Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or Harry Potter
The Unrelenting Frozen Seas: Symphony of Tempering
Chapter Eleven: Homely Healing
Beta: ShadowofAxios
"Chiron, thank you for meeting me." Rhode said as she sat down across from him at the Ping Pong table in the Big House. "I know you're busy settling back in and all."
"Fret not, Rhode. I always have time for my charges." Chiron reassured her. "What did you want to talk about?"
"It's about something about the Quest for the Golden Fleece," Rhode said, shifting uneasily in her seat as she recalled what she wanted to talk to him about. "Something that slipped my mind in all the, ya know, chaos lately."
"I understand," Chiron said, frowning slightly as he seemingly sensed her unease. "What is it Rhode?"
"Well, you know we visited Circe's Island during the Quest, right?"
"You've mentioned it, yes." Chiron said with a nod.
"Well, when I got there, Blackbeard was there. You, um, know him?"
"Yes," Chiron said with a pained sigh. "I do have the misfortune of knowing Edward Teach. I take it that he was up to his typical unpleasant business on the Island?"
"Ya," Rhode said with a nod, feeling sorry for bringing up what must've been a sore topic for Chiron. Blackbeard must've been one of his charges once. To see him become the monster that Rhode encountered in the Sea of Monsters? It's gotta hurt. "Circe tried to stop him, but he beat her and then the Devil of the Rhine showed up and-"
"And he got away in the chaos?" Chiron asked expectantly and Rhode nodded.
"He looted the island before he did though. And he, um, took some of the girls there too."
"Where did I go wrong with that boy?" Rhode heard Chiron mutter under his breath. "Yes, that was the way of the world back then but if he's survived until now then he could at least learn to be more civilized."
"Um, I heard from Annabeth that Circe had him and his crew imprisoned as guinea pigs, so maybe he still thinks it's the glory days of the pirates still?"
"That's no excuse," Chiron said with a sad shake of his head. "Even back then it wasn't the most civilized thing to do. Taking prisoners as slaves, I mean. We weren't in the Classical Age anymore. For ransom, yes, but outright slavery? That was on the way out. Mostly. At least, I tried to teach my charges not to engage in it."
"I'm sorry Teach never seemed to learn the lesson." Rhode said honestly, trying to comfort her unsettled mentor.
"Yes, well what's done is done." Chiron said with a tired sigh. "Edward has long since forgotten most of my lessons and is likely unwilling to hear anymore from me. What needs to be done now is to save those poor girls he's taken. I'll contact Aphros and Bythos immediately and ask them to have Camp Fish-Blood send out a Quest to rescue them."
Rhode cocked her head, wide eyed at Chiron's declaration. "Huh, I'm surprised you'd get Camp Fish-Blood involved in this."
The Trainer of Heroes gave her a serious look. "With Blackbeard keeping himself no doubt on sea, it only makes sense to leave it to the experts to handle the task. While I believe in our heroes, the sea is treacherous as many have learned this summer."
"Hm, makes sense. Plus with guys like Bill I'm sure they can handle it."
"I'll go prepare the message. Thank you for informing me of this, Rhode." He nodded and started to wheel away towards his room.
Rhode moved to stand as well, but Mr. D appeared with a hand held up in a sign for her to wait.
"Evans, sit. We need to speak."
"What do you need, Mr. D?" Rhode asked, honestly drawing a blank as she sank back into her seat from which she'd half risen when Chiron left.
"I want to talk with you about that little duel with Castellan." The god said as he took a seat across from her.
Rhode winced, a hand going to her stomach where Luke had stabbed her. "Sorry for losing…"
She looked away, feeling a rush of disappointment in how it ended.
"Psst," Mr. D said, waving his hand dismissively. "I didn't actually expect you to win. Not saying that I am not annoyed you lost, I am. But I know even with my blessing you'd not be able to keep up with someone who had received the Crooked One's boon."
"Really?" Rhode, asked surprised.
"Yes," Mr. D nodded with a sour puckered look on his face. "Grandfather is a cheating cheater. You probably didn't notice on account of being beaten up like a schmuck but he pumped up Hermes' boy even more at the end. The cheat."
"So we'll need a means to match or maybe expel the blessing from Luke next time?" Rhode thought aloud, brow knitted.
Mr. D shot her a look that told her he thought she was stupid.
"And how pray tell are you going to do that?"
"Research. Something has to be able to do it. Maybe an old ritual? There has to be something."
Mr. D just laughed at her, wiping laughter born tears from his eyes, making himself look like a drunken Santa Claus.
