A/N: Ok, the Chaos story, thanks Gamelover for reviewing Chapter 3 in The New Guardian of the Hunt, you gave me a reason to write this. Sorry if any of the characters seem a little OOC, I tried to create them as if they had grown a couple of years. Except Blackjack, 'cause he will always be the same friggin' amazing Pegasus he always has been. Set a few years after The Last Olympian, The Lost Hero never happened. I'm also gonna take it slow, so if the plot seems to be getting nowhere review and tell me, I'll speed it up. I just thought all the other PJ/Chaos stories were a little rushed (no offense) and thrown into the moment, so this one's gonna ease you into the whole story.
Disclaimer: I do not own PJO, I know, it's sad *I run away hysterically crying*, just the plot. Inspired by all other PJ/Chaos stories but not copied.
Chapter One: I Come Back to Home Sweet Home
There isn't a day that goes by when I don't think of my former life. Who I was, what I had done, and who I had become. Most the time it is with hatred, sometimes with sadness. Today is my birthday, August 18th. The day it all happened. I didn't believe Luke when he said the gods were using me, but I believe him now. It was like it all happened yesterday…
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I took a deep breath, letting it fill my lungs with the clean, salty air of the ocean. It's my favorite smell, the ocean. It's so relaxing, especially after spending hours fighting a hundred-headed dragon. A very angry hundred-headed dragon. Why was I fighting a mythical beast, you may ask? Well, I had to. I've been away for months from my home, completing quests to gain the respect of my girlfriend's mom. Athena, as it turned out, didn't like her daughter to date. To gain permission to, as Athena put it, court Annabeth, I had to go on eight separate quests, each one harder than the last. The final one was defeating Ladon, the dragon that guarded the tree that held the immortal apples. I had to get one of the danged fruit and present it to Athena to show her what I had learned, and to gain her approval. It takes a while to cut off 99 heads, one at a time, but I did it, and now I was finally going home. I wondered what everyone was doing, since Athena had effectively kidnapped me, so no one knew where I was. I wondered if they all missed me, or ever thought about me at all.
I took the last bite of my final piece of stale bread I had. It's a good thing I was sailing home, because my food was running out fast. Right now I was on a little raft, like the one I used to get back from Ogygia. I was elated and full of pride, on top of the world. Nothing could pull me down now, because I was coming back victorious. I could finally date Annabeth in peace. Athena even gave me a ring, because I'm 18 now, an adult. She told me to use it whenever I want, and I really hope that it's soon. I love Annabeth with all my heart.
Within a few hours I could see the shoreline of Long Island, about a mile away. I let a grin creep up my face. Finally, I was home at Camp Half-Blood. As I neared the shore I couldn't wait any longer, and I dived off the side, using my powers to propel me forward. In just under a minute I reached the shore. I smiled as I walked out of the wave that crashed against the sand, placing my hands up in the universal I'm unarmed position. The lookout probably wouldn't even recognize me, or might not even know me. I've been gone for over a year now, and I look pretty different, with an unshaved face and long black hair that reaches down to the bottom of my neck. But I still have my sea-green eyes, which I'm grateful for. No, I'm not narcissistical (A/N: I totally spelled that wrong); it's just the only thing that characterizes me as a Son of Poseidon. I'd hate to be mistaken for an Ares kid.
I didn't have anything to fear, though, as I saw the watch drop out of the tree. There were two people now; they must have changed the border watch rules. As I walked closer I saw a bow pointed at me, stretched taunt, and a tentative voice call out, "Who is it?" The person sounded shaken. I smiled. It's not every day you see a stranger walk in with the tide. This was going to be fun.
"It's Percy. Percy Jackson."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Don't mind me, I'm just a little old Page Break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was sitting on a rock in the middle of the woods, with the bow and arrow still pointed at me. It had been Travis Stoll and a new Apollo camper on watch. When Travis heard my name he looked ready to fall over, his expression was freakin' priceless! He quickly jogged over with the Apollo kid, who I only recognized because of the fancy bow, and as soon he saw my face his blank expression transformed into a smile, one that only a son of the god of thieves could pull off. He clearly recognized me, and took us to a secluded spot in the woods to wait as he ran to get Chiron. So now I was stuck in the woods, on a rock, with a nervous twelve-year-old noob pointing a bow at me. Not the best situation at all, not by a long shot. I could always take the bow away, it wouldn't be that hard, but I would hate to make a bad first impression.
