Hey guys, here's the fourth chapter

Beta: Dalthale1642

Discord: /ztDVjQRqf8

Credit goes to Rick Riordan and the creators of One Punch Man

The Oracle creaked, lifting a finger towards Percy. This one must go. The Fates decree his presence in this quest to be of utmost importance.

Then the Oracle sucked in all the green mist before snapping its jaw shut and sitting down on a rock.

There were a few moments of silence before Chiron spoke up.

"Everyone go back to their cabins. All cabin leaders and Percy shall meet to the Big House for an emergency meeting regarding the prophecy," Chiron said, before looking back at the Oracle. "And someone bring… it back up to the attic."

Chapter 4:

The campers were all situated around the ping pong table in the middle of the War Room, Chiron and Dionysus at the head of the table. Zoë sat at one side of the table, with Phoebe standing at her side. Percy leaned against the wall near Thalia and Bianca. Grover was stuffing his mouth with crackers, Cheez Whiz, and ping pong balls supplied by Dionysus.

"This is pointless," Zoë started off. "Our goddess is in trouble. The Hunters must leave immediately."

"And go where?" Chiron asked.

Phoebe grunted. "West, of course. You all heard what the Oracle said. We'll take five Hunters and go."

"Well, clearly, you didn't hear everything," Thalia retorted. "'Cause the Oracle also said The Hero and The Hunter combined prevail. The Hunter clearly means you, but the Hero is probably us campers, so we're all in this together. Also, what was it she said? That Percy's presence must be included on this quest if you guys don't want to die."

"Then we shall bring him along," Zoë said, surprising many people in the room.

"But-" Phoebe was cut off by Zoë.

"But nothing. If the Oracle decrees it, then Percy Jackson shall come with us. I will not risk the lives of my Hunters on this quest."

Annabeth nodded. "Who else should go on the quest? You haven't chosen anyone else yet."

"We must not delay," Chiron warned. "Today is Sunday, and the winter solstice is this Friday. You must leave as soon as possible."

"Oh, joy," Dionysus muttered. "Another dull annual meeting."

With no one particularly caring about the god's statement, Zoë spoke up. "Artemis must be present at the solstice. She has been one of the most vocal on the council arguing for action against Kronos's minions. If she is absent, we will lose another year of war preparations."

"Are you suggesting that the gods have trouble acting together, young lady?" Dionysus asked, looking as if he was struggling to lift his fat head from his magazine.

"Yes, Lord Dionysus."

"All right. Just checking. You're right, of course."

"I must agree with Zoë," said Chiron. "Artemis's presence at the winter council is critical. We only have a week to find her. Now, we must decide who goes on this quest."

"Then I'll take Phoebe with me," Zoë said. "She is our best tracker."

"The big girl who likes to hit people on the head?" Travis Stoll interrupted.

"The one who put the arrows in my helmet?" Conner added.

"Yes," Zoë snapped. "Why?"

"We have a T-shirt for her from the camp store," Travis said, holding up a silver T-shirt. "She was admiring it. You want to give it to her?"

Zoë sighed, taking the shirt and slinging it over her shoulder. "As I was saying, I shall take Phoebe with me. I shall also take Percy with me, as the Oracle said, as well as-" Zoë was cut off again, as Percy moved forwards, placing his hands on Bianca and Thalia's shoulders.

"These two," Percy said, finally speaking up. Percy and Zoë stared each other down.

"No-"

"These two," Percy repeated. There was a pregnant pause as Thalia and Bianca sweatdropped.

"Fine," Zoë relented, actually considering a boy's decision. "At least they are girls." And we could have Bianca join our ranks, she thought.

"So be it," Chiron said. "Thalia and Percy shall go with Zoë, Bianca and Phoebe. You shall leave at first light. And may the gods-" he glanced at Dionysus "-present company included, we hope - be with you."

Thalia:

It was weird. Thalia looked around, seeing nothing but rubble in every direction. She looked down at her hands and yelped. They were covered in a black shell-like substance, ending with claws at her fingertips.

What happened to me? Thalia thought. Oh, right. I'm in a dream.

But not many dreams included destroyed cities. She shivered at the thought of what could have caused this.

Then someone attempted to kick her. Thalia ducked at the last moment.

"Whoa!" Thalia's voice came out weird. It was deeper than normal.

The man who tried to kick her looked up in surprise. "He dodged it?"

Thalia lifted her right palm up and her left fist towards her waist. "You… you are S-Class Rank 13 Flashy Flash?" Thalia internally snickered. What kind of name was Flashy Flash? It was redundant. "You're a hero, yet you sucker-kick me like that," Thalia continued.

