11 June 2007
Percy was running along a beach when he came across one of the most bizarre things he'd ever seen in his life. Two men, who looked like professional wrestlers with how muscular and oily they were, were fighting on the beach. The fight itself wasn't strange. No, the strange thing was that every time someone connected with a punch or a throw, lightning flashed and the ground shook, and the wind picked up. Percy felt the urge to break them up because all around him, things were suffering because of their fight. Cars were crashing, the beach had begun to flood, and all along the buildings, Percy could see huge cracks being formed from how much the ground was shaking. However, no matter how hard Percy ran, he couldn't get anywhere. Then, a deep evil laugh began to come from a crack in the ground. Suddenly, Percy was yanked off his feet with an invisible force pulling on his ankle. He couldn't stop the power from pulling him, and the laughter grew louder and more manic as he got closer to the golden glowing crack in the ground.
Percy woke up covered in a cold sweat and immediately hit his head on the top bunk. He swore and rubbed his head as he got up to address the asshole banging on his door.
"What!" Percy yelled. Mark Mydan was standing at his door with a broom and other assorted cleaning supplies. He wore a cheeky grin with his fist still hanging in the air for another knock. Mark then proceeded to knock loudly. Three. More. Times.
"No one will ever find your body," Percy growled.
"Well. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the clam this morning," Mark said.
"Fuck you," Percy said, walking away from the door. Mark stepped inside. "Why are you here at," Percy looked at his alarm clock. "Seven o'clock in the morning?"
"Well, we've got a war council scheduled for right after breakfast. So, I figured if I was gonna honor our bet, then I was going to do it in the most annoying way possible." Mark gave Percy an overly cheerful smile.
"Again. Fuck you."
"You love me."
"Who told you that? Whoever it was, they lied to you."
"It's in the eyes." Mark waggled his eyebrows, and Percy laughed.
"Whatever. Sorry about the grouchy, though. I had a shitty dream." Mark's face was quickly all business.
"Do you think it was prophetic?"
"Of a sort," Percy said as he changed his shirt. He put on some jeans, his beaded necklace and started looking around for his socks.
"Well? What was it about?" Percy recounted his dream, and when he finished, Mark's expression was grim.
"You have to tell the council."
"Yeah. You're probably right," Percy muttered. Mark clapped him on the shoulder.
"In the meantime, get the fuck out so I can clean this disgusting pigsty." Percy grinned at the levity.
"Aren't you Ares' kid? Pretty sure your cabin invented pigsties."
"Yes, and as Ares' son, you should remember that I can turn anything into a weapon. Oh, look! I seem to be holding a broom." Mark grinned with faux-menace. Percy laughed.
"It's too early for your shit. I'm going to go wake, Jason. See you in a bit, bud."
"Later, Percy."
Despite the early hour, the sun was well on its way to being high in the sky. Camp Halfblood has been his home for the past 7 years, but Percy never got tired of the rolling strawberry fields, the imposing north woods, and, of course, the beach. He would always feel the pull of the ocean. Not only because of his father but also because of the few memories he had of trips to Montauk with his mom, Mama Berry, and Jason. As Percy made his way to Zeus' cabin, he was struck by how grim some of the early risers seemed to be. There were a handful of Ares campers that were grappling and sharpening weapons. Some of Athena's children were also practicing hand-to-hand combat under the watchful eye of some senior members. Apollo's kids seemed to be going through some kind of exercise regimen that involved a lot of running and jumping. Gone were the days where kids could just be kids at camp, stolen by whoever had taken Zeus' master bolt six months ago. Even the Stoll brothers had mostly calmed down. Although, they still pranked Clarisse and Katie Gardner regularly. The ensuing arguments were probably the closest the camp had to comedic relief. The day those two turned completely serious is the day that Percy would really start to worry about the state of things.
When Percy got to Zeus' cabin, he quickly realized that Jason would not wake up the conventional way. So, he made his way over to the window that Jason kept open because he 'loved to see the clouds first thing in the morning,' the nerd.
"Hey Jason," Percy called. "Wake up! We gotta go get some training in before breakfast." Jason did an odd maneuver that ended with his butt half off the bed and facing the window. Percy rolled his eyes. Jason had been doing this since he was seven.
"Today ain't the day for this Jase. Come on."
"Dnn wanna," Jason groaned from under the covers.
"Jason! Get. Up. Now."
"Go 'way!" Jason pulled his bedsheet higher over his head.
"I'm not going to ask you again. Jason Grace. Get your ass out of that bed now." Jason didn't respond, and Percy decided enough was enough. He held his hand out in front of him as if to catch something and scrunched his face up in concentration. One minute later, he had a glob of water the size of a volleyball suspended in his hand. He slowly floated the blob over to Jason's head and dropped it on his head. Jason sat up, spluttering.
"You jerk!" Jason yelled.
"Oh good. You're up," Percy said. "Meet me down at the beach in twenty minutes. If I have to come back, I'm bringing more water." Jason grumbled, but he got out of bed.
Thirty minutes later, Percy was standing in the surf on the beach. He took a deep breath in and out as he pushed and pulled on the tide with his mind.
"So, what are we working on at this unholy hour."
"Sheesh, you're such a baby sometimes, Jase," Percy said.
"Whatever. What are we doing? I didn't get out of bed to wing it like last time." Jason said.
"You're right. You got out of bed because I told you to. And I thought we'd do speed storms until breakfast."
"Fuck. It's a little early for that, isn't it?"
"Nope," Percy said brightly. "Speed storms. Although we're staying on the beach this time. I'm not trying to exhaust us. Just enough to work up a healthy appetite. Now get your ass over here so we can get started."
