Thanks again for the reviews! Enjoy

Chapter 14- Everyone I Know Betrays Me

Since Luke was cool with my dad being Poseidon, I'd thought everyone would be cool with it. But it only took until dinner for me to realize that was not the case.

If Poseidon House was lonely, at least there were no rules against me going and hanging out with the Hermes kids. Sure, I'd gotten some odd looks, plus Connor and Travis were disappointed to discover I hadn't stolen the Master Bolt, but all and all, it was no big deal. I just chilled like I would have if it was any other day.

But at dinner I had to sit all by myself at the newly christened 'Poseidon' table. Now let me tell you, there is a reason the whole 'kid sitting alone at lunch' is the cliché for the kid who's miserable at school. There is nothing so utterly depressing as sitting there with nothing to look at besides green beans, and no one to talk to except for your magical goblet. Maybe if I was the reading type it wouldn't have been that bad. I could almost see Annabeth liking it. But for me, it was torture. Especially because I could hear everyone else laughing and having a good time with their housemates.

My real crisis at dinnertime, however, came when I was supposed to make my offering to the gods. Somehow, the whole five minutes I waited in line for my turn, I didn't think about what I was going to say. The offering had become such a habit, I hadn't thought about it. But things were different now. I couldn't just drop in something juicy and pray for a sign. I'd had my sign. I knew without a doubt that my father was Poseidon. Problem was, that didn't mean I knew who he was. Was he the brave, handsome, kind man my mom had long described? Was he just a dead-beat who cared only enough to keep me alive? Or was Luke right. Did my own father want me dead so his life would be easier? I didn't know. I had no way of knowing. But if my dad was trying to kill me… well it felt wrong to give him burnt offerings.

I couldn't quite bring myself to curse him either, though. Not like Luke did. So instead, I let my desperation drive me. Forgetting about my father completely, I dropped in my juiciest morsel into the fire and whispered, "Okay Hades, you want to punish me, fine. But bring back my mom. Please. Just bring her back."

Yeah. I had a pleasant dinner all by myself after that.

Zeus must have calmed down some, because the rain turned to snow while we ate. Therefore after dinner Ares House organized a Snow Ball War (because fights, obviously, are a little too peaceful.) But at this point… well things got odd.

"Percy, you're on my team," Clarisse seemed to spit the words, bubbling anger behind them, but they surprised me none-the-less.

"Ah, you don't want to take this opportunity to murder me?"

Clarisse rolled her eyes, "Look, you're a dweeb, but this is war. And Ares is behind Poseidon, which means we're behind you. Once this is over, then I'll murder you."

What do you say to that? I think I just muttered something like, 'okay' and went to ask Luke what team the Hermes kids were fighting on. But before I could get to him, Luke shouted, biting anger in his voice, "I'm only saying this once. Hermes is neutral! Connor, Travis, let's go home."

I didn't have a clue what that was about, and I didn't get a chance to find out. The snowball war quickly began, and I had to duck and dive to keep from getting murdered. It seemed I was a prime target. (Gee, that's new.)

It was Poseidon, Ares, Apollo, and Aphrodite verses Athena, Hephaestus, Dionysus, and Demeter. Without the Hermes kids picking a side, we were pretty evenly matched, and I had a great time. No one around me, however, seemed to be enjoying themselves. The Apollo kids had the best aim, but the Hephaestus kids were inventing snowball cannons on the spot. I like to think we won in the end, but Chiron called a draw as curfew closed in.

I was happy enough not to mind that I was going home alone, but then I spotted Annabeth. A twinge of guilt coursed through me. I hadn't even thought to ask her how she was doing, but it probably wasn't good. If Zeus thought I'd used her hat to steal his Master Bolt… well she'd be in trouble.

"Annabeth!" I called out, dashing to catch up with her. At that point, I discovered she was avoiding me, because she immediately started walking faster. My heart dropped, but I went to her anyways. "Annabeth, wait, can we talk?"

