Act I Chapter XXXIX: The Demigods Catch Up

Percy's eyes slowly opened as he looked around the tent that he was laying in. Luke was next to him and snoring softly. Grover was across the tent and seemed to be in a deep sleep. A sigh left Percy. It felt like he had only been asleep for a few hours, and he was wide awake now.

They had explained their quest during dinner, and Thalia just listened. After that, they all went their separate ways. Percy caught up with Grover and learned that he traveled with the hunters of Artemis to keep an eye out for demigods and monsters. He also told Grover about all of the training he had gone through.

While the two talked, Luke crawled into their current tent at the far edge of the camp where Grover stayed, and he fell asleep the second his head hit the sleeping bag. Annabeth stayed by Thalia's side, and the two talked animatedly. The other hunters tried to talk to Reyna, who just gave polite nods or a shake of her head. Reyna had just stayed at the fire, staring at it, before heading off to the tent when no one was really paying attention.

Percy carefully crawled out of the tent and looked around. His eyes scanned the surrounding tents, and it looked like everyone had turned in for the night. He slowly stalked his way through the camp, trying not to step on the branches and wake anyone. There was a small creek by the outskirts that he thought would be comforting.

As Percy made it towards the creek, he saw someone sitting at the edge of it. He hesitated. The last thing he wanted to do was interrupt a hunter who was in the middle of quiet time or even keeping an eye out. It took him a moment to focus his eyes as the moonlight spilled over the person.

"Reyna," Percy spoke up after a moment. Reyna turned her head and looked at him. "Mind if I join?"

"Go ahead," Reyna allowed. Percy walked towards her side and sat down. "Can't sleep?"

"I slept a few hours, but I just woke up," Percy replied. "What about you?"

"Can't sleep," Reyna confirmed.

"Are you in that much pain?" Percy questioned as he looked at her. Reyna nodded. With an actual sling on, she looked more comfortable. There were fresh bruises along the side of her face, trailing from near her temple, to her nose, and down to her jaw. Her posture was hunched slightly.

"Yeah," Reyna admitted. "The nectar helped, but I don't recommend taking a statue to the face."

"I'll try not to," Percy promised. "It looked pretty bad. I'm glad it wasn't worse."

Reyna nodded and focused on the water. She slowly ran her hand through it, "Let me ask you something, Percy: why did you go on this quest?"

"To help make a safe place for demigods to go," Percy replied.

"Everyone says that but I don't think they truly mean it," Reyna commented. "You haven't been with us for that long, but you were ready to follow Annabeth and Luke on a quest to bring back a camp that you didn't know existed until recently. What made you want to risk your life like that?"

Percy studied Reyna. She turned her head to meet his eyes. There was no judgment in them, just curiosity. Percy glanced back at the water; he wasn't going to share his parentage at the moment. It didn't feel like the right time.

It felt like Reyna's inquisitive stare was going to shoot right through Percy if he lied. She suddenly spoke, "I guess it sounds hypocritical coming from me. I've only been with them for a few months longer than you, so why am I doing this? I guess it's to prove to myself that I can fix the wrongs of my past."

"That the blood on my hands can be washed away," Reyna whispered. She swallowed painfully. "That my father..."

Reyna trailed off and brought her knees to her chest. A groan of pain escaped her, but she still wrapped her good arm around her knees and rested her head against them. Percy reached his hand out and gently squeezed her shoulder.

"I guess... I don't know how to explain it," Percy began. "I just don't want to sit around while others are out on a quest to find a safe place. And, I know I need to be on this quest. I've been having... dreams."

"Dreams?"

"Um, they're kind of all over the place," Percy admitted. "I started having them right before I met you guys. It wasn't just a dream from Lupa, though. There was more to it. A lot more."

Percy slowly began to explain his dreams. Despite how long it had been since he had those dreams, he remembered every detail of it, and as he recalled it, a pit started to settle in his gut. There had been a figure with moonlight wrapped around them, just like the hunters of Artemis.

Percy had watched a hunter of Artemis, or maybe even Artemis herself, fighting a figure of darkness. Which was probably the man downstairs. It really did seem like Hades was against them, and it scared Percy. How were they supposed to do anything to protect themselves from a god when the rest of the Olympians were just gone?

As Percy finished telling Reyna about his dreams, he focused on her. Reyna had turned her head to watch him with her dark eyes while keeping her head resting on her knees. There was no judgment in her gaze. Percy carefully continued, "So, yeah. Those are the dreams, and honestly, I'm a little scared. Chiron said I could be seeing through the eyes of someone else."

"But you don't believe that," Reyna commented. Percy sighed and nodded before he hung his head.

"I feel crazy saying it out loud," Percy muttered.

"I don't think you're crazy," Reyna assured. Percy looked up at her. "Demigod dreams are scary, especially if you think they are telling the future. Here's the thing, Percy; I have your back. I promise."

"I appreciate it," Percy said with a small smile. "I have your back too."

