Percy hadn't attended a camp bonfire in over a year, being at one now brought back so many memories: of sing-alongs led by the Apollo cabin, of stories told by Chiron and the other long-timers of past adventures, and of all the quests issued there, some he had gone on, some he hadn't. And there was nothing quite like a campfire after a successful quest. It felt good to be recognized by the whole camp for your bravery, the smores tasted just a little sweeter in the aftermath of a victory. Although, Percy mused, nothing could compare to his last campfire, or rather, what happened afterwards. The kiss he had subconsciously dubbed immediately as the greatest underwater kiss of all time, and all these years later, he still believed that with all his heart. Now he was thinking of her again, and thinking of her just reminded him that he had failed to protect her, and that was enough to dissolve his happy memories for the moment.
The campfire, Percy had learned on his first day, was attuned to the mood of the campers. It would burn brighter and stronger the higher the camp morale was, and vice versa. Right now, it was barely bright enough to penetrate the darkness of the evening sky. The fire also lacked something else, Percy noted, normally, being close to it gave him a feeling of comfort, a home away from home. But this just felt like an ordinary fire, and did little to lift his spirits. Then he remembered: Hestia was gone. Without the goddess of the hearth providing her divine magic, the fire was dull and lifeless.
It hadn't really struck him until just then, with the whole of Camp Half-Blood surrounding the woeful blaze, just how depleted his old camp had become. At its height, they'd had over a hundred campers, now there were maybe twenty or so. Out of this group, seven of them would be responsible for saving the world.
The campers weren't arranged by cabin, as they used to be. Since so many cabins had just a couple of members, everyone sat together, more or less huddled around the fire. That was another thing, Percy realized. He hasn't noticed it at first, since his mind had been on other things, but it was actually cold. Even the climate control magic was fading away. Percy sat and tried to warm himself while Rachel stood up and began speaking.
"Good evening, campers. As many of you are aware, we have been awaiting the fulfillment of the prophecy for some time now-"
"Too long! This isn't a game, there's lives at stake!" a camper yelled.
"Yeah, Rachel, how do we know this isn't just a trick by the gods? Look at what they've done for us lately," another concurred.
"I hear you guys, but just hear me out," Rachel pleaded. "As I was saying, we've been waiting for the seven of the new prophecy to manifest themselves, and now, at long last, it has happened. Camp Half-Blood, it is my pleasure to introduce you to...an old friend." Quickly, she made a gesture with her eyes towards Percy. Understanding, he stood up and walked towards the dwindling bonfire.
What should he say? Should he put on a bravado that he didn't feel, and try to assure the campers that he, the hero of Olympus, was here to save the day again? Tell them the honest truth, that the chances of success were slim, given that even the original seven had failed? He wasn't sure, but Percy Jackson had never let that stop him before. He was an improviser at heart, so he spoke from his heart.
"Camp Half-Blood! My name is Percy Jackson. And before I begin, I want you to know that everything you've heard about me is true. I was the one who led the Seven, my friends, into battle against Eris. I thought we were doing the right thing and saving lives, but I was wrong. And believe me, I know how easy it is to blame the gods, to feel like defeat is inevitable." Percy thought about all the times people had prognosticated doom on his quests, sometimes he himself. He recalled his brief time with the Fifth Cohort, if anyone had a right to feel cursed, it was those guys. But they'd found a way, and so would he. "But the gods gave me a second chance," he continued, "and I intend to use it. This camp means everything to me, and I will do everything in my power to make sure I don't let it down again. And I know the others will do the same. But we can't do it without your support. So the gods have gone silent, we give them a reason to listen. Let's show them what Camp Half-Blood is made of!"
Percy looked at Rachel, almost embarrassed, as a smattering of claps emanated from the small cluster of campers. Then Caroline stood up.
