Beta'd by VCRx & PraetorFable
Chapter II: An Oath
The Sixth of April
One Month Before the Invasion of Manhattan
Rubbing his eyes, Percy swung himself out of bed. Feeling the cold wooden floor under his feet, he groggily made his way over to his bathroom. Yesterday had been eventful, to say the least. After the plans for their invasion of New York had been finalized (He still couldn't believe he was actually going through with the damn thing), he had a private conversation with multiple councillors, including Annabeth, about the morals of invading a city. He thought of those that had still been adamantly against the plan.
He remembered the look on Travis' face when the boy told him that he had changed, and the look on Connor's when Percy asked him if he thought the same. As he finished brushing his teeth he remembered the tears that Katie had shed into his shirt as he tried to comfort her. Throwing on a Camp Hal-Blood shirt and some shorts he walked out into the cold brisk air. Going places was now an event, even as early as five in the morning. Even just walking to the beach to start his run he attracted stares from the few that were awake that early.
He liked to run early in the day. It helped, being able to think of everything in the morning rather than letting it keep him up every night. Not only did it let him think, but it got him awake quickly, something he often struggled with.
After he finished jogging the perimeter of the camp making sure the guards were remaining vigilant, he noticed the increased activity in the camp along with the ever so faint peak of sunlight on the horizon. Making up his mind, he decided to jog over to the arena.
The arena was a hotspot for those looking to improve themselves. Well, that and workaholics. Entering the arena with the slightest bit of sweat visible through his shirt, he walked over to a practice dummy and began his routine.
About an hour later he got deja vu as a newer camper approached him. Already knowing what the kid was going to say, he let the guard tell him that he was needed at headquarters before moving past him towards the big house.
Entering through the two doors at the front of the house and making his way into the war room, he noticed that when he entered, the cabin councillors were slightly less reluctant to stand up. Just as before, the Roman liaison and Leo's replacement, who was actually here this time, snapped to attention. He shot them a glare, and they quickly got the drift.
Sitting down at the head of the table, he looked over the maps of New York they had laid out.
He frowned, still not satisfied with the plan.
Any death for this plan of theirs would be a tragedy. It seemed, however, necessary, despite how much he cursed himself for that sentiment.
He knew that even if he didn't go along with this plan, someone else would, and more people would just end up dead or suffering. He didn't want this plan to go through, but if it was going to happen anyway, he had to take the opportunity to control it.
He looked up at everyone else sitting at the table. Everyone was wearing the same morose expression. He imagined he wore a very similar look on his face.
"Well, everyone. You know your jobs. Get to preparing and briefing your groups," he spoke. He looked around, trying to find the darkest corner in the room, before addressing it. "Nico, your preparations start in two weeks, on the twentieth. For everyone else, we'll be invading Manhattan in exactly one month, on the sixth of May. You have that much time to prepare. Remember, not everyone in this camp has seen battle. Keep morale high, and blood lust low." He shot a glance at Clarisse with the last part, to which she rolled her eyes in response.
Standing up, he again addressed everyone at the table. "The announcement will be made today at lunch. Classes will be cancelled for the rest of the day, so it's your time to get to know the people under your command before you work the hell out of them for the next month. Go, and good luck," he finished, turning around and walking out of the room, fully expecting Annabeth to follow him.
He needed to talk to his mentor anyway, and it didn't necessarily need to be a private conversation. It was about the invasion, after all, and Annabeth had practically written up the entire thing.
Reaching the oak door at the end of the hallway, he rapped on the door, before putting his ear to it, awaiting a response.
"Come in," sounded from the other side of the door, and he walked in to find his mentor sitting behind a desk, filing some paperwork for the camp.
Chiron motioned with his hand for Percy to sit in the chair opposite his desk. Following the suggestion, he let himself sink into the comfy chair.
Chiron looked at him "What can I do for you, Percy?" he asked with a smile.
Percy sent back a grim smile. "So, as you are aware, we will be heading out to Manhattan in a month," he began, as his mentor just gave him a patient smile with a hint of worry to it, as though he had an inkling of an idea of what the conversation would be about.
