CHAPTER TWENTY TWO:

Several months had passed since the Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter had offered each other the Eagle Standard and Athena Parthenos, respectively, as peace offerings. While most of the retired or elder Romans remained at New Rome in California, the majority of the legion had moved to New York to the newly-named 'Camp Olympus'. Since Camp Jupiter was initially placed to keep vigil over Mount Othrys, and Othrys no longer existed, it made sense to establish the combined camp at the base of Mount Olympus, where Camp Half-Blood had been located.

The campers were getting along fine, except for the occasional semi-violent confrontation, but that was to be expected with any large group of hormonal teenage warrior demigods. It helped immensely that Jason and Thalia were both respected leaders of their camps and helped to maintain the peace.

In reshaping Camp Half-Blood into Camp Olympus, cabins for all minor gods were built, as well as cabins for the gods that only had a Roman form. The Roman campers were housed with their Greek siblings, and as a means to combine the systems employed by both camps, the Greek campers were all sorted into cohorts that trained together.

The Hunt spent a lot of time at camp while they got assimilated, mostly so Thalia could help take charge. Most of the other girls preferred to stay away, apart from occasional spars in which they easily beat the campers' asses.

There were few disturbances in the outside world. Too few, in fact. The peace seemed almost unnatural and it set Percy on edge. He was starting to berate himself for miscalculating. In his attempt to expedite the conflicts, he had overshot and ended the titans too easily without weakening Olympus and made it so that there was no strategic advantage for Gaea to attack at this point. He had hoped she would accelerate her plans once Kronos was finished, but instead took away any reason for her not to bide her time and gain strength.

He would have to do something about this… but what?

/

Percy's relationship with Artemis had also progressed a great deal in the past months. They had taken to spending almost all of their time together and they both thoroughly enjoyed the new closeness that they now shared, even though Artemis was still reticent about any public displays of affection. While they hadn't explicitly gone public with their relationship, it was pretty clear to any who observed them that they were quite attached to each other.

As such, Artemis was the first person that Percy went to when he had an issue to talk through, so he explained his earlier predicament to her regarding the impending conflict with Gaea. She took on an adorably thoughtful expression as she pondered on the dilemma.

"What happened with Typhon last time?"

Percy took a moment to respond as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I… uh… kinda blew up Mount St. Helens because some monsters took over Hephaestus' forge there to make Kronos' scythe. I didn't know at the time that the volcano was Typhon's prison, so he was released."

Artemis stared at him in disbelief. "Right… uh… so you said previously that the Olympians were the most drained from fighting Typhon, yes?"

Percy nodded.

Artemis brightened. "So then we can use that to draw her out."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "You're not suggesting we release Typhon on purpose, are you?"

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Of course not. But we can make people think that we did so we appear to be weakened."

"Ah. The Mist." Percy nodded in recognition. "To create an illusion that big, we'll need Zeus, Poseidon, Hecate, and Iris."

"Then that's what we'll do. Will you join me on Olympus?"

Percy shook his head frantically. "Oh no. No way. I can only ask your dad for so many things before I get blasted off Olympus. Besides, there's a couple errands I have to run in the meantime."

Artemis nodded in reluctant acceptance and looked around for anybody watching. Seeing no one, she gave Percy a peck on the lips and left him with a quick 'love you' and flashed away to Olympus.

/

"Knock knock!"

Percy stood at the doorway of the Athena-Minerva cabin, leaning against the door frame. Annabeth looked up from a series of sketches, presumably some sort of architecture blueprints, and smiled widely.

"Hey Percy!"

"Hey Annabeth. Wanna go fetch a demigod with me?"

Annabeth shrugged and gathered up her papers and put them into a manilla folder. "Sure, why not?"

"Great!" Percy grinned. "We'll be taking Blackjack."

/

The King of the Skies studied his daughter as she stood before him.

"So… your idea is to create an illusion that the Olympians are fighting Typhon?"

Artemis nodded firmly. "Yes, Father."

