Annabeth showed them a few more places: the metal shop (where kids were forging their own swords and Danny made a mental note to visit later), the arts-and-crafts room (where satyrs were sandblasting a giant marble statue of a goat-man), and the climbing wall, which actually consisted of two facing walls that shook violently, dropped boulders, sprayed lava, and clashed together if you didn't get to the top fast enough.

Finally they returned to the canoeing lake, where the trail led back to the cabins.

"I've got training to do," Annabeth said flatly. "Dinner's at seven-thirty. Just follow your cabin to the mess hall"

"Annabeth, I'm sorry about the toilets"

"Whatever."

"It wasn't my fault"

She looked at him skeptically.

"Well, if being here doesn't work out, you will make an awesome plumber," Phantom said, smirking.

"You need to talk to the Oracle," Annabeth said. Danny snorted.

"Who?" Percy asked.

"Not who. What. The Oracle. I'll ask Chiron"

Percy stared into the lake, wishing somebody would give him a straight answer for once.

He noticed two teenage girls sitting cross-legged at the base of the pier, about twenty feet below. They wore blue jeans and shimmering green T-shirts, and their brown hair floated loose around their shoulders as minnows darted in and out. They smiled and waved as if Percy was a long-lost friend. He waved back.

"Don't encourage them," Annabeth warned, "Naiads are terrible flirts"

"There is actually a more appropriate word, but I can't say it," Danny said.

"Naiads," Percy repeated, "That's it. I want to go home now"

Annabeth frowned, "Don't you get it, Percy? You are home. This is the only safe place on earth for kids like us"

"You mean, mentally disturbed kids?"

"I mean not human. Not totally human, anyway. Half-human"

"Half-human and half-what?" Danny facepalmed. His nephew is even more clueless than him.

"Seriously, Percy, stop acting like an idiot"

"God," he said, "Half-god," Phantom threw his hands in the air, shouting 'finally!'.

"But those are just...But if all the kids here are half-gods..."

"Demigods," Annabeth said, "That's the official term. Or half-bloods"

"Then who's your dad?"

"My dad is a professor at West Point," she said hardly, "I haven't seen him since I was very small. He teaches American history"

"He's human"

"What? You assume it has to be a male god who finds a human female attractive? How sexist is that?"

"A lot," Danny agreed.

"Who's your mom, then?" Percy asked.

"Athena, am I right?" Phantom guessed. Annabeth blinked.

"Yes, you are"

"And what about my dad?"

"You are Undetermined," Danny said, "which means you should wait until your father, whoever he is, will claim you. I MIGHT have a theory, but we will see, we don't want to be embarrassed"

"And you?" Phantom shrugged.

"Dunno, I was adopted," he told his cover story. Danny didn't know why it was like that.

Annabeth then told them more about camp's system. Some kids stay here only for summer, some are 'year-rounders'. These are ones who attract monsters in the mortal world. Monsters sense them. They come to challenge kids. Most of the time, they'll ignore them until they're old enough to cause trouble - about ten or eleven years old, but after that, most demigods either make their way here, or they get killed off. So they live here all the time.

There is also the fact that some demigods are left unclaimed.

"So, they just leave them like that?" Danny asked, eyebrows raised.

"The gods are busy. They have a lot of kids and they don't always ... Well, sometimes they don't care about us, Danny. They ignore us," Annabeth said, running her palm along the rail. Phantom shook his head.

"Why do I have a feeling that this policy wouldn't end well?"

"Are you a year-rounder?" Percy asked.

Annabeth nodded. From under the collar of her T-shirt she pulled a leather necklace with five clay beads of different colors. It was just like Luke's, except Annabeth's also had a big gold ring strung on it, like a college ring.

"I've been here since I was seven," she said. "Every August, on the last day of summer session, you get a bead for surviving another year. I've been here longer than most of the counselors, and they're all in college."

"So ... I could just walk out of here right now if I wanted to?" Danny said.

"It would be suicide, but you could, with Mr. D's or Chiron's permission. But they wouldn't give permission until the end of the summer session unless ..."

"Unless?"

"You were granted a quest. But that hardly ever happens. The last time ..."

Her voice trailed off. They could tell from her tone that the last time hadn't gone well.

"Back in the sick room," Percy said, "when you were feeding me that stuff..."

"Ambrosia"

"Yeah. You asked me something about the summer solstice"

Annabeth's shoulders tensed, "So you do know something?"