I watched, amused, as I counted off the seconds, wondering how long the camper could hold the bow back in firing position for. After three minutes I could see the strain on his face. His arms were shaking, and I doubted he could have gotten in an accurate shot if he tried.
"You know, if I came here on my own I won't be running anywhere." The kid nearly jumped off the ground as I spoke. I sighed. "If you want, you can put the bow down. Fire at me if I try to get up. Or you can stay there and exhaust yourself. But, of course, it's your choice, so you just go ahead and do whatever you want." I lay back on the boulder, closing my eyes and clasping my hands behind my head in a pillow. I could feel the boy's eyes staring at me. Finally I heard the twang of the bowstring as the tension was released. Good, the kid showed some common sense. After a minute of uncomfortable silence, with the Apollo kid fidgeting the whole time and me resting, he spoke up.
"Are you really Percy Jackson? Like, the Percy Jackson?"
I chuckled inwardly. My reputation had obviously gotten around camp. "What do you mean, the Percy Jackson?"
The kid was still nervous, but I could tell that the chance to tell a story brightened him right up. "Well, at the campfire Percy Jackson stories are always told. It, like, a tradition. When he-well you, I guess-was 12, he retrieved the Master Bolt from Ares when the god stole it. Then later he went to Polyphemus' island and got back the Golden Fleece, and he held the weight of the sky for Artemis and his girlfriend Annabeth." My eyebrow rose at this one, but my eyes remained closed. Annabeth wasn't my girlfriend back then, but I wish she was. Gods, I missed Annabeth and her battle strategies, the rants about construction and buildings, her nickname Seaweed Brain, and her eyes, but most of all her beautiful laugh. That laugh would brighten up my whole day. The first thing I was gonna do back at camp was see my beautiful girlfriend again. The Apollo kid was still going strong, so I tuned back in.
"…but some of his hair turned white, and then he went down into the Labyrinth and found Daedalus, and got his pet Mrs. O'Leary the Hellhound, and he led all the demigods in the battle for Olympus in the Second Titan War and won because he killed Luke, who was Chronos back then. But, like, a year ago he disappeared, and no one knows where he went. Gods, I would have given anything to meet him. He's, like, my hero." There was another awkward silence as he watched me, waiting for an answer. A while later I opened one eye and fixed him with it.
"Yup," I said, popping the P, "That's me. Although, I didn't really kill Luke. It was more like he killed himself. With a knife." I flipped my hair so he could see the gray streak in it, (A/N: Everyone always seems to forget his gray streak from holding the sky) and the kid's eyes got really big. I chuckled, if only he knew everything I had done. At just that moment Travis came running into the clearing, and I could hear the sound of hooves on hardened dirt clopping behind him. Thank Hades, it was Chiron. I could hear him threatening Travis that if this was a joke that it would be extra clean-up duties for a month. I was grateful to hear someone else besides Mr. Story here; it would have been torture to listen to that kid anymore. I swear he had the most annoying high-pitched voice I have ever heard.
I sat up as my old trainer cantered into the clearing. Boy, I sure missed that old centaur. He was like my rock in hard times, which I had had plenty of on my quests.
"See! I told you, it's Percy!" Travis nearly yelled with excitement. Some birds scattered from the trees above us.
When I saw Chiron in full horse glory I stood up, dusting myself off. Seeing my old friends was the best ever. I hadn't known just how much I had missed this place until now. The trees, rocks, the little creek, and even the Naiads all brought back the old memories. I decided then and there to explore every bit of camp when I got the chance, as I pulled off my signature sideways grin.
"Hey, miss me?" Laughter was ringing in my head. It was so fun to watch everyone's expressions, they all looked like I was a ghost come back from the dead…well, Underworld.
