Big thanks to everybody who left such nice reviews after the last chapter went up. You guys make me blush.


Chapter 6 – The Dark Before the Dawn

I returned to the same place I had left from, the beach of Long Island Sound north of Camp. Dawn was just breaking when I surfaced in the water and saw the shore again. I was almost reluctant to return to land after so long at sea but I was looking forward to having the company of my friends again. Early as it was everything was still, save for the gentle lapping of the water. A silver glow, barely visible in the twilight, lit the beach and I knew Artemis must have sensed me coming. As I drew closer I saw that Chiron also waited for me.

When I was close enough that they could see me, I triumphantly hefted the trident out of the water. Chiron's eyes went wide and he nervously fidgeted in his wheelchair. Artemis actually audibly gasped. Her silver aura faltered and she looked around as though she expected an attack to spring on us. "Percy," Chiron said falteringly, "That's not…what I think it is?" Before I had a chance to answer Chiron, Artemis flung out her arms and began to glow. Instinctively I closed my eyes but a brilliant white light suffused all my vision anyway. I felt dizzy and sick and then the glow faded and I felt fine again. I opened my eyes and found the three of us were standing underground in one of the tunnels off of the main cavern below Camp.

Artemis, usually so calm and composed, was nearly shaking. "Percy!" she hissed in a hoarse whisper, "that is no trifle you wield. I felt you coming from hundreds of leagues away; I only hope that no one else was around who could sense it."

"I am glad to see you alive, my boy," Chiron put in, "and glad that you succeeded in your quest but do not forget that we are in hiding." The reality check was sobering. I hadn't even been thinking about stealth as I tore through the water back to camp. I might have led any number of nasty things right back to us. Chiron saw what I was thinking and added, "But, fortunately, no one seems to have followed you back. Grover and the hunters have been scouring the area around us ever since Artemis sensed you coming and it looks to be clear."

"Unless something followed you by sea," Artemis added, a question evident in her voice without her actually asking it.

"Nothing was anywhere near me in the sea," I answered confidently. "The life in the ocean is greatly diminished, nearly gone. If there'd been anything tailing me, I would've felt it even without the trident's help." I looked at the trident which moments before had seemed to be our salvation. Now it might be the instrument of our doom. "Can we even keep the trident here?" I asked. "Or is it too dangerous?"

"We should be safe as long as the trident remains underground," replied Chiron and Artemis agreed. She seemed to be regaining her composure after the earlier shock.

A thought occurred to me. I turned it over in my mind; I didn't like it but it was probably a good idea. "My lady, this weapon may be beyond my ability," I held out the trident to Artemis. "Perhaps you should be the one to wield it." It stung just to say it. I was the son of the sea god; it felt right that I should hold a part of his kingdom. Besides that, the trident belonged to my father. It was all I had left of him now, maybe the last thing I would ever get from him, and I wanted to keep it. I waited for Artemis to take it from me.

She smiled and gently pushed my hand back toward me. "That you should make such an offer shows a great strength of character, Percy Jackson, but I can not accept nor would I if I could. Only a child of the ocean can wield Poseidon's trident. In my hands, it would be nothing more than a spear. As the last free-standing member of your father's family, the trident is your birthright to wield until Poseidon or Triton are freed once more."

"But perhaps, my lady," Chiron said, "you can help Percy conceal the trident. I think it might be best if knowledge of this was kept among the three of us."

"I've got to tell Grover," I protested. "If Artemis sensed me coming, he probably did, too, through our empathy link. He's going to know I found something out there."

"The Lord of the Wild should be told," Artemis agreed, "as should my lieutenant, Thalia. The Oracle, of course, will know soon if she does not already. But I agree that the fewer people who know of this, the better. Unfortunately I can not help conceal the trident. Percy, however, can do it himself." I recalled the times I had met the gods one-on-one and remembered that they were able to shape their symbols of power into other forms. "Focus on the trident," Artemis told me, "and think of the form you would like it to take."

I considered for a moment trying to think of a suitable form. I got an idea—something I could easily conceal but could still carry into battle without encumbering myself. The trident began to shape itself in my hand and soon I was holding a large gauntlet. I slipped it on my right hand and flexed my fingers experimentally. It had a large bronze vambrace that covered most of my forearm. The bronze was aged with a patina that made it more green than bronze-coloured. Etched onto the surface was an image of a wave breaking on a rock and splashing up toward my wrist. Just above the wrist was the symbol of the trident glowing slightly. Attached to the vambrace was a heavy leather glove that had articulated plating of the same bronze attached on the backs of the hand and fingers. As I curled my hand into a fist and opened it again the glove moved with me like a second layer of skin, perfectly tailored to my hand.

