When Danny woke up, he was sitting in a deck chair on a huge porch, gazing across a meadow at green hills in the distance. The breeze smelled like strawberries. There was a blanket over my legs, a pillow behind his neck. All that was great, but his mouth felt like a chicken did it's business inside of it. His tongue was dry and nasty and every one of his teeth hurt.

On the table next to him was a tall drink. It looked like iced apple juice, with a green straw and a paper parasol stuck through a maraschino cherry. What will you do, if you wake up in unknown place in the middle of nowhere with a full glass near you? You will drink it's contents.

Danny then got up. He was still wearing white and red T-shirt and jeans, Phantom noticed Grover leaning against the porch railing, looking like he hadn't slept in a week. Under one arm, he cradled a shoe box. He was wearing blue jeans, Converse hi-tops and a bright orange T-shirt that said CAMP HALF-BLOOD.

"Hey, Grover," Danny said. Grover was quiet for some time.

"I'm a failure. I'm...I'm the worst satyr in the world," he finally croaked.

They stared across the meadow. There were groves of trees, a winding stream, acres of strawberries spread out under the blue sky. The valley was surrounded by rolling hills, and the tallest one, directly in front of us, was the one with the huge pine tree on top. Even that looked beautiful in the sunlight.

"Grover, that's not your fault," Danny said, "We all are to blame here. Percy for ditching you on the bus stop, me for not killing that bastard sooner"

He hasn't responded. Instead they heard the sound of shaking glass. Turning around, Danny noticed Percy, who was holding glass with shaking hands.

"Careful," Danny warned.

"The Minotaur," was everything Percy said. He noticed Phantom's eyes...and understood that it wasn't a nightmare.

"Urn, Percy, it isn't a good idea..." Grover started.

"That's what they call him in the Greek myths, isn't it?" Percy demanded. "The Minotaur. Half man, half bull."

"How long we have been out?" Danny asked.

Grover shifted uncomfortably. "You've been out for two days. How much do you remember?"

"My mom. Is she really ..."

They looked down. Call Percy sad will be an underestimating of the century.

"I'm sorry," Grover sniffled.

He moaned, stomping his foot so hard it came off. Actually, the Converse hi-top came off. The inside was filled with Styrofoam, except for a hoof-shaped hole.

"Oh, Styx!" he mumbled.

Thunder rolled across the clear sky. Danny couldn't read thoughts, but he didn't need it to know what Percy was thinking about.

"Percy," Phantom said, calling his attention, "Just know that my doors are always opened for you"

"Thanks," he mumbled. Grover was still sniffing, "It wasn't your fault"

"Yes, it was. I was supposed to protect you."

"Did my mother ask you to protect me?". . .

"No. But that's my job. I'm a keeper. At least... I was."

"But why ..." Percy suddenly felt dizzy, his vision swimming.

"Don't strain yourself," Grover said. "Here." He helped him hold the glass and put the straw to his lips. Before Percy knew it, he'd drained the glass.

"Was it good?" Grover asked.

Percy nodded.

"What did it taste like?" Danny asked.

"Sorry," Percy said. "I should've let you taste"

"That's not what I meant. I just... wondered," Danny chuckled, "this stuff tastes differently for everyone"

"Chocolate-chip cookies," he said. "My mom's. Homemade"

"And how do you feel?" Asked Grover.

"Like I could throw Nancy Bobofit a hundred yards"

"That's good," he said. "That's good. I don't think you could risk drinking any more of that stuff"

"What do you mean?"

He took the empty glass from him gingerly, as if it were dynamite, and set it back on the table. "Come on. Chiron and Mr. D are waiting"

The porch wrapped all the way around the farmhouse.

As they came around the opposite end of the house, Percy caught his breath.

They must've been on the north shore of Long Island, because on this side of the house, the valley marched all the way up to the water, which glittered about a mile in the distance. The landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture - an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, a circular arena, except that they all looked brand new, their white marble columns sparkling in the sun. In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school-age kids and satyrs played volleyball. Canoes glided across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts like Grover's were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range. Others rode horses down a wooded trail, and some of their horses had wings. Danny choked his laugh, seeing Percy's shocked face.

