[Cassidy POV]

The attack had scared everybody. It sent two messages: one, that Percy was the son of the Sea God; and two, monsters would stop at nothing to kill him.

It meant bad news for me to, with the confirmation of Percy's dad my hunt wasn't just running out of time but more dangerous, both because of monster and Boss' paranoia.

This is probably my worst nightmare, the next morning, Chiron moved Percy to cabin three, now I was expected to treat him like a prince just because his dad was one of the big three, and yet again, I got lectured half to death by Chiron.

Chiron was upset about me putting those Ares Campers in the infirmary before they could do the same to me. Even Annabeth was yelling at me, telling me not to mention the giant hellhound that had rushed me like a line-backer and almost left me a scattered mess on the side of the creek.

This was not even mentioning that it was the talk of the camp and we, that being me, her, and Grover, were the only ones not talking about it. Even Percy himself looked eager to talk about it, but Annabeth put me under strict oath not to.

She freaks me out, I feel like she's always watching me, maybe because of her invisibility cap, she always squints at me as if I was a puzzle she couldn't quite figure out, I thought it would be best to just play along.

On the plus side, the other campers steered clear of me as much as possible. Campers were too nervous to have sword class with me after what I'd done to the Ares folks in the woods, so Percy's lessons with Luke became one-on-one.

It was oddly cathartic to watch, but watching was all I could do, the puppy messed me up good, well, that, and my wrists were already badly bruised, so I had to watch Percy flail around his sword like a doofus and it was driving me insane.

There was a storm brewing, and not metaphorical one, it came in the night and had been swirling above the camp all morning, everyone was just waiting for it to pass. It meant camp was chillier than it had any right to be.

"Great." I grumbled to myself, walking to the Big House. "I swear by the gods, if I don't find that thing until the solstice, Poseidon will feel something worse than Tartarus."

I walked up to the front porch of the Big House and Percy arrived with Grover seconds after. Dionysus sat at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke, some things never change. Grover and Percy stood on the porch awkwardly.

Grover was eyeing the can of Diet Coke hungrily and Percy was fidgeting, either out of nervousness, or a symptom of his ADHD, as we arrived Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheelchair.

"Well, well," Mr. D said without looking up. "Our little celebrity." I waited at the edge of the porch while he had his fun. Percy was gestured towards him and nervously approached. "Come closer," Mr. D said.

"And don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father." A net of lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder shook the windows of the house. "Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus said.

Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards. Grover cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth. "If I had my way," Dionysus said, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble."

"But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm." "Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron put in. "Nonsense," Dionysus said.

"Boy wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father." "Or a porpoise" I said before I could quiet myself.

"Mr. D –" Chiron warned. "Oh, all right," Dionysus relented. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness." Dionysus rose, and Grover seized his chance to begin nervously chewing on the empty can he left behind.

"I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do."

"Can I come? I'd like to go and discuss some... business terms with them so I don't have to do this anymore." I asked. "Trust me Star Boy, you don't want to be in that room anymore then I do." He said carelessly, waving a hand.

Dionysus picked up a playing card, twisted it, and it became a plastic rectangle. A security pass. He snapped his fingers. The air seemed to fold and bend around him.

He became a holograph, then a wind, then he was gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind. Chiron smiled at me, but he looked tired and strained. "I hate that guy." I muttered "Sit, Percy, please. And Grover." "Cassidy, you too" He added, we did. Chiron laid his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't got to use.

"Tell me, Percy," he said. "What did you make of the hellhound?" He sat for a second, then replied, "It scared me," he said. "If you and Cassidy hadn't shot it, I'd be dead." "You'll meet worse, Percy. Far worse, before you're done."

"Done... with what?" asked Percy blankly, before Chiron could answer I blurted out "Well, seeing as you're a demigod and a kid of the three a-holes, probably living." Chiron sighed and looked to me to say it was not very positive thinking.

"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?" I glanced at Grover, who was crossing his fingers. "Um, sir," Percy said, "you haven't told me what it is yet." Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part, the details.

"Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as I could see, the sky and the sea were boiling together. "Poseidon and Zeus," Percy said. "They're fighting, aren't they?" Chiron and Grover exchanged looks.

Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?" "The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Since Poseidon is my father, it's because Zeus thinks I stole the bolt, isn't it?"

Then Percy said something that dooms every single half blood, "And... I've also been having these dreams." "I knew it," Grover said. "Hush, satyr," Chiron ordered. "But it is his quest!" Grover's eyes were bright with excitement. "It must be!" "Only the Oracle can determine." Chiron stroked his bristly beard.

"Nevertheless, Percy, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over the master bolt, which is why- "I'm here." I said, he nodded. But continued."

During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best,' 'Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,' et cetera."

"Afterwards, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly, that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it."

"But I didn't –" "Patience and listen, child," Chiron said. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning."

"Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt."

"But he suspected it would be someone he wouldn't know, so it must be a new camper or another unknown. He sent me all around the world looking for the culprit. Cairo, San Francisco, Boston." I added.

I inhaled deeply, remembering my near fruitless travels, "But then I found you. I've been hunting you because you were an unknown and your mom was close to old fish breath in the past. Very close apparently" I filled in.

Chiron nodded. "Now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his son. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief." "But I've never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!"

Chiron and Grover glanced nervously at the sky. The clouds didn't seem to be parting around us, "If you fry him, I can't find the bolt." I called upwards, the clouds were rolling straight over our valley, sealing us in like a coffin lid.

"Er, Percy...?" Grover said. "We don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky." "Perhaps paranoid," Chiron suggested. "Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam..."

Chiron was waiting for an answer. "Something about a golden net?" Percy guessed. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods... they, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?" "Correct," Chiron said.

"And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offence at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you've come along – the proverbial last straw."

"But I'm just a kid!" "Percy," Grover cut in, "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War II, that he's fathered a new mortal hero who might be used as a weapon against you... Wouldn't that put a twist in your toga?"

"But I didn't do anything. Poseidon – my dad – he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?" Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. But the sea god is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice."

"That's June twenty-first, ten days from now." I explained "That's my hand in date as well." I added for Chiron's benefit, "Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might help, and Hera or Hestia would make the two see sense."

"But your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy?"

"Bad?" he guessed, I giggled, "I wouldn't worry Percy, if it ever happens, you won't live to see it." Chiron frowned at me, "Cassidy, if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything." I scoffed, "You really are a teacher, aren't you?"

"Why am I here!" I said, he held up a finger to silence me, turning back to Percy. I groaned, unable to sit still through this boring explanation. I started drumming my fingers across the table as Chiron explained."-Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight."

"Bad," I repeated, Chiron nodded and spoke again. "And you, Percy Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath." "Told you." I snickered, it started to rain. Volleyball players stopped their game and stared in stunned silence at the sky.

"A storm on Half-Blood Hill, never thought I'd see the day." I said in amazement as I jumped the porch and went to go and walk in the rain while I had the chance. Still listening in on the conversation.

I walk over to Thalia's pine tree, smiling and occasionally spinning. I've always preferred the cold to the heat, except for the hearth, but this was literally divinely different.

"Good to see you Thals." I smiled while sitting against the tree, ignoring the rain and my soaked clothes. "Do you like my new style, I got some inspiration of you."

No response, but I felt something from this tree, like she was trying to communicate with me. I talked to her every chance I got, hoping there would be some change and I could prove that I wasn't insane. No luck so far, but I was going to keep trying. "I missed you, later." I said to the tree, placing a hand on it and then sprinting back to the big house.

"-So I have to find the stupid bolt," Percy said in frustration. "And return it to Zeus." "Or, you give it to me to return so I can finish my trial." I announced myself, sopping wet, squelching onto the porch.

"What better peace offering," Chiron said, "than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus's property?" "If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?" There was a brief pause, a sigh, and Chiron finally said, "I believe I know.

"I thought I misheard at first, that I had rainwater in my ears, but eventually, I managed to yell "WHAT! Chiron, you can't be serious!" I said in outrage, knocking over a chair and making Grover topple over too. I wasn't angry really, just irritated that my time was being wasted.