"An excellent choice," Artemis said approvingly, "practical and functional."

"If a touch anachronistic," Chiron added arching an eyebrow.

I shrugged. "I just thought, 'glove;' it did the rest."

Chiron let the matter rest. "Well, much as I would like to hear all about your journey," he said, "now that you are back we ought to call another council to decide what our next course action shall be. You can relate your story then. Of course," he looked to Artemis, "it will raise questions if Percy emerges from the tunnels before anyone actually sees him returning."

"Naturally," she agreed. Artemis raised a hand toward me and I began to feel nauseated again. My vision was filled with a brilliant white glow and then I was standing alone at the bottom of the stairs that led down from the surface. Removing the glove and slipping it into my pack, I picked a torch from the wall and started down the tunnel that led to the main cavern. I emerged into the flickering light of the camp soon had a crowd of campers and hunters milling around me. Of course, they all wanted to know if I had found 'the greatest of prizes.' I just told them that I had learned what I needed to learn. Soon I arrived at Chiron's tent where he greeted me as though he had not seen me since I left for the quest. True to his word, Chiron called a council, sending runners out to retrieve the senior counsellors who weren't already there. Shortly afterward Artemis, Thalia, and Rachel arrived as well.

Artemis congratulated me on a job well done. Rachel gave me a big hug. Thalia took me aside. "Do you have it with you?" she asked excitedly in a low voice. "Can I see it?" I took my pack off my shoulder and opened it between us so she could see the gauntlet resting inside. She glanced up at me and she finally looked like the Thalia I remembered from our adventures before the Battle of Manhattan. "This changes everything," she said. "We just might have a shot at pulling this off." Chiron called us to order and I zipped my pack shut again.

The first order of business was for me to relate the events of the past week. I summed up as best I could until I got to my search of Poseidon's palace. I wasn't sure how to proceed without giving away more than Chiron wanted me to. But Chiron was ready and smoothly stepped in when I got to that part. He addressed the group saying, "I'm sure you all understand the need for secrecy these days, now more than ever. Suffice to say Percy succeeded in his quest." Some of the council looked a little miffed at not being told everything but everybody understood the reasons for the secrecy.

Following my tale, we launched into a full-blown war council strategizing, planning, and plotting our course of action. Chiron's tent was practically humming with nervous energy and built-up tension. Everybody knew that, one way or another, this would all be ending soon. While I had been out on my quest, Artemis, Chiron, and Grover had not been idle. Every agent in the field, hunter, camper, and satyr alike, had been recalled to Camp. Artemis had risked leaving the safety of the underground shelter, travelling disguised and in secret to "undisclosed locations" worldwide to collect allies who had survived Kronos' reign of terror. Over the next several days our ranks swelled and the cavern became so crowded that we expanded into the adjoining tunnels as more and more able bodies joined our ranks. Amongst the new recruits were some minor gods and goddesses, dryads and naiads and other nature spirits who risked their lives by travelling far from their home woods and waters, and more satyrs than I had known existed. It was the largest army that had been assembled in the name of Olympus since the Battle of Manhattan.

The war council lasted all day and into the night, breaking only for meals. Unlike our last meeting nobody was arguing. Disagreements were settled by level-headed discussion instead of loud debate. This time we were all agreed on our ultimate goal; facing its sheer enormity had everybody subdued. Even Thalia refrained from snapping at anybody who disagreed with her. Chiron and Artemis, our most experienced strategists, had the final say on our plans. Watching them work together on war plans was dizzying at times. Drawing on millennia of experience in wars mortal and immortal, they anticipated all possibilities and outcomes. At times the rest of us would just sit around the table like spectators at a tennis match trying to keep up with the rapid fire back-and-forth exchanges between the two in Ancient Greek as often as in English.

