Adore

Chapter Three

       Welcome to Camp!

I looked at my mom, surprised at her tone. Does she know what's going on? Did my father reveal himself to her?

"Mom? You know?"

She looked at me, a sad smile on her face. "Percy, I-,"

"Sally, make me and my friends some meatloaf. We ran out of chips," Gabe interrupted my mom without looking at her, making me clench my right hand into a fist. One more word from him, and stepfather or not, I'm gonna deck him.

"Gabriel, honey, I'm sorry, but I need to go with Percy and her friend to Long Island. We'll borrow your Camaro if that's ok?" Mom said, looking at Grover meaningfully.

"What?" I didn't need to look at Gabe to tell that his face had turned into a lovely shade of puce. Besides, I was still looking at Grover and my mom, curious and slightly apprehensive as Grover nodded, looked at Smelly Gabe in the eye, then snapped his fingers. All of a sudden, I felt a sudden whoosh of wind, making me shiver. The curious part? The window was closed.

I was about to question Grover on what he did but my mom put her hand on my shoulder, making me look at her. She just smiled and shook her head, silently begging me to keep quiet for a moment. I looked at her, confused. She nodded at Gabe's direction, and I turned to look. My eyes widened involuntarily at what I saw. Gabe's eyes were glassy, his stance was slack, like he was in some kind of trance. Heck, there was even a sliver of drool coming out. The others were practically the same. Heck, Eddie was the only one who wasn't drooling. Disgusting. Grover apparently did something to make him and the others like this.

"You'll hand over the keys to Mrs. Jackson without complaint. You will continue your poker game, and your friends will make sure you lose every single penny you have. You will not remember Percy or Mrs. Jackson coming here today nor will you look for them or have the police look for them," he instructed them. The surprising part? The four of them just nodded, and Gabe fumbled with his jeans' pocket and produced the keys for his Camaro. Grover snatched the keys from his outstretched hand and signaled us to hurry, with him already walking to the front door. I looked at Gabe one last time, then followed my best friend and my mom outside of our apartment. That was my last view of the run-down place.

"Hircum, what did you do back there?" I asked Grover as the three of us emerged from the building, our hands automatically rising up over above our heads, trying to shield ourselves from the light rain.

"Awhile ago, Percy, when Chiron was explaining our world to you, didn't you wonder why it wasn't revealed as is to others? To normal humans? I mean, it isn't easy to hide something as big as a one-eyed monster, right?" Grover said as he gave the keys to my mom. My mom just nodded and motioned us to follow her into the rentable garage warehouse just a few blocks away from our apartment, where, I guess, Gabe stashes his precious Camaro.

I mean, his Camaro probably gets more attention in terms of money that my mom and I get. Yeah, we got the short end of the stick with Gabe.

Anyway, back on Grover, I did think about why nobody besides those who were already part of the world Grover and Chiron introduced to me didn't know about it.

"Well, yeah, I thought about it. Why? Did you do something like that to convince Gabe to give you the keys?"

"Yeah. In our world, our protection against mortals is called the Mist. It's a magical mist that blocks the mortals' view, making them think that whatever is there isn't," Grover said as we entered the garage and immediately hightailed it to Gabe's Camaro.

"So, mortals see thing differently from us?" I asked, completely surprised. Yet, it all makes sense. If mortals could see the monsters, the world would be in utter chaos by now.

"Yeah. Once we reach Camp, ask Chiron to teach you how to manipulate the Mist. Trust me, Perce, every half-blood needs it, well, maybe except Children of the Messenger God. We satyrs know because, well, you know," he said as my mom bustled us inside the car, which smelled exactly like Gabe. And that makes me want to gag. And I will not look at whatever is coating the seat I'm sitting on. Nope. No chance in Hell.

"Mom, you know, don't you?" I asked instead, attempting to distract myself from the mere squishiness of the backseat.

"Yes, Percy. I know. I've known from birth. Percy, I'm not a regular mortal. I'm one of the few that could see through the Mist. I knew who your father really was. And I'm sorry if I didn't tell you anything. It was for your own safety," she said, her voice tight with emotion.

"My safety?" I reiterated. Why is my ignorance a given for my safety?

