The next morning, I woke up feeling slightly refreshed, despite my breakdown yesterday. I quickly dressed in my Successor uniform (which had somehow made its way into my dresser, along with sixteen other copies of it) and put the black hole pendant around my neck. I used some water from the ocean as a mirror, and when I saw my face, I gasped. I hadn't seen my face in years, so I was pretty surprised to see that I had become even more handsome (which I didn't think was possible, but okay).
I think the blessing of Chaos enhanced Aphrodite's blessing. This time, my face didn't have a single blemish. Even the zits I had gotten from wearing the mask all the time had disappeared. My hair had somehow gotten darker (and messier) and my eyes were the purest sea-green I had ever seen, with a couple glowing red-orange flecks swirling around in the iris. In short, I looked totally awesome! I released my control over the water and left my room. I was hoping that someone would lead me to the cafeteria, otherwise I wouldn't get any food and we would have a crisis on our hands. Luckily, I found a servant who was willing to lead me, and when I got to the cafeteria, my jaw dropped.
It was like a five-star restaurant and a buffet combined! The room itself was huge (It could fit about ten Super Bowl stadiums), and there was a wall-to-wall buffet table covered in breakfast foods from every cuisine in the world, plus a lot more that I hadn't heard of at all. The very, very large tables were circular and were trimmed differently based on divisions of the army. I quickly spotted Cronan at the Successor table, so I hurried over. He looked pretty excited.
"Hey, man! I was waiting for you to get here! Figured I would show you the ropes of how everything works. So, basically, you grab a plate and fill it up with whatever you like. Then you eat, obviously, and once you're done, you put the plate and your utensils in the cleaning bin so that the staff can clean them. You got it?" I nodded; it sounded pretty simple. I followed him up to the table. As far as I could see, the food was divided by cuisine. There was Earthen cuisine (which was divided into even more sections), Orendian cuisine (most of the food was giving off swirly purple wisps of smoke), Arbian cuisine (again, divided into more sections based on the geography of the planet), Lanikalan cuisine, which was a whole lot of seafood (I didn't go near that one), Colcuhounian cuisine (all vegetarian), and so much more. Today, though, I was in the mood for some good old comfort food. I grabbed some pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs. On the Successor table, there were literally pitchers of maple syrup and other various sauces, so I drowned my pancakes in syrup and started eating.
Oh.
My.
Freaking.
Gods.
These pancakes were some of the most delicious pancakes that I'd ever had, though they still can't beat my mother's blue ones. Really, the only flaw I could find in these pancakes was that they weren't blue. The bacon was crispy and tender and went perfectly with the eggs, which were also light and fluffy. A strange feeling washed over me. I could feel the stares on me as I ate, and finally it became too uncomfortable and I stopped eating, even though I still had half of my pancakes left (I know, the world is ending). Beside me, Cronan said, "Don't like being the center of attention?" I shook my head; I hated publicity. He grinned. "Me too. Makes me feel claustrophobic." I nodded in agreement.
"Hey," he continued, "little tip: don't go hiding in your room to escape it. I know it's probably wonderful in there, but you'll have to face them sooner or later. It's best to make it the former rather than the latter. Trust me, I know." I was shocked at how well he understood me. Most people I knew loved the spotlight (*cough*Annabeth*cough*), so finding someone who felt the same way as me was kind of strange. I did my best to ignore the stares at my back and continued eating. Gods, these pancakes… Cronan laughed, probably at how I was wolfing down the pancakes. "Dude! Slow down! The pancakes aren't going anywhere!" I looked at him pointedly. "Really? Then why do I see your fork inching its way towards my plate?" He smiled sheepishly.
"I've never tried Earthen cuisine, actually. I keep meaning to get it, but I just love the Orendian cosimia jam and whipped kenji cream over toasted aisha. It is absolutely heavenly. You should try it sometime." he told me. I grinned. "Oh, don't worry. I will. I just wanted something from home, you know?" He nodded. "I know the feeling. That's why I get the jam. I'm from Orenda, and I practically grew up on that." I pointed to my empty plate. "And I grew up on pancakes. Granted, they aren't blue, but they'll suffice." Cronan laughed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two people who made my breath catch in my throat.
