Chapter 10: Camp Half-Blood

Hi guys, don't forget to check out my other story called Dreams of the Fool. Also, don't hesitate to leave comments.

Enjoy today's chapter!

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Soon everyone was now standing close to the cliff waiting for something. Isaiah was sitting down on a chair that he had projected while Nico was bombarding his ears about Mythomagic. Meanwhile, The Hunters of Artemis were behind Artemis and were busy glaring at the young boy. Of course, the latter ignored it. It's not like he could do anything about it, he only expressed his thoughts and what his teacher told him.

He looked at where Bianca was and saw her a little far from everyone. Ever since she came out of that tent, she hasn't uttered a single word. She had told Percy that she needed to be alone for a moment and the boy respected her wishes so he let her be. He turned to Nico,

"Hey, Nico, why don't you talk to Grover a little, I'm sure you have questions about this new world you are going into," he said.

"Hm, you're right! I wonder what kind of stories there are."

The boy quickly bolted to Grover who looked confused at the little boy's sudden appearance and the latter began to shower him with every question the ten-year-old could come up with. He dispelled the chairs and walked up to Bianca. It seems the girl was so deep in thought that she didn't realize that Isaiah had walked up to her and called out to her.

"Bianca?"

The voice startled her,

"Huh? What?"

She then saw Isaiah standing in front of her with his ever-present small smile.

"Oh, it's you, Isaiah."

"What are you thinking?"

"What do you mean?"

"You were so deep in your thoughts that you didn't even notice me," he replied.

"Oh, sorry."

"So what are you thinking about."

Bianca looked at her brother,

"Is it Nico?"

"It's not just him. I also hate myself for thinking about abandoning him." Bianca said as tears brimmed in her eyes as she looked down in remorse.

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why do you hate yourself?" Isaiah asked.

"I can't simply leave him for my selfish desires! I would hurt him!"

"Is that wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is pursuing your desires wrong?"

"Yes, it is! I can't be selfish like this. I feel disgusted that I would run away from him at the first chance." she said hugging herself.

Isaiah raised an eyebrow,

"My teacher once told me that humans are incredibly selfish creatures. They would do anything to achieve their own goal. Her claims have some credit because she's more than seven hundred years old so she has seen a big part of human evolution."

"She's more than seven hundred years old!?" Bianca asked in shock.

"Yeah, and she's just a human. Although, she also holds the title of the Sorcerer Supreme so there is that." Isaiah let out a small chuckle and Bianca had her eyes wide open like saucers.

"Anyways, the thing is, she told me that human desires are like coins. They have two sides. On one hand, it can wreak havoc and destruction on everything surrounding the person or it can help and improve everything. It's only a matter of how you want to fulfill your desire. You want to live your own life, but you also don't want to leave Nico. Let me ask you a question, how old are you, Bianca?"

"I'm eleven," she answers.

"That means you only lived for eleven years. You have not even seen what the world has to offer. And let's not even talk about emotions. They are simply chemical reactions in our body, but they say that the feelings are so real, it's incredible."

"You're like the same age as me, how would you know?" Bianca asked, but there was no negative feeling behind her words.

Isaiah looked at the sun that was peaking from the horizon and at that moment, Bianca thought that the boy in front of her didn't look like an eleven-year-old. He looked more like an old man.

"I have seen many things, Bianca. Things that are not meant to be seen by anyone," Isaiah then looked at her in the eyes and, for the first time since she met him, his smile held no twinkle. His eyes looked hollow, "and it broke me."

Bianca stood silent as he processed his words.

"Anyway, what I'm trying to say is. Don't be too hasty in your decision just because you see an option in front of you. You might find a better option."

Bianca snorted,

"What could be a better option than immortality?"

Isaiah showed her a grin,

"I don't know." Isaiah shrugged.

"You don't know? Not even a second ago, you were talking like you knew everything!" Bianca retorted dumbfounded.

Isaiah raised an eyebrow,

"What do you mean? You said it yourself, I'm just a boy who's around the same age as you." Isaiah replied.

Bianca looked at him disbelieving before bursting out in giggles.

"What?" he asked confused at her reaction.

After giggling some more, she spoke,

"Nothing. Thank you for cheering me up."

"I... cheered you up?"

She waved her hand,

"It doesn't matter. I'm sorry that I was rude to you at the dance. Let's introduce ourselves, huh?"

"Sure."

"Alright then. Hi, my name is Bianca di Angelo and I'm eleven years old and I'm apparently a demigod. And you?" she said holding out a hand.

