Do nothing secretly; for Time sees and hears things, and discloses all.
Sophocles
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Lightning Thief
XVII
Luke IV
An hour before Annabeth and Co. visited the Arena of Ares and then the Throne Room to meet their parents
Luke stood still, invisible, and waited patiently. Like all master thieves, he waited for the golden opportunity to strike. The tasteless gray potion that he had drunk had rendered him completely invisible. Even the sounds he made were muffled considerably. A step was just as loud as a pin that fell on the floor.
Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades discussed their plans regarding the first quarter of 2006, as if it was a CEO meeting. Hades complained about the understaffed and overpopulated underworld. Poseidon issued complaints about how the pesky humans spew garbage in his oceans and seas. Zeus was unhappy about the constant pumping of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.
Luke stood still, listening to their conversations. Not a single concern about half-bloods, not a single word about their wasted lives in Camp Half-Blood, waiting to be claimed. Instead, he heard Hermes complaining about long shipping times because of constant bad weather to his father was more important to Hermes than his son Sean that had been killed by a manticore two weeks ago when going ice-skating with his mother in Upstate New York.
After a while, Athena and Artemis requested to take the floor, and Zeus permitted them. They stood up together.
"We have noticed a great deal of increase of monster activity in the overworld," Artemis began, "especially at the eastern coast of the United States." She snapped her fingers, and suddenly, lots of mist and moisture in the room condensed into one spot, in front of Athena and Artemis. Then it spun like a vortex before shifting into the size of an ellipsoid, and it took detail, and suddenly a miniature version of the Earth, suspended in the air, appeared. The side containing the North and South Americas faced the elderly three, and Artemis drew a grand green circle marking the top states at New England.
"Monsters are avoiding colder environments though, a group of my hunters stationed at Vermont and Maine stated that they practically saw no monsters," she indicated to the green circle, "these areas are practically safe. Instead," now she drew a giant red circle from New York all the way down to Florida, and from Florida all the way to Arizona. "They are more interested in New York, presumably to hunt demigods, but for some reason, they are also interested in Florida, Arizona, and Georgia, and really any state in between."
"Hmph," Hades frowned, "monsters like warm temperatures, Artemis, and during the summer those are usually the warmest states." He pointed out.
"Yes, uncle," Athena agreed, "however there is more into it. It is as if something is holding them back and organizing them into legions of monsters. They are forming groups together, but not to hunt demigods or anything else. Instead, they just stay low and stick together, as if waiting for something. Only the monsters in New York and California hunt down demigods. Camp Jupiter has recently been attacked by a couple of groups, in fact."
Luke frowned. What the Hades was Camp Jupiter? And why did Athena's tone sounded disliking when she said it?
"Also, some of my hunters tried to engage with them down at Georgia near Savannah; however, the monsters just ran away instead of engaging recklessly. Meanwhile, they recklessly attacked a group near Rochester. It is unusual and inconsistent behavior, uncle." Artemis marked the areas in circles.
"These areas are turning into monster strongholds. Someone is clearly organizing them." Athena stated.
"And who do you think is this someone, my daughters?" Zeus said, scratching his beard. He seemed confused.
"We don't know," Artemis shrugged, "maybe it is Echidna planning something, maybe the monsters are starting to organize by themselves, but they have never fielded such intelligence to do so. Maybe it's just nothing. But, father, if they keep gaining strength, they could turn into a big headache in a couple of years."
Poseidon nodded. "Sea monsters have also stopped terrorizing the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, Triton told me. It isn't only on the dirt, brother. Whoever it is, it is also organizing them in the sea. They have formed enclaves near the Bering Strait near Alaska, presumably as it is a safe haven for them from my wrath. Some are organizing and hiding underneath sheets of ice near Greenland. However, they are not interested at all in any other seas or oceans. They also avoid my mersoldier patrols and do not even engage in terrorizing ships or my transports. Even the sea of monsters has calmed down."
