Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Percy POV
It’s been a week since the field trip and my apparent hallucinations.
Quick rundown: thought I had a teacher named Mrs. Dodds (who hates me) and had been with us since the winter break. Wrong we have a teacher named Mrs. Kerr who strangely likes me. Thought Mrs. Dodds turned into a bat lady and tried to kill me. Also, Mr. Brunner gave me a pen which turned into a sword.
None of that happened, my best friend kept giving me worried looks (like I was going to go mass murder crazy.) and Mrs. Kerr and Mr. Brunner thought I was insane. And honestly, I’m also starting to think I’m insane. There is imagination than their schizophrenia. After plenty of Grover encouraging me, today I’m going into the school counselor's office for help. Note if I’m in a mental hospital after this blame Grover.
“Hello Perseus, nice to see you again.” I hate him, hello Perseus, “Hi Mr. Smith and please it's Percy.” He gave me a condensing look, dickhead, “Mr. Brunner and Mrs. Kerr are very worried about you” probably because they think I’m insane and might start randomly screaming bloody murder about monsters. Have I told you I hate therapy; I stared at him for a long time how the fuck am I supposed to explain this
“I can’t remember Mrs. Kerr.” I start, Mr. dickhead starts writing notes down. “I remember a Mrs. Dodds teaching math, not a Mrs. Kerr.”
“Hmm explain more.”
“I don’t remember seeing Mrs. Kerr until lunchtime at the field trip.”
“Mr. Brunner also said you looked at him and Mrs. Kerr like you were a monster from his class.” With that Mr. Smith let out a laugh, probably to try and make me more “relaxed and open” but that is the problem I type of do, which is stupid because monsters are not real.
“It seems like Perseus that you are having some hallucinations, can you tell me if you have had some more? It doesn’t matter when.”
I try to remember Grover's encouraging smile and his words, “Don’t worry Perce this will help you.”
“Yes, I’ve had some others.” Mr. Smith gave an encouraging nod.
“I’ve also seen people with one eye in their foreheads, and people flying on pegasus,” I remember my mum and other teachers chalked this up to my wild imagination, but now I was sure there was more.
“And giant dogs appearing from nowhere, and animals talking to me.”
“Animals talking to you, could you expand on that please.”
“Horses and fish are the ones I usually hear talking to me.” Once again just add that a child's wild imagination. I hear more notes being taken.

---time skip---

After that humiliating interrogation, with Mr. Smith who said he would write a report and send it to my mum and principal. So basically, I’m insane. Instead of meeting with Grover for lunch, I opted out of skipping it and heading to the library to use the computers. I most likely have schizophrenia. So, I need to know what to expect.
“Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe mental disorder that affects the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions, perceives reality, and relates to others.”
Yep, but talk about the symptoms, please.
“People with schizophrenia often have problems functioning in society, work, school, and relationships. They might feel scared and withdrawn or appear to have lost touch with reality. This lifelong disease doesn’t have a cure; however, it can be controlled with proper treatment.
Contrary to popular belief, schizophrenia is not a split or multiple personality. Schizophrenia involves psychosis, a type of mental illness in which you can’t tell what’s real from what’s imagined. At times, people with psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia lose touch with reality. Their world may blend confusing thoughts, images, and sounds together. Because of their distorted reality, people with this condition may show strange and even shocking behavior. A sudden change in their personality or behavior is called a psychotic episode.”
I do have a problem functioning in society but that might just be ADHD, I’m withdrawn but not usually scared. (Well until those hallucinations.) At times, people with psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia lose touch with reality. Their world may blend confusing thoughts, images, and sounds together. But that might not include hallucinations, so I keep on reading.
“Schizophrenia usually shows its first signs in men during their late teens or early 20s, and in women in their late 20s to early 30s. It affects men and women at an equal rate.”
Well, I’m not in my late teens but I am pre-teen.
“You might only notice subtle behavioral changes, especially in teens. This includes A change in grades, social withdrawal, Trouble concentrating, Temper flares, Difficulty sleeping”
Nope, yep, yep, yep, and yep. But all of them could be due to ADHD. Finally positive symptoms of schizophrenia. Sadly, it did add context saying that this does mean good symptoms just ones that confirm schizophrenia.
“Hallucinations. These involve sensations that aren't real. Hearing voices is the most common hallucination in people with schizophrenia. The voices may comment on the person's behavior, insult them, or give commands. Less common types include seeing things that aren't there, smelling strange Odors, having a funny taste in your mouth, and feeling sensations on your skin even though nothing is touching your body.”
That would explain what the monster and Mrs. Dodds taught, but there no actual visible hallucinations included in this example.
After continuing to read the website I decided to take a quiz, do I have schizophrenia?