Isaiah clasped it,

"Hi there. My name is Isaiah Sharpe and I'm eleven years old. I'm a human and a sorcerer. A pleasure meeting you, Bianca"

"It's a pleasure meeting you too Isaiah."

"She then looked at the group,

"Now come on, the sun is rising and Artemis says that the ride is at dawn."

"Alright."

They both regrouped with the others when the horizon was in full view.

"Don't look," suddenly orders Artemis, "Not until he parks."

"Parks?" everyone thought confused.

Nonetheless, they followed the order and turned around. At that Isaiah felt a bright flash and heat from his back. Once the light died. Everyone turned around. They're in a perfect circle of melted snow was a red contraption that Isaiah, in delight, recognized as a car. He was excited as it was the first time he had seen one. However, he didn't know if the steam emitted from the car is normal thing or a supernatural thing.

The door opened and out came a seventeen or eighteen-year-looking man with sandy hair. He also had a bright smile that could blind someone which could technically happen considering who this was.

"Little sister! What's up? You never call. You never write. Your big bro was getting worried." he said.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I am not your little sister? I was born first!"

"So what's up? I see you have the ladies with you. Need some tips for archery?" the god asked when he saw the huntresses.

"I have a favor."

The god looked at her in surprise.

"A favor? You?"

Artemis pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I need you to take them all to the camp since I have to do some hunting alone," she said pointing at the children.

"No problem! I'll take them to Camp Half-Blood. However, I feel like a Haiku is incoming," he said and the goddess and her companions groaned while the campers and the newcomers were confused.

Apollo cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

"Green grass breaks through snow

Artemis pleads for my help

I am so cool"

Artemis deadpanned,

"That was four syllables. How about replacing the last line with I am an idiot."

"No no. It doesn't go to the Haiku I'm going with."

Suddenly, a voice was heard.

"What's a Haiku?"

The god turned to the one who had spoken, Isaiah.

"Well, my little friend. Haiku is a form of poem originating from Japan with three lines. The first and last lines have five syllables and the second lines have seven. Now, who are you? You don't seem to be a Half-blood," He said smiling before frowning at the boy.

The boy didn't know why.

"He's a human sorcerer as well as the disciple of the Sorcerer Supreme," Artemis replied.

"Ah, that's why I could recognize the energy present in that formation on his clothes. But I thought she didn't meddle in the Greek world unless necessary?"

Artemis shrugged,

"She must have let him for a reason. Anyways, I permitted him to enter the camp."

"Hmm. I remember meeting her once. She always gives me weird vibes for a mortal. I guess that comes with the job."

He then spotted the campers specifically Thalia

"Oh! Thalia, right? I've heard a lot about you!"

The girl in question blushed, making Annabeth look at her weirdly.

"Hi, Lord Apollo."

"Hmm. Zeus's girl, am I right? I heard you were a tree until just a little while ago. Man, I remember one time..."

"Brother. You should get going."

"That's right! Hop on in!"

They all turned to the car and wondered if they were all going to fit in the vehicle.

"Cool car," Nico said.

"Thanks, kid."

"How are we going to fit in?"

It looks like the god only realized it now seeing the group.

"Ah, that's my bad. Let me change that real quick. Although, I don't like using it very much."

He took out his car keys and pressed a button.

*Beep* *Beep*

The car emitted a beeping sound before glowing brightly. Once the light died down, there was a traveling truck.

"Alright, everybody. Hop in"

Isaiah was in awe as he looked at the interior of the bus. He wanted to see what it was so he did the only thing he could think of, he cast (Structural Grasp). Pain exploded inside his brain as information started entering slowly. Usually, this spell was painless and fast. He would get the information quickly. He quickly stopped the spell when he got the bare minimum and cut the spell off lest he fries his brain.

This was the sun chariot that Apollo uses to be the sun. It was previously used by Helios.

"Are you okay?" asked Percy when he saw Isaia grab his head.

"Yeah, nothing to worry about."

At that moment Apollo entered the bus and asked,

"Who wants to drive?"

Thalia was chosen because, apparently, she was closest to sixteen and Isaiah learned that in the USA, the age where one can start driving is sixteen.

Thalia gripped the wheel and Isaiah could see her face become pale though he didn't know why. Why was she looking so...afraid? As she started driving, the god instructed her slowly on how to drive the truck. Isaiah was looking out of the window as the bus started flying in the sky. He couldn't enjoy it for long, because of Thalia's driving. She was terrified of being in the wheel and they almost torched a city. They soon arrived in Long Island in panic as Thalia was muttering "I'm in control" like a mantra.

"There's Camp Half-Blood!" Grover shouted.

