44 Chapter 44

After moving down the path and passing by a canoeing lake (which was a bit weird, considering there was an ocean a mile down the valley), Alex could finally see the next and final destination; a clump of buildings centered around a large bonfire. If he had mapped their directions correctly, these buildings would've been at the centre of the entire camp.

Chiron took Alex to the edge of the huddled structures and as he got a closer look, it was much easier to tell there were, in fact, the cabins.

There were twelve of them nestled in the woods by the lake, arranged in an upside-down U. Two at the base and five in a row on each side. Except for the fact that each had a large brass number above the door (odds on the left, even on the right), they looked nothing alike.

Number nine had smokestacks, like a tiny factory. Number four had tomato vines on the walls and a roof made out of real grass. Seven seemed to be made out of solid gold, which gleamed so much in the sunlight it was almost impossible to look at. They all faced common areas the size of big gardens, dotted with Greek statues, fountains, flower beds, or barbed wire, depending on the cabin. 

In the centre of the field was a huge stone-lined firepit. It was still spring, but the day was hot. Even so, the hearth smouldered. A girl about nine years old, a bit older than Annabeth, was tending to the flames, poking the coals with a stick. 

She was wearing those typical Ancient Greek chlamys instead of the orange camp t-shirt. Alex guessed it was some ceremonial thing. He had to remind himself that this really wasn't like any normal summer camp. 

He quickened his steps, reaching Chiron who had almost left him behind.

Looking around, the pair of cabins at the head of the field, numbers one and two, looked like his-and-hers mausoleums, big white marble boxes with massive columns in front.

Cabin one was the biggest and bulkiest of the twelve. Its polished bronze doors shimmered like a hologram so that from different angles, lighting bolts seemed to streak across them.

Cabin two was more graceful somehow, with slimmer columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls were carved with images of peacocks.

Alex stopped for just a moment in front of the first cabin on the left; cabin three wasn't high and mighty like cabin one, but long, low, and solid. The outer walls were of rough grey stone, studded with pieces of seashell and coral as if the slabs had been hewn straight from the bottom of the ocean floor. 

Most of these cabins had some campers milling about, and in a few weeks, they'd definitely be crowded. Number five was bright red, a real nasty paint job as if the colour had been splashed on with buckets and fists. The roof was lined with barbed wire. A stuffed wild boar's head hung over the doorway, and its eyes seemed to follow Alex. 

Inside, he could see some boys and girls arm wrestling and arguing with each other while metal music blared. 

After Chiron told which cabins belonged to which god, Alex asked: "I get why Artemis and Hera's cabins are empty, but why do numbers one and three look brand new?" Though, he already knew the answer.

"Demigods born from either the master of the sky, the sea, or the underworld are powerful; more powerful than it's prudent," Chiron started. His voice was calm yet his incisive tone showed why he was such an effective teacher. "So, after World War II, the three agreed to no longer sire children with mortal women."

So wait... demigods were the cause of WW2? Hmm... it's better if he doesn't think about it too much. Still, it made Alex wonder if any other historical conflicts had their origins in half-bloods like him.

Just then, either by coincidence or because she wanted to make a dramatic entrance, the door to Zeus' cabin swung open. 

Thalia looked the same as before — not that much could change in a day — but, instead of one of Alex's rock band t-shirts or a death to Barbie top, she was wearing the typical orange camp t-shirt underneath her black, leather jacket.

Alex didn't have a way not to see the big, scary scowl on her face. It wasn't that hard to figure out why, but when she began stalking up to him like she had two cement blocks stuck on her feet, it confirmed it.

Oh boy, he thought, here it comes.

"H-Hey, Thalia," he tried to smile. "You know, I was just having a chat with Chiron here and honestly? You aged well! You don't look a day over forty—" 

The joke wasn't well received, because when Thalia got closer, her boot struck him in the shin. 

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For you being a dumbass," she said, brows knitted in an angry V. Her hands went to her hips, and he noticed her foot tapping repeatedly on the ground. 

Alex grimaced, rubbing his shin, wincing a bit from the pain. He tried to chuckle it off, but Thalia's glare told him this wasn't the time for humour.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad, was it?" He was trying to lighten up the mood, to see if he could avoid another kick. Those boots of hers hurt, you know...

"Not that bad? Not that bad?!" Thalia's voice rose, and a couple of campers turned to look. She lowered her tone, leaning in close. "You almost got yourself killed, Alex. For what? A distraction? There were other ways. We could've figured something else out."

Alex took a deep breath and met her gaze. "I know, I know it was risky, but it worked, didn't it? Everyone's safe because of it, and the Furies are two down."

"That's not the point," Thalia snapped. "You think being reckless is the same as being brave, but it's not. You're not invincible, Alex. You just had to be the hero, didn't you?"

Her fingers were twitching at her sides as if she was fighting the urge to strangle him. 

"It wasn't about being the hero. I saw an opening, and I took it. You were being targeted, Luke was out, and Annabeth and Grover were safe, so that left me to do something. And you might not have realized, but it helped—"

"Help? Oh my god, you're such a— what if you died, uh?" Her arms were now folded in front of her chest, but her foot was yet to stop. "That would've been a ton of help, wouldn't it? I bet Annabeth would've been sooo happy. Me too, honestly. Just thinking about you being killed..."

Her voice cracked slightly on the last word, and Alex could finally see the fear behind her anger. His smile faded completely, and he tried to make his voice gentle.

"Hey, hey... look, I'm sorry, okay?" Alex said, reaching out to touch her arm. "I just couldn't think of anything else fast enough. It was all happening so quickly. And they were after you, and I couldn't just let them kill you. The hellhounds weren't even attacking me, you saw that right? I wasn't that outnumbered."

