So much work done on this chapter, I edited it like a dozen times.
I'm also writing another story in a collab called "Close your eyes (Dream of me)" It's a percabeth soulmate au that'll be covering the whole series (cause I don't know how to do something that isn't a rewrite). Please check it out! First update will be Friday.
Anyways, for anyone asking me to put in *checks notes* less veils (yuck you say), less beautification (caring about appearances is gay apparently), and less fluff (this story is third fluff, third humor, third angst) you're all out of luck. The one asking for no character bashing... I have zero plans for bashing and if the opening looks like there's bashing coming, I've barely changed the actions/attitudes of anyone except Percy (I'm assuming your focus is on Poseidon, Chiron, and Annabeth) from canon so you can blame canon for that. I'm not doing bashing though.
Hope you enjoy the chapter!
Come yell at me on tumblr: percabeth4l1fe
OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO
After lunch I went to figure out my schedule. Maybe I can join the Aphrodite cabin?
I sighed.
I set up the basics of it, figuring out when I would do sword fighting, when I would arts and crafts, when to do canoeing. All the schedule stuff.
I decided to schedule extra free time to sit at the fire with Lady Hestia, and to play my ocarina in the strawberry fields.
I then went to the strawberry fields (it may have been closer to six pm really, but I spent awhile in the cool bath and talked to Carl for a while), to spend some time playing my Ocarina and practicing Siren's Song.
"Hey Percy."
I turned to see Katie Gardner and Miranda Davis, from the Demeter cabin. They've spent a while working with the plants with me over the last week or so.
I plastered my princely smile in place. "Hey Katie, Miranda. What's up?"
Katie stopped in front of me. "How are you doing?"
I blinked.
"You weren't at breakfast, and Annabeth complained that you skipped morning lessons."
I softened, they were worried for me. Like the Aphrodite cabin.
"I'm fine. I just… didn't sleep well. Silena checked on me earlier."
She nodded. "All right. Let us know if we can do anything to help."
I nodded, "Sure."
Miranda leaned over, her deep green veil shifting over her shoulder as she did, "Are you here to play for the plants again?"
I nodded, holding up my Ocarina from where it hung around my neck. "Yep."
She grinned, "We'll join you!"
We settled in an area without any satyrs, Katie reaching out to coax the plants into growing more.
We worked quietly for a while.
I started to play one of the tunes I've been practicing with the satyrs. I've almost got it down, though I still stumble some over a few notes.
"You know, I was convinced your mom and our mom had you together somehow."
The Ocarina made a strange sound at my strangled choke.
"Uh, what?"
Miranda grinned, "Well like, you're good with plants. Even if it's using music. And it seems pretty Demeter like. I dunno, we just had a bet going on who your parent was. Half of us had you as Demeter's kid somehow. The Apollo cabin was betting on Apollo for your music though."
I blinked, "Oh…"
Katie huffed, "We would've loved to have you in our cabin. But it's cool. We're just glad you're okay. Last night was scary."
I nodded, shifting a bit.
"Yeah…" Miranda mumbled.
We sat quietly again, just working with the plants.
"How are you so good with plants anyways?" Katie questioned suddenly.
"Oh… It's… it's a sea magic. It's called Siren's Song." I smiled sheepishly, "I'm not very good yet. Using an instrument and working with plants is the very first step. I still have a long way to go before I can actually use it like it's supposed to be used."
Katie looked curious.
"Sea magics?" Miranda said suddenly, leaning forward. "What's that?"
I hummed, letting my Ocarina hang again. "Well, there's a lot of different types. I'm best at waterbending- er, technically called Thermomancy… uh, and Purification, which is like… cleaning the water? Getting rid of pollution? That sort of thing. It's also good to learn for curse breakers, since getting rid of curses is basically purifying them."
"Ooh, I didn't know curse breaking was a thing. What kind of curses?"
"Oh, uh, it varies. Changing forms, cursing objects to do things, enchantments too technically, like the spells on the cups and banners."
"Wow, that's awesome." Katie cheered
"What's the Siren's Song then?"
"It's a hard magic. The Sirens have it too, they're called that because they have the Siren's Song, not because they gave the Song its name."
"Oh," Katie said. "That's cool. How did you learn about it?"
"Oh, my friend Fetu is really good at the Siren's Song. He taught me some about its history. He always gets really insulted if you say the Song came from the Siren's."
"Fetu?"
I nodded, "One of my merfriends."
Miranda straightened, "You're friends with mermaids?"
I shook my head, "Merfolk. I'm friends with two mermaids, two mermen, and one mernix. They're really nice."
"Cool!" Katie said. "How did you meet them?"
"What's a mernix?" Miranda added.
I blinked, that hadn't really occurred to me.
"Uh well… they're just, not a mermaid or merman? A separate category? Merfolk don't have just two genders, mernix is a third."
"Oh, that makes sense I guess. I didn't know that was a thing."
I nodded, "Yeah, Triton says there are humans that aren't a girl or boy too, though it's not… biological? But they aren't a girl or boy, or sometimes they're both. I've never met anyone as far as I know, but it makes sense. Gender is weird."
They both nodded, "That's interesting. I didn't know that, you learn something new every day."
"What do they look like?"
