…Percy…
It wasn't easy walking away from the gods, feeling the burden of a vital quest on our shoulders. Annabeth stared ahead, completely silent, and I wasn't sure who felt it worse between the two of us.
Before either of our minds had time to truly make sense of what had just happened in the past twenty minutes, there was a godly presence behind us that I knew all too well from this afternoon.
Annabeth spun around, her gray eyes widening. "Mother?"
Athena gracefully stood before us, her face just as stern as before. The goddess appeared to be staring both of us directly in the eyes as she spoke. "There is more you should be aware of in order to truly be efficient in this task," Athena warned. "You must be successful if we are to see Olympus last."
I swallowed as the goddess' eyes sparked a low flame, her face still emotionless.
"You are to choose your companions wisely. Do not take Zeus' words lightly," Athena continued. "Only the strongest can manage to complete this journey. Each member's role in this quest will prove to be critical."
Annabeth nodded, taking the goddess' advice as words of wisdom. "Is there anything else?" Annabeth inquired. "Anything we can do to fight our enemy?"
"You will be traveling closely behind the trail of this minor god," Athena reminded us. "At each destination, there will be a piece - a type of artifact being hosted at a special location - of an essential item. Once put together, this tool may be strong enough to withhold even the magic of our enemy."
I secretly hoped that Annabeth understood exactly what Athena was telling us, because the information seemed to fly right past me. We had just found out that a minor god was trying to take over Olympus, and if knowing that we had to find a way to stop her wasn't enough, here Athena was giving us instruction to finding an artifact in every place we went to serve as a tool for us later on.
I zoned back in, hearing Athena addressing Annabeth. The flame in the goddess eyes seemed to be extinguished with ice as she acknowledged her daughter. "All your work in progress on the arcs will be left undisturbed until you return," Athena assured her. "I trust in you to guide this quest towards victory."
Annabeth bowed awkwardly, giving her gratitude to the goddess. "I'll do everything in my power."
I didn't realize that my throat had gone dry until I tried to speak. "We need to get to the camp," I said, recognizing the urgency of the quest for the first time.
Athena barely seemed to glance at me before she snapped her fingers. Before I had time to grasp what was happening, wind lifted us off the floors of Olympus and carried us into the air until we were surrounded by a whirlpool of currents.
I landed flat on my butt for the second time that day, right onto the grounds of camp. Annabeth, on the other hand, stood next to me without a speck of dust on her. "What makes you think Athena doesn't hate me?" I mumbled to her as I stood up, brushing off my jeans.
Annabeth gave me a small smile. She was about to answer me when a familiar voice chuckled. Annabeth and I looked up to see none other than Chiron greeting us. He stood in his full centaur form, and his usual smile reminded me that it was nice to be at camp again. Chiron fixed his gaze on us. "I take it you two are fresh off of Olympus?"
Annabeth nodded seriously. "We received the quest."
"Ah," Chiron sighed. "It seems as if the gods are handling this with more persistence than I had expected. Let's discuss these matters somewhere more private, shall we?" Without another word, Chiron plucked Annabeth and me straight off of the ground and onto his back. In no time, we had trotted all the way to The Big House.
Chiron transformed into his wheelchair form while we all gathered around the ping pong table where the meetings were held. After we had informed Chiron of everything the gods had told us, there was a grim look on the centaur's face. "This is not a simple task," Chiron admitted. "As far as we know, this minor god is making her way across Europe."
I blinked. "To Greece, right? That's where Mount Olympus stood."
Annabeth nodded, turning to Chiron. "Athena told us a few other things too. We have to find pieces of something. They'll be like artifacts, and once we put them all together, it will make a powerful tool."
Chiron's eyes seemed dimmer than ever as the flames from the fireplace reflected on the side of his face. "A tool?" he whispered almost to himself. The silence was thick in the air, making me feel like Chiron knew something terrible that he wasn't allowed to reveal to us. He seemed to catch himself in the midst of his thoughts when he suddenly straightened in his wheelchair. "Well, it will be like finding pieces to a puzzle," he finally said. "If I'm correct in my thoughts, then this will indeed make for a very powerful weapon."
I knew better than to question Chiron. Annabeth continued telling him the rest of Athena's warnings.
"Athena is correct," Chiron stated, "members for this quest must be chosen wisely."
When I really thought about it, something seemed to be stirring inside of me like an instinct. One name was coming to my mind over and over until it voiced itself. "Thalia," I said immediately, surprising myself. "We need Thalia."
Annabeth frowned. "Thalia? I suppose we could really use her help," she reasoned, "but she's on the Hunt. She has her own group of Huntresses to lead right now."
Chiron stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Yes, Thalia, daughter of Zeus. It would be a wise decision; her strengths could be of great assistance. I'm sure the Hunt can do with a substitute lieutenant for a few weeks."
"What about Grover?" I remembered. As soon as I said it, I realized exactly how impossible it sounded.
Annabeth seemed to confirm my thoughts as she shook her head slowly. "He's lord of the wild now. We couldn't possibly ask that of him." For a second, there was a beat of silence until Annabeth said, "Nico?"