Chapter Text

Mr. D POV
I was dreading meeting this new camper, in fairness I tended to dread meeting any new camper, seeing as they will all die premature deaths, but this new camper I dreaded more. Oh, look I killed the minotaur I’m just as great as Theseus. I didn’t understand why Chiron insisted on going to that school to look at that boy. Though it did make my life easier while he was gone, wasn’t undermining my decision.
Finally, the satyr and the new kid have appeared, I refrain from rolling my eyes as Grover mutters, “That’s Mr. D, he’s the camp director, be polite.” Kids nowadays will not get it into their thick skulls, that I’m a god, therefore, I have really good hearing. Honestly, it's even in the orientation film.
“MR. Brunner!” the child exclaimed in shock. Terrible pen name if you ask me, which he didn’t. I turn to stare at the child closely, fuckin hell uncle seriously. It was hard for me not to immediately recognize the sea child. With the famous sea-green eyes and black hair, the child looks exactly like his father. Even if he didn’t not look like a clone of his father, the child has scent of power spoke volumes. Any god to come across the child would be able to tell who exactly he belongs to, without having to look at him.
Of course, now I must deal with another Poseidon kid whose ego is all too high and who does not care who he hurts.
“Ahh good Percy, now we have four for pinochle”, yes like a 12-year-old going to know how to play pinochle, at least it will enable me to deflate the kid's ego. “Oh, I suppose I must say it, Welcome to camp half blood. There, now don’t expect me to be glad to see you.”
The child scrunched up his nose at the name of the camp. The child started to hyperventilate though neither Chiron, satyr, or girl noticed as Chiron was giving orders to her.
“It’s just in my head, it's just in my head, I'll get back to reality soon. Remember what the counselor said.” Now that’s interesting,
“It’s just hyperactive imagination or I have schizophrenia. Either one”
The child was now rambling under his breath, as his fingers sunk into his skin. Frowning I turn my attention back to Chiron, nope he just talking away barely noticing the child's anxiety attack. I suppose I must take care of the brat.
I get up from my chair, scaring the satyr, and put my hand on the child's shoulder. “Deep breaths now. you’re okay, you're safe.”
I practiced breathing exercises with the kid until his breathing was once again steady. “Thank you” Trying not to smile I retorted “Its sir to you”
I’ve got to keep up my reputation.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Now will you tell us what is bothering you?” I was very interested in what his counselor told him. Schizophrenia my ass, the only mental illness besides autism and ADHD I see is anxiety.
“I can’t get out of my head, sir” Hmm at least the boy learns quickly.
“Ahh yes, don’t worry Percy. Everyone who comes here gets overwhelmed at first” Chiron piped up. Ahh that’s his name
“Where is here.” Honestly didn’t I just say,
“Camp half-blood Percy, where everyone like you comes here to be safe.” How about you explain what camp half-blood is, Chiron because clearly the sea child has no clue what you are talking about.
“The mentally ill?” this time I couldn’t help it, I let out a chuckle, if only then I might have more fun. Since Chiron just speaks in riddles, I will help out this child, even though he is the spawn of Poseidon. A little voice reminded me he was also a forbidden kid, and I should tell my father about this.
“No, this place is a camp for the children of the Greek gods, to be safe from monsters and such. It will be explained more in the orientation film.” See Chiron is not that hard to explain.
“Monsters are real?” Honestly how draft is this child?
“Yes,” I say exasperated.
“I’m not insane.” He said that so quietly I do not believe the other two heard him until he said louder “I’m not insane.”
Then the child was jumping up and down yelling “I’m not insane.” Passing campers laughed at the sea spawn actions.
“Of course, not” The satyr Grover says confused. What is there to be confused the child saw a monster, nobody believed him, and he thought he was insane.
The child stops his insistent jumping and turns to me, “I’m not insane, Mrs. Dodds did turn into a bat lady, there are people who have one eye, and Pegasusi are real.”
Two out of three of these made sense, Poseidon sending Cyclops to check on his spawn checks out, and Pegasusi runs a flock all over New York, but a teacher turns into a bat lady. Why haven’t Chiron mentioned this?
“Ahh yes, Mrs., Dodds was a kindly one.” I froze trying very hard not to go and strangle the centaur. Maybe include this in your report. “I’m very impressed you not only survived but killed it.”
“Though I hoped Grover and I could convince you it was your hyperactive imagination.” So, you gaslight a twelve-year-old. Uncle going to have a field day when he finds out.
Before I could even comment on the centaur's lack of thought, the child yelled “Vindication!” and ran down the steps.
“Grover” I yelled. The satyr jumped back, honestly, I’m not going to hurt you. “Grab the child and make him watch the orientation film and give him a tour, I got a meeting to get to.” With that, I disappeared from the camp, before I killed that centaur but I also to give a piece of my mind to my uncle.