Charles Beckendorf and Silena Beauregard walked in, arm in arm, and immediately headed to their respective tables. Beckendorf sat at the one trimmed with bright yellow, and Silena sat at the one trimmed with grey. I already knew Beckendorf was in the Smith Division, but Silena's in the Strategy Division? Actually, now that I think about it, it kind of makes sense. I guess she would be a spy or something, which seems like it would be kind of a subdivision of strategy. Cronan caught me staring and said, "She's taken." I punched him lightly. "Dude, I know. Silena Beauregard, daughter of Aphrodite, hero of the Titan War, I know. You forget who I am." He turned pink. "Oh yeah. I still can't believe I'm friends with THE Percy Jackson!"
"I'm not that great! Really!" I protested.
He rolled his eyes. "Of course you are! No one has ever done as much as you have!" I blushed at his praise, and we talked for a few more minutes before he looked up and started quivering in his chair. "What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost." I told him. There was true fear in his eyes and his hands were shaking like crazy. I followed his line of sight and I missed my next bite of pancake. Standing in the door was a girl in white and black. Oh, and one more thing.
She was absolutely gorgeous.
Her wavy hair was a dark, rich red and was pulled back into a ponytail that reached her waist. Her skin was very pale, almost like Nico's, but it had a rosy pink tint to it that went extremely well with her hair. The most amazing part, though, was her eyes. They were a light lavender color with a slight blue tinge, making them look like periwinkle. And currently, they were fixed in a confused frown at our table. Specifically, me. "Cronan, who is that?" He drew a shaky breath. "Luna Toril. General of the Army. She's infamous for her ruthless training and her no-nonsense attitude. I don't think anyone has even seen her smile, she's that cold. She wasn't at the meeting yesterday because she was giving the new recruits their final tests." Luna started walking towards our table, and I still couldn't take my eyes off of her. When she finally reached our table, I couldn't breathe.
"Who are you and what are you doing at this table?" she demanded. I stood up. I was slightly taller than her, but she held her glare. "I am Chaos's Successor, and I'm sitting here because it's where I'm supposed to." I told her. Her pale cheeks colored slightly when she saw the pendant on my chest. "So he's finally taken a Successor, has he? Interesting. Meet me in the training room later. I want to see what you're made of. Does 15:00 work?" I was confused, but I soon realized that this place went off of military time. "Well, let me check my schedule. Oh, wait, it seems I'm free! I'll see you then!" I said with a grin. She didn't even crack a smile. "I look forward to it." she said before walking away. I sat down next to Cronan, who was looking at me with his eyebrows raised. "Dude, you have a death wish. Luna is the best fighter in the army and she trains most of the Successors, including me." I shrugged and said, "Training opportunity." He raised an eyebrow. I huffed. "Come on, man! Have a little faith!"
"Uhhhhhh…"
"Cronan…"
"Fine! You're going to beat her and and everyone will bow down to you and you will rule over everything and become Supreme Lord of the Universe!" I rolled my eyes. "Even if that were to happen, I wouldn't want it too. Then I would just ruin the universe."
"True."
I smacked him. "I hate you, you know that, right?" He grinned. "Oh, you know you love me." I shook my head. He actually reminded me a lot of Leo. The sarcastic nature, the constant jokes, it all reminded me of him. I felt my eyes burn slightly and I pushed back the forming tears. Cronan, seeing my look, said, "Why don't we go put up our plates? Then we can roam around the cafe and let you meet new people! Yeah, that's a great idea! Let's go!" Before I could protest, he grabbed my arm in one hand and the plates in the other and dragged me over to the cleaning bin. He showed me how to neatly stack the plates on the counter and sort the utensils into large plastic bins. He then proceeded to pull me out into the sea of tables. The first stop was the red-rimmed table of the Spear Division. Cronan led me over to a guy chowing down on some Greek barley porridge and figs. I recognized him instantly. "Achilles, I'd like you to meet the new Successor of Chaos. See if you recognize him." Cronan said. Achilles looked up, and his face was blank for a second, but cleared in recognition. "Ah, Percy Jackson. It is nice to see you again."
"It really is, Achilles. How's life treating you? Staying away from stray arrows, I presume?"
