"Come on, Percy," Zoe called. "You're lagging behind." She slipped under a jab.
Percy backed up a few steps, breathing heavily. He twirled two daggers while glaring at Zoe. "You're a goddess, with eons of battle experience. I, or any other mortal, shouldn't be able to hit you."
"And you're a demigod of an Olympian with my blessing and a month or two of my training," Zoe countered. "You're not 'any other mortal'."
Percy flipped the dagger in his left hand, and rushed forward at Zoe. He kicked a clump of dirt at her face, and slashed diagonally. She chuckled as the dirt went sailing over her head and she deflected the slash and followed it with her own.
Percy caught the slash with his left dagger. "I think I prefer holding the daggers like this."
"I figured you would. Provides for more flexibility." Zoe said, backing up.
She yelled, and blazed in front of Percy.
Fast, Percy had time to think before he barely ducked under her dagger. He clanged his dagger off of he next strike, and kicked her in the chest.
She came back instantly, slashing a gash in Percy's cheek before sweeping his legs from under him.
Percy recovered quickly, unclipping a knife from his belt and throwing it at her. It zipped through the air, heading right towards Zoe before she caught it. "Tsk, tsk."
Percy grinned as the knife was thrown back to him.
Zoe backed up a few steps. "Not bad, Percy, not bad at all. Let's go again."
"Ahem." Percy and Zoe turned to the source of the voice. Artemis stood a few feet off from them, but she wasn't in her twelve year old form.
She was in her adult form, and she looked serious- more serious than usual. "Zoe, it's time."
Zoe glanced back and forth between Percy and Artemis, still panting from her duel. She nodded, albeit sadly.
Percy caught the interaction. Along with his physical conditioning and weapons training, Zoe had also trained Percy to be more attentive to detail.
"Is it time?" Percy asked, although Zoe's morose expression gave him the answer.
"Yes." Artemis said stoically, although Percy noticed that it seemed to be a facade. "Zeus demanded that I hunt you down and bring you to Olympus."
Zoe rolled her eyes. "Always the dramatic one, mother."
She came forward and wrapped Percy in a hug. "Percy, you're going to be perfectly fine. I may not have been able to train you for a long time, but you're definitely ready."
Percy buried his face in Zoe's shoulder. "Thank you, Zoe." He whispered. "I'll come back, I promise. Take care of yourself and Hecate."
Zoe nodded and gave him a sad smile. "I will. Now go. Zeus isn't a very patient man."
Percy nodded, remembering the rundown Zoe had given him of Olympus. "Bye."
Artemis watched the interaction with a melancholic expression. "Come now, Percy."
Percy nodded and walked beside Artemis. She touched his shoulder briefly, and the world disappeared in a flash.
When Percy opened his eyes, he was standing on a narrow stone walkway in the middle of the air.
Below him was what looked to be Manhattan, from the height of an airplane. In front of him, white marble steps wound up the spine of a cloud, into the sky.
From the top of the clouds rose the decapitated peak of a mountain, its summit covered with snow.
Clinging to the mountainside were dozens of multileveled palaces-a city of mansions-all with white columned porticos, gilded terraces, and bronze braziers glowing with a thousand fires.
Roads wound crazily up to the peak, where the largest palace gleamed against the snow.
Precariously perched gardens bloomed with olive trees and rose bushes. Percy could make out an open air market filled with colorful tents, a stone amphitheater built on one side of the mountain, a hippodrome and a coliseum on the other.
Artemis began to urge him to walk forward. Quietly, she said, "Zoe probably warned you about this, but do not, under any circumstances, give any indication to your past memories. If anyone were to suspect you of being a god reforming, you would be forced to engage in a situation you wouldn't walk away from."
"They'd kill me?" Percy asked. "Is that what happened the first time around?"
"No." Artemis said simply. "Let's go."
Artemis led Percy past two giant doors, into a room. Twelve thrones, built for gargantuan beings, were arranged in an inverted U.
An enormous fire crackled in the central hearth pit. The thrones were all full. Percy instantly felt like the air around him got heavier, and he felt a strong tingling sensation all over him, like he was being burnt alive.
Percy absently wondered if Artemis had been holding back her power with him so he wouldn't feel this sensation.
The room grew very quiet, and Percy walked to the foot of Zeus' throne and knelt. "My lord."
Zeus looked smug for a moment. "You kneel before me rather than your own father?"
"It is only right to address the master of the house first." Percy replied respectfully.
"Good." Zeus commented, before he turned a bit angrier. The air around Percy began to crackle. "Where is it?"
"Where is what, my lord?"
"My bolt, boy." Zeus roared, standing up forcefully. "Answer before you become a smear on the ground."
"I swear upon the River Styx that I have never, ever been in any contact with Lord Zeus' bolt in my twelve years of life." Lightning flashed across the throne room, and Percy stood up.
Zeus angrily sat down. Poseidon spoke, "I told you, brother. My son has nothing to do with the disappearance of your bolt."
"You still claim him, then?" Zeus scoffed.