"No," the god said, shaking his head. "There is no way a mortal will be able to interfere with a god's or Titan's blessings so easily. No, there is only one option should you face the boy again. And you will."
Rhode felt her shoulders tense, looking straight into the god's mad eyes. "And that is, sir?"
"Run," the god said firmly. "You find yourself in a position to fight him face-to-face? You run. You've lived this long using that marble you call a brain, keep using it."
"Why do you care if I die?" Rhode asked, with a frown. "I thought you hated all heroes."
"Because despite being an annoyance, I'd hate to have the one hero I bestowed my blessing upon this generation to just up and die doing something stupid."
Rhode's frown just deepened. "Okay~ But why bless me at all?"
"Do you think you and your merry band would've escaped Castellan if I didn't?" Mr. D asked with a roll of his eyes. "I may hate you brats, but I am no fool. If you and your group had ended up in his hands we'd lose some mighty important pieces on the chessboard before the game even properly begins. And that would lead to some trouble."
Yeah, it certainly sounds like trouble. Rhode agreed with a nod.
"I'm glad you understand my terrible position, Evans. I would be yelled at too if you got yourself killed. Ghastly!" Mr. D said with a shake of his head. "I've had enough of that this summer, please spare me a repeat."
"I'll try Mr. D." Rhode promised.
Mr. D stands to leave but not before addressing Rhode once more.
"Be prepared for things to get worse, Evans." He told her seriously. "From what I've heard the last Titanomachy was a horror show, I don't expect this one to be any less of one. And if Hermes' boy's little obsession with you is any indication-"
Rhode grimaced at that. She had been desperately trying to push out of her mind that Luke had stolen a kiss from her during their fight thank you very much and now Mr. D just had to remind her of it!? Argh!
Ignoring her disgusted reaction, the god continued. "-then you'll be one of the stars of the show this time around. You best be ready for what that means."
"I'll try my best." Rhode replied.
Mr. D rolled his eyes at what he probably thought was a weak answer before turning around and teleporting away in a purple mist.
Rhode stayed where she was pondering the situation. She knew Mr. D was right but honestly what more could she do to prepare herself? She didn't know.
Guess I'll just have to keep going like normal and hope it's enough. Rhode thought with a sigh as she finally stood and glanced at the clock.
"It's almost time for when Tyson said to meet him at the forges." Rhode noted. "Guess, I'll go fetch Percy and head over."
"Yo Tyson, you said you have something to show us?" Rhode said as she and Percy stepped into Camp's forge.
"Yes, Sister!" Tyson cried out happily as he came over, a small spherical drone made out of Celestial Bronze hovering over his shoulder.
"Is that it?" Percy asked, eyeing the automaton as it made cute warbling noises in greeting.
"No, Percy." Tyson said, shaking his head. "That my spoil for killing Polyphemus. Charlie helped me get it working."
"Thanks for that Charlie," Rhode shouted at the current Hephaestus Head Counselor.
"Don't mention it, Rhode." The heavily muscled man said as he looked up from his work table where he was tinkering with some gears. "It was fun to work with and it's been a great help around here."
"It has?" Percy asked, blinking in confusion.
"It has helpful laser." Tyson explained pointing at a wall, which his drone took as a signal to fire a laser beam that scorched the plaster slightly.
"And it has plenty of sensors that help us with the delicate stuff too." Charlie added with a grin. "Like I said, it's been super useful."
"Wish the horn I got for beating the Minotaur was that useful."
"Yeah, I got dud spoils in the past too." Rhode nodded. "They're a mixed bag a lot of the time."
"I glad I got lucky." Tyson said with a nod. "It help me make these."
With that he held out a pair of wrist watches, both were rugged affairs but one was decidedly more feminine in appearance than the other.
"What are these?" Rhode asked curiously as she took the feminine watch and strapped it onto her wrist, whilst Percy did the same with the other timepiece.
"Press the adjust button three times and see." Tyson said with an eager grin.
Both human half-bloods of Poseidon shot each other a look before shrugging and did as their cyclops brother asked.
Immediately sheets of Celestial Bronze unpacked out of the watches and quickly unfurled into shields reminiscent of the aspis used by Classical Greek warriors. Each was richly decorated, with each of the panels that folded out of the watch featuring a depiction of some scene representing their greatest achievements painted in the Classical style.
Some of Rhode's included her defeat of the Caucasian Eagle, her defeat of the Lich Voldemort, her defeat of Scamander, her slaying of the Leviathan, and the successful recovery of the Golden Fleece.
