Categories > Books > Percy Jackson and the Olympians > The New Kids: A Story From the Percy Jackson Universe
Chapter 2:
"This way leads to the infirmary where the children of Apollo work. They have the ability to heal people, seeing as Apollo is the God of medicine and sickness, along with a whole bunch of other crap that no one cares to remember." Annabeth yapped. Alex thought she seemed in the zone. Like, when people who know a lot about something, hear another talk about that something, and then start rambling on and on about it. This was what that was. Annabeth knew a lot about this camp, and Alex knew nothing.
He so desperately wanted to get away from here. From her. All the constant noise, and different sights and smells; they all made his head spin uncomfortably. The pair passed beside another path way, where Annabeth stopped, forcing Alex to stop as well. "This trail here leads down to the cabins. That's where all of us sleep. Whatever God is your parent, that's the cabin you sleep in. But, we'll discuss that topic later. After we get you checked out." She turned and continued on to the infirmary.
Alex didn't follow.
He had grown tired of following her around like a helpless puppy. He didn't know why his father had sent him to this camp, but he didn't like it. Not one bit. He needed to get out of that place, and fast. So, instead of trailing behind the girl, he took the trail to the cabins. At fist, he thought someone would point him out, shout that he didn't belong. (Mainly because everyone there wore bright orange t-shirts.) But nobody stopped him. He just strolled on right through towards the housing. Down at the bottom of the hill, where he was finally on somewhat leveled ground, he looked up at all the different houses that towered above him.
One cabin immediately caught his eye, and maybe that was because it was all shades of purplish-blues and pinks, with bows hanging down like Christmas lights and brand new looking plants hanging on the windows. A few brunettes walked out the door, each wearing a pink bow on their heads with pink polished nails and bright pink lipstick. Didn't really go with the orange t-shirt that well but somehow, they made it look like a fashion trend. Definitely Aphrodite. Alex thought.
Trailing passed, his eyes settled on another one, but this house was darker. A thick black coat with wooden support beams and a skull hanging above the front door. And what seemed like whispers, multiple whispers, followed him as he passed and crawled up his back and into his ears. Hades. Alex thought then, walking a little faster. All the other cabins were just as unique, with their own sets of colors and accessories. It was cool, even if he didn't necessarily like it here. He walked and walked, passing up groups of laughing friends, passing up multiple different cabins, until he saw the arch again.
Bingo. Alex was almost free. His pace quickened as he stood a little taller and walked even faster. But just as he almost got to the bottom of the hill, a glint in the sun caught his eye. Making him stop and turning his head. The glint, as it seemed, had been the sun reflecting off of a shiny golden material. A shiny golden material that happened to have three sharp points on it. That stood at least three feet taller than Alex himself. A trident. And not just any trident. The Trident. His father's trident. Alex's feet lead him slowly to the cabin that held it. The walls a sea green, with dark wood accents, a nice even porch.
It was like, seeing his room again. Except it was an entire cabin and not an itty-bitty space. He walked up to the porch, hand tracing the railing as if he were touching something forbidden. Something he knew he shouldn't be touching, but touched it anyway. He turned to face the door behind him, a symbol was imbedded in the wood in a bronze metal. It was a circle with a trident going through it. Why in the world does Poseidon love these things so much. He shifted his gave back to the life-sized trident on the porch. It leaned against the walk next to the door. He imagined the way it's surface would feel. The cool smooth material. He imagined the weight it would have, and he knew it would be heavy. Reaching out a hand to touch it, Alex shuffled a few inches closer.
And, of course. Just before his fingers brushed it, a shout came from behind him. And then he was pulled back, very forcefully, and knocked all the way off the porch and onto the ground a few feet away. The force from hitting the ground knocked the air out of him. He gasped, rolling to his stomach, fighting for air. A burning pain shot through his side. "Don't touch my trident, demon." A strained voice came from above him. Sitting up, he looked to where the voice had been.
He thought he was hallucinating. Maybe this part was a dream that the trident was making him have. He'd heard about objects being able to do things like that. But no, he was looking at what seemed like an older version of himself. With a taller build, shorter hair, and more blue than green eyes. "That's impossible..." Alex whispered to himself. The other boy though, just held out a bronze sword toward him, slowly edging forward. Oh. He was going to kill him. Alex scrambled to his feet and withdrew his own sword.