"Yes. The boy is my son." Poseidon said, looking at Percy. Despite his training from Zoe, it was hard to read him. There was no clear sign of love or approval. It was like looking at the ocean: some days, you could tell what mood it was in. Most days, though, it was unreadable, mysterious.
Zeus scoffed again. "Breaking the oath...I ought to kill the boy now."
Percy's hand inched towards his daggers. If he was going down, he wasn't going down without a fight.
"At peace, young man." Percy heard a feminine voice say. He turned to the voice, and saw a woman with intelligent grey eyes and slightly tanned skin. She wore a plain dress, but had this intimidating air about her.
"Yes, Lady Athena." Percy said and dropped his hand away from the daggers.
"We will not be killing this demigod." Athena said calmly, daring anyone to speak. "How long will we hide from the prophecy?"
Prophecy? Percy thought. How does this connect to me?
"I second that, sister." Artemis nodded. "I believe that rather than being a hindrance, this boy could prove to be a great asset to Olympus."
Zeus leaned back into his seat, deep in thought. "All right. Let's put this up to a decision. All those in favor of killing the boy?"
Ares, Dionysus, and Zeus raised their hands. Zeus made a hmm noise. "I see. Well then, I will still not allow this boy to roam free."
He glanced down at Percy. "Boy?"
"Yes, my lord?" Percy replied, his green eyes gazing at Zeus intently.
"You will find who took my bolt, and kill them. Then, you will return my bolt to me." Zeus said calmly. "If you will fail, I will smite you."
Percy swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yes, my lord."
"You have a month. Council dismissed." Zeus disappeared in a monstrous bolt of lightning.
Percy let out a breath of relief. Having an immensely powerful being debate whether or not to kill you was nerve wracking.
After Zeus departed, most of the other gods and goddesses also departed. The only ones that remained were Athena, Poseidon, and Artemis.
Artemis walked over to Percy. She gazed at him for a moment. "Do not die on this quest. I'll be assisting Zoe with your training once you return, do it would be unfortunate."
"Understood." Percy replied, nodding. "I'll be fine."
Her face softened. "Please, Percy. Be careful."
Percy gave her a smile and thumbs up. "You guys have nothing to worry about. Thanks for everything."
Artemis nodded and wiped her eyes before she placed her hand on Percy's shoulder. "I'm going to transport you to Camp Half-Blood. It would be wise to find some questmates rather than simply heading out on your own."
Percy nodded, and the world spun around him. When he came to, he was standing on a hill overlooking what seemed to be a normal summer camp at first glance. A giant, arching entrance towered over him, with a Greek inscription that read: "Camp Half-Blood".
The landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture, things like an open air pavilion, an amphitheater, a circular arena-except. In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school age kids and satyrs played volleyball. Canoes glided across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range.
As Percy walked past the entrance, he noted that he stepped through a light green bubble that seemingly encased the entirety of the camp.
"Ah, Perseus," Percy heard as he saw Mr. Brunner wheel up to him, as if he had been expecting him.
"Mr. Brunner," Percy replied, respectfully tilting his head.
"Now, now." Mr. Brunner said as he waved his arms. "No need for that. I think you know who I am."
"Chiron." Percy said, unsurely.
"That is correct. I assume Zoe filled you in on a lot of things. Terribly sorry for making you fight, by the way. It just would have seemed off if you up and vanished out of nowhere." Chiron said. "Alas, that is all beside the point, is it not? How about I give you the tour of the camp, and you fill me in on your situation as we go along, hm?"
Percy nodded. "Yeah, sure. Sounds good to me."
"You must excuse me for a moment." Chiron said with a laugh. "I did not expect you to be this, well, informed, so I kept myself in this wheelchair. I didn't want to scare you too much. Since you're obviously a little farther along than I expected, I'd like to get rid of this infernal contraption."
"By all means," Percy said as he backed up.
Chiron gasped as his blanket fell away from his legs, but the legs didn't move. His waist kept getting longer, rising above his belt. Rather than having the naked lower half of a human- thank Hades for that- it was the front of an animal, muscle and sinew under coarse white fur.
As Percy took a second look at the wheelchair, he deduced that it was some kind of container, an enormous box on wheels, and definitely, because there's no way it could've held all of him. A leg came out, long and knobby-kneed, with a huge polished hoof. Then another front leg, then hindquarters, and then the box was empty, nothing but a metal shell with a couple of fake human legs attached.
Percy let out a whistle. "That must feel amazing."
"You have no idea, Perseus," Chiron said as let out a long, comfortable sigh. "Now, shall we?"
Chiron lead Percy around the camp, pointing out key places, like the volleyball pit and the armory. "Will you be staying at all?"
Percy shrugged. "Honestly, Chiron, I don't think I should. Lord Zeus has given me a months' time to find the one who stole his bolt, or else I get the axe."
Chiron sighed. "That man...oh well. Regardless, your timing is impeccable. A new camper has just received a prophecy for a quest, and I'll get you onto that team."
"Who's the kid?" Percy asked curiously.
"Nico DiAngelo- son of Hades." Chiron said as he and Percy began to approach a house. It was four stories tall, sky blue with white trim, like an upscale seaside resort.
"So all 3 of the elder gods broke their pact?"
