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Chapter 11: Quest
Ever since Percy got claimed, the atmosphere around camp became different.
Wherever he walked, campers swerved to avoid him, afraid to get in his way. No one exchanged words with him, not even a polite greeting. Even Clarisse and the rest of her cabin didn't do anything to him either, which was a surprise, seeing as how she was still infuriated from our last game. He became less lively, more reclusive, as he sat alone at the Poseidon table. It didn't take a genius to see that Percy was miserable.
I was so glad I decided not to say anything.
I sat with Luke and the Stoll brothers in silence. I pondered what I should be doing. I haven't had a chance to talk to Percy at all since our last game. I mean, come on! He's a pretty great guy, coming from someone who only met him a few days ago, and now everyone was shunning him out because of his heritage. They never gave Percy the chance to prove he wasn't as dangerous as he seemed. I couldn't help but feel angry about his unfair circumstances, and this was Poseidon we were talking about, who had like hundreds of kids in the past! Imagine once Artemis decided to claim me, what then? I definitely did not want to tolerate this kind of treatment, or worse.
Travis and Conner were also less chatty and avoiding my gaze, very out of character. I gave them an eerie smirk, and they both cowered even lower in their seats.
Let's just say that I managed to get them back 2-fold: they wouldn't be getting their hands on my weapons anytime soon. I smiled as I recalled that event. It was just after Capture the Flag ended.
"Please let us go!" Travis pleaded, struggling to move. The arrows that I had pinned on the ends of his shirt and pants prevented him to do so. "We were bribed! We won't do it again!" Conner, who was pinned on another tree beside him, nodded furiously at his brother's words.
"Really?" I doubted. "What makes you think I believe you?" To drive in the point, I purposely sharpened my daggers in front of them. They gulped visibly.
"We swear by the Styx!" they said at once. I raised an eyebrow. That was a hard oath to break.
"Well, maybe your promise isn't enough to satisfy me." I said as I narrowed my eyes dangerously low. "This isn't the first time after all." I paused for effect, they didn't say anything. "Tell me, how did the two of you avoid me? I made sure to check every inch of this place."
"Apparently not every place," Travis smirked despite his situation. "We were still in the Cabin when you discovered your weapons missing." I was stunned. "We were hiding under the covers of one of the beds." he said.
Conner chirped in, "you got to admit it was ingenious." He looked rather pleased with the trick.
"Yes," I mumbled, "that was…ingenious." That was the very last place I would have bothered to check. I continued, "but I'm still not going to let you guys go-not until justice is done."
"What?!" they said at the same time, both having identical faces of bewilderment.
Conner protested, "b-but we even revealed one of our greatest secrets!"
Travis nodded. "Yeah! And just what are you going to do? You can't hurt us!" I raised an eyebrow mockingly at them.
"Who said anything about hurting you guys?" I said innocently. "In fact, I'm not the one who's going to enact your punishment." They were confused.
"T-then what are you…?" Travis trailed off as he heard someone else approaching. I gave a polite greeting to welcome the new arrival.
"Daniel! Thanks for coming." I said to the newcomer. He smiled in response.
"How could I not?" he replied, "I always wanted the chance to get back at these two for messing with my stuff." His eyes had a gleam in them. "I should be thanking you for this opportunity." Smirking, I leaned down and whispered my idea of justice. He laughed when I finished.
"Can you do it?" I asked.
"Of course," he said easily, "I'm not a son of Hecate for nothing." I nodded in agreement.
"Let's get started, shall we?" I said, as I darted my eyes to the Stolls' horrified looks.
Daniel nodded. "Maybe its best if you stand back. I don't want you to get infected by accident." I nodded, and did as he suggested.
Daniel stood in front of them, casting a chant with his hands raised up. A big puff of orange smoke appeared, engulfing the two trapped victims. By the time the smoke vanished, the Stoll brothers started…laughing. They laughed and laughed, unable to stop. Conner had tears running down his face while Travis was letting out snorting noises. I looked on, satisfied with the results.
"How long will the effects last?" I asked him. Daniel seemed to look at his watch mockingly for a moment.
"I say…the tickling spell will last for another three or so minutes." he replied. "Is this good enough for you?" I listened to their uncontrolled laughter for a few moments, both of their faces were now wet.