"Percy, about that, remember, awhile ago you asked Chiron why no monster had been able to sense that you were a half-blood? Percy, Sally married Gabe because he smells so repulsively human that it covered your own godly scent. It covers everything he touched. It even covers you."

Okay. I DID NOT NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THAT.

"Thanks, Grove. I'm going to lose my lunch. Mom, can we make a stop at Montauk? I'll scrub myself raw there," I said. I'm serious. The mere thought of Smelly Gabe's scent on me makes me want to vomit.

"Sorry, honey, but we need to get you to Camp. You don't realize how powerful you are, Bluebell," she said as she floored through the deserted street she was currently on.

Grover looked at me, a single eyebrow raised in inquiry. I just sighed and told him that it had something to do with my obsession with the color blue. You see, as far as I could remember, I've always had a certain fondness for the color, though not the dark hues. Just, the color of the sea. Many people say that the sea only reflects the color of the sky above, but I disagree. It has always been the color I will associate with the sea. And for me, the sea always offered me and my mom comfort and safety. That was one of the reasons why I'd always jump at the chance when my mom and I would sneak away from Gabe and drive his Camaro to Montauk. To the place where my mom met my dad.

For some stupid, strange reason, I just can't seem to get mad at him. Though, understanding on why he left us to the mercy of Gabe could ba a large contributing factor to all of it. Though, he's a god, right? Why couldn't he just send us some support on the way?

"Mom?" I know I shouldn't bring this up right now, not when she's already on the verge of panicking, but I need to know. I need to know, so I could understand why my mom had to suffer. I mean, he could just make everything disappear right? So, why didn't he?

"Yes, Bluebell?"

"If Dad is a god, why didn't he help you?"

That made my mom swerve the steering wheel sharply to the left, making me fall onto Grover's lap.

"Ow. Sorry, Hircum," I said, bringing myself to my previous position. Grover just shook his head in amusement.

"No problem, Mare."

"Mom?"

My mom sighed as she resolutely fixed her eyes on the road, though, through the rear-end mirror, I saw her eyes start to well up with tears.

"Percy, you don't realize how alike we are. You're never one to ask for help, even though you know there's an impossible task ahead of you. Instead, you plow right into it and come out right on top. Percy, I'm practically the same. Your Dad, he even offered to take me in as his wife, as his current one is much like the Queen of the Gods in her anger and jealousy, but I couldn't do it. It was like taking the easy way out for me. Maybe, one day, when I see you with a family of your own, I'll be ready to take on his offer, assuming that it's still standing, but not right now."

"Dad's pretty powerful, huh?"

"Percy, he is. He's also kind, and gentle. You have his raven hair, though yours is much more neater than his rat's nest. You also have a watered down color of his eyes, eyes as green as the ocean," my mom sighed wistfully as she smiled gently, her face morphing into a calm, serene one, which was definitely a good change compared to the panicked one she was sporting ever since Grover dragged her out of our apartment.

I smiled, the final piece of the puzzle of my Dad clicking into place. With the picture I drew? I could never hate my dad. Get annoyed with him, yeah. But never hate.

"Good to see you like this, Mare," Grover smiled at me.

I smiled at him, feeling pretty proud of myself. Yeah, I know most people won't agree to how much I'm being utterly complacent with my renegade father, but, what the heck, I understand his burdens. I'd just have to tell him about mine.

"We're nearly there," Grover's uttered comment snapped me off of my musings and focused on the scenery we were passing. The afternoon sun peeking from the drizzle cast a hazy light, though it was still easy for me to see the endless strawberry plants that we were crossing. I even noticed a 'Pick your own strawberries!' sign.

"What's with all the strawberries?"

"Oh. Mr. D, our camp director, has a way with fruit-bearing plants, though, admittedly, we should be growing grapes instead of strawberries, but Mr. D had restrictions from his father, so this was the second best option we had," Grover said, looking quite uncomfortable.

D? There were too many names in Greek Mythology that start with a D. But then, to have control over nature, you have to be a god, right? And apparently, he's male. Hmm.

"D? By any chance, Grove, is he a major god?" There was only one god who can fit Grover's description if he was a major god, and hooboy, it did not bode good for the camp.

