Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or the Avengers.
AN: This will probably be the last update for the next couple weeks. I have final here shortly and am going to be concentrating on them since, I figure, they are more important. I will be adding a new poll. It should be up on by profile in a couple days and I plan on closing it this weekend. I might get another chapter up before finals but if I haven't by May 1st the the next one will be around May 12 after all my classes are finished. Sorry if I don't get updated but getting my degree is more important since it will allow be me to get an awesome job. I will post a chapter that will be the choices for the new poll and it will be deleted once I am updating again. You can them put you choice in the selection. I will also tell you how many votes you are getting.
Chapter 11: Quests
Northern Canada near the Alaskan border 5 ½ months after the Avengers
This was not his forest. It was too dull, too monotone, and too cold. The world he had known was no more. He remembered bright blooming flowers, beautifully powerful animal, and the bright greens of the plant life. This dark emerald-green didn't fit. Even the continent had changed. Now there were seven instead of the one he was familiar with. His power was now scattered and divided into pockets. He heard the noise of his visitors before he saw them.
There must have been about twenty of them. They were all women or girls by the softness of the footsteps. "I still don't understand why we have come this far north My Lady. I mean we are nearly to Alaska."
"As I have said before, Thalia, this is something powerful up here that is likely a danger to Olympus. It is our duty to investigate it," Replied a voice that could only belong to a goddess.
"Like what? Kronos all but faded, the Giants have been defeated, and Gaea has been put into a slumber so deep that she will never wake again."
"Yes but the ophiotaurus was also sacrificed."
"Yes and Percy died because of it."
"I am not so sure…" Just then the group came into view. They were all girls dressed in a silvery parka between nine and seventeen years old. As they entered they all froze.
"PERCY!" the voice that had been identified as Thalia screamed. He pulled out a long spear with a golden shaft and a sapphire tip. "Perce, what are you doing?" Thalia asked cautiously. He wasted no time in his attacked. The fight was over in less than a minute, these fools never stood a chance against his spear. Soon all that was left was a twelve-year-old with red hair and the girl Thalia.
He stood over them. "Perseus, how could you?" Artemis hissed. Thalia looked up at him with betrayal etched across her face. The look irritated him. He drove his spear through her chest. "NO!" Artemis yelled. She was slapped away with his spear.
He placed the tip of his spear on her cheek and ran it down her neck to her waist. As it went it burned her skin. She didn't scream she just glared up at him. Golden ichor oozed out of the wound. His sapphire blue eyes tightened. He plunged the tip of his spear into the immortals shoulder and twisted. Now she screamed. "Soon, everything you know will end," he growled before he vanished.
Chelatna Lake 2 days after the attack on the Hunters
Percy Jackson shot bolt upright out of his bed. He looked down at his shaking hands. He had just witnessed, in a dream, the death of one of his greatest friend. For the first time since he arrive Percy began to think about returning home. Finally he decided to talk to Maria about it in three days when she would return.
Mount Olympus Throne Room 3 days after the attack on the Hunters
The weather had been chaotic for days now, and the at the same time all ships were docked after over one hundred were sunk in the Mediterranean alone. Even the planes were grounded in America and Europe. So the Gladiators where already suspicious.
When they entered the throne room they knew something was terribly wrong. When they had been called here before all the gods had been present; now only Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Dionysus, Ares, Apollo, and Hestia where present. Artemis was yet again missing. Jason was suddenly anxious. None the less, the three demigods walked to the middle of the room and bowed to the gods.
"You have a quest," Zeus rumbled. "You are to search out the murderer of the Hunters of Artemis and bring him back here for punishment."
"Or you could just kill him when you find him. After all that will be his punishment anyway," Ares instructed.
"No. I want him brought here," Zeus commanded. "You will go to Oklahoma and speak with the Oracle. Bring the traitor back here alive."
"What about Thalia?" Jason blurted out. He had just found his sister he couldn't lose her now.
"She arrived here with Artemis," Hera said, "She has since gone missing."
"Oh and you had nothing to do with it?" Jason growled.
"I swear on the River Styx that I had nothing to do with her disappearance," Hera said calmly.
"Enough of this," Zeus growled.
"Lord J… I mean Zeus. Who is it that you are sending us after? I take it you know who he is," Jason asked as he continued to glare at the Queen of the Heavens.