Chiron turned around, since his back was somehow to me, and gave me a look of blank shock. This lasted for about three seconds until I cracked. I burst into hysterics, doubling over. The others looked at me like I was mad.
"Oh my gods, you should have seen your face right there! I wish I had a camera, because that would have been, like, the perfect blackmail!" I started laughing like crazy all over again.
Finally Chiron was jerked out of his trance as I began to compose myself, pretty much without any success.
"Percy! My boy, is that really you? Where have you been for the past year? Travis here says you 'washed up in the tide with all the other junk'." He shot a disapproving glare at the Hermes camper, but I grinned at the joke. I don't think I've heard a joke in…well, a long time.
"Hey, Chiron. It's really me, long time no see, huh?" I watched as Chiron's eyes lit at the familiar sound of my voice. His arms opened wide as he trotted over, embracing me in a smothering hug. I could have almost sworn that I heard him sniffling, but I decided to let it go. It's not common, or even heard of, for a camper to come back from the dead. Suddenly, I felt Chiron stiffen. He pushed me away from him, taking out his bow and drawing three arrows from his quiver in the blink of an eye. Aiming strait in between my eyes he spoke.
"Prove that you are Percy, and not some imposter." I was expecting this. Chiron never just trusted anyone; it's what has kept him alive all these years.
I closed my eyes and turned, using my instincts to guide myself to face the small river flowing by. Concentrating, I imagined the water rising in a small stream from the creek, and felt a small tug in my gut as I raised my hand, palm facing out. Opening my eyes, I saw just what I had imagined. A little rope of water, about three inches thick and round was flowing all through the clearing, weaving in and out of the scenery and us. It was pretty cool, I have to admit, to see the light reflecting through the water and onto the ground, creating a wavering effect everywhere. Smiling, I guided all the water back over our heads and into the creek, where it dived back in without a ripple. I pivoted on the balls of my feet back to the audience, smirking like I had just proven them all wrong, which essentially I had.
Chiron was just standing there with amazement and joy written all over his face. It was weird, because I had never seen him this emotional before, and he knew that I had powers. Travis just looked blown away, but a little freaked out. The Apollo camper just looked plain freaked out, which I had to take another small laugh at. I guess it is pretty creepy to see water move like that with an 18-year-old supposedly telepathically controlling it.
"Percy, it is you!" Travis yelled as he ran over and gave me a hug that I returned. Boy was it great to have friends.
"Yes, Travis, it is me. I'm pretty sure I already said that." I gave him a small smile to let him know that I was joking as he blushed. I glanced at Chiron to find him composed, the only hint to his excitement a gleaming in his eye. It looked like he had come back to life, full of spring in his step.
"My boy, it is truly amazing to see you returned and well. But you must tell me, where have you been all this time?" I paused for a second to gather my thoughts before launching into my whole tale, taking almost an hour to tell. At the end my throat was sore, so I summoned some water from the creek, purifying it and shaping an orb before grabbing it with my fingertips and popping it in my mouth. Focusing in my listener's faces, I was surprised to see wariness.
"What?"
"Since when can you do that?" Travis had an almost wary note to his voice.
"During my quests I discovered many more powers, many of which I needed to survive. Levitating water is one of them, and purifying it as well." Travis now just watched me with a new look in his eye, like he was…scared or something.
"Relax, Travis. I'm still the same old Percy you've always known." Travis turned a beet red as I took a notice to his suspicions.
"Was I really that obvious?"
"Well…yeah."
Travis sighed. "You would think as a son of the god of thieves I would be able to hide what I was thinking better." He just looked disappointed with himself. I gave a short laugh and patted him on the back, steering him back towards where I assumed camp was. I really wanted to see that place now.
Chiron spoke up from behind. "As truly sorry as I am to intrude, we must first discuss the issue at hand. Percy, I would like to reveal your presence at dinner tonight, in order to keep the reunion somewhat under control." I nodded; I only expected it. Walking strait into camp wasn't the best idea, unless I wanted to be mobbed. Maybe someday, but not now; I didn't need any more drama in my life.