"Yes, yes he is. I'm surprised, Percy. You could actually be smart enough to be a Child of the Wisdom Goddess," Grover said, his eyes wide with appraisal.

"Grover, dear, I'm right here, you know," my mom bantered, a slight smile resting on her face. I smiled at Grover, silently thanking him for making my mom smile.

"And, not to offend her or anything, but I'd rather have you, Mom," I said, as I laid a hand on her left shoulder. She smiled at me through the rear-view mirror, her eyes teary.

"I'm so proud of you, Bluebell."

"I love you too, Mom."

My smile stayed as she gradually slowed the car down until we completely stopped at the bottom of a hill. On its crest was a big White Christmas tree.

"Percy, listen to me. On the other side of this hill is the Camp. Mortals can't cross the boundary line, the big pine tree on the top. So, I'd just stay here and go back to our apartment. Percy.. I'm so sorry. I've been selfish, keeping you near me, even going too far as to marry someone like Gabe. You deserve so much better. Percy, my Bluebell, in the Camp, you'd be safe. Your father actually wanted you to be sent here a long time ago. I just couldn't do it. But, now, I know my time making decisions has run out. From here on in, Bluebell, you make the decisions, whether you'll stay here or not. But know, Percy, that whatever you decide, I'm here for you."

I hugged my mom even before she finished her speech. I'd never admit it, but my eyes were quite misty. I closed my eyes, feeling the saltine tears streak down my face. This was one of the reasons why I truly, truly loved my mom.

When I opened my eyes, they immediately latched on to an unusual thing. A fruit stand appeared where there was nothing but tall grass just a few moments ago. I mean, it was filled with your ordinary everyday fruit, but it appeared out of nowhere. If that wasn't a weird enough thing, try three old ladies in rocking chairs, knitting the world's biggest grey scarf. I mean, it had to be at least 50 feet. The lady on the right was doing all of the knitting while the lady on the left was holding the excess bunch of the scarf. The lady in the middle was holding a huge basket of smoky grey yarn. Another weird thing? The middle lady was looking straight at me.

"Percy, let's go."

Grover's grim voice shook me out of my shocked state as I untangled myself from my mom. She looked at the direction of our gazes and promptly turned pasty white.

"Mom? Grove? What are they?" I was pretty sure they weren't innocent mortal old ladies that were trying to make a sale in the middle of nowhere.

"N-No, just go Percy. Go, now!"

I looked at my mom, her eyes filled with pure fear. I felt myself give a nod at her, turning around and running, with Grover by my side. I stopped and turned to look back when I heard the unmistakable sound of a car engine revving up. I stood still, watching until I couldn't see the car. As I looked at the spot where I saw the fruit stand, my eyes were drawn to the middle lady, who took out a pair of golden shears.

"Percy! Turn around and run! Now!" I felt Grover tugging on my arm, willing me to avert my eyes, but for some mysterious reason, I just couldn't. I watched as she raised the shears and snipped. I could even hear the snip from where I was. All of a sudden, I could move again. I tumbled down when Grover gave a painful pull.

"Geez, Grove, could you be gentler? I'm a girl, remember?" I said, rubbing the elbow that cushioned my fall. Hello, couldn't he see I was held stuck there by something?

"Percy, let's go now. Before something catches up to us!" Grover said, his head swiveling from left to right, taking in as much of the surroundings as he could.

"What? I don't under-," Wait a minute. Three ladies, knitting an item which was abnormally long, the middle one holding shears, snipping at the thread? Oh, s**t.

"Grover, come on! I don't want to see what Mrs. Dodds looks like now!" I sharply pulled him to the direction of the pine tree, running fully.

Well, tried to was the better term, 'coz not even a few steps forward, we heard a rather loud growl come behind us. Too loud for it to be far away.

"Oh, Styx! Percy, run!" Well, I certainly didn't need telling twice. I looked behind us, seeing a black figure, a huge one, lumbering towards us, hurtling at an inhumane speed. Well, probably it wasn't human, if the horns, or it's body mass gave any indication.

"s**t! Grover! Stop running! It's the Bull-man!"

"Wait, what?" Grover stopped running and looked at me with a stunned expression. Well, I don't blame him. I mean, I'm still new to their world, and here I am recognizing all of them in an instant.

