Percy Jackson and the Olympians is Rick Riordan's work. I do not own these characters.
Chapter 1
I was just finishing my sword fighting practice. It is my favorite part of my daily Camp Half Blood routine. Just as I was walking past the strawberry fields, I found Grover, my satyr friend, and Annabeth, I'm not sure what to call her right now. Anyway, they were talking in whispers and seemed concerned.
"Hey, what's up?" I asked as I approached them.
"Umm, hey Percy. Chiron just called for you. He said to meet him at the Big House." Grover said and looked towards Annabeth.
"Yeah, he said it was really urgent. Come on, we should hurry." Annabeth added and started to jog to the Big House. I quickly followed and entered to find Chiron, Thalia, and Nico sitting in a circle. They were all looking at me expectantly.
"Percy, I'm glad you're here. I didn't want to start explaining until you joined us." Chiron said immediately and pulled a chair for me to sit down with them. "Thank you Annabeth." He said to dismiss her.
"Why can't she listen too? Does she already know what is going on?" I asked after she left. Things have been getting less awkward between us, and I could always use her advice.
"No, Percy. This problem concerns the three of you the most." He replied with a sigh. Now I was worried. Chiron has seen a lot of troubles in his long life, and something that involves just us children of the Big Three must be really important. "Your fathers, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades are having…conflicts. Normally, this wouldn't be too surprising but it has gotten out of hand."
"What are they arguing about?" Thalia asked and shifted in her seat. "It can't be that big, can it?"
"They all believe to have power over…rain. Precipitation in general," he said with another sigh.
"Rain? Why does that make them so mad?" Nico asked, just as confused as I was.
"It has never been officially declared who had that control. They each have been fuming about it for quite some time, it has just gotten worse now," He explained.
"Wait, wouldn't that be in Zeus's command? He is the god of the sky for crying out loud! Has anyone heard of storms?" she said, her voice rising.
"Like hurricanes? And, I understand what Poseidon position probably is. Water is water. Whether it falls from the sky or not," I added, much more calmly. "It is obvious why they are fighting."
Chiron then cut in saying, "Despite your opinions, they are still on the brink of war. What I am asking of you three, is to fix this. All of the other Olympians are standing back and staying neutral. Nobody wants to pick the losing side. Conflict between the Big Three is the worse than any other wars. It can and will affect everyone. Do you understand what I am saying?" He finally asked.
"Wow, no pressure or anything," I thought, but couldn't say to him. Finally I said, "I'm not sure. I need more time to think." Making big decisions isn't a great skill of mine unless I have about two seconds.
Thalia stood abruptly. "Well, I don't need more time to think. I need to act now. This isn't just about precipitation. It is about Zeus's and my dignity. Sorry Chiron." She stood up and headed for the door.
"Wait, you have to stay. Do you want this to be such a bloody war? At least take a little more time to figure things out," I said and stood in her way.
"I'm sorry Percy," she said with sincerity, "But sometimes disputes are inevitable. We can't pretend it doesn't matter." Finally she regained her anger and stormed past me, slightly bumping me out of the way and left without another word. I had no clue where she was going, but she probably wasn't coming back soon. I also noticed that Nico hasn't spoken in a while. He had his hands clasped and was staring at the floor. He was almost motionless besides occasional fidgeting that every demigod has. Chiron followed my gaze and cleared his throat.
"And you?" He said.
"Hades has been treated like dirt under the Olympians' feet. He can't let Zeus or Poseidon have more power than they already have. It isn't like he doesn't have his own power over stuff like that either. It can bring death. He has to fight. And so do I. Don't you understand?" His hands turned to tight fists, and his voice had a slight hint of anger. He's been known to hold a grudge. "I can't just sit back defy this cause. Act like I don't care."
I guess I must have looked surprised, but I didn't care. Nico can't bail on us too. "Nico, don't make a mistake. You're holding a grudge. It is your fatal flaw."
"I know my flaws, and I will control them now. But this is where holding a grudge is important. Do you expect me to forget all of this?" He challenged. When I didn't respond he followed Thalia's path, leaving me and Chiron alone.
"Well this isn't the best outcome, but I didn't expect anything different to happen." He said.
"Wait…you knew they would react like this? Then why did you even tell us in the first place? This hasn't solved anything!"
"It is their choice, and they should be able to know. But they aren't here now, and I need your decision as well. I will be clear in that I do not ask you to rebel against Poseidon, but to help end this risky situation."
It was now or never. I wanted to support my dad, he had good reason for fighting, but a war between the three of the most powerful gods would get very ugly very fast. "Fine. I have no idea how I will do this but I shouldn't let war break out. I can at least try to postpone it can't I?" I finally responded.
"Thank you. Now you should probably speak to Rachel. She might have some helpful advice." I was already halfway to the door before he finished his sentence. Rachel is a good friend of mine, and for a short time, was more. That wasn't the reason I wanted to see her quickly though. I wanted her to give tell a prophecy that could help lead me in the right direction. The task of calming the three most powerful and moody gods seemed a little tricky. Just a little bit. I found her walking aimlessly near the lake. Fitting in is kind of hard for her, since she is the new Oracle.
"Hey, Rachel. What's up?" I jogged towards her. She looked up, and seemed to come out of her thoughts.
"Hey Percy, did you finish talking to Chiron?" She asked.
"Yeah I just left. Do you know what's going on?" If she already knew, who else has Chiron told before me? Probably not many. If a little bit of information can help clarify Rachel's prophecies, I guess it would be worth a shot.
"Somewhat. He didn't want to tell me all of the details. I guess it isn't my business. Just to say a poem filled with complicated mumbo-jumbo."
"About that, do you have anything that has to do with this situation?" Before she could respond, her eyes flashed a dark shade of green, and the voice that spoke wasn't hers.
"Of the children three,
Only one answers the plea.
Do they do right or betray?
Before the world's disarray,
One cause willing,
The other fulfilling.
They must steal
For one's weakness to reveal."
Her eyes changed back to normal, and her body swayed a bit before she got steady again. "What do you think it means?" She asked. She is getting better about controlling her power, but she still doesn't know what she says until someone repeats it.
"Uh, I'm not really sure. I'm going to go think about it," I said and began backing towards the cabins. I was only half lying. I had an idea about some of it, but I don't want to be feeding all of my theories to her. She is trustworthy, but if Chiron only told her the minimum, I should keep most of this to myself. With one exception.
So I went over to the Athena Cabin, where Annabeth was just walking out. I waved my hand to get her attention and she jogged over, her blonde ponytail bouncing.
"So what did he say? All I know is that something is up." I summarized the meeting with Chiron, Nico, and Thalia. She was nodding until I explained Thalia's and Nico's reactions. And she tilted her head as I recited the prophecy. She was thinking this over.
"What's your conclusion? I'm pretty sure the "children three" refers to me, Thalia, and Nico," I said before she could get lost in her thoughts.
"'Thalia, Nico, and I. It is first grade grammar, Seaweed Brain. However, I do agree on that line. I think you might be the one that "answers the plea" since you aren't choosing take part in the war. Doing right or betraying must be about the decision. Would trying to stop this be betraying your godly parent? Or would fighting by their side be betraying everyone else? Which one is the right thing to do? Other than that, I do know we have another interesting quest on our hands." Then she smiled a clever smile that I only see when she is going to start planning.