"I understand. But how are we going to get me into camp without being seen? If I remember correctly, there is no one else with sea-green eyes and a handsome face like mine." I grinned as Travis punched me in the arm. It was fun to be able to mess around again, with no worries of being attacked at any second.
"I believe that you can hide out on the borders of camp, just until dinner. I will come to you with a disguise, and you will accompany me at the head table until we reveal your identity."
I smiled. This was going to be so fun, watching everyone as I returned. Especially my wise girl. Annabeth, I don't know if I can wait until dinner to see her.
Travis started to laugh Chiron trotted up behind us, patting me on the back, and steering us all back to the direction of camp.
"Oh, boy, this is gonna be so much fun!" Travis rubbed his hands together and cackled, looking excited. I had to laugh. What a joker. Even Chiron was smiling.
"So then, we are agreed that we will not speak of this to the other campers. Travis has come running to retrieve me for a small forest fire, and we were required to take inventory of the items lost." Travis looked disappointed.
"So I can't tell Connor?"
"Sorry, dear boy, but no." Travis looked crestfallen, and I had to laugh at that. Both Travis and Chiron tried, but in the end we were all laughing, strolling back to camp together. I realized how long it's been since I laughed last. Probably a year, because there has not been a thing to laugh about since I left.
It's cool to be back.
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I was sitting on a tree branch, fifty feet in the air and looking out over camp. My camp, I thought with a smile, because it would always be home. I love being up this high, watching the whole world below me as if I were a giant. I watched as Pegasus (A/N: is that how you say it plural?) galloped into the air, beating their huge wings to gain height. I was tempted to jump on one's back as they flew past, but that would just scare them into a crash landing. And the campers. I would probably miss their backs and fall, but I don't care. Flying with my horsey friends was one of the things I missed most, the feeling of the wind in my hair and that it was nothing but me and my steed, going where we want to go. I looked out over the V formation (yeah, Pegasus fly like migrating birds) and spotted the only pure black coat, gleaming among the rest. I broke into a grin at seeing my old buddy Blackjack. Deciding to have some fun, I sent my thoughts out.
Blackjack! I almost burst into laughter as I saw my favorite half-horse drop twenty feet, wobbling before flying back up, swinging his head wildly from side to side.
Boss? Yo, is that you?
Yup, bud. Miss me?
Even from here, over a quarter of a mile away I heard the responding whinny. I'm glad that Blackjack missed me; he was one of my best friends on four legs.
Hey, Blackjack, keep it down bud. No one else is supposed to know I'm here. I quickly sent Blackjack, worried as I saw the other Pegasus look at the black horse funny. I heard through the Pegasus' mind as Blackjack neighed an excuse and began to fly in my direction, going the fastest I had ever seen him.
Yo, boss, where are ya? Do ya have some sugar cubes for me? Where have ya been? I missed ya a lot, boss! Tears almost flowed out of by eyes, because he was the same old Blackjack. Gods, I'm pathetic, forget I even said that. I hurriedly sent a new message to my approaching friend.
Yo, dude, turn back, you're gonna make people think something is up! Shoot, too late. I'm sorry, but you have to fly away, no one can know where I am. Talk to Chiron, he'll explain everything! And, bud, I missed you too. I'll visit tonight! I started to freak out as I heard voices below me. They were close, and I couldn't afford to let anyone know I am here. I definitely didn't need that, unless I wanted the whole camp to know of my existence in three minutes flat. Word travels quickly around here, so I decided to use a new skill of mine to hide. It would be good practice anyway. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the water vapor in the air around me. I focused, feeling the familiar tug in my gut as the miniscule droplets condensed around me and bent the light waves beaming down to earth. So I was pretty much invisible to anyone and anything.
Sweet power, huh?
