The Demigods Of Olympus
Chapter 1: Decisions? No ThanksClouds swirled around in the sky at Camp Half-Blood. A lot had happened these past couple of years, including the infamous Percy Jackson and his quests, and an array of new campers. Change can bring an era of peace and harmony, but it can also spark even more anger and god rage. 7 new campers had arrived at Camp Half-Blood since Percy's ordeal. Sofia, Daughter of Poseidon. Stuart, Son of Apollo. Kelsey, Daughter of Hermes. Stephanie, Daughter of Hades. MacKenna, Daughter of Ares. Aleksander, Son of Psyche. and Zachary, Son of Tyche. Since arriving at camp, they had become fast friends (though some took a little longer to get comfortable).
It was late August, and despite the coming storm, it was still hot and humid outside. The campers had just finished a game of Capture the Flag, so most of them were sweating, bruised, or cut. The Ares kids were laughing at their table. One of them attempted to throw an empty soda can at Sofia, and missed, hitting Stephanie in the face and leaving a small cut. She glared at them menacingly, and the Ares kid ran for the restroom. She raised a rock slightly out of the ground, just enough to trip and publicly humiliate him. Everyone laughed under their breath. After sacrificing food to the gods, the group was asked to see Mr. D.
Kelsey giggled in a way that made it unclear whether she was menacing or genuinely happy. "I've been waiting for this… We're going to be sent on a quest, I just know it!" Stephanie scoffed at the idea, knowing that Mr. D was not very fond of her pessimistic and sassy attitude. All 7 of them took their seats at the pinochle table. Stephanie glared at Mr. D, annoyed.
"I'm sure you're all curious as to why I brought you here…" Mr. D said. Kelsey was practically leaping out of her seat with anticipation.
"It's a quest, isn't it?" Alek said, clearly anxious for the news.
"Well, you half-bloods catch on quickly" Mr. D said. "Well, yes, you are needed on a quest, but don't push your luck." Said Mr. D with emphasis on "luck" staring right at Zachary. "Only 4 of you are being permitted, by authorization of Zeus, 4 and only 4." yelled Mr. D, and he walked up the hill to the Big House.
"And it's up to you to decide!" Mr. D called back at the 7. He left it right there. No explanation, not even an invitation into the attic. It's up to you to decide.
The group sat there, shocked and disappointed at the same time.
"We can't leave anyone behind…" MacKenna said, shaking her head.
"...I volunteer," Zachary said bluntly. Stephanie stood up, ignoring Zachary. "You're right, we can't." Sofia and Alek looked at each other in confusion. "That's why we're all going." Zachary squinted, then sighed, as he realized that she wasn't kidding.
"Who's with me?" Stephanie said, not phased by anything that had recently come out of her mouth. The group sat in silence. "Fine then, I'll go up there by myself…" She said, climbing up to the attic.
"Wait!" Sofia called. "I'm coming too. All of us have been waiting for this moment, so why shouldn't we go?"
Zachary took on a worried face. "Oh, I don't know, maybe because that would be breaking a massive rule? I hope you understand that Mr. D will have search parties looking everywhere under Olympus if we sneak out. We could all die."
Kelsey stepped in. "Yeah, but when was the last time Mr. D gave a flying fuck about us? We're all just little 'brats' to him."
"I agree," Alek chimed in.
"You don't have to come if you don't want to, Zachary… But I'm sure certain people would miss you." MacKenna said, glancing at Stuart with a smirk.
"Who said I was going?" yelled Stuart, embarrassed.
Stephanie hung on the ladder, almost touching the trapdoor. "So… Who's with me?" She raised her hand. Kelsey eagerly jumped on the table, waving her hand in the air.
"I'm in" called sofia, raising her hand.
"Same," Aleksander replied, standing up.
"I guess so…" Stuart said, reluctantly doing the same.
"This will be fun" MacKenna said. Last left was Zachary, still slouched in his chair, arms crossed. He looked up to see everyone silently pressuring him.
"Goddamnit, you guys." He said, standing up reluctantly. Everyone cheered.
"Come on Zach, it's our first adventure." Stuart said to Zach with a smile, and he smiled back.
