You will love what I am doing with Nico, it is not in this chapter but damn it, it is a great idea.
It is a twist on what he was doing originally... I love it.
Annabeth chattered the entire way to Camp, happily sharing stories of her grandma Metis and all she was learning from her. Magic, Combat, tactics and so many other things. Sadly she had spent some time with her family and had spent a monster-infested spring in San Francisco; she'd come back to camp twice since Christmas and she had learned nothing about the whereabouts of Nico di Angelo.
"Any word on Luke?" Percy asked.
She shook her head. "Mount Tam is still overrun with monsters," Annabeth said. "I didn't dare go close, but I don't think Luke is up there. I think I would know if he was."
"What about Grover?"
"He's at camp," she said. "We'll see him today."
"Did he have any luck? I mean, with the search for Pan?"
Annabeth fingered her bead necklace, the way she does when she's worried.
"You'll see," she said. But she didn't explain.
As they headed through Brooklyn, Percy used Annabeth's phone to call his mom. He managed to get across quite a bit to her before hanging up, she was just happy they were safe. They rode in silence after that. The city melted away until they were off the expressway and rolling through the countryside of northern Long Island, past orchards and wineries and fresh produce stands.
After a while, they were finally at the base of Half-Blood Hill.
The driver frowned. "There ain't nothing here, miss. You sure you want out?"
"Yes, please," Annabeth handed him a roll of mortal cash, and the driver decided not to argue.
They hiked to the crest of the hill. The young guardian dragon was dozing, coiled around the pine tree, but he lifted his coppery head as we approached and let Annabeth scratch under his chin. Steam hissed out his nostrils like from a teakettle, and he went cross-eyed with pleasure.
"Hey, Peleus," Annabeth said. "Keeping everything safe?"
Aaron pulled the pretty dragon into a hug, kissing his pretty face. The dragon rubbed him like a cat, bunting with his head playfully and lovingly. Their auras blending nicely, it was something he noticed with magical beings, though most were not aware of it.
Above the dragon's head, on the lowest branch of the pine tree, the Golden Fleece shimmered, its magic protecting the camp's borders from invasion. The dragon seemed relaxed like everything was okay. Below them, Camp Half-Blood looked peaceful— green fields, forest, shiny white Greek buildings. The four-story farmhouse they called the Big House sat proudly in the midst of the strawberry fields. To the north, past the beach, the Long Island Sound glittered in the sunlight. The many shrines Aaron ahd helped set up were present, as were at least six more crafted by his beloved Meggy and Charles. It was purely epic to see your work so present, he felt their power crashing against him passively, welcoming him home.
Still…something felt wrong. There was tension in the air, as if the hill itself were holding its breath, waiting for something bad to happen. They walked down into the valley and found the summer session in full swing. Most of the campers had arrived last Friday, so the camp was nice and full. There were extra campers present too, Hera's Group had brought them forth in their travels.
The satyrs were playing their pipes in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow with woodland magic. Campers were having flying horseback lessons, swooping over the woods on their pegasi. Smoke rose from the forges, and hammers rang as kids made their own weapons for Arts & Crafts. The Athena and Demeter teams were having a chariot race around the track, and over at the canoe lake some kids in a Greek trireme were fighting a large orange sea serpent. A typical day at camp.
"I need to talk to Clarisse," Annabeth said.
"What for?" Percy asked, gaping at her in confusion.
"We've been working on something," Annabeth said. "I'll see you later. "
"Working on what?" Percy asked, making Aaron sigh. He too hated being out of the loop. Whatever it was though, must have been real secret if Percy was out of it, he was at camp quite often because of Aaron's forceful demands.
Annabeth glanced toward the forest.
"I'll tell Chiron you're here," she said. "He'll want to talk to you before the hearing."
"What hearing?"
But she jogged down the path toward the archery field without looking back.
"Yeah," Percy muttered. "Great talking with you, too."
As they made their way through camp, Percy said hi to some of his friends. In the Big House's driveway, Connor and Travis Stoll from the Hermes cabin were hot-wiring the camps SUV. Finally, they wandered into the sword arena. Aaron had a feeling it was a product of Percy's ill mood. As they walked into the amphitheater, Aaron's senses tingled as he smelled HellHound. In the middle of the arena floor, with its back to them, was the biggest hellhound even Aaron had ever seen.