"Are you the only survivor of the Monster Association?" her long-haired opponent asked. "You really made a massive mess of things out here. Are you the monster king boss?"

Thalia frowned. Monster Association? Monster king boss? What kind of monster could've done this? Was this a vision of the future? Of the past? Thalia was extremely confused. She tried to turn away but she couldn't, as she was looking through someone else's view.

"Monster king?" She asked. "I guess there was someone like that, huh." She turned towards the hero. "You better remember this well. My name is Garou. I'm the one who's gonna rise to disaster level God and straighten this world out."

Thalia was panicking internally. She was going to become a guy? And destroy everything? But the former issue was more important, of course.

Flashy Flash looked surprised. "Garou? The Human Monster Hero Hunter?"

"Just so you know, I've got nothing to do with the Monster Association," Thalia - no, Garou, answered. "They can't fit me into that pathetic box, y'know."

"Just as I had thought," a new voice interjected. Suddenly, both Flashy Flash and Garou were hit with multiple attacks from every direction. "Allow me to pass through for a moment," the voice said.

Garou looked up at the new opponent, who was an extremely muscular platinum being with an extremely long tentacle sprouting from the top of his head. The man-thing kept talking.

"You have monsterized that much, but still do not have the courage to choose the side of the monsters? How disappointing." Veins popped up on the platinum being's face. "We should have disposed of you from the very start."

Flashy Flash brushed dust off of his costume. "Hmph. There was one more of you left, then. Thanks for coming out and saving me the trouble of searching for you. I'll take you both at once. You shall fall to the S-Class Hero Flashy Flash's superior techniques," he said confidently.

Garou slammed his fist into his palm. "I'll take on anyone who wants a fight. Absolute Evil is unbiased, y'know. Heroes, monsters, I will slaughter every last one of 'em, and rise up to become the ultimate symbol of fear… disaster level God." Garou paused. "Come get some."

The platinum adonis and Flashy Flash rushed at each other head-on, as Garou leapt up higher into the air. Flashy Flash blocked the bodybuilder's left hook, and the latter blocked the former's roundhouse kick. Then they looked up, seeing Garou fall down between them, and then Thalia saw an explosion of light, then…

Her vision changed to that of a huge cave. Thick fog shrouded the area, and the most noticeable thing was Artemis, who was struggling to lift something on her back, and neither of them could see what that thing was. Her face was covered in sweat and grime, signs that she had been in battle before. Her arms were shackled to the ground, and her breathing was ragged.

"Hello there, Artemis," a voice said from the shadows. It was a deep voice, one that made the earth vibrate. "I hope you like your new post. The Goddess of the Hunt, reduced to bearing my curse." The man laughed. "You were always so predictable, Artemis. It was easy to defeat you."

"You surprised me," Artemis said, groaning beneath the weight. "It will not happen again."

"Of course it won't. Because you won't be getting out of there anytime soon," the voice said. "But I have someone to keep you company." Out of the shadows came a golden Giga Chad, who was very similar to the platinum being Thalia had seen before, only the tentacle was far shorter, and the body was much larger.

"This, my dear Artemis, is Golden Sperm," the man continued. Artemis' face contorted to one of disgust at the name. "Oh, he won't do what you think he will. He's just here to keep out… unwanted people. You see, he is from an organization called the Monster Association, who is supporting our cause. I'll leave him with you now. Have a nice imprisonment."

The man's presence finally disappeared. Golden Sperm looked down at frowned. "How pitiful. A goddess reduced to this. You're not even classified as a disaster level Dragon." Then the golden being turned towards Thalia. "Oh, there's a spy here. I'll take care of you." He reached out, closer and closer and-

Thalia shot out of bed, gasping for air. She looked at her hands and found them, perfectly normal. She let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't the abominable Hero Hunter that the people in her dream were talking about. And there was a threat that they couldn't hope to face. How were they supposed to beat that thing?

Thalia slammed her head into the wall to fully waken herself. She stumbled into the bathroom to take a cold morning shower and brushed her teeth. She then grabbed the necessary supplies and left for the quest.

But she never noticed the cracked marble wall crumbling from where she slammed her head into it.

Percy:

Percy was ready to go. He had his clothes, his toothbrush and his near empty wallet. Then he picked up his most precious item: Genos' core. Percy began to carefully polish the metal, carefully wiping away dust and rust. It was a daily routine by now. He then carefully wrapped the core in layers of bubble wrap and styrofoam to keep it safe, before placing it into his bag. Now he was ready for the quest.