"Great, we have a team. I'll be right back." Steph said, satisfied with how she convinced 7 people to break possibly the biggest rule at Camp Half-Blood. She climbed up into the attic, and disappeared from view.
Chapter 2: Let's Break Some RulesStephanie shut the trapdoor behind her. There it was, the crippled mummy. It was exactly as Percy had described it, curled up. She could see a green haze protruding from the corpse's mouth. She remembered that she had to ask a question.
"Uh… What is our destiny?" She asked.
The haze seeped out of her mouth, pooling around the daughter of Hades, images appearing in the green Mist. Sights of twists and turns, cracked skeletons, eyes peering from the shadows, a warm smile from a passionate face, and a wicked grin intent on deception. Silent flames engulfed her vision, and somehow she could hear the screams of her friends. She shook it away. Being a child of Hades, she could see right through The Mist if she intended to.
"No… Wait! I didn't see everything!" She called, reaching desperately for the green smoke as it retreated back into the ancients mouth.
Stephanie came down from the attic, to be greeted by all of her friends waiting for her story. As Stephanie told the group what she saw, they all agreed. Something must be brewing in the Labyrinth.
"We need to find an entrance" Sofia said, determined. They all looked at Kelsey.
"What?" Kelsey looked at them in confusion.
"You're the daughter of a traveler and navigator." Zach said
"Oh, right," Kelsey replied. "Well, I guess there's no harm in trying." Kelsey said optimistically, as she prayed to her father. Please show me the way father, the way to the Labyrinth, as you are the god of travel.
"So…?" Alek asked.
"I think I know the way!" Kelsey called. "Its North" Kelsey explained. "In the mountains,"
"Holy shit!" Stuart yelled. "We're going to the Catskill mountains!" Now they need a plan to sneak out.
When morning came there was a note on each of the 7's desks that read: "have you chosen yet? - Mr. D"
All of them met at the eating area, notes in hand.
"How are we going do this?" Alek asked.
"Tell Mr. D that we've chosen the 4. He'll believe it, because he knows that some of us have been training hard and waiting for a quest." said Stephanie slyly.
"Got it." Stuart said.
Aleksander crossed his arms. "So, what exactly is the plan?"
"We're going to pick the four most obvious people to go on the quest, they will leave, and then that night the rest of us will sneak out somehow, and meet up at, uh … let's say that little shack about a mile out," Sofia explained, "From there, we could catch a bus at the nearest bus stop, and travel North, to the mountains."
"Sounds good!" Alek said, Zachary was worried that this plan wouldn't work, but all his friends were cool with it, so he was too.
Chapter 3: Wake up, PrissyMr. D should have known better than thinking that only Kelsey, Stuart, Sofia, and MacKenna would go on this quest. He also decided from this point on, that the harpies would need to do a much better job at keeping campers in. At 3 O'Clock PM, the four who Chiron knew were leaving left. They had everything they needed, and more. They were going to catch a bus to the mountains, Chiron had given them money, but didn't realize when Kelsey stole more to accommodate for three more demigods. That afternoon, Sofia, Stuart, Kelsey, and Kenna left camp. Sofia lead them to the abandoned shack a half a mile from the camp. There they waited.
Later that night, Stephanie cloaked herself in her Crown Of The Asphodel Fields and silently snuck into Cabin #19.
"Wake up, Zach." She said quietly, shaking him awake. He groaned, and got dressed after Stephanie left. Next was Cabin #10. She creeped in and shook Alek awake.
"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty." Aleksander shot out of bed, terrified.
"Wha- Who are you-" He started. Stephanie removed her crown. "It's me, stupid. We're ready, so hurry up!" She hissed.
Zachary was outside, yawning.
"Can't we just sleep in a little bit longer..?" He asked, rubbing his eyes. Stephanie was awake and alert.
"No, we're leaving as soon as that priss is ready." Stephanie said, glancing back at Cabin #10. After probably 30 minutes, Aleksander was finally out the door, fixing his hair and putting on a shoe simultaneously.