She stopped, turned, and crossed her arms, "I don't have anything to say to you."

That stung, a lot. It was one thing to get clubbed by a cyclops, but I liked Annabeth. Besides Luke, I'd almost say she was my best friend, and while I didn't like to think about it, Luke was a senior. Once he was gone… Annabeth would be all I had left. If she didn't want to be friends with me anymore… that stung.

"Look, I'm sorry if you're in trouble. I didn't mean… I didn't mean to make your mom mad at you."

"In trouble!" Annabeth threw her hands in the air. It would have been funny if her expression wasn't exactly the same as Athena's when she'd woken me up for my 'trial'. The resemblance left me nervous.

"Percy, I'm not 'in trouble'. I'm banished! My mom said if I ever stepped foot on Olympus again, she'd throw me out. And she took my baseball cap because I'm not 'wise enough to know who to trust'. Do you know what it's like to have your mother, the goddess of wisdom, tell you you've been duped. Tell you you've been used. That you're stupid?"

I didn't. Perhaps I'd just never put much stock in my intelligence. I'd always known I wasn't the smartest guy around, so it didn't bother me that much. But it was different for Annabeth. She'd always been the 'smart girl'. Her whole identity was built around that, around being the proper daughter of Athena. For her mom to reject her like that… Well, let's just say I'd rather my dad trying to kill me than that.

"Annabeth, I'm sorry." I didn't know what else to say, and my voice cracked as I did. Really I felt terrible. Sure, it wasn't my fault. I hadn't done anything wrong, unless you counted sneaking into Olympus, but that had been Annabeth's idea. Still, it didn't matter whether or not I'd meant to ruin Annabeth's life. I had. I'd made a complete mess of it.

Annabeth shook her head, "Sorry doesn't cut it, Percy. Look, if it counts for anything, I don't think you stole the Master Bolt. I think you're being set up. I think someone is trying to start a war between the gods. But look around you. Whoever did this- they're getting exactly what they wanted. That wasn't a snowball fight, it was us renacting the war our parents are planning. It's the Trojan War all over again, gods, mortals, demigods- we'll all going to have to pick a side. And Athena and Poseidon will never be on the same side, so it's for the best if we just accept that. Alright? If you need help with homework, come find me, but at last until the lightning bolt is found, we can't be friends."

"But why should we hate each other just because our parents do! Why should we fight their wars? If you think your mom is wrong, just say so. Do what you think is right!"

Annabeth looked at me like I had grown two extra heads and turned into a hydra. Then she just sighed, "You're a good guy, Percy. But they're the gods, and that's just the way it is. I can't go against my mom. I'll see you around."

Annabeth ran off, leaving me stunned and alone in the snow. How could Annabeth, the smartest person I know, be so utterly stupid? The gods weren't right just because they were gods! Why should we fight for them when they were wrong? Shouldn't we be better than our parents? Let them learn from our examples?

I just shook my head. This was exactly the kind of thing Luke talked about when he said demigods were just the pawns of their parents. And he was right- I hated it. It was wrong. We were people, real people. We shouldn't live and die for our parents' causes. If we were going to fight, let it be for what we believed in. Not just because our parents told us to.

I said as much to Luke the next day, to which he firmly replied, "Why do you think Hermes House is neutral?"

Unfortunately, while Hermes House housed half the school, there was little sanity to be seen. Especially as everyone came back from break and discovered what had happened. The first week of school after break, it was impossible for teachers to get through their lectures.

First, Michael Yang, a four-foot-tall terror from Apollo House, and six-foot-six Seneca Trow of Athena House got in a shouting match at lunch. Later that day, every single member of Athena House was in the infirmary with an arrow sticking out of their heel.

In response, Athena House created an effigy of Apollo, tied it to a chariot, and dragged it across the school. I hadn't actually read the Iliad, but it didn't matter that Annabeth wouldn't speak to me. I still knew these kids were literally acting out scenes from "The Iliad." That did not seem like a good omen.

