There is some of the OG chapters here but most of it is new, different and I am proud of it.

Time passed quickly for Aaron after his return to Camp Halfblood, and a lot happened. They were the first heroes to return alive to Half-Blood Hill since Luke, so of course everybody treated them as if they'd won some reality-TV contest. According to camp tradition, they wore laurel wreaths to a big feast prepared in our honor, then led a procession down to the bonfire, where they got to burn the burial shrouds the cabins had made for them in their absence. Even Aaron was included, to his shock, no one mentioning or glaring at him for being mortal.

Annabeth's shroud was so beautiful-gray silk with embroidered owls. It radiated power, magic that Aaron could taste, magic straight from Athena herself in honor of her daughter's success.

Being the son of Poseidon, Percy had no cabinmates, so the Ares cabin had volunteered to make his shroud. They'd taken an old bedsheet and painted smiley faces with X'ed-out eyes around the border, and the word LOSER painted really big in the middle.

Hecate's children and his fellow Mages built his, a glorious black sheet of shadowy silk with silver keys covering it from end to end. It was beautiful and kind and it touched him to watch it burn.

However despite the celebrations no one seemed to be that happy, the truth of Luke's actions had been revealed by Annabeth and Grover when they returned, confirmed by Percy and Aaron both. Luke, as it turned out, had escaped on his own just hours before. They figured someone had told him to run and so he did. It was a terrible thing, and it cast a veil of sadness over the entire camp. The campfire and smores they had was a muted affair that left Aaron kind of sad, though not as much as the others since he had no connection to Luke.

Chiron's speech afterwards had been hard to listen to, even for Aaron.

"A great betrayal has been committed by one of our own. Luke's actions will not be forgotten but neither will out victory here. Rejoice, if not for them, then in honor of the successes of the recent days and the restoration of dangerous items to those who they belong to. The gods are at full power once more and war is no longer on the path for our future. Rejoice, my children, in that."

Oddly that just seemed to make people sadder...

As for Sally, she had a chance at a new life. Her letter arrived a week after they got back to camp and was actually addressed to Aaron as well as Percy, to their combined shock. She told them that Gabe had left suddenly, deciding to up and leave once he was forced to return Sally's Insurance money but was unfortunately hit by a car just minutes later. The insurance policy she had been given from his death had come in handy, She'd gotten so much money from it, she'd put a deposit down on a new apartment and made a payment on her first semester's tuition at NYU.

Aaron knew she was responsible for the murder of her Husband, he just couldn't figure out how. He wished her well though, Gabe deserved death if he was really as abusive as he seemed. He sent a sacrifice to any god that had a part in that, he had a suspicion that someone did... he just couldn't figure out who. Maybe Poseidon, when he found out the man was a turd? Who knew, Aaron surely didn't.

She left a P.S. On the bottom of the note.

"Percy, Aaron I've found a good private school here in the city. I've put a deposit down to hold you both a spot, in case you want to enroll for seventh and eighth grade. You could live at home. But if you want to go year-round at Half-Blood Hill, I'll understand.

Aaron, I filed for total custody and was granted it, it happened very quickly, like a miracle. If you plan on going to school you are going to need to test into eighth grade since you'd missed so much school. Two years are a big deal...

To say he was touched was... beyond what he was actually feeling. He barely knew Sally and that she was willing to take him despite him looking like Gabe was... well it was almost painful it was so sweet. Still, he was pretty sure he was going to stay at Camp, he just had more opportunities there. He could learn magic, help the Demigods and prepare for a war that was probably going to happen...

Why was that? Well Zeus, in his infinite wisdom, denied that Kronos was rising even though both Hades and Hecate warned him... and didn't even punish Ares for his crimes. Percy, having been on Olympus when they were all there, saw the whole thing and revealed as much to Aaron who was pissed. He knew that he had to prepare, demigod or not he had a world to fight for. He refused to give in, not when everything was wonderful for him for the first time... ever!

On the Fourth of July, the whole camp gathered at the beach for a fireworks display by cabin nine. Being Hephaestus's kids, they weren't going to settle for a few lame red-white-and-blue explosions. They'd anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rockets the size of Patriot missiles. According to Annabeth, who'd seen the show before, the blasts would be sequenced so tightly they'd look like frames of animation across the sky. The finale was supposed to be a couple of hundred-foot-tall Spartan warriors who would crackle to life above the ocean, fight a battle, then explode into a million colors.

As Annabeth, Aaron and Percy sat at the beach spreading a picnic blanket, Grover showed up to tell them good-bye. He was dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt and sneakers, but in the last few weeks he'd started to look older, almost high-school age. His goatee had gotten thicker. He'd put on weight. His horns had grown at least an inch, so he now had to wear his rasta cap all the time to pass as human. Aaron could finally feel his magic, a thin veil of something that felt like a warm summer day just oozing off of him.

It was magical what confidence did for power.