"Finally," Stephanie said, trying to look annoyed. "Let's go, they've probably been waiting for ages." She melted into a mere shadow, making no noise. Two medium-sized rocks floated by their feet, urging them to get on. Alek and Zachary both nodded and got on silently. Aleksander stepped on, but slipped on one of his laces, landing on the ground with a loud thump. They stood there, paralyzed. That was loud, loud enough for someone to hear. Zach and Alexsander silently crawled into some bushes, while stephanie was able to stand where she was, being a shadow. Sure enough, after some investigating, Nico came out of Cabin #13, rubbing his eyes.
"Wha… What was that?" Nico whispered. Will creeped out from behind Nico, hand on his shoulder. "I'm not sure, but I'm going back to sleep… Come on," He said, trudging back to the Cabin. Nico stayed there, watching the shadows. He saw a greenish glow near the barrier separating Camp Half-Blood from the normal world. He recognized Stephanie, who stood there, stunned. She removed The Crown Of The Asphodel Fields once more, and made a "shh!" motion over her mouth. Nico understood, and nodded in response. He went back to Cabin #13 and closed the door. They all sighed in relief. The three of them were able to pass through. They had escaped. Under the cover of darkness, the group sprinted for their friends.
They all met up at the designated meeting spot, but realizing how late it was, they decide to spend the night at the little shack. So, at 7 O'Clock, July 17, the seven demigods left, bound straight to the Labyrinth.
"The next bus leaves at 7:30," Mackenna said, looking at the bus times.
"Perfect, lets get our tickets and go," Alek said.
"We have everything we need right?" Sofia asked, "Do we have enough money, nectar, and ambrosia?"
"Yep! I stole some money from Chiron yesterday, so we should be good."
"He's gonna hate you for that," Zachary commented.
"Eh, he already hates me for everything I do, so this is nothing."
"Whatever, let's just get on a bus an leave!" Stuart shouted, getting impatient.
The bus was normal, surprisingly no monsters jumped out, despite having a daughter of Hades and Poseidon. The driver had a 'disgrace of a haircut' as Aleksander said, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Chapter 4: Is This the Right Rock?
"Stop Number 12! 11:30 AM is now leaving for the Catskill mountains!" The bus driver's grainy voice called out to the bus. The seven of them were the only ones who got off, receiving some odd looks from other passengers. Even the driver looked confused.
"So, where exactly is the entrance?" Sofia asked.
"Up." Kelsey replied.
"Not very helpful," Sofia said, rolling her eyes at her.
But up they went, hiking the mountains until they came to a crevice in the rock. The crevice was darker than the rest of the mountain, and it had weird carvings all over the side.
"I love it here…" Stephanie said, running her fingers over intricate carvings in the dark rock.
"Of course you do, it's creepy as hell" said Alek grinning, getting a half-scowl half-giggle in response. Spotting the mark of Daedalus, Mackenna pushed it, and the carving in the rock glowed blue, and slid into the rest of the stone.
"Nice find Kenna." said Sofia smiling
"Thanks" She said, blushing
"I'll lead the way" Said Zachary, smirking back at Stuart.
"What makes you leader?!" Kelsey asked.
"I've got luck on my side." Replied Zach. Kelsey scoffed.
"Hey, calm down guys," Sofia said. "And get a room weirdos," she laughed, looking at Stuart and Zachary, causing both of them to look away and blush. Everyone cautiously entered the stone hallway, led by Zach and Stephanie.
"Oh shit, guys" Stuart exclaimed.
"What?" Aleksander asked.
"I'll barely have any power down here," Stuart raised his hand, but could only call upon a small sphere of light in the dark corridor.
"When did you ever?" Stephanie laughed. "Don't worry, we've got you covered," Sofia said. Stephanie's voice took on a more competitive tone. "I've got hellhounds on my side" she said, mocking Zach. Zachary stopped, leaving Stephanie (who wasn't paying attention) to trip over a pile of bones.
"Stephanie! Watch out!" MacKenna called.
"Agh!" she screamed, looking down at the gash in her knee. "Goddamn!"
"I'm sorry," Zachary said with a worried look on his face.
"Are you ok?!" Called Alek running up to the front, pushing Zach aside.
