Any suggestions?

I walked toward the Athena cabin with my half-brothers and half-sisters. The s’mores at the night time campfire had been delicious. I was joking with Malcom when I saw some movement in the bushes to my right. “I’ll be right back, guys.” I walked toward the bushes. I called out softly, “Who’s there? Come on, I saw you move the bushes.” A teenage boy crept out of the bushes. “Who are you?” I asked.

“M-m-me? I’m J-J-Jacob. I’m l-l-looking for my f-f-family. I saw a b-b-boy and I had a pr-pr-prompting to follow him. So h-h-here I am. Who are y-y-you?”

“I’m Annabeth. Come on, now that you’re here, I should you to Chiron. And you’re probably really cold.” I helped him off the ground.

“Who’s Ch-Ch-Chiron?”
“Our camp's activities director. Don’t worry, our main camp director, Mr. D., probably won’t vaporize you.”

“WHAT?!”

“Relax.” I said in a soothing tone.

“But you j-j-just said he could v-v-vaporize me!” Jacob sounded really worried.

“He won’t unless you bother him.”

“Okay, th-th-then…” Jacob stepped out into the light. He was obviously older than thirteen. His dark brown hair had bangs that went over his eyes. How could he see through that hair? His skin was a pale brown color. “L-l-let’s go see th-these all-powerful s-s-summer camp d-d-directors.”

As we walked towards the Big House, I asked, “So where are you from?”

“I d-d-don’t know. I w-woke up on the side of the r-r-road just past th-th-that hill over th-there.” He pointed toward Half-Blood Hill.

“You have to be a half-blood, otherwise you wouldn’t’ve made it past the border.”

“What’s a h-h-half-blood?”

“A half-blood. Or a demigod. You couldn’t be mortal and just walk through the magical borders… Well, Rachel could, but she’s the Oracle.”

“The ora-wh-wh-what?”

“The Oracle of Delphi. We’re here.” I walked inside. “Chiron? Chiron, I need to talk to you.”

Chiron trotted in. “Yes, Annabeth. What is it…? Oh.”

Jacob stood there staring at Chiron’s white stallion body. “That guy is… that guy is… that guy is a horse!”

Chiron sighed. “No, I am not a horse. I am a centaur.”

“Half horse, half human.” Jacob said.

I stared at him. “How’d you know that? You said you woke up on the other side of Half-Blood Hill with no memory at all!”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just… knew it, somehow.”

Chiron looked at me. “You say he woke of on the other side of Half-Blood Hill? With no memories?”

I nodded. “And I don’t think it was like Jason and Percy ‘no memories,’ but no memories. Period.” I looked at Jacob. “That’s what you meant, right?”

He shrugged. “I woke up on the other side of that hill only knowing my first name.”

I looked back at Chiron. “See? That’s not like Jason’s and Percy’s no memory. Jason knew he wasn’t supposed to be there, and Percy… Percy remembered my name.”

Chiron studied Jacob. “We should go visit Rachel.”

“Rachel? Who’s Rachel?” Jacob said.

“Rachel’s the only mortal that could come into camp, remember? I told you about her on the way here.”

He had to think about it for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, I think you mentioned her… She’s the oracle, right?”

“Yeah. Now we can go meet her. If she knew, she would want see him. And since she doesn’t know, she would want to know. I know she would. Is she still in her room?” I asked Chiron.

“Yes, but you may want to talk to her in the morning. She might give you a prophecy.” He answered.

“Alright, then!” I said. “Let’s go to sleep. See you both in the morning.” I walked back toward the Athena cabin, wondering what Chiron obviously knew and definitely didn’t want to share with us.

It took me a long time to fall asleep.

Notes