"To draw out our enemy?"

Artemis nodded again.

"And who exactly is this enemy?"

Artemis hesitated for a moment. "Percy claims that the Earth Mother is raising her Gigante children to wage war against Olympus once more."

"It does make sense," Zeus mused thoughtfully. "It happened that way last time. History does have a tendency to repeat itself."

"One more thing, Father," Artemis interrupted Zeus' thoughts. "Percy says that she will be personally aiding her children in the fight."

Zeus frowned. "That isa problem. Percy now, is it? I assume he has a plan moving forward?"

Artemis blushed and began to study her feet. "We've gotten closer, Father."

"Just 'closer', Daughter?"

Artemis didn't miss the teasing tone her father used and looked up to see his rather amused expression.

"You know of our relationship." It wasn't a question. "Are you not angry?"

Zeus chuckled in an uncharacteristically fatherly manner. "I have known for a while now. I was angry at first, yes, but I've been watching. He treats you well and you are happy. He has not strayed, no matter how many nymphs Apollo and I have sent after him."

Artemis' happy expression immediately turned stormy. "You have been sending nymphs to seduce him?!"

Zeus was unfazed by her anger. "Come now, Daughter. We had to test him somehow. Would you have preferred that I smite him for his attempt to court you?"

Artemis' fury subsided somewhat as she considered his statement. Percy hadn't fallen to the temptation regardless, so it did not really change anything. "I suppose not. Does this mean you approve?"

Zeus saw the hidden meaning behind her question. "If Perseus comes to me to ask for your hand, I will lift your vow and allow you to keep the Hunt."

Artemis let out a real smile and it warmed her father's heart to see such genuine joy in her eyes. "Thank you, Father."

Zeus nodded and cleared his throat, slightly uncomfortable with the current topic. "And back to Perseus' plan to deal with Gaea?"

"Right," Artemis said. "He has not revealed everything so as to prevent potential leaks in information, but he has told me more than anyone else. From what I have gathered, steps taken here play an instrumental role in Percy's overall goal of preventing our world's destruction. He previously asked Hephaestus to work on a device that will aid him in his goal. I am not aware of the specifics, but I am under the impression that he seeks to imprison Mother Earth."

Zeus stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Ambitious, but he has not been wrong with his plans thus far. Very well. I will ask Hecate and Iris for their assistance, but Poseidon may be more difficult to get on board."

"Tell him that Percy asked it of him, he will be sure to cooperate," Artemis said. "And if that does not work, I will have Percy speak to him personally."

Zeus nodded in acceptance. "Good. If that is all, you are dismissed."

Artemis nodded and flashed back to her cabin in Camp Olympus where her hunt was waiting for her return.

/

"Uh Perce, why are we landing in the middle of a forest?"

Percy smirked back at Annabeth from his place in the saddle. "My dear little Annabeth, it is not the middle of a forest, but rather the base of a mountain."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "It's still the base of a mountain in the middle of a forest, but fine. Why are we landing at the base of a mountain?"

"This," Percy gestured toward the mountain that they were setting down in front of as he hopped out of Blackjack's saddle, "Is Mount Marcy. Home of Hephaestus' New York forge."

"Oh." Annabeth's calculating gaze snapped from observing their surroundings back to focus on the mountain. "Where's the forge?"

"Uh… somewhere…" Percy ran his hands along the expanse of rough stone. "Here!"

Percy knocked on the surface of the rock three times, letting out a surprising hollow sound. After a few moments, the rock slid to the side to reveal the disfigured godly blacksmith.

"Perseus," Hephaestus greeted.

"Hephaestus," Percy nodded, "I got your note. It's finally done then?"

Hephaestus harrumphed. "Finally done? It was the hardest damned thing anyone has had to craft, ever."

Percy chuckled. "I knew you were up to the task. Well we've ought to get going now. We're actually on our way to pick up one of your children."

Hephaestus raised an eyebrow as he handed Percy a black, metal briefcase. "Oh?"

