Percy soon falls into a routine: Annabeth teaches Percy to read Greek in the mornings, and then Percy tries outdoor activities. He’s not particularly good at anything but canoeing, which isn’t a heroic skill. Campers watch him for some clue of who his dad is, which gets old, but Percy decides that he likes camp. He tries not to think about Mom, but he decides that if the gods are real, there must be a way to bring her back. He also begins to understand Luke’s resentment of Hermes. Percy wonders why his dad can’t just conjure a phone and call.The Hermes cabin meets Luke for a sword-fighting lesson. Percy does okay, but none of the blades feel right. Luke divides everyone into pairs and takes Percy; other campers warn Percy that Luke is the best swordsman in the last 300 years. They’re right: Percy is sweating by the time Luke calls a break. When Percy sees Luke pour water on his head, he does the same. It makes Percy feel strong. Then, Luke calls Percy up to help demonstrate a disarming technique. He demonstrates slowly, and then they spar in real time. Percy finds that sparring feels easy—but soon, the sword starts to get heavy again. Percy attempts the maneuver and succeeds. When they try again, Percy feels weak and doesn’t stand a chance.On Friday, Percy and Grover sit by the lake. Percy asks how Grover’s conversation with Mr. D went. Grover turns yellow but says it went fine. Percy says that Chiron mentioned Grover’s big career plans, and he asks if Grover got the credit for his keeper’s assignment. Grover sadly says that Mr. D decided that this assignment isn’t over yet; if Percy were to get a quest he’d have to go too—but the chances of a quest are slim. Percy assures Grover that he would take him along if he got a quest, and then they discuss the gods and the cabins. Grover explains that Artemis and Hera have honorary cabins while Hades has no cabin, being the god of the Underworld. Grover says that after World War II, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades—the Big Three—swore on the River Styx that they wouldn’t father any more heroesGrover says that Zeus messed up and had a daughter named Thalia 17 years ago. Children of Big Three attract more monsters anyway, but Thalia was also cursed because of Zeus’s broken promise. Hades let monsters out of Tartarus to torment her, and Thalia’s keeper couldn’t keep her safe—at the top of the hill above camp, Thalia told her keeper to take the other two half-bloods traveling with them to safety while she held off the monsters. She died in this battle, and Zeus turned her into the pine tree in the valley beneath the hill. Percy feels hollow; Thalia’s story makes his victory over the Minotaur seem small. He asks if heroes have gone on quests to the Underworld, but Grover becomes suspicious. Percy changes the subject and asks if satyrs always guard demigods. Grover explains that they try to identify kids of the Big Three, but he tells himself that Percy can’t be the son of anyone powerful.After dinner, it’s time for capture the flag. Annabeth carries in a huge, gray banner, while Clarisse presents a red one. Percy finds Luke and asks whose side they’re on. Luke says that tonight, they’re allied with Athena, along with the Apollo cabin. Ares has the other cabins. Chiron announces the rules, and battle equipment suddenly appears on the tables. Luke helps Percy find a shield and helmet, and then Percy follows his team into the woods. He tries to ask Annabeth what the plan is, but she only says that Percy’s job is to stay away from Clarisse’s spear and to stand on guard duty by the creek. Percy feels like an idiot and like the game will be awful when he sees a teammate run past him—he’ll miss all the fun as a guard.Percy hears a terrifying animal noise; then, four Ares warriors and Clarisse leap out. They surround Percy, and Clarisse stabs at him with her spear. Percy protects himself with his shield, but he realizes that her spear is electrified. The Ares warriors kick Percy to the ground and insist that they don’t care about the flag—they care about Percy, since he humiliated them.