Percy decided to get it out. "The gods have decided that every demigod of the age twelve and older will be participating. Volunteers or not."
He pursed his lips. Forcing twelve-year-olds into service to save the gods had an eerily familiar tone to it. He had known ahead of time that the gods were serious in their plans to become more powerful, but to conscript prepubescents into a military to fight against the most powerful mortal fighting force the planet had so far seen was just cruel.
Chiron seemed to understand the situation and seemed to age before him.
"I see," he muttered, nearly so quiet that Percy could not hear him. They sat in silence for a few seconds.
Percy was about to continue speaking about what that would mean for life at camp, but before he could the door opened behind him. Already knowing who it was, he waited for her to sit down to his right before smiling at her "What took you so long?" he asked playfully.
She glared back at him, though there was no heat behind it. Annabeth was about to start reprimanding him for leaving her in the war room before Chiron cleared his throat.
Looking towards him, Percy could see he was amused at the intrusion, but figured he wanted to get the topic of discussion over with as quickly as possible.
"As we were discussing," he continued, "I see what that would mean for camp life here, I will do my best to make sure myself and others may... Adjust."
"There's one more thing," Percy interjected. "The gods also have mandated that anyone under twelve that wants to volunteer for the army may serve in non-combatant roles," he all but spat out.
Chiron seemed to age another millenium in front of his eyes. "I see," he repeated his earlier words.
Knowing his teacher needed some time alone, Percy stood up and dismissed himself with a nod. When he didn't hear footsteps following him, he looked back into the room to find Annabeth quietly conversing with Chiron. That was strange. He would have to figure out what that was about later.
The Twenty Eighth of April
Eight Days Before the Battle of Manhattan
Percy found himself in Chiron's office once again, seated in the visitors chair while he was waiting for the centaur to arrive.
Percy reminisced as he sat there. He thought of when his largest problems were his math teacher being a crazy monster bat-lady or settling some beef with the Minotaur, but at least he wasn't in immediate danger now.
He wanted to laugh at the irony of it all. Finally, there were no more threats. He could have settled down and lived a happy life, but the fates had other plans for him. The moment there was a glimpse of peace for Olympus or his own life, another conflict surfaced, and this time he was playing villain.
That was the most prominent conflict that waged within him for the past few weeks. How many innocent lives would have to be laid down for this? How many good people that were just protecting their families and the life they lived would be killed for this ambition? He always justified it though. What would the world be like without the gods? No seasons, no storms, no sickness, no death, no pain and no love. It would not be life, but a culmination of memories and experiences.
So then he had carried on for weeks begrudgingly. Scouting out the Manhattan infrastructure network even more, helping to train new campers, and working with all the head councillors and their units.
That, in and of itself was a dilemma. They had not come up with a new name for the head councillors yet, or even a formal ranking system for the higher ups. He supposed that was his duty, but the councillors were the least likely to vye for a change from the old ways, including himself. But he had to admit that it did seem out of place with all the "Lord, Lady, Sir, and Your Highness" formalities flying about. He would have to fix that in the coming week before the battle.
He kept on marvelling at the rapid flow of campers that came in the last few weeks. He was now sure that the gods had not kept their promise in claiming all their children, and were only bringing them to camp as needed, based off of how many new kids had arrived the moment it was advantageous for the gods to claim them.
Chiron trotted into his office, shooting Percy a warm smile and moving to his side of the desk. Shooting a smile back, Percy watched as he sat down in his wheelchair. It was still a fascinating process to watch after nearly six years.
Chiron wasted no time. "I asked for you to meet with me because I feel you are in need of some advice," the kind old centaur spoke. "You have not dealt with politics before, least of all godly politics. You need to be informed of some harsh truths Percy."
Percy was a bit miffed at the subject. He had been part of the Roman senate. He had even been a Praetor for a short amount of time. He had led Camp Half-Blood through two wars and had maneuvered around the Olympian Council for years, so what was it that Chiron thought he didn't have experience with?
"The gods have not been nearly as powerful as they were in ancient times. As I am sure you have already been told, a demigod's power comes almost entirely from the strength of their godly parent. This means that when gods become more powerful, so do their children. However, when these people, gods and demigods, become powerful, they have a tendency to become ambitious. You, however, will become more powerful with them, which in theory should keep any overly ambitious individuals in check.