I found myself sinking into the idea quickly. "He could be important. He's a lot better at his powers now than he was before."
Chiron sat silently, thinking about it for a long time before finally approving. "Let it be settled then. Thalia, daughter of Zeus, and Nico, son of Hades, will be called upon for this task."
"But, wait…" Annabeth trailed off. The quest hadn't even begun, but I could read her eyes as they already begun calculating thousands of different strategies.
"What the matter?" I asked.
"That's only four people," Annabeth said. "Don't you feel like we could use one more person? Someone who is willing to help."
"A fifth member?" I asked, trying to understand where Annabeth was coming from. "I don't see how it would hurt us."
Chiron didn't question Annabeth's reasoning, knowing as well as me that she had elaborate calculations emerging in her head for how a fifth demigod could be of use. After all, strategy and planning were Annabeth's specialties. "Very well," Chiron nodded. "A fifth member will be decided shortly. For now, Lady Artemis must be informed of our plans. The quicker Thalia is present, the sooner you will be able to prepare."
As Chiron exited on his wheelchair to contact the goddess, Annabeth and I stood up. When I looked at her, I knew that there was one big question on both of our minds. "Where in the world are we going to get a hold of Nico?"
…Thalia…
"Thalia."
I looked up from the book I was reading in Ancient Greek to see Lady Artemis standing in the entrance to my tent, and I quickly closed my book, setting it on the floor as I stood.
"My Lady," I replied, bowing my head for a moment before looking her in the eyes. "Do you need anything?"
"I've just returned from Olympus and received an Iris Message from some friends of yours," Lady Artemis said, stepping into my tent and closing the entrance behind her. "There's a new quest, and Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase are leading it."
I blinked momentarily before nodding, showing I understood and wished to know more.
"They've asked for you and the son of Hades, Nico di Angelo, to join them on the quest." Lady Artemis paused for a moment. "You have my permission to go, if you wish."
"Thank you, My Lady, but what is the quest?" I asked. If it was something simple, which I didn't actually think it was given Lady Artemis' seriousness and how they were asking for me as well as Nico, I wouldn't go, but I would if they really needed me.
"Olympus has another problem, Thalia, one that we can do nothing about given the circumstances. You see, one of the minor gods who sided with the Titans has not given up on destroying Olympus, taking down the gods with it."
I was scowling at the thought of a minor god still wishing to destroy the gods, my Lady among them, but Lady Artemis lightly placed a hand on my shoulder. The look in her eyes said to calm down, so I took a breath, closing my eyes for a moment. When I opened them, Lady Artemis removed her hand and continued, obviously knowing I was much calmer.
"This minor god found out about a special artifact. How the secret was found out we do not know as very few outside the twelve Olympians, Hades, and Hestia know of it, but somehow this god learned."
I couldn't help but pick up on how Lady Artemis was specifically not telling me the name of this god, but I accepted it. She had to have a reason for keeping the name from me, so I didn't ask.
"What most do not know is that there is a tool belt somewhere in the world in one of the countries where Mount Olympus used to reside that houses the prototypes of the gods' weapons. Our father's Master Bolt, our uncle's Trident, and our other uncle's Helm of Darkness are only three weapons with prototypes in there." I was gaping and shocked at the idea, but Lady Artemis continued.
"Now, these prototypes are not as strong as the actual thing, but all of them together under one god can be deadly. It does not help that this god's own powers and abilities can only make the prototypes stronger, making each just as powerful as the final result in unique ways. Fighting against this god, if allowed to wield these weapons, will be next to impossible, which is why we've asked Percy Jackson to help us again and why he and Annabeth Chase have asked for you. Will you help them?"
I stood stock-still in my tent, somewhat staring at My Lady as I thought about what I had just learned and what I was being asked to do.
We would be going after a minor god – or goddess, I realized, remembering that most referred to the gods in masculine form when not trying to be gender specific, which was quite sexist, in my opinion – as he or she tried to find prototypes of all the gods' weapons, even those not used anymore or not turned down. Those would be powerful on their own, though not as powerful as the actual weapons, but together with extra power behind them? This would be an impossible fight, and I knew my friends needed me to be sure they won it.
"Where would we be going, My Lady?" I asked. By the look she was giving me, I knew she recognized my choice.
"You will be travelling east, returning to where Olympus once stood, as not even Athena is sure where the tool belt got left behind as it was many millennia ago," she replied.
"I'll be going, then, My Lady, as my friends will need me for a quest this important," I stated. "I won't let you, father, or Olympus down, not after what we've just been through."
"Very well, Thalia," Lady Artemis said. "I will send you to camp shortly. Please pack, and remember, the gods are behind you, and we'll help. I'll be listening for any prayers from you, my lieutenant."
"Thank you, My Lady," I said softly. That truly meant a lot, to know that she would be watching out for me and willing to give me her blessing, even if she hadn't outright said that second part.
"I'll leave you to pack, then, Thalia. Also, Annabeth and Jackson will be informing you of everything else you need to know. Come to me when you're ready."
Lady Artemis stood and quickly left my tent, leaving me still standing in the middle of it, my mind whirling.