"Alright, Percy, go ahead," he gestured to the end of the porch, "I'll wait here"

"You aren't going?" Grover asked.

"Nah, I'll find my way around"

Grover and Percy walked there. After some time Danny got bored and walked to the volleyball pit. Several of the campers nudged each other. One pointed on Phantom.

Most of the campers were older than him. Their satyr friends were bigger than Grover, all of them trotting around in orange CAMPHALF-BLOOD T-shirts, with nothing else to cover their bare shaggy hindquarters. Danny got used to this kind of looks.

"May I join?" He smiled.

"Was it you who killed Minotaur?" Danny rolled his eyes.

"Yes. With this," he lifted his cane and let the blade out. They actually looked surprised, which was weird since they lived in the camp for demigods, "the wood is stronger than you think. So..."

"You are with us!" People shouted from both sides.

And so the game transpired. Danny's opponents had a hard time kicking the ball back on his side. Boy, is he fast. Phantom's fast reaction, which only increased after many fights he had, came in handy. It was an easy win. On the opposite side both humans and satyrs were panting, while Danny hasn't even broken a sweat.

"I hope he stays in our cabin, we wouldn't ever lose in capture the flag again!" Some kid said.

"I think you are forgetting I'm a newbie," Danny chuckled, picking up his cane.

"Well, we have twelve cabins. Each cabin has a different god. Twelve cabins for the twelve Olympians. You live in your godly parent's cabin after you are claimed. Those who aren't claimed yet stay in Hermes cabin"

"Hm, well, we will see, would we?"

Phantom saw Percy walking alongside a centaur. The traits of his face were recognized by Danny, it was Mr. Brunner, or Chiron, which was his real name.

"Thanks for the game guys," Danny said and walked to the two.

"The woods are stocked, if you care to try your luck, but go armed," Chiron said.

"Stocked with what?" Percy asked. "Armed with what?"

"You'll see. Capture the flag is Friday night. Do you have your own sword and shield?"

"My own..."

"No," Chiron said. "I don't suppose you do. I think a size five will do. I'll visit the armory later"

"Is there a place I can make one?" Danny asked, calling their attention, "blade in cane is cool, but I'll need a normal sword," Chiron nodded.

"Yes, we do have a forge"

They walked near the archery range, the canoeing lake, the stables (which Chiron didn't seem to like very much), the javelin range, the sing-along amphitheater, and the arena where Chiron said they held sword and spear fights.

"Sword and spear fights?" Danny asked.

"Cabin challenges and all that," he explained, "Not lethal. Usually. Oh, yes, and there's the mess hall"

Chiron pointed to an outdoor pavilion framed in white Grecian columns on a hill overlooking the sea. There were a dozen stone picnic tables. No roof. No walls.

"What do you do when it rains?" Percy asked.

Chiron looked at him as if I'd gone a little weird, "We still have to eat, don't we?" He decided to drop the subject.

Finally, he showed them the cabins. There were indeed twelve of them, nestled in the woods by the lake. They were arranged in a U, with two at the base and five in a row on either side. And they were without doubt the most bizarre collection of buildings Danny and Percy'd ever seen.

Except for the fact that each had a large brass number above the door (odds on the left side, evens on the right), they looked absolutely nothing alike. Number nine had smokestacks, like a tiny factory. Number four had tomato vines on the walls and a roof made out of real grass. Seven seemed to be made of solid gold, which gleamed so much in the sunlight it was almost impossible to look at. They all faced a commons area about the size of a soccer field, dotted with Greek statues, fountains, flower beds, and a couple of basketball hoops.

In the center of the field was a huge stone-lined firepit. Even though it was a warm afternoon, the hearth smoldered. A girl about nine years old was tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick.

The pair of cabins at the head of the field, numbers one and two, looked like his-and-hers mausoleums, big white marble boxes with heavy columns in front. Cabin one was the biggest and bulkiest of the twelve. Its polished bronze doors shimmered like a hologram, so that from different angles lightning bolts seemed to streak across them. Cabin two was more graceful somehow, with slimmer columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls were carved with images of peacocks.

"Zeus and Hera?" Danny guessed.

"Correct," Chiron said.

"Their cabins look empty," Percy said.