"Yeah I'm fine, it's- it's just a scrape" her eyes turning a lime green, while her cheeks almost as crimson as the blood on her knee.
Aleksander pulled Stephanie up, and then glared at Zachary.
"Hey, Zach didn't trip Stephanie, so watch it" Stuart said, defending his boyfriend.
"It's fine! Shut up and forget it, all of you." Stephanie yelled, trying to hide her grin with an angry scowl. It obviously didn't work, since Kelsey was giggling. She quickly realized that she was smiling and hid her face in her hoodie, continuing on the path.
Chapter 5: Don't Tell Grover About This….
Stuart knew he wouldn't be much help in a fight. Although his new power, that only Sofia knew about from training together, that didn't require the sun, could be helpful. But there was no way of knowing if it worked unless they came upon a monster, or Stuart decided that someone on his team should lose their lunch, he glanced at Aleksander, that thought quickly passed though, as Zachary dropped back in the group to walk and hold hands with Stuart.
"So, this is the famous 'Labyrinth'" Zach whispered, fascinated.
"Yeah, Percy told me about it when he and Annabeth were here" Sofia joined in.
"Didn't they fight the Minotaur or something?" Stephanie chimed, her eyes turning back to a soft green.
"Wait a minute... Where's Kelsey?" said MacKenna, worriedly looking around.
"Aww, I was hoping you guys wouldn't notice me up here" said Kelsey, floating above them on her magical winged shoes.
"Where did you get those?" Called Aleksander.
"My father gave them to me" Kelsey said, with a smirk, which Steph could easily make out with her cat-like eyes in the dark.
Slicing through the calm silence, a blood curdling scream could be heard beyond a curve in the path. They all tensed for a second, and then remembered their training and formed up. They slowly rounded the corner, Alek readying his sheep horn, Kelsey unclipping her hair clip that turned into a sword, Zachary and Stuart readying their twin, amethyst and morganite blades. They were faced with a cyclops ripping apart a satyr. Immediately Sofia leaped into action her water bottles in her pack exploding, the liquid closing in on the cyclops. But the water evaporated before it even reached him.
"Hey! Over here," Kelsey called, floating upwards. "Find its weak spots!" she ordered.
"No, blind it!" MacKenna angrily called to Stuart. Stuart reeled back, ready to shoot.
"You guys might want to cover your eyes" Stuart said, squinting. He let out a small laser pointed right at its eyes, just enough to stun the cyclops. But as soon as the light left Stuart's hands he slumped to the ground, blade clattering backwards.
Chapter 6: Wait….Who's That Guy?
"Shit... Knock the cyclops back, Kels!" Sofia yelled to Kelsey, getting a nod in reply. Kelsey charged shoulder-first in mid-air into him, sending him stumbling. This gave Stephanie an opportunity to summon the souls of the great warriors Odysseus and Achilles.
With the souls fighting the cyclops, Zachary stepped forward, Crevice (Zachary's amethyst long sword) in hand, and he picked up stuart narrowly missing a satyr limb sloppily thrown by the cyclops.
"Oh Gods no! Please, mother, protect me!" Zachary thought to himself, as satyr limbs, and rocks went flying. Sofia tried her attack again on the disorientated cyclops this time encasing it in a bubble of water, now starting to freeze thanks to Stephanie's limited ice power.
"What happened to him?" asked Alek. Looking towards Zachary carrying the unconscious Stuart.
"He strained himself" Mackenna replied "he didn't have a lot of light to use, but he still went big anyways."
"But he'll recover quicker in the day, assuming the sun is still out." Stephanie encouraged, or tried to, anyway. It was hard to be optimistic when Stuart looked like a ragdoll.
"We need to ke-" *ccrrrraaaaaacckkk* Kelsey was trying to say as the ice holding the cyclops cracked. But the bubble raised and a tall muscular man stood behind where the ice bubble was. Suddenly the ice exploded, crashing to the ground, sending emerald flames all around the corridor.
The fire was blazing out of control. Laughing mancially, the man ran off, leaving the demigods to get out of this new disaster. Stephanie decided to take control, and she knew that Sofia could help as well.
"Control it! Hurry!" Aleksander shouted.