"I've waited years for this moment, since I was a little girl. I had begun to think that maybe the prophecy was wrong, that maybe it didn't mean what I thought it meant, what I wanted it to mean. Then Percy showed up, out of the blue. That's an act of the gods. Someone out there wants us to take our world back, deep down, the gods know they need us as much as we need them. That's why we have to go on this quest, and that's why we won't come home until harmony is restored."
Percy looked into the eyes of his future daughter, standing across from him on the other side of the bonfire. She was so much like Annabeth, he thought, but he also saw himself in her. The off the cuff spontaneity, the fierce loyalty to friends that burned within, the one that made them do things they probably shouldn't. He knew immediately she meant every word about not coming home without having freed Harmonia, and that meant he wasn't coming back without her. They were in this together, for better or worse.
"Okay, I think it's time for the prophecy reading," Rachel said, then she repeated the prophecy she had told Percy earlier. Immediately, there were questions, some Percy had asked himself, some he had wanted to ask.
"What's the Titan's Grave?" someone asked.
"About 21 years ago," Rachel explained, "the Titans, led by their Lord, Kronos, tried to destroy Mount Olympus in Manhattan. The Greeks, led by Percy," she gestured to him at this point, "successfully defended Olympus. Meanwhile, the Romans, led by Jason Grace, attacked the Titan base, Mount Othrys. Jason killed the Titan Krios, and the Roman legion destroyed Mount Othrys. With the Titan army defeated, the palace and the ground where Krios had been slain sank into the earth, swallowed by Mount Tam. To this day, that ground, the old Mount Othrys, remains underground, and is called the Titan's Grave."
"So that means Harmonia is being held under Mount Tam," Percy observed aloud, he hadn't considered that possibility.
"Precisely," Rachel said.
So now he knew where they needed to go. He wondered if they might encounter his old pal Atlas too, still carrying the literal weight of the world on his shoulders.
"Before going to Mount Tam, you guys should stop by Camp Jupiter, they've really been taking the brunt of Eris's assault. They can help you navigate the army's defenses. You'll find some old friends there too," she said, looking at Percy specifically.
"Now it's time to announce the half-bloods who will be going on this quest. Please, no volunteering," it didn't look like anyone was going to anyways. "The questors have already been determined by the prophecy. Per tradition, the chosen will stand together before the assembled camp." Which wasn't much, Percy thought cynically. Then she began calling out names.
"Percy Jackson, the son of the sea. Caroline Jackson, daughter of Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, legacy of Poseidon and Athena. Keno Zhang, son of Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque, legacy of Mars and Pluto. Luciana Valdez, daughter of Leo Valdez and Calypso, legacy of Hephaestus. Sam Grace, son of Jason Grace and Piper McLean, legacy of Zeus and Aphrodite. And um..." Rachel paused, as she realized they had only four legacies present. Percy felt a chill run down his spine, what if the prophecy wouldn't be fulfilled after all?
"Hey! Don't forget about me!"
The little voice soon had a body attached to it as Chuck Hedge pushed his way towards the center of the bonfire.
"Not now, Chuck," Rachel said impatiently.
"But it's me, it's me! You gotta let me go!"
"He's too young, there s no way he'd survive!" A camper shouted.
"Go back to chasing Dryads!" Another carped on.
"No wait..." Percy said, he was starting to wonder if they had read the prophecy wrong. "What if he's right?"
Rachel gave him a wary look. "Percy, are you sure about this? He's only about 10 in human years. Granted he's willing-" they looked at Chuck, shadowboxing with an imaginary Bruce Lee. "But I don't know if he's ready."
"I wasn't ready on my first quest," Percy replied. "But I knew I had to go anyways. Besides, I'm starting to think we got the prophecy wrong."
"What do you mean?" Rachel asked.
"Well you know how prophecies usually have more than one meaning? So does the word legacy. It could mean the child of a half-blood, but it could also mean the child of any significant person. Coach Hedge wasn't an official member of the Seven, but I'd say he was pretty significant."