"Oh well, Somoa is really pretty, she has a white tail and white hair and it sparkles and flows and she's super nice and a really great friend. We practice our purification magic together! Um, Elei is good at fighting and has a sleek tail, uh, Masina can control the water currents and has a pretty flowy bright tail that's blue and yellow and pink, Fetu and Lagi are twins and good at healing and the Siren's Song."
Miranda grinned, "You like Somoa?"
I beamed, "She's the greatest! She gave me the dye for my hair, it's magic. She's really cool!"
Katie laughed, "Sounds like it. So… how'd you meet them?"
"Oh yeah, well I went with Tri-"
The conch horn blew, startling us.
Looks like it's dinner time.
"We'll talk more later!" Katie chirped, "See you later, Percy."
I grinned, "Yeah, see you later."
We split up to go to dinner, those two rushing to their cabin and me heading to mine to drop off my Ocarina.
Hopefully tomorrow would go smoothly, things seem to be alright so far.
OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO
Moving around the next day, I felt like an outcast.
Oh sure, I have the Aphrodite cabin and the Demeter cabin. Both of them smiled at me and some came and talked to me and they were more than willing to work with me. But the other cabins…
Nobody mentioned the hellhound, but then, nobody mentioned much at all to me. They avoided me like I had the plague.
The Apollo cabin stayed well out of my way despite the fact that I'd talked music with a few of them over the last week, and they'd apparently had a bet that my dad was Apollo.
It was obvious many of them were scared, the hellhound attacking sent the message that I was in danger very clearly.
No one wanted to be around the kid that led to monsters getting into the camp to attack him.
Cabin eleven wouldn't do sword fighting with me anymore, and that hurt more than I wanted to admit. I mainly signed up to work with the Aphrodite cabin. They could help me with my knife at least, it was the weapon of choice for many of them.
Luke was kind enough to offer private sword fighting lessons though. So, I worked on sword fighting with him still. He's really good and drills me hard. I'm usually bruised up pretty bad after working with him, but it gives me lots of practice with my healing powers (at least on myself) so yay there.
I pushed back the bitter feelings. They're afraid, it's fine. Everything is totally fine.
Annabeth still worked with me in the mornings, even if she spoke as little as possible and glared at me basically every time I spoke.
She always walked away muttering insults and plans in equal measure.
Really the biggest shock was the Ares cabin leaving me alone. You'd think they'd hate me more than ever after the fight at the creek, but they kept their distance pretty well. Thankfully the two who were hurt bad in the fight made a full recovery just a few days later, though one has a bad concussion.
All five of the attackers have kitchen duty for the next month.
I'm glad that I have the Aphrodite cabin and the Demeter cabin.
Neither of them are really into fighting, Silena has commented before that she didn't like to fight, she preferred peaceful solutions to problems. And the Demeter cabin wasn't super big on fighting either, they didn't like bloodshed. That didn't make them weak though, either cabin.
The Aphrodite cabin almost specialized in knife work, easy to hide the weapon and good for working up close and personal. They've helped me improve a lot over the week. I still can't win a knife fight with Silena though (I used a practice knife for it all, it has bad balance like with swords, but safer than my knife).
The Demeter cabin worked with me on the Siren's Song (I never did get around to mentioning it to the Aphrodite kids), coaxing the plants to grow more. In exchange I explained how I used my powers, and they were trying to figure out how to apply it more to plants.
I think they're going to be terrifying once it clicks. Demeter is one of the eldest goddesses after all, her kids are just as powerful as me, they just need to train more.
If either of the cabins decided they liked to fight, they'd be extremely dangerous. But neither cabin was super into it. Katie and Miranda are the most open to it from Demeter, but at the same time they want to get better before showing off their skills. The Aphrodite cabin just prefers peaceful solutions.
The lessons have been fun with them though.
I do arts and crafts with the Hephaestus cabin. I'm working on the suncatcher for my cabin, then one for Triton too. I don't have time to make a sundial this year unfortunately. I'll have to do that next year. Beckenford didn't avoid me there, and even helped me with it. He's really cool, he's showing me easier ways to attach the pieces. He said he'd show me how to do the sundials next year.
My face felt hot around him, but it's probably just the fires there.
Horseback riding is with the Aphrodite cabin. It's great, and now I know why I can hear the Pegasus talking which makes it even better. I translate for the Aphrodite kids, it's a lot of fun. Silena loves horses a lot.
Archery is with the Demeter cabin, it's fun. The bow still sucks, but now I have friends to suck with. They're really supportive.
I still spend a lot of time down by the lake, talking with the naiads (and yes, they were willing to teach me basket weaving. I'm not very good yet but I understand how it works) or by the fire with Hestia (she's very nice and understanding).
I know someone at camp doesn't like me though, because I found a mortal newspaper dropped in the doorway of my cabin, a copy of the New York Daily News, that was open to the Metro page.
Reading it was infuriating, and the longer it took the harder it was to read.
The article was about me and my mom being missing after the car accident.
Apparently, I'm a suspect in my disappearance. Because that makes sense. Thanks Gabe.
The phone number at the bottom was circled in black marker.
I crumbled up the paper and threw it away.
For all that I have two cabins on my side, it's still miserable.
OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO
I was standing before a woman, her dress made of shifting dirt and plants. There were six other's there, one of them was Oceanus. I don't know the other five, but the sensations… faint numbness, pinpricks of warmth and an ache, my fingers prickling like needles, and a familiar coil of sand.