Percy's had the last one too but also had his killing of the Minotaur and his defeat of Ares.
"These are great Tyson!" Percy said, awed by his new shield.
"Who helped you with the art for these?" Rhode asked curiously. Since Tyson probably hadn't known about some of these achievements, someone had to have helped him. That and despite being a great tinkerer, her brother didn't have an artistic bone in his body.
"He got some of the kids of Apollo to help him with that." Charlie chimed in. "He made them some custom weapons in exchange."
"Fair deal," Tyson added, nodding in agreement.
"Thanks Tyson!" Rhode said, sincerely tapping the centre of the shield instinctively and causing it to revert to its watch disguise. "Like Percy said, these are great."
Tyson smiled. "Glad you like it. I saw you two didn't have shields, so thought you should get some."
"That's so thoughtful of you." Rhode said with a grateful laugh as she pulled him into a hug. "You're the best Tyson. Really."
"What Rhode said," Percy said, shooting him a thumbs up.
In response, Tyson just blushed, something which caused his siblings to both smile happily at him.
Rhode was walking through a dream version of Camp. With the wispy edges to her vision and the unclear quality to the images in general, she could tell that much. It wasn't a prophetic dream either. At least she didn't think so since it lacked the weight of one.
Dreaming of Camp, huh? Guess my subconscious is out of ideas. Rhode thought with a laugh.
Laughter that died in her throat as she rounded the corner of Cabin Eleven to step into Camp's central plaza and saw a scene of horror.
Piled in heaps all around the dead central hearth were bodies. Familiar bodies. In one neat pile were the decapitated bodies of Annabeth, Thalia, Grover, Percy and Tyson. Stacked into a pyramid next to that were their severed heads. In less tidy arrangements were the others. Su, Lee, Jack, Emily, Gaige, Chiron, Thetis, Thekla, Estella, everyone… Just lying around in haphazard stacks, each bloody and staring out at Rhode with dead eyes set into horrified grimaces. But pride of place were a series of pikes planted into the hearth itself, from which the impaled bodies of Dad, Mum and Triton hung and under which stood the architect of all this carnage.
Standing under the bodies of Rhode's family was Luke smiling invitingly at her, his golden eyes shining with the power of the Crooked One and with his accursed sword, Backbiter, slung casually over his shoulder.
Bile rose in her throat and her nose burned from the smell of decaying flesh.
"Happy Birthday, my love." The monstrous dream-Luke said as he vanished and appeared in front of her.
Rhode tried to lash out at him but he easily caught her arms and despite her fierce struggles pulled her towards him. Wrapping one arm around her to keep her restrained, he freed the other to grab hold of her face and pulled her into a kiss.
She tried to bite his lip but as her face got closer to him, she felt her strength flow out of her and the wind play across her skin. A quick glance down at her body revealed, to her horror, that her clothes had vanished, leaving her absolutely starkers save for a Celestial Bronze collar attached to a chain. A chain that Luke was now using to pull her the remaining distance to his lips.
"You're mine now, sweetheart." He whispered as he pulled her into a demanding kiss that sealed his dominion over her mind, body and soul.
Rhode woke up screaming, skin slicked with sweat, her arms flailing in her blankets to get free as she flopped out of bed and tried to get her bearings.
"Rhode?" Percy asked sleepily, rubbing at his eyes as Tyson stared at her as he pushed himself into a sitting position.
Rhode, nearly huddled in a corner as she tried to calm her racing heart, was tempted to just brush them off but thought better of it, instead decided that she needed to share her worries a little.
"Nightmare," she said quickly as she pushed to her feet. "Meet me in the stables in ten minutes. I'll explain then. I need to calm down a bit first.".
Her two brothers exchange confused looks but eventually nod.
Satisfied, she offered them a shaky smile before throwing a robe over her sleepwear, a simple tee shirt and shorts, to fight the potential late night chill and all but ran out of the Cabin in the direction of the stables.
Flóga stood in her stall in Camp's stables looking at her rider feeling confused about what brought Rhode over in the middle of the night.
Um, Bosslady, what brought you here? Isn't it kinda late? Flóga asked, looking at her rider worriedly.
"Can I wait to explain later?" Rhode said with a slightly haunted look. "I just want to talk about something else for the time being. Something to distract me and help me calm down."
Flóga shot her rider the equine equivalent of a frown but obliged.
So did you know that Maple and Four-Leaf are having a foal soon? Flóga asked. We just found out yesterday.
"Really?" Rhode gasped, a small smile spreading across her face as she turned to the happy couple a few stalls down. "Congrats, you two."