"The dynamic starts to change, however," Chiron continued, "when mortals are added into the mix. With mortals and the full world at play, there will be too many variables for one person to effectively manage. I asked you here to warn you about the environment in which you are about to enter. You will need people you can trust. Allies, subordinates, whatever it may be, but you need to be sure that you are able to trust those people with complete confidence. This is more than your life at stake, my boy, it is the world: Both godly and mortal."
Percy just sat there, taking it all in.
He mostly understood what his mentor was getting at. More and more demigods, his friends or not, and even mortals could become ambitious enough to try to shape the world into their own design. He could bet a fair few of them were willing to do some horrible things to get to where they wanted.
Chiron wasn't entirely done, however. "Starting now, you must trust no one until you can be sure that their loyalties lay with only yourself, your vision, and the wellbeing of the majority. This includes Annabeth, the gods, and even myself. Everyone will have their own motives."
Now that was a bit harder for Percy to swallow. He knew from experience that the gods would exploit anything and anyone including himself, for their own agenda — it was what they had been doing for years — but Annabeth? Chiron? It didn't sit right with him, but if what Chiron was telling him was true, he knew he needed to take his advice seriously.
He was shaken simply at the implication of having Chiron or Annabeth being an obstacle to a better world, but he knew it was a possibility. Chiron might be too adamant about the protection of the campers to allow sacrifices to be made. He had proven time and time again that he would allow necessary sacrifices to be made but what would happen when he didn't consider them necessary?
And then, there was Annabeth. He knew her well, and he was sure together, they would be able to figure out and solve any problem. But he also knew that her fatal flaw could be dangerous in the near future. He trusted Annabeth to be self-conscious enough to keep herself in line as is, but he was unsure of how her self-control would translate if they became more influential. Could Annabeth rein in her ambitions for a new world? He thought of the time she'd tried to drown him, years back in the Sea of Monsters, chasing after a mirage of her ideal New York. What if that Annabeth returned? When Annabeth gets placed in a position where she could go for that image, would she?
He needed to figure that out soon. He was ashamed to admit, he couldn't think of a single person that he wholeheartedly trusted to make the right decision at the end of the day.
He then mentally slapped himself for those thoughts. They were his friends after all. Annabeth was his girlfriend and he had to trust her. His friends were all good-hearted and had saved the world too. They wouldn't lose to themselves.
But Chiron's words continued to resonate in his head: Was it really possible his friends could change?
Chiron saw the conflict in his eyes. "Go. It is not a fate I would wish upon anyone, but once again, you must accomplish the impossible," he said with a sad smile.
Taking his advice, Percy nodded and stood up, before leaving Chiron's office, deciding to make his way up to Half-Blood Hill. It was a place he would often go early in the morning to think, if he wasn't already at the arena or out for a run.
Climbing his way up the dew-covered hill, he tried focusing on the future. What he would be doing in just over a week? What would it mean for his life, his mom's life, and everyone he loved?
Reaching the apex of the hill, he turned around to look at the buildings of camp which were covered in fog. He seriously had to consider who to trust. He needed at least one person he could rely on, or he was sure to go mad. His girlfriend would normally be that person, but she had her own vision for the world. Even before they had any plans of interacting with the mortal world she had had aspirations beyond their tiny camp. Either way he was sure they would get through it together, he reassured himself. They always did. He had faith in her, and he knew she would control her hubris.
He was interrupted from his thoughts when Nico materialized next to him.
"Preparations on my end are nearly complete. The infrastructure of Manhattan will be ours in a matter of days." he reported as they both gazed down into the valley.
Glancing to his left, he noticed his cousin was a little winded after his shadow travel. He fought the urge to raise an eyebrow. It was a problem that was specifically impacting the big three children, they could barely use their powers right now. He assumed that Nico had just come from summoning undead to occupy a drawbridge or something, and the shadow travel immediately after could not have helped. It was like Nico was fourteen again, tired with the slightest use of his powers.