I grinned, "Definitely."
Revenge sure was sweet.
"Is there something going on?" Luke asked, looking at his two brothers and me, and thereby snapping my attention back to reality.
"Maybe," I said as I glanced at the Stoll brothers, who were still avoiding my gaze. "You can ask them for the details." Luke looked even more confused.
But let's get back to the real topic.
"Hey Luke," I said nonchalantly, "is there any rule as to why we are restricted to sit at only our designated tables?" Luke looked at me in surprise.
"Of course, the gods made it like that in order to have their spheres of influence enforced on the camp," he said. "Y-you're not thinking-!"
"So if I were to, say, suddenly sit down at that lonely Cabin 3 table-will anything happen to me?" I said seriously. Luke looked hesitant.
"I'm not sure actually," he admitted. "No one's ever tried…" he trailed off as he saw me getting up and heading towards Poseidon's table. I was praying to the sea god to not blast me dead as I approached. I was doing it for a good cause after all. I walked to where Percy was seated, placed my plate in front of him and seated myself down. Percy looked up at me in surprise, and apparently, the other campers did too, when the pavilion suddenly became quiet.
It was complete silence for a few moments. Luke, and Clare as well, were looking at me as if I was crazy. Chiron was looking at me in surprise, but he didn't do anything to stop me, while Mr. D…well, he still hasn't looked up from his magazine. Percy continued to stare at me, looking at me as if I grew a set of horns. I waited a few moments, and seeing as to how I was still alive and well, I delved into my dish. The eerie silence was getting to me when I snapped:
"What are you guys looking at?" I muttered, as I took a bite. Clare was the first to snap out of it, shaking her head in exasperation with a small smile on her face. The pavilion became rowdy once again.
Percy still stared at me, his food untouched. He was still shocked at what I just did. I just continued eating, quickly finishing up the mashed potatoes.
"W-why did you…" I looked up at him. "Why did you do that?"
"Do what?" I said.
"You know what I mean! Why did you decide to come over here?" he said, exasperated. I only looked at him questionably.
"Why shouldn't I?" I cut him off before he spoke again. "Just because you're some child of the Big Three, doesn't mean I am obligated to leave you to your personal space." He was offended.
"Wait, I'm not-!"
"I know," I said. "Besides, you look a bit lonely, and miserable as well." He widened his eyes. "So, I did what every one of these cowards was so afraid to do: I decided to hang out with you. Is that really such a big deal?"
Percy didn't say anything for a moment, and then...
"T-thanks," he mumbled, as he picked up his fork and started to eat again. I smiled.
"Anytime."
-o-
The next few days passed by well in my opinion, and not just for me, but for Percy too.
After my daring move of sitting at the Cabin Three table (and I sat there every day since then. Poseidon didn't seem to mind), everyone else started to relax. Luke began to talk to him regularly, and gave him afternoon sparing lessons with the sword. He offered to teach me as well, but I declined. Swordsmanship wasn't fit for my taste. So I simply watched Luke relentlessly pushed Percy to his limits. The Stolls told me that Percy managed to beat Luke once when I was asleep, much to my surprise.
Eventually, I introduced Clare to Percy, and they simply exchanged the usual pleasantries since there wasn't much to say between those two. When Percy was out of earshot, Clare told me that he was an 'okay sort of guy'-which pretty much meant he was now an acquaintance of hers. She also admitted later how she felt foolish for going along with what everyone did.
I was on my way to target practice once again, and to my surprise, I saw Percy at the archery range as well, trying desperately to score a hit on the edge of the target board. I studied him for a moment, taking in his stance, and the amount of energy he forced upon the bow. When he released the arrow, I had to keep my jaw from dropping when it flew right over the target board and landed somewhere near the bushes. The target was only ten feet away! As an archer in training, I could not look past this!
"You're doing it all wrong," I called out. Percy looked at me, exhausted and annoyed.
"Yeah, I see that," he said. "I've been trying to get a hit for the last twenty minutes!"
"That's because your stance is too stiff," I told him. "Your feet are spread too far apart, and your hands are griping that bow as if you're afraid of dropping it!" He looked me in confusion.