"Eh, Nico was technically born before the pact was created." Chiron said. "Hades had just hidden him and his sister somewhere from Olympus until recently."
"Lord Zeus suspected them of being the thieves." Percy guessed.
"Right in one, Perseus." Chiron said as he gestured for Percy to enter the house. "This is the Big House. Upstairs in the attic is the Oracle. Normally, to embark on quest you need to receive a prophecy but the thing is, Nico received one last night."
Prophecies were fickle things, Percy recalled Zoe saying. "Would it be wise for the two of us to go on a quest together? I understand that higher level monsters go for higher level demigods."
Chiron shrugged. "Either you take the risk or you die, it appears. For what it's worth, Perseus, I think you'll be fine."
I hope so, Perseus thought.
"Chiron! Chiron!" A new voice said as a boy came stumbling into the Big House.
"Ah, Perseus, this is Nico." Chiron said awkwardly as Nico picked himself up.
"Hi." Perseus said, hiding his discomfort. He turned and gave Chiron a look that clearly said really?
"Hi!" Nico replied as he got up.
Chiron cleared his throat. "Nico, Perseus here will be accompanying you on your quest."
"Oh, hey!" Nico said excitedly. "We're going to have a fun time!"
"Er, Nico, perhaps it would be wise to tell Perseus the prophecy first." Chiron suggested.
"Oh, right!" Nico remembered. "It went: You shall go west, and face the god who has turned. You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned. You shall he betrayed by one who calls you a you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end."
Percy bit his cheek while Nico recited the prophecy. Why would anyone be happy after hearing that?
Chiron tittered- a sign of nervousness, Percy expected. "Ah, well, traditional quests have three people, including a satyr, so I'm assuming that"-
The air behind him shimmered, and a blonde girl with gray eyes appeared, stuffing a baseball cap into her pocket. "I'm in. I've been waiting a long time for a quest." she said.
"I'm not sure you quite understand the magnitude of this quest, Annabeth."Chiron countered. "Although Nico here doesn't know who his godly parent is quite yet, Perseus is the son of Poseidon. You would attract a myriad of dangerous enemies."
Ah, so Nico wasn't aware of his father, Percy noticed, filing it away for later.
"All the more reason to have an extra person. Besides, Perseus"- she said Perseus with a tone of disgust- "isn't even a member of the camp. So, officially, it would be Nico, a satyr, and I, along with some help."
"That could work." Chiron replied, glancing at Perseus. "What is your take on this, Perseus?"
Percy shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me. Any amount of risk is better than the alternative, and I'm assuming Annabeth is confident in her skills to want to join such a high profile quest."
Annabeth scoffed. "And what about you? You think you could beat me?"
Percy grinned at her expression. "Easily."
"Now, children," Chiron interrupted. "I think you should go pack up for this quest, as it could be a while before you return to camp. When you're ready, Argus will meet at you at the edge of camp and drop you off at a New York bus station."
-Ω-
After a slightly disgruntled Argus (Nico had wanted to poke all of his eyes) dropped the trio of demigods and Grover off at a New York bus station, Percy and Grover walked up to the ticket counter.
Under the luminous sign that read "TICKETS HERE" sat a dumpy old lady who seemed to be humming while reading a magazine.
Grover cleared his throat, and she began glaring at him. After giving him a suspicious once over, the woman returned to her reading.
"Can't you see I'm busy here?" She said snarkily as she continued to read, flipping the page loudly.
"But, ma'am"-
"Listen, kid. I'm sure you got problems. Hell, we all do. But your problem is not more important than this Cosmo quiz to find out what kind of horse I'd be- got it?" She said, showing Grover the cover of her Cosmopolitan magazine.
A few minutes later, she gave a relieved sigh. "Oh, thank goodness. I got the Haflinger. It says here that this breed was developed in the late 19th century in Austria and Northern Italy. Haflingers are generally compact and chestnut in color. They have a distinctive gait that is described as being both energetic and smooth, and they are well-muscled yet elegant horses. While this specific breed was developed in the late 19th century, its ancestry can be traced back to the middle ages. Haflingers were developed for mountain terrain and are known for their hardiness. Can you believe that?"
Grover swallowed nervously. "That's amazing."
Percy groaned, and reached forward. He snatched the magazine out of the woman's hand. "Can it, 're not getting this back until you sell us our tickets."
"How may I help you?" The old woman said venomously, mumbling under her breath about kids nowadays not having any respect.
"4 tickets as far west as you can take us." Percy replied, not put off at all by the woman's tone.
She looked down at a book for a few moments, before looking back up. "Farthest I can take you right now is Indiana. Then, you're on your own."
"Alright, that works." Percy said, giving the woman her magazine back.
"That'll be $200." She said, handing him the tickets.
Percy snapped his fingers, and the woman sat upright. "We already paid for our tickets. Also, you hate Cosmopolitan."
"Right," The woman said, her eyes clouded. "Have a good day, sweetheart."
Percy grinned as he heard her throw the magazine away with a noise of anger. "Let's head back, Grover."
AN: I mean no disrespect to anyone who reads Cosmopolitan*