Thank you, my lady. The two sycophants replied as Flóga rolled her eyes.
Hey now! Blackjack, Lord Percy's mount who he had rescued from Luke when he had been on the Princess Andromeda, shouted from his stall across from Flóga's own. No need to be so formal.
And you can stop being so uppity. Flóga shot back, annoyed with the newcomer. I might think it's silly but if they want to be respectful then let 'em.
Oh, shut up! I'm just saying Lady Rhode probably likes to keep things informal. I know Boss does.
Argh! This idiot stallion is so, so annoying! The mare couldn't help but think. Can't he be less of a pain!?
"I do," Bosslady said with a grin. "But like Flóga said, I don't mind if anyone wants to be a bit formal too. I know it's just them wanting to be respectful. Just don't overdo it."
Flóga shot the newbie a victorious grin, or the equine equivalent of one, even as the stables' other occupants chorused their agreement to Bosslady's order.
As was proper!
"So Maple, did the stablehands yesterday give you an extra serving of oats?" Bosslady questioned the newly pregnant mare.
Yes, my lady. The mare with a coat of orange, yellows and browns as befit her name said. They gave us some of those special oats that Miss Su makes. They taste great and I am sure my foal appreciates it.
I am sure it does. Four-Leaf said nudging his mate gently with one of his wings.
"Su's oats, huh?" Rhode said with a smile. "They're good?"
The best. Flóga said, nudging Bosslady with her wing. Just like she is. She's a good partner for you Bosslady. Not as good as me, but still plenty good for a human at least.
"Flóga! What are you saying!?" Bosslady said with a pretty blush.
Ah, she missed when her Bosslady was so much younger and innocent. It was easier to get these kinds of blushes.
"Rhode, we're here." Lord Percy said as he and Lord Tyson stepped into the stables.
Immediately, Flóga along with all the pegasi instinctively tensed at the presence of the cyclops, but she quickly relaxed as she remembered that her rider treated him like a brother and she trusted her rider's judgement. Plus, Lord Tyson had never been anything but nice to them.
Yo Boss, what are we? Chopped liver? Blackjack chided his rider, who had the grace to blush as he greeted everyone else.
"Sorry guys, I forgot. Hi!"
"Hi winged ponies!" Lord Tyson chimed in after his brother.
The stable was filled with greetings for a moment as everyone greeted the sons of Lord Poseidon.
"So, um, sorry to spoil the mood and everything but Rhode, are you calmed down enough now to tell us about your nightmare?"
"Must've been scary, right?" Lord Tyson added, looking worried. "You woke up screaming, sister. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I am Tyson." Rhode said, stepping over to the cyclops to pat his arm reassuringly. "Thanks for asking."
"You sure?" Lord Percy asked, looking at Rhode skeptically.
"Yeah."
Wait up, Bosslady! You had a nightmare? Flóga asked her rider worriedly.
"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't prophetic." Rhode reassured them all. "Just my mind dreaming up a worse case scenario."
That's like totally not comforting, Bosslady. Flóga informed her rider firmly.
Rhode just shrugged.
"So what was it about?" Lord Percy asked, looking worried.
Bosslady sighed and began describing her nightmare.
"I saw Camp covered with corpses." She said, hugging herself. "The corpses of everyone I care about. Both of you, everyone here in the stables, Annabeth, Grover, Thalia, Su, Jack. Dad, Mu- I mean Amphitrite, Triton too. Everyone. And in the middle of it all stood Luke."
Bosslady shivered at that and Flóga did too. That sounded terrifying.
"And then Luke, he- He made me his slave." Bosslady finished with a shudder, her face pale at the mere memory of her horrible dream.
Flóga felt her. That sounded absolutely ghastly.
"We won't let any of that happen." Lord Percy confidently reassured Rhode as Lord Tyson and Flóga both nodded in agreement.
"I'm sure we'll all try," Rhode said with a tired shake of her head. "But it won't be easy. Luke was here at Camp for a long time, he knows it in and out. He knows all our weaknesses. The only person who knows it better is Jack and he's still in a coma."
That's not true. Flóga said, scratching at the ground with her hooves disagreeably. You've been here in Camp as long as he has, Bosslady.
"Yeah, but I was away at Hogwarts for most of it."
"Annabeth then." Percy countered. "She's been here just as long and was a Year Rounder. She knows just as much as Luke and then there's Chiron. I'm betting no one knows Camp better than him. He's been here as long as Camp has even existed."