"I-I am?" he said.
I nodded. "Relax your grip. Put your feet closer together. For the gods' sake, that is a bow you are holding, not a sword."
"Then you give it a shot if you're so good!" he said stubbornly. "I'm tired of this. I should quit-!"
"Don't quit." I said quickly, and then an idea came to my head. "How about this? You point out a target, and if I managed to hit it straight in the center-you continue practicing with archery."
Percy seemed to ponder that idea for a bit when he looked up at me, "and if you miss?"
I shrugged. "Then quit. I won't stop you."
"But what do I get?" I raised an eyebrow. "See, both alternatives are only affecting me, but not you."
I frowned. "Then…what would you like in return?" He smirked.
"I want you…to have a spar against me in front of the whole Hermes Cabin." I widened my eyes at him in disbelief. "I want to see how good you are at swordsmanship." Then, he muttered under his breath, "or how bad."
"That is unreasonable!" I argued. "You know how swords are unsuitable for me!"
"Archery is 'unsuitable' to me," Percy said simply, crossing his arms. "Are you backing out?"
Oh, he was so going to get it for coming up with that one. "Then I'll have to raise the stakes higher: if I make the shot, you'll have to be here every day for 3 days straight with me as your instructor."
Percy didn't say anything for a moment.
"Are you going to back out?" I taunted. There was no way he was going to win this one, and if he took the obvious hint of my offer of mentor-ship, he would have known, and decided to back out with his remaining dignity. Unfortunately for him, Percy didn't pick up on the hint and responded with a look of determination.
"You're on," he said. Percy looked at the targets, when he finally spotted one. "How about…that one?" I rolled my eyes when I saw it. Of course he would point at the last one: the one at fifty feet. I took my position, and set my bow to the ready while making sure that Percy was taking note of the 'correct stance'. I released my arrow immediately, and it hit dead center. Percy's jaw literally dropped.
"That's not fair!" he accused. "No one told me you were this good!"
"A deal is a deal," I smirked. "Seriously? Luke didn't mention it to you? Or even any of the Apollo campers?" He shook his head, still looking at the target in amazement.
"There's no way I could ever get to that level." he muttered. "It's impossible for me."
"You wouldn't know if you don't try hard enough." I said, "Now pick up your bow and start practicing." He looked at me grudgingly for a moment, as if I had tricked him into making the deal (in a way I did) and he at last picked up his bow, and started again.
"Just remember what I told you." I said smugly, sitting down on one of the benches at his right. "Just do what I did."
-o-
An hour had passed, and during that time, I made a newfound discovery.
Percy, was by far…the most untalented and worst archer I have ever met in my life. It seemed as though the poor guy was cursed by Apollo himself. No matter how many times I got up and corrected his stance, his position, his anything! He would somehow manage to miss the entire target completely. But if he did managed to improved anything-it was that his hits were now 20 feet off instead of 50. It took skill to miss all the time.
I sighed, I was in it big time for the next two days. What have I gotten myself into?
Percy seemed to notice the discomfort that was stretched across my features. "I'm sorry." I looked up at him. "I told you archery wasn't my strong point, and I know you've been trying to teach me the best you could, but can't you see it's not changing anything? I won't mind if you just give up on me. I'm wasting your time."
I shook my head slowly. "No, I won't give up on you. I won the deal, and named it under my own terms. I will make an archer out of you yet!" I declared. "All you need is to put forth your best effort and have tons of practice."
"Whatever," he said quietly, not encouraged a bit. I sighed.
"I think we'll put a stop to it for today," I said wearily. "I think we both need the rest."
Percy only nodded in agreement.
-o-
I never did get the chance to give him those two lessons, because guess what?
Percy managed to get a Quest.
I was inwardly whooping for joy when Grover came by to tell me the news. He mentioned the whole Zeus and Poseidon stand-off and how the gods were currently split on the issue. When I asked Grover what the Quest would be about specifically, he only shrugged.
"I'm not really sure," he said, "but it will be clear after Percy speaks with the Oracle." I nodded, and then I remembered a crucial fact.
"Are you going on the Quest?" I asked hesitantly. Grover was Percy's best friend after all, if there was anyone he wanted to go with him, it would be Grover. If he did go, there would only be one slot left, and I had a feeling that Annabeth already made an early reservation.
