Disclaimer: I do not own the series. The awesome series belongs to Uncle Rick Riordan.
Timeline Tip: Percy disappears 2 years after the Titan War with Kronos.
CHAPTER 1 – The Gods Send Us to Greek Summer Camp
Percy's POV
Everything was fine.
For once, it feels like I've been finally given a break which is saying something with my track record of being a Demigod.
So yeah, everything was fine.
or at least it WAS…
before the gods decided make an announcement.
1 week ago…
Everything was going smoothly. It's been exactly 8 months since the war with royal dirt face and we were back at Camp Jupiter. The legion defeated the other half of Gaea's army in Rome while the campers of Camp Half-Blood fought in Greece. It was one hell of a fight and the destruction left in its wake was horrible enough to haunt those who fought in it.
My heart suddenly clenched at the thought of camp…
It's been so long since I've been there and we hadn't gotten any news from the campers aside from a huge package 6 months ago, containing: ambrosia, nectar, and a letter. The letter was filled with both thanks and condolences for both sides yet it didn't give away any real update. It was like a temporary truce was made for the war and now that it's over, the truce was cut. The romans didn't admit it but I think they were just as worried as I am.
My heart felt heavier when I thought about the campers we lost from the Titan war and the ones we probably inevitably lost in the second war. I couldn't help but wonder how many had passed this time… especially who they were.
Tears pricked my eyes as the thought of my friends being one of them came to mind. Rachel… Thalia… Nico…
Annabeth…
I shook my head and sighed as I sat at the Praetor table waiting for Reyna to come.
I looked around at the Romans.
Some were still recovering from injuries, and I knew some were still in the infirmary but right now they looked relaxed. Well, as "relax-looking" as Romans can be.
Camp itself was also back to normal, it took long to repair the damage when the giants broke through the camp borders and it took longer to fix up the health of the legion after the battle itself. After all, monsters still kept popping up, and with the borders destroyed, it was hard to get completely healed.
I glanced at the fifth cohort and smiled when I saw Hazel and Frank chatting away with Dakota and the guys. Hazel smiled at me while Frank gave me a nod. Everyone was much more relaxed since the war ended, that and I knew I rubbed off on them. Of course that only applies to them outside of training.
Just when I thought it would be a normal day, Reyna came in with a troubled look on her face which was instantly a bad sign. "Everyone to the arena! Now!" she ordered.
Everyone scrambled at her tone. I looked at Frank who gave me a 'what's up?' look and I shrugged. I jogged up next to Reyna who was tensed, okay scratch that, more tense than usual.
"What's wrong Rey?" I asked and she glared at me
"Just get to the arena" she snapped and left.
I followed her to the arena to see everyone all in order but that didn't catch my attention. What caught my attention was the huge image of the Olympians made from mist hovering in the middle of the arena. It was a huge Iris message which made me wonder for a moment if they created a waterfall just to make it. Reyna and I sat in our seats at the top as Praetors and faced the huge Iris message.
"My Lords and Ladies" Reyna and I greeted respectfully. Well, Reyna greeted them respectfully, I ended sounding more like a constipated minotaur.
Lady Athena was glaring at me like she could melt me with just her eyeballs. She had the same stormy eyes of my Wise Girl but hers were definitely scarier than my girlfriend's. Don't tell her I said that.
I gave a sigh of relief when she huffed and turned away.
"We won't be long daughter of Bellona; we only have an important message" Lady Athena said eyeing the romans coldly.
"First of all, we would like to thank you for fighting in the war and we assure you all those who have passed away in the war shall receive Elysium. Now, we are proud to know the age old grudge between Greeks and Romans have slowly start to disappear considering you helped each other in war, but… it has come to our attention that Greeks and Romans have not met aside from the Iris Message from single highest leader to leader of both camps" Zeus started and looked at the Olympians, he then gestured for Lady Athena to take over.
Lady Athena stood up "We have decided for you Romans to travel to the Greek camp known as Camp Half-Blood" she stated dryly
"B-but your grace" Octavian started and began protesting.