"Okay, you've got me there." Rhode agreed and Flóga breathed a sigh of relief, though as she continued, the pegasus realized she'd counted her chickens before they hatched. "But we're still in a bad place. Especially since Mr. D basically helps Luke with recruitment with his attitude to us half-bloods and how he's the first god most of us ever meet."
"He's not that bad," Percy insisted. "I've met worse. Clarisse's dad is even worse."
"That does not help things, Percy." Rhode said with a groan. "It just proves that a lot of half-bloods' grievances are probably justified. A lot of gods have done a shitty job taking care of their kids, like Hermes did with Luke, whether they wanted to or not."
"You know I tried my best," Lord Hermes' voice preceded him as he blinked into existence in the middle of the stables.
Lord Hermes, welcome! Flóga and the other pegasi greeted politely, bowing their heads in respect to the god.
"Lord Hermes," Rhode greeted more frostily even as Lords Percy and Tyson just bowed.
Rhode! Flóga hissed at her rider warningly, but the daughter of Poseidon just ignored her and proceeded to put her foot in her mouth regardless.
"Well, your best wasn't good enough." She told the god with a sigh.
"And neither was yours." The messenger god countered, looking at Rhode with his eyes literally glowing with smoldering anger. "You lost to him in your little duel and failed to bring him back to the side of Olympus."
"He just caught me off guard with that boost he got from the Crooked One that's all." Rhode shot back defensively, her hackles raised and her breath coming out in a cool mist. "I'll be better prepared next time. And besides, I never accepted your Quest to get Luke to switch sides again. To me, he's my enemy. No more, no less."
With that said, Rhode stormed off and Flóga breathed a sigh of relief. Better that her rider run off in a huff than stay and let her Fatal Flaw get her more worked up, and Olympus forbid cause her to say or do something that would get her in serious trouble with a god.
As Lord Tyson ran off after Rhode though, Flóga wished she wasn't locked in her stall. She wanted to be there to talk down her volatile rider and make sure she was alright too!
Something that Lord Percy could probably empathize with if the frown on his face was anything to go by even as Lord Hermes kept him from running after Rhode with a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm afraid you can't leave yet, Percy." The god said with a shake of his head. "Not until you take this."
With that he handed the half-blood a letter.
"It's from your father," the messenger god said, causing Lord Percy's eyes to widen in shock.
Before he could say anything however, the god continued.
"Oh, and tell Rhode I'm sorry." The messenger god said, sounding genuinely apologetic. "I didn't mean to upset her."
Lord Percy looked at him in surprise, but before he could say a word, the god had blurred away in a burst of speed.
A furious Rhode stormed through Camp towards the direction of Thalia's Tree with Tyson trailing after her trying to calm her down.
"Um, Sister, please no be angry. Face might stick like that." Tyson gently pointed out.
"It won't." Rhode shot back, shoulders tense as she stomped heavily. "And just let me be angry for a bit Tyson! I need to vent!"
"Oh… oh! You can hammer things at smithy. Lots of banging!" Tyson cheerfully pointed out.
"Not my cup of tea, Tyson. But thank you." Rhode said with a shake of her head as she made long, angry strides towards Half-Blood Hill.
"Hmm… swim?" He nervously asked.
"Not in the mood for that either." Rhode shot back as she began climbing the hill at a steady pace.
They reached the Tree where Annabeth and her brother Malcolm were on duty guarding it and the Golden Fleece which hung in its branches, a temporary measure until Chiron could hire some friendly monster to serve as the Fleece's new guardian.
"Rhode?" Annabeth asked in surprise, but her face quickly turned worried at her furious look no doubt. "What happened? You look pissed off."
"Tch, Lord Hermes stopped by. The guy accused me, me! Of failing to turn Luke back to the side of Olympus. Can you believe that?! If Luke's made up his mind, how am I supposed to stop him! Has he even met Luke?!"
Annabeth walked over, putting a hand on her shoulder which calmed the older girl somewhat. "That wasn't fair of him. Heck, it was unreasonable to assume you had that much sway over Luke. The Crooked One's held his ear for who knows how long. One talk can't undo all that."
"Like gods care about being reasonable." Rhode huffed irritably.
"Uh, Rhode? Is this a good time?" Silena Beauregard, current Head Counselor of the Aphrodite Cabin, said as she walked out of the darkness of the night into the small patch of light cast by the Golden Fleece. "I need to talk to you."
"No," Rhode told her bluntly. "I'm in a bad mood."
"Please, I-I need to talk to you. Please!" Silena begged, tears building in her beautiful eyes.