Chiron's expression was grim, he held up a hand to silence me. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago... well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."

"Why can't you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?" Percy asked, staring at the storm, "Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge." Percy swallowed. "Good reason." He nodded. "You agree then?" He looked at Grover, who nodded encouragingly, then to me. "I mean, it's this or enjoying your last ten days-" I started.

He interrupted me to say "All right," "It's better than being turned into a dolphin." "Then it's time you consulted the Oracle," Chiron said. "Go upstairs, Percy Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."

So he stood up and exited the porch, Chiron finally turned to me. "Please don't tell me I'm going up there too, she freaks me out, I still have nightmares about her." He shook his head. "I'm sorry for not telling you about the bolt. I had hoped that Percy would be able to avoid any conflict by returning the bolt himself."

"Makes sense, but you could have told me anyway. So why am I here? Do I have to move to a bunk or something? I don't like sharing with the Stoll's, they snore, and I'd much rather go to the Aphrodite cabin, it's much cleaner and smells nicer and-"

"Cassidy, as you know, you are always welcome, but in order to make those arrangements you must be a registered camper, and no, you don't have to go to a cabin. You will always have your room here in the Big House."

"Oh, I see where this is going." I said, rolling my eyes, "I told you last time, I don't want to-" "I wonder, how many you will you encounter on your journey to reclaim the Master bolt?"

"Alas, for someone to be sent on a quest by the Oracle, they must be a camper. Not a guest." I glared at him and he simply smiled. I bit my lip in contemplation as Chiron grinned at me, pulling out a clipboard.

I was still debating it in my head when Chiron said "We have your name, well, I think. Any middle names?" I lowered my head in embarrassment, "Virgil. Cassidy Virgil van Gloss, that's my full name."

I really hate my middle name, school kids and campers can be really cruel when you have a name like that. "Age?" "Fourteen, though people tell me I'm very mature for my age." I sighed not believing that I'd avoided this the whole time I'd come to the camp and somehow been caught out by one of my most important trials.

"What is your current address?" He asked, his eyebrow raised cheekily. "Thalia's Pine, apartment 1" I retorted. He scribbled it down, "School?" I sighed, " Brooklyn Academy of the Gifted, last time I bothered going." He frowned at me, the teacher in him not liking that attitude. "Any medical conditions or requirements that we need to meet or be aware of?"

"Anxiety and DID." I said, my eyes flicking to the corner of the porch. Chiron stopped writing, looked to me, and sighed deeply.

He read the next segment and frowned. "Any family or next of kin to send your remains to?" Grover suddenly got very excited. I could tell he was curious about my parentage, as most satyrs often were about new campers.

"Nope." I yawned, now Chiron got upset, but he already knew all this, he just wanted me to say it, so I wasn't playing ball. "Cassidy, please, work with me here." I sighed deeply, racking my brain, trying to think of anyone of note.

"Well, I grew up in an orphanage as far as I remember, so I don't think there's family who knows I exist. And my Uncle Amos, but we're not really related and he's busy most days" I looked at him, confident in his ability to understand I didn't like the subject.

His shoulders slumped and Grover bleated in frustration, "Fine, that'll do, for now. What is its name? The orphanage's?" "Now you're asking the real questions Chiron." I squinted to focus, scrunching my face up to withdraw any memory I could.

"I don't really remember it but I know it was funded by this company... I think it was 'Dare Enterprises'." I shrugged. "Who cares?"

"Anyone that work or lived there when I was there either is dead or overseas, I'd doubt they'd fly over here in a hurry if you did contact them, if I die, you can just do the shroud thing you normally do, it's not like I'll be in any position to complain."

"Well, if anyone could, I imagine it would be you." Chiron snapped back, handing me the form to sign. After presenting him my informations, he took the folder again and it seemed to disappear just as Dionysus had.

"Don't make me regret this Chiron. I expect free Marshmallows from now on." I smirked as we waited for Percy and I wringed out my clothes. "As many or as little as you would like" He smiled genuinely.

AND I'M BACK! Sorry for taking so long, I was kinda busy with school but I have some more time so I'll try uploading the more I can during that.