Reyna nodded and gently rubbed her jaw. The nectar had healed her split lip and broken nose, but it looked like the rest of her body needed more time. Reyna spoke, "So your dreams make you think you have a larger role in all of this?"

"Yeah," Percy admitted. "I know it makes me sound conceited, but why would I have these dreams if I don't have a role to play?"

"If not the biggest one," Reyna commented. Percy tensed, but Reyna didn't seem to notice as she moved her jaw around slowly. A wince flashed on her face.

"It was more than just your shoulder," Percy guessed as he tried to change the subject.

"Yeah," Reyna confirmed. "It hurts to breathe, and I have a bruise running up from my chest to my shoulder. I just need some more rest."

"You should sleep then," Percy suggested.

"Can't," Reyna repeated as she shrugged her good shoulder. "So, I'll just sit here and watch the stars."

"Mind if I stay here and watch with you?" Percy questioned.

"Not at all," Reyna permitted. Percy smiled at her and laid back on the dirt. He stared up at the stars and tried to relax. They would be back at the camp soon, and he was excited about it. Soon, there would be a safe place for demigods to go once again.

"I missed you a lot," Annabeth began as she sat back in Thalia's tent. It was much larger inside than it looked on the outside. Thalia looked at her and smiled.

"I really missed you too, kiddo. Though, you do know that you can join the hunters anytime, right?" Thalia prompted. Annabeth only smiled. This wasn't the first time Thalia tried to recruit her. She had been too young the first time to really understand the implications.

Now, Annabeth had a goal to focus on. She had to help establish a safe place for demigods to go. From there, they would need some way to communicate to let the other demigods who they had already trained know about the camp. There was a lot of work ahead, so she just couldn't step away.

"I can't right now," Annabeth finally spoke. "This quest is too important."

"It is," Thalia agreed. She handed a bed roll to Annabeth along with a blanket. "That prophecy does concern me, though. I wish I could help you, but we have to find this monster. I need to know why it's actively manipulating the Mist. Is it hunting a demigod?"

"Do you know anything else about the monster?" Annabeth questioned. Thalia shook her head. Annabeth frowned and grabbed the blanket, wrapping it around herself. "I saw something at Camp Jupiter too. Chiron called it a war flash."

"Never heard of it," Thalia said with a shrug. "What did you see?"

"Well..." Annabeth began, biting her bottom lip. "I was trapped in the body of someone else. It was scary."

Annabeth explained her vision with as much detail as she could. Thalia remained silent, but the anger on her face grew more and more as she listened. As Annabeth got to the end of her story, she hesitated. Then, she finished, "The man looked just like Luke without his scar."

"That man you saw was the augur," Thalia said with a deep scowl. "After Camp Half-Blood was destroyed, I tried to put together the pieces of how and why. All of the clues led back to him. He used one of the praetors, the Roman camp's leaders, to take control of the army and march on Camp Half-Blood. They used my brother's corpse as their rallying call."

"I'm sorry, Thalia," Annabeth exhaled, almost speechless at that information. Thalia nodded and didn't say a word. She just stared ahead and looked like she was falling back into her memories. Then, she shook her head and looked at Annabeth.

"Has Luke been acting the same?" Thalia questioned. Annabeth quickly nodded. When she was younger, she ran into Luke and Thalia. The two had been at each other's throats, not that she understood it at the time. Annabeth's arrival caused them to call a temporary truce that lasted all the way to finding Lupa. It made sense why Thalia hated Luke.

"I'm sure Chiron didn't mention much to you about what happens when you die, other than going to the Underworld," Thalia began.

"I know about Elysium and the Isle of the Blessed," Annabeth informed. "I had to do some research on the side for that."

Thalia smiled, "Then, you should know about rebirth. I think Luke was that augur in a past life, and he was reborn as a son of Hermes. Maybe to atone for his mistakes, but probably to finish what he started. Please just keep an eye on him."

Annabeth nodded and didn't say anything. Thalia laid in her bedroll and sighed, "What about that other boy you were with?"

"Percy. He joined not long ago," Annabeth began. She hesitated on what else she should add before a small smile came to her face. "He has the same problem you have of throwing yourself into danger for others. Percy's a good guy, though."

"And what about Reyna?" Thalia questioned. She turned her head and smirked. "Think she'll want to join the Hunt anytime soon?"

"I don't think so," Annabeth replied. She knew better than to bring up the fact that Reyna was a Roman, so she just let out a small laugh. "Reyna keeps to herself, but she keeps the night watch for us."

Thalia nodded and let out a yawn. She sighed, "Alright, kiddo. I need to get some sleep. We'll talk more in the morning before we part ways. And if you do get that new camp established, I'll visit."

"I look forward to it," Annabeth smiled. She rested in her bedroll and laid her head back. A lot had happened that day, but she just needed to clear her mind and get some sleep. Soon, they would reunite Terminus with his body, and the demigods would have a home once again.