A frown marred her face as the daughter of Poseidon scratched her hair with a frustrated grunt. "Fine, talk."
"C-Can we talk in private?" The brunette asked with a nervous gulp.
"No," Rhode said, crossing her arms. "Like I said, I am in a bad mood. So if this is some petty secret nonsense save it for later. If it's not, then nothing you say to me you can't say to the rest of us here too."
Silena turned to look between Thalia's Tree and Rhode herself before sliding a glance towards Annabeth nervously. Nodding, she curled her hands in front of her chest. "Right, right, I guess Annabeth deserves to hear this too. Though I wish Grover was here also."
Annabeth's sharp grey eyes zeroed in on Silena's, her voice soft yet held an underlining steel-like quality. "What do you mean by that?"
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, the daughter of love explained. "I-I can't live with the guilt anymore. I need to talk to those that I hurt the most by doing what I did."
Bethy let out a horrified gasp, taking a step back with shocked eyes.
Rhode looked at her sharply, "What Bethy? What's she talking about?"
Silena winced, looking away with shame all over her face. "I see Annabeth figured it out…"
Growling in frustration, Rhode said, "Okay, stop talking in circles and just speak plainly. Now."
Closing her eyes tightly, Silena spoke in a soft whisper. "I-I was the Titan's spy. I was the one who poisoned Thalia's Tree."
As Silena's words reached her ears, it was as if something snapped in her mind. Her eyes dilating as she looked, looked at Silena. Icy fury flooded her veins and a great shout spilled from her lips as Spellbound somehow wound up in her hands. Her feet pounded the ground as she ran at the daughter of love with nothing but the intent to kill.
"Tyson, stop her!" Annabeth cried out and Rhode felt herself grabbed by large rough hands and lifted into the air.
"Let me go!" Rhode thundered as her arms were trapped in her brother's large palms. "Tyson, put me down so I can kill her!"
"Rhode, Rhode calm down!" Annabeth ran in front of her, looking up with worry. "We need her to answer questions! If we want any information about Luke's forces, we need her!"
Rhode's thrashing halted, her sea green eyes looking into the hurt and worried stormy grey ones of her little sister.
Seeing those eyes, her little sister trying her best to stay strong, calmed her. Even as her rage pulsed with intense cold, she took a breath and looked at Silena with nothing but betrayal and hatred.
"Fine."
At least Malcom was behind the traitor, sword poised at her neck ready to cut her down if the daughter of Aphrodite decided to cut and run.
"Alright Silena, you better tell us everything." The son of Athena warned the girl, body tense.
"I, I will. I promise." Silena said, rubbing her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks.
As Percy finished reading the letter from his Dad, he just stood there in the stable confused.
It had been a little cryptic to be honest. "Brace yourself. And look after your sister." That had been all it said.
Which was weird since she had been looking after him. A lot.
At least that had been Percy's first thought before his brain caught up to him. The letter was a warning. One given to him that something was about to happen that could rattle his and more importantly Rhode's world.
That was why their Dad had sent a letter instead of an IM via the fountain in their cabin or call via Rhode's phone. Either of those options would've gotten Rhode curious. Something that he was sure Dad was trying to avoid. Percy knew she'd not like it if she found out Dad was deliberately asking people to watch out for her, so he was doing it sneakily.
Yo Boss, what did Lord Poseidon say? Blackjack asked, even as Flóga and the other pegasi looked on, eager to hear his reply.
Wait, I can read. I've been taking lessons! Flóga said as she tried to look over his shoulder.
Percy quickly folded the letter, so Rhode's nosy partner couldn't read it.
"Nothing you guys need to worry about." Percy told them. "It's private, okay?"
That got him disappointed whinnies. Man, who knew pegasi were such gossips.
"Anyway! I think I'll go check in on Rhode." Percy declared as he began to walk out of the stables. "You guys stay out of trouble."
He was met with a chorus of acknowledgements, some more grudging than others.
How does Rhode keep a handle on all of them? Percy thought with a good-natured shake of his head.
As he surveyed Camp to look for where Rhode had gone though, any levity he might've felt vanished as he spotted the top of Half-Blood Hill which had been transformed into a fortress of ice.
Rhode! Percy thought urgently as he broke out into a run. If she was angry enough to create something like that… Then whatever Dad's letter had warned about had come to pass.
It took him only a few minutes of running before Percy reached the scene of the chaos but he couldn't help but feel it was too late.
He found Silena from Aphrodite Cabin frozen to a chair made out of ice with Malcolm holding a sword to her neck.