Grover looked shocked for a moment. "Me? Go on a Quest? Ha!" I looked at him strangely.
"Well…aren't you? I'm sure Percy would want you to go." I said.
He stopped smiling when he noticed how serious I was. "That might have been the case…if it wasn't for the fact that the Council decided to let me off."
"They decided to let you go?" I asked in astonishment. "Even after…"
He nodded, he didn't want to be reminded. "I have you to thank for that. Since I succeeded effectively on your case, they decided to overlook the…failure on the last one. So there was no need for me to go on the Quest." He gave a small smile. "I know Percy had asked me to go, but I refused."
I raised an eyebrow, "and why is that?"
"My search license, remember?" he said giddily, "I can finally go and accomplish my dream!"
I gave a smile, on the inside though, I was sighing in relief, but was there still a chance for me to go? If not Grover, then what would happen if Percy decided to pick Luke, or another senior camper? How was I going to compete with that?
"I think you should volunteer." Grover said, as I looked at him in surprise. "He currently doesn't have a second person to go with, but I have a feeling Percy might just ask you."
"W-what? Why would you think that?" I asked in wonder, he looked very surprised at my obliviousness. "Why would he ask me? If I was Percy, I would ask Luke… or someone else with a lot of expertise."
"So?" Grover said bluntly, "I don't see how that is a problem." When I looked even more confused, he explained, "Seth, the people that are often asked to go on a Quest often chose their partners not because of their skill. Don't get me wrong though, skill is also important, but that isn't usually the first thing that comes to mind."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Grover gave a smile. "It is trust, the kind of people that he or she can count on-the ones that will watch their back, in other words, their friends."
"So what? I still don't see why he will pick me," I said. "Percy wouldn't consider me a friend. We only knew each other for a very short time, that's not enough to build trust."
"Maybe not," he said, "but you forget something," I looked at him questionably. "From what I've heard, you were the first to accept him for who he is. You didn't care whether or not he was a child of the Big Three, and that was enough for Percy to accept you." I lowered my gaze.
"I only felt bad for him." I muttered. "I didn't think he would actually accept me because of that."
"Then you don't know Percy that well I'm afraid." Grover said playfully. "So what are you waiting for?"
I gave a brief smile, and walked away, quickly making my way to the Big House.
-o-
When I made it to the entrance, I paused before I went in.
This is it, I thought. I really hope Grover is right about that acceptance thing.
I opened the door, and saw that everyone was spread out. Mr. D was seated on the front desk, with Chiron standing beside him as always. Annabeth was also present. She's probably one of the people Percy's going with, just like how I suspected. Percy was the only one standing, and by the way everyone was staring at him before I came in, I assumed they were told of what the Quest entailed.
"So," I said, trying to ease the tension. "What did I miss?"
"Seth." Chiron called. "What brings you here?"
Chiron already knew why I was here, so I guessed he wanted me to state my intentions to everyone else.
"Well, I was wondering if Percy still needs someone to go with." I said, trying my best to keep my voice steady, "and if he does, I would like to volunteer. That is, if he wants my…assistance." I looked at Percy for confirmation. He looked surprised for a moment, until he gave off an expression of gratitude.
"Yeah, that would be awesome. Welcome aboard." he said, but then he grew startled. "Wait, you don't even know what the Quest is about! Are you sure you still want to go?" I nodded immediately.
"I was actually hoping you would fill in the details for me." I said. I made my way into the room.
Annabeth answered instead, "Zeus' master lightning bolt was stolen." Before giving me a chance to speak, she continued, "we are to retrieve it from the supposed thief and bring it back to Olympus before the Summer Solstice."
A stolen bolt, huh? So that was what Annabeth and Percy were mumbling about a few weeks back.
"Okay," I said. That was no biggie. "Anything else?" If Annabeth was expecting to freak me out, she didn't show it.
"We will be going to the Underworld first." she said firmly. That caused a reaction.
"T-the Underworld?" I stated, slightly startled. Percy nodded.
"It's the only lead we have." he confirmed. "Hades is the only god we could think of with an alibi." I nodded. That was understandable, but the Underworld? That was a first.