He walked to the van where his quest members were waiting for him. When Percy was close enough, he caught the attention of the others, who stared in shock.

"What.. is that?!" Thalia shouted, pointing at Percy's banana colored costume. He looked down, confused.

"What? It's my hero costume," he stated simply.

Zoë opened the door and climbed in. "We have no time to waste. Get in the van. Now!"

As they left, they never noticed the flying pink eyeball staring at them.

Washington D.C:

Zoë and Co. arrived at the Smithsonian, where Artemis' trail ended. They all got out of the van except for Percy.

"Stay in there, Percy. We don't want to attract too much attention, and your yellow costume is going to turn heads," Thalia explained. She closed the door, and Percy waited for her to leave. When she did, Percy got out of the car as quickly as possible, before following one Dr. Thorn.

Thorn kept well behind the Hunters and Thalia, careful not to be seen. They stopped at a big building called the National Air and Space Museum, and they went in. Dr. Thorn hesitated, then turned towards the mall, and into the Museum of Natural History, which was labeled CLOSED FOR PRIVATE EVENT.

Percy made sure to move fast enough so he wasn't seen, but slow enough to follow Thorn inside. There were at least a dozen guards, and a pair of women with double snake trunks instead of legs. Between them was a blonde teen not much older than Percy himself, with pale skin and an angry red scar across his face.

"Well?" asked a deep voice from the darkness of the balcony.

"They are here, General," Thorn said. The name General reminded Percy of something Thorn had said on the cliff.

"I know that," boomed the man. "But where?"

"In the rocket museum."

"The Air and Space Museum," said the blonde demigod.

"As you say, sir," Thorn said, glaring at him.

"How many?" he asked, but Thorn pretended not to hear.

"How many?" the General demanded with more force.

"Four, General," Thorn started. "The girl with the spiky black hair and the- how do you say- punk clothes and the horrible shield."

"Thalia," the teen said.

"The other camper is the one with the stench of death, and there is another girl - a Hunter. That one wears a silver circlet."

"That one I know," the General growled, making everyone but Percy shift uncomfortably.

"And the fourth?"

"The demigod found at Westover. The one with the abnormal strength," Thorn spat out.

"That group has two children of the Big Three," the blonde said. "Perhaps we could turn at least one of them to our side."

"Patience, Luke," the General said. "They'll have their hands full already. I've sent a little playmate to keep them occupied, and I have the other creature from the Monster Association."

"No," Luke said. "It's too unpredictable. Too destructive."

"Yes," Thorn said, agreeing with Luke for once. "Let me take them instead. Just give me-"

"No." The General stood up from his chair, looking as if he were sculpted from stone, as sturdy as a statue, and powerful too. The last fact made Percy smile faintly..

"You have already failed me, Thorn," he said.

"But, General- "

"No excuses!" the General roared as Thorn flinched.

"I should throw you into the pits of Tartarus for your incompetence," the General said. "I send you to capture a child of the three elder gods and you bring me nothing! Bested by a child with no experience!"

"But you promised me revenge!" Thorn protested. "A command of my own!"

"I am Lord Kronos's senior commander," the General said. "And I will choose lieutenants who get me results! Not ones who give me complaints! Now get out of my sight, Thorn, until I find some other menial task for you."

Thorn's face turned purple with rage, before bowing stiffly and exiting the room. The General turned to Luke once he left.

"Now, my boy, what we must do now is send the creature to hunt down the half-blood Percy." Luke shivered when the General said that.

"Bring it in!" the General said as the guards and the dracanae hurried to comply with his orders. "Bring in the Overgrown Rover!"

Percy knew that the quest members were going to die if he wasn't there right now. They had no chance of stopping the Rover… other than Thalia. He blasted through the doors, not caring if it blew his cover, running as fast as he could towards the other quest members.

Meanwhile, six ominous ruby eyes glowed in the building, the Rover sniffing at a piece of cloth.

Smithsonian:

The group was walking through the museum, looking for any signs of Artemis or the monster she had been looking for. The building wasn't crowded, and they strolled past several families and tourists. When they reached the top floor, they bumped straight into one Percy Jackson.

Thalia and Bianca yelped in surprise, and Zoë had drawn her bow on reflex.

"Why art thou here boy?" Zoë asked, putting away her bow. "I believe Thalia has told thee to stay in the car."

"Something's coming," Percy replied. "Bad, very bad. You can't fight it by yourself."