"Well... no. Back at my old school, I overheard Grover and Chiron talking about it. Grover mentioned the summer solstice. He said something like we didn't have much time, because of the deadline. What did that mean?"

She clenched her fists, "I wish I knew. Chiron and the satyrs, they know, but they won't tell me. Something is wrong in Olympus, something pretty major. Last time I was there, everything seemed so normal"

"You've been to Olympus?"

"Some of us year-rounders - Luke and Clarisse and I and a few others - we took a field trip during winter solstice. That's when the gods have their big annual council"

"But... how did you get there?"

"The Long Island Railroad, of course. You get off at Penn Station. Empire State Building, special elevator to the six hundredth floor. You are a New Yorkers, right?"

"Sure," boys said at the same moment.

"Right after we visited," Annabeth continued, "the weather got weird, as if the gods had started fighting. A couple of times since, I've overheard satyrs talking. The best I can figure out is that something important was stolen. And if it isn't returned by summer solstice, there's going to be trouble. When you came, I was hoping ... I mean, Athena can get along with just about anybody, except for Ares. And of course she's got the rivalry with Poseidon. But, I mean, aside from that, I thought we could work together. I thought you might know something"

"I've got to get a quest," Annabeth muttered to herself. "I'm not too young. If they would just tell me the problem ..."

"Ya know," Danny said, "I think I can come up with something to find out"

"How?" He only smiled mysteriously.

Phantom could smell barbecue smoke coming from somewhere nearby. Annabeth walked somewhere, leaving Danny and Percy alone. They walked back to cabin eleven. The counselor, Luke, came over.

"Found you a sleeping bags," he said. "And here, I stole you some toiletries from the camp store"

Danny raised an eyebrow and took the bag.

"I think I'm gonna sleep on the street, not to offend, I just need fresh air," he said.

"I don't recommend you to do that," Luke stopped him.

"Why?"

"Harpies. On the street after curfew? They will get you," Danny laughed, surprising people around.

"I think I will take my chances," he said and walked away.

At the pavilion, torches blazed around the marble columns. A central fire burned in a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub. Each cabin had its own table, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. Four of the tables were empty, but cabin eleven's was way overcrowded. Danny had to squeeze on to the edge of a bench with half his butt hanging off. He saw Annabeth sitting at table six with a bunch of serious-looking athletic kids, all with her gray eyes and honey-blond hair. Clarisse sat behind him at Ares's table. Danny saw a bunch of eleventh cabin's members coming, along with Percy.

Finally, Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, and everybody fell silent. He raised a glass. "To the gods!"

Everybody else raised their glasses. "To the gods!"

Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food: grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, fresh bread, and barbecue! Danny's glass was empty, but some kid near him said, "Speak to it. Whatever you want-nonalcoholic, of course"

"Whatever I want, hm? Caipirinha"

The glass was filled by sparkling green substance. People looked at him strangely.

"It's Brazilian cocktail," Danny said, "I tried it once. But THIS is nonalcoholic version, sadly"

He drank a toast to his father. Danny loaded his plate and was about to take a big bite when he noticed everybody getting up, carrying their plates toward the fire in the center of the pavilion. Offerings.

Danny wondered if it would work. He approached the fire and tossed in a cluster of fat red grapes, "Clockwork," he muttered quietly, so no one will hear. Phantom doubted it was his father's birth name, since clocks weren't invented back then, but Time Lord never told him it.

Burning food smelled surprisingly tasty. It smelled of hot chocolate and fresh-baked brownies, hamburgers on the grill and wildflowers, and a hundred other good things that shouldn't have gone well together, but did.

When everybody had returned to their seats and finished eating their meals, Chiron pounded his hoof again for their attention.

Mr. D got up with a huge sigh, "Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels"

A bunch of ugly cheering rose from the Ares table.

"Personally," Mr. D continued, "I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have a new campers today. Peter Johnson and Dennis Fenton"

Chiron murmured something.

"Er, Percy Jackson and Danny Phantom," Dionysus corrected, "That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on"

-Later-

When Percy has returned to the cabin, he was greeted by unexpected sight. Danny was standing in front of laughing kids.

"Tell another one!" Someone shouted.

"Alright, but that's the last story," he said and coughed.

"My television was once broken, so I decided to call technical support," Danny made a phone with two fingers, "I heard autoresponder, " he put another hand on his mouth, changing the voice.