"It is as if it is the calm before the storm, father. Poseidon, " Athena said, dislike clearly present in her voice, "if you may, mark for us at the map where those sea monster enclaves have popped up. Father, uncle, if you may, we would like for you to take a closer look at the map."
The big three stood up, and Poseidon began to mark Alaska and Greenland's outskirts, while Zeus and Hades frowned at the significant red marks all over the East Coast while observing the large mist-globe.
Luke knew this was the moment. He quickly, but carefully, walked toward Zeus' throne. His heart was at his throat, it was thumping so hard had the room been utterly quiet, the Olympians probably would have heard his heart regardless of the potion. He looked at the Master Bolt. It was a two-foot-long cylinder that crackled with energy, a massive bolt sign engraved right on the middle in a bright yellow color. The high-grade celestial bronze hissed with energy as if it had been made just yesterday. It had two round purple sides that were burnt with use but still adamant. Luke snatched the Bolt, his heart thrummed as he quickly stashed it in his bag.
Zeus seemed to not have taken attention, nor did some ancient alarms go off in the Throne Room. Luke quietly tip-toed around the big throne to reach Hades' stone throne. The Helm of Darkness, a gladiator helmet also made out of the same high-grade celestial bronze that had depictions of death and destruction. As he stared at the helmet, an unintended consequence of his thievery, his fears began to fold in strength ten times over and over, and if Luke didn't snatch that thing soon, he was sure he was going to go mad with terror. His hands shook so hard when he finally did manage to grab it, had it had not been for his iron-clad nerves, he probably would have dropped the darn thing.
He put the Helm of Darkness near the Master Bolt, and shut the bag. The terror radius seemed to have been contained, and his heart calmed down. He slouched the bag over his shoulder, and just as quietly as he had arrived, he left the throne room. He began to jog, then run, quickly, towards the Temple of Hermes, where he hoped the realm door was there, because otherwise he was going to be on Olympus for a while, and it wouldn't be long before the alarms went off when either Zeus or Hades would notice their grand weapon was missing.
As he passed by the Temple of Athena, he saw his co-counselors there, staring at something inside. Annabeth was there too, explaining to the others something. The sight of her made him frown. She was the last remaining part of their family. He didn't want to lose her, just like he had Thalia.
He was going to have Annabeth with him in his righteous war against the Olympians. He would make sure of it. He continued jogging down the pavement, and suddenly, the potion's effects expired, and Luke was rendered visible just as he reached the temple.
The temple was simple and small, it had five pillars supporting the dome and really wasn't unique at all. Typical, Luke thought, his father never bothered to be different.
What should have been an open entrance to his temple, there was a mysterious purplish-black obsidian door. It seemed withered, and Luke wondered if he opened the door, would the thing would fall from its hinges? Its texture reminded him of the obsidian knife he had seen in his... dream, or, well, he did not know.
He approached the door. He remembered the instructions laid to him, knock seven times, and he would be brought to them to deliver the Bolt and the Helm of Darkness.
He knocked once.
Luke thought about it. He had already crossed the Rubicon. There was no returning from this now.
Twice.
He was going to make them pay. For all the pain and suffering that they caused.
Three times.
He once again felt angry, and his cheeks flushed over the memory of Hermes, slouched in his throne and not caring for a thing in the world. How many demigods would die in the streets for nothing today while they cared for nothing in the world? He felt angry about his mother, the fact she was cursed for no reason of her own…
He thought of haunted green glowing eyes as he raised the knock again.
Four times.
He was going to make sure Annabeth was alongside him in his goal to make the Olympians pay. For Athena to pay. For Hades to pay. For Zeus to pay.
For Hermes to pay.
Five times.
He thought about his recruitment. He was now a servant of Kronos, and the old order. For Luke, though, it was all about revenge.
Six times.
It was always about revenge.
He didn't even hesitate on the seventh knock, as the entity had thought him to knock seven times. As the knock handle hit the door, he suddenly felt sick, and his vision blurred.
The last thing he felt was as if his body falling through the Earth, and something grabbing him, and the sound of an angelic woman's high-pitched voice singing.