Jason walked over, and they both shifted their feet shoulder length apart in a relaxed power stance. They closed their eyes, and after a minute, the skies above Camp Half-Blood were dark. A minute later and the winds were whipping around the two demigods at fierce speeds. Finally, at the three-minute mark, a lightning bolt struck the ground, and the boys released their hold on the elements.
"It's still way too slow," Percy said, massaging his temples.
"How fast is it supposed to be?" Jason asked.
"I was thinking 30 seconds from clear sky to lightning."
"What! Dude, that's crazy! We've never been that fast before. It took us two years, just two years just to get to five minutes, and we seem to have hit a wall at three." Percy rolled his eyes and wiped his sweaty palms on his orange t-shirt.
"Jason. We were eight by the time we even figured out how to do it. So, I still say that five was a great starting point, but it's been years. Things are getting worse by the day. So, we can't afford to slack off."
"Where is this coming from? You've never been this obsessive before. In fact, It's usually me trying to push what we can do. Look, I know that last mission was tough, but—"
"I nearly lost Kala!" Percy snapped. Jason felt a tremor in the ground and realized how severe Percy was.
"You don't understand, Jason," Percy said. He took a deep breath before continuing. "The monsters are coordinating ambushes specifically set for me. Everyone around me is just collateral damage."
"Well…do you like her or something?" Jason asked. Percy scoffed.
"No. She chews with her mouth open." Jason laughed but quickly stopped when Percy didn't join him.
"So, what's the issue," Jason asked more gently. "Percy? Come on, man. We're brothers. You can tell me anything."
"She almost died, and there would've been nothing I could do to stop it." Jason sat down as he processed what Percy said. Percy picked up a rock and sent it skipping on the ocean with a casual flick of his wrist.
"You can't stop them all, Percy," Jason finally said.
"Well, I can damn well stop the ones right in front of me!"
"No. Not even then," Jason said, pulling his knees to his chest. Percy felt his heart leap into his throat at the implication.
"Shit. Sorry."
"Whatever. Just… remember that we can have lives too, Percy," Jason said.
"Look at you acting all grown up," Percy said with a grin.
"Well, you were too busy crying like a prepubescent girl. Someone has to be the adult around here."
"Jason, you're twelve. There is literally not an adult bone in your body."
"Shut up. Hey, I've got a way we can improve our time on the storm," Jason said with a waggle of his eyebrows. His wide grin ultimately gave away what he was thinking, and Percy rolled his eyes.
"For the last. Damn. Time. We are not naming our moves like they do in those dumbass, overdramatic comics you read."
"First off, rude, they are called manga, from the wonderful land of the rising sun. Second, come ooooon. We've been through this! If we give it a cool ass name, our minds will be able to focus the technique better and and and then we could like totally do it faster!" Jason was literally hopping up and down as he explained his reasoning.
"Stop jumping up and down. You look ridiculous," Percy said.
"Nuh-uh," Jason replied. "Too excited. Gotta let me name our techniques."
"No, and if you don't stop, then I will hurt you." Jason then began to use his powers to hop higher in the air. "Fine! Don't say I didn't warn you!"
Before Jason could react, Percy tackled him out of the air, and the two boys began wrestling on the ground. They rolled and grappled in the sand for a few minutes before Percy got the upper hand. He then started cramming fistfuls of sand and tiny shells into Jason's hair.
"Damnit, Percy! Not the hair!" Jason shrieked.
"Look, you're just too blonde. I'm really doing you a favor. No, give up already. It's time for breakfast."
"Never!" He kicked and twisted, but Percy didn't move.
"Fine. Have it your way. Wet willie, bitch."
"No, wait! I give up! I surrender! Uncle!"
"Too late for that. You had your chance. But since I'm feeling generous, I'll do it to one ear instead of two." With that declaration, Percy gave Jason the wet willie of all wet willies.
"I hate you," Jason said as they got up.
"Maybe next time, you'll give up when I tell you to. Go get cleaned up. I'll see you at the war council at nine, alright?"
"Sure thing. Say hello to Annabeth for me." Jason said. Percy flipped him the bird, and Jason cackled in response. Jason then took a running leap and flew back to his cabin.
An hour later, after breakfast and cabin inspection, Percy walked up to the big house. Before walking in, he looked to his right and took in the broad valley. The green in the grass was bright and vibrant. It did nothing to betray the horrors that it had seen over the years as demigods had been chased to camp. Percy's jaw clenched, and he walked into the Big House.
"Hey, guys. Am I the last one here?"
"Typical, Jackson," Mark said from his Ares seat. He idly twirled a knife between his fingers. "He hounds everyone else to get here on time and then is the last to show up."
"Could you please take your feet off the table," Katie Gardner snapped from across the table? Mark winked at her but took his feet down.
"Mark informs us that you have something important you wish to tell us, Percy," Chiron questions from his wheelchair form in the corner. Percy never understood why he bothered with the illusion while at camp but didn't question it.
"Yes, please tell us about the bad dream that made you wet the bed last night, Pierre. We've been shaking with excitement all morning." Mr. D's deadpan was as irritating as ever, but Percy had long since learned to ignore it.
"Yeah," Percy said, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I had a dream about Zeus and Poseidon fighting, and there was something…else. Something… evil."
"Well," Chiron began. "Let's get started then, shall we?"
A/N: Hey guys! Lots of character building and relationship building in this chapter. Don't worry, things are going to start to pick up in the next chapter. In regards to a PM I got about my update schedule, the entire story has been planned out start to finish. So, it's honestly just a matter of writing it. So the date I put next to a story on my profile is a deadline, meaning you'll see an update for that story on or before that date. Anyway, review, favorite, and follow. It's the only way the story can get better or how I know people are enjoying it. It won't affect me writing the story or updating on time. It's just nice to know where I stand. Cheers! Happy Reading!