The woman in front of me just felt like… the ground? I can't even describe it. She just feels… normal.
"You must kill him; his crimes are too great to let stand."
"Mother, he is the sky, how would you expect us to do so?" Oceanus stepped forward.
"He has discarded my children! Your siblings! They must be saved. You must save them."
Oceanus didn't seem happy, "He is our father, and he is greater than us. To kill him would be to enrage his allies, you would anger Pontus and Ourea and Aether. And he would eventually reform, he would be infuriated himself then. We can save our siblings, your children, another way."
The other men murmured in agreement. None of them seemed to want to kill their dad.
"You will kill him, or I will toss you to Tartarus."
The men blanched, sharing panicked looks, Oceanus paled.
The man with gold eyes stepped forward then, his expression tight, "Mother-"
"If your words are not an agreement then you may as well throw yourself to Tartarus now. I will not stand for traitorous children."
The gold eyed man faltered, his gaze flicking to his siblings (the Titans?), they all seemed afraid, including the gold eyed man. He turned back to his mother. "Father will be dead soon enough."
The others seemed worried, sharing fearful looks, but seemed to come to an agreement.
"I will help." Said one that had rams horns and radiated pinpricks of warmth.
The man that glowed stepped forward first, the final two joining a moment later, "As will we."
Oceanus shook his head, staring his mom (is that Gaea? The earth herself?) down. "I will not endanger my siblings. But I will not help in this. Father will return one day, and he will not be pleased. You would incite a war with this."
"If that is your choice, treasonous child."
The earth seemed to rise around him, I tried to step forward, he can't see it, it's shifting behind him! I couldn't move.
Suddenly gold flared around him and he was gone, the earth opened there a moment later and a deep burn came from within. The one with gold eyes and a sandy presence had his hand stretched out and for just a moment he looked relieved.
"If he will not help us then he need not be here. He can stay in the sea." He said, raising his chin, the slightest shake to his hands.
The woman of earth hummed, "Very well. Do what you must. Uranus will fall, and my children will be freed."
The five men (titans) bowed, gazes grim.
"As you wish mother."
The sky darkened, and I was running.
I was running along the beach again, a storm raging overhead.
I could see a city to the side, not one I know though. It has palm trees and low hills in the distance.
Down the surf, two men were fighting. They looked like classic wrestlers, all muscular and bearded with long hair. Both were wearing flowing Greek tunics, one trimmed in blue and the other in green. They grappled with each other, each hit leading to lightning flashing as the sky grew darker.
The wind bit in to my skin like a thousand volts of electricity, salt pressing into me.
I need to stop their fight, I couldn't tell you why though. I ran as hard as I could, but the wind blew me back. I was forced to run in place, desperately trying to move forward even a little.
Over the storm I could hear them yelling, the blue-robed one yelling for the green-robed one to Give it back! Like a kindergartner fighting over a toy.
The waves got bigger, crashing harder, salt sprayed over me.
"Stop it! Stop fighting!" I yelled, but they didn't listen.
Sand curled over me, the ground shook. Familiar dark laughter coming from beneath the earth.
"Leave them be, little hero. Come to me," The pit voice crooned, only now I recognize it, "Help me return. They have nothing for you there."
"Stop it!" I cried, "Mr. Pit Voice stop!"
The voice chuckled, the ground split, I fell, darkness swallowing me.
"No need to fear little Percy. All is going as planned."
The Titan of gold eyes and sand laughed, and I woke, sure I was falling.
OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO
I know it's morning, but you wouldn't know it from the sky outside.
It's dark out, thunder rolling across the hills.
A storm is still coming, that wasn't just in my dream.
I thought of the pit voice, come to it? How would I go to it? What did it mean to help it return? And what plan is it talking about? And which Titan is that? There are six guy children of Gaea, Oceanus I know, the others I might be able to guess (the one with ram's horns was probably Krios, and the one that glowed was likely Hyperion), But the other three I'm not certain about.
Before I could consider more, I heard a clopping sound at the door, then a knock.
"Come in?"
Grover trotted in, a worried look on his face. "Mr. D wants to see you."
I've been expecting to be called for a meeting for a little while. Triton warned me after all, I'm in danger here. And now that I know why, it's probably a crime for me to just exist.
"Why?"
"He wants to kill… er… I'd better let him tell you."
Well that's reassuring, thanks Grover.
I changed quickly, putting on clothes that Triton gave me. I want some comfort when I go to possibly be told I'm to die.
I fingered my bracelet, touching the pearl. I know what I'll do if that happens. I have a way out.
I frowned up at the sky as I stepped up.
"Will we need an umbrella?" The sky is like ink soup, a hazy curtain of rain heading towards us.
"No," he said, "It never rains here unless we want it to."
I raised an eyebrow, glancing back at the storm.
If he says so…
I rubbed my arms, pushing past the electricity sparking over my skin, and started to the big house.
We walked past the volleyball pit, where some Apollo kids were playing a morning game against the satyrs.
Grover and I walked up to the front house of the Big House. Lord D was sitting at the pinochle table in the same outfit that he wore when I first arrived, Chiron across from him in the fake wheelchair that made my skin buzz.
