Mystery Boy:
The Alexander Chronicles
Part XIV: The End of the Beginning
Before we actually went to Camp Half-Blood, Percy had us stop at his home. When we arrived, we were greeted by Mrs. Jackson, who immediately took Percy into a bone-crushing hug. Apparently Hades had released her that morning, with no memory of the past month. When we finally entered their apartment, I realized that Gabe could actually be worse then The Mess: garbage was ankle deep in places, the couches were buried under a mountain of beer cans, and Gabe and his friends were doing nothing to make the place look better, only playing poker at the dining room table. Gabe verbally attacked Percy and even threatened to hit Mrs. Jackson; I was so furious that I was about to attack him, until I realized I didn't know how to fight anymore! I tried thinking about attacking him with multiple weapons, but all I knew how to use were the javelin and bow. I immediately realized what had happened; it was because of Ares that I knew how to fight so well and now, all that knowledge was gone. I realized that I couldn't help at all, so I told Percy that I would stop by my home, and meet him at camp.
When I arrived at my house, I received a big shock. Somebody else was living there. Apparently The Mess had died of a drug overdose more than three weeks ago and the city had sold it. So I turned on the shoes and flew back to the only home I had. When we arrived, everybody treated us like conquering heroes: they crowned us with laurel wreaths and had a huge feast to celebrate our return and Grover was rewarded with the searcher's license that he'd been coveting and he finally received his horns. After the feast, we burned the burial shrouds they'd made for us in case we didn't return. Annabeth's shroud was amazing—gray silk with embroidered owls. Percy's was made by Ares, so I wasn't surprised when they revealed it: an old bed sheet that had smiley faces with X'ed out eyes for a border and 'LOSER' painted in the middle. My cabin mates from Hermes had taken a gold satin sheet, stitched question marks for a border, and in the center, put a picture of my dead body surrounded by a hundred piles of sulfur, with 'Nygma' at the top.
One week later, Percy got a letter from his mom that he shared with me. Apparently, she had used Medusa's head on Gabe and sold him to an art museum in Soho, and was using the money to start school, get a new apartment and she put down some money for Percy and me to go to a private school next year. When I read that, I was moved to tears. I'd never had anyone take care of me like that other than my mom. Whenever I wasn't busy with other things, I was thinking about whether or not to take her up on her offer.
In the meantime, I talked to Chiron and found out I had three would-be step-siblings in the Athena cabin. Doc had had three kids with Athena: Sarah-15 years old, Joseph-14, and Grace- also 14. We soon became friends and I learned that Doc was still in love with my mom, but didn't want to put any of us in jeopardy because of our combined scent. Professionally, he was trying to prove that Theseus and Perseus were real people and he occasionally brought them along to his digs. I kept up my training with Luke, but I found out that Ares had left me with a learning disability when it came to weapons; it took me twice as long to learn anything when compared to the average camper. On a positive note, I had finished translating the first part of Phoebe's prophecy. Completed, it read:
Seven seals bind he who shall end the gods
Delphi shall cause worry
And four will stand empty
The Oracle, the Rich One shall bind
To one body she will be confined
Any who take on the spirit be warned
Madness shall befall any who take on Delphi's curse
Three shall work an ideal
That which shall bring great ones to heel
The first seal broken:A symbol of power stolen
Two half-bloods of the eldest gods
Shall reach sixteen against all odds
One of the sea, accused of theft
One of the air, of mortal parents bereft
The first claimed as a final gambit
The second, on the final night
United from birth
The truth they shall unearth
The second seal broken:
Betrayal by a friend
The third seal broken:
The guardian tree poisoned
Beware Circe, Moshe's ancient law shall claim your life
The son of the air shall carry out its judgment
The great General shall be freed
The betrayer carries his burden
The fourth seal broken:
A virgin huntress shall bear the sky
But beware mighty Titan,
A Gorgon shall imprison you forever
The Crooked One shall rise once more
And among the minor gods increase his rapport
The fifth seal broken:
The Labyrinth invaded
A rejected son shall seek solace
And ally himself with the prisoner who is formless
The sixth seal broken:
The Crooked One lives again
Eldest son of wisdom, shall finally fall to death
And destroy the great maze with his final breath
They shall see the world in endless sleep
The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap
A single choice shall end his days
Olympus to preserve or raze
The seventh seal broken:
The gods fall, the West dies, the Sixth Age begins
Should Olympus fall, the years they reign shall number seven
And then the LORD of Lords shall descend from heaven
And if Olympus shall be maintained,
The minor gods shall have gained
Respect and cabins shall Balance win
All through the sacrifice of a son
But beware Egypt's rise
I couldn't believe it, but this prophecy seemed centered on me and Percy. Two half-bloods of the eldest gods: one born of the sea (Poseidon), accused of theft (the Lightning Bolt) and claimed as a final gambit (to save Poseidon from an unwanted war); the other born of the air (Zeus), with no mortal parents (Mom died just outside camp, and she never married) and claimed on a final night. But I was worried about what it said about the second seal: betrayal by a friend, that sounded suspiciously similar to the second-to-last line of Percy's prophecy at the beginning of the quest.
The final night finally came, and they unveiled the bead for this year, a black bead with a sea-green trident, which according to Luke "commemorates the first Son of the Sea God at this camp, and the quest he undertook into the darkest part of the Underworld to stop a war!" Just after that, everyone gasped and stared at me. I couldn't understand why until Annabeth pointed above my head. When I looked up, I saw a lightning bolt, Dad had finally claimed me. Chiron shouted, "It is determined! King of Olympus, Ruler over the Air, Wielder of the Lightning Bolt. Hail, Alexander Summers, Son of Zeus!"
I sneaked away as soon as possible, but before I had been gone an hour, I felt a tug in my stomach, something I'd only felt once before, during the winter solstice. I had a terrible feeling I knew what it was, and started searching for Percy. I found him deep in the forest, near the creek with an empty Coke can in the creek and a dead scorpion nearby. I dragged him into the creek and shouted for Chiron.
Percy awoke the next day and told us what had happened, Luke had been working for Cronus the whole time, and it was Luke that stole the Bolt and Helm. "The second seal broken: Betrayal by a friend," I quoted. "It's part of Phoebe's prophecy, and apparently Luke's fulfilled it." Later, Percy, Annabeth and I made plans for the next summer: we would go out and hunt down Luke, with or without permission. I told Percy that I had finally decided to stay at camp for the year, but to tell his mom thanks. I would see what this place had to offer for the year-rounders, and maybe I'd go see the man who would have been my step-father, Dr. Chris Egan, son of Apollo.
A/N: WOW! I can't believe that I'm actually DONE with this! Thanks to my wonderful reviewers: , smartgirl73, Maya Potter Jackson, TaylorTyper, youngmeph, KhairulJBlack, Ash, biblioholic, Katoo, playstationdemon, Star of Calamity (my first reviewer!), ReadingObsession, SeaweedGirl1, artimisgirl101, WELOVEOLYMPUS. Litlemusa, YearOfDreams, ladymoonsoar, britgirl96, Xxvampireknightfan01xX, and KenZe! And here's a preview of The Summer Odyssey, Part Two of The Alexander Chronicles.
Camp was hell.
I know, you'd think that a camp where you learn to be a hero would be heaven on earth. But for me, Alexander Summers, only living son of Zeus, it was hell. Everyone had been staring at me since Dad claimed me, obviously expecting me to be exceptional at everything. But when I couldn't even beat the newest camper in a duel, everyone started teasing me. My only relief came when Dad contacted me and said I could come to Olympus for a while and meet the family. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity.