Whassup people, how we all doing? So, about the new story that I asked about a couple chapters ago, there seems to be a bit more support for the first option. I want to focus on this book more though, so I probably might only write 2 or 3 chapters for the new one before I get this one completed. Anyway, here's your newest chapter, enjoy!
Mika1303: The answers to all your questions will be revealed very soon... Yep, in the next chapter. Surely it can't be you favourite of all time! I just started!
BJack12: Thanks! Idk, I was kinda trying to show that she lost a bit of her control over her emotions when Phoebe died. Obviously didn't do it very well. Thanks for the input!
gkmythfan: Read on, it's like second paragraph or something lol
DKay37: Bingo! And, well, you'll see Nico very soon! And I've not told anybody what the Romans think yet... *Fades away mysteriously*
Erebus207: Indeed... indeed it was.
RiptideOmega7137: Oh HO! Did you find it, then?
Farvel!
As Percy walked at the head of the group alongside Artemis, he started to ponder his standings with her. She was more or less back in control of herself after what had happened to Phoebe, so she wouldn't be so eager to be around him, Percy thought. It was a pity, really. But then his mind went to something else that had been bothering him.
Soon, he dropped to the back, to talk to Alex. "Hey, man. Did you think there was anything weird with what Hestia and Arty told us? I feel something's off, but I can't figure out what..." He trailed off, getting slightly lost in his thoughts again. What could it have been?
Alex nodded. "I know what you're talking about. I was thinking about it a few minutes earlier, and it's just come to me." He said, fondling Sadie's head thoughtfully and looking off into the distance as they walked.
Percy looked at him hopefully. See, he thought, this was why his brother was the brains of the operation. Percy's battle instincts and decision making under pressure were all honed to an art due to experience, but he knew he would never be able to reason and plan as accurately as his little brother.
"It's not what they said, but more what they didn't say." Alex said, looking at Percy again. "They told us that the gods are lifting our banishment for the war, and our services are required for it, but what they didn't say was... What happens to us after?" He finished, his brows contracting in worry.
"They could banish us again, maybe even sentence us to death since they failed the first time, I guess." Percy said, his mood suddenly dampened as Alex explained his reasoning. The boys walked ahead in a sombre silence for the rest of the way, the hunters in front looking back sometimes worriedly. The boys were never in such dark moods, what was wrong?
Soon, they reached Camp Half-Blood. They were going to meet all the campers there, and then some of the gods present would flash them across to near Camp Jupiter.
Percy and Alex hesitated at the camp borders. What if the banishment hadn't been lifted yet? Would they get fried or something?
Grace walked up behind them and pushed them both forwards. Not expecting it, they both lurched forwards, and winced in anticipation, squeezing their eyes shut.
Then they opened their eyes cautiously, and breathed out a sigh of relief. Artemis, walking by them, shook her head.
"Idiots. What, you thought Zeus forgot?"
"Well, he certainly forgot when I asked him to free Calypso, didn't he?" Percy replied sassily. The hunters giggled, and Artemis couldn't help a small smile.
Thunder boomed and lightning hit the canoe lake. "Oops, guess he heard me," Percy chuckled. Then he saw all of the campers headed their way. "Alex!" He hissed.
The boys both flipped their hoods up so quickly even Artemis' eyes struggled to keep up. The hunters who had looked at the boys in confusion when Percy had spoken so urgently nodded in understanding and turned away, mentally reminding themselves not to call the boys by their real names.
Soon the campers stood in front of the hunters, the male ones steadfastly looking at anything that wasn't female, lest they lose some vital parts.
Percy could've sworn he heard someone murmur, "Wow, that's a dam nice tree," then curse when they realised most tree nymphs were female.
Alex had evidently heard as well, because he snickered, and soon the two were almost dying as they tried to contain their laughter. They could only stop when Celyn waved a scalpel at them threateningly. Why the Hades did she even have that?
Suddenly a camper noticed them in the back. "Look! I told you! Remember those dark figures with beasts I told you showed up a few weeks ago, when the hunters were here? That's them, right there!" She yelled triumphantly, turning to look at her twin and her best friend.
The demigods in question, namely Zeke Dean and Annabeth Chase, nodded, their eyes narrowed. "Who are they, Thalia?" Annabeth asked.
Thalia hesitated, then shook her head. Annabeth would find out soon enough anyway. "They're just our guardians."
"WHAT? But... But they're guys! That's not fair! They're probably at it like bunnies with you hunte-" Zeke yelled, but was cut off by all of the hunters raising their bows and firing at him. In unison as well, so there was no way he could dodge. His eyes widened as he saw all the arrows speeding on their way to cut his life short.
Only for him to gasp in relief as the taller figure in the hood stretched out a hand and all of the arrows stopped dead in the air, right in front of him.
And then cry out in pain as the other one stretched out his hand, and ice appeared out of nowhere, impaling him through both of his shoulders at an upwards angle. He ended up about five feet behind his friends, and about ten feet above them, suspended by the ice connecting his shoulders to the ground.
"Now now, hunters..."
"Let us do it. It is part of our job, after all."
The two boys said this calmly and with a malicious tone of voice. The only parts of their faces that the campers could see was their mouths, and said features were set in intimidating smirks.
Percy had stopped the arrows with the water vapour in the air. He'd been unable to do it when the hunters tried to put him six feet under, or rather however far down the Underworld was, so he'd trained at it until he got it perfectly.
Alex had immediately rendered the son of Zeus powerless to escape, by turning the water vapour Percy had used into ice. Zeke could be able to fly, Alex thought, they didn't know yet, but he'd be in too much pain to concentrate.