Achilles laughed. "Yes. I'm afraid those arrows can be quite bothersome. Do you still have my curse?" I shook my head. "The Tiber washed it away." Achilles nodded. "Yes, the Tiber. One of the few things powerful enough to erase the curse. Nevertheless, I am glad you are free of it. That curse is just destruction waiting to happen."
"Oh yeah it is." I agreed. "Oh, well, I should probably let you get back to your breakfast. See you later, Achilles." He waved, another bite of porridge already in his mouth. Cronan pulled me towards the blue Navy Division table. "This is Theseus, son of Poseidon, your brother, and head of the Navy Division." Cronan told me when we reached a guy with black hair and sea-green eyes like mine. Theseus looked up from his eggs and smiled. "Welcome, Percy Jackson." How did he know my name? I shot a questioning glance at Cronan, who said, "Told you you were famous." I turned back to Theseus. "Well, it is nice to meet you, Theseus." He shook my hand. "No, the honor is mine, brother." Cronan wasted no time in dragging me to another table, and when I spotted the color of this one, I had to swallow a lump of dread.
He was leading me towards the grey table, the Strategy Division. The only difference with this one compared to the last two was that Cronan wasn't leading me to the head of the Division. Instead, he was leading me towards Silena. I tried my best to resist, but Cronan had the leverage he needed to keep pulling me along. "Hey, Silena, I have something to show you." he called out to her, since we were standing behind her. Silena turned around and her eyes widened to the size of drachmas. "Percy?" she whispered. I nodded, and she literally knocked her chair over as she ran to hug me. "Oh my Chaos, I can't believe it's you! Charlie's going to be so thrilled! So will Zoe and Bianca! Let me go get them! Stay here!"
"But-" But she had already rushed off. About five minutes later, she came back, towing Bianca, Zoe, and Beckendorf. Their reactions were very similar to Silena's; Beckendorf's mouth actually popped open. "Hey guys." I said. Zoe walked up to me, and for a minute I thought she might hug me, but nope! She slapped me across the face. Still the same Zoe. "Seriously? 'Hey guys'? That's all you can say?" I nodded. She shook her head. "Same old Percy." Bianca hugged me tightly and asked, "Percy, how's Nico? Is he okay?" I nodded. "Nico, last I checked, is fine. He actually found a boyfriend, so he's happy." Beckendorf cut in. "Nico Di Angelo found a boyfriend? Who is it?" I grinned. "Will Solace." Beckendorf's jaw dropped further. "Will? Will Solace? The son of Apollo?" I nodded, grinning. Beckendorf smiled and shook his head disbelievingly. "So, what's new with you guys?" Silena and Beckendorf shared a look. "Well, Charlie and I got engaged! We still haven't found the right place for the ceremony, though." I gave her another hug. "That's awesome, Silena!" She blushed. "Thanks! And, guess what! Zoe got a boyfriend, and you'll never guess who it is!"
I stared at Zoe. Maybe she's not the same Zoe I knew. "Who?" Zoe blushed and said, "Luke Castellan." My jaw dropped. "Luke is in the army?" She nodded. "Sword Division." I looked over to the Sword Division table, but I couldn't see him. "Want me to show you?" Cronan asked. I nodded. I needed to talk to Luke. Cronan let me follow him rather than drag me along with him, and as we got closer, I could see Luke's golden hair sitting right next to a guy that reminded me strongly of Jason. Zoe walked up to Luke and tapped him on the shoulder. She muttered something in his ear and he stood up quickly. His eyes darted around until they landed on me. "Percy?" he murmured. "Hey Luke." I said. He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Listen, about that thing-" I cut him off. "Luke, what's done is done. It's in the past, and besides, you were a hero in the end. I forgave you a long time ago." Luke's posture sank about six inches and he sighed in relief. "Thanks, Percy." I smiled. "Hey, Luke, do you wanna go to the gym and spar?" He grinned, and I finally recognized the old Luke I once knew. "You're on."
Hello, dear readers! How was this chapter? Percy and friends have made an appearance! Yay!
Daily Question: What is your favorite board game? Mine is Clue, because it's fun and there is logic involved.