"Yeah," Percy said, "Leo Valdez."

"Ah, yes." Hephaestus smiled wistfully. "I remember his mother. Esperanza Valdez. Wonderful woman, she was."

"Right." Percy nodded, stowing the briefcase on Blackjack's saddle. "Well, thanks for your help, H-Man."

Annabeth, who was watching with wide eyes at the casual way that Percy chatted with Hephaestus, chose this moment to finally speak up. "Yes, we most humbly thank you for your assistance, Lord Hephaestus."

Hephaestus waved her off. "No need for that. Just go get my kid and we'll call it even."

Percy laughed as he helped Annabeth up onto Blackjack. "I know where I stand with you, Heph. I just gave you the best damned challenge of your life– we're already even."

Hephaestus snorted and rolled his eyes. "Whatever, kid. Get outta here."

"Still older than you, Heph!" Percy shouted back, cackling as he hopped up behind Annabeth and took off into the skies.

/

Two hours later, Percy, Annabeth, and Blackjack were descending once more, this time in the middle of another forest.

"Where are we now?" Annabeth groaned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she woke up from her nap, having dozed off on the way there.

"Nevada," Percy answered.

"And… Why are we in Nevada?"

"There's a demigod down there." Percy pointed off the side of Blackjack's saddle.

"There's a demigod in the middle of a forest?" Annabeth asked skeptically.

Percy just looked affronted. "Ye of little faith! There's a school here somewhere."

"What kind of school is in the middle of a forest?"

Percy grinned. "A wilderness school for juvenile delinquents."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Great. We're fetching a child criminal."

"First of all," Percy argued. "He's a troublemaker, not a criminal. Second of all, he's literally only one year younger than you."

Annabeth paused for a moment before coming to a realization. "Right. You're not fifteen anymore."

"Nope," Percy replied, popping the 'p'.

/

Percy and Annabeth walked side by side up to a short Latino boy with curly black hair, pointy ears, wild and energetic brown eyes, and a mischievous and impish grin, giving him the appearance of an elf that was way too jacked up on Red Bull.

"Leo Valdez?" Percy walked up to him. Gods damn the kid looked different than what he did in Percy's time before he faded.

They were met with a wide grin. "Otherwise known as Super-sized McShizzle, Bad Boy Supreme, or Commander Tool Belt, but yes, Leo Valdez, at your service."

"More like Commander Tool," Annabeth muttered under her breath.

Percy ignored her and matched Leo's grin, knowing how to deal with him from his future experience. "So, Leo, wanna go on an adventure?"

Leo pretended to think for a moment. "Well… it's only the beginning of the school year, maybe it's not a good idea to run off on adventures, especially with strangers… so why not? Count me in!"

Annabeth gaped at him incredulously. "That's it? You're not even going to ask where we're taking you?"

Leo shrugged. "I try not to think. It interferes with being nuts."

Percy grinned. "Attaboy. So, you ever heard about Greek gods?"

/

"So, uh, hey guy-named-Percy. I'm no pedestrian, but I'm pretty sure three people can't fit on a horse, even a magical flying one."

Annabeth stared at Leo blankly. "There are so many things wrong with what you just said that I don't even know where to start."

"I do!" Percy piped up. "First off, equestrian, not pedestrian. Second, pegasus, not flying magical horse." Percy frowned and turned to his blonde companion. "There wasn't that much wrong with what he said, Annabeth."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "The elf makes a point, though. How do we all get back to camp?"

Percy waved her off dismissively. "You guys take Blackjack, I'll be fine."

"How are–"

Percy's body abruptly disappeared in a sea breeze.

"Right."

Annabeth sighed and climbed onto Blackjack, getting ready to head back to camp, but not before giving Leo one final warning.

"Hands to yourself, Toolhead."

/

AN: I'm realizing now that Annabeth sighs and rolls her eyes alot in this chapter. I just find it totally in character for her to be constantly exasperated with Percy, even a version of him that has thousands of years of experience under his belt.