From a distance they could hear the Colossus coming towards the shore intent on stomping the whole camp to bits. Iggy and Xylon had caught up with Apollo and the others riding Mama and two of her soldiers flying towards the beach. It was a shocking sight to see as they came out of the woods.

There was a hundred foot naked bronze statue holding a fifty foot long pole with a stealth bomber ship rudder attached it. It was wading out of the Long Island Sound sending huge waves crashing against the beach and even into the lake capsizing the canoe Will and Nico had been in. They were swimming as hard as they could to get to dry land before more waves could drown them.

Meanwhile Chiron galloped through the dunes, harrying the Colossus with his arrows. He targeted the statue's joints and seams, yet his shots did not seem to bother the automaton at all. "More quivers!" he shouted. "Quickly!"

Rachel scrambled out of the armory carrying half a dozen and resupplied him. She then ran back to the armory to resupply anyone else who had already lost their weapon.

The giant statue walked further up the sound. Raising his weapon he brought it down intending to smash the dinning pavilion only for it to bounce off. The magical barrier was holding now. Up on Half-Blood Hill, the Golden Fleece blazed with fiery energy as Peleus the dragon hissed a warning. The Athena Parthenos fired a blast of ultraviolet light pushing the Colossus back a few feet.

Sherman was flying his chariot around the Colossus legs as Julia and Alice threw electrical lances at the knees. Burst of electricity traveled through the lower leg, but did nothing to stop the statue. Harley and Connor were using twin flame throwers in attempt to melt the statue's feet only to give him a molten pedicure, while the Nike twins manned a catapult, lobbing boulders at the statues manhood.

Malcom, a true child of Athena was coordinating the attacks from hastily built command center. He and Nyssa had war maps spread out on the card table and shouted out targeting coordinates. In the meantime; Chiara, Damien, Paolo, and Billie rushed to set up a ballistae.

The Champions had planted themselves in between the two groups, ready to act as the second line of defense. Their auras burned brightly as Uma commanded them to spread out and be ready to rush in to the assist the front lines. At Hestia Hearth, the Acolytes had formed a tight square around it standing tall and proud. They wouldn't allow the Hearth to go out.

"Maui, jump over, we need to get to the Hearth right away! Our cabin needs us!" Iggy called out. The eleven year old looked at his big sister waiting for her consent.

"Be brave my little warrior. Do what you have to do." She gave him a kiss on the forehead and convinced the soldier to fly closer to Iggy's ride. Getting his balance, Maui jumped from the ant and was caught in Xylon's jaws before he was tossed aboard.

"We're heading to join the rest of our cabin. Apollo, Miranda! Do what you can to stop that automaton's advances. Take us to the battle field please," Leilani asked her ride. The soldier wiggled its antennas. It flew low and around avoiding the flying boulders and arrows. When it was over the Champion battle line, it dipped down low enough for Leilani and Vitas to get off before heading back to the safety of the nest.

Their friends greeted them hastily. Asking if they were alright and could continue to fight the danger before them? Both nodded as Tino ran over and hastily helped Vitas into his armor making sure it was tied on correctly. "How does it fit?"

"It's perfect! I'm ready to go!" That's when they heard a sizzling and snap! The magical barrier fell as the dinning pavilion was destroyed. The Colossus was making his way towards the green to complete his mission: to destroy the cabins and more importantly, Hestia Hearth. They needed to act now!


"Champions, defend our home with honor!" Uma cried out. A few months ago the sixteen year old would have told you it would be crazy to think of her leading others into battle. That was not a woman's place. Yet here now on the battlefield Uma felt like she truly belonged. Everything she had been through since coming to Camp Half-Blood had prepared her for this moment.

The Indian girl charged and somersaulted out of the way of the feet. Jumping up, she managed to grab a hold of the bottom of the pole. Gritting her teeth, she climbed up and manage to get up ten feet. Now came the tricky part; holding onto the pole with one arm as she reached for her valari.

Snapping her wrist, she threw the weapon angling so that it when it was spinning through the air it struck against the ankle of the left leg. It didn't leave a scratch and returned to her hand. "I won't give up. I'm one of the most dedicated people on the planet. Here I go again."

She threw the valari again and again. Even as her grip on the pole sent her slipping down she refused to give up. The statue must have felt something biting its ankles because it reached down and gave it a good scratch. Uma slid off the pole and hit the ground. Scattering in the opposite direction she raised her hands and started tying an invisible Mangala Sutra, the traditional cord that was used instead of rings to symbolize a marriage bond in India.

A burst of divine power flowed through her. Unseen to everyone except for her, the Mangala Sutra formed around the statue's neck. She pulled backwards with all her might managing to move the giant monstrosity two inches back. The invisible knot put pressure on the neck joints, weakening them slightly.