"And where did you get the essence of Lady Achlys' death-mist?" Malcolm asked the daughter of love.
"Someone passed it to me." Silena replied, eyeing the sword held to her neck nervously. "I didn't recognize who it was. I think it was a half-blood though."
"And when did this exchange happen?" Malcolm asked, leaning in to glare at Silena.
"On my way to Camp this summer." Silena answered without hesitation. "I was waiting for a cab at the airport when someone just came up to me, passed me the vial of it and instructions. The note was from Luke."
"What the heck is going on?!" Percy asked, bewildered by the sight before him.
"Percy!" Tyson greeted happily as usual, even with how tense the situation was. "Pretty girl said she hurt special tree. Said doing for mean guy because crushy crush she had on him."
Well that summed up what was going on at least.
Still, Percy gasped in disbelief that Silena would do something like that. He thought she was Rhode's friend.
The sound of galloping of hooves broke him away from his thoughts and he turned in their direction just as Chiron came on the scene, looking stern and in-charge.
"It wouldn't be the first time someone did a foolish act in the name of love. Nor will it be the last. Or at least what they believe is love."
He turned to Annabeth's brother and said, "I'll be taking over the interrogation, Malcolm."
"You better make sure she pays for what she did, Chiron. This, this cannot stand. I refuse to let it."
The sheer look of apocalyptic rage on his sister's face made Percy let out a shiver. Or was that from all the frost covering the hill?
He couldn't blame her for going all Ice Queen on them though. No doubt she was going through an emotional rollercoaster from everything that was happening tonight.
"I promise you Rhode, justice will be served. Rest assured." Chiron told her with a soft timbre to his voice. No doubt trying to calm her down before she blew a blood vessel.
Before Chiron could get started on his interrogation though, something in the corner of Percy's eye caught his attention and he instinctively glanced towards it and gasped.
"Thalia's Tree," he said, pointing at the pine and the rippling waves of light that were suddenly playing across its bark.
"What now!?" Rhode hissed in furious alarm as she and everyone else spun around to look at the tree. "Chiron! The tre-"
Before she could finish her desperate cry, the building intensity of the light reached a crescendo and in a nearly blinding burst of white a figure literally fell out of the pine.
As Percy blinked the spots out of her eyes, he found the figure was a teenage girl with shoulder-length, spiky black hair. One which he was familiar with from the many pictures he'd seen of her in Cabin Three.
"T-Thalia!" Annabeth gasped.
It seemed Thalia Grace was back from her arboreal grave.
"So Chiron," Su asked as she sat down across from Chiron in his office in the Big House. "Learn anything from your interrogation of Silena?"
She was here on Rhode's behalf. The daughter of Poseidon was too distracted by looking after Thalia to follow up on things herself after all. Neither was Annabeth for the matter, though that had more to do with the daughter of Athena descending into a neurotic mess after recent events. Apparently the prospect of meeting Thalia again had rattled her more than she'd let on. She had been mumbling to herself about what she wanted and needed to tell the revived daughter of Zeus in practically every free moment since the older girl had emerged from her Tree. Thankfully, Percy was there to help distract his not-girlfriend by asking her to help him with mundane things.
Honestly, why were children of Poseidon so dense when it came to their feelings?
"Nothing new," Chiron said with a shake of his head. "She wasn't told much."
"So besides the fact she was the spy 'cos she had a crush on Luke, poisoned Thalia's Tree and passed on whatever she heard, that's it?"
"Unfortunately."
"The note with the instructions to poison the tree?" Su asked hopefully. "Got anything useful from that?"
"Nothing," Chiron said with another disappointed shake of his head. "Outside of the actual instructions, it was just Luke trying to charm Silena into doing what he wanted."
"Which he succeeded in doing." Su observed with a frown, arms crossed.
"Sadly."
"So, there's really nothing else?" Su asked once again.
"I'm afraid not." Chiron confirmed.
Su frowned but nodded and stood to leave.
"Alright, then I guess that's that." She said with a disappointed sigh. "Catch you later, Chiron."
"Su, where are you going?"
"Oh!" The petite girl smiled as she twirled the end of her ponytail. "I'm going to cook some lunch for Rhode. Knowing that girl, she'll miss her meals in the Dining Pavilion."
The old centaur chuckled, an amused look on his face.
"You're being a very caring person for someone who isn't your significant other."
"For now," Su tells him confidently, toying with the twin rings she always wore around a chain underneath the fabric of her Camp tee. "But I am sure we will be that and more someday."