XVIII
Luke V
"Rise," a deep holy voice boomed, and Luke felt his body shake at the sheer raw power emanating from whatever was speaking. Had the voice been any more robust, it would've been a gods-damned shock wave, he thought.
"Son of Hermes, Servus Luke Castellan." It acknowledged his presence. It spoke in a holy tone, emphasizing each word slowly but loudly.
Just as the voice said rise , Luke, who had been crouching with his head bowed down, rose up as the room suddenly became visible when seven standing black medieval torches put in a circle around the platform he was standing on brightened as he rose. The yellow flames lit up the stone-walled cylindrical room. Luke found himself standing right in the middle of a golden circle, which was outlined by white marble with an architectural depiction of seven golden snakes coming out of it in a circle. Each one was highly detailed, their mouths open and their tongues curved, their fangs sharp. They looked angry as if they were ready to bite. Whoever had built this masterpiece was highly skilled. It reminded him of Annabeth, the way she would sketch designs and show them to him proudly. There were seven red banners hung, each one behind the torches flanking the golden and marble circle. They, too, had a depiction of seven golden snakes.
Underneath the golden circle and marble platform, a glowing red carpet with golden lines with ancient markings embedded was on the floor. A figure was standing in front of him. Was it the very same entity that had been standing behind him when he had dreamed of the seashore? He did not know, but the change in tone and the words he used made him think it was not. However, the one standing in front of him and the one he met at that shore dream was dressed exactly the same way, the same height, and even had the same voice.
"Sir," Luke bowed in respect and total submission, and while Luke saw no face, he felt as if the entity was pleased with his address.
"Have you done your deed, Servus?" It inquired. Luke shivered at the voice that he felt was penetrating his body with pure energy. There was the whistle of a strong wind outside, heavy rain pouring as lightning crackled from time to time. Luke wondered where they were. They were obviously no longer at Olympus. Were they even on the overworld? On the realm of Earth?
He took off his backpack. "Yes, my lord," and raised it towards the one standing in front of him. The entity made no attempt to grab what he was asked to steal and deliver. Luke's face contorted in confusion.
It raised its chin high. "Keep it, Servus. For it is not needed now. You will take this backpack with you, for it is not for you or me."
"But, sir, I can't keep it hidden—" Luke tried to protest, but the entity interrupted him.
Luke could swear he saw something flash in the empty eye sockets. "Do as you are told, Servus. In time, you will know why. " The word Servus echoed in his mind. It was as if the entity grabbed the sound and rattled it from one ear to the other in his mind, in his skull. It was like a ball frantically jumping around inside a sealed box being shaken, and Luke instantly regretted voicing his dissent. Servus, Servus… Serve us.
The entity untangled its hands, and a staff appeared in the entity's hand. It had a golden snake head at its top and a shiny red ruby between the head and the grayish wooden pole. The staff looked ancient, the wooden handle seemed withered, and even soft cracks could be seen as if eons of use and tear had worn it down. The red ruby shined as if a light was passing through it, and the golden snake seemed to stare at his soul piercingly. He shivered.
"One more thing, Son of Hermes," It hit the floor with the staff once, as if to grab his full attention, the crackling sound echoed in the room. The snakehead seemed to play tricks on his mind, emanating some kind of magic that made Luke felt compelled to keep looking at it.
"There is someone whom you have met recently. You will meet him again soon. When you do, you will be his friend, his guide. You will be his mentor, and you will take him within your protection. And in the scarce time that he will have in your camp, you will make sure he is ready for his great trial ."
Luke was confused again. Just as he opened his mouth to ask to train who, for what, or what that great trial was, the staff hit the floor again. Luke's eyelids instantly closed without his consent. He felt like he was slipping through the floor again, and his legs felt like noodles as he started to collapse, but then he felt like he was in a void, no longer falling but floating. It felt weird, his skin felt like ants were crawling all over them, and suddenly the chilly environment he was in disappeared, and warmth spread through his skin as natural sunlight hit him.