Leilani saw the Colossus raise its weapon intent on striking down her friend. Hurling some rocks from her sling, they bounced off the weapon not causing any damage. That hadn't been her aim as the sound alerted her friend to the danger as she hopped out of the weapon's way. Picturing Uma in her mind, she snapped her fingers. No sex change this time, but Uma got a temporary boost in strength, helping her drag the bronze male back two more inches before she collapsed.

Wyatt came rushing to help, firing off his pistol distracting the statue. Keeping in mind to avoid the flame throwers, Wyatt ducked and weaved between its legs. Scooping Uma up, he started carrying her back to the safety of the command post.

"LOOK OUT!" Connor yelled as the Colossus swung its weapon at the ground, tearing up the grass sending it flying everywhere. The fifteen year old covered Uma's body, protecting her from the flying debris. The earth kept shaking bringing more dirt on them. They were being buried alive!

Underneath the piling dirt the boy tried to keep calm as the world around him got darker. Wyatt could feel the whole camps emotions rushing into him. Their fear, their hope, and their anger. It multiplied inside him as his aura glowed brightly. Channeling those emotions he gripped his rondel and aimed up.

A mini explosion happened sending the earth flying everywhere. Several pieces struck the lower back and butt annoying the Colossus even more. Once again it turned away from the green heading back to the dunes. Before it could fully turn it was blasted again by pure white light. Wyatt stood tall and proud channeling everyone's emotions through his weapon as it was converted into raw power. Thin slices of bronze started to fall off its back, making a target for the other campers to aim at.


Vitas started calling the statue a dozen bad names in Korean. He made rude gestures and described how the statue was an abomination by his cultural standards. Only Malcolm might have understood what the boy was doing, but he was too busy yelling at Valentina to get the torches to light the ballista missiles to increase the damage to the statue.

"That's right, come on Ugly! You're nothing special! You'll look better as a bunch of garden gnomes!" His aura grew brighter and brighter until Vitas felt his feet leave the ground! A pair of cockatoo wings sprouted out of his back, leaving the boy surprised for a few seconds. Imagining he was an anime character he flew up into the sky. Grasping his kunai he hurled the weapon at one of the Colossus eye's hoping to blind it, but it bounced off landing somewhere on the beach.

Diving, he twisted about going in loops around the statues wrists. He used his pyeongon on the bronze metal, doing his best to ruin the wrists. It wasn't doing the amount of damage he needed. Closing his eyes, he pictured the heavens from his traditional upbringing and what he heard about Olympus. He spread his arms wide releasing a huge amount of cosmic energy

The Colossus used its weapon to block the attack gaining inches. Vitas continued to fight back pushing his power to the limits. With careful calculation he dropped from the sky as the backlash of his power took out the climbing wall.

Tino slashed his maquahuitl in an arc protecting him from the falling debris. A huge foot sank mere centimeters in the ground before him. Giving a worthy battle cry, he jumped on the right foot that nearly crushed him. Like his bunk mate, he used his weapon cutting through layers of the bronze in an attempt to slow it down. The statue was moving again, heading for the cabins.

"NO YOU DON'T!" he shouted hurling the smoke bombs on the ground. The thick cloud of smoke spread across the grass and command post hiding them from sight. Thankfully it saved the catapult and ballista from being smashed. Confused, the statue started to move in another direction.

Drawing back of his fist, Tino was flooded with the strength of a mother's love. The kind that allowed them to perform great acts of strength. The love wasn't just his, it was the love all the campers shared for their mothers. When he struck the top of the foot, he had enough strength to pile drive his fist straight through leaving a neat hole in the statue.

The statue started to sway a bit and rocked back a little bit. It was having trouble finding his balance with its injured foot. Something Orlanda took advantage of as she maneuvered through the battle field. Her "Mist Vision" gave her a clear outline of the statue and certain parts blinked suggesting weakness.

"Who needs a naked statue of themselves to have eternal glory? No one and that's why I'm going to enjoy ruining Nero's Colossus footwork!" She signaled for Vitas to come get her. Her friend had recovered enough strength to lift her up and drop her on the left foot.

"Time to mess with your footwork. I enjoy whack a giant foot." Standing up she started pounding away at the foot. The earlier molten pedicure had soften the metal a bit. Orlanda hit the weak spots in several different patterns causing the metal to buckle a bit, making it harder to walk. The Colossus was angry as it kicked its foot back and forth trying to dislodge her. Orlanda held on tight.

"I need some help!" she yelled at herself. Use the power within. Recall the days and heroes of glory a voice that sounded exactly like Hera's echoed in her mind. "What does that even mean? How is recalling one's days of glory going to help?" Digging her cane into the foot she thought about the words. Then it came to her.

Whistling as loud as she could summoned echoes of battles past. Campers who had died in battle, their shades answered her call hoping for one last chance of glory. The other campers appeared startled by their appearances or why they carried goal balls as they attacked the Colossus. Jumping off the statue, she whistled some more fallen shades, leading them into battle.