"His identity is not important. Just bring him to me," Zeus ordered.
"Lord Zeus, how are we to prepare if we don't know who we are hunting?" Nico asked.
"You will prepare based on what my oracle's prophecy. You don't need any more information," Apollo barked.
"Yes my lord," Leo said. And he dragged the other two out of the throne room and to the elevator.
"What do you think?" Nico asked.
"I don't see it as we have any other choice," Jason whispered, "I have a bad feeling about this though."
"So do I," Nico and Leo said in tandem.
"Let's visit Camp Olympus. Maybe someone there knows something," Jason decided.
"Stolls," Nico and Leo said together again. The rest of the ride down they glared at each other.
Helicarrier
Nick Fury was no fool. He had begun to suspect that Hill had become compromised after her third visit with Jackson. So to make sure he was getting all the information. He had every "secret conversation" the two had ever had on record.
Suspicions had been confirmed when the blizzard had hit. Then it had become even more evident when he had asked Hill if Percy had spoken yet. When she had said no he knew that now her only use in the situation was as a delivery system for the bug that told them everything about Perseus Jackson.
The discovery of his parentage had led them to start a new initiative. After all he had said there were others like him. The Neptune Initiative was meant to be a group of demigods that they could call on should the need arise. Stark was still unknowing about Jackson. Fury had decided to bring the Captain in on the project though. It had been his idea to recruit, or attempt to recruit, the team.
SHIELD had identified them based on the descriptions of their powers from Jackson and the footage from their appearance. Jason Grace, Nico di'Angelo, and Leo Valdes. Jupiter, Hades, and Hephaestus. The three most powerful demigods next to Jackson. However, when Fury had approached them they refused point-blank saying that a the wouldn't work for the government. The Council had not been happy. Well, most of them. The Russian councilman had seemed relieved that they wouldn't have demigods working for them.
Today Hill and Jackson were talking about some dream the boy had.
"I don't get it," Hill said.
"Demigod dreams aren't the same as mortal dream," Jackson explained, "They are visions of the past, present, or future."
"So what do you think this one was?"
"I know it wasn't the past. It felt to…current to be the future."
"You think it just happened then."
"I'm not sure, but I think so. Uh, I wish Annabeth were here she would have some sort of explanations, a plan, an explanations, something."
There was a sharp little gasp that was barely picked up. Jackson acted like nothing happened. "What are you going to do then?" Hill asked.
"I'm thinking about heading back. If there is something out there that can kill demigods that are in the presence of a goddess and then subdue that goddess then they are going to need my help."
"There is something else bothering you."
Jackson sighed. He whispered then, "When I had the dream it was me who killed them. And before the dream ended I looked down into a puddle of water. It was my reflection that I saw. The only difference was blue eyes."
"You said you had a dream where you were Heracles."
"But…"
"Percy look at me," there was silence as Hill waited for him to do as he was told. "Nope your eyes are sea-green, like looking into the ocean, just like they have always been."
"But no one knows what the effects of sacrificing the ophiotaurus are. What if I can't control the power and it is me that kills Thalia?"
"Impossible," Maria said calmly, "Your fatal flaw is loyalty, you could never do that to her, no more than you could me."
"Careful Hill," Fury whispered.
"Can you be sure," Percy asked.
"Yes, I can," Hill argued, "If you had wanted to kill me you would have done it a long time ago."
Percy chuckled. "I think I'm going to use up what supplies I have left then I will head back."
"What about your mother?"
"Well I'm sure Hades knows I am not dead. Which will mean Nico will know by now also. I'm just not sure who they would tell."
"That doesn't answer the question."
"I don't know."
"Your friend's Jason, Leo, and Nico have popped up on SHIELD's radar."
"NO!" Fury yelled. She was in too deep. He should have known this would happen and sent Natasha from the beginning. Now she was telling him too much.
"Bet that went well," Jackson snickered. It was amazing how much he had changed in the past few weeks.
"You know if you go back to New York Fury is going to come see you."
"Maybe but I won't work for SHIELD. I was used enough when I helped the gods. From now on what I decide to do will be my personal decision. No government agency or gods will tell me what to do."
The rest of the day consisted of the boy's training with his grandmother, something Nick Fury never thought he could say happened.