There were also two invisible opponents? I frowned at the place where the cards were hovering, a chime echoing in my ears. Strange.
"Well, well," Lord D said without looking up. "How's our new celebrity doing?"
I waited hesitantly. Does he want me to go over or…
"Come closer," Lord D said, "And do keep to the respect you've had thus far."
Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards while Grover cowered by the railing.
"See," Lord D started, "If I had my way you'd just be turned into a dolphin or something, a nice peaceful solution, which you'd get only because you've been so respectful. Unlike most of you brats." He sighed, "Unfortunately Chiron claims that I cannot do that, for some idiotic reason, something about needing to keep you brats safe and being unable to if you're a dolphin."
"Mr. D—" Chiron warned.
"Anyways," Lord D continued dismissively, "There's another option for you, but it's horribly foolish." He stood, the invisible people's cards dropping to the table. The chimes in my ears stopped. "I have to go to an emergency meeting, probably about you, aren't you special. If you're still here when I return I can't guarantee your safety. If you're at all smart, Perseus Jackson, you'll choose being a dolphin over Chiron's foolhardy offer."
He picked up a playing card, twisted it, and with a feeling of curling vines tightening, the card became a plastic rectangle, a security pass.
He snapped his fingers and the vines unwound, the air folding and bending around him until he was gone. Leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind.
I swallowed, that couldn't mean anything good for me
Chiron smiled at me, I'm still mad at him for taking the sword of the sea from me. It's not his dang it!
"Sit, Percy, please. And Grover."
We sat.
This isn't the time to let my grudge interfere with my actions.
He laid his cards on the table, a winning hand.
"Tell me, Percy," he said. "What did you make of the hellhound?"
I grimaced, considering.
I could handle it, did handle it, on my own. But… It was still scary. I'm just glad I've spent years training my waterbending, Thermomancy, whatever.
"It was scary," I said finally. "But I think that I handled it alright."
He nodded, "You did. But you'll meet worse before you're done."
I frowned, "Done… with what?"
"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?"
I stared, glancing at Grover who was crossing his fingers.
I shook my head, he hasn't even told me what it is!
"What quest? You haven't told me anything yet."
He sighed, "Well, that's the hard part, the details."
Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. I could feel the salt and electricity crackling against each other, it's very unpleasant.
I narrowed my eyes at him, I need the details before I agree to anything. For all that Triton kept me from knowledge to keep me safe (with my agreement too!), when it came to teaching me deals he always insisted on getting as much information as possible first.
I went over what I do know though.
Hades is blaming me for a theft, he probably kidnapped my mom cause of it. Zeus and Poseidon seem to be fighting over something too, if Hades had something taken, one of them probably did too. If I'm being blamed, it's probably Zeus that lost something.
"The gods are fighting, something valuable was stolen?"
Chiron and Grover exchanged looks.
Chiron sat forward, "How did you know that?"
I pursed my lips, "Well, the sea and sky seem to be fighting, it's been like that since the solstice. I talked to Annabeth and she mentioned a theft. The fury that attacked me mentioned a theft. And I had a dream about it so…"
"I knew it," Grover said.
"Hush, satyr," Chiron ordered.
Rude, just calling him a satyr. How would he like to be told to shut up centaur?
"But it is his quest!" Grover said excitedly, "It must be!"
"Only the Oracle can decide." Chiron said firmly. "Nevertheless, you are correct, Percy. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be more precise: a lightning bolt."
I blinked, like… how does one steal a lightning bolt? That's not a huge deal anyways is it? Was it a special lightning bolt?
"Uh…"
"Do not take this lightly child," Chiron warned. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives."
Well… that's definitely a special lightning bolt…
"Zeus's master bolt," Chiron said, getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopses for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."
Zeus's master bolt was stolen! That's like… that's like taking Tritons trident or conch shell, or Poseidon's trident I guess. Or Oceanus's sword! Those are their symbols of power and all ridiculously powerful!
And wait, if Hades had something taken too, like the fury implied, then it was probably his symbol of power.
I thought for a minute, a helm I think. I can't remember what it does though.
"You're saying it was stolen?"
He nodded, "Yes."
"But who could do that!?" That's honestly ridiculous. Stealing symbols of power is asking to be destroyed, Triton's given me enough lectures on the value of his items for me to know that.
"By you."
I stared.
"At least,"—Chiron held up a hand—"that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had another argument. It wasn't anything new, 'Mother Rhea always liked me best', 'Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters', the normal. Afterwards, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose."
I raised my hand.
"Yes?"
"Why are they fighting over which disasters are the worst?" And why do they fight like children?
Thunder shook the building.
Chiron shrugged, "They simply do. Regardless, he immediately blamed Poseidon for the theft. Now, a god cannot take another god's symbol of power directly, that is forbidden by the most ancient of laws."
That's right, I remember Triton telling me that. That is a law laid down by Chaos themself, you cannot take the essence of the immortals power, commonly placed in their symbol of power. Without it, they're greatly weakened. And if you don't want to face Chaos's wrath, you don't take the gods power… or at least not directly.
"Zeus believed you father convinced a human hero to take it."
I scowled, "But I didn't—"
"Patience and listen, child," Chiron interrupted. Not helping my growing anger.
"Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclops are—"
And Chiron started talking about things I know. He's telling me how the sea works, like I know nothing about my home.