The six Acolytes stood firm around their patroness's altar. Despite all attempts to stop it, the Colossus was moving towards the cabins again, specifically Demeter's cabin. No doubt Nero's petty revenge against Meg's mom. The enchanted stuffed animal rose up and bashed the statue in the face before one swipe of the rudder blade destroyed it. The remains fell to the ground before reverting back to stuffing.

Iggy's knees buckled and he fell forward only to be caught by his beloved pig, whose transformation had worn off. Their bodies ached all over from using their powers for a fifteen minutes. "Thanks boy. My blessing special power has been spent. I barely have enough energy to stand." Xylon helped him stand as they took their place among the others.

Heather looked around and saw that everyone was losing steam. Up in the sky Apollo and his children appeared to be attempting to obtain arrows from the statues armpit with little success. The ground troops did their best, but their movements were a tad slower, their aim less precise. Even the power of the Champions was waning. Nero's giant statue was wearing them all down.

"Let's build the fire up! Make its power as strong as it can be!" Heather added more kindle to the fire, using her poker to spread the embers making sure the flames grew higher and higher. As it got hotter the color of the flame started to change from reddish orange to pure gold thanks to the chemical makeup of their Celestial Bronze pokers.

The statue paused for two minutes memorized by the color and the way it danced across his own bronze chest. During those two minutes Heather followed her instincts. Using her Seax, she sliced open her left palm. Ignoring the pain, she let several drops of blood land in the fire causing it to slither out of the Hearth towards her. Her aura merged with the fire giving her great strength.

Embracing herself, she let her merged aura travel across the grass. Once it came in contact with members of the camp, her family, the bonds she shared with them renewed them, for a second chance to fight. The unity felt between them raised their failing hope back up. "The bond between our families is strong, strong enough to protect our home," she whispered to herself. Tearing a piece of her hood off; she bandaged hand up.

"You might have bought us some time, but it's not going to stop!" Sidonia cried out as she pointed towards the enemy. The Colossus was once again heading towards Demeter's cabin. Miranda and Billie would be homeless, Demeter would be filled with anger and rage, and part of Camp Half-Blood would be gone forever. They couldn't let the Beast have his revenge and rob Meg of the place she truly belonged to.

"Maui, Eunice, back me up!" Sidonia was no longer afraid to be in the spotlight as she ran closer to Demeter cabin. All her scented candles from around the cabins appeared right in front of her. She stumbled losing her glasses, as the candles started to pop back to where they came from.

"Not the time for this. Where are they?" she searched the grass frantically looking for her glasses. The right foot was coming down going to destroy the cabin and Sidonia with it!

"I think someone should clean your clock!" Eunice shouted. Her blessing power concentrated in her brain. Using telekinesis she brought out all the cleaning products from the Big House. "Didn't anyone tell you it's rude not to clean yourself up before coming to someone's home?"

It was something out of Disney movie, like that added scene in Beauty and the Beast, where all the objects in the castle started to clean it as they sang about becoming human again. Mops and brooms attacked the top of the head. They kept cleaning and hiding behind the sun crown points. They were attempting clean a big hole straight into the statue's brain.

Cans of different cleaning sprays bombarded the statue's body releasing their chemical spray. Some of them started to corrode the statue a tiny bit. Others blinded the statue. Laundry sheets and sewing needles worked together to create a cover for the weapon. "This won't work for long! Sidonia you need to find your glasses!"

"I need another minute or two!"

Eunice focused her mind on her hammer. It wobbled in the air unsteadily. She moved it with her mind as she positioned it in the middle of the face. With the last bit of her power she struck her weapon, creating tiny cracks in the statue's nose.

She fell back as Maui came forward throwing his Ihe. All that training helped give him the muscles he needed to help get his spear high enough that it stuck in the right knee. They Colossus dropped his weapon destroying the temporary command center, just so he could yank the weapon out of his knee and hurl it towards its obsession.

Only for it to bounce off a temporary protective barrier. Sidonia ahd found her glasses and using her club and powers, had created mini hearths all around the cabin. She had lit them with her lantern. She kept teleporting more candles and hearth stones spreading their circle wider. "I'm creating my own miracle. I will not let you destroy all that is sacred here!"

"That's right Sidonia! Now it's my turn to play!" the eleven year old Maui laughed crazily. He pulled out his model for the dinning pavilion. With his blessing powers the model grew until it was the size of the former building. The model slammed into the Colossus's stomach spinning it around before coming to rest over the remains of the previous one.

Models of the different cabins kept slamming into the Colossus sending it spinning around driving it back to towards the beach. The statue forced itself to stop. If he could scream he probably would have bellowed loud enough to be heard across all five boroughs. He got ready to jump on top of the cabins.

"NO! STOP RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE. I COMMAND YOU!" Chui called out. His voice was amplified and there was a hint of magic to it, like charm speak, but this was different. More authoritative and stern. Amazingly, it worked, the Colossus had stopped.