Alex melted the ice, letting Zeke fall to the ground. Immediately afterwards, Percy used the water that was now in the wounds to heal them quickly.
Percy and Alex both knew what the other was doing, and Artemis figured it out in a couple of seconds, but to everyone else, it looked like both boys had simultaneously waved their hands and suddenly Zeke was on the ground again, perfectly fine.
Zeke stood up, his eyes dark with rage. Everyone else looked on, as the son of Zeus, one of their camp leaders, rigid and furious, faced off against these two strangers, who weren't even facing towards him, but talking in low voices to one another.
The hunters looked away, pretending to be bored, but they were hiding grins. This wasn't even anywhere near a fair fight.
Not feeling any pain anymore, he raised himself up a few feet on the wind. Like Jason and Thalia, he had more of an affinity for the wind powers he got from his father, while his sister was more the lightning person.
"How dare you! I'll kill y-" He was cut off by Alex mist travelling towards him and smacking him high into the air with his trident. As the boys had been talking, they had made a plan.
Just as Zeke managed to stabilise himself in the air again, Percy appeared next to him as if by magic. In reality, the son of Poseidon had just jumped as soon as Alex had mist travelled forwards, and used the vapour under him to boost himself upwards.
So by the time Zeke reached his peak, Percy was already there. Percy didn't bother with his trident, knowing that anyone who would recognise his sword was too far down to see. He smacked the demigod's head with the flat of Riptide's blade, sending the son of Zeus spinning back down to the ground at a very high speed.
He then vapour travelled from midair to beside Alex, and the struck a truly epic pose as Zeke hit the ground in front of them. They let him lie in pain for a bit, and then healed him. As he slowly got up, Alex looked up at the rest of the campers.
"Anyone else got any remarks or objections?" He said, a dangerous tone in his voice. Everyone quickly shook their heads, looking frightened at the sight of the humiliated son of Zeus.
The hunters grinned, and so did four of the campers that Alex realised he recognised. The four were standing off to one side, a little gap between them and everyone else, and with them was a boy Alex didn't recognise. Maybe he'd been away during the few weeks Alex had been there?
The boy wore all black, with a sword made out of a metal that Alex didn't recognise either. It was pure black, but emitted a faint dark purple glow.
"It's Stygian Iron," Percy muttered in his ear. "Don't worry, that guy's a friend. Remember I told you about Nico Di Angelo? Him." Percy said, looking around as everyone started to disperse, talking animatedly about the beatdown they'd just witnessed.
Percy strode over to the group. "Di Angelo. I assume that you will be carrying these four by shadow travel, yes? Can you transport them to a place a little ways off from the camp?" He said, deepening his voice so they didn't recognise it. Alex grinned. They'd be in for the surprise of their life.
"Why should we do that? As a matter of fact, why should we trust you?" Nico said, putting a hand on the pommel of his sword. Percy just stared straight at him. For once, instead of being the one making others uncomfortable, Nico was becoming disconcerted as he stared into the shadow of Percy's Ezio style hood, trying to find eyes but seeing none. Darkness was usually soothing to him, as well. Maybe the hoods were enchanted?
Nico turned back to his friends. "Sure, whatever I guess. I assume you want to speak to us about something?" He asked, looking over his shoulder.
But the hooded figures were already gone.
Nico scratched his head in confusion. He knew they weren't sons of Hades, so they couldn't shadow travel. Could they teleport or something?
Just then, Mr. D stood up and stretched. "Alright," he said, rolling his eyes, "time to get you brats to the other camp."
The two gods present, Dionysus and Artemis, started sending demigods in groups of two to the Roman camp. Naturally, Artemis only did girls, not allowing any of the boys to even touch her.
Nico whistled, and Mrs O'Leary suddenly burst out of the forest and skidded to a stop in front of him. The five boys got on, and Nico whispered instructions in the hellhound's ear. She turned, and ran back at the forest. As soon as the canine reached the shadows that the first bank of trees cast, she melted into them.
They came out about half a mile from Camp Jupiter, in a little copse of birch trees. Connor Stoll got off and shivered. "I hate doing that. And of course she's asleep, honestly." He said grinning and ruffling the passed out hellhound's fur.
"What did you expect, she's just done half of America in one go!" Jake snickered, tinkering with a little watch that he'd made for his little sister at home. If he could get it to work, it would transform into a little bronze doll for her to play with.
Nico leaned against Mrs O'Leary. "I guess we just wait for them, then?" He said, exasperated. "Who asks us to do this and then comes lat-"
"Already here." Said a voice right behind him. He yelled and jumped in surprise, as did Travis and Pollux.
"Finally. So what did you want to talk to us about, guardians?" Nico asked, quickly regaining his composure. But then, said composure was lost yet again when something incredible happened.
Mrs O'Leary's eyes snapped open. Nico's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She never woke up this soon after a shadow travel so long! Then, surprising him even more, she leapt up and jumped on the taller guardian, pinning to the ground and licking at his face.
"Okay, okay! Off girl! C'mon, you ruined my big reveal!" The boy shouted, futilely attempting to shove the hellhound off. Given that she was larger than a tank, he wouldn't be winning that battle any time soon. Suddenly, Mrs O'Leary got off and went to nuzzle the black pegasus standing next to the younger guardian.
Wait, black pegasus? Blackjack had gone missing a few weeks ago... And the only reason these guys could have gotten him to follow them willingly was if they were people he knew. Couple that with the fact that the older one was so familiar with Mrs O'Leary, then...
He could see his friends coming to a similar conclusion in their minds, and they all turned to the first guardian. Seems they didn't need to waste that brainpower, because said boy had gotten his hood licked clean off and was just sitting up. Five voices shouted on unison.
"PERCY?!"