"Well, what is it?" Thalia snapped, annoyed that Percy had disobeyed her order.

"The General sent two monsters here-" on cue, there was an animalistic roar downstairs.

"Kitty!" a little kid shouted with joy. A golden lion bounded up the stairs, heading straight for the demigods. Its fur glittered in the artificial light, and its eyes spotted them, narrowing.

There was another growl from the left, and a massive black dog stalked into the room. Its dark fur was shaggy and pointed outwards like large spikes. Its lipless maw dripped saliva, hissing as it hit the ground. It sniffed the air and roared, staring in Zoë's direction, racing towards them.

"You guys take the lion, I take the Rover," Percy said, charging Rover head-on. The Nemean Lion noticed Percy, and was about to attack him when it was distracted by arrows raining down from above. The arrows shattered on its fur, the shards sliding down its body. Thalia summoned her shield and spear, holding up her shield before the lion, who recoiled.

"Hi-yah! Back off, you overgrown cat!" Thalia yelled.

The lion backed up, retreating away from the shield, crouching in preparation to pounce. Then Bianca appeared out of the lion's shadow and slashed at its flank, her blade clanging against it in a burst of sparks.

The Nemean Lion turned towards Bianca, but she disappeared, dropping down from above the lion, landing on its head. She tried to stab it in the eye, but it bucked, sending her flying into a rocket. Bianca slumped forward, unconscious. The Nemean Lion turned back towards Thalia and raked its claws across her shield, knocking it away. Thalia barely had time to hold up her spear to block its claws from coming down and slicing her into pieces. The lion applied more pressure, leaning its weight into the spear until it snapped in half, forcing Thalia to step back.

The lion backhanded Thalia across the face, sending her flying next to the daughter of Hades. Zoë was the last one left, dodging the Nemean Lion's attacks, holding up her daggers to block one of its paws. The other paw however, slammed into her other side, smashing her through a wall. Zoë coughed, feeling some of her ribs were broken. The Nemean Lion stalked forward, about to tear her throat out, and then something slammed into its side, sending it tumbling off the balcony.

Zoë looked up at her savior and saw Thalia standing up, her eyes rolled back into her head, lightning shrouding her form. Just like in the Capture the Flag game.

Thalia jumped off the balcony after the Nemean Lion, holding her palms out towards the lion, fingers crossing over each other slightly. Then she slammed them into the lion's chest.

Great Fa JIn

The floor of the Smithsonian collapsed, the entire structure bowing inwards toward the epicenter. The Nemean Lion coughed up blood, its eyes literally popping out of its skull. The attack completely obliterated its internal organs, instantly killing the beast. Thalia stood up, before falling back down, her energy used up in that one attack.

Before, with Rover and Percy:

Percy and Rover rushed each other head-on, butting heads and causing a shockwave, shattering glass and the floor, forming a crater. Rover backed up, a sphere of unadulterated energy condensing in its mouth, before shooting it at the demigod.

Percy held out his hands, catching the fireball in them, and he compressed it, lifting his hands towards the sky as a laser came out of the compressed fireball. The beam of energy shredded through the roof and traveled into the stratosphere before dissipating.

Percy brought his hands back down just in time to slam into Rover's head as it charged at him, forcing it into the ground, making a larger crater. Rover stood back up, shaking its head, before firing multiple blasts at him. Percy tanked all the hits, not dodging to avoid even more collateral damage. Rover's maw closed, and it was punched in the face, sending it into a wall.

Percy lifted his hand in preparation to slap it into submission. "Sit down, you damn dog."

Rover's eyes widened, recognising that command from 14 years ago, by a human in the same banana colored costume as… that boy. Rover sat down on its haunches, shaking the ground.

Percy blinked. The monster dog panted, growing smaller until it was the size of a large dog. Percy stepped close to it and picked it up, holding it in front of his face.

"Do you want to be friends or do you want to be punched?" Percy asked. Rover shook its head to the latter. Percy pet Rover's head. "Good boy."

Then the building caved in, the walls bowing inwards towards one daughter of Zeus. Percy sighed. Looks like she was just like him.

He put Rover back down and ran in the direction of the blast, hoping the others hadn't died yet.

I'm just a guy who's a hero for fun

- Saitama

And that's chapter 4! I wanted to get the Smithsonian part over with, so this chapter is over 3500 words! And I'll try to keep on gradually increasing the length of the chapters! Also, if you didn't know already, go check out my new story A New Life. Also, join my discord for updates and announcements. Peace!

- spectre646

(and Dalthale1642)