Isaiah felt something pass through him making him shudder a little. It was like a barrier of some sort. He looked out of the window and saw a valley, a beach, and a huge forest. He could also see twelve cabins of different shapes and designs like the one covered in pink or the one that looked like it could transform into a machine. He also saw a large amphitheater.

His eyes widened and everyone screamed when the bus dove into the lake.

*FLOOOOSHHHH!*

The bus dove into the lake before bobbing up on the surface.

They all stood quiet before Apollo turned around with a strained grin,

"Well, that wasn't so bad for a first drive."

He soon guided the bus out of the lake and everyone got off the bus. Isaiah was amazed by the place, this was the second magical place he had been if you counted the sanctums and Kamar-Taj as one. He could feel the magic that permeated all around the camp. Unlike Kamar-Taj, this one had a personal feel to it and had a divine aspect.

"Was this camp made by a god?'

Percy had explained to him that each cabin was dedicated to one god or goddess and their children and the hunters of Artemis had already gone to the one dedicated to their patron goddess.

He looked around and was amazed by what he saw. A climbing wall with lava flowing down. He could see an archery range where the children of Apollo would always hit a bullseye. He could see the stables.

"Is that a pegasus? I thought there was only one," he asked Annabeth.

She shook her head,

"Pegasus is the one you are talking about. Those are his children. They are named after their father."

"Alright, bye sweethearts!" Apollo winked at the huntresses who recoiled in disgust before turning to Percy, " Watch out for prophecies, Percy. I'll see you soon!"

"What do you mean?"

The god didn't answer before returning to the bus. However, he turned his gaze to Isaiah and frowned before leaving for the sky.

Percy and Thalia soon led the di Angelo siblings and Isaiah to a big house that they, Isaiah deadpanned at the name, called the Big house. Annabeth had gone to the Athena cabin while Grover followed the hunters to do who knows what.

As they entered, Isaiah could see the flame crackling in the hearth while the air smelled like chocolate. He could see two men sitting by a table. The first one had curly hair and a brown beard. He was also sitting in a wheelchair.

Wait.

Isaiah narrowed his eyes when he could feel the magic emanating from the wheelchair. The other man was wearing the loudest clothes he had seen in his short life. He wore a neon orange leopard-skin warm-up suit with purple shoes. He also had a laurel wreath tilted sideways on his black curly hair and cards in his hands. However, he could feel the power emanating from him like Artemis and Apollo.

'This man must be a god. Annabeth told me the only god here is Dionysus which must be him.'

The "handicapped" man smiled when he saw the group of kids enter the room,

"Percy! Thalia! These must be..."

Percy spoke,

"Hey Chiron, this is the di Angelo siblings. And this is-"

"A sorcerer! And a young one to boot." Chiron exclaimed as he approached the kids.

"Huh, yeah. How did you know?"

"Well I can feel the Universal energy flowing through him and the formations on the clothes were made by Eldrich magic." He then introduced himself, "Hello children, my name is Chiron and I am the activities director at Camp Half-Blood. And this is Mr. D the camp director."

The god in question simply grunted while intensively looking at his cards.

Isaiah had a feeling that it happened often.

He then asked the newcomers their names.

"My name is Nico! Do you have a card in Mythomagic?"

Chiron looked perplexed,

"I'm sorry young man. I don't know what you are referring to."

Bianca smacked his head,

"Ow!"

"This is not the time to be asking questions about your game." The girl then turned to Chiron, "I'm sorry about my brother Mister Chiron. My name is Bianca. It's a pleasure meeting you."

"It's a pleasure meeting you as a well young lady. We are always happy to see new demigods making their way here."

He then turned to Isaiah.

"My name is Isaiah Sharpe and I am a student of the Sorcerer Supreme."

"Ah, yes. That's her title is it not? Might I ask why you are here? I heard that the Masters of Mystic Arts do not meddle with the Greek world unless it's necessary. Also, I have never seen a child proficient in their art. And you also possess mana which is quite rare." Chiron asked.

"I wanted to explore the world and my teacher let me. I have been raised at Kamar-Taj my whole life so she let me go to experience the world. I then sensed the magic at their school," he said pointing at the siblings," and tried to find out. That's how I got myself here."

"Very well. Then I welcome you to Camp Half-Blood."

"I thought you were supposed to be a centaur. Was I wrong?"

Chiron chuckled,

"Yes, I am a centaur. This wheelchair is simply a magical device to hide my lower body."

"Why?"

"Because I sometimes pose as a teacher for when we find more Half-bloods."

"It's more like he loves cosplaying." Mr. D muttered.