"Look, I don't want to fight you." Alex started. The boy spat to his left. "I don't know how you got in here or how you can change to look like me, but I won't let you hurt my camp." Alex had a bad feeling beat through his head. Shaking his head, he inched off his back pack.
"You got it all wrong. I'm not a shapeshifter." Alex called, trying to reason with him. The boy didn't listen. Instead, he rushed forward, colliding his sword with Alex's. Alex didn't want to fight this guy, but he was leaving him no choice. Alex stepped around the guy, putting his foot in-between his wide stance and turned behind him, pushing the boy over his own two feet. The boy stumbled forward but quickly recovered, spinning around to fight back. He knocked Alex to the ground a second time, sparred his sword from his hand, and set a foot on his chest ready to strike him down.
Alex's heart pounded against his ribs, his breathing came out in quick, shallow breaths. He was actually about to die. He knew coming here was a bad idea. And now he was about to be killed because he looked like this guy. The boy brought down his sword sideways, forcing Alex to brace his hands against the blade. It cut into his palms, thin lines of red blood running down his wrists and onto his sweater. He struggled against the force of the boy. His arms shaking as the blade came closer to his neck. Alex wiggled under the pressure. I have to find a way out. He thought. In the corner of his eye, he caught glimpse of his sword.
Then, in a swift move, Alex rolled out from underneath the boy, to his sword and held it up defensively. His hands burned where the other's sword cut into them. They both breathed heavily, and at that moment he realized a crowd had gathered around them. All staring in awe at how alike both boys looked. "I really don't want to fight you." Alex tried again. He went to sheath his sword but the other struck. Alex brung his own sword up to block and counter. It suddenly got loud. Really loud as the sounds of the swords clinked together and the shouts and cheers rose from their peers.
They fought for so long, sweat beaded down both of their faces, and both swords had streaks of blood from where they struck each other. Alex was tired. He had never fought anyone like this before. And even if his father had trained him up in the best way possible. It was very different fighting someone who wished him harm than someone who didn't. Alex's body ached, both of his arms burned. He lowered the tip of his sword to the ground. "I...can't...fight you....anymore..." He breathed. The boy took this as an opening and dashed forward, battle cry and everything.
But he never reached him.
In fact, he wasn't even close to Alex when the boy flew back a couple inches. "Woah, woah, woah, woah. Calm the fuck down, Percy." The boy said. His arms were outstretched in between the both of them, his hair cropped short. He was blonde. Like Annabeth, but far more attractive. His golden eyes glanced from the boy, who he now knew was Percy, and himself. He also happened to be wearing a bright orange shirt and blue jeans. Was this some sort of dress code? Alex filed that question away for later. If there even was a later. "What in the world is going on here?" The guy asked. Percy pointed his blade at me. "The shapeshifter somehow got onto camp grounds and I was gonna kill it before it did any damage, but it fights like me. Bleeds like me. It even changed to look similar to me."
Alex let out a tired and frustrated groan. "For the last time, I am not a shapeshifter. My name is Alex, son of Poseidon. He sent me here because of the monsters attacking our house. Now will everyone please get off my ass. Gods." The crowd around them froze like mannequins. Percy froze. The guy in the middle of us froze. It suddenly got uncomfortably quiet. "You're what?" Percy asked, the first to break the silence. Alex arched an eyebrow in confusion. "Alex? Son of Poseidon?" Percy let his blade fall to the grass. His eyes and mouth open wide. The guy in between them both lowered his arms and gawked at him in a strange sense of awe. Alex shifted uneasily under all the stares he was getting from his peers.
"What?" He finally asked. Percy took an unsteady step towards Alex, his breath shaky and his hands trembling. "I just tried to kill my brother." He muttered. It felt as if a wall had hit Alex's chest. He did a triple-take. "Excuse me? Did you just say 'brother'?" Percy brought a hand to his mouth in shame. "My name is Percy Jackson. Son of Poseidon." Alex stared at Percy. Percy stared at Alex. The both exchanged the same look with both of their minds thinking the same thing. I have a brother?!
