Chapter 7 -Summary
My Dinner Goes Up in Smoke
Annabeth tells Percy that he is half-human, half-god. Annabeth’s mom is Athena, goddess of wisdom, and her dad is a professor of American History at West Point. Percy wants to know who his dad is. Annabeth says that his dad might send him a sign claiming Percy as his own. But, she also warns Percy that the gods often don't claim their children. Annabeth tells Percy that he might not be able to go home, depending on who his dad is. "in the mortal world, we attract monsters. They sense us. Most of the time, they'll ignore us until we'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." (p.97) She also tells Percy that the borders of Camp Half-Blood are sealed to keep monsters and mortals out. Monsters can't get into the camp unless they are intentionally stocked in the forest for practice fights or summoned by someone inside the camp for a practical joke.
Percy learns that Annabeth is a "year-rounder." She's been at Camp Half-Blood since she was seven. Annabeth tells him that it would be suicide to leave the camp right now. He would have to get Mr. D's and Chiron's permission to leave, and they won't give permission until the end of the summer, unless Percy was granted a quest.
Annabeth knows Chiron and Grover are keeping a secret from her about the summer solstice. Annabeth tells Percy that some of the other year-rounders took a field trip to Mount Olympus, which is located on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building, during the last winter solstice. Soon after their field trip, the weather got really bad, as though the gods were fighting. She thinks that something important has been stolen from Mount Olympus. Annabeth is hoping Chiron and Mr. D will grant her quest. She wants to help solve whatever problem is brewing on Mount Olympus.
Percy is overwhelmed by everything he has heard, and returns to cabin eleven, the Hermes cabin. Percy asks Luke what Annabeth means when she talks about him being "the one," and why Clarisse says that he's not "'Big Three' material. Luke says that he messed things up for her when he failed on his quest a few years back to the Garden of Hesperides. Chiron apparently told Annabeth that he saw her fate, and she wasn't ready for a quest yet. She would be ready when someone arrived. Since hearing that prophecy, Annabeth thinks that every new camper is "the one" and that she is ready for her quest.
All campers head to the outdoor dining room for dinner. Percy can ask for anything to drink, and it will magically appear in his glass. He asks for blue Cherry Coke, in honor of his mom who loves blue food. Percy toasts to his mom, knowing in his heart that she must still be alive. All of the campers offer up a piece of their meal to the big bonfire in the middle of the dining room. As Percy makes his offering, he silently asks his dad, whoever that may be, to claim him. The campers then have a campfire where they sing songs and make s'mores. Percy feels at home. The campers all return to their cabins, and Percy falls into a deep sleep as he thinks about his mom.