Then the Aphrodite kids got involved. If you want to learn how to be petty, ask a child of Aphrodite. Someone on 'team Zeus' thought it would be funny to steal my clothes during swim practice, so when I came out, all I had was a prison jumpsuit in my locker. Kerry and Silena went ballistic. I told them it was fine, just a harmless prank, probably Connor or Travis's idea, but they were taking it as a personal insult on their ally. The next day, classes were cancelled. The reason- every time one of the boys from 'team Zeus' tried to put on his pants, the pants promptly turned to doves. I don't have a clue how they did it, though rumor had it Lou Ellen was looking into financing a Hecate cabin with her newfound wealth.

Of course, I was the primary target, but I could deal with that. It hurt a little bit to know that Annabeth was helping her siblings torment me, but beyond that… well what was a little mayonnaise in my sheets, or a shower filled to the brink with dead fish?

Actually, I was more bothered when someone on "Team Poseidon" decided to get their revenge by spray-painting obscene images onto Thalia's tree. I chewed out the Apollo cabin over that, but even Luke wouldn't look at me that day. I swear I saw Annabeth crying.

But I really knew someone hated me the day I woke up to a newspaper on my doorstep. There on page 3 was the headline

No Clues In Sally Ugliano And Son's Disappearances

Weeks into the search for Sally Ugliano (37), and there had been no sign of the Manhattan woman. Mrs. Ugliano disappeared during the early morning of December 22 after a violent confrontation with her son, Percy Jackson, (12). According to Mrs. Ugliano's husband, Gabriel Ugliano of Manhattan, "The kid's always been trouble, but I never thought he'd bring a gun home. Where does a twelve-year-old get a gun? Then I find him sneaking into the house with it, middle of the night, and next thing I know my Sally is gone."

The police have confirmed that Mr. Jackson is wanted for questioning in his mother's disappearance, but they are also attempting to deduce if criminal elements are responsible for both mother and son's abduction. Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts are urged to call

The tip line was underlined, but I crumpled up the paper and tossed it out without looking. Anger burned within me. My mother was dead, and Gabe was pretending I'd done it. The man who'd beat my mother was accusing me of kidnapping her at gunpoint and murdering her. There was a part of me that seriously regretted not hurting him that night. But there was also another part of me that just cried at this stark reminder that my mom wasn't just waiting for me at home- she was gone, forever.

I always had bad dreams, but that was the first night since the solstice I'd dreamt of the Pit.

There were no crabs this time, no Luke either. Instead I just stood at the edge of the pit. The moment I realized what was happening, I tried to run away, but it was as if time slowed around me. I couldn't move. I couldn't leave. I was stuck. The only thing I could do was stop struggling.

"What do you want from me!" I shouted to the Pit. (I couldn't bring myself to name just who was inside. If the gods were scared of Kronos, I knew I should be as well.)

The Pit seemed to laugh. In my head, I chanted 'Wake up, wake up, wake up', but it was no use. I was stuck there, completely trapped by the voice below.

"Why do you keep bringing me here! I'll never help you!" It sounded stupid once I said it. Like the kind of thing a child would say. But I suppose, compared to the ancient Pit itself, I was very much a child. And I was very, very small.

"I did not bring you here, Son of Poseidon. I do not have that power. It is your own mind, your own soul, that brings you to me. The gods will kill you the moment they get the chance. Even now, your father plots your destruction. I am your salvation. Bring me the bolt, and I shall save you and your mother. You shall reign together over the sea. Fail, and you shall never be reunited, not even in death."

I woke up sweating. It was after six, but from the sound of it, not even the Apollo kids were up yet. In the middle of January, not even the sun rose this early. But I didn't stand a chance of falling back to sleep. Not that I wanted to. All I wanted was to forget my dreams, as I once had. But now… I'd dreamt Poseidon was my father and ignored every sign of what that would mean. I could not make the same mistake again, but that meant I couldn't forget. I couldn't be naïve. Not about anything.