"'Cause they are," Danny answered, "by different reasons. Hera, for example, is the goddess of marriage. She'd never 'cheat' on her husband, so there isn't any kids in her cabin," it was a guess, but he was right.

Percy stopped in front of the first cabin on the left, cabin three.

It wasn't high and mighty like cabin one, but long and low and solid. The outer walls were of rough gray stone studded with pieces of seashell and coral, as if the slabs had been hewn straight from the bottom of the ocean floor. He peeked inside the open doorway and Chiron said, "Oh, I wouldn't do that!"

Before he could pull me back, Percy caught the salty scent of the interior, like the wind on the shore at Montauk. The interior walls glowed like abalone. There were six empty bunk beds with silk sheets turned down. But there was no sign anyone had ever slept there. The place felt so sad and lonely, Chiron put his hand on Percy's shoulder and said, "Come along, Percy."

Danny smirked slightly. Looks like Percy found his cabin.

Most of the other cabins were crowded with campers.

Number five was bright red, a real nasty paint job, as if the color had been splashed on with buckets and fists. The roof was lined with barbed wire. A stuffed wild boar's head hung over the doorway, and its eyes seemed to follow them. Inside Danny could see a bunch of mean-looking kids, both girls and boys, arm wrestling and arguing with each other while rock music blared. The loudest was a girl maybe thirteen or fourteen. She wore a size XXXL CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirt under a camouflage jacket. She zeroed in on Danny and gave him an evil sneer. She reminded Percy and Danny of Nancy Bobofit, though the camper girl was much bigger and tougher looking, and her hair was long and stringy, and brown instead of red.

They kept walking, trying to stay clear of Chiron's hooves. "We haven't seen any other centaurs," Percy observed.

"Centaurs are a wild and barbaric folk, no offense, Chiron," Danny said.

"None taken, since this is sad truth. You might encounter them in the wilderness, or at major sporting events. But you won't see any here"

"You said your name was Chiron. Are you really ..."

He smiled down at Percy, "The Chiron from the stories? Trainer of Hercules and all that? Yes, Percy, I am"

"But, shouldn't you be dead?"

Chiron paused, as if the question intrigued him, "I honestly don't know about should be. The truth is, I can't be dead. You see, eons ago the gods granted my wish. I could continue the work I loved. I could be a teacher of heroes as long as humanity needed me. I gained much from that wish ... and I gave up much. But I'm still here, so I can only assume I'm still needed"

"Doesn't it ever get boring?" Danny asked.

"No, no," he said, "Horribly depressing, at times, but never boring. Oh, look, Annabeth is waiting for us"

The blond girl was reading a book in front of the last cabin on the left, number eleven.

When they reached her, she looked at them over critically.

"Annabeth," Chiron said, "I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy from here?"

"Yes, sir"

"Cabin eleven," Chiron told them, gesturing toward the doorway. "Make yourself at home."

Out of all the cabins, eleven looked the most like a regular old summer camp cabin, with the emphasis on old. The threshold was worn down, the brown paint peeling. Over the doorway was one of those doctor's symbols, a winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it. A caduceus.

Inside, it was packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds. Sleeping bags were spread all over on the floor. It looked like a gym where the Red Cross had set up an evacuation center.

Chiron didn't go in. The door was too low for him. But when the campers saw him they all stood and bowed respectfully.

"Well, then," Chiron said, "Good luck, Percy, Danny. I'll see you at dinner"

He galloped away toward the archery range.

"Well?" Annabeth prompted. "Go on."

So naturally Percy tripped coming in the door and made a total fool of himself. There were some snickers from the campers, but none of them said anything.

Annabeth announced, "Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven"

"And I'm Danny Phantom," he said, stepping inside calmly.

"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked.

Annabeth said, "Undetermined"

Everybody groaned.

A guy who was a little older than the rest came forward. "Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy, Danny. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there"

The guy was about nineteen, and he looked pretty cool. He was tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different-colored clay beads. There was a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash.

"This is Luke," Annabeth said, and her voice sounded different somehow. Percy glanced over and could've sworn she was blushing. She saw him looking, and her expression hardened again, "He's your counselor for now"

"For now?" Percy asked.