"I'm trying!" Stephanie screamed over the deafening roar of the blaze. Soon she realized that this was way beyond regular fire. Her efforts drained the last of her energy, and she collapsed in defeat. Taking over, Sofia tried to use the water from her remaining bottles, but the water was evaporating away, a result of the close fire.
The fire was expanding, and pushing everyone closer to the wall. Sparks and flames bounced up, hitting those closest, burning their soft flesh. But any scream of pain would use up precious oxygen. Stephanie looked up, not being affected by the fire. She knew she was useless, and anything they tried was useless.
There was no way for them to stop this fire. They would all die down here in a scorching blaze. No one would find their bodies, or what'd be left of them anyway. Lost forever in this cemetery of despair and sorrow. Stephanie barely felt Alek's normally comforting hand on her shoulder,she looked up to see his eyes glazed with tears. Stephanie barely heard Kelsey's gasp as the fire started to melt her shoes, taking her out of the air. She barely hear her friends choking with the lack of oxygen. Those who could rushing to save their burned flesh. She didn't even notice when the smoke filled her lungs, and she could no longer breathe. It was as if she hadn't passed out from the smoke, but from failure to save the few who loved and trusted her.
Chapter 7: The Dirty Tricks of the Labyrinth
Stuart woke up, shivering. He looked around at the strangely metallic walls of the room he was in, without knowing how he got there. Slowly the events of the last minutes came back to him. However he still had no idea where he was. He sat up, and immediately regretted it. The ceiling was so low, the minute his head shot up, he hit it. That would leave a bump.
Out of habit, Stuart reached to twist his ring that turned into a shield, except it wasn't on his finger like normal. In a frantic moment of terror, he looked around, to find it on the ground next to him.
"Well, this might help me," Stuart said as he crawled out of the little room he was in, grabbing his morganite long sword that ended up next to him as well. He crawled out into a much taller hallway. The hallway was long, stretching far off into the distance both ways. There was no light source, but the walls still glowed silver. Having no idea where his friends were, Stuart decided to go right, but before he could get very far, a familiar voice spoke from the left.
"Hey, kid, this way."
There was no face to match the voice, but still Stuart knew it by heart. His father Apollo was calling him. Without thinking, Stuart turned and ran. Not knowing where or how far he was going, but the idea of seeing the father he tried so hard to impress, pushed him forwards.
He lost track of how far he had come, and soon slowed into a walk. He must have gone a mile, without a single change or, trap other than the occasional extra hallway branching off. When was the Labyrinth ever this simple?
"Come on, hurry up! I want to give you something!" Apollo's voice came again. Stuart started running again, but his feet hurt. He really wished he had Kelsey's shoes at that point.
"Come on! You want to make me proud, huh?" Apollo spoke again, but more impatient this time, and in a manor the self-obsessed god would never speak in. Sprinting now, and ignoring the pain in his feet, Stuart ran faster.
"You are still not here! I never expected much of you, you useless pig!" Apollo voice boomed, angrily. Stuart stopped running. What? No! This isn't fair! He thought. His feet were bruised, his head hurt, he was starving and tired. He sat down, and ate a piece of ambrosia from his pack. He debated with himself if it was even worth going on. Laying down, Stuart started closing his eyes, when a familiar, and kind voice jutted him out of his depressed trance.
"Stuart!" Zachary shouted. "No! Keep your eyes open! Stand up! Don't let the Labyrinth get to you!" Stuart looked up, eyes drooping.
"He… My father…" He began, sitting up.
Zachary ran up to him, putting his hand on Stuart's cheek. "It's not real. Apollo isn't really here." he said sweetly.
"No! Come back to me child" The voice boomed, and Stuart's eyes opened wide. But all Zachary heard was a growl.
"Come on! We have to go!" Zachary said to encourage Stuart. An arrow whizzed past them, striking the glowing silver wall. Instinctively Stuart jumped up, stood in front of Zach, raised his hand and his ring transformed into a long bronze shield with an emblem of the sun, he raised his sword as well.
Two more arrows shot from the shadows, harmlessly bouncing off of the celestial bronze.