I crawled out of bed and took a long shower. My mind spun, so much so that, at one point, I'd stopped getting wet, and failed to notice for five minutes. Once I finally managed to reel in my abilities and wash the shampoo from my hair, I stepped from the shower, certain of nothing but this- I needed to talk to Luke.

Hermes House, since there were so many of them, always had to wake up the earliest to get ready for class. Sure enough, when I arrived, the place was packed and bustling. Laurel and Holly Victor, daughters of Nike, were bickering furiously in the doorway, but I didn't dare stick around to find out why. Celia greeted me, not even mentioning that I didn't still live there, before pouring a glass of water on Connor's head and pulling her scarf from his hands. I just nodded a hello and wandered up the stairs.

Luke was in our (or I suppose now just his) room. He must have been prepping for room inspection, because he kicked a backpack under his bed when I entered. The expression on his face was so sour, it made me wonder if I should come back another time. But it was too important. I'd been too frightened to ask Luke about my dreams for weeks, but if he knew something… I needed the truth. If there was one thing this whole fiasco with my father had proven it was that deception is great- while it lasts. Once the gig is up however…

"Luke? Are you working for Kronos?"

I'd been practicing how I was going to phrase my question the whole time I showered, but let me tell you, that was not what I'd prepared. I'd meant to be subtle about it, understanding and cautious. But faced with Luke, I could feel my hands shaking. (Anger? Fear? Apprehension?) My impulsiveness won out. I just wanted the truth.

Luke, of course, immediately froze. He didn't say anything at first, just walking past me to shut the door, and then closing the blinds on the window. I didn't know what good that would do. No one in Hermes House ever came into Luke's room; it was a solemn rule. And if he was trying to keep the gods from spying on us… I don't think doors or blinds kept them out.

"Warn a guy next time you're going to talk treason, Percy," Luke sighed rubbing his face. I'd noticed a while ago that he always seemed to rub the scar beneath his eye when he was really angry or really scared. I didn't know which one I'd made him. It made me nervous though.

"Does that mean it's true? You're working for Kronos?"

Luke leaned against the wall, and carefully stated, "Zeus cut Kronos to bits and cast him into Tartarus millennium ago. How could I work for him?"

I realized it was a test. Luke wanted to make sure I wasn't just stabbing into the dark. He wanted to know what I knew. I didn't quite know why. Maybe he was trying to protect me. Everyone seemed to think ignorance would. But it hadn't so far. So I hoped Luke would trust me, just like I trusted him. "I saw you, a few months ago. You were talking to this giant crab, but the voice wasn't a crab. It was Kronos. I didn't know that then, but I mentioned it, on Olympus. Zeus flipped out."

"You told Zeus I had been talking to Kronos!" Fury and anger burned in Luke's eyes. Terror as well.

"No!" I quickly told him, shaking my hands. "I didn't tell him you were there. Zeus thinks I'm working for Kronos! Or at least he did. My father might have convinced him it was just a dream, but it wasn't, was it? I've dreamed of Kronos a few times. And I think you have as well. Please, Luke. I don't know who else to trust. What is happening to me?"

My voice cracked as I spoke. I couldn't help it; I was terrified. Everything I knew about Kronos was how evil he was. Sure, when he ate his kids in the beginning of the year play, that was funny, but the titans weren't a joke. And Kronos was the worst of them all. But the scariest bit? I was more afraid of what the gods would do if they knew about my dreams than I was of Kronos himself. Zeus would kill me for sure, and I didn't think my father would even try to stop him.

Luke came over to me, placing one hand on my shoulder and squeezing it tight. I remembered that night a few weeks before, the sheer determination in Luke's eyes as he swore on the River Styx he'd help me. I saw that same determination now, and it relaxed me some. That was why I'd come to Luke. I knew, whatever he was doing, he was doing it for me. For all of us.

