Camp Half-Blood
Percy jogged to catch up with his girlfriend and Camp Co-director. They were almost to the tree that marks the border to their camp. Annabeth turned just as he caught up.
"Hey," he greeted, catching his breath.
"Hey," his girlfriend greeted back, "I thought you were going to sit this out."
"I couldn't," Percy answered, "As a fellow Hero of Olympus, I couldn't let you and Chiron talk about Hairy Intervention alone."
"Divine Intervention," Chiron corrected, though not without a sly smile.
"Same thing, in this case," Percy shrugged. "Besides…I heard the Captain was here too…"
"Of course," Annabeth chuckled as they walked. "In all seriousness, Percy, don't do or say anything that might embarrass us, or the Camp. From what I've heard, this sounds like war."
Percy nodded, and walked as straight as he could, if Hercules and the other Olympians needed them to fight, then he would. If, for no other reason, than to protect the mortals, the Camp, and his home here in Manhattan.
They crossed the barrier, and came face to face with one of the greatest heroes Percy had ever known. Oh, Hercules was here as well.
"Ah!" Hercules greeted them bombastically, "Heroes of Camp Half-Blood! Did I not tell you Captain? They even have the hero of Olympus himself! Captain, this is Perseus Jackson, the son of Poseidon! Jackson, this is Captain America himself!"
"You're really tall…" Percy said stupidly. He heard Annabeth face palm in embarrassment next to him.
The Captain, un-phased by his staring, held out his hand in greeting. Percy shook it anxiously.
"And you're a bit younger than I was expecting," Captain Rogers responded, "Hercules, I thought these were all well trained heroes, not trained rookies. I need extra support for our troops, not a field trip."
Percy blinked, and suddenly, he puffed out his chest in defiance.
"Sir," he said, "All these kids have been facing monsters that crawl out of Tartarus every day. Some of us have been fighting them since we were six." He took an involuntary look at Annabeth. "And we've fought wars of our own, keeping titans and giants away from people the best we can. We're ready to fight for what's right. Again."
The Captain raised an eyebrow. He didn't look away from Percy.
"Is this true, Herc?" he asked his colleague.
"I can vouch his story, Captain," he answered. "Demigods tend to smell like a delicacy to monsters in disguise. We have seekers to go and bring the demigods here safely, but sometimes…" he sighed, "They are trained to fight, and to fight well. They will serve our cause well."
"Only of their choosing," the Captain corrected, "I only want volunteers. We're not twisting arms here. If there are any…Campers…here who are willing to fight the good fight, they're free to join us."
"Sir," Annabeth cleared her throat, "We understand how important this is, not just to the super heroes, but to us demigods as well. Monsters have the ability to hide in plain sight as everyday people, even from heroes like you. If a monster got a hold of a list with every confirmed Demigod on it…"
"A lot of people would die," Percy concluded, "Not just those kids, but their friends and families would be put in danger as well."
The Captain raised an eyebrow and looked over to Hercules. "Just how busy are you Olympians? Are you all afraid of commitment?"
Hercules just looked away sheepishly, coughing. "The gates of Olympus are closed," he reminded them, "my family wants nothing to do with this war until they can make up their own minds."
"Might be a while," Percy crossed his arms, "the gods are picky like that."
Hercules seemed to fume a bit before the Captain moved the conversation along.
"So," he concluded, "we have your support?"
"Absolutely sir," Percy agreed, "Just tell us what you need."
"This is fun!" I keep telling myself.