Well, hello. Nothing much to say as of now. So, just read on.
Disclaimer: I do not own PJO, neither do I own One Piece, the only anime which could make you cry over a blooming sakura tree in the winter. They belong to Rick Riordan and Eiichiro Oda respectively.
Chapter 4
Days at camp passed by peacefully. New campers came in nearly every day, escorted by their satyrs, and usually with some nasty abominations on their tails. As the unofficial leader of the camp, I tried to give my warmest welcome to everyone, knowing that they were badly shaken up after their recent revelations of their family background.
Sometimes, Annabeth would stay by my side, giving a far better explanation of the mythological world to them than me. In the meantime, I focused on preventing Clarisse from dunking the newbies' heads in toilet bowls. I also taught sword fighting to the beginners, since Chiron saw fit for me to do so, much like how Luke gave me my first… and last sword fighting lesson.
As the days slipped into weeks, the dream encounter with the Overlord was pushed into the back of my mind. I could almost forget about it entirely, but somehow it was stuck there where I left it-at the back of my mind. A slight uncomfortable feeling was present in my heart all the time, a small nervous feeling, like knowing that somehow something was going to happen. Despite all those insecurities, my daily activities proved to be an excellent distraction.
Besides the ones who chase after new campers, no monsters have invaded the camp borders. I was beginning to think that it might have been a little too peaceful. The calm before the storm. Or maybe I was just paranoid after the dream. Better not jinx my luck though, they never seem to last.
Coming back to the present, I had more important things to attend to. Right now, it's asking Annabeth out on our first date after a year of being together. I knew it was overdue, but better late than never. And it's safe to say that right now I'm panicking on the inside. I spotted her walking past the Hermes cabin and jogged up to her.
"Hey, um, Annabeth!" I greeted her, a tad bit nervous about my next question. She turned around and spotted me, first giving me a smile and then narrowing her eyes at me slightly.
"What is it, Seaweed Brain?" She didn't sound too annoyed, which was a good start.
"I was wondering, uh, well…" I licked my lips nervously. This was going to be harder than I thought. The way I acted around her was as if we were strangers.
She arched an eyebrow and placed a delicate hand on her hips. "Make it quick, Percy. I've got something to ask Chiron."
Shit. She's getting annoyed. Man up, Percy, tighten up your balls and ask her already. She's a demigod, not a titaness for goodness' sake!
Yeah, but sometimes she's even scarier than one! What if she said no? What if she was busy or something?
You never know until you ask her doofus. Look, she's starting to look irritated now. You don't want her to whip your rear when she's pissed. Just ask her NOW!
"You have three seconds before I-"
"Will you" I said quickly, anything to extend my life. Taking a deep breath, I continued, "-go out with me tonight?"
A hint of a smile was shown on her beautiful pink lips. "That's all? You look like you were constipating, Seaweed Brain."
"I was not!" I replied indignantly. "It's just that this is the first time I'm asking you out on a date since we got together last summer. You can't blame me for being nervous!"
The aforementioned smile was evident now. "You didn't have to look so uptight, Percy. I could almost sense an internal conflict raging in that Seaweed Brain of yours." She poked my forehead.
"So, is it a yes or a no?"
"Depends, does Chiron allow us to leave camp for a couple of hours?" She's not making this easy for me.
"I already asked and he consented. He actually encouraged me to do so since our date was long overdue."
"Hmm… let me see." She put on a thoughtful expression and turned around, back facing me. "I might have to check my schedule first, you know. I could be occupied." She said this in a serious tone, but I knew she was grinning. An evil plan surfaced in my mind. I never tried it before, but I was hoping it might work.
I wrapped both arms around her waist from behind. "But surely-" I kissed her neck once and exhaled. She shivered and extended her neck instinctively.
"-you could reschedule-" Another kiss and a soft groan escaped her lips. "-for this special occasion." One last lingering kiss and she sighed. I smiled widely, knowing I had broken down her fake barriers.
"Fine, you win Seaweed Brain. I never knew you had it in you." She turned around and smirked. "I like it."
"I'm much better than you think. I'll pick you up at 7.30, is that okay?"
"Not bad of a planning for a Seaweed Brain, sure." Annabeth turned around in my arms facing me. She gave me one last kiss before running towards the Big House while shouting, "Don't be late!"
I let out my breath with a loud sigh. I'm still alive.
xxx
As the day turned to night, I was busy preparing for the date in my cabin. I had asked for advice from the Aphrodite cabin campers, especially the girls, who were more than happy to give me a few pointers here and there.
A smart-looking dress shirt and pants had mysteriously appeared in my bag just when I was panicking over my attire. A "Good Luck!" note lay on the shirt, and I knew only one person, or in this case, a goddess who would help me in situations like this. I guess I'd thank Aphrodite herself the next time I see her. With everything set, my confidence grew.
At 7.30 sharp, I stood ready outside the Athena cabin. Taking a deep breath, I knocked the door.
"Get the door, will you Malcolm? Tell him I'll be there in a minute." I immediately matched the voice to Annabeth's.