"You're undetermined," Luke explained patiently, "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."

They looked at the tiny section of floor they'd given them. Danny had nothing to put there to mark it as his own, no luggage, no clothes, no sleeping bag. Just his cane. He thought about setting that down, but then he remembered that Hermes was also the god of thieves.

Danny looked around at the campers' faces, some sullen and suspicious, some grinning stupidly, some eyeing him as if they were waiting for a chance to pick his pockets. Phantom smirked on the inside, 'then let them' he thought.

"How long will we be here?" Percy asked.

"Good question," Luke said. "Until you're determined."

"How long will that take?"

The campers all laughed. Danny knew that he will stay here, since he doesn't have a 'godly' parent.

"Come on," Annabeth told them, "I'll show you the volleyball court"

"I've already seen it"

"Come on," She grabbed Danny's wrist and dragged him outside, Percy following behind. He could hear the kids of cabin eleven laughing behind them.

When they were a few feet away, Annabeth said, "You have..."

But she hasn't finished her statement, because there was a muffled sound of explosion. It came from inside the cabin.

"What happened?" Percy asked. Danny just stared at the building with hunched shoulders.

"Ancients, I left it for TEN SECONDS and they already tried to steal it!" He said in whiny tone and stomped there.

Everyone jumped in surprise when Danny opened the door. He looked at the twelve years old boy, who was covered in black soot. Boy hasn't moved.

"He will be alright in an hour," Phantom said, picking up his belonging from the floor. He started to walk away, then turned back, standing on the doorstep, "Be warned, EVERYTHING what belongs to me will have the same effect on the thief"

He was walking to Percy and Annabeth, when he saw that the big girl from the ugly red cabin was sauntering toward them. She had three other girls behind her, all big and ugly and mean looking like her, all wearing camo jackets.

"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"

"Sure, Miss Princess," the big girl said. "So I can run you through with it Friday night"

''Erre es korakas! You don't stand a chance"

"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse said, but her eye twitched. Perhaps she wasn't sure she could follow through on the threat. She turned toward Percy, "Who's this little runt?"

"Percy Jackson," Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares"

He blinked. "Like ... the war god?"

Clarisse sneered, "You got a problem with that?"

"Nope," Danny said, coming closer and grinning, "It explains why you smell like pig's sweat"

Clarisse growled, "We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Dinni"

"Danny"

"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you"

"Clarisse..." Annabeth tried to say.

"Stay out of it, wise girl"

Annabeth looked pained, but she did stay out of it, and Percy didn't really want her help. He was the new kid. He had to earn his own rep. Danny thought the same thing.

Before Percy knew it, Clarisse had him by the neck and was dragging him toward a cinder-block building that he knew immediately was the bathroom. Two of her minions, sorry, friends, wanted to do the same to Danny, but he sidestepped easily and tripped them, making them fall in the dirt. He laughed, as well as some bypassers.

"C'mon, it can't be THAT easy"

Girls got up and attacked again. This time Phantom knew that he wouldn't be able to do the same trick twice. He threw the cane by the side and grabbed first one's fist, turned her around, so the second girl punched her right into gut. Danny let wounded enemy go, throwing her at the other enemy, making them fall yet again.

Suddenly, public bathroom's door burst open, and Clarisse, along with her friend flew out of the building. Water was everywhere, it was a flood. Danny and Annabeth looked at each other and walked inside. It was a mess, everything was broken.

Percy, obviously the reason of the flood, stood up, his legs shaky.

Annabeth said, "How did you ..."

"I don't know"

Danny only gave a 'I know something you don't' smile.

They walked to the door. Outside, Clarisse was sprawled in the mud, and a bunch of other campers had gathered around to gawk. Clarisse's hair was flattened across her face. Her camouflage jacket was sopping and she smelled like sewage. She gave Percy a look of absolute hatred, "You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead"

"You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth," Percy said.

"Burned! Erh...drowned?" Danny added.

Her friends had to hold her back. They dragged her toward cabin five, while the other campers made way to avoid her flailing feet.

Annabeth stared at them.

"What?" Percy demanded. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking," she said, "that I want you two on my team for capture the flag"

A.N. If you want, I can publish what I removed from the chapter.