"—and Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the masterbolt and is now having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne."
So, Zeus is being a paranoid jerk and making accusations with zero proof. And couldn't the Cyclopes just make copies regardless? They made the original after all. They wouldn't need it to make more if they so wished.
"The only thing he wasn't certain of, was which hero Poseidon used. But now, you've been claimed. You were in New York over the winter holidays as well. You could've easily snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he's found his thief."
My eye twitched, "I've never been to Olympus! I didn't even know where it was until Annabeth told me. And I spent the whole day with my mom, and then my friends. This is wrong, there's no evidence to prove I committed the theft. He's accusing me wrongfully and that's a shame to him. Isn't he the god of justice? Where does he get off accusing people with no evidence!?"
Chiron and Grover glanced nervously to the sky, the clouds had entered the barrier.
"Er… Percy….?" Grover mumbled, "You shouldn't… shouldn't say that…"
Chiron hummed, "Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. It wouldn't be unreasonable for him to use you. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam…" He looked at me as if he expected me to remember question thirty-eight.
I took a deep breath, trying not to blow up at him.
"There was a golden net. Poseidon, Hera, and some other gods got together and trapped Zeus. They wouldn't let him out till he promised to be a better ruler cause he sucked-"
They both winced, Chiron opening his mouth, but I ignored him.
"And that wasn't trying to overthrow Zeus! They were trying to get him to be a better king. That's like, the opposite of trying to overthrow him. And still, that doesn't change the fact that all it takes is asking my mom and my friends and he would know there's no way for me to have done it. Or, and here's a crazy idea, maybe they could've asked me. They have a god of truth, don't they?"
My tone grew very sharp towards the end but… this is unreasonable.
They both stared, "Well, you are right about the net. And it led to Zeus never trusting Poseidon again as a result."
As if Zeus ever trusted him.
"And well, it's close to attempting to overthrow him. What would they have done if he hadn't agreed? Gotten rid of him?"
I think they should've myself but…
"Poseidon of course denies stealing the bolt and took great offense to the accusation. The two have been arguing for months, threatening war. And now, you've come along—the proverbial last straw."
"I'm just a kid and they could just ask!"
He shook his head, "Zeus is not trusting of that, Apollo is siding with Poseidon currently."
"Gee, wonder why."
Chiron pursed his lips.
"Percy," Grover started, "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War II, and that he's fathered a new mortal hero who might be used as a weapon against you… wouldn't that put a twist in your toga?"
"No!? Because I wouldn't randomly accuse people with no basis? And didn't Zeus break the same oath? He's not really one to talk."
Chiron coughed, "Well… that isn't… Zeus is a god, he thinks differently than mortals."
I rolled my eyes, "Poseidon might be a bad dad, but he wouldn't do anything to endanger his people. A war would do that, thus he definitely had nothing to do with the theft."
Or at least I hope he wouldn't endanger his people, as king that is kind of his job, protecting his people.
Chiron nodded, a small frown on his face as he studied me. "Most would agree that theft isn't Poseidon's style. But he's too proud to try convincing Zeus of that fact. So, Zeus has demanded Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice, and Poseidon has demanded an apology by the same date."
"That's in ten days," I said helpfully.
He nodded, "I hoped diplomacy might prevail. Hera, Demeter, or Hestia are usually able to calm the brothers. But your arrival has angered Zeus once more. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war."
I scowled, he's all mad because I was born? As if he didn't have a child as well? How childish can he get?
"Do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy?"
"Bad," I said.
"Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan war look like a water-balloon fight."
"So… bad."
"And you, Percy Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath."
It started to rain. Volleyball players stopped their game and stared in stunned silence at the sky.
I felt a surge of rage.
The wrongful accusation is bad enough, but I've grown to like the camp. I have friends here, Silena, Drew, Michael, Miranda, Katie, people who look out for me. He brought this storm here because he's a paranoid jerk that accuses children of crimes with no proof. How dare he punish everyone because of me.
"So, what," I snapped, "I need to find his stupid bolt?"
"What better peace offering," Chiron said, "than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus's property?"
I could think of a dozen things wrong with this, started with the fact that we're being blamed with no proof but have to be the ones to prove him wrong, but I held my tongue this time.
"I find his bolt, he apologizes for the wrongful accusations, there's no war. Great. Where would this bolt be then?"
"I believe I know." Chiron's expression was grim. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago… well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."
"And why can't you tell me now, so I can make an informed decision?"
"Because you would be too afraid to accept the challenge."
My eyes narrowed, "Then it stands to reason that I simply shouldn't accept regardless doesn't it?"
He blinked, "Ah…"
"If I'm going to be too scared to do it if you tell me, isn't it best I simply don't accept at all? Or you could assume that I would take it regardless and allow me information before I go to this Oracle."
He sighed. "Very well. I believe the thief is Hades, the lord of the underworld."
I blinked, now that doesn't make any sense. He had something taken too. But then… Chiron didn't mention something being taken… hmm…
"Do you still wish to go?"
"Why would Hades take it? Didn't something of his get taken? What would he gain from it!?"
"Hades has said nothing about a theft. And think about it. Who would gain the most if Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?"
I frowned, "Somebody who wants to take over."