When we finally concluded and left for our various tents, I was too exhausted to do anything but collapse onto my bedroll. We had decided that speed was of the essence; now that everything was in place, all we'd accomplish by delaying was allowing Kronos more time to discover our plans. We were going to begin moving out tomorrow. Moving an army like ours from one end of the United States to the other would be impossible without attracting Kronos' attention so we were splitting into small groups and taking many diverse routes. If any one group was caught, they would not have the numbers to fight or escape but the rest of the army wouldn't be endangered. Everything hinged on the element of surprise. To keep our most powerful assets secret as long as possible Artemis, the hunters, and I would be teleporting in (or whatever the Olympians called that disappearing/reappearing thing they did) at the last moment.

I kicked off my shoes and tried to sleep but even though my body was exhausted my mind was too keyed up to sleep. After tossing and turning for a while, I gave up and wandered out of my tent to take a late stroll around the cavern. Before too long, I heard gentle music being softly played on a set of reed pipes and I began to wander in the direction of the garden. There I found Grover playing a song to the plants. He looked up at me but didn't stop playing and I didn't interrupt him.

I sat beside my friend and listened to his music. It was not like the usual nature blessings I heard him play. The music was soft and slow but so powerful. I closed my eyes and let the music wash over my soul. It was in a minor key, almost melancholy, but listening to it I couldn't help but feel hope welling in my heart. The music stopped with a final discordant chord resolving into a harmony and I opened my eyes. "That was beautiful," I said.

"Thanks, I wrote it for Juniper, you know, in memory of her." He looked out at the garden and I think the mosses actually looked a little greener and the mushrooms a little…I don't know…mushroomier. "And I wanted to say good-bye to the plants." Grover was going to be in one of the first groups to leave tomorrow. Seven years ago I would've thought that saying good-bye to plants was really weird. Now I knew better.

"Be careful out there, buddy," I told him, "I'd hate to have to save the world without you."

"Like you'd have a chance without me," he jostled me with his shoulder. We sat together a while longer chatting about our upcoming plans, old adventures and friends, and anything else that we felt like. When we finally parted ways, I returned to my tent and my exhaustion finally overcame my nerves.

- x - x - x - x - x -

The days that followed passed very slowly. Camp was pretty much empty except for Artemis and the hunters. We all tried to keep ourselves busy so we wouldn't be thinking about what could be happening to all our friends. The hunters and I would run through training exercises and drills for hours until they all had to break for food and water, then Thalia and I would continue training alone. Only Artemis seemed not to mind the waiting. Her white and silver tent was set apart from the rest of camp. She stayed in her tent the entire time, never leaving. Thalia said that she was just sitting on a cushion in the middle of the floor meditating. What was going on inside Artemis' head was anybody's guess, but from the outside she seemed to be the picture of serene calm.

Almost a week later, the big day was almost at hand. It was night on the eve of our departure and I should've been getting ready to leave the next morning. Instead I was staring at the armour hanging in the corner of my tent. It was the same armour I'd worn into battle the last time I'd faced Kronos. I picked up the breastplate, turned it over, and ran my fingers over the fresh leather strap on the back. Chiron had wanted me to get a new breastplate because the straps on this one had been sliced open when I had been stabbed in the back. I'd refused and insisted on getting new straps installed. I'm not sure why I didn't want to get new armour. So much of my old world had disappeared during the two years I spent in a coma; I was learning to draw comfort from the things that hadn't changed.

Ever since I woke up in the House of Life, I had spent practically all my time training and fighting and working and doing everything I could to stay busy. As I stood in my tent staring at my armour, I realized that I had been running. I worked so hard and did so much because I did not want to face the truth that haunted me, lurking at the edges of my mind. All our plans, all our grand strategies, had little hope of succeeding. If they failed…if I failed, then Annabeth would be condemned to Kronos' control forever; and it was my fault. I sank to the floor, clutching the piece of armour like a child clings to a security blanket. My shield laid next me polished so perfectly that I could see my reflection in it. Except it wasn't my reflection that stared back at me from the depths of the metal but Annabeth's.

Her face was lined and haggard, smudged with dirt and tears. I couldn't see her eyes because they were hidden by the hair hanging in her face but I knew they were filled with hurt and betrayal. Her lips were moving were moving and I heard her voice, small and quavering, "Why, Percy? Why didn't you save me? You could have saved us all but you didn't. Why did you let him take me?" It was too much. With an inhuman cry I threw the breastplate at the shield, toppling it so I couldn't see the image any more. I tried to find control of my emotions but my heart was as wild and turbulent as the ocean in a storm. I shook with rage and sorrow and fear as I sobbed through my tears.