When he opened his eyes, he stood right in front of the temple, but the magic door had disappeared.
He had been returned back to Olympus, right in front of where he had been taken from. He looked around, and there was nobody around. No one had seen him.
"You," a distant but very clear cold voice in his mind echoed. "Luke Castellan… will be the one to raze Olympus. And, great-grandson, you will be the one to lead my rise…" Deep laughter followed. The voice felt like it was coming from a pit.
Luke smiled.
It was the first time he ever heard Kronos' voice, and it would be far from the last time he would so.
He walked down the road to return to the Temple of Athena where he had last seen his friends. But as he turned around a corner, he came face to face with someone.
"Asshole." Was all he heard before he was stricken to the floor, the bag flying off his shoulder.
Luke looked up.
Ah, shit.
Ares was standing on top of him, his eyes burning with anger, literal flames were about to come out of his eyes, his spear was pointed directly to Luke's forehead. He didn't know what felt more lethal, the look or the spear.
He gulped.
XIX
Luke VI
"Lord Ares, I do not know—" Luke tried to lie, but Ares glared at him.
"Shut your pie hole. Stealing the Bolt, hm? The fuck are you going to do with it? Blast daddy away because you have daddy issues? No. What instead is going to happen is, demigod, is that I'm gonna take you back to the throne room and fucking burn you alive." Luke's face contorted in anger at the words daddy issues and grunted his teeth as Ares said it with extra vigor.
Ares kept the spear pointed at him as he snatched the bag and looked inside. That's when he saw that there wasn't one but two items in it.
"You little shit—" he growled when he saw the Helm of Darkness aside the Master Bolt, and just as he was about to obliterate Luke, that's when time seemed to freeze. Luke felt the chilly sensation as seconds suddenly stretched to minutes, and the environment around him started to get a green haze. The light around them dimmed as if a lunar eclipse was happening. The temperature seemed to drop harshly, fluctuating around him as hot and now cold air clashed. The hair in the back of his head rose, and he felt goosebumps appeared on his arms. Ares seemed to have completely frozen, his face stuck in an expression of scorn as if Luke had just insulted his mother. The spot Ares was standing in seemed as if that part of space-time had been utterly stopped, and the closer you got, the slower time was. Like a black hole.
Luke heard whispers, and oily shadows appeared around Ares, each one whispering something Luke couldn't understand. In what may have been a couple of seconds for Luke ( which felt like minutes. He didn't know how to explain it really, he wasn't a time-bending expert,) the creeping sensation and haze disappeared just as quickly as it had come.
Ares rose up from his attacking stance, the spear pointed down to the grass as he held the bag. Whatever had whispered into his mind seemed to have saved Luke from total annihilation.
"You, demigod," he rose the spear again, and Luke started to read his final prayer but stopped when Ares only used it to indicate him, not impale him, "You are playing a high stakes game. Total war between the gods? Blood, gore, and chaos, you say? Well, well… you better be happy that I was the one to notice you're little fucked up thievery. Because dad and uncle haven't noticed so far, they are so occupied with their squirrels. I'll let you go, but I'll keep this." He shook the bag, but that wasn't what Luke was confused at.
Ares said, "you say?" which confused Luke, as he had not uttered anything while he was sprawled on the grass.
"For this instance… Servus," a distant but clear voice whispered directly into his ear venomously, and he felt an oily presence around him too. The same presence that had just been around Ares. " Now you understand… Return to your friends at the Arena belonging to the one who just confronted you, and do not forget your actual orders, for you have finished this deed… We will be watching."
Ares seemed to have not noticed or cared for this sudden voice in Luke's head and simply muttered for him to get lost as he turned around and marched down the street, gripping the bag with a solid grip.
Luke got up and shook off the dirt from his pants and began to walk towards Ares' Arena, a frown embedded on his face. While he had masterfully stolen the Master Bolt and Helm of Darkness, he had lost them like a fool… And yet, they had considered this a success. Why?
He did not know, but nevertheless, he walked towards the arena.