Chapter Text

Percy POV

After watching the informative but traumatizing orientation film, Grover and I head back to the big house to start the grand tour. It was a lot to take in: my mum was dead, my dad alive and a god?
Zeus now lives in New York, and Hades lives in LA. I wonder if he likes to drag.
MR. D which stands for Dionysus is cool, I mean he is the god of theatre but also wine. I have a rule don’t trust alcoholics, (Gabe is a prime example) but Mr. D was nice to me. But the orientation doesn’t explain why he is here and not on Broadway.

Hopefully, he can answer it, as I see him grumbling walking away from Chiron, Grover hides behind me. Honestly, I’m not sure how I feel about Grover, he lied to me, made me feel like I was going insane, and pretended to be my friend. So, I ignored his warning and so I bolt to Mr. D,
“MR. D why are you here?”
Mr. D looked at me in surprise, “excuse me?”

“Well, the orientation film states that you’re here to ensure our well-being, but I didn't understand why you are here when you could be on Broadway.” As I say, Broadway, I do jazz hands to emphasize the fact.

Mr. D furrowed his eyes, like he was contemplating whether to tell me or not, “Well I tried to date this lovely nymph, though apparently my father declared her off limits.” Well Mr. D is Dionysus so his father must be Zeus.
“So, when I decided to pursue her, he sent me here for a punishment.”, look I may be new to this but I’m pretty sure Zeus had a lot of lovers, so why punish his son? Unless he wanted the nymph I guess.

“That hypocritical,” I stated.
“Thank you” Mr. D yelled probably in vindication. I nod my head in the plight of this unjust situation.
“So now I have to babysit you kids for a hundred years.”

“Hmm, you’re missing out on so much Broadway.” Mr. D side-eyed me.
This happens a lot. “Question, because you’re the god of theatre does that translate to the god of movies and acting? If so, have you ever played in a movie?”

“First question possibly, you can figure that out, second question yes, I’ve played in multiple movies and TV shows.” Mr. D smirked, clearly proud of himself.
"Of course, my performances are exceptional, but mortals rarely recognize true divine talent. Now, enough about me."

I try not to frown I had more questions, like since he is the god of madness does that translate into being the god of mental illness, neurodivergent people, and therapy?
Also, I had some questions if divorce was a thing with the gods. (because Hera needs it)

He waved a dismissive hand and gestured toward the porch of the Big House. Two boys, about my age, were sitting there playing some sort of card game. Both had dark hair and sharp features, but one of them looked a little more laid-back than the other, leaning casually in his chair while the other seemed deeply focused on the game.

Percy,” Mr. D said with an exaggerated sigh like this was the most effort he’d put into anything all day, “meet my sons: Castor and Pollux. Try not to ruin them any further than they already are.”

The boy with the grin—Pollux, I guessed—glanced up first and waved. “Hey, newbie.”
The serious one—Castor—offered a small, polite smile. “Hi. You must be new to camp. Welcome.”

They both looked so normal it almost threw me off. I mean, they were the sons of Dionysus. Shouldn’t they be... I don’t know, throwing grapes at each other or summoning Broadway costumes or something?

“They’re demigods too?” I asked, a little surprised. I mean, Mr. D didn’t exactly give off “dad of the year” vibes.
Pollux snorted. “Yeah, but don’t get your hopes up. We’re not that much like him.”
Castor elbowed him in the side, but his lips twitched like he was holding back a smile.

“What my brother means is, yes, we’re demigods. Mom’s mortal, obviously. Dad...” He glanced at Mr. D, who was now examining his fingernails like he couldn’t care less. “Well, he’s not exactly PTA material.”
“Anyway,” Pollux continued, ignoring his brother, “Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. Dad says we’re supposed to show you around. Guess that means you’re stuck with us.”
“Joy,” I muttered, though I wasn’t sure if I meant it sarcastically or not. At least these two seemed kind of normal. Or as normal as you can be when your dad’s the god of wine and theater.

“So,” I asked, trying to break the ice, “do you guys have, like, cool powers or anything?”
Pollux’s grin turned mischievous. “Depends. How do you feel about getting stomped at Capture the Flag later?”
“Oh, come on,” Castor said, shaking his head. “At least pretend to be nice.”
Pollux shrugged. “Where’s the fun in that?”

