CHAPTER 2

Percy looked over at the newcomers. He was seated at the Poseidon table. Next to him, Annabeth and Grover are busy chatting happily about something. Across the table, Leo and Jason are busy trying to see who can stuff their face the fastest, with Piper, Hazel and Frank cheering them on from the sidelines.

"Come on! One more baked potato!"

"Oh my Gods! I didn't know you could eat a pizza like that! That's like…16 inches!"

"I think I'm going to be sick…" Hazel, unable to continue watching the boys stuff themselves, turned back towards the table. "Hey Percy, what are you looking at?"

"Huh? Oh the new people." Hazel's eyes followed Percy's gaze.

"They feel…weird." Hazel murmured.

"What do you mean?" Percy asked. He had also felt something off about the newcomers, but he hadn't been able to pinpoint it.

"It's like their…existence is rejecting their surroundings. Sort of like how you can't push a pyramid block into a circular hole. They just don't match." Hazel blinked once. "Sorry, that made no sense."

"No I understand." Percy looked at the newcomers again. If he concentrated, he could see the air around them distort slightly. It was incredibly unnerving. "I don't know why, but I think I know what you mean. Them being here feels…wrong."

Almost as if he could hear Percy, one of the newcomers looked up and smiled. Percy felt his hairs stand on end upon seeing the boy's smile. Percy had seen that smile before.

It had been the same smile Kronos/Luke had when he stood in the Olympus Throne Room.

It was the smile of someone who knew he had the upper hand.

"Percy?" Hazel's voice shaked Percy out of his trance. "You alright?"

"Yeah." Percy muttered, his eyes watching the newcomer. "I'm fine."

"So that's Perseus Jackson." Sam returned to his meal. "He has strong eyes."

"Indeed. The Lord has definitely blessed this child." Mike exclaimed, his hands put together in prayer. A rumbling sound fills the sky for a moment. Sam immediately smacks Mike on the head.

"Idiot! We're in Greek territory right now!"

"All the world is underneath our Lord's autho-" Mike is cut off when Sam smacks him again, only much harder.

"…sorry about that." Sam apologized. "Mike is somewhat of a zealot, even by the Church's standards."

"Blasphem-" Mike is once again cut short when Sam stuffed a hot dog into his mouth.

"Now then, moving on." Sam smiled. "The plan."

"Yes, the plan." Chiron sighed. "The incredibly dangerous and crazy plan that you outlined on the way here."

"That's the best plan I have."

"I know. And that's what worries me." Chiron shook his head. "Two of my campers just returned from there. And now you want them to return? I can't ask that of a person! It's a miracle they survived!"

"Well you don't really have a choice." Sam popped a piece of chicken into his mouth. "If you don't go along with this plan, we all die. We both know full well that we won't survive a double pronged attack by Gaea and the 72 Pillars."

"…" Chiron silently contemplates the argument Sam had just handed him. Chiron knew full well that Sam was correct. But to ask them to return to Tartarus? After all they had been through?

"…fine." Sam suddenly leaned backwards. "I can tell this is going to go nowhere." Sam motioned to Mike, who immediately swallowed the hot dog he was chewing. "We'll use another method."

"Another…method?" Chiron felt the hair on his back stand up.

"You guys have some sort of war game every Friday correct?" Chiron nodded. "Then we'll find out through that. If Perseus Jackson fails, then we'll leave him alone. If he passes, then we'll take him."

"Wouldn't it be in his best interests to fail then?" Sam grinned.

"I don't expect him to fail this test." Sam stood up from the table. "Not if his friend's lives are at stake."

Percy blinked once upon hearing Chiron's words. You've got to be kidding me!

Next to him, Annabeth's face also had the same look of disbelief etched on it.

Around the campfire, Percy could hear the fervent whispering of his fellow campers.

"Is he for real?"

"The Holy See? You mean the Vatican?"

"Those two are representatives from the Catholic Church?"

One of the two boys suddenly stepped forward.

"Hello! My name is Samael, but you can just call me Sam. As Chiron has just mentioned, I'm a representative of the Church." Percy noted that Sam had not used the word Catholic in his introduction. "My partner here is Michael, also known as Mike."

"Michael…" Annabeth murmured under her breath. "One of the Archangels within the Catholic religion."

"Samael?" Hazel furrows her brow. "Why have heard of that name before?"

"Probably because he doesn't exist within the modern Catholic Church. At least, not in name." Annabeth's face suddenly twisted into a grimace. "The name Samael, in Jewish lore, is said to represent the Angel of Death himself. You've probably heard the Bible story about the people's of Egypt's first born children suddenly dying?"

A vivid memory of an old woman on the street preaching that story flashed through Percy's mind. She had terrified him, with her small beady eyes and leather skin.

"Well it's said that that was the doing of Samael. He's kind of like the secret weapon of God, who takes care of unleashing divine retribution."

"Samael…" Jason's eyes are distant for a moment. "That name has something to do with Rome doesn't it? I've seen it somewhere in New Rome…"

"Probably because Samael is the patron angel of Rome." Annabeth looked at the two boys. "I doubt it's a coincidence that two people from the Vatican just so happen to have the names of the Leader of the Archangels and the Angel of Death."

Percy then voiced the question that everyone had on his or her mind.

"What do they want with us?"

Sam looked at the sea of faces in front of him. Behind him, Mike was checking his phone. Next to Mike, Chiron was watching Sam, his face revealing nothing.

"It's done." Mike suddenly muttered. "All the preparations have been completed."

"It's show time then." Sam cleared his throat. "This is going to go downhill from here."

"We still can back out, try to reason with them! We don't have to-" Whatever Mike was about to say was cut off when Sam raised his hand.

"Don't worry Mike." Sam smiled. "You don't need to carry the sins of our actions on your back. Your job is to bathe in the light."

Mike wordlessly placed his hand on Sam's shoulder, before quickly removing it and stepping back.

Once again, Sam felt the familiar feeling of loneliness wrap around him.

"…heh." Sam smile turned bitter. "Seems like I have to become the hated one again."

This story is going to take a while to write. Mainly because I'm trying to actually develop the story, rather then make them kill each other.

Thanks for reading!

Daemon