Camp Olympus Later at night
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE IS MISSING!" Jason was furious. He was so mad, in fact, that no one could get within ten feet of him without being struck by lightning.
"Jason calm down with the lightning so we can talk about this," Nico said trying to be reasonable.
"WHAT IS THERE TO TALK ABOUT!"
"What can we tell you?" Clarisse growled, "We looked everywhere we could think of and she is missing. It was just like when Percy when missing. Only this time there where cabin mates and they didn't even see anything."
"There was nothing to tell where she could have gone?" Jason asked more calmly, the lightning finally starting to dissipate.
"Nothing," Clarisse confirmed.
"Where are the Stolls anyway? I thought they were going to be here for the monthly meeting between the camps," Nico asked changing the subject.
Clarisse looked around cautiously. "Let's talk inside."
When they arrived in Gods Temple, the Big House of the new camp, Clarisse led them into the room that was Heracles office. When they entered the Patron of Heroes was sitting behind his desk deep in thought. "Heracles," Clarisse said. The ancient hero looked up.
"Ah, brother," He wasn't cold but he wasn't welcoming either. He was distracted.
"What's wrong?" Jason asked Clarisse and Heracles.
"The gods have gone to war," Clarisse said, "Zeus vs. Poseidon. Hades, Hermes, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, and Athena have sided with Poseidon. Hestia of course is remaining neutral. Hera is as well. Dionysus, Ares, and Apollo are with Zeus. We are not sure about Artemis but it is likely she will side with Zeus also. We have keep the news from this camp but the other two are already fighting among themselves. The Stolls have been trying to call Camp Half-Blood down and have kept the fighting to a minimum but Camp Jupiter is a war zone."
"Why are they starting another war now?" Leo asked, "What started it?"
"The attack on the Hunters," Heracles answered, "Or I should say the supposed attacker."
"So you know who they are sending us after," Jason asked.
"If it was him, which is highly unlikely, which I just can't see," Heracles said, "I mean I have watched him his whole life and just can't see him doing that."
"Heracles," Nico interrupted, "Who was it?"
The Patron of Heroes sighed. "Artemis said that it was Percy Jackson."
"What?" Jason said thickly.
"It was Percy."
"That…that…No sh…she had to have been seeing things," Nico stuttered as thunder rumbled, which he ignored.
"That is what she said she saw. Zeus took her word for it. He wasn't pleased when Perseus sacrificed the ophiotaurus. To find out he is alive and attacked the Hunters, well it was enough evidence for him to send a hunt."
"Then we will hunt him down."
"Jason," Nico said in shock.
"I said we would hunt him down, I didn't say we would kill him or we bring him to Zeus. We should at least talk to him though. Then we can make our own decision," Jason turn to Nico and Leo, "Let's get heading to Oklahoma." Jason went outside to summon Tempest.
Leo followed after giving Nico a look. Nico nodded and turned back to Clarisse. "I know you noticed we weren't surprised when you said Percy was alive," the Son of Hades rushed, "I'm not sure what Jason will do right now, I think Piper was just a little too much for him. You need to warn Percy that we are coming. He is at Chelatna Lake southeast of Mount McKinley by about forty miles. Tell him we are coming and why. If there is one thing we should all know it is that we need Percy at times like this."
Clarisse nodded, "Anything else you can tell me."
Nico looked cautious then added, "There might be someone there with him. Don't be too surprised."
"Who are they?"
"Don't know. Never talked to her or him for that matter. Not since he left anyway." Clarisse looked at him cautiously. "Listen I need to get going. Talk to Ella, maybe you can get a prophecy out of her that will help. Leo and I will try to slow Jason down but I think the most we can give you is three days." Nico left
When Clarisse found Tyson he was helping unload the monsters for the forest. As always Ella was fluttering above him. Clarisse hated the harpy but she did have a lot of knowledge. "Ella," Clarisse forced calmly.
Ella looked down but shot higher into the air when she say the Daughter of Ares. "War child bad for harpies."
"I just want to talk, Ella," Clarisse tried to sooth. She failed miserably. "It's about Percy," she tried.
Tyson looked around. "What about brother?"
Clarisse wanted to say "None of your business" but settled on, "Just have some questions."
"Tyson will protect you, Ella," Tyson said and the harpy flew down to rest on the Cyclops' shoulder.