"LEAVE THIS CAMP RIGHT NOW! RETURN TO THE SOUND! DON'T COME BACK!" Chui shouted. He fired a few bolts from his crossbow toward the beach letting the statue know which way to go. The Colossus was slowly turning around taking a few steps towards the beach. "GOOD KEEP GOING. WATCH WHERE YOU STEP. GO SLOWLY PLEASE."

The Colossus kept walking towards the beach, the others keeping a close eye on it. Chui continued to speak with all the authority he could muster. Beside him, his fellow Acolyte started pooling the remaining power of their blessing to form an avatar of Hestia's sacred animal. It grew in size protecting the Hearth. The Colossus was almost back on the sand when Chui's voice gave out.

The spell was broken and the statue appeared to be angry. It lifted its hand trying to swat Apollo and his kids chariot out of the sky. Austin pulled on the reins gaining height avoiding the hand by mere inches. Kayla was yelling something and Apollo looked shaken.


That's when back up finally arrived in the form of Percy Jackson and his hell hound Mrs. O'Leary appearing on the top of the Colossus head. It was clear in an instant that hell hounds preferred their feet on the ground and not on the top of statues as urine covered the statue's head.

Wyatt was hovering over Uma as he listened to Percy exchange words with Apollo about the state of the situation. He watched as the son of Poseidon cut of one the crowns points and shoved it into the Colossus forehead. He cut off another one and tossed back into the bay, his hell hound going after it.

"By Kali has that thing been destroyed yet?" Uma moaned as she came to. She coughed several times to get the dirt out of her lungs. Wyatt hugging her made it worse. "Let…go…of…me."

"Sorry, we were really worried about you. Can you still fight?" he demanded her. She shook her head and barked at him. "Call the others here. Our powers are failing. We need to pool the last of them together to form an avatar to hold that statue in place." She stood up taking out her special pepper spray formula. She needed to give it to Apollo, to help ensure his plague arrow would be effective.

Wyatt did as he asked, calling out to the other Champions to gather around their leader. Each of them stopped what they were doing and heading over to Uma at top speed. They had just reached her when the chariot crashed onto the beach leaving the two demigods and the ex-god moaning in the sand. "Wyatt help me over there."

Reaching the clustering group around Apollo, Hera's cabin heard him say, "The plague arrow is ready! We need to shoot it into the Colossus ear!" Out of the crowd Cecil's voice asked loudly, "Are they contagious?" As Uma pushed through to the center she saw the boy pointing at sickly looking Kayla and Austin.

"No!" Apollo said. Then he looked a bit sheepish before continuing. "Well…probably not. It's the fumes from the arrow that made them like this." The others started to back away as Uma walked forward towards Apollo. She ignored the fumes, not letting them get to her.

"Whatever you summoned won't be enough on its own. I'm adding my special blend of pepper spray to this plague. Hopefully this will make it work faster. Hold your breath and cover your eyes." Everyone did as she commanded as she empty the entire can all over the arrow. The fumes became a mix of orange and green.

Standing up, she beckoned her friends closer. "We're going to pool the last of our blessings powers together. Hopefully we can create an avatar that will hold the Coleuses in the right position for the shot. Be warned, we only have enough left for two minutes top. Good luck."

"Wait a minute who are you….?" Percy started to ask before Chiron touched his shoulder steering him back to the conversation with Apollo.

The Colossus interest in the hell hound had been spent. It was coming back up the beach ready to smash everyone gathered to pieces. Linking their arms together, the Champions pored every last drop of divine power from their blessing together. A giant peacock wearing a polos formed. Fanning its feathers, the avatar strutted over and used its massive wings to hold the giant statue in position, giving Apollo a clear shot at its ear. The avatar let out a shriek as it started to fade.

Apollo drew back on the bow Chiron had lent him. The arrow of Dodona twitched back and forth as it gave advice to Apollo. He aimed the plague arrow and released it. The arrow twirled up in the air, but there hadn't been enough force to keep it going straight as it veered a bit off course. A gust of wind caught it and sent the air straight into the statue's ear where they heard it clink around like a pachinko machine.

The avatar faded it away and luckily it wasn't needed. The statue had stopped on its own. The Colossus looked at the sky as head tilted back and it tried to sneeze a tornado out of its blocked nose. The building pressure caused geysers of motor oil out of its ears contaminating the beach. Everyone was watching in confusion wondering what was going on.

"What kind of plague makes you sneeze?" Sherman demanded, Miranda was holding his hand trying to calm him down after being thrown from his prized chariot.

"I'm afraid I—I summoned a rather benign illness. I believe I've given the Colossus a case of hay fever." Apollo looked at the statue with all the hope he could gather. This had to work, they didn't have any more options.