"The day we first met, not five minutes after, Athena shows up and gives Annabeth her Yankee's cap. I've always been a little jealous of how a good a mom Athena is… relatively speaking I mean. Only thing my dad ever gave me was a quest that almost got me killed. He'd never sent a birthday card, never mind a gift. I was madder that night than I'd been in a long time. And then I had a dream. Demigod dreams, just another curse from our parents. They're never just dreams. In this dream I was on the edge of Tartarus, and Kronos called out to me. He promised me that if I served him, he'd make the gods pay. Make my father pay. I… I was tempted, I'll admit it. I listened. I didn't make any promises, but I listened."

A chill crept down my spine. I knew how angry Luke was with Hermes. The guy had been pretty rotten to him. But hearing Luke admit to wanting his father to hurt… it scared me. Not because I didn't get the desire, but because I did. There was a part of me that wanted to see Zeus pay, see Hades pay. And if my father had ordered the cyclops to attack me… what kind of father tried to kill his own kid?

Except Kronos had as well. Half the gods' issues seemed to stem from their father eating them as babies. I wasn't so sure Luke had found the lesser of two evils, but I was willing to hear him out, "What did he tell you to do?"

"Nothing- at first," Luke shrugged. "He just told me the truth, reminded me of all the little juicy details about the gods they don't like to teach us here. Did you know Apollo once shot an arrow that destroyed the entirety of Sparta? 20,000 people died in one day. He didn't even have a reason for being mad. He just didn't like the Spartans. And the Trojan War started because Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite all wanted to be told they were 'the fairest'. You're taking World History right now. Did Mr. Shepherd mention your dad causing the Bronze Age Collapse? Who else would have sent the "Sea People"? It was so bad the Greeks forgot how to write within one generation! I could go on, but I won't. Suffice it to say everything wrong with this world-it's the gods fault. And nine times out of ten, they're using their children to do their dirty work."

I felt sick. No, I'd never been told any of that, but I believed it. Most of mythology was the gods messing things up and heroes dying to fix it. I doubted much had changed in the last three-thousand years. But still, I didn't know how Luke helping Kronos could fix that. He was the father of the gods. All their bad habits came from him.

I gulped, and pushed Luke further, "But… but Luke. I remember you and the crab… you and Kronos were talking about... He said if I didn't join him, he'd kill me."

Luke's expression darkened. It was clear he had hoped I had forgotten that. And I had, for months, but it came back to me now.

Luke bit his lip, and shook his head, "It's not like that, Percy. You only heard part of the conversation. I've told you- I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Yeah, things changed once you came to school. I guess that's when Kronos first realized you existed. Percy, there's a reason the eldest gods swore never to have any more kids."

"Yeah. Something to do with us starting World War II," I muttered. Suddenly I wanted to check and make sure my brothers had been on the Allied side. If I was related to Hitler… Not cool.

But Luke surprised me by shaking his head, "No, Percy. That's what they say, but it's only half true. We're not supposed to talk about it, but Zeus warned Thalia once, years ago, and she told Annabeth and me. There's this prophecy that says the next child of the Big Three who turns sixteen will have either save Olympus, or destroy it. That's why they killed Thalia. That's why they're trying to kill you. They're scared of you."

I felt like I was going to be sick. What? How had no one ever told me? Now I got why Chiron always looked at me like I was already dead- I was. "So that's it! The gods want me dead because I might turn on them? Don't they get that trying to kill me only makes me hate them more!"

Luke shrugged, "They don't care. It doesn't matter whether or not you'll betray them if you never make it to sixteen."

"But Kronos could protect me... You're working for Kronos to protect me. That's what you meant by 'making it right'." I was beginning to understand, even if the words made me feel dizzy. Kronos, the evil titan, would save me by killing the gods? It was… it was too much. But a thought crossed my mind, one that practically stopped my heart.

"Luke. Did you steal Zeus's Master Bolt? Did you frame me?"