It was bigger than a tank, but it's aura was the most peaceful he had ever sensed. It looked right at home, lying on its belly, growling contentedly as it chewed the head off a combat dummy. Aaron was confused, but he grabbed Percy's arm before he could charge. Percy frowned at him, but Aaron turned and saw a man a gray-haired man in Greek armor. He was handsome and strong, radiating power and intellect. "Sir, what is this Hellhound doing here.
"WOOF!" The hellhound's bark shook the arena as she saw them, but she did not charge.
"She's harmless," the man said. "That's Mrs. O'Leary."
Percy blinked. "Mrs. O'Leary?"
At the sound of her name, the hellhound barked again. She nudged the soggy, badly chewed target dummy toward the swordsman.
"Good girl," the man said. With his free hand, he grabbed the armored manikin by the neck and heaved it toward the bleachers. "Get the Greek! Get the Greek!"
Mrs. O'Leary bounded after her prey and pounced on the dummy, flattening its armor. She began chewing on its helmet.
The swordsman smiled dryly. He was in his fifties with short gray hair and a clipped gray beard. He was in good shape for an older guy. He wore black mountain-climbing pants and a bronze breastplate strapped over an orange camp T-shirt. At the base of his neck was a strange mark, a purplish blotch like a birthmark or a tattoo, but before Aaron could make out what it was, he shifted his armor straps and the mark disappeared under his collar.
"Mrs. O'Leary is my pet," he explained. "She's a good girl, thank you for stopping from attacking her Master Aaron."
"Who are you?" Percy demanded.
Promise not to kill me?
"I guess."
He held out his hand. "Quintus."
Percy and Aaron took turns and shook his hand. It was as rough as sandpaper.
"Fifth?" Aaron asked, confused. "Your name is fifth?"
Quintis laughed. " Mom had a sense of humor. Fifth of my siblings."
"I see... your lying but whatever. I can read auras, and yours is all sorts of strange. Extremely powerful though and familiar but I can't... something is muffling your aura." Frowning, he turned back to him. "Aaron Mathews, but you knew that."
The man nodded. " You're a bit of a legend, dating Hades, creating those shrines, becoming so powerful despite being pure mortal... word got around." The man turned to Percy and nodded. "And you?"
"Percy Jackson," Percy said. "How did you, um—"
"Get a hellhound for a pet? Long story, involving many close calls with a death and quite a few giant chew toys. I'm the new sword instructor, by theway. Helping out Chiron while Mr. D is away."
"Oh, Wait, Mr. D is away?"
"Yes, well…busy times. Even Dionysus must help out. He's gone to visit some old friends. Make sure they're on the right side. I probably shouldn't say more than that."
That made Aaron sad. "I missed him, that sucks..."
Off to their left, there was a loud BUMP. Six wooden crates the size of picnic tables were stacked nearby, and they were rattling. Mrs. O'Leary cocked her head and bounded toward them.
"Whoa, girl!" Quintus said. "Those aren't for you." He distracted her with the bronze shield Frisbee.
The crates thumped and shook. There were words printed on the sides.
TRIPLE G RANCH
FRAGILE
THIS END UP
Along the bottom, in smaller letters: OPEN WITH CARE. TRIPLE G
RANCH IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR PROPERTY DAMAGE,
MAIMING, OR EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL DEATHS.
"What's in the boxes?" Percy asked.
"A little surprise," Quintus said. "Training activity for tomorrow night.
You'll love it."
"Uh, okay," Percy said lamely.
Quintus threw the bronze shield, and Mrs. O'Leary lumbered after it.
"You young ones need more challenges. They didn't have camps like this when I was a boy."
"You—you're a half-blood?"
Quintus chuckled. "Some of us do survive into adulthood, you know. Not all of us are the subject of terrible prophecies."
"You know about my prophecy?"
"I've heard a few things."
Aaron frowned, not trusting this man in the slightest. Thankfully then Chiron clip-clopped into the arena. "Percy, there you are!"