I groaned inwardly, why didn't we just leave him in Rome? Oh right, he's our augur. I'd choose the Rachel over him in a heartbeat, scratch that, I'd choose the old mummy oracle than him any day.
Lady Athena glared at him "You dare defy the gods Roman?" she asked icily making Octavian shut up and just shake his head no
She nodded and continued "As I was saying, we have decided that you will go to Camp Half-Blood to meet your Greek counterparts, also, we decided that you will stay there for a year which should be enough for you to settle and get to know the Greeks. We have already informed the leaders of Camp Half-Blood about this and they are now aware of your upcoming arrival. We know some of you already have families, and other important concerns so we have come to decide that only everyone ages 10-25 years old, aside from those with families, school, and major injuries will be the ones to embark on the journey. Now, the rest of Olympian council are sorry to say, you have no say in the matter for it has already been decided" Lady Athena explained, probably sensing that people were about to protest she continued
"For your transportation, the campers of Camp Half-Blood have agreed to let you use their warship, the Argo II, it will be here along with chosen representatives from Camp Half-Blood to make sure you get to their camp correctly. Now, the Argo II will arrive here in Camp Jupiter in a week, that should be enough for you to prepare, pack up, clear everything up, and bid farewell to your legion. Take note that praetors are coming as well so I suggest you find temporary praetors daughter of Bellona. Maybe even another co-praetor" Lady Athena finished, directing the last part at me before sitting back on her throne
"Is everything clear?" Hera asked
"Yes my lady" Reyna answered stiffly and the Olympians nodded, the mist was about to vanish until Lady Athena put up her hand and turned to me with an emotionless expression
"Perseus Jackson, you have a lot unfinished business at Camp and although the war is over, I'd be wary of the enemies you've made, I suggest you prepare yourself sea spawn, and beware… time… can change everything…" Lady Athena warned me before the Iris message vanished leaving us all shocked
The week flew fast since that, and after so much protest and meetings, here we are… all waiting for the Argo II to arrive. Everyone was at the field of Mars while I was up on one of the hills. I sat down on the grass with my duffel bag beside me. I didn't really have much stuff here since all of my things were back at Camp Half-Blood.
The it hit me.
I was going back home.
to everyone…
to Annabeth…
My heart sped up at the thought of Annabeth
What if she moved on by now?
Despite what she thinks, she's one of the most beautiful girls at camp and it's no secret that a lot of campers would've made a move if not for me already taking the boyfriend slot. That and her scary leader aura.
I couldn't help but think of how different she would be. He had been gone for 2 years and 3 months already, spending 8 months of those asleep. She'd be 20 now and could've transformed in his absence. She could've moved on already…
"Woah Perce! Calm down! Your causing a hurricane over there" I heard Frank yell making me snap out of my thoughts. I looked in the direction he was pointing where a small hurricane slowly started to form, scaring a few Romans. I released the tension I didn't notice I had and the hurricane vanished.
"What's wrong Percy?" Hazel asked as she sat cross legged in front of me, Frank followed and sat next to her
"Yeah, you looked like you want to murder someone" Frank added and I put my head in my hands
"I'm going home…" I said to no one in particular
"Yes you are, now what's wrong? Aren't you excited?" Frank asked confused and Hazel sighed
"You're scared about what's waiting for you there aren't you? It's because of Lady Minerva's warning, you're scared that everything and everyone changed" Hazel told me
"Everything? I'm expecting that… but everyone?" I trailed off
Frank let out a low whistle "Ah, it's about Annabeth isn't it?"
"What if she moved on?" I asked looking both of them in the eye
"Come on Percy, have more faith in Annabeth, and in your relationship, I mean, you said so yourself, you guys came a long way and besides, I doubt it'd be easy to get over you Jackson" Hazel tried assuring me, joking at the last bit.
I smiled faintly at her "I hope you're right"
"That's the spirit!" Frank cheered clapping me on the back "Do you think she's one of the representatives though?" he asked and I shrugged
"If they're basing the representatives on accomplishments, Annabeth should be the first one here" I explained, remembering all the quests we've been on together.