"What was that Mr. D?" the centaur asked with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Nothing, my dear centaur."

"Hm, thoughts so."

At that moment, Grover entered the house,

"The Hunters are all settled in!"

"Oh, good Grover! Why don't you show the newcomers around the camp?"

"Sure! Come on guys, I'll tell you all about this place on the way!"

The three were led out by Grover as he showed everything around while Thalia and Percy stayed behind to recount the events. At one point they arrived in front of the cabins. He started presenting each of them.

"These are the cabins for the children of the gods to live in. Each of them is dedicated to one of the Olympians. The first and second ones are for Zeus and Hera."

"But Hera doesn't have demigod children, so why is that cabin here," asked Isaiah.

"The cabin was built to honor her."

"The Third cabin is Poseidon's and it's Percy's dad. Cabin four is Demeter's who's the goddess of Harvest, agriculture, and seasons. Cabin five is Ares and he's the god of war, bloodlust, and rage. Cabin six is Athena and she's the goddess of Wisdom. Cabin seven is Apollo and he's the god of the sun, music, archery, and many other things. Cabin eight is Artemis and you've met her. Cabin nine is Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths and fire. Cabin ten is Aphrodite who's the goddess of Love and Beauty. Cabin eleven is Hermes and he's the god of thieves and travelers It's also the cabin that accepts everyone who's undetermined or doesn't have a cabin."

"Undetermined?" Bianca asked.

Grover winced,

"Those whose parents didn't claim them."

"Will our dad claim us?" Nico asked.

With a strained smile, Grover replied,

"I'm sure he will claim you soon enough." He turned to the last cabin,

"Finally, that's cabin twelve Dionysus who's the god of wine, madness. And he's also the director of this camp.

"The god of wine and madness is the director of a camp for children. How did that happen?" asked Bianca perplexed.

Grover sighed,

"It's a long story involving a nymph and alcohol."

"Oh."

At that moment, a huge dark-skinned boy full of muscles with large hands full of callouses exited Cabin nine. He also wore a mechanics jumpsuit that was covered in engine oil. He also had a scowl. He reminded Isaiah of a younger and buffer version of Mordo. The boy looked up and saw them.

"Hey, Grover! I see we have new additions. Who're they?" he asked in a gruff voice.

"These two are Nico and Bianca di Angelo! and this is Isaiah Sharpe."

"Siblings! those are rare." the buff boy smiled and pointed to himself. "I'm Charles Beckendorf and I'm the son of Hephaestus and the camp counselor of cabin eight, but you can call me Beckendorf. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood!"

Isaiah spoke,

"Hi, Beckendorf! I'm not a demigod"

The older boy looked at him in surprise,

"You're not a demigod? Then, what are you?"

"I'm human."

"Are you some sort of clear sighted-mortal who found their way here?"

Grover then spoke,

"No, he's a sorcerer from a place called Kamar-Taj. He's simply visiting, I think."

The son of Hephaestus looked at Isaiah in awe,

"You know how to do magic?"

The younger boy nodded,

"Can you show me?"

"Sure."

Isaiah then held out his hand,

"Root, Shine!"

He triggered his magic circuit and cast (Projection). A hammer suddenly appeared in his hand before he handed it to Beckendorf.

"You're the son of Hephaestus, right? Try analyzing this hammer."

The teen looked at it and frowned,

"What is this? It's real, but there is also something else. Like some kind of energy."

"This is a spell called (Projection). It allows me to materialize what I want using my mana."

"No way! You're pulling my leg!"

"But, I'm not touching your legs," Isaiah said confused.

"It's an expression, Isaiah. It means he doesn't believe it." Grover provided helpfully.

"Oh. But I showed it in front of him. Was that not enough?" Isaiah asked.

Grover didn't know what to answer.

Beckendorf then looked at the boy with a serious expression not that it changed his face much. He clasped the sorcerer's shoulder and told Grover.

"Grover, I'm taking him to cabin nine, right now."

"Huh?" the other three let out.

"Let's go, Isaiah!" the buff boy said as he pulled the boy along.

"Wait, Beckendorf! I'm not done showing him around yet!"

"I'll do it in your place!"

Isaiah shrugged before turning to the brother-sister duo.

"I'll meet you guys later," he said before following the son of the Hephaestus.

"Okay!" replied Nico.

Grover sighed,

"That guy. He gets tunnel vision when he sees something that fascinates him. Anyway, come on I haven't shown you the amphitheater yet," he said before starting to walk with Nico following him behind.

Bianca looked to where Isaiah had disappeared and signed before following her brother and Grover.