I watched, crouched down on my branch as two people walked below, a girl and a boy. Wait; there was a spear on her back, where have I seen that before? My eyes widened as I realized it was the same electric spear I had broken several times, sparring with Clarisse. Oh my gods, I thought, Clarisse is walking in the woods with a boy! My devilish 13-year-old instincts kicked back in, even though my mind was telling me not to jump to conclusions. They could be going to patrol, or check out something in the woods, or…whoa, too late, I thought as I saw Clarisse grab the guy's hand. She turned her head and started talking, because I could hear the murmurs from below. I began to grin, because if I could find out who that guy was Clarisse would have to be my slave forever. Just the thought almost caused me to burst out in an evil laugh, but I had to stay hidden. Suddenly I got an idea. A great idea.
You see, water is everywhere. You breathe it, walk on it, and you even need to drink it to survive. This was going to be a little tricky, but I was sure I could pull it off. Still bending the water to keep myself hidden, I gathered up all the extra water I could find within half a mile, without totally drying out the air. I used all this extra stuff to make a semi-solid platform in front of me. The step was invisible, but sturdy enough to walk on, and even though it was hard to concentrate on staying invisible and condensing the water enough to keep me up, I managed to pull it off. Slowly straitening, I stepped off my branch into what would seem to be thin air but what was actually a lot of water. I hunched down on the platform to make myself smaller, slowly floating myself down until I could hear Clarisse's conversation. I floated over to the nearest branch and stepped on it, listening in on the conversation. The guy was talking, with his back facing me.
"…I know. My siblings can be such a pain in the neck too, but I love them all the same."
"Yeah…so, what did Chiron say again? I still think this is all a big prank."
"He said Percy was here…I wish, but he disappeared a long time ago. I want him to be here really bad, but the chances-they're not good. You're right; this probably is just a prank. Let's head back." So this was how I was supposed to get into camp. The guy turned around to walk away. Oh my gods, it was Chris; the two had finally gotten together after all these years, my boyish thoughts told me. We could all see that they were meant for each other, and now they could finally see too.
Clarisse looked…weird, for a lack of a better word. Her expression was…no, I thought in pure evil bliss. She looked regretful, like she wanted to say something. Or do something, I thought. No, she wouldn't. But she did, I saw, as Clarisse took Chris' hand, spun him around, and kissed the boy on the lips. Oh boy, this was going on my list of epic things to blackmail with. I almost wolf-whistled then and there, but remembered at the last second I was hidden, so it came out more like a crappy gasp.
Chris spun around and looked right to the left of me as he drew his sword. Shoot, he heard me. I think it might be the perfect time to play that prank they were talking about. Putting on my best eerie voice, I creepily said, "Whooooo dares tooooo walk in my wooodsssss?"
I almost burst out laughing right there, because you could tell the dude was scared out of his wits. Clarisse, always being the same old Clarisse, boldly shouldered past him.
"Who are you?"
"I am the spirit of the oldest living tree, which you are currently standing on." Clarisse looked down to see she had hopped up on one of the roots. Quickly stepping down, she asked another question.
"What the heck is this? Travis, Connor, this isn't funny you guys. Trees can't talk. Or feel. Or care when someone steps on them." But she did look a little worried now. Chuckling under my breath, I decided to go a little further.
"You dare to insult me? I am the greatest tree, the one and only in the world. You will feel my wrath for your stupidity!" Now she looked freaked out, and Chris looked ready to bolt. I just couldn't hold it in and longer; I cracked, my laugh ringing through the whole forest. I released the water keeping me hidden as the two gazed up with confusion stamped onto their faces. The confusion turned into anger and amazement as they realized who had tricked them.
"Percy?" Clarisse spoke first, and I could hear the amazement in her voice. I nodded, and both their faces lit with a mixture of annoyance and affection. I was still about twenty-five feet in the air, so I jumped off the branch and used the vapor in the air to slow me down and guide me in an arc until I hit the ground almost parallel, running to a stop. I smiled at the two, who were still trying to pick their jaws up off the ground without much success.
"Percy! It's you, Chiron wasn't joking! Aw, man, this is so cool!" Chris was gabbing his face off, until he realized something that would change his life forever. "Uhh… just how long were you up there?" I grinned evilly and took a deep breath.