"Should" Hazel stated before frowning "But didn't you say she's like a standing leader? I'm not trying to put your hopes down or anything okay, it's just, the gods were silent, so I'm guessing your camp director, Lord Bacchus, was called back. Think about it, assuming she took an official spot as leader, she must've stayed back to settle everyone for our arrival" Hazel explained and Frank agreed
"Well there's that" I sighed "I wouldn't be surprised if she isn't here, though it would be nice to know she wanted to see me right away"
"Why don't we just find out when the Greeks arrive?" Hazel suggested
"WARSHIP!" someone yelled and we looked up to see a huge gold warship heading towards the field of mars
"Or… we could find out now" Frank said still in awe of the Argo II
"Wait, what's that"
Everyone stood still as the ship stopped moving and landed. I saw Reyna walking up to the front and I grabbed my duffel bag heading towards the crowd with Frank and Hazel on my heels. Frank shape-shifted into a falcon and flew up, as a rope ladder was thrown over the railing and we saw a group of figures go down one by one either sliding down or climbing down slowly. They were all in battle armor with the Camp Half-Blood shirt peeking out and their weapons rested on their bodies. Okay, not really welcoming. In fact, something seemed a bit off from the campers.
"I did a head count. 7 Greeks in all" Frank told me as he shape-shifted back into human beside me
We made our way through the silent legion and I stood a little behind Reyna with Frank and Hazel at my side.
"Welcome Greeks!" Reyna greeted formally
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, everybody's welcome, now can we hurry?! The faster we leave with you guys, the faster we get back to camp" one of the Greeks, obviously male, snapped sarcastically. The romans scowled at the disrespect. One of the Greeks came close to the guy and hit him with the hilt of a dagger making him yelp out.
"What was that for?!" he snapped, r
"Show some respect will you?!" the one that hit him hissed in a high pitch voice. Female.
"Enough" another Greek ordered. The voice was female, and was sort of familiar, actually, they all sounded familiar. The group cleared a way and by the body structure, a girl passed through.
"My apologies for his behavior and disrespect praetor. He's been restless, he's been wanting to go back home immediately, and his patience can only go too far" the girl explained in a tight voice. She was nervous, then again I would be too if I were on Roman grounds.
"I understand, but if he were a Roman, he would have been punished" Reyna said through gritted teeth
"See? She's not kidding you know and Jason did warn us" the first girl who hit the guy stated and some Romans gasped
"Jason? Jason… Grace?" Reyna asked, hope shining in her eyes through her tough façade
"Yeah, Jason Grace, the son of Jupiter, and judging by the purple toga I assume you're Praetor Reyna" the same girl answered "If you're wondering how I know, Jason has mentioned you, he has his memory back" she added
"How is he? Is he with you?" Reyna asked and I could she was trying to stay strong instead of bombarding the Greeks about Jason
"Don't worry he's fine, but I'm afraid the answer to your second question is no, he is at Camp Half-Blood" the other girl answered. The first girl then looked around and scanned the romans before resting in my direction. Her posture relaxed before facing the Greeks
"Perseus Jackson is here! The son of Poseidon is well!" she announced and all of the Greeks visibly sighed in relief
She faced us "Well then, now that we know Percy is fine. I don't see any reason why there should be any ill will besides the age old grudge that needs to be settled when we get to camp" she said like it was nothing, but her tone was a bit mocking making her sound like she was saying we were the ones being difficult
"Well, as much as I put my fate in the gods' hands, I need to know whose hands I'm putting my legion in. If you may, please identify yourselves" Reyna told them coldly
"Now, now, no need to be rash. Everyone, armor and helmets off as you introduce yourself" the girl yelled
One by one, the Greeks stepped forward and pressed something on their necks. Their whole armor minus their helmet shed off magically, revealing Camp Half-Blood shirts and the traditional Camp bead necklaces proudly displayed on their necks except their necklaces had a small coin-like pendants in the very middle. Well that's definitely new.
The Romans gasped in shocked. Some stared in awe and others were judgmental.
"Our armor is magical, press this middle thing that looks like a coin and you're all set" she told us and gestured the Greeks to start introducing themselves. I eyed the campers without armors, I didn't know two of them however I did recognize the others.
