The Legacy of the Sky, Book 2: Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A God Ruins my Life
My year had been a good one, right up until I was almost burned alive.

Wait, I should probably back up.

I was staying at Camp Half-Blood, the safe haven for demigods, the children of Greek gods, for the whole year, as I had no real family or life to go back to. I happily spent my days sword fighting, rock climbing, firing arrows, hellhound-handling, and riding pegasi for the whole year. My best friend from before we came to camp, Elissa Matheson, daughter of Apollo, had decided to live with her family and still go to school, so I spent a lot of my time with someone I had met last summer, Elizabeth Johnson, daughter of Athena. We met at the fireworks show on the fourth of July last summer, and we became quick friends. I also became quick friends with the only other child of the Big Three at camp, Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon.

I was taking a stroll alone on the beach when I ran into him. Even though he was three years older than me, we hung around like old buddies. He had just come to camp because his school had let him off for Christmas break early, so he and his girlfriend, Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, could spend an extended time together.

“I knew you were coming early, I didn’t know you were here already,” I called out to him, and he looked over his shoulder to find me climbing over the sand to him. He grinned as he looked back out at the water.

“I’m surprised that you’re not with your girlfriend,” he said playfully. I stiffened slightly, but then relaxed, realising he was teasing me.

“I’ve told everybody at this camp, I don’t have a girlfriend,” I said, rolling my eyes, getting tired of saying it after four months of the question.

“Yeah, whatever,” Percy mocked.

“Geez, life is never boring for a child of Zeus, is it?” I asked.

“No, and it’s not easier for Poseidon’s kids either” he countered. We stood together in silence for several minutes, taking in the salty sea air. The sea calmed both of us down, Percy because he was the son of the god of the sea, and me because I used to live on the West coast beach in Canada before my mother died. That was almost eleven years ago.

We were knocked out of our calm stupor by the clopping of hooves. We both turned to find our camp activities director, Chiron the centaur, galloping towards us. He had a grim look on his face.

“Our camp director, Mr. D. has returned,” Chiron said, not sounding very pleased about it. Percy groaned too. I, however, was unfamiliar with Mr. D.

“Um, who’s Mr. D?” I ask Chiron, but Percy answers.

“Dionysus, the god of wine,” he says quietly. “One of my least favourite gods.”

“Why is the god of wine the camp director?” I ask in disbelief. Even in this world, it sounds a little crazy.

“Long story, but now he can’t drink wine and he’s stuck here for the next fifty years,” Percy explained, and Chiron led the way back to the Big House, but he stopped in the commons area.

“Would all senior counsellors, or their winter substitutes, please report to the Big House!” he called out loud enough for everybody to hear. Campers from every cabin came out kind of reluctantly, not wanting to get up this early on a Saturday. We followed the millennia old centaur up to the baby blue coloured mansion near the entrance of the camp. The approximately twenty people all instinctively filed into the Big House’s rec room, and someone was waiting for us. He was one of the worst dressed people I had ever seen. He was pretty pudgy and his watery and bloodshot eyes indicated that he had been drinking. He was wearing a tiger striped Hawaiian shirt, and purple running shoes and shorts. He waved a can of Diet Coke in the air.

“Miss me?”

It appeared that nobody had. Not a single demigod answered his question. He took a long swig of Diet Coke and crunched the can in his hand.

“I didn’t miss here!” he exclaimed loudly. There were a bunch of chairs, but nobody took a seat, like they were all ready to get out as soon as possible. It was clear that Mr. D. was not the most likable person at camp.

“Um, excuse my bluntness, but why exactly are you here, seemingly making everybody miserable?” I asked, being completely honest with him.

“Well excuse me, Michael Adderson,” Dionysus started.

“Matthew Anderson,” I corrected, but Percy nudged me in the side and shook his head, like it was some hopeless effort.

“Whatever. I don’t need some upstart demigod think that he can judge me just because we have the same daddy,” he glared into me, actual purple flames dancing in his eyes. “Don’t think I don’t know about the son of Zeus. Let’s see, you lived in Sydney, BC, Canada, before your mother died when you were three years old. You’ve lived with foster families and gone to boarding schools in the United States for the remainder of your life until you came to Camp Half-Blood last summer. How am I doin’ so far kid?”

“Surprisingly well for someone who doesn’t know my name,” I said back innocently. Percy nudged me again, harder.

“Oh, Aphrodite doesn’t stop talking about you. Some big surprises for you. Whatever that means. She never elaborates,” Dionysus said with a role of his eyes. “We understand that you successfully located the current biggest threat to the gods,” he added lazily.

“Yeah, I found them months ago,” I said.

“Yes, and we are all so proud,” Mr. D. said with mocking congratulations. “But now we don’t know what they’re exactly planning, thanks to somebody showing them that the gods know.”

“That wasn’t our fault!” spoke up someone from the back, and I only just realised that Lily Pierce, daughter of Demeter and head counsellor for the cabin, was in the room. She was with me, along with Elissa, on our quest to find the camp for the children of the Titans, or the demi-titans.

“But it was. Any way, we somehow found out before they reinforced there magical barriers that even they are having a little trouble getting their parents on board with them,” he said, still looking bored.

“Care to elaborate on these unwilling Titans?” Percy asked patiently.

“Well, for one, Prometheus, the slimy weasel.”

Chapter 2: Rebecca gets a Present