Thalia exhaled sharply, her eyes darting away for a moment before fixing back on him. "That's all you think about. Outnumbered this, stronger that, 'Oh, I'm faster than him!', 'Oh, she isn't that tough!'. Have you ever stopped to think about what WE feel when you almost die every. single. time? Of course not. You're a selfish asshole, that's what."

Alex pressed his mouth into a thin line. Anyone else would've been upset over being called an asshole, but he couldn't really argue with Thalia's logic.

It was the truth, as much as he hated it. He loved the thrill of the battle; he actively sought after it. No way would he put it over his friends, but if sacrificing himself for them came with the added bonus of a good fight, it was hard to refuse.

Would Thalia understand if he told her about how messed up in the head he was? His anger issues were so bad that fighting monsters was the only way to keep him relaxed and said issues in check. 

He swallowed dryly. "I get it, I do. And I'm sorry for scaring you. I promise I'll think things through more next time. No more solo heroics."

There was silence for a moment before Alex reached out again, trying to place a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I—"

She shrugged off his touch and stepped away. When he noticed that her eyes were glassy, she quickly turned away, shoulder tense. 

"I don't need your apologies, Alex. I need you to understand. And it seems you still don't, so trying to apologize is pointless," and with that, she stalked off, kicking the door of her cabin open and closing it with a loud thud.

Alex chewed his lower lip. He looked at Chiron with a blank face. "Excited to see me, uh?"

The centaur coughed awkwardly into his hand. "Excitement doesn't always evoke a positive feeling," he paused before his expression turned serious. "But I have to agree with Thalia, Alexander. What you did you incredibly reckless, and fighting the Kindly Ones by yourself was not only inviting your own death, but their resentment. Has Jacob explained to you how their regeneration works?"

"...yeah."

"Sometimes, they can take a lifetime. Other times, a day is sufficient. I fear you'll have to make Camp Half-Blood your permanent residence for a while. At least, until we can guarantee your safety. But enough of that. Shall I show you where you'll be sleeping?"

Apparently, Luke's dad felt generous when he made his cabin because every undesignated or unclaimed kid was taken in the Hermes cabin. Unclaimed kids just had to be claimed to move out, but Alex wondered why there were no cabins for the rest of the major Greek Gods. 

He overheard someone saying their mother was Nike (the Goddess of Victory). And yet, they were still in the Hermes cabin. 

When he spotted a familiar blonde by his future sleeping quarters, a grin spread on his lips. Luke was leaning against one of the walls, its dull, brown paint chipping off. A golden caduceus symbol hung by the door, and he noticed how big the cabin was compared to the others; almost as big as Zeus' one.

When his friend saw him and Chiron, he jogged up to them with a happy grin. "The princess has woken up."

"Shut up,"

Luke chuckled a bit. "Jacob passed by and told me you were awake. Figured Chiron was giving you the tour, and it would end here."

"Smart as always, I see." Alex rolled his eyes.

"So they say," Luke shrugged. "Want me to finish the tour, Chiron? I've heard of how busy you are."

"If you wouldn't mind, Luke," Chiron gave him a nod of appreciation. "I have to discuss with Mr D. about the whereabouts of some missing camp funds, so I'd be grateful if you could."

"No problem. C'mon, Alex," he turned to walk away.

Before he followed, Alex looked at Chiron. "Thanks, uh... for the tour and everything."

"Glad to help. I'll see you at dinner," the centaur said.

Alex had to jog to catch up to Luke, who began to list off interesting facts he had gathered after being in the camp for a day. Apparently, the water nymphs, or naiads for short, were a bunch of big flirts, and Alex shouldn't let their soft words fool him.

Also, Annabeth seemed to be extremely popular in the cabin; being so smart helped, but Athena's children seemed to share a mutual interest in complicated things, and architecture was one of them. 

The mountain of books he had gotten her had been useful after all, even if they spent so much time trying to figure out what some of the words said. 

Dyslexia, magical or not, wasn't fun.

"Anyway..." Luke stopped by the door. "I have to apologize."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "For what? If this is about you being knocked out in the fight, you don't have to. We all make mistakes, and we can't win every fight."

"That doesn't change that I almost got you killed," Luke bit his lip. "If I—"

"If you nothing. Was I in your situation, I'm sure any of you would've done the same for me, no matter if Thalia calls it reckless or not. I'm just glad you're ok."

The son of Hermes sighed. "I... thanks."

"Uh? Why?"

"Why? For saving my skin, dude."

Then he went for the classic bro hug, to which Alex responded by tapping his shoulder. 

"Jeez, what got you so emotional?" Alex laughed, but deep down he appreciated just how much they cared about him. 

"A lot of things," Luke admitted. "Still, damn. I never realized how solid you were." He rolled his shoulder.

"Oh, my bad."

"Nah, you're all good, Alex." He said. "But you end up feeling all that muscle in a hug."

They shared another chuckle as Luke climbed up the steps of the cabin. He turned towards Alex.

"Now, there's a few things I got to explain before..." he paused. "Actually, it's better if I just tell you inside."

He reached for the door, but before he could make any contact with it, it swung open at lightning speed. Towering above them, in the doorway, was an older girl who had the same elfish features as Luke. 

She had short, brown hair, and her green eyes seemed to pierce the two of them. Alex and she were probably around the same height, but she was on top of the stairs. 

Her gaze flickered to Luke before going to Alex, and she took one look at him, up and down, before speaking.

"Who in Hades are you?"

**********

A/N: The next few chapters are going to be pretty chill. 

See you in the next one!