"This way leads to the infirmary where the children of Apollo work. They have the ability to heal people, seeing as Apollo is the God of medicine and sickness, along with a whole bunch of other crap that no one cares to remember." Annabeth yapped. Alex thought she seemed in the zone. Like, when people who know a lot about something, hear another talk about that something, and then start rambling on and on about it. This was what that was. Annabeth knew a lot about this camp, and Alex knew nothing.
He so desperately wanted to get away from here. From her. All the constant noise, and different sights and smells; they all made his head spin uncomfortably. The pair passed beside another path way, where Annabeth stopped, forcing Alex to stop as well. "This trail here leads down to the cabins. That's where all of us sleep. Whatever God is your parent, that's the cabin you sleep in. But, we'll discuss that topic later. After we get you checked out." She turned and continued on to the infirmary.
Alex didn't follow.
He had grown tired of following her around like a helpless puppy. He didn't know why his father had sent him to this camp, but he didn't like it. Not one bit. He needed to get out of that place, and fast. So, instead of trailing behind the girl, he took the trail to the cabins. At fist, he thought someone would point him out, shout that he didn't belong. (Mainly because everyone there wore bright orange t-shirts.) But nobody stopped him. He just strolled on right through towards the housing. Down at the bottom of the hill, where he was finally on somewhat leveled ground, he looked up at all the different houses that towered above him.
One cabin immediately caught his eye, and maybe that was because it was all shades of purplish-blues and pinks, with bows hanging down like Christmas lights and brand new looking plants hanging on the windows. A few brunettes walked out the door, each wearing a pink bow on their heads with pink polished nails and bright pink lipstick. Didn't really go with the orange t-shirt that well but somehow, they made it look like a fashion trend. Definitely Aphrodite. Alex thought.
Trailing passed, his eyes settled on another one, but this house was darker. A thick black coat with wooden support beams and a skull hanging above the front door. And what seemed like whispers, multiple whispers, followed him as he passed and crawled up his back and into his ears. Hades. Alex thought then, walking a little faster. All the other cabins were just as unique, with their own sets of colors and accessories. It was cool, even if he didn't necessarily like it here. He walked and walked, passing up groups of laughing friends, passing up multiple different cabins, until he saw the arch again.
Bingo. Alex was almost free. His pace quickened as he stood a little taller and walked even faster. But just as he almost got to the bottom of the hill, a glint in the sun caught his eye. Making him stop and turning his head. The glint, as it seemed, had been the sun reflecting off of a shiny golden material. A shiny golden material that happened to have three sharp points on it. That stood at least three feet taller than Alex himself. A trident. And not just any trident. The Trident. His father's trident. Alex's feet lead him slowly to the cabin that held it. The walls a sea green, with dark wood accents, a nice even porch.
It was like, seeing his room again. Except it was an entire cabin and not an itty-bitty space. He walked up to the porch, hand tracing the railing as if he were touching something forbidden. Something he knew he shouldn't be touching, but touched it anyway. He turned to face the door behind him, a symbol was imbedded in the wood in a bronze metal. It was a circle with a trident going through it. Why in the world does Poseidon love these things so much. He shifted his gave back to the life-sized trident on the porch. It leaned against the walk next to the door. He imagined the way it's surface would feel. The cool smooth material. He imagined the weight it would have, and he knew it would be heavy. Reaching out a hand to touch it, Alex shuffled a few inches closer.
And, of course. Just before his fingers brushed it, a shout came from behind him. And then he was pulled back, very forcefully, and knocked all the way off the porch and onto the ground a few feet away. The force from hitting the ground knocked the air out of him. He gasped, rolling to his stomach, fighting for air. A burning pain shot through his side. "Don't touch my trident, demon." A strained voice came from above him. Sitting up, he looked to where the voice had been.
He thought he was hallucinating. Maybe this part was a dream that the trident was making him have. He'd heard about objects being able to do things like that. But no, he was looking at what seemed like an older version of himself. With a taller build, shorter hair, and more blue than green eyes. "That's impossible..." Alex whispered to himself. The other boy though, just held out a bronze sword toward him, slowly edging forward. Oh. He was going to kill him. Alex scrambled to his feet and withdrew his own sword.