"I'm off," he said. "I just came to say ... well, you know."

Percy looked pained, hurt almost. Aaron just sighed and handed Grover something he had been saving for the next time he saw Grover. "Please, take this..." It was a dagger, sheer white and crafted by Charles Beckendorf under instructions by Aaron. "I had Beckendorf make it for you yesterday, Hades was right I can hold weapons. I figure that this will help you. You did listen when I said that you needed a weapon, so I figured I'd get you one."

Grover put it in on his side, smiling with confidence. "I remember our talk, I was going to get a cudgel but this might be better. Thanks."

Annabeth gave him a hug. She told him to keep his fake feet on.

Percy asked him where he was going to search first.

"Kind of a secret," he said, looking embarrassed. "I wish you could come with me, guys, but humans and Pan ..."

"We understand," Annabeth said. "You got enough tin cans for the trip?"

"Yeah."

"And you remembered your reed pipes?"

"Jeez, Annabeth," he grumbled. "You're like an old mama goat."

But he didn't really sound annoyed.

He gripped his walking stick and slung a backpack over his shoulder. He looked like any hitchhiker you might see on an American highway-nothing like the little runty boy he had on their quest.

"Well," he said, "wish me luck."

He gave Annabeth another hug. He clapped Percy on the shoulder, hugged Aaron again, then headed back through the dunes.

Fireworks exploded to life overhead: Hercules killing the Nemean lion, Artemis chasing the boar, George Washington (who, by the way, was a son of Athena) crossing the Delaware.

"Hey, Grover," Percy called.

He turned at the edge of the woods.

"Wherever you're going-I hope they make good enchiladas."

Grover grinned, and then he was gone, the trees closing around him.

"We'll see him again," Annabeth said.

Aaron just chuckled. "Unlike the others, he actually has a weapon, so maybe it will help."

"""

July passed.

Aaron spent his time apprenticing under Alabaster, working hard to relearn how to channel the power of magic. It was not easy, in fact it was almost impossible since he no longer had the training wheels of the talisman on his body. He spent hours meditating, focusing to the point of migraines, just to draw in enough power to cast even simple spells. The magic he did take in felt different then Hecate's, less dense and more fluid. He struggled to light a fire or lift small objects but he learned quickly and by the end of July he managed to get himself to the level he was when he had the talisman, which was impressive. A month was all it took to get him to a reasonable level for a beginner.

Of course that wasn't all he did, he still spent hours sparring with his sword and shield, something he never used on the quest. He started to get reasonably better, same with his bow actually. He was no power house but he was good enough to not be hopeless in battle... or, so he hoped. Also, he had decided to stick with his enchanted metal weapons for the time being, he wasn't ready to have more specialized weaponry, not until he mastered what he had at the least.

The campers had one last meal together. They burned part of our dinner for the gods. At the bonfire, the senior counselors awarded the end-of-summer beads. To his shock, Aaron actually got his own leather necklace, and the design was pitch black, with a sea-green trident crisscrossing with a silver key shimmering in the center.

"The choice was unanimous," Chiron announced. "This bead commemorates the first Son of the Sea God at this camp, and the powerful new Acolyte of Hecate and the quest they undertook into the darkest part of the Underworld to stop a war!"

The entire camp got to their feet and cheered. Even Ares's cabin felt obliged to stand. Athena's cabin steered Annabeth to the front so she could share in the applause. Aaron almost choked as he was shoved, by Alabaster himself, to stand in the front.

He flushed a deep red at that action, laughing with the rest of them. A feeling of home and happiness in his heart, followed by a sour annoyance as he remembered how they had treated him for so long.

Still, he didn't want to leave.

Of course, nothing could last... and sadly, neither would his happiness.

''''

The next morning, Aaron found a letter by his bed in the Big House. He knew Dionysus must've filled it out, because he stubbornly insisted on getting his name wrong:

Dear_ Aaron Mathews_ ,

If you intend to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, you must inform the Big House by noon today. If you do not announce your intentions, we will assume you have vacated your cabin/room in the Big House or died a horrible death. Cleaning harpies will begin work at sundown. They will be authorized to eat any unregistered campers. All personal articles left behind will be incinerated in the lava pit.

Have a nice day!

Mr. D (Dionysus)

Camp Director, Olympian Council #12

Having expected this, and having decided that he was staying at the Camp ( he could have graduated highschool as it was, years of studying in the library to compensate for life on the streets ensured that.) Aaron decided to hurry over to Chiron and Dionysius to announce his attentions to stay. Thankfully they were not far, so he walked over to them from his room to the front porch where they were still at Pinochle.

"I'm staying." He said as he saw them, leaning against the railing. "I have plans for the next year and they all are here."

Chiron nodded. "I figured you'd be staying. Very well, you are more then welcome as Hecate's Acolyte."

"Thank you, Chiron." He swiped his forehead, trying his best to ignore the heat waves filling the air. "I am going to the Cave of Magic if you need anything, see you both later."