Rachel still didn't look sure, but she nodded and looked back over the bonfire. "I guess it just goes to show that even an Oracle can have a hard time understanding her own prophecies. I still have my doubts, but I believe Percy is right. Chuck Hedge, son of Gleeson Hedge and Mellie, legacy of the Seven, will you accept the quest?"
Chuck bounced up and down excitedly. "Heck yeah! Uh, I mean...I humbly accept your invitation."
Everyone laughed, and the tension was momentarily relieved.
"Then we have six of the seven, and that leaves-"
Suddenly she fell silent. Percy wondered why until he saw that everyone's head had gradually turned in the same direction. Walking towards them, out of the shadows and into the dim orange light, was the only living daughter of Harmonia.
"May," Rachel uttered with some surprise in her voice. "You came."
May walked until she was standing in the line next to Percy. She looked up at him with her sky blue eyes. "I realized I couldn't hide from my responsibility while the rest of you were risking your lives to do what's right. Every peace movement in the history of mankind started with someone taking a stand, so that's what I'm doing." She smiled at him. "Thank you for making me realize that."
Percy shook his head and grinned. "I'm flattered you think I planned it that way, but I just gave you a nudge, you did the rest."
"At any rate," Rachel cut in, "we now have all the quest members present and accounted for." Then she officially pronounced May as the final member of the quest. The campfire was supposed to adjourn after that, but Percy stayed behind until he was alone with Rachel.
"You okay, Percy?"
"If it's all right, I'd like to have a moment alone before we put the fire out."
Rachel nodded. "Okay," she said softly and walked away.
Percy wasn't sure what he was doing. He knew that the gods had shut themselves away from the world, that they probably wouldn't hear his prayer, let alone acknowledge it in any way. But somehow he felt compelled to remind them that he hadn't given up, and even if they were determined to destroy each other over another divine quarrel, the half-bloods weren't going anywhere. So he prayed. To Poseidon:
"Hey dad, it's me, Percy. You probably thought I was dead, and I was, but I'm back now. I know I failed once, and I know I caused you pain and you must be disappointed in me, but this time we'll make things right. I won't stop until I see the look on Zeus's face when he realizes we've saved his behind again," at this point, a faint rumble of thunder sounded off in the distance, so Percy quickly moved on.
To Athena:
"Lady Athena, I can't even begin to apologize to you for letting Annabeth die. She is- was, the most amazing person, and I really did love her, and always will. I won't apologize for that. I also love our daughter, she has your gift of strategy, and we'll need it on this quest. I don't know if we'll succeed, but if we do, could you please let me explain myself before you zap me? Thanks in advance."
To Aphrodite:
"When you said you were going to mess with my love life, you really went all out, didn't you?"
To Hestia:
The bonfire isn't the same without you. Never feel like you don't matter because you do. I told you before, you're the last Olympian, and now you're probably the only sane Olympian too. We need you to keep the peace for as long as humanly, make that godly, possible. Don't give up hope."
And, just in case, to Hades:
"Hey, um, Uncle Hades? Remember that time when the Doors of Death were open, and all the monsters we killed just kept coming back? Yeah, could you please make sure that, like, doesn't happen again? Because I'm pretty sure we're going to hunted by every monster in the country. P.S. Tell Thanatos I said hi, but I don't plan on having my soul reaped any time soon."
Having gotten all the built up anxiety out of his system, Percy finally felt ready for the quest. He couldn't worry about his fellow quest members, about whether they were ready, or as experienced as he'd like, or his personal demons over the original Seven. May had believed in him, Rachel too, and though Caroline hadn't outright said it, he knew she would follow him anywhere. As for the others, they reminded him so much of his friends that it hurt. All the more reason for him to guide them through to the end. There was nothing more to do now but try to get a good night's sleep. Starting tomorrow, there was no going back.
Percy will return in the next Chapter. In which: The quest is all set to begin, and a special person from Percy's past makes an appearance. To be continued...