"And where exactly…is the Underworld located?"
Annabeth answered again. "It's in LA, or more specifically, right by Hollywood." I was slightly surprised.
Oh get a grip…if Olympus could be in New York, then why not?
Before I could reply, however, Mr. D decided to give out a loud yawn.
"Well? Are you going on the Quest or not, Hudson?" he replied, obnoxious as always. I slightly twitched when my name was said wrong, but I figured he did that on purpose, just like he did with everyone else.
"Yes," I said firmly. There was no going back now. I waited too long for this. "That's why I'm here."
Percy gave me a smile, while Annabeth was stern as always, but she gave a slight nod to show she was okay with it, which was definitely saying a lot, seeing as how I almost shot her in the leg on my first day.
"You three will pack your bags tonight," Chiron stated, "and will depart immediately at sunrise tomorrow. There is no time to waste." With that said, our meeting was adjourned, and the three of us went to our respected cabins and began to prepare for our departure.
-o-
The next day, we were all packed and ready to go.
Percy was lent some mortal cash and a bag of golden drachmas, along with a canteen of nectar and ambrosia. Only to be used for emergencies, Chiron had told us. Luke also gave him a pair of magical sneakers that provided the wearer flight and Chiron also provided him with a pen/sword thing that would always return to his pocket. Annabeth had similar things, but she also brought along her magical Yankee Cap that allowed her to become invisible. How cool was that?
As for me, I had no magical items, but I had some cash and drachmas in my sports bag as well, along with a bottle of water and a few bags of potato chips. The Apollo campers were, once again, kind enough to give me a new quiver of hand-made arrows, each of them wishing me the best of luck. Besides my archery equipment, I also had on my weapons belt, securing my two nameless daggers with my black jacket obscuring them slightly. Just when I was about to leave however, Clare sauntered up to me, her breathing uneven.
"So you were going to just leave before I came huh?" she teased. I rolled my eyes.
"Maybe," I said. I laughed when she suddenly frowned. "Who knows what you will do? You might give me a punch for good measure."
"I might just do that," she said slyly, then she turned serious, "but I do have something for you." She reached into her right pocket, and pulled out what appears to be a vial. She handed it to me carefully.
"What is this?" I asked while inspecting it. The vial was small and delicate, not much bigger than the palm of my hand. It had a dark shade of gold with tints of silver on the edges, with a small pearl in the middle of the cap.
"This is what you call a healing potion," she said. "A single sip can help cure the worst of injuries in seconds. It has a mix of ambrosia and nectar in it as well, but I added my own mixture to enhance those healing qualities."
"Really? So is this like…even better than ambrosia and nectar?" She nodded.
"Only use it if your wounds are life-threatening. These potions take a long time to make. I even had to ask for a favor from the Apollo cabin as well."
"Alright, thanks a lot," I said, "but what about the vial itself? It looks so…fragile. What if it breaks by accident?" She only smiled.
"That is the best thing about that container," she said. "It may be small, but the material is of pure celestial bronze with diamond edges. It's virtually indestructible. All you need to make sure of is to remember where you put it and not lose it." Then, she remember something. "Oh yes, that vial only has enough for 3 sips. Once for each of your team mates if need be. However, if one of you is very close to death, it will take up the whole vial. So use it wisely."
"Hopefully, it won't come to that," I said. When Annabeth and Percy started to beckon me over, I had to cut our good-byes short.
"I gotta go." I said, glancing at the two that were making their way to the gate. "I sure hope I come out of this alive."
"Don't say it like that," she said. "Only know you will come back. May the gods provide you and your company guidance." She stepped back to join the crowd that was watching us leave.
I nodded and placed the vial into my jeans pocket, and I quickly caught up with Percy and Annabeth. I gave the camp one last glance, and then the three of us stepped out of the borders of Camp Half-Blood, towards the world ahead of us.
As we did so, I looked up towards the sky as Percy and Annabeth went ahead. Argus was also there waiting for us, the car engine just getting started. It was cloudy, but I could imagine Artemis and the rest of the gods up there watching us depart. I gave a smirk.
How's that for defying destiny? I thought, before joining my two comrades.
-o-