please join the discord, links on my profile, and i hope you enjoy this chapter.

today's reccs are all fics from JillianEmily, aka, annabethy, and a personal fav fic of mine named the gods are real (and so are we)

do read the AN at the end if you're wondering where was i these 5 months lol.

anyway hope you have fun readin'

There was complete silence as the king of the gods watched me blankly, half-looking like he wanted me to repeat myself. The other gods were not much better, each staring at me in varying degrees of surprise and puzzlement. I squirmed under their collective gazes.

Zeus looked like he was still computing what I had just said. I didn't think at any point in history, had someone asked him to acknowledge the minor gods. Well, other than me, of course.

His expression turned stony, and his lips curved in a scowl. "No."

I took a deep breath. If I was being honest with myself, I knew this was going to happen. My past experiences with Zeus had made it clear, but it didn't stop me from being hopeful that for once, the king of gods would agree to a request without answering it in the negative.

"Sir, I know that you're...cautious," I said, taking extra care not to say 'paranoid'. "But don't you think the council has denied them their places in Camp for long enough?"

"For good reason, as well," Zeus returned hotly. "The Camp is for the children of the Olympians. The Minor gods do not deserve their own cabins. Their children being allowed to stay in the Camp is enough."

"But they're gods as well," I protested. "Hecate, Invidia, Morpheus, Iris, Fortuna— they deserve their own cabins. If not them, their children do. I've seen campers crammed in the Hermes cabin because their parent was too insignificant in the eyes of the Olympians to claim them."

"They would forget their places," Hera cut in with a sour look. "Equal positions in the camps would undermine our authority. They will only want more after that. We can't possibly give them what the sea-spawn says."

"I disagree," Hermes interjected firmly. "We've been abhorrent in our treatment of the Minor gods. They've performed their duties for millennia without complaints. Your authority has left their children angry at us and their parents because they believe they don't care about them."

"And it's not only the children of the Minor Gods," I stated. "It's your children too. The Hermes cabin is overflowing with unclaimed campers because many of you don't even claim them! Do you think it's a privilege to be a son of a god? Because it's not. Many of us don't even reach adulthood because we're being hunted by monsters constantly! And then once we do reach camp, we're thrown in the Hermes Cabin until our parent cares about us enough to claim us."

Zeus's eyes turned stormy. "We cannot interfere in our children's lives," He snapped. "It's against the Ancient Laws!"

"But you can try to make it better!" I returned heatedly. "Try to be better parents. Claim your children once they reach Camp. At least make it a point to show that you care about them. Don't wait for them to do something for you before you acknowledge their fucking existence."

"And why should we do that?" Hera said haughtily. "We don't owe them anything."

"You gave them this life," I said incredulously. "Do you even know what Half-Bloods go through just because we're different? We don't fit in with the mortal world, Hades, we don't fit in the divine world. Monsters hunt us constantly and a majority of us have shit lives because our mortal parents have no clue what to do with us. The least you can do is make it better by just giving us a sign that yes, we do care about you even though we abandoned you at birth."

I knew I was at a major risk of getting blasted into oblivion, but I knew they wouldn't budge until I had laid down the reality bare to make them see it for themselves.

"Uh, cousin," Apollo began uncomfortably. "What you're asking for is—"

"Is perfectly doable," I interrupted, not even caring if I was being rude. "If you can visit the mortal world for your...conquests, for the lack of a better word, you can definitely take two seconds from your immortal lives to claim your children."

Athena tilted her head and opened her mouth to speak. I sighed internally.

Her it comes. This is when she says something clever that convinces all the gods how I'm utterly wrong and—

"The sea-spawn is right."

I blinked. What.

It seemed I wasn't the only one surprised because pretty much everyone recoiled in surprise. Poseidon, in particular, looked stupefied.

Athena resolutely didn't meet anyone's eyes and looked at me. "You raise a fair point, Half-blood. Our children do deserve better than an overcrowded cabin after the hardships they've faced. They do worship us— not out of choice— but because of lack of one and should an opportunity arise, they wouldn't hesitate to turn against us."

"Our own children turning against us?" Zeus said. "That isn't possible, Athena."

"My Lord, might I remind you that Ouranos, once, may have thought the same. The Titans' hatred for their father was spawned from neglect as well."

Zeus nodded slowly. "I suppose you are correct. But they're just half-bloods. If some of them turn their backs to us, it hardly makes a difference."

"It isn't about the strength of a rebellion," Athena stated. "It's what it entails. Should an enemy arise—" Her eyes flitted to mine. "—and one may very well be arising based on the facts we have, recruiting demigods would become absurdly simple for them."

"Before you say that no enemy is rising," Poseidon said pointedly when Zeus looked to protest. "I want you to know that your main strategist is agreeing that our rule may be in danger. Ares may have been thick-headed, but he was still an Olympian, and to probe his dreams would require ancient magic. And you know who is capable of that."

The Olympians murmured their agreements.

"Father does not rise," Zeus grit out. "Whatever this is, it has to be something else."

All the gods in the room collectively rolled their eyes. I couldn't be sure though— I was too busy rolling my own.

"We'll discuss this matter later," Athena said, trying not to show how annoyed she was with her father's thick-headedness. "As I said before, I agree with the sea-spawn with regards to our children. But," She turned towards me and narrowed her eyes. "I want to know your reasoning about your previous request. Why do you think the minor gods need their own cabins?"

I blinked. That seemed easy enough.

"Uh, what you said about the demigods turning against the Gods," I replied. "The same goes with Minor Gods as well. They've been mistreated for so long— I'd be surprised if they didn't jump at the opportunity to take revenge. With all due respect, there are hundreds of Minor Gods. And many are much more powerful than you think. And I'm not trying to fuel your suspicions, I'm just stating a fact," I said quickly when Zeus narrowed his eyes.

"There has to be more to your request than that," Athena stated, her grey eyes boring into mine.

"Yeah, there is," I admitted. "Your statements on the mistreatment of demigods came from the possibility of them joining the enemy. My reasoning is more, er, sentimental if you will. I stayed in the Hermes cabin for just a week and I could see the hopelessness rolling off the campers. More than half of them weren't claimed but they knew who their parents were because their parents would come into their dreams to claim them. And all of them were Minor Gods."

"What is your point here?" Demeter questioned.

"My point is that the Minor gods do care about their children. At least enough to claim them. They don't make a grand show of claiming them like you do because they know the campers would make fun of their children for being sons and daughters of Minor Gods. I've seen so many children of Hecate, Hypnos, Nemesis being ridiculed because their parents weren't one of the Olympians."

"And you think that would change if we give them cabins?"

I shrugged. "It's bound to make a difference. It would make the Camp more united and cohesive against the enemy."

"And is that all?" Athena questioