Chapter 26: Percy And Thalia Fry A Pig

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We won capture the flag almost too easily. Ares had allied with practically every other cabin, as Clarisse had plenty of social capital after leading the quest for the Golden Fleece. That might have proved a challenge for our Athena-Hermes alliance, if not for Percy and Thalia. I set them on defence and as I expected, one sight of Aegis was enough to send most campers running. Percy took care of the rest easily with Riptide.

Having successfully thwarted any attempt on our flag, I skirted the woods under my Yankees cap, sent the rest of my team in as a decoy to occupy the line of Apollo defenders Clarisse had set to protect their flag, and snatched it out from under the nose of Michael Yew. I sprinted back invisibly to our territory and ended the game.

Clarisse stomped across the river, very red in the face, and strode right up up Michael.

'You idiot! I told you to guard the flag!'

Being at least two heads taller, she towered over him, but Michael stood his ground. He slung his bow over his shoulder and put his hands on his hips.

'She was invisible,' he said. 'Plus, it's not like you did any better getting past them.' He jerked his head at Percy and Thalia, who were carrying the Athena flag back down to the river.

'Why, you little runt—'

'Lay off him, Clarisse,' Percy said, stepping in. 'It was a fair game. You lost.'

She spun around, spear in hand. 'Stay out of this, punk!' She jabbed the spear at his armour and Percy was thrown onto his back, sizzling from the jolt of electricity it had thrown out.

'I told you I'd still pulverise you,' Clarisse said. 'How do you like a taste of Maimer? That's for breaking my last electric spear.'

Percy got to his feet and drew Riptide. 'What, did your daddy buy you a new toy?'

'It was a reward,' Clarisse snarled, brandishing Maimer again.

Thalia shoved the Athena flag into the hands of a nearby camper and marched forward. 'Stop it,' she said, knocking Maimer aside. The electricity didn't bother her at all. Clarisse looked surprised. She sized up Thalia with an appraising look in her eyes.

'Or what?' she said, a challenge in her voice. It held an undercurrent of excitement as well, like she was eager to see what else Thalia could do.

Thalia didn't answer. She tightened her grip on Maimer and suddenly Clarisse was flat on her back. Thalia had reversed the electricity up the spear and sent it to shock Clarisse. Everyone stared, impressed, but also wondering how Clarisse would respond to this. Given how she had held a grudge against Percy ever since he used his water powers to humiliate her, I didn't think she would be too happy that Thalia was doing the same. To my surprise, when Clarisse got to her feet, she looked at Thalia with respect in her eyes. She snatched Maimer back and nodded curtly to Thalia.

I remembered a conversation I'd had with Clarisse a few weeks ago: 'I didn't know her,' she'd said about Thalia, 'but she had guts.' I wondered if maybe Clarisse had looked up to Thalia as a role model as well. Maybe this show of Thalia's power, rather than angering Clarisse, had solidified her respect.

Percy, on the other hand, looked disgruntled. 'I can fight my own battles, you know,' he grumbled.

'And you were doing so well against electricity.'

'I can handle Clarisse.'

'Yeah, sure.'

I was reminded of something I'd told Percy: either you would've been best friends or you would've strangled each other. It was looking like they might go down that second option right now.

I stepped in quickly, not wanting another stand-off. 'Good job, guys,' I said. 'We won.'

Thalia patted her bracelet smugly. 'You were right. Everyone nearly wet themselves at the sight of Aegis. Even Percy—'

'I did not,' Percy said. 'I was only startled.'

I held up my hand. 'We actually met Medusa,' I said, changing the subject before another argument could break out.

Things went on like that for the next few weeks. The game seemed to have sparked a challenge between Percy and Thalia, like they had to prove which of them was stronger. They competed every chance they got: at archery, where Thalia demonstrated her flawless aim (Percy sulked when she not only hit all the bulls-eyes, but proceeded to prove her point by lodging a final arrow that split his cleanly down the shaft); at sword-fighting, where Percy had the upper hand (cheering him up considerably); at wrestling, where I had to break up their fight (and I schooled them both with a mean judo flip).

I remembered the dream I'd had of Percy and Thalia fighting over the river. I hoped that they weren't heading that way, to opposite sides in the war. Now that the prophecy seemed to apply more to Thalia, I was very afraid that she might decide to join Luke and Kronos. If it came down to a choice between her and Percy …

A single choice shall end his days.

I didn't really want to think about that.

On my birthday, July 12, the two of them must have called a truce because they banded together to make me a cake. It was kind of sloppy, and for some reason it was all blue, but I was touched by the effort (and relieved that they'd stopped fighting). We ate it at one of the special tables I'd designed for the new art and crafts cabin. Beckendorf was currently leading the project to build up the area according to my plans, with evenly-spaced bamboo pillars marking out the zone instead of log walls. Now you could look out at the whole camp while working on your craft projects and get inspiration from the view, or maybe from the mini hedge maze that the satyrs were growing between the cabin and the canoe lake. It was only ankle height at the moment, though, like a little winding patch of garden plants.

It was a lazy, warm afternoon. We could hear a bunch of campers laughing as they paddled in the canoe lake, with the occasional whoop as they overturned each other's boats. A paired of winged Pegasi circled overhead. Silena Beauregard was giving a riding lesson. She was on her favourite chestnut Pegasus with a dappled mane, while her student rode the pure-black Pegasus that had been on the Princess Andromeda with us. It had followed us all the way to camp. Percy, who could understand horses, said his name was Blackjack and he was grateful for our help in freeing him from Luke's captivity.

'I don't like flying,' Thalia commented as she watched the Pegasi soar above us.

'Me neither,' Percy said. 'Your dad kind of threatened to blast me out of the sky if I ever got on a plane.'

She glared at him as if to say, you're not seriously blaming me for that, are you?

'Pegasi are okay, though. I think it's because my dad made horses, so I get a pass with them.' He took a big bite of blue cake. 'So why don't you like flying? I mean, you're the daughter of Zeus. It's sorta like your birth right.'

'I just don't,' Thalia said. She picked up my bronze knife, which was sitting on the table. We'd used it to cut the cake. 'Annabeth, is this …'

It was the first time she'd seen it since coming back, I realised. Although I carried it on me constantly, it was always hidden under my sleeve. I hadn't used it at capture the flag or in any of our training sessions.

'Yeah,' I said. 'It's the same blade.'

Thalia looked like she wanted to say something more about it, but at that moment, there was a commotion up on Half-Blood Hill. Two campers appeared to be wrestling at the pine tree. One of them was so tiny it could only be Michael Yew. The other had the bulky build of one of the Ares campers.

'We'd better see what's going on,' Percy said.

I sheathed my knife and we ran up the hill.

The kid Michael was grappling with turned out to be Casey Cartwright, one of the older daughters of Ares. She'd been at camp maybe two years, and had only been claimed last summer. Michael was on her back with his arms wrapped around her neck, while she tried to throw him off.

'Annabeth!' Michael yelled when he saw me. 'Get the horn—sound the alarm—she's trying to steal the Fleece!'

'What?'

Percy ran for the conch horn, lying at the base of the tree, just as Casey flung Michael to the ground. Casey tackled Percy with a flying leap and they landed in a heap of flailing limbs. Percy managed to toss the conch horn over to Thalia, who blew it, alerting the camp to the emergency. Campers thundered up the hill, led by Clarisse. When she saw Michael, she brandished her spear, Maimer, at him.

'You!' she snarled. 'I knew you were bad news!'

'I didn't do anything!' Michael protested. 'I was handing over guard duty and I happened to turn back and I saw her lifting the Fleece off the tree!'

'Lies!' Clarisse said, but everyone looked at Casey, who was pinning Percy to the ground. He tried to reach for his pocket, for his pen, but Casey was bigger and stronger.

Thalia and I ran to help him. We managed to drag Casey off, but then two other campers pulled us away from her and held our arms behind our backs.

'Everyone stop!' A camper named Phineas Jordan stepped forward. He was one of the undetermined kids in Hermes cabin, who tended to blend into the crowd. He dragged Drew Tanaka into view, his arm around her shoulders, holding a sharp knife to her neck. 'Nobody move! You're all going to sit quietly and listen to us, now.'

The tables had turned so quickly, I was too stunned to react. Percy had gotten his pen out, but he hadn't uncapped it yet, hesitating as he stared at Phineas and Drew. Drew looked both terrified and outraged to find herself a hostage of a fellow camper. My captor pushed me to my knees and let go. It was Timothy Greaser, also from the Hermes cabin. He went over to stand with Phineas, along with Casey and a handful of others. They formed a line behind Phineas, facing the rest of us. There were about fifteen of them, mostly undetermined kids, but a number were from the other cabins, too—Ares, Demeter, even Aphrodite. We stared at them in shock and betrayal, still too stunned to process what was truly happening.

'Where's Chiron?' Katie Gardner murmured. 'Why isn't he coming?'

'Chiron and Dionysus are both out—Argus took them to see someone about a guard for the Fleece,' Pollux Gable said.

'We don't want to hurt anyone,' Phineas said, although his knife was still pressed threateningly against Drew's throat.

'Let go of her, then!' Percy said.

'Just a little incentive to get your attention,' Phineas said. 'I have a proposal for everyone here. We've suffered weeks of brutal attacks and what did the gods do for us? Nothing—we had to risk one of our own to save us, and even then, we get no thanks. It's time we stopped accepting the indifference of the gods. We've been told that Luke ran away and became our enemy, but that's not true—'

'He poisoned Thalia's tree!' Percy argued. 'He's raising Kronos—'

'He's raising an army against Olympus,' Phineas corrected. 'An army of demigods and monsters, working together.'

There were nervous murmurs among the campers.

'Imagine what it would be like if you no longer had to fear monsters,' Phineas continued. 'If they stop trying to kill you but work for you instead. Luke has managed it! Join us—join the army, and you'll have revenge against all the slights our parents have ever dealt us. Instead of living in fear of monster attacks, turn the tables and watch them attack your enemies!' He looked at Thalia. 'And you—you had to fight off a whole army of monsters, and how did Zeus reward you? You lost six years of your life, forced to stand on a hill and protect a camp—I bet you didn't have any choice in that. You must be really angry, being played like a pawn in a feud between Zeus and Hades.'

Thalia glared at him, but I could see that some of what Phineas said had hit home. A flurry of expressions flickered across her face—doubt, anger, uncertainty. She wasn't the only one. Many of the other campers shifted their weight uneasily as they considered what Phineas was saying. Nobody moved. It was like Phineas had cast a spell on us with his words.

It was Clarisse who broke the spell. She yelled at Phineas, 'You're Kronos's spy! You're a traitor—you're all traitors!' She raised Maimer and glared at the fifteen rebel campers, especially Casey Cartwright.

Phineas dug his knife warningly into Drew's skin.

'No, please!' Drew cried as he drew a tiny bead of blood.

We had to get Drew away from Phineas first. My mind cleared and started taking in all the elements of the situation. Assuming the campers not on Phineas's side weren't convinced to join him, we outnumbered them at least two-to-one. He was using the hostage situation to keep our hands tied, but if I could neutralise that, he'd lose his advantage.

I felt in my pocket. Fortunately, my magic hat was there.

'Clarisse is right,' Will Solace said. 'You're crazy if you think you're actually going to work with monsters. The monsters will just turn around and eat you!'

Phineas glared at him. 'Perhaps you just need a demonstration. In fact, I think I'll show you just what I mean. If you join us, you'll be safe. But if not … you'll see exactly how willing the monsters are to do our bidding—against our enemies.'

Casey Cartwright raised her hand like she was performing a summons. There was a pause and then she said, 'It's not working. I'm trying, but the barrier's holding!'

I felt a surge of hope. They were trying to summon a monster past the barrier, the way Luke had called a hellhound to attack Percy last summer, but the magical borders seemed enhanced now by the power of the Fleece.

Phineas snarled in frustration. 'Well, get the Fleece!'

Timothy Greaser ran to the tree. I took my chance and put on my Yankees cap. Nobody seemed to notice when I vanished. I snuck quickly around the line of rebel campers and grabbed Phineas from behind, twisting his knife away from Drew. She scrambled away from him just as Timothy pulled the Fleece off the tree's branches.

The hilltop erupted into chaos. The moment the Fleece was off the tree, Casey's summons worked. A warthog the size of a rhinoceros charged through the barrier, bowling through a group of campers like they were skittles. Its head was almost completely bald, with nothing except sparse, bristly hairs and a jagged crest that rose between its ears and continued running along its back. Two enormous tusks protruded from either side of its snout. Their points were as sharp as spears.

I didn't have much time to take this all in, though. Phineas turned and grabbed hold of my arm, throwing me off balance. I stumbled in the middle of the fifteen rebel campers, my cap flying off my head and rendering me visible again. Phineas's knife came down in an arc. I would have been stabbed if I hadn't rolled away instinctively at the flash of movement. It grazed my shoulder, though, sending pain rippling through my arm.

There was a yell of rage and a massive wall of water came rising up all the way from the canoe lake. It slammed into Phineas, knocking him off his feet and scattering the rebel campers away from me. I saw Clarisse jump into battle with Maimer, electrocuting the rebels who tried to stop her as she chased after Timothy and the Fleece. The warthog leapt over her head, inserting itself between them. Clarisse cursed and tried to spear it, but it was pretty nimble for a massive pig, and it dodged all her jabs.

'He's getting away!' Clarisse screamed.

Percy was duelling Phineas sword to dagger, but with a downward slash of his hand, he sent the lake water crashing to the ground in a spiral. It tunnelled around the hill in front of Timothy, forming a ditch and filling it like a moat. Timothy fell right in and was immediately tossed around like a rubber boat in a churning sea. He gurgled and flailed his arms helplessly. Clarisse jumped right in and grabbed the Fleece away from him.

The warthog skidded to a stop before it could fall into the water, turned, and came back round for another charge, but Thalia activated Aegis and it ran straight into the face of Medusa. The warthog's tusks crumpled. Aegis wasn't even dented.

Meanwhile, Percy fought Phineas right up to the edge of the ditch and forced him in as well. Our campers seemed to get the idea and they began to push back the traitors, trapping them in Percy's moat. Percy helped Clarisse out with the Fleece and then he stood at the edge, controlling the water so that waves buffeted the traitors when they tried to swim out.

Thalia came at the warthog with the spear, but injuring its tusks hadn't slowed it down. It pawed angrily at the ground and charged at Clarisse, who was sprinting back up the hill with the Fleece. Even with its tusks dented, at that speed, it would still be able to gore her.

'No!' I cried. Ignoring my injured shoulder, I took a flying leap and landed on its back as it passed me. It bucked wildly as I tried to hang on with my knees and sink my dagger into its neck. Unfortunately, it had hide like stone.

I changed tactics and grabbed hold of its ears instead, yanking its head like I would the reins of a horse, steering it towards the water. With a splash, we landed in Percy's moat.

Thalia came running down the hill. 'Annabeth, get out now!'

Percy let the water go slack around me. I paddled furiously to his side and he hauled me out. The rebel campers took the chance to scramble out the other side.

The moment I was out of the water, a bolt of lightning came from the sky and concentrated on Thalia's spear. She jabbed it at the moat and the lightning hit the water, electrocuting the entire ditch, along with the warthog. The force of it was so great, the warthog was tossed into the air with its tough hide sizzling. Then it exploded into fine ash.

We stood on opposite sides of the ditch, the fifteen traitors on the far side down the hill and about sixty of us facing them on the camp side. The traitors seemed to recognise that they'd lost the fight. They fled down the hill.

Phineas Jordan was the last to leave. He looked directly at Thalia from across the moat.