He must've just come from teaching archery. He had a quiver and bow slung over his #1 CENTAUR T-shirt. He'd trimmed his curly brown hair and beard for the summer, and his lower half, which was a white stallion, was flecked with mud and grass.
"I see you've met our new instructor." Chiron's tone was light, but there was an uneasy look in his eyes. "Quintus, do you mind if I borrow Percy? Actually Aaron as well. Hello Aaron, it has been far too long." The man said warmly, and Aaron nodded, just as warmly despite his dislike of the man.
"Not at all, Master Chiron."
"No need to call me 'Master'," Chiron said, though he sounded sort of pleased. "Come, you two. We have much to discuss." s.
"Well, see you," Percy told Quintus.
"It was lovely to meet you, Quintus."
As they were walking away, Percy whispered to Chiron, "Quintus seemed kind of—"
"Mysterious?" Chiron suggested. "Hard to read?"
"Yeah."
Chiron nodded. "A very qualified half-blood. Excellent swordsman, I just wish I understood…" Whatever he was going to say, he apparently changed his mind. "First things first, Percy. Annabeth told me you met some empousai."
"Yeah." Percy told him about the fight at Goode, and how Kelli had exploded into flames.
"Mm," Chiron said. "The more powerful ones can do that. She did not die, Percy. She simply escaped. It is not good that the she-demons are stirring."
"What were they doing there?" Percy asked. "Waiting for me? They were terrified of Aaron but they charged us despite that."
"Possibly," Chiron frowned. "It is amazing you survived. Their powers of deception…almost any male hero would've fallen under their spell and been devoured."
Aaron laughed. "Thank the gods I am gay, totally immune to that crap. Oh and we kicked their asses easily. Still, why charge me at all? They were terrified when I threatened them."
Chiron nodded. "It is not surprising, really, they think men as beneath them and as they were crafted by Hecate they loathe any mortal that surpasses their mystic powers. It is no shock that they went after you despite being so afraid. But for now, come, we should get to the woods. Grover will want you there."
"Where?"
"At his formal hearing," Chiron said grimly. "The Council of Cloven Elders is meeting now to decide his fate."
Chiron said we needed to hurry, so he gave Percy a ride on his back while Aaron shifted into a dog and ran after them. They ran through a tunnel of old willow trees, past a little waterfall, and into a glade blanketed with wildflowers. A bunch of satyrs were sitting in a circle in the grass. Grover stood in the middle, facing three really old, really fat satyrs who sat on topiary thrones shaped out of rose bushes. They radiated weak magic, dull and unimpressive, they were they Council of Cloven Elders.
Grover seemed to be telling them a story. He twisted the bottom of his T shirt, shifting nervously on his goat hooves. He hadn't changed much since last winter, maybe because satyrs age half as fast as humans. His acne had flared up. His horns had gotten a little bigger so they just stuck out over his curly hair. I
Standing off to one side of the circle were Annabeth, another girl Aaron had never seen before, and Clarisse. Chiron dropped Percy next to them. Aaron shifted into his true form a moment later, startling them all but they said nothing.
Clarisse's stringy brown hair was tied back with a camouflage bandanna. If possible, she looked even buffer, like she'd been working out. She glared at Percy and muttered, "Punk," which must've meant she was in a good mood. She shivered at the sight of Aaron, knowing all too well he could and would kill her.
Annabeth had her arm around the other girl, who looked like she'd been crying. She was petite—with wispy hair the color of amber and a pretty, elfish face. She wore a green chiton and laced sandals, and she was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. "It's going terribly," she sniffled. She had an aura of springtime and life, a typical dryad.
"No, no," Annabeth patted her shoulders. "He'll be fine, Juniper." Annabeth looked at them and mouthed the words Grover's girlfriend.
"Master Underwood!" the council member on the right shouted, cutting off whatever Grover was trying to say. "Do you seriously expect us to believe this?"
"B-but Silenus," Grover stammered. "It's the truth!"
The Council guy, Silenus, turned to his colleagues and muttered
something. Chiron cantered up to the front and stood next to them. Aaron remembered he was an honorary member of the council, but he'd never thought about it much. The elders didn't look very impressive. They reminded me of the goats in a petting zoo—huge bellies, sleepy expressions, and glazed eyes that couldn't see past the next handful of goat chow.