Chiron shook his head, "Playing the games of love like this is risky business, Su. Trust me, I have seen my fair share of it through the centuries."
"It is a risk I am more than willing to take. Rhode is worth it." Su declared as she turned and walked out of his office.
A couple days after Thalia had been released from her Tree, Rhode was sitting in the infirmary watching over the sleeping daughter of Zeus' bed. Somewhere she'd barely left since that fateful night. Only having left to say bye to Tyson when he'd departed to take up the job he'd been offered in the Atlantean forges.
It had been laid out next to Jack's, the two beds only separated by a screen. A decision made by Chiron because he was uncertain when either of them would wake and he wanted his two 'coma' patients in the same place for ease of access.
Though now that Thalia was out of danger, they were able to give the Golden Fleece to Jack so there was now hope for him to wake up too.
"Rhode, I brought you lunch." Su said as she entered the room. The petite girl sounding as chipper as a chipmunk.
"Thanks Su," Rhode said, offering her friend a smile as she came into the room laden with a wicker basket.
"No problem," the daughter of Demeter said with a smile of her own. "Though you really should remember to go down to the Dining Pavilion to eat. Even Annabeth manages and she's as tightly wound as you are."
"I'll try to remember next time," Rhode said half-heartedly. "It's just I wanted to keep watch here, you know? I want to be here when they, either of them, wake up."
"I understand," Su said as she pulled over a table to where Rhode was sitting and set the basket on top of it, before she began to lay out the food she'd brought. "Which is why I brought you lunch."
"Thanks Su," Rhode repeated as she stepped forward to help Su set up the food.
"I even managed to snag some chocolate cherries for dessert." She winked playfully.
"The satyrs and Dionysus Cabin let you?" Rhode asked, blinking in surprise. "They're usually so stingy about them."
"I've helped them out in the fields every so often. They owe me some." Su explained with a shrug.
"That makes sense."
"Of course it does," Su said with a playful smile as she picked up a slice of pie. "Now open up!"
"Whut!?" Rhode asked, shocked.
Laughing, Su shoved the pie into Rhode's open mouth.
Rhode hurriedly grabbed the pie slice and bit off a chunk, whilst shooting Su a pouty glare.
"Was that necessary?" She asked as she swallowed and wiped at the mess around her mouth with one of the napkins Su had helpfully brought along.
"No, but it was fun." Su teased, her soil black eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Fine. Your turn now." Rhode demanded as she took a forkful of another piece of pie.
"Well! If the princess insists~" Su giggled as she leaned forward, brushing her hair behind her ear to show her slim neck and gently took a bite.
Rhode felt her cheeks grow hot as she noted Su had left some pie left for herself on the fork and finished it off.
"My, my Rhode, that's an indirect kiss, ya know." Su said, that damnably adorable teasing smile still on her face.
"I think you should be eating." Rhode huffed, looking away.
"I would, but this is just too fun~"
"Argh," a familiar male voice said and both girls spun around to look at Jack's bed where he was pushing himself into a sitting position. "Li, stop flirting with my girlfriend."
Su crossed her arms indignantly, ready to say something in reply but was cut short when another unexpected voice filled the room.
"R-Rhode?" Thalia asked weakly as she blinked at Rhode curiously.
Awkwardly swallowing the pie she'd been chewing, Rhode could only look between the two newly awakened half-bloods.
"Thalia? Jack?" She said, too stunned to say anything else.
This isn't how I wanted them to see me when they woke up. Rhode thought with a blush as Su ran off to call Chiron.
"Um, hi?"
Done and done! Thanks to Nameless and Axios as always!
And there we go, Sea of Monsters finished and now the inbetween of that and Titan's Curse. That's going to be fun with all that we've got planned out.
Nameless: And so ends the TUFS version of Sea of Monsters and with it we've set up some nice little mayhem for Rhode to deal with. With both Thalia and Jack back in her life, how will she handle it? Will she be able to reconnect with Thalia after all these years? After she's grown to become so very different from how the daughter of Zeus remembers? Will she be able to resist Jack's emotional manipulations and stay true to her promise to Amphitrite to avoid relationships? Keep reading to find out. ;)
There's a lot to unpack in this chapter, from Rhode's honestly terrifying nightmare. Because let's be honest, Kronos would take a trophy. The rising tensions with the confession from Silena, so that's going to derail a few things for our heroes. Hopefully mostly good and of course, Thalia and Jack are back in Rhode's life. Things certainly got a touch more complicated for our heroine.
Nameless: That's an understatement bro. A huge one!
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