Satisfied, he hurried to the cave, ignoring the occasional awe filled eyes of the demigods and their whispered nothings. He still wasn't a big fan of theirs, they had denied him warmth and kindness for too long for him to suddenly like them just because they now respected him for completing a quest. It was actually kind of annoying to see them so... amazed.

Reaching the Cave didn't take long but in the heat of the summer day, it felt like forever.

He noticed something wrong immediately, mainly a lack of runic magic protecting the cave. There was no rush of magical energy around it, no cool energy keeping the potions and books within from being affected by the heat. The cave entrance was bear and the runes had been literally scratched off. Panic set in immediately, he shot into the cave, sword and shield drawn.

Only to see and sense no one within. Looking about, he saw no fires roaring with potions brewing above them. No clamoring of hammers against metal, no whispered spells or conversations. There were no demigods practicing magic in any capacity and that was terrifying to him, there were always people here even after curfew. Something was wrong, deeply wrong.

Moving about, Aaron walked from table to table to table. Eventually he reached the far edge of the cave, where the armor was kept... only to see nothing left. No books, no scrolls, not a shred of armor or swords. Nothing that had been crafted remained.

However there was a single scrap of paper on the far wall, glowing with the green light of magic. Magic that smelled of Alabaster...

Reaching out, Aaron pulled it off the wall and wasted no time in reading it.

Aaron,

I am sorry to say that I am leaving, as are all my siblings and fellow mages. We choose to join Luke and Kronos.

There was a pause, his eyes wide with shock and horror. " Are you kidding me? Alabaster, why would you do this? They'll kill you!" He wanted to scream out but before he could, the letter continued to speak to him.

We are not the only ones, many will join our cause in the coming days. A cause worth fighting for, one that I know you will never accept. We cast a spell, a divining of your true nature. You would never fight for Kronos, your too loyal to yourself to ever join him. I am sad to hear this, we wanted you to join us. Your a rare talent with magic, you'll never be the most powerful but you will always be skilled.

I can tell.

Mother is also joining us, I'll give you a moment to embrace that.

"Even Hecate is joining you? That's... my ride here, she is the whole reason I am allowed in camp. If she's left then that means..."

I guess the Gods refusing to believe Kronos' rise was the final straw.

Surely you know that means that you are no longer going to be allowed in camp. Her technical betrayal means that the connection to all realms will be denied to her subjects, which you are a part of. I am sorry for that, but it means that you will have to leave Camp. I know how much it meant to you, and for that I am sorry.

However, I still wish to tell you why... why we are leaving, why we are joining him. You've earned that much...

It comes in layers, first we are tired of the unclaimed being tossed aside. Many of them are actually the children of the main twelve and they are still be ignored by their parents. Countless many are left to die in the real world, most are just tossed in a cabin we can barely fit in and left to rot because our parents are given no respect or glory. They cannot give us a place to stay or any form of care...

The gods are a divine mafia, gutless bullies that use and abuse us all. We want to tear apart Olympus and the Western world and rebuild it with something more honest.

The invitation for you to join our side is open, but not for long.

Please make a better choice then we divined.

Yours,

Alabaster C. Torrington

Almost too much, Aaron collapsed into his chair just as the letter crumpled itself up and fell onto his side table. The silence in the room was almost haunting, leaving him stunned, almost afraid to even talk or even breath. What could he do, what should he do? Only one thing was really clear.

"I have to report this... but then what?"

Sighing long and slow, he made his way back to the Big House, quickly finding Chiron and Mr. D still playing Pinochle. They turned to look at him, concern and boredom respectively in their eyes.

"Aaron, what is the matter, Child?"

He stood there for a long time, waiting to speak... and then, finally, he just handed the letter over to Chiron. " There is a lot we need to talk about."

Chiron nodded as he red the paper, his face paling as he did so. "They are all gone... and what of the Cave?"

"Emptied, not a trace of anything left behind... and that's not the worst part. Hecate left to serve your father, which also sadly means my invitation is revoked."

Dionysius made a Hmph sound. "No, it's no. I may hate it here, but I cannot fault you for her actions. Not when you have already shown your loyalty...besides Hades made his support clear, Hecate or no you have a home here. I cannot give you knowledge or a blessing like those in the Cave could, but I can allow you to stay."

Tears almost made their way into Aaron's eyes. "Thank you... really... thank you."

"Whatever, are you in for the next Game or not?"

Aaron just nodded, while thinking very clearly. 'If this war is going to happen, I need a new source of power to draw from for bigger spells since Hecate is my enemy now and the Earth can only give me so much power. I also need a new source of knowledge... but where could I draw from? Could I learn from...damn, I need a new divine ally... but who?'

Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.

What is Aaron going to do for power to invoke, and lessons to learn to control his magic to be skilled? I know what's going to happen but do you?

Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.