"If you answer my question I will give a cinnamon roll," Clarisse bribed. Ella nodded. "Have you read anything that could refer to Percy be extremely powerful?"
Ella nodded then said shakily, "Chaotic Prophecy."
"What is the Chaotic Prophecy?"
"Son of the Sea of noble birth,
Hold the power that forged the earth,
Lost in grief our only hope,
Must return from darkest mope,
Forgotten dove will guide him back,
With no regard for giving slack,
To the void he will go,
And return with weapon of ole,
Hiding in the shade of Denali,
Lays the old sea's great folly."
"Let's go get you that cinnamon roll Ella," Clarisse said. Twenty minutes later Clarisse had her things packed and was getting ready to leave. On her way out of the camp she met Grover and Lou Ellen. She mad a split second decision. "Goat boy, Lou, pack your stuff we have a quest. Don't tell anyone where you are going, or that you are going. I think I might need you. Be ready for a flight too since neither of you would get blasted out of the sky. Meat at the Athena Parthenos when you are done."
Two hours later the trio was part way over Canada.
Oklahoma City
Leo had ridden to Oklahoma on Ms. O'Leary with Nico. Jason and Tempest had followed. Jason and Tempest could travel almost as fast as Nico and Ms. O'Leary. When they arrived they walked up to Rachel's door and knocked. It took a second before she answered. When she saw the look on their face she said, "I take it this isn't a social visit."
Nico shook his head and she invited them in. "I should have guess after what happened to the Hunters."
"Who told you?" Jason asked.
"Delphi," Rachel responded.
Just then Nico caught sight of one of her paintings. It show Percy standing over Artemis and Thalia. Only his eyes were like glowing sapphires instead of sea-green oceans. He was holding a long golden spear with a sapphire tip. Next to it the was a painting of Percy standing in the middle of Time Square facing a giant crocodile. The last showed a giant sea serpent approaching what Nico assumed was New Orleans.
"What's your question?" Rachel asked.
"How do we find the person who attacked the Hunters?" Jason asked. Rachel's eyes began to glow and green mist issued from her mouth.
Then she spoke
"Ocean's past has broken free,
War of gods will bring him glee,
To northern lands you must go,
Were you'll fall to a mighty foe,
Chaotic Powers will be unleash,
And burry ocean's mighty beast."
Rachel collapsed onto her couch. "Well," said Leo, "If we are going to Alaska we should get back to the cave and get some stuff packed. Then I need to finish our new armors and another weapon for me. They should all be ready in three days."
"Too long," Jason said.
"Well I am not going to the land beyond the gods without being prepared."
Jason thought. Finally he said, "Two days."
Palace of Chaos 3 days after the attack on Artemis
Thalia was in a forest. It looked tropical but not like the South American rainforest she had visited with Artemis. It was brighter than those and less dense. The plant didn't quite look right either.
As she took in her surrounding she noticed how vibrant the colors were. "Beautiful isn't it." Thalia whipped around when she heard the familiar voice.
Tears came to her eyes when she saw her. "Annabeth!"
"Hey, Thals," said the Daughter of Athena.
"I dreaming," said the Lieutenant of Artemis, "Or dead."
"Neither," Annabeth responded.
"But your dead," Annabeth winced, "Sorry." And Thalia went to hug her friend.
"I was dead," Annabeth corrected.
"Was?"
"Don't worry, you weren't the only one who was surprised," came another familiar voice. "But get ready for an even more surprises. This will seem small afterward."
"Piper!" Thalia yelled. The Daughter of Aphrodite smiled. "Where am I?"
"The Palace of Chaos," called a deep male voice. A man about twelve feet tall with wide shoulders came into view. He had short storm-cloud-grey hair, bushy eyebrows, and chest length beard. His skin was pale and wrinkled, and his eyes were sky blue. "My name is Ouranos." Just then something flew over them. When Thalia looked up she screamed.
The creature had a wingspan of thirty-six feet. It was thirty feet in length. It skin was deep red with green stripes. It had a crest on the top of its head that was pink. The animal swooped around and landed right in front of her. The bird-like animal stuck it long beak in her face. Thalia screamed again and pulled out her spear. But as soon as she screamed the bird jumped back and let out a shriek that sent vibrations through the ground.