Silenus tugged his yellow polo shirt over his belly and adjusted himself on his rosebush throne. "Master Underwood, for six months—six months— we have been hearing these scandalous claims that you heard the wild god Pan speak."
"But I did!"
"Impudence!" said the elder on the left.
"Now, Maron," Chiron said. "Patience."
"Patience, indeed!" Maron said. "I've had it up to my horns with this nonsense. As if the wild god would speak to…to him."
Juniper looked like she wanted to charge the old satyr and beat him up, but Annabeth and Clarisse held her back. "Wrong fight, girlie," Clarisse muttered. "Wait."
"For six months," Silenus continued, "we have indulged you, Master Underwood. We let you travel. We allowed you to keep your searcher's license. We waited for you to bring proof of your preposterous claim. And what have you found in six months of travel?"
"ENOUGH!" The entire glade shuddered under Aaron's flare of power. Everyone turned to him, he hated bullies and he hated people that abused their power. "I channel the power of Nature itself, my power is of the Earth which actually puts my power as a far cry above yours. Which also means I can detect lies and falsehoods. I also saw Pan helping during the mission to save Artemis. Which means you are all idiots. I can sense, still sense, the power of Pan around Grover. None of you have a trace of it but Grover, he oozes it. In fact, in the time since I was on my pilgrimage, it has only gotten stronger. So unless you are calling me of all people a liar, I would really advise you to look into yourself and stop your biases. This kid, this goat boy, found all of the Children of the Big Three of this Age and me. He may not be a great protector, but he is a phenomenal finder. If anyone is going to find Pan, in any shape or form, it will be him. Oh and by the way. In case you are forgetting, I sacrificed my Sliver of the Golden Fleece for Pan, he took it so I am very, very familiar with his magic. More so there is a shrine to Pan here in the Camp, I can feel his power emanating through it. So try it, doubt me."
The Sayts turned red. "HOW DARE A MERE-"
Aaron laughed. "Not a mortal, not anymore. I am slated to become a god, and I would have become immortal without it. So, tell me, do you want me as your enemy? Oh and keep in mind, Dionysius is a very dear friend. I am actually quite fond of him, do you think he will be pleased with your disrespect. Or Persephone, whom again is a very dear friend and has influence here as a nature goddess? Oh and who can forget Artemis, who actually respects me... huh... and Oceanus, Metis and so many others. Really, pissing me off is a very, very bad idea."
They all shivered, terrified of his power and influence, as they rightly should be.
Chiron, trying not to laugh, nodded. "Then it should be decided, Grover can take as much time as he needs to in order to find Pan."
They all nodded, looking wide eyed. "This meeting of the council is adjourned," Silenus said. "And now let us enjoy our noonday meal!"
The old satyr clapped his hands, and a bunch of nymphs melted out of the trees with platters of vegetables, fruits, tin cans, and other goat delicacies.
The circle of satyrs broke and charged the food. Grover walked happily toward them, hugging Aaron tightly.. His faded blue T-shirt had a picture of a satyr on it. It read GOT HOOVES?
"Hi, Aaron! Thank you so much! Hi Percy! That went well, huh?"
"Those old goats!" Juniper said. "Oh, Grover, they don't know how hard you've tried!"
"There is another option," Clarisse said darkly.
"No. No." Juniper shook her head. "Grover, I won't let you."
His face was ashen. "I—I'll have to think about it. But we don't even know where to look."
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
In the distance, a conch horn sounded.
Annabeth pursed her lips. "I'll fill you in later, Percy. We'd better get back to our cabins. Inspection is starting."
Aaron hugged them both and they left. Happy, he turned to Juniper and kissed her hand, making her flush. "It is an honor to meet you."
She giggled and threw her arms around him. "You made nature so much more pure around here, and you help Grover, I love you!"
He laughed. "Always happy to be of service. Now, if you don't mind, I have my baby sister to see. So excited!" He kissed her face, smiling at Grover, and frowned at the Saytr council once more before marching away, more than happy to see his precious baby sister Meggy. It had been far, far too long since they last met.
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