Percy wasn't much better. He guessed he could raise a storm about the size of New York City and then be out for about a week. From his limited contact with Thalia, it seemed to be the same for her as well. He had even gone so far as to send an eagle to Jason and Hazel a week ago to make sure it wasn't just a Greek thing, but hadn't gotten a response back yet. It was the main reason, among others, that Nico's operations took days instead of minutes.
They were silent for a few moments.
"Do you trust me, Percy?" Nico suddenly asked. Percy, for one, was a bit startled by the nature of the question.
"Of course I trust you, Nico. What makes you ask that?" Percy wondered aloud.
"I overheard your conversation with Chiron," Nico admitted. "I want to be the one you can count on."
Percy blinked. He hadn't sensed Nico in the room, or just outside of it. Perhaps his powers really were getting pathetically weak, or maybe he had let his guard down too much if Nico was able to listen in on the conversation. It was a mistake he would not repeat.
He didn't even have time to ponder Nico's proposition before his cousin continued speaking.
"You will need loyal allies Percy — no — loyal subordinates. Let me be one. I know when the dust settles and the betrayals and heartbreaks end, and all but one's ambitions have been crushed, that you will be on top whether you want to be or not. So let me be an extension of your will, at this early juncture. Let me be someone you can absolutely trust; to remove any dissent before it even starts."
Percy had kept his face stony throughout his thoughts. Thanks to his time with Lupa and the Romans, he'd learned to not have his heart on his sleeve.
Nico misunderstood his silence.
"I will swear myself to you, if that is what it takes," Nico declared, staring at the taller boy defiantly. Seeing Percy about to object, Nico narrowed his eyes, now understanding why Percy had been quiet before now. He would not accept the new world he was entering, not even after his talk with Chiron. He would have to be forced to take allies.
It infuriated Nico. How someone so much more experienced than him, someone whom had once been his mentor, could be so ignorant to something that Nico himself found so obvious. There would be cutthroat politics that could get him killed, that was a fact. And so, Nico made up his mind on the spot.
Kneeling for propriety's sake, he felt a concentration of power wash over the area, and he was sure that Percy noticed it as well. So the gods were watching. Nico sighed, he would have to make this even more formal than he had intended.
Bowing his head while kneeling before his soon to be liege, he drew his Stygian Iron sword out of the scabbard on his right side. As the Stygian Iron sword screeched against his scabbard, he could faintly hear Percy whispering 'Nico', almost in disbelief, as if begging him to reconsider.
Reconsider, he did. For all of a microsecond. Nico had never had any vision for the world. Not for demigods, not for anything. He had no real ambitions of his own. He did as he was told. He helped his father in the Underworld because his father wanted his help. He helped with the wars mainly because that was what Percy had wanted him to do. He could finally make a choice in his life. A real choice that would change the world. And he was choosing to allow Percy to decide the fate of the planet. Who else than who it had rested with twice before? Who else than the one who had proven himself more selfless than any hero since the dawn of time immemorial? Who else than the only one on the earth he had come to know as a friend?
Nobody else.
And so, looking towards the ground, he held his sword against his sternum, the handle pointing outwards towards Percy. He recited an oath in Greek. It was a butchering of what an ancient oath of loyalty may have been in the past at best, but it was binding nonetheless.
"I, Nico Di Angelo, swear on the River Styx to fulfill the every command of Perseus Jackson. To forever swear myself as his sword, his will to become mine, and to protect his life and wellbeing above all others." he swore. It was short, but it was the best he could come up with on the spot and it was binding, so it was good enough.
Percy numbly, almost unbelieving, took the hilt of the sword, and shakily laid it on his right shoulder, and then his left, before handing it back. Nico took back his sword, sheathed it, stood up, and then had the gall to gaze back down into the valley, as though nothing had happened.
Percy scoffed as he felt the concentration of power over the area dissipating. How unbelievable. He shouldn't have even accepted the oath. But then, what choice did he have? Nico had sworn on the Styx, not to him, and not to the gods. He couldn't have forfeited his oath, it was just ceremony by the time Percy had even had a choice.
Shaking his head, Percy looked back down to the valley, feeling Nico's presence beside him. He would let it go, for now, but he'd be damned if Nico ever did something so stupid again.