A few ticks later, the door opened, with Malcolm standing there holding the door. He greeted me before letting me in. Annabeth's other siblings, young and old, instantly surrounded me.
"So, you want to bring our sister and counselor out on a date huh?" Malcolm asked. Everyone around me wore a serious expression, which I found slightly disconcerting.
"Um, yes." Was all I could muster out.
"Well then, make sure things go smoothly, don't screw anything up."
Like I want to screw anything up. Blame the monsters!
"This is her first ever date, make it a memorable one for her."
As if you need to tell me that…
"Bring her back before twelve."
Are you her father or something?
Everyone pummeled me with do's and don't's, and I was beginning to wonder if they were letting me go at all.
"Guys, give him a break." Annabeth's voice rang out, and she appeared out of nowhere.
I turned to Annabeth to thank her, but my words got stuck in my throat. There she was, adorned in a light green dress which reached her knees. She wore her favorite silver owl earrings, a gift from Athena herself and her face had the slightest touch of makeup. She looked like a goddess, which wasn't hard, considering she was half of one.
"Wow." I breathed out.
"I'm flattered, Percy. But I believe that we should get going now." Annabeth smiled at my open-mouthed expression.
"Bye, Annabeth. Have a good time!"
"Enjoy yourself!"
"Remember what we said!"
The last statement was undoubtedly directed towards me.
As we strolled up the hill to the camp's entrance, a mild headache started to form, but I did my best to ignore it, determined not to let anything mess up this date.
"So, how are we getting to that restaurant you mentioned, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth enquired.
"I-" I shook my head slightly as the headache grew more uncomfortable, and I raised a hand to massage my temples.
"Percy, are you okay?" Ah, the powers of observation from a daughter of Athena.
I took a few deep breaths. "I don't know, this headache sprang out of nowhere."
Just then, the conch horn sounded, but it wasn't the dinner kind, this was the type used as the camp alarm.
"Camp's in danger, let's go!" I beckoned to Annabeth. Great timing. Of all days, the monsters chose this day to show up.
"But Percy, you-"She began, but I interrupted her.
"I'll be fine, let's go!" I uncapped Riptide while running up the hill. Reluctantly, Annabeth ran back to her cabin to retrieve her knife.
During that time, campers around me had started running to the entrance as well. A few had found the time to don some armor, but most just grabbed their weapons, be they swords, spears or knives. Everyone looked grim, preparing another inevitable fight with whatever enemies we had.
I wasted no time in sprinting up the hill, all the while the headache growing more unpleasant. I could almost swear that I was hearing things as well. I glanced at the camp entrance, there were no monsters of any sort, but I could make out several humanoid figures.
More new demigods? Why sound the alarm then? But deep down in my heart, I was grateful that no one was getting hurt today.
I stumbled the rest of the way as the headache finally reached the point of being unbearable. I kneeled on the grassy surface while clutching my head. The feeling was excruciating, like something I kept hidden in my mind had decided to worm through my brain and made itself known. I could almost decipher the voice in my head now. Jaw clenched tightly, eyes squeezed shut, I groaned loudly in pain.
My predicament caught the attention of several campers around me. They bent down and asked me what was wrong. Annabeth, who finally caught up, kneeled beside me, putting a hand on my back.
"What's wrong, Percy? Tell me!" She shouted in a somewhat panicky tone.
I was in no condition to reply. I could almost hear the voice now. I strained to hear whatever message my messed up head had brought me.
As the words finally cleared, I let out a blood-chilling scream, making a few demigods around me flinched back in shock and surprise.
The lives of fallen shall rise and return. It has begun. The voice echoed in my mind. I instantly recognized that line from the prophecy ordained by the Overlord.
And all of a sudden, the pain vanished, leaving me breathless. I panted heavily, trying to recover from the ordeal.
"No, no way. What do you mean it has begun?" I muttered to myself, relieved that I was no longer in pain. Was the prophecy given by the Overlord starting now? I wasn't prepared for another quest, or another war. Meanwhile, I heard a few audible gasps and rushed conversations.
"B-b-b-but h-how are you guys here? You were all…"
"N-n-no way! H-how in Hades…"
Beside me, Annabeth gave a gasp loudest of them all.
Wearily, I lifted my head to see what the commotion was all about. The scene in front of me, was something which would change my life forever.
My eyes widened, and something clicked inside my seaweed-filled brain. The first line of the prophecy, it made sense now. There was no denying it.
Because standing in front of me were Silena Beauregard, Charles Beckendorf, Bianca di Angelo.
Lee Fletcher, Michael Yew, Castor.
And the last one standing in front of them all, was Luke Castellan.
Oh. Shit.
I wanted to write more, but didn't want to keep you guys waiting. So, I'm asking here. Would you guys rather I update at this rate with chapters of this length, or later updates but with longer chapters? Oh, and please do leave a review. On which points could I improve? Is it too boring? Too short? Your feedback is invaluable, so… yeah. Until next time.