As everyone watched, the early damage to the different parts of the statue had caused problems with the joints, especially the ones on its neck. When it sneezed this time, the head completely separated from the body hitting the water and causing a tidal surge that Percy blocked. Seconds later the head sank. Without the head the rest of the body fell apart, each piece landing in different parts of the Sound.

"Well that de-escalated pretty fast," Alice whistled

"What in Hades just happened?" Sherman asked in awe.

"I believe the Colossus sneezed his head off." Apollo looked stunned by his accomplishment. A cheer went up all around the camp. As the adrenaline stopped pumping many of the campers succumbed to their exhaustion including the Champions and Acolytes.


Eunice was the first one to stir from her cot. Her body ached all over, her scares flaring in pain. She had major headache. Her body screamed for food and something to drink. Someone gently propped her up. "Eunice, I need you to wake up. I've got some medicine for you."

The scent of brownies made her open her eyes all the way. She blinked several times to clear them. "Will?" she asked hesitantly. He nodded his head gently. He held a bag in his hands filled with some brownies and bottles of juice. "That's medicine?"

Will nodded. "Percy found the bag near the medicine cabinet for you guys. The writing on the bag says, "For Acolytes and Champions only. One brownie and juice container per person. Only to be used in an extreme emergency." Glancing at his father, he whispered, "My dad told me these are Hestia's special brownies and Hera's secret fruity passion drink. Since your blessings come from them, he figures they might help restore you to normal."

"I'm not one to turn down a free snack." Eunice held out her hand and took the brownie. It smelled okay, she took a tiny nibble. It tasted wonderfully sweet with only a hint spice. Taking a sip out of the juice bottle her head started to feel better. "Hmm, this is really good."

Will nodded and told her to eat and drink her medicine slowly. He didn't know what effects this medicine would have on mortals. He just had to trust that Hestia and Hera wouldn't put their mortals at risk.

One by one the others woke up, each feeling as if they had been run over by the Colossus. Different parts of their bodies ached. Even Xylon was exhausted and in pain, oinking for some relief. Will dispensed the brownies and juice, along with some special raw treats for him.

"I can't believe that a bunch of brownies are actually healing you. I thought you twelve were mortals?" Percy asked. He was taking a short break before heading out to recruit some whales and hippocampi to drag the remains of the Colossus to his dad's underwater palace. He claimed that his dad, was going to use it as welcoming gift to his goddess sister Kymopoleia, who was finally being allowed to visit her father's new palace.

"We are mortals. We received a small blessing from our patronesses. A point one percent that allowed us to see through the Mist, get in and out of camp, and I guess powers when there's an extreme emergency going on," Heather explained. She ate another tiny bite of the brownie. She could feel her strength coming back.

"It was nice having powers for a little bit, but I think we should be grateful that they only come out in time of extreme emergencies," Tino said quietly. He swirled his juice as he thought back to the power that rushed inside him earlier. The feeling of being wrapped in love and super strength made a part of him feel as if he was finally an equal to the demigods. He had been tempted to keep that power all to himself. Instead he was glad when it was over. He was just fine being himself.

"Did my models vanish after the battle? I passed out before I could see for myself." Leilani reported that the word from the rest of the campers was all his models, except the dinning pavilion, had disappeared. Though one of the columns was a bit crooked it was still stable enough to use.

Percy left the infirmary shortly after to start hauling the pieces away. Sidonia, Vitas, and Orlanda wanted to help join the clean-up crew outside take care of the mess, but Uma and Chui put their feet down on that idea.

"We've been through a lot these past few days. We shouldn't be pushing ourselves so soon. We need to rest and recover our strength."

"Chui's right of course. Now I know we all liked to be in our own beds, but let's humor Will and spend the night here just in case our special medicine causes a problem with one of us."

"Yeah we can talk about what happened to us after we help clean up the camp tomorrow," Wyatt added. That satisfied the others who were too tired to move. Curling under their covers they ignored the sounds of extreme cases of hay fever and went to sleep. Will and Apollo took turns coming in and out of the infirmary to check on their patients all night.

When breakfast was served the next morning half of last night's damage had been cleaned up by the nymphs, satyrs, and the harpies. The foot prints had been filled in with fresh earth. A lot of the debris had been cleared away while the harpies had snatched up all the fallen weapons and placed them in the forge for fixing.

Most of the demigods, including the Acolytes, joined in cleaning the beach and surrounding area up from last night's oil spill. Apollo and the Champions were rebuilding the canoe dock while Rachel and Percy brought back all the pegusi who had stamped away last night in fear. Chiron was up in the Big House doing something very important.


Lunch came around and everyone enjoyed their meal thanking Maui professedly for recreating their dinning pavilion. The boy blushed. "It was nothing, but don't expect it to happen again anytime soon. I have no idea when or if that power will return."

"I hope that it does! You were so cool during the fight!" Harley told him in admiration. Each demigod friend of the mortals complimented them and voiced how amazing they were. A few volunteered to help them train in their ethnic fighting style to improve their skills.