"The Bull-man, Grove. Let him come close then jump to the side at the last moment. They can't change direction very well." Grover just looked at me like I was something out of a horror movie. "What?"

"HOW DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT-THAT THING? AND HOW TO FIGHT IT?" He all but screamed at me while flapping his arms at his side like a bird. A flying goat. Huh.

Anyways, I was shook off from my musings by another load growl. It was just a few feet of us, sniffling around. Good, it hasn't picked up our scents yet.

"Grover, my mom taught me everything she knew of our world. Seeing that it was a lot, you don't have to be shocked at my knowledge," I said, warily keeping my eyes on the advancing enemy. Only a few feet now and-!

A loud growl came from it and charged straight at us. Great, here it comes. I took out the magic pen that Chiron gave me, but I didn't uncap it yet, seeing as the sun was setting already. The glow would effectively pinpoint the user, namely yours truly. So, Grover and I waited as the Bull-man got closer and closer.

"Jump!" I shouted, as I followed my own advice and jumped off to the side. The monster barreled right through where we were standing a few moments ago. It didn't stop until it skidded a few feet away from us. I frantically checked to see if Grover made it. I was relieved when I saw him get up a few feet from where I was crouching.

"Hey, Hircum, think we can outrun this thing?" I asked as the thing growled in annoyance and sniffed at the air again, intent on picking up our scents.

"No, we can't, Mare. We have to fight." He then took out a set of reeds. Oh yeah, I forgot satyrs can manipulate nature. Cool.

"At least Mom's not here," I commented lightly, uncapping the magic sword, instantly focusing the Minotaur's attention on me. It snorted angrily and charged at me. I was planning on dodging again like the last time, but well, you can't have all the luck in the world. It grabbed me just as I was hurtling sideways.

"Percy!" I heard Grover shout from somewhere to my right. I tried to wiggle the hand that was holding the shimmering sword free, but it was squishing me too hard, making me gasp for much needed air. Thankfully, however, Grover played a shrill toot of his reeds, making the Minotaur pause in squeezing me to death to smell whatever made that noise.

I managed to get enough room to wiggle my sword hand free and s***h the monster from beginning at the left side of his face going to the right, starting at the base of his horns. The moment I did that, he exploded into fine sand, raining down on Grover. Well, I suppose I should say sand and me, 'coz I landed on Grover. Well, mostly. My head wasn't one of the lucky parts to be spared though. I hit it against a good sized rock, which pretty much made me see stars.

"Oww. Grover, I'm seeing double."

"Yeah, me too. Blah-ha-ha! Why are you so heavy, Mare?"

"Oh shut up, Goat-Boy. Come on, let's just go." I said as I slung his left arm on my shoulder, while he slung my right against his. And thus, we both walked unsteadily towards the pine tree that was only a few feet away, when suddenly, Grover tripped on something, so, of course, he took me with him.

"Oww. Not again. Grover, you ok?" I looked at his direction, only to see that he was unconscious. "Grover, you took on the Bull-Man without flinching, and you knock out from a fall?"

Well, ok, I'm not exactly being fair since we just defeated said Bull-Man, but hey, I was tired. And so, I determinedly got up and was hauling Grover up so I could at least half-carry him to Camp, when I saw what tripped him.

It was one of the horns of the Minotaur. I guess when I slashed at it, the horn dislodged from the body. I picked it up, looking at it with a little bit of pride. It was my first spoil of battle. And that thought gave me a warm rush of adrenaline that made me smile giddily. I actually defeated the Minotaur with my own skill!

Still smiling like a lunatic, I hauled Grover up and proceeded to the crest of the hill. Night had completely fallen, and I was only seeing a bit of the ground in front of us from the light my sword gave. When I reached the tree, I looked around, desperate to look for a source of light. Thankfully, there seemed to be a bonfire going on. And where there was light, there were people, so I proceeded to haul Grover towards the said bonfire. Well, I got a few feet closer to the bonfire when I suddenly felt the adrenaline leaving my body, leaving me in a puddle of goo. As blackness overcame my senses, the last thing I saw was clear blue eyes, eyes as blue as the sky, looking at me in concern.