"Raven Black, daughter of Hecate, Greek counterpart of Trivia" she had layered black hair with streaks of blue and bangs to the side and she had amethyst eyes. She reminded me of Thalia who also had a 'don't mess with me' aura
"Elena Jordan, daughter of Iris, Greek counterpart of Arcus" she had shore curly light blonde hair, and colorful eyes that seemed to sparkle. She was the first to smile warmly at all of us. I silently sighed in relief, looking at the rest that were senior campers like I was.
"Austin Lake, son of Apollo" he introduced and smirked at me.
"Sherman Yang, son of Ares, Greek counterpart of Mars, Hey Jackson" he smirked too
The girl, who spoke earlier stepped forward and removed her helmet revealing light brown curls and cerulean blue eyes "I'm Valerie, a naiad, in other terms, sea nymph" she introduced and smiled at me "Hey Percy, we've been worried" she scolded playfully
I smiled sheepishly "Hey Val, how are you and Mal?"
"We're fine" she smiled warmly
The girl who hit the first guy earlier then stepped forward and stood straight "Phoebe, hunter of Artemis, Greek counterpart of Diana"
"Hey Phoebe" I greeted
"Perseus" she nodded stiffly though she had a small smile. Ever since I got Lady Artemis' favor, the hunters trusted me as well and got along with the campers now.
Then the guy who disrespected Reyna stepped forward "Mark Lloyd, son of Ares, Greek counterpart of Mars" he said proudly before his eyes rest on me "You got some business to clear up Jackson" he sneered
I shivered at the similarity it had to Lady Athena's warning but rolled my eyes at his typical behavior. Some of the Romans growled at the disrespect shown to both praetors. I, however, was disappointed, none of the gang appeared, not even Nico who could shadow travel and I frowned seeing that Annabeth wasn't here at all.
"Are any of you leaders of Camp Half-Blood?" Reyna asked, breaking me out of my thoughts. I have to stop spacing out
"I'm afraid not, our leaders are back at home handling everyone. We were just chosen representatives, the newbies needed more experience. As for the 5 of us, we're senior campers" Phoebe answered and Reyna nodded at her
"Now, let's get to business, Sherman, Raven, lower the gangplank!" Mark ordered them before turning to the Romans "Grace told us you go by cohort, so your line will be by that" he continued. He was about to turn around but stopped and looked at us again "Almost forgot, fifth cohort, you're up first along with praetors, a little request by Jason since he was from fifth" he added
"Will we all fit?" I asked, the warship was big but we were so many. The Greeks raised an eyebrow at my question
"We? Don't you mean, they? Or are you a Roman now Jackson? Oh wait, would you prefer praetor?" Mark sneered at me. I felt fury go through me, this guy was really getting on my nerves. He was acting more obnoxious than before. Last I'd seen him, he actually changed and was way more tolerable (credits to Clarisse) but it's like he reverted to his old jerky self.
"It isn't like that!" I snapped
"Percy/Mark! Enough!" Reyna and Phoebe scolded in unison
"Mark, calm down, I'm sure Percy was just curious. He doesn't mean any offense" Valerie said softly yet firmly before turning to me "Percy, camp improved a lot while… well while you were gone, trust me, we will fit" she assured.
One of the newbies – Raven – then cleared their throat
"Umm… if I may, Percy right? We've heard about you from camp. Anyways, the Argo II isn't just a huge metal machine, it's a magical warship. It also never runs out of room, a spell and idea courtesy of Cabins 6, 9, and 20. Actually, the spell also affects the weight of the ship, you can put a whole city but it won't weigh any heavier. You Romans have your own floor actually, you see the warship was originally made in case we have to meet you guys " Raven explained and I nodded while the Romans stood in awe while some scowled. Some were probably jealous of the handiwork.
"Umm guys… why don't we just get moving? The faster we move, the faster we get going" Sherman suggested and we agreed.
Soon enough we were loading up the Argo II, the Greeks gave the Romans a brief tour of the Argo, as well as some rules and regulations and then, we set sail for Camp Half-Blood.
The only problem was…
Something seemed different