A conch shell whistled as everyone turned their attention to Chiron. The Centaur stood up with a pleased expression on his face. "Campers, you should all congratulate yourself and each other. Last night was one of the worst attacks in Camp Half-Blood's history. The odds were stacked against us and even when our rescue group returned, all seemed lost. Yet through bravery, skill, and a little luck, we prevailed once more thank the gods."

"Thank the gods!" the campers responded with a bit more enthusiasm than usual. Everyone turned and looked at Apollo, who was trying to make himself as small as he could. The Champions could still feel his emotions and thoughts. Apollo felt that he didn't deserve their praise and that he was the one who caused the whole problem in the first place.

"Today we should honor all those whose exceptional skills helped achieve our victory. So please head to the amphitheater for our Honoring Heroics Ceremony!" Everyone cheered as they headed to their destination. Rachel linked her arm with Apollo and escorted him to the ceremony.

The amphitheater was decorated with colorful flags with symbols of all the gods great and minor. Despite the cold, several flowers lined the steps. On the stage two ceremonial torches burned brightly. A small raised platform had been moved onto the stage for the honorees to be seen. Standing off the side several satyrs were playing music as the nymphs held onto the laurel wreaths.

Chiron jumped on stage and the ceremony began. "Welcome everyone! Today we follow the age old tradition of honoring those who have proven themselves to be true heroes and outstanding examples to their peers. Remember, even if you don't receive a wreath today, you are all heroes."

They all nodded, each person eager to get a wreath as a trophy. "Our first honor goes to a person who displayed maturity, natural leadership, and outstanding intelligence. Without him, we would have fallen in minutes. Malcolm Pace please come up here."

A surprised Malcolm was shoved towards the stage. He looked very proud of himself. He shook Chiron hand and accepted his award. He stood on the platform waving to everyone. Excited that no one was teasing him about forgetting his pants last night.

"Our next honor goes to our greatest healer. Without his assistance many of us would not be here today. Will Solace, come up here to receive your award." Kayla and Austin hugged their brother and Apollo gave his son a handshake. Nico smiled at his significant other. Will accepted his award with great humbleness.

"This reward is a very special one that I've had the pleasure of giving to very few demigods. It a prize for one who goes beyond their limits to help someone, a person who in the most dangerous circumstances, chooses to do the right thing no matter what the consequences maybe. For now, the true honoree can't receive this, but I humbly ask Miranda Gardiner and Billie Nyg to accept this reward in place of their absent sister Meg. Hopefully, one day, she will return healed in mind, body, and soul."

Everyone was silent as the daughter of Demeter walked up on the stage. Both of them had pained looks on their faces. They were still angry that Meg betrayed them. At the same time, they wanted her to come back and let them help her find peace. Accepting the wreath they both stood up and bowed before Chiron asked them to return to their seats.

"These next few rewards, some are old and others new. I hope that no one gets upset with these new rewards. This first reward goes to a master of rituals, whose tracking skills aided our rescue team. Ichabod Stein, please come up here with your pet Xylon."

Shocked to be honored for something so basic, it took a shove from both of Ares's sons to get the boy moving. Xylon didn't need a nudge, excited by the energy around him. Receiving his laurel wreath, Iggy did his best to appear humble and kind. Xylon held his head high as he could feeling like the most important pig in the world.

"Two people share this award. For outstanding performances in battle as a woman for both physical and mental prowess. Leilani Huiah and Uma Naballie, you have both demonstrated these qualities. I am honored to present these wreaths to you."

Leilani skipped on stage laughing happily as she put her new flower crown on her head. Uma bowed slightly and waved at everyone as she took her award. Both girls linked hands and took their place on the raised platform, hugging their friend as they listened to the next reward, one for selfless actions and courage.

"While their choices may have been wrong at the time, I cannot fault those who put others safety first, even in the face of danger. These young heroes refused to abandon their friends in their time of need. Maui Huiah and Vitas Choi, you deserve this reward."

Vitas managed to keep Maui from tackling the centaur in an enthusiastic hug. The young rebel did a fist pump gaining cheers. With the wreath on his head he finally felt like the person who he was supposed to be. Maui as usual was going on about how it was his namesake that made him so selfless.

Tino Gonzales and Heather Tebra received rewards for displays of unity, family, and above all, using their powers to help others during the crises. Tino cried happily wishing his mom could see him now. Heather was wondering how she would explain this reward to her parents when she finally saw them again.

Eunice Tanner and Orlanda Frankfurt got rewards for the most creative use of their powers. Both of them had mastered their divine ability in seconds and used them well enough to render the Colossus weaponless. Both girls jumped up and down and high fived one another.

Wyatt Grimwood and Sidonia Silverstein felt a little overwhelmed by receiving awards for protecting the campers. Wyatt preened a bit as he took his reward as for once, Sidonia was happy to be the center of attention soaking it up.