"Look, I don't want to fight you." Alex started. The boy spat to his left. "I don't know how you got in here or how you can change to look like me, but I won't let you hurt my camp." Alex had a bad feeling beat through his head. Shaking his head, he inched off his back pack.
"You got it all wrong. I'm not a shapeshifter." Alex called, trying to reason with him. The boy didn't listen. Instead, he rushed forward, colliding his sword with Alex's. Alex didn't want to fight this guy, but he was leaving him no choice. Alex stepped around the guy, putting his foot in-between his wide stance and turned behind him, pushing the boy over his own two feet. The boy stumbled forward but quickly recovered, spinning around to fight back. He knocked Alex to the ground a second time, sparred his sword from his hand, and set a foot on his chest ready to strike him down.
Alex's heart pounded against his ribs, his breathing came out in quick, shallow breaths. He was actually about to die. He knew coming here was a bad idea. And now he was about to be killed because he looked like this guy. The boy brought down his sword sideways, forcing Alex to brace his hands against the blade. It cut into his palms, thin lines of red blood running down his wrists and onto his sweater. He struggled against the force of the boy. His arms shaking as the blade came closer to his neck. Alex wiggled under the pressure. I have to find a way out. He thought. In the corner of his eye, he caught glimpse of his sword.
Then, in a swift move, Alex rolled out from underneath the boy, to his sword and held it up defensively. His hands burned where the other's sword cut into them. They both breathed heavily, and at that moment he realized a crowd had gathered around them. All staring in awe at how alike both boys looked. "I really don't want to fight you." Alex tried again. He went to sheath his sword but the other struck. Alex brung his own sword up to block and counter. It suddenly got loud. Really loud as the sounds of the swords clinked together and the shouts and cheers rose from their peers.
They fought for so long, sweat beaded down both of their faces, and both swords had streaks of blood from where they struck each other. Alex was tired. He had never fought anyone like this before. And even if his father had trained him up in the best way possible. It was very different fighting someone who wished him harm than someone who didn't. Alex's body ached, both of his arms burned. He lowered the tip of his sword to the ground. "I...can't...fight you....anymore..." He breathed. The boy took this as an opening and dashed forward, battle cry and everything.
But he never reached him.
In fact, he wasn't even close to Alex when the boy flew back a couple inches. "Woah, woah, woah, woah. Calm the fuck down, Percy." The boy said. His arms were outstretched in between the both of them, his hair cropped short. He was blonde. Like Annabeth, but far more attractive. His golden eyes glanced from the boy, who he now knew was Percy, and himself. He also happened to be wearing a bright orange shirt and blue jeans. Was this some sort of dress code? Alex filed that question away for later. If there even was a later. "What in the world is going on here?" The guy asked. Percy pointed his blade at me. "The shapeshifter somehow got onto camp grounds and I was gonna kill it before it did any damage, but it fights like me. Bleeds like me. It even changed to look similar to me."
Alex let out a tired and frustrated groan. "For the last time, I am not a shapeshifter. My name is Alex, son of Poseidon. He sent me here because of the monsters attacking our house. Now will everyone please get off my ass. Gods." The crowd around them froze like mannequins. Percy froze. The guy in the middle of us froze. It suddenly got uncomfortably quiet. "You're what?" Percy asked, the first to break the silence. Alex arched an eyebrow in confusion. "Alex? Son of Poseidon?" Percy let his blade fall to the grass. His eyes and mouth open wide. The guy in between them both lowered his arms and gawked at him in a strange sense of awe. Alex shifted uneasily under all the stares he was getting from his peers.
"What?" He finally asked. Percy took an unsteady step towards Alex, his breath shaky and his hands trembling. "I just tried to kill my brother." He muttered. It felt as if a wall had hit Alex's chest. He did a triple-take. "Excuse me? Did you just say 'brother'?" Percy brought a hand to his mouth in shame. "My name is Percy Jackson. Son of Poseidon." Alex stared at Percy. Percy stared at Alex. The both exchanged the same look with both of their minds thinking the same thing. I have a brother?!
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