It's strange that Hades has said nothing. Did he actually not lose anything? But then why did the Fury come after me and mention a theft?
"Exactly. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken."
"But all people die eventually. Why would he need to speed up the process? And don't the gods have lots of enemies? Couldn't one of them have done it?"
Chiron sighed, "Yes they have enemies. But Hades has the greatest motive at the moment. Speeding up the process would aid him in growing stronger all at once. This quest is necessary, will you do it?"
I huffed, glancing at Grover, who had gone very pale and looked scared. Nonetheless, he gave me an encouraging nod. Still shaking in fear.
Easy for him, I'm the one people want dead.
"Better than being a dolphin. Masina would never let me live it down. How do I meet the Oracle?"
Chiron nodded, "Go upstairs, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."
I sighed and ignored his comment on sanity.
"Who's Masina?" I heard him ask Grover as I walked away.
This just keeps getting better and better.
OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO
Four flights up, the stairs end under a green trapdoor.
I pulled the cord and climbed up the wooden ladder that clattered down.
It smelled like snakes, itching of a curse crawled over me and I froze right as I entered the attic. The itching, it's mixed with a familiar feeling, burning shadows.
Was something in here cursed? By the same person that took my mom?
I looked around, looking for the source.
The burning shadows and itching might be the most obvious thing, but the whole room was filled with strange things, a lot of which were probably the cause of the other sensations I could feel.
Armor stands covered in cobwebs took up one corner, shields pitted with rust leaning against them. There were old leather steamer trunks plastered with stickers. One large table was stacked with glass jars filled with pickled… things. Claws, eyes, and many other parts of creatures. There was even a large snake like head on a statue, or a trophy?
There was even some weapons, knives and a few swords. Most were broken in some way.
I eyed some of the humming objects, probably best I don't touch.
My eyes were drawn to the back, by the window, where the feeling of itchy burning shadows was coming from.
A mummy sat there, on a wooden tripod stool. I swallowed.
It's a shriveled human woman's body, wearing a tie-dyed sundress, lots of beaded necklaces, and a headband over long black hair.
Her eyes were glassy white slits, as if they'd been replaced with marbles. She's been dead a very long time.
Just looking at her made me want to leave, this is not like the Oracles that Triton told me about. This is… this is something else. I felt eyes on me, like someone was here. But there's no one but me and the mummy.
The mummy sat up straight suddenly, opening her mouth. A green mist spilled out of her mouth, spreading out over the floor, filling the room. A hissing sound, like thousands of snakes, filled my ears.
I went still.
This thing, it's ancient. It's dangerous too.
In my head a voice whispered, slithering in and coiling through me.
I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask.
Well, that's not terrifying at all. She's not alive, but she's… she's holding the power of the green mist? Which is the spirit of the great Oracle Delphi, one of the five great oracles of land... Lovely.
I swallowed but straightened myself.
"How do I find the stolen items?"
The mist swirled thickly, collecting in front of me as, my breath caught, Triton, and my merfriends.
Triton's mouth opened, and he spoke in the rasping voice of the Oracle: You shall go west and face the god who has turned.
Elei looked at me solemnly as she spoke, her sword in hand: You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned.
Samoa smiled gently: You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend.
Masina turned to me: You shall choose to leave what matters most in the end.
Fetu continued the prophecy: A gift that was given, a life that is saved.
Finally, Lagi delivered the final line: Returning home, the sea enraged.
I listened in shock. What…
The mist retreated, coiling into a huge green serpent and slithering back into the mouth of the mummy.
"Wait!" I called, "What does that mean? What friend? What will I fail to save?"
I don't know why I bothered really, I know Oracles can give no more than what they give you.
I grimaced but turned away. This prophecy doesn't sound very good. What could enrage the sea? And is it me returning home? Home as in moms apartment? Or home as in the sea? Would the sea be angry that I'm going to it? I don't understand!
But my audience was over, and I know she won't answer any more questions.
OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO
"Well?" Chiron asked me when I returned.
I slumped into a chair, noting the smell of olive oil and the feeling of crinkling paper. Annabeth is here.
"She said I would retrieve what was stolen."
Grover beamed, "That's great!"
"What was the exact wording Percy?" Chiron pressed, "This is important."
I sighed, "She said I would go west and face the god who has turned. That I would retrieve what was stolen, and see it safely returned."
"I knew it!" Grover said.
Chiron frowned, "Is that all? Most prophecies are longer."
I considered telling him, does he need to know the rest though? It's my quest not his. And well… despite it all I don't really trust him. He took the sword from me despite the fact that he gave it to me originally. He hasn't been answering a lot of my questions too.
"That was all." I murmured. "I guess it's pretty straightforward."
Chiron pursed his lips, studying my face. "Very well, Percy. But know this: The Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."
He definitely knows I'm holding something back, but he didn't push, so I didn't elaborate
"The prophecy supports my belief that Hades is the thief. There is no other god traditionally in the west."
It doesn't sound right to me but… I thought of my mother, burning shadows, probably an underworld deity. Probably Hades. And who else could curse an oracle? Whatever the curse is.
If I go there, I can at least try to plead my case, get my mom back.
Grover interrupted, "But like, would Hades really…" He looked like he was trying to reason his way out, hoping it wasn't Hades.
"A Fury came after Percy," Chiron reminded him. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades."
