Chapter 21, Act I - Back at Camp.
Hermes was on the verge of tears. "Luke, Zeus ordered me to take you in. I'm sorry. You've gone too far." He announced. Looking around, this was at the dining pavilion, in front of the entire camp. Luke's face darkened. "You never cared, did you? As soon as you forced May to get fucked in the head, you just abandoned me. You abandoned us. So what if I stole the bolt? The gods deserve it." He snarled. Hermes summoned a pair of handcuffs, made of celestial bronze.
Luke drew his sword, half bronze, half steel, and slashed it through the air. The air where his blade cut it rippled, and he stepped through it before Hermes could do anything, the portal vanishing quickly. The pavilion erupted into chaos.
"My Lord, I'm sorry. I need to go. The Hermes cabin needs someone level headed to straighten them out, and I need to fill that until my cabin is built. I'm certain Hermes won't mind." I said, creating a cloud of darkness. I stepped into it, disappearing as I shadow traveled to camp.
I stumbled at the head table, between Chiron and Dionysus.
"Campers! Silence!" I roared. The pavilion fell silent, taking in my arrival, and my appearance. I became conscious that I was still in the same state I fought Ares in. Damp, sweaty, probably oozing BO.
"I know, this betrayal shakes us all to the core. Luke cared, but he has done the wrong things to fix this. My questmates and myself have, however, done what he has not! The minor gods will be getting cabins, and the unclaimed will have places to be!" I announced.
"The Hermes cabin will no longer be full, and the unclaimed will no longer be alone! As of tonight, we are united! As of tonight, we are family!" I called to the sky. Like clockwork, glowing symbols appeared over the heads of at least half of the Hermes cabin.
"Cabin Eleven! Remember your symbols! Annabeth Chase is responsible, as elected by Athena, for constructing these cabins! Change is upon us, and Olympus will stand taller than before. Who will stand with Olympus?" I called out.
It was entirely unanimous. Not a single camper remained seated. They all stood, roaring in approval. "Olympus will not fall! Today marks the day Olympus grows in numbers, and in strength! None can oppose us!" I remarked. The head table got flooded, and I was surrounded by members of the Hermes cabin.
Chiron rose, smiling at me. "Let us wait for our remaining heroes!" He called out to the campers. "Then, we have cause to celebrate." I nodded at him, and I looked back to Hermes, who gave me a tearful grin.
It was an hour before the others arrived. I had taken this time to recount the story the best I could to the campers. My questmates got flooded as soon as they crossed Half-Blood Hill. As they were crowded, given praise and questions, I cheered over all of them. "Three cheers for my comrades, those who got the Bolt to Olympus, and the one who reclaimed Hades' Helm from the Crooked One! Cheer for Olympus, for our recognition!"
Once again, roarious cheers flooded the starry night.
It was a restless night. I don't think anyone really had a problem with it. Everyone was too excited. But a few weeks later, things settled to what the new normal was. We were treated as local legends by the children of the minor gods and the unclaimed, and Annabeth was always busy building the cabins. I helped her where I could, and Grover went off to find Pan with the team Dionysus provided him.
Whenever I wasn't helping Annabeth, I was hanging around with Percy. It was getting closer to his birthday, and he started acting more and more miserable. "What's up, Perce?" He gave me a questioning look. "Don't give me that. Something's bothering you." I insisted.
He sighed. "I have to stay at camp, don't I? I never heard about my mom. I thought Hades had her hostage?" He hesitantly said. "Percy, Hades returned your mother. As soon as he got his Helm back, he did it. I was planning on taking you to see her for your birthday. Chiron would have my head if anything bad happened, but he won't stop us. He understands." I told him. He gave me a hopeful look.
"Would you really?" He asked. "Dude, of course. Your mom is a wonderful woman, and she loves you. I'm sure she knows you're fine, but I'm certain she'd love to celebrate your birthday with you again. And hey, I've got another surprise for you, too. Not birthday related, but..." I trailed off.
I brought out the wrapped up head of Medusa from my inventory. "I already know you've thought about it. Saving your mom. This is your ticket to it, Perce. I'll loan it to you when we get there, and what you do with it is your choice. But Perce? I think you should let your mom decide. It's her life, and I think she of all people should have the right to choose the fate of that walrus."
He looked at me in a new light after that. He laughed. "You really are something, Niko. You're a real hero. You did most of the work on that quest. You persuaded the Furies to back down, you beat back Ares so I could be the one to draw blood, you even beat Echidna and the Chimera at the Arch. You got the Helm, you saved Grover from Tartarus, too. If you weren't here, I don't know what would've happened." He told me.
I sighed. I knew what that last comment was about. "That really stuck with you, huh? Do you really want to know, Percy?" I asked. He nodded. I took a deep breath. "I need you to swear on the Styx not to tell anybody about this. Alright?" Without a thought, he took the oath. "Alright. This is a long story, so I'll try to keep it short."
I started summarizing to him what I'd meant, back in the DOA Recording Studios. "I'm not supposed to be alive. I was supposed to die three years ago. You know how the Fates have strings they can cut that end the lives of people?" He nodded.
"I don't have a string. I was also given a gift, almost three years ago now. A power that let me do things children of Hecate shouldn't be able to normally. It gave me knowledge of the future, and I intend to change the future for the better. I knew everything that was supposed to happen on that quest. I just changed the trajectory of it so things went better. Otherwise, you'd be on your deathbed, because Luke tried to kill you for getting the Bolt back to Olympus." I confessed.
I expected him to be mad, but he just put a hand on my shoulder. "Dude, that's amazing. You're saving lives for the sake of it, while I only did it for my mom. If I could go back, and change her life for the better with the knowledge I have now, I'd do it, too. I really respect you for telling me this." He assured me. I smiled hesitantly at him.
"Thanks, man." I said, standing up. "I really should get back to the Hermes cabin, though. I can't leave Travis and Connor in charge for too long. They'd burn the place down." I shook my head. Percy laughed. "Go, do your counselor thing, Niko. I'll see you later."
Hours later, at dinner, I tossed four drachma into the brazier, as well as some food. "To Charon, as the last of the payment I promised." I muttered. I went back, and Lou slid in next to me. "Rough day, brother?" She asked. I laughed. "Rough day? At this camp, in our cabin? Never." I smiled.
All was well, it seemed. Until, of course, the next summer, but that wasn't even a question.