Just when I thought I could take no more, I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder. My emotions calmed and I felt a peace I'd not known since waking from my coma. I looked up into the eyes of Artemis. "Forgive the intrusion," she said quietly, "your turmoil was disturbing me. And," she smiled kindly and, just for a moment, reminded me of my mother even though she only looked twelve, "I was worried about you."

I wiped my eyes and sat up, "I'm sorry, my lady. I was just…I was…" I wasn't sure what to say.

Artemis sat down next to me. "I know," she said. "And I think you know that what happened to Annabeth is not your fault." I didn't answer. I knew she was right but I couldn't escape the feeling that I was somehow responsible. "If you go through life blaming yourself for everything that does not go according to plan, your life will be a very miserable one indeed."

I started to reply, "But-"

"But nothing, Percy Jackson. Annabeth's capture is no more your fault than it is my fault that the gods could not defeat Typhon."

I looked at the goddess in surprise and then in sympathy. "It's easy to forget that the Olympians are more than just a governing body. They're your family, too."

Artemis nodded and a single glistening tear appeared at the corner of her eye and slid down her pale cheek. "My father, my brothers and sisters, all the people I am closest to are being held by Kronos. I, too, fear the outcome if we are not successful tomorrow but we accomplish nothing by worrying."

It probably violated every rule of decorum in the book but I couldn't help myself. I gave Artemis a hug. To my surprise, she returned it before standing up to leave. "Thank you for coming by, my lady."

"It was my pleasure, Perseus." Artemis stepped out of my tent and I found myself thinking about my own family. I had been so focused on Kronos lately, I had nearly forgotten about my own mother. Lighting a lamp, I reached into my pack I pulled out some paper and a pen—a real pen, not Riptide—and began to write.

Dear Mom,

I told you I had to leave so I could set things right again. Now, I have a chance to do just that. It hasn't been easy and it isn't going to get any easier but this is something I have to do. I wish I could just stay with you and Paul and never leave again but that isn't an option. You can see through the mist; you can see the true state of the world and how dead it is. Everything the Olympians represented, everything Dad fought for, is gone. But I can bring it back again.

Annabeth is alive, Mom; I know she's alive and I know where she is. I can't leave her to suffer. She was put at the centre of all of this because she is my closest friend. Two years ago there was nothing I could do to save her and Kronos thought he won. He may not even know it but Annabeth was the key to his victory and I will move heaven and earth and shatter the very foundations of Tartarus to free her once more. I am the son of the earth-shaker and I intend to live up to my father's name.

I do not know what will happen if I succeed. I do know that if I succeed it will not be because of my own efforts. I want you to know that I'm not alone. I'm with friends who will stand by me to the end. Very soon this will all be over. Either Kronos will be defeated or the last resistance to his dominion will be vanquished. If you don't hear from me within a month of the day you receive this letter, then you will know which way the battle went.

Be safe, Mom. For me.

Your loving son,

Perseus

After signing my name, I sealed the letter in an envelope which I stamped and addressed to my mother. Even though Camp was gone, there was still a mailbox at 3.141 Farm Hill Road. Every day a post office truck came out, opened it, found nothing, and left again. I wondered what the postman would think tomorrow when he found a letter waiting for delivery. When I returned underground, I nearly ran into Rachel at the mouth of the tunnel.

"Hey, Percy," she said, "How's it going?" Thalia was right behind Rachel and I began to smell a set-up. Rachel confirmed my suspicion, adding, "Artemis said you could maybe use some company."

"Well," I answered, "I wouldn't say no to hanging out with some friends."

Thalia nodded in understanding, "I suspect most of us won't be sleeping tonight anyway."

Rachel suddenly stopped walking. "I've got a great idea!" she exclaimed. Thalia and I waited for her to elaborate. Instead she just said, "Follow me!" Curious, Thalia and I followed. Rachel led us to the centre of the cavern, near Chiron's tent, to the fire pit. The fire was out but there was wood and kindling arranged in the pit just waiting to be lit. Rachel looked back at us, "C'mon, Thalia, light it up."

Thalia reached out close to the wood and a spark like a powerful static shock leapt from her fingers to the kindling. The kindling burst into flame and soon the larger logs were following suit. "All right, Rachel," Thalia said, "why did I just do that?"

Rachel's face lit up as she answered, "You're always telling me about the sing-alongs you used to have around the fire at camp. I think it's high time that tradition was restarted."