"Yeah… but Hades hates all heroes!"
Chiron continued, "A hellhound got into the forest, and those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment. Hades must have a spy, and he must suspect Poseidon will use Percy to try and clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill Percy before he could take the quest."
"Yay," I muttered. "Not even two weeks at camp and I have two major gods wanting me dead."
Maybe I can just go to Triton.
Burning shadows, a flash of gold, my mom's face.
I shook my head, I need to go. For my mom.
"Couldn't we go to Maine instead?" Grover mumbled.
"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," Chiron insisted. "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing that Zeus would accuse Poseidon. I cannot pretend to understand his motives perfectly, or why he chose now to start a war, but Percy must go to the Underworld, retrieve the bolt, and reveal the truth."
I took a deep breath. This was going to be hugely dangerous, and Triton would kill me if he knew I was going to do it. But I need to, for my mom.
Plus, I'm a prince in the sea. I have a responsibility to the beings that live there. War would be bad, I need to stop it. Not for Poseidon, for everyone else.
I nodded, it wouldn't be easy, but Hades is a fair god, not merciful, but fair. If I can plead my case, perhaps he'll hear me out. And if he's in the west anyways, perhaps we'll run into the real traitor along the way. The prophecy certainly says so.
I do feel bad for Grover though. For all he's trying to be brave, he's still clearly terrified. He needs to come with to get his searcher's license though. I'm still not sure what that is, but he wants it.
I'm still not fully over him spying on me for Chiron, but… a year worth of friendship has to mean something. And I did promise, to myself if nothing else.
I nodded, "Okay, so just to clarify everything."
Chiron nodded.
"I need to go to the Underworld and talk to the Lord of the Dead."
"Check," Chiron said.
"Find the most powerful weapon of the gods."
"Check."
"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, which is in ten days."
"That's about right."
Grover looked like he wanted to do literally anything else. "Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" He asked weakly.
"You don't have to come." I said seriously, "I can't ask you to do this."
"No…" He said, shifting, "It's just that, well, satyrs and underground places… well…"
He took a deep breath, "You saved my life, Percy. If… if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down.
I nodded, at the very least Grover could get his license thing out of this.
"So, where is the entrance to the Underworld?" I asked as I turned back to Chiron.
"It is always in the west, moving from age to age like Olympus. It is also in America, of course."
So, do I need to make him spell it out? The location of the Underworld was not a part of my lessons.
"Where?"
Chiron blinked, surprise crossing his face. "I thought that would be obvious, it's in Los Angeles."
Naturally, I thought, where else.
"So, we take a bus? Train?" sky is definitely not an option, Zeus would probably strike me down before we could leave the landing strip.
"A bus. Now then, two companions may accompany you. Grover is one. The other has already volunteered, if you will accept her help."
Three guesses to who, and the first two don't count.
"Gee, I wonder who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this."
The air behind Chiron shimmered as the smell vanished once more.
Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket.
"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain," she said. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up.
"If you say so yourself I suppose," I said, "Though this isn't your quest, it's mine. And I don't know what our parents have to do with anything, wise girl."
Her cheeks colored, "Do you want my help or not?"
I took a long moment to consider.
Silena would be a big help I think, she has the same voice as those with the Siren's Song. But I know she doesn't like to fight, and we'll probably have to fight. She might be capable, but she'd be reluctant.
Katie or Miranda would be big helps too, both are good with plants. But… we're going to the Underworld. I don't think plants will help us much there. And well, both of them are practicing a lot right now, trying to figure out how to do tricks with plants like I do with water. I wonder if they could earthbend in time? Regardless, neither of them would be ready yet I don't think.
No one else at camp would really talk to me except Luke but he doesn't seem like he wants to go on a quest again, not after what happened last time.
I sighed, "A trio then. I suppose that'll work." I'm a bit limited in my options.
"Excellent," Chiron said. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that you're on your own."
Lightning flashed, rain pouring in the magic no-bad-weather meadow.
"No time to waste," Chiron said. "I think you should all get packing."
Amphitrite POV
I drifted in front of Poseidon, my dear, darling, absolutely loved husband. Who's an idiot.
"What's this about you having a child?"
Triton was drifting closer, he'd just accepted a message from the Wero family, interesting, I didn't know they talked much.
He winced, "'Trite, taeae-"
"Don't taeae me, you made an agreement with me. When you have children with others, you tell me."
He nodded, "And I meant to this time, I did, but-"
"But you broke your oath!" That imbecile, doesn't he understand the issues?
"Yes! And I needed to protect him, I needed to keep him hidden."
"You needed to protect him?" I hissed, "Not telling us does the opposite! How is he to be taught? Did you at least send someone to teach him? Even if you didn't tell them who he was? And what about the war that's building? Have you considered that?"
Poseidon shook his head, "No, they would've figured it out. I couldn't put him at risk like that. And the war was already building, his existence might have made things slightly worse but-"
I flicked my tail sharply. My lialia husband.
"But nothing. Now that bastard child of yours is at even greater risk. He doesn't know how to use his powers, he doesn't know our culture, and he has no backing. It's a shame to you to have such an uneducated child, and a shame to our kingdom for one of the princes to be so uneducated."
He winced, "I couldn't risk him becoming known."