Luke went very still. I couldn't tell if that was an admission of guilt, or if he was just shocked that I would accuse him. I was shocked myself. I wasn't in any danger until the bolt disappeared. If Luke was doing this to protect me, why had he almost gotten me killed? It made no sense

"No Percy. I didn't steal it," Luke finally said, and I breathed a giant sigh of relief. I don't really know why. I was still in grave danger. But if Luke, my best friend, had set me up… it would have crushed me. But he said he hadn't, and I believed him. Of course I believed him.

"Kronos asked me to steal the Master Bolt. I told him no. He must have gone to someone else. Honestly, Percy, I actually thought you had done it."

I was glad Luke wasn't willing to get me killed just to hurt his dad. But it still stung he thought I was a thief. Then again. I'd accused Luke of stealing it as well, so I supposed it was only fair.

"But if it wasn't you and it wasn't me, who did it?"

Luke shrugged, "I don't know, Percy. Not for sure. But I know this- it would impossible for someone to steal it without the help of a god. You saw how tight security was on Olympus. The gods would have had to be majorly distracted for someone to just walk out of Olympus with the Master Bolt."

But that made no sense. Kronos wanted to destroy the gods, didn't he? Why would another god help him… Unless Kronos had promised them something in return. But who? I didn't know the minor gods well enough to know who would have the power, and all twelve Olympians had been there when Zeus accused me.

Luke's face went dark, "Percy, I have a question. When Zeus accused you- was Hades still there?"

My blood went cold, and I shook my head. No. He wasn't.

Luke bit his lip. "Hades hates the other gods more than we do, and Tartarus is in the Underworld. Kronos and he may have struck a deal. Hades power comes from the dead. If there was a war…"

Hades would benefit more than anyone else. It made sense, a scary amount of sense. And since Hades was Lord of the Dead, it didn't matter that he had no living children. He could probably send ghosts to do his dirty work. It made enough sense, that I almost believed it. Except…

"But Luke, Kronos came to me tonight asking me to bring him the Master Bolt in exchange for my mom. If he sent Hades to steal it, why doesn't he have it already? Why does he think I have it?"

Luke didn't seem to have considered that. I could see the gears in his head turning, but finally he suggested, "Maybe Hades isn't working with Kronos. Maybe he stole the idea and the bolt for himself. Hades is the oldest son. Olympus should have been his. If he can get Zeus and Poseidon fighting, they'll be too weak to stop him. Especially if he has the Master Bolt! He might have even taken your mom so you wouldn't try to stop him. If Athena wasn't so loyal to Zeus I'd say she's helping him. It's a brilliant plan."

Yeah, it was, and I felt like an idiot for not having figured it out already. Even Disney knew Hades was always the villain. Kronos was just a voice in a pit- so long as no one helped him he was powerless, just as he'd been for millennia. Hades was the real threat, but considering how much anger there was between Zeus and Poseidon, and the gods and their children, it was easy to divert the blame.

Of course, that only left me with one more question for Luke… "So what do we do? Do we tell Zeus? Cause I might not like Zeus but Hades…"

"Is worse, I know," Luke admitted rubbing his face. "But Zeus won't believe you. No, the only way to clear your name is to prove it. Percy, we need to steal Zeus's Master Bolt for real- steal from Hades, and save your mom. And we have to do it within the next ten days."

Wait. What? "Ten days! Why?"

"Chiron didn't tell you? Zeus gave Poseidon an ultimatum- return the lightning bolt by the end of Poseideon or go to war. The month of Poseideon ends January 29th. It's already the twentieth. If we don't get the bolt back then… well you've seen how messy things are just here at camp. Imagine the gods themselves at war. No, we have to go to the Underworld, and we have to do it in ten days."

I gulped. I'd never done very well with deadlines, and the end of the world was a lot more troublesome than a 5% deduction for being tardy. Never mind the fact that I didn't have a clue how we were supposed to steal the Master Bolt from Hades. Not when he had to know we'd be trying.

There was one bright side though- Luke said 'we' had to do it. Maybe I was faced with an impossible quest, but it seemed we'd be going together. If I was going to die, at least it would be with my best friend.

Yay.