As they bickered, I found myself relaxing just a little. Sure, I had no idea what I was doing here, but if the other kids were as weird as these two, maybe I’d survive. Maybe.
“What are you playing?” I asked, nodding toward the cards.
“Greek Myth Uno,” Pollux said, holding up a card with a cartoon Cyclops on it. “Want to join? Castor’s winning, and I need backup.”
Castor rolled his eyes. “You don’t need backup. You need to stop playing Wild Cards on me every time you’re losing.”
“It’s called strategy,” Pollux shot back.

I hesitated. “Uh, sure, I guess?” Sitting down with them felt weirdly normal after the chaos of the past few days. Grover plopped down next to me, still eyeing Mr. D like he might turn us into grapevines if we got too loud.
Pollux shuffled the cards and started dealing. “Okay, rules are simple: colour and number matching, but if you play a God Card, you can skip, reverse, or draw extra cards. There’s also the Myth Cards, which—”
“I think he gets it,” Castor interrupted, already organizing his hands into neat groups. Going to get a tour of the camp, completely forgotten.

As we started playing, I couldn’t help but notice how different the twins were. Castor was quiet and methodical, studying every move like he was planning three steps ahead. Pollux, on the other hand, played completely chaotically, laughing every time he made someone draw four cards and throwing out random bits of advice like, “Always save your Dionysus card for the end. It’s unbeatable.”

“Gotcha!” Pollux crowed a few rounds later, slamming down a Poseidon card with way too much enthusiasm. “That’s game!”
“You can’t play that yet,” Castor said, his tone exasperated but patient. “You don’t even have the matching color. And it’s not your turn.”
Pollux froze, mid-celebration. “Oh. Right.”
Grover snorted, and even I couldn’t help laughing. For a moment, it was easy to forget about gods and monsters and just be a kid again.
“You’re terrible at this,” Castor said, shaking his head but smiling.
“Maybe. But I’m fun,” Pollux shot back, winking at me. “What about you, newbie? Having fun yet?”
I grinned. “Honestly? Yeah. I am.”

Chapter Text

Pollux slapped me on the back as we left the Big House porch. “All right, newbie, let’s show you the magic. And by magic, I mean everything you’ll probably mess up in your first week.”
“Helpful,” I muttered, but I followed as he and Castor led me down a winding dirt path.
“Don’t listen to him,” Castor said, walking a step ahead. “Pollux likes to exaggerate. You’ll be fine. Probably.”
“Very reassuring,” I said, glancing around.

Camp Half-Blood was even bigger than it looked in the orientation film. Cabins surrounded a central green, each one completely different. One looked like a beach shack, another like a miniature temple, and one even had glittering gold columns. Off in the distance, I could see a strawberry field, an archery range, and what looked like a climbing wall—except it was spewing actual lava.

“First stop,” Pollux said, pointing grandly, “the cabins. This is where you’ll sleep when you’re not getting chased by harpies or, you know, traumatized by quests.”
“Pollux,” Castor interrupted, rolling his eyes, “ignore him. These are the cabins, each dedicated to a different Olympian. When you’re claimed—if you’re claimed—you’ll move into your parent’s cabin. Until then, you’ll stay in Cabin Eleven with Hermes’s kids.”
“Because apparently, Hermes’s cabin doubles as Lost and Found for unclaimed kids,” Pollux added, crossing his arms. “You’ll love it. It’s crowded, smells like gym socks, and half the kids there are scheming to steal your stuff.”

“Thanks for the warning,” I said dryly.
“Next up,” Castor said, leading the way again, “the training area.” He gestured toward the arena, where a group of campers was sparring with swords. Nearby, a kid in full armor was getting knocked flat on his back by... was that a girl with a spear?
“Don’t worry, that’s just Clarisse,” Pollux said. “She’s... intense. Avoid her unless you’re in the mood for a fight. Or a concussion.”

As we moved on, Pollux pointed out landmarks with commentary that was only half-helpful: “That’s the amphitheatre. Great for sing-alongs and terrible campfire jokes. Oh, and Mr. D sometimes hosts theatrical performances.”
“Over there’s the canoe lake. Fun, but try not to fall in. There’s a naiads’ territory near the middle, and they’ve got a weird sense of humour. Last week, they turned someone’s canoe into a goldfish.”