"Do you have so little trust in me? So little trust in Triton? We have never targeted your children before, even if it displeased us."
He flicked forward suddenly, "Of course not my taeae, I have full faith in you. I simply wanted to keep him completely unknown, I couldn't risk him being harmed. I didn't even check in with him beyond the first few days of his birth. I couldn't risk any wondering over my interest in him."
"Well," we both turned to look at Triton, who was smirking. "If it makes you feel better, half the sea already knew him, even if they didn't know who he was."
I blinked, what?
Poseidon cleared his throat, "What?"
Triton raised an eyebrow, looking very smug, "I met him when he was eight, and took over his education. He found out that he had powers a few months before I met him, the river gods were well acquainted with him by the time I showed up."
I stared, slowly registering. "So… You've known about the child."
He shrugged, "Of course I've known about my little brother. Percy is quite strong did you know? He's very good at purification magic and has started learning Siren's Song."
I took a slow breath, he knew about the kid for the last… how old is he now? Whatever, a few years probably, and said nothing!?
"Why didn't you say anything!?" Poseidon looked panicked, "You haven't brought him to anything? No one really knows about him, right?"
Triton rolled his eyes, "I brought him to some introduction events and let him hang out with the friends he made. And they didn't know before who he was, but they certainly do now. And anyways, I figured you would know Metua, you normally keep an eye on your children until you consider them old enough to take care of themselves."
I considered it carefully, Triton is right of course, Poseidon is normally much better at insuring his children's safety, at least until they're older. But he failed miserably this time. It's a good thing that Triton got involved or we would have an even bigger problem.
"But he needed to stay away! This could be why he's being blamed-"
"You think I wasn't careful? No one knew who his dad was, they just assumed that he was some princeling from the northern seas, you know how private they are up there."
"Why would they assume that!?"
"Because that's what I led them to believe!"
"Why don't we go back to the part where you didn't tell us anything, Poseidon?" I said, turning the attention back on him. We could question Triton about this Percy more later and ask why he thought it was a good idea to mislead his subjects in such a way.
"I've told you my reasons, it was to keep him safe." He shot a sharp look at Triton. "Even if my wishes to keep him safe weren't respected."
"Now look here Father-"
"Enough. What's done is done," I shot them both a sharp look. "Now we must deal with the aftermath. Zeus is threatening war because we're being accused of a theft we did not do, and someone didn't tell us about Percy, thus the sea was unprepared to deal with the aftermath, or to keep him hidden entirely. We did not make the announcement that we normally would about him, and most of the sea would not side by an unknown."
"He's not unknown though," Triton pointed out. "I've been teaching him, he's friends with Elei of the Wero family, and Fetu and Lagi of the Faumuina family and even Masina of the Leota family. He's got support, all three of those families have a lot of influence, at least around here, and the Faumuina family beyond as well. Plus he's friends with Samoa Tumata and while she's not as influential, she's still got power."
I nodded, that's true. The Faumuina family especially. They're a very powerful family, with connections to the eastern seas that are hard to come by. It's very good for us that Poseidon's bastard child has befriended them. But all the same…
"That does not mean the sea would be willing to go to war for him if it comes to it. They befriended him without all the information."
"Based on the numerous letters, I'd say they would fight for him," he said.
"Plus, he's a child," Poseidon implored. "Surely he would be defended."
"I am not the one who didn't tell his subjects of the birth of another prince. It is not on Triton, he simply followed your example. It is good that they care regardless, but this is a disaster of epic proportions, Poseidon. How do you plan on making it up to our people?"
He sighed, drifting down, "I'm not sure."
I nodded, I thought as much. "Then we need to figure out what to do. Triton's actions have salvaged the situation some. Had he not done so we would've had a much bigger problem."
Triton straightened, a smirk on his face.
"On the other hand," I shot him a look. "Not telling us about him was not good. And introducing him without his rank wasn't good either. We'll have a lot of work to do to handle this mess."
He shrugged, though did appear chided.
"Now then-"
A soft hiss interrupted us, and I turned to look.
My heart sank, oh no, what happened now that father is sending his messenger snake fídi to us.
It slipped through the water, to wind around Poseidon's trident, as if it wasn't an immortal weapon of immense power.
"I come bearing a messsssage."
Well, that's what they're usually here for.
"And what message might that be?" Poseidon said stiffly. Leaning away from the highly poisonous deadly snake that can make even immortals ill.
"The great Lord Oceanusss wissshesss to meet with you sssssoon."
"How soon is soon?" I said, flicking forward.
Fídi twisted, turning to face me, "As soon as possible."
Poseidon grimaced and looked at me.
Triton shrugged at our looks, "I'm available whenever right now."
I sighed, "Very well, then would tonight or tomorrow work?"
"Tomorrow."
With that done Fídi unwound and slipped off, slinking through the window once more.
"I hate that snake," Poseidon murmured.
"Be nice," I chided. "Let's just hope he doesn't want to talk about your child as well. That's the last thing we need."
"So, what will we be doing?" Triton asked mildly. "About Percy?"
I sighed, "We will have to figure that out now, won't we."
OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO
Anyways, just want to make it clear that while percabeth is end game, Percy's Bi.
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to comment, they feed my soul.
What do you think of camp? What about the quest? What do you think the prophecy means? Did you like Poseidon and Amphitrite?