Chui Freeman was the last one to accept his award. It was a new one for a person who demonstrated their domain the best. For once he didn't know what to say, he was just excited. He felt really proud of himself. He had no regrets now about his choice in becoming an Acolyte.


After the ceremony everyone went back to their cabins to clean up after a hard morning of work. Well everyone, but Apollo, Rachel, and Percy who had been assigned to keep an eye on the ex-god just in case he decided to bolt from the camp. After the events of last night, it was obvious that something had changed with Apollo. More importantly, he needed help if he was to complete his quest to reclaim the old oracles.

The Acolytes were complementing one another very pleased by their awards. They waved at the Champions, who were just as excited. Both groups entered their cabins, wanting to put their laurel wreaths somewhere safe. Upon entering all six members of each cabin gasped in disbelief. Standing next their altars were Hestia/Hera! "What are you doing here queen/humble Hera/Hestia," both groups asked at once.

Hestia smiled kindly as she walked around her cabin. She looked at the pretty decorations admiring the candle holders or the ribbons on the wall. The floor was nice and clean. She adored the porch and open window set up. Peeking into the bathroom, she admired how simple the room was. Coming back into the main room all her Acolytes had gathered on the floor next to the hearth. She sank down next to them. "I enjoy this cabin design. Very comfortable, welcoming, and simple."

"Thank you Patroness. We're glad that you like it. It's has been a very comfortable home for us since we arrived here," Chui informed her. "We have done our best to represent you and uphold the duties of an Acolyte. We hope that you're pleased."

Hestia assured them that she was pleased. Wiggling her fingers, Xylon came over to her and plopped down. He enjoyed the goddess scratching his belly. It was easy to see that Hestia also enjoyed pampering the pig. It had been a long time since she had quality time with her symbolic animal.

"Patroness Hestia, we're glad to see you, but how are you here now? All communication between the gods and Camp Half-Blood has been disrupted. Even getting your message was a shock. If you're able to be here does that mean communication issues are cleared up?" Heather asked politely. She was having a difficult time accepting this.

Hestia sighed and reached out her hand. When Heather tried to touch it her own hand went right through. "I'm not really here here Heather. As you six have suspected for some time, there are multiple pantheons of ancient gods and goddesses still around. Contact between those pantheons have not been compromised. Some of them lent me their power so a part of my essences could come here."

"Why? Are you here to tell us something or do you want information about what's been going on?" Sidonia asked.

Hestia explained that after last night's attack on the camp was too big to ignore and her pantheon had been alerted to the situation. Her brother Zeus wasn't allowing any interference after what happened during the quest last summer. He wanted Apollo to fix things and wouldn't be raising a godly hand to help.

The Acolytes snorted at that wondering if it was god trait to be insufferable jerks most of the time. Even though they didn't say it out loud, they had a feeling their patroness could sense what was on their minds. Instead of scolding them she decided to answer some of their unspoken questions.

"You are curious about why you picked up on something odd about Meg correct? As Acolytes you all have great observational skills. You are the ones who offer hospitality and do what you can to make everyone comfortable," Hestia explained as she lowered her veil to look at each of them with pride in her eyes.

"With my tiny blessing you can sense things about people that they might try to hide. It's all part of being a being an Acolyte and member of this family. As it is your job to keep the family safe. Even help others who are in need of help."

Over in Hera's cabin she was giving them a similar speech explaining that having them hear and feel Apollo's thoughts and emotions was to help them with their duties. "It also my first attempt at making amends for what I did to his mother. Hestia convinced me I should try to start with one person and see where it goes from there."

Her Champions congratulated her and told her they were proud of her. Each of them patted themselves on the back for helping improve Hera's image around camp and being an inspiration. At last she was getting a bit of respect and goodwill.

"Queen Hera, where did our powers come from? Will they show up again? Are those brownies and juice we had last night good for us all the time?" Orlanda asked. Her blank eyes couldn't hide her curiosity and desire to master said powers.

"Your divine abilities come from me, but only under an extreme circumstances. As mortals, you're not meant to wield that kind of power for very long, fifteen minutes at best, before you have to stop. I don't wish to see you burn out. That is the only instance you should take those brownies and juice, they have a bit of our power in them to prevent the blessing from over running your bodies. That gives your mortal bodies a chance to heal."

She looked thoughtful for a minute as she picked her words carefully. "Your skills and willpower have served you well in keeping up with the demigods here," Hera told them patiently. She seemed like a different woman, more relaxed and kinder. She was giving them the same amount of respect she give to other members of her family.

Hera felt herself being called back, so she had to finish the conversation quickly. "There are many challenges awaiting you in the near future. Some will be personal and others will be deadly. I urge each of you to make the choice that is best for you. Until we meet again. Goodbye." She vanished from sight giving her Champions much to think about.


The twelve mortals showered and changed heading to the dinning pavilion. As they got closer they realized that all the campers had lined up and held numbers. It appeared they were taking turns hitting a Hispanic kid who was waving his arms around. Sitting at a table with Percy and Apollo was a beautiful young woman.