'Don't do this, Thalia,' he said. 'Come with us. It's Luke's revolution. He said you belong with him.'

Thalia pointed her spear at him. Her face was contorted with anger. 'You tell Luke he can come and tell me himself.'

Phineas gave up and joined the fleeing demigods. Clarisse ran back from the tree, on which she'd laid the Fleece, and shook her fist at their retreating backs. 'Shock them, Thalia!' she screamed. 'They're spies and traitors—kill them all!'

Thalia's expression was livid. For a second, I thought she might actually do it. Then Percy put a hand on her arm.

'No,' he said firmly. 'They're demigods like us. We can't.'

'You idiot!' Clarisse fumed. 'They're just going to run to Luke and they'll send more monsters to attack!'

'We can't just kill demigods in cold blood,' Percy insisted. 'We'd be no better than Kronos.'

Thalia lowered her spear. It shrank into a mace canister, which she pocketed. Aegis returned to bracelet form around her wrist. 'He's right,' she said. 'If we kill one another, we're just doing the monsters' jobs for them. We have to be better than that.'

A look of understanding passed between their eyes.

'Nice trick with the lightning,' Percy said.

'Likewise,' Thalia said. 'With the water and all.'

Lee Fletcher stepped forward. 'What can we do to protect the camp, though? I mean, we just saw how desperate Luke is to steal the Fleece.'

'We keep guarding it,' Katie Gardner said like it was obvious.

'And if someone else tries to make off with it?' Michael said. He glared at Clarisse, clearly still insulted that she hadn't believed him earlier.

'But we've run all the traitors off,' Castor Gable pointed out.

'What makes you think we don't have any more spies among us?' Drew said angrily, rubbing at the thin scar on her throat where Phineas's knife had pierced it. 'The lot of them were here all along. What's to say one of us isn't biding his or her time?'

Everyone shifted uneasily. It was true that Luke had had spies lying low at camp all along—he'd even told Percy and me when we'd met on the Princess Andromeda. I cursed myself for having forgotten it. But so many campers … I hadn't imagined the extent to which Kronos had managed to infiltrate our camp.

'We can't think like that,' Silena Beauregard said finally. Her face was white and scared. 'We've already lost fifteen campers. If we can't even trust whoever's left … well, it's like Percy and Thalia said. It's already wrong for demigods to be fighting one another. We can't fight among ourselves, too.'

'Yeah.' Beckendorf backed her up. 'If we're all suspicious of each other, Kronos has already won.' Silena threw him a grateful look and he ducked his head shyly.

'But the Fleece,' Clarisse insisted. 'We need to make absolutely sure it's safe.'

'I think I can take care of that.'

We all turned at the new voice. Chiron was standing on the other side of the ditch, surveying the scene before him with raised eyebrows. Behind him stood Argus, leading a baby dragon on a leash, and Mr D, who was more hovering a few inches over the grass rather than actually standing.

'Dear me,' said Mr D impassively. 'Did we miss the party?'

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A/N: I know I've taken a lot of liberty with canon here. However, we know Luke was recruiting, and in BotL, Percy mentions that some of the campers had joined Luke. We also know that Luke had spies since SoM; also he doesn't appear to have returned to camp after his departure in LT. So my take on it is that he already got campers on his side before he left. (We already know of two: Silena—who didn't get caught—and Chris, who left either with him or on his own.) He's a charming guy when he wants to be and he was head of his cabin. His demigod army in later books had to come from somewhere and I doubt they were all found outside camp. Also, surely he would have made some play for the Fleece at some point. So this here's my speculation on all of it. As to why we never hear about it (other than the fact that I've made it up) … let's just go with people not liking to talk much about big betrayals by friends. Anyway, I hope I've made it all plausible enough and at the very least, you enjoyed reading!

A big thank you as always to all of you who've been reviewing. I really appreciate your every comment! And to CupcakeQueen816 and LivviMay, I'm super grateful for the error-checking! I don't have a beta for this piece, so I'm glad to have your feedback. I've gone back and corrected the mistakes in chapter 25, so thanks again! :)