"CHRIS AND CLARRISSE STITNG IN A TREE, K-I-S…" Clarisse slapped a hand over my mouth before I could go any further. "Shut up, Kelp head! Do you want everyone to know you're here? Do you have a death wish?" I shook my head, knowing that she would murder me if it came to that. Of course, news could always accidentally leak out.
"Good." She took her hand from my mouth and held something up. It was a hoodie. "Put this on, Seaweed. It's your disguise." My eyebrow rose, because I loved to do that.
"This is the best Chiron could come up with? A hoodie?" Clarisse snorted.
"Stupid, it's all you need. You're gonna have to stay hidden for, like, fifteen minutes." I blushed as I saw the truth in her words. I yanked the hoodie from her, pulling it on and flipping the hood up. We started to walk towards the borderline of the woods, about a five minute walk. After a few minutes Clarisse broke the silence.
"Percy?"
"Yeah?"
Clarisse looked deep in thought. "How did you do that invisible thing, and the jumping from the tree? And where were you this whole time?"
I sighed and explained my new powers and the quests I had been on for Annabeth, which left them both wide-eyed. "Wow. Cool, man." That seemed pretty much all Chris could say. I grinned as we reached the border. I could see everything on the other side, home sweet home. I took a deep breath, excited and ready to have this over with.
"Alright, let's do this." I walked out of the shadows with Clarisse and Chris flanking me, keeping my head down so no one could see under the hoodie. Only a few campers were around, most already at dinner, but the ones that were there gave us funny looks. At least, that's what Chris told me, because the only thing I could see was the ground and my feet. Dang the person who invented not-see-through hoodies. Gods, that sounded weird.
We all continued walking until we were at the entrance to the Mess Hall, which surprised me. We didn't have a mess hall. Oh, well, the Hephaestus kids must have built one. I felt a hand on my back and stiffened, until I realized it was Chiron.
"Thank you, I'll take it from here." Chiron addressed Clarisse and Chris, and the two walked inside the double doors. I began to get nervous as Chiron steered me through the open doorway. What would everyone think? What would their reactions be? I could just feel the eyes of everyone on me, and I began to panic as I wondered where I was going to sit. Wow, I really worry too much nowadays. The Poseidon table would be a dead giveaway, and everyone would probably think of me as a disrespectful jerk.
"Percy," Chiron whispered into my ear, as if noticing my concerns, "sit in the fourth seat from the left." I raised my head slightly and scanned the table, seeing the empty seat. I shoved my hands in my pockets as we reached the head table. I walked around to the empty chair and sat, feeling my neighbor's quizzical stares. I glanced up and scanned the Athena table. There, staring at me, was Annabeth. Oh my Gods. She was chewing her bottom lip, a focused look on her face, trying to figure out who I was. If only she knew, she looked so…beautiful right now. I almost couldn't resist jumping over the table and running to her, and I would have if Dionysus hadn't started talking.
"I believe I am supposed to say hello to all of you brats, so…hello, brats. It's dinner. Ruin the camp for all I care, and don't interrupt me tonight no matter what. Goodbye." Dionysus made to disappear until Chiron leaned over any whispered something in his ear. Dionysus' face took on a look of surprise, but quickly reverted back to the uninterested mask.
"It seems as though one of our old campers has returned to us." Dionysus turned to me and raised an eyebrow. I guess Chiron hadn't told him before now. Taking the look as a signal, I stood up and flipped the hood off. There was silence for a minute flat, in which Dionysus picked his fingernails and did his best to look bored, until one voice rang out.
"PERCY!"
It was Annabeth.
A/N: So? How is it? It is a little awkward, being a girl writing from a guy POV that likes a girl, because NO, I AM NOT GAY, but I try to manage. Tell me if there are any mistakes, and your opinions on the story. Is anyone really OOC? Are Percy's thoughts really what they should be like? Do you like cheese (because I'm eating some right now)? XD, jk, but really, Read and Review, the button doesn't bite! I need feedback, constructive criticism is wanted but flames will be used to roast my marshmallows, which will probably catch on fire like always *sigh*. I'm planning on putting Sally and Mr. Blofis in later, don't you worry about them! I love you all!
REVIEW!
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