She had long caramel brown hair and almond shape eyes. Her skin was flawless and when she spoke her voice had a melodious tone. She wore some comfortable jeans, a white blouse and a shocking pink ski jacket. Both Percy and Apollo looked nervous sitting next to her. There was a roar and burst of fire as a bronze dragon rolled around the area.

They all stopped in their tracks. The puzzle pieces were clicking together. These newcomers weren't strangers, but people the campers knew. Not to mention there was only one person in Camp Half-Blood history that would deserve people punching him and still smile happily. Leo Valdez had returned.

They got closer and could hear Leo talking. "So as I was saying, if Fetus hadn't picked up on the homing beacon yesterday, we'd still be flying around, looking for a way out of the Sea of Monsters."

"Oh, I hate that place," Percy said with a shiver. "There's this big Cyclops Polyphemus—"

"Boys," Calypso said, "perhaps we should focus on the present? After all, I believe these twelve mortals would like to introduce themselves." Calypso slid off her bench and held out her hand. "Calypso, daughter of Atlas."

"Chui Freeman, Head Acolyte of Hestia Cabin. My domain is stately order. These are my friends and bunk mates. Heather, Ichabod, but he prefers Iggy. Then we have Sidonia, Eunice, and little Maui." There was a big grunt and Chui apologized introducing Calypso to Xylon, the cabin's mascot.

"A pleasure to meet you all. It's a surprise to see Hestia getting involved with anything outside her sacred hearth. I'm glad that she stepped outside her comfort zone." She turned her attention towards Uma, noting the polos and symbol attached to it. "I find it even harder to believe that Hera has chosen to do something nice for a change. Exactly who are you?"

"Uma Naballie, Head Champion of Hera Cabin. My domain is Marriage. These are my fellow Champions. Wyatt, Leilani, Tino, Vitas, and of course our bravest Orlanda."

Calypso shook hands with each one, complimenting them on how impressed she was by the mortals and the jobs they did. In turn, they told her how brave and courageous she was becoming mortal and living her life the way she wanted to.

"You're very pretty, much prettier than the books said. Is it true you had invisible hand servants that got you anything you needed?" Maui asked curiously.

"Yes, but since I left Ogygia, I have no longer needed them. I do things for myself."

"That's cool. If you need any advice about being a mortal girl living in modern times, I'm sure I speak for all us girls that we'd be happy to help you out," Heather mentioned to her.

"Thank you, I would greatly appreciate that." Leo let out another whine as he was hit in the shoulder by Sherman. He hobbled over to the table hoping to avoid being hit some more. He looked at the twelve mortals with a critical eye. "Are you twelve going to hit me as well?"

"Why should we? We don't know you personally," Eunice pointed out to him. "Besides Acolytes welcome people who return home safely not hurt them."

"Also, we're not in any condition right now to punch you," Tino added.

Leo looked relieved at that, but had to endure several more punches as Percy summarized what was going on with the Triumvirate and their most recent actions against demigods. Apollo added a few colorful details about the Grove of Dodona and the prophecy he'd received.

Leo rubbed his bruises. "Man, why does it not surprise me that modern corporations are run by zombie Roman emperors'?"

"They are not zombies," Apollo said. "I'm not sure they run all corporations."

Leo waved his hand interrupting the ex-god explanation. "They're trying to take over the Oracles?"

"Yes."

"That's pretty bad. So if you need help completing your quest then Calypso and I are happy to help. Well, I would be at least. Calypso, babe, you'll help please?"

Most of them were shocked by the nickname, but only half surprised that Calypso would agree to help. She was in love with Leo and would offer her aid when he asked for it. "If we're going to help Apollo on his trials, we need a few days rest to prepare our supplies, fix Fetus, and come up with a plan on what to do next."

There the squeak of wheels as Rachel pushed Chiron over to the picnic table. "I'm sure that the campers are more than willing to help you prepare for the journey. As for Leo, I'm glad to see you alive." Suddenly an equine leg came out from under the blanket, kicking the boy square in the chest, leaving an indent of a hoof on it, "But if you ever pull a stunt like that again you'll live to regret it."

Leo nodded and begged that the physical abuse stop. Nico agreed to it only because they ran out of people here that wanted to punch him. Once they regained contact with Camp Jupiter, he was back on the chopping block.

Percy left before dinner wishing everyone luck in the near future. They wished him well in graduating from school and hoped he could actually go to New Rome College next year. If Apollo failed his trials, then everyone would be doomed. Still as everyone relaxed by the fire's warmth they were all hopeful for the future.


So the story is at an end or is it? We may have completed "The Hidden Oracle." But we still have one more chapter to go. A bonus chapter about our young Acolytes and Champions and their destiny to come. So see you next Thursday for the last chapter in Blessed Campers.