"We have to find the others." Stuart said, backing up. Behind Stuart and Zachary, water tendrils shot out, flowing over their heads, reaching into the darkness. With a splash and a yelp, the tendrils pulled back with a boy, about 15, on the end of them, fully encased in water except for his head. Sofia walked out from the darkness
"I came when I heard the growls." sofia said to the boys.
"So… Who are you?" Sofia called to the boy, still controlling the water. But he didn't respond, only tried to wriggle free.
"You do realize that's not gonna work right?" Zachary taunted.
"You'll never defeat him" the boy said, struggling.
"Defeat who?" asked stuart
"Ischyrós!" the boy yelled, laughing maniacally. "Salvage will succeed!"
Stephanie walked around, searching for her team. She had found Alexsander on the way, but he was badly burned, so he had had to be dragged along. She walked down a pitch black corridor, feeling her way using rocks. After about 10 minutes searching, she heard a subtle whimper. It got louder, and it became crying. It was no ordinary crying, however. One, two, three… It was a dog. Stephanie immediately recognized her dog's cries and sprang into action. Her eyes turned almost black. She sprinted down the corridor, Calling for him. "Cerberus! Cerberus, where are you? Come here, boy!" She called. As the crying got louder and more intense, tears started streaming down her face. It would get louder and louder, but she didn't get closer and closer. A masculine yet high pitched giggle was audible far away, to the left of her. She didn't recognize it, and knew there was something wrong. And yet, she didn't want to think of anything else. Her beloved three-headed rottweiler has gone silent. For a moment, she stood, reminiscing about all of the days she'd spent at the entrance to the Underworld, playing fetch with a red rubber ball. I had invited Annabeth once, after her first quest, because I knew Cerberus missed her. Then I realized that if Cerberus was truly gone, I'd never have those happy moments again. I curled up in a ball, whispering, praying to my father in hopes that Cerberus himself had gone through those gates.
Aleksander awoke in a dark hallway. it was almost pitch black, except for a faint green glow from about 20 feet away… Wait—What? Why would there be green light down he- He sat up, finally recognizing Stephanie, curled up in a ball. She was whispering something. He attempted to go over there, but something was holding him back. It was as if he was superglued to the ground. He heard something in the distance
Chapter 8: The Head of the Operation
Stuart's eye twitched, and the boys face turned green.
"Who are you" Stuart said seriously. The boy just grinned.
"Do you want to keep your dinner in your stomach? Who. Are. You?" The boy finally succumb to his stomach pain.
"My names Mason" he blurted out, and Stuart lessened his disease powers on the boy.
"Well, Mason, what are you doing in the Labyrinth? And why did you try to shoot my friends?" Sofia asked, suspicious of this newcomer.
"To find out if you pesky little righteous demigods had been split up, and too my joy, to have!" Mason cackled, similarly to the Mad Hatter.
"Why should that matter?" Zachary asked the rugged dark haired boy.
"Salvage will have more time to find the spear, already a week has passed!" A week? How? Stuart thought.
"A simple Mist trick, ha, so foolish!" Suddenly, Mason went limp. A second later, he sat back up again, as if nothing happened. "As of right now, we might have a possible addition to our forces, a new demigod, If Aiden does as he's told."
"Who the hell is Aiden? And which demigod?" Sofia inquired.
"Ah, I can't tell a princess like you that! Well, now I have to go, sleep ya later!" Mason cackled one last time, before his eyes glowed white, and everything went black.
Stuart woke up, "Not this shit again" he thought. Everything was practically the same, except Mason was gone. The water he was held in was on the floor, and not evaporated, meaning he had only knocked them out until he was far enough away that they couldn't get him. Sofia and Zachary rose up beside him, and came to the same conclusion.
"And I thought that we were about to get somewhere," Stuart muttered.
"Whatever, at least we know about some dude named Aiden now, and that they can control the Mist. And they are way farther ahead than we are when it comes to finding whatever we need to find," Zachary said, frustrated that his luck powers hadn't worked.
"We also need to find Mackenna, Kelsey, Stephanie and Aleksander." Sofia pointed out.
"He said something about a spear…" Stuart recalled. "That's probably what we're here for!" Zach said, happy to finally figure something out.