"But there's just the three of us," I pointed out.

"Just start singing," Rachel said rolling her eyes, "Trust me." Thalia and I started singing awkwardly. Rachel joined us, urging us to sing louder. As we sang hunters began to drift in and join us from around the cavern. Soon there was a whole gang of us singing songs old and new. Even Artemis came down from her tent and sat with us, although she did not join in the singing. I had to admit this had been a good idea. As the night passed on in the world above, the cavern below rang with our voices.

I awoke early the next morning, by the smouldering embers of the fire. Some of us had gotten tired and left for their tents but most had simply sung until they finally fell asleep right where they were. I stood up, stretched, and tiptoed away because most of the hunters were still asleep. Artemis must have returned to her tent because she was absent. I, too, went back to my tent and went to the armour in the corner. I buckled it on one piece at a time until I was once again kitted out in full Greek battle armour. I reached into my pocket, pulled out my pen, and removed its cap to turn it into Riptide, which I slid into my belt. I had decided to wear it openly instead of hiding it in my pocket. There was to be nothing stealthy about this mission once it started. On an impulse I reached for the bundle of linen clothes Amos had given me before I left the House of Life. I untied it and drew out the steel dagger that had nearly killed me. Feeling defiant, I slipped in my belt opposite Riptide. Last of all I reached for my pack and pulled out the gauntlet. Even deep underground I could feel the presence of the ocean when I slid the heavy glove over my hand.

I made my way back down to the centre of camp where I found Artemis assembling her hunters. She saw me coming and addressed me, "With your arrival, I believe we are ready to depart. Unless you have need to stay?" I certainly had no such need and said so. Artemis nodded and told us all to get ready. Once more I felt a sickening lurch in my stomach and my vision filled with brilliant white. And then we were standing in a small valley between the east and west peaks of Mount Tamelpais, about half a mile away from the east peak and the Titan fortress.

Some of our army had already arrived and had grouped not far away and we could see more coming up the hill. The hunters and I made our way to our friends and I found Grover. We said little as our rag-tag group of rebels assembled for battle. I think everybody felt something was missing. Chiron, who'd held us all together and kept us focused on our goal, couldn't be here because he couldn't leave his wheelchair. He had come along to organize everybody in the city and make sure we all found our way to Mount Tamelpais but that was as far as he had been able to come. Without him, we felt leaderless. Even though Artemis had every right to take command she had always deferred to Chiron. As the last of our group arrived Grover turned to me. "Percy, they need someone to take charge." I didn't really know what I planned to do but I got up on a rock so everybody could see me.

"Okay!" I called out, "Listen up, everybody." I got the attention of some of those close to me but most of the group couldn't hear me. "Hey!" I tried again but got no better results. Suddenly a bolt of lightning jumped from one cloud to another above us and a deafening thunderclap shook the air, silencing everyone. I looked at Thalia and she smiled mischievously, gesturing for me to continue.

"We all know what we're here to do," I shouted. This time I had everybody's complete attention. Artemis and Grover stood to either side of me. "Everybody knows what their job is today. But as we fight I want us all to remember why we're fighting. Every one of us has lost friends or family to the tyrant Kronos. For two years he has dominated the land and crushed any who resist under his heel. For two years he has believed himself safe. Today we change that! Today we take back what he has taken from us! Today we make sure that not one more person ever suffers under him as we have suffered!" I drew Riptide from my belt and thrust it into the air. When I gripped Riptide with the gauntlet, my sword began to burn with green fire. "NEVER AGAIN!!" I thundered. The air sang with the sound of metal scraping against metal as more swords were unsheathed and held aloft.

"Strike down the tyrant for your mothers and fathers, for your brothers and sisters! Strike for your freedom! Strike for Olympus!" I jumped off the stone and started running up the road that wound around the mountainside between us and fortress. The earth shook under our feet as my friends started after me. We did not slow when Othrys came into view. Nor did we slow when we saw the first of Kronos' soldiers appear on the walls of the massive black fortress. Running as fast and as hard as I could I shouted out and the army took up the cry until the valley echoed with our voices.

"FOR OLYMPUS!!!!"


I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I've enjoyed writing it. It has been difficult but, at risk of sounding egotistical, I am quite pleased with the result. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Now, to employ a bad cliché, stay tuned for the exciting conclusion.