By the time we reached the climbing wall, my head was spinning. The thing roared as lava cascaded down its sides, and two campers were scrambling up it like their lives depended on it.
“Do I even want to ask?” I said, staring.
“Don’t worry,” Castor said calmly. “The lava’s only dangerous if you fall.”
“Comforting.”
Pollux grinned. “Relax, newbie. You’ll survive. Probably. Now, let’s keep going before dinner. The strawberry fields are this way.”

We made our way to a sprawling field full of rows and rows of strawberries. Pollux leaned casually against a fence post. “Camp grows these to fund itself. Mostly because Mr. D’s forbidden from making wine. Can you imagine? The god of wine growing berries?”
Castor sighed. “We’ve been over this, Pollux. He’s not forbidden from wine, he’s restrained. Big difference.”
“Sure, whatever helps him sleep at night,” Pollux replied with a shrug.
As the sun started dipping lower in the sky, Pollux turned to me. “So, what do you think so far? Pretty wild, huh?”

I didn’t know how to answer. The cabins, the training grounds, the lava wall—it all felt surreal. Like a summer camp mashed up with a mythological death trap. “It’s... a lot,” I said finally.
“Yeah, we know,” Castor said with a small smile. “But you’ll get the hang of it. And if you don’t, well—”
Pollux grinned. “At least you’ll have great stories to tell when you fail spectacularly.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. For the first time all day, I felt a little less like a walking disaster waiting to happen. Maybe with these two showing me the ropes, I had a chance.

After the tour, Castor and Pollux led me to the dining pavilion, “Sit tight, newbie,” Pollux said with a wink. “Dinner here’s straightforward. You get food, you give an offering, and you eat.” said, but he and Castor were already wandering off to their cabin’s table. Each table, I noticed, had a symbol carved into it, matching the gods’ cabins.
I hesitated near the pavilion entrance until a tall, blond guy waved me over to the Hermes table. He looked like he could be a college athlete—strong, confident, and with a scar running down his cheek that somehow made him seem even cooler.

“Hey, you’re the new kid, right?” he asked. “I’m Luke.”
“Percy,” I said, shaking his hand.
“Welcome to the Hermes cabin. Unclaimed kids sit with us until they get claimed, so don’t worry about fitting in. We’re used to it.” His smile was easy like he actually meant it. “Make yourself at home.”

The table was crowded and packed with kids of all ages. Some were talking and laughing, others elbow-deep in their food. A kid no older than nine gave me a suspicious look, while another one stole bread right off his neighbor’s plate.
“Busy table,” I said as I slid into a seat next to Luke.
He laughed. “Hermes’s kids are always busy scheming, stealing, pulling pranks. And since unclaimed demigods stay with us, it gets... lively.”
Lively was one way to put it. Chaotic seemed more accurate, especially when a roll flew across the table and smacked a camper in the face. But at least no one seemed to care that I didn’t know what I was doing.

Luke must’ve noticed my confused expression because he leaned closer. “You’re supposed to scrape part of your meal into the fire as an offering to the gods. They like it when you share.”
“Right,” I said, though it felt strange. Back home, I was lucky if Gabe didn’t steal my dinner outright. Sharing food wasn’t exactly in my skillset.
I loaded my plate with roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and a slice of blueberry pie. It smelled so good I almost forgot about the offering part—until I saw everyone lining up at a central brazier, a fire flickering with unnatural colors: blue, green, and purple flames licking at the evening air.
“Go ahead,” Luke said, nodding toward the fire. “Just pick a god and say a quick prayer. Doesn’t have to be your parent—whoever you want.”

I stepped up to the fire, my hands sweating as I held my plate. The flames seemed to twist toward me, waiting.
I scraped a piece of chicken and some mashed potatoes into the fire. “Uh, to Hermes, I guess,” I said awkwardly. “Thanks for, um, letting me crash at your cabin.”
Then, on a whim, I added a small piece of pie. “And... to Dionysus. Thanks for not turning me into a grapevine or anything. Yet.”

The flames flared purple for a second, like they’d heard me. When I turned back to the Hermes table, Luke was grinning.
“Not bad for your first try,” he said, clapping me on the shoulder. “Now hurry up and eat before Connor steals your dessert.”
By the time I sat down, the table was as rowdy as ever, with kids swapping stories about pranks they’d pulled on each other or on the Ares cabin. Luke seemed to be the calm in the middle of the chaos, answering questions and breaking up arguments with a single look.
As I dug into my food, I realized I was starting to feel a little less out of place. Sure, I still didn’t know what I was doing, and my life had turned completely upside down, but at least here, surrounded by a table full of weird, loud, chaotic demigods, I wasn’t completely alone.