Thalia instinctively covered her ears and closed her eyes. When she opened them Annabeth was standing between them with an exasperated look. "Honestly Thalia. You just scared him," Thalia stared in disbelief. "This is Maximilian; he is named after the character from The Count of Monte Cristo. He's a Quetzalcoatlus, the largest pterodactyl ever. His is the sacred animal of Ouranos."
"You have a lot of explaining to do."
Chelatna Lake
The small amphibious plane that held Clarisse, Grover, and Lou Ellen descended toward Chelatna Lake. The flight had been smooth but one thing kept bothering Clarisse. When they had landed in Juneau they had passed a man who was slightly familiar. Something about him bothered her. He gave of this weird energy, like the heat from Greek-Fire.
Now though she had to worry about the task at hand. Jackson was out here in the woods surrounding this lake but they weren't sure were. "Can't you track him with that empathy link, Grover?" Lou Ellen asked.
"No," Grover said sadly, "The link broke the second he sacrificed the ophiotaurus. Like it was Percy was too powerful for it to last." Grover had matured since the defeat of Kronos. He was no longer the nervous, shy satyr. He was confidant and calm. He was extremely skilled at satyr magic now also. His horns had begun to curl and he finally looked like a high school student.
They plane landed lightly on the water. "You kids sure you don't want me to take you to the lodge?" the pilot asked.
"Where sure," Clarisse growled.
Once the plane had left they began searching. It took about two hours of searching before they heard the voices. They were quiet at first but soon began to grow louder. They knew one of the voices was Percy. The other sounded like a woman. Clarisse remembered what Nico had said, "There might be someone there with him. Don't be surprised."
This must be what Nico had meant. Then as they got closer they caught the words. "…still upset with you and your friends for refusing," the woman said.
"He's a big boy he'll get over it," Percy said. His voice sounded older though. Like everything he had been through had finally all taken a toll on him at one time. The trio slowly snuck forward.
"I'm still not sure why you said no," the woman said as they came into few. Nico failed. They were surprised.
At first glance they didn't see Percy. They saw a woman that could take on Piper in a beauty contest. They also saw a man with a chest-length black beard. His hair was also chest-length and black but was matted into dreadlocks. He was dressed in animal skins but had a golden fur jacket over his waist. Overall he looked like a caveman. The woman and the cave man sat side by side on a rock together.
But as they continued to looked at the man they saw that he was Percy. He had the same tan skin. The same sea-green eyes. He just had a beard, long hair, and was dressed in animal skins. The animal skins made sense though. Afterall he had been gone a year he was bound to need cloths.
"I'm tired of being used Maria. That's all the gods have done to me since I was twelve. That's why I came out here."
Clarisse was pissed. Before Grover or Lou Ellen could stop her she stepped out of the bushes and growled, "Oh like you wouldn't have helped us without the gods, Prissy."
Athens, Texas
Poseidon, Hades, Athena, Hermes, Hephaestus, and Aphrodite stood in an abandoned warehouse. "Wow," Aphrodite said, "We have fallen a long way."
"This is just temporary," Hephaestus said as he put his arm around his wife. It was a comforting gesture not a romantic one. The two had become closer since they had all left Olympus.
"Hopefully," Athena said.
"Can we risk open war," Poseidon asked.
"Maybe if we had your son on our side but they remaining Olympians are still too strong for an open attack."
"What about the demigod?" Hades asked.
"They have learned of the war and have begun fighting each other," Hermes said sadly.
"Go tell them that they are to stay out of this fight. It is not theirs," Poseidon supplied. They had already begun to think of themselves separately from their family. Poseidon wondered how that would affect her appearance. He himself was looking grayer than usual. Something was wrong in the ocean. Right now he just couldn't deal with that.
"Zeus will try to use the demigods against us," Hades said.
"Yes he will. But if any of us end up having to fight them then we will just knock them unconscious or something. We will not harm the demigods."
"Agreed," Athena said, "What about legacies?"
"Same."
"And if they chose to ignore our request?" Hermes asked.
"Then we will honor their wishes," Hades said.
"Growing lenient, brother," Poseidon teased. Hades said nothing.
"Nico has been good for you," Athena commented.
"When would be the best time and the best way to attack?" Poseidon asked and together the rebel gods began to plan their war.
AN: Now that you know Thalia is joining Omega Team, any ideas for the name. review and let me no.