'You called 'We-Don't-Give-A-Shit Telecommunications', if you want to know some shit, press 1, if you want to know another shit, press 2...'

Thirty minutes later

'...if you are interested in why you are still listening to this, press 129, if you want to talk with operator, press cage...'

'Finally!'

'Currently, all operators are busy doing some shit. Await for response, listening classical music'

Twelve minutes of third sort rap later

'Tech support is listening', I heard some sleepy voice.

'Finally! Look, my television is not working, I have tried everything, checked the payment, wires, everything what's needed...'

'Hello? Hello? Yes'

'Are you even listening to me? I just explained you everything'

'Ah? Ah, yes I'm listening'

'So, what's my problem?' Silence.

'Hello? Are you still in there?' I asked.

'Yes, I was just solving your problem. So, when do you say your printer has broken?'

'What the hell are you talking about? I'm talking about TV!'

'Young Man, this conversation is being recorded. Mind your manners'

'It's you who should mind manners! You haven't even listened! What's. My. Problem?'

'You have a problem with manners, young man'

'Alright, alright. I'm sorry, okay? Let's just solve my problem'

'With printer?'

'Gods help me,' I muttered, 'No, with TV,' I said slowly.

'Why are you talking with me like with idiot?'

'I'm not talking with you like that, I just want my problem solved'

'Yes, yes, are you subscribed on our new action?'

'NO, I'm not'

'Very sad, it's a very good action'

'Are you kidding me?! Let me talk with your boss,' footsteps on the other side.

'Hello, I'm listening, I'm boss'

'You aren't boss'

'What do you...'

'I've just talked with you. You just made sounds and changed voice!'

'Stay on the line. We will change your operator'

'WAIT!'

Hour later.

'Hello, techsupppport is listening'

'Finally, and looks like it's you again. We just talked'

'About printer?'

I threw the phone out of the window"

Everyone in the room laughed hysterically, including Percy.

-Laater-

Danny was asleep, he was sure of that. He was floating in black nothingness.

"I believe you have questions, Young Phantom," Danny turned around and saw his father, grinning at him with mysterious smile. This was their family trait. Danny smiled too.

"Yeah, I do...but maybe in another environment? The empty space is kinda boring," Clockwork clapped his hands. A wide-open space, bright and clean with clear domed glass ceiling. It looked like railway station.

"Let's have a walk," he said, "You want to ask why I sent you here, don't you?" Clockwork asked after some time. Danny nodded.

"Yes, from what I heard, Gods are ready to kill each other"

"This is a Gordian knot, Daniel. But firstly, how do you like it there?" Phantom shrugged.

"It's nice place, at least I shouldn't wear sunglasses all day," his father chuckled, "remind me, why I couldn't use mist?"

"Because you should have kept it in secret from young Perceus, who can see through it," Danny made an 'o' with his mouth.

"Returning to the current matters, something important was stolen from Zeus"

"What is it?"

"You know that each of 'Big Three', as some call them, has a powerful artifact in his possession. Poseidon has a trident, Hades - Helm of Darkness," Clockwork smirked, "Funny thing is, you can pass through the walls, while he needs Helm for it. And finally, Zeus has..."

"Lightning Bolt," Danny finished, coming to realization, "So THAT's what was stolen?"

"Indeed"

"Annabeth mentioned field trip before everything started. It must be someone from that group"

"You are quite right, Daniel. You will go on quest to retrieve Lightning Bolt soon"

"Nice"

"It may sound unwise, but take Danielle with you," Danny's eyes widened.

"DAD! I can't let her go there! She's too young!" Clockwork turned to him.

"Should I mention, that this words come from the boy, who fought with a dragon at the age of ten?"

"Still," Phantom sighed, "It's just...I want her life to be normal, as much as it can be," Time Lord put a hand on his shoulder.

"You speak like a true father," he said with a smile, "I always wanted the same for you, my son. But, sadly, destiny had other plans"

"How is she now?" Danny asked.

"Danielle is with me, I told her the reason of your abrupt departure. She is missing you," Phantom made a huge sigh.

"Fine, she may go with us. When is she coming here?"

"Soon. You will know when. Good night, Daniel, and thanks for the offering"

Danny woke up after some Harpies attacked him. A few punches and torn feathers and they decided to leave him alone.

A.N. I just love this techsupport story.