Nico yelled, holding his hands out to Chiron. "You're… you're a centaur!"

Chiron managed a nervous smile. "Yes, Mr. di Angelo, if you please. Though, I prefer to stay in human form in this wheelchair for, ah, first encounters."

"And, whoa!" He looked at Dionysus. "You're the wine dude? No way!"

Dionysus turned his eyes away from Percy and gave Nico a look of loathing. "The wine dude?"

"Dionysus, right? Oh, wow! I've got your figurine."

"My figurine?"

"In my game, Mythomagic. And a holofoil card, too! And even you've only got like five hundred attack points, and everybody thinks you're the lamest god card, I totally think your powers are sweet!"

"Ah." Dionysus seemed truly perplexed, which probably saved Percy's life. "Well, that's… gratify-ing."

"Percy," Chiron said quickly, "you and Thalia go down to the cabins. Inform the campers we'll be playing capture the flag tomorrow evening."

"Capture the flag?" He asked. "But we don't have enough—"

"It's a tradition," Chiron said. "A friendly match, whenever the Hunters visit."

"Yeah," Thalia muttered. "I bet it's really friendly.��

Chiron jerked his head toward Dionysus, who was still frowning as Nico talked about how many defences points all the gods had in his game. "Run along now," Chiron told them.

"Oh, right," Thalia said. "Come on, boys."

"Oh, dragon," Chiron directed his first words to Drako. "I would like to talk with you alone later, if you don't mind."

Drako nodded his head and followed the two demigods.

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I love naïve Nico, he is so lovely. And I love even more his development on the novels. He is, for me, the best-designed character of this series.

Does who have read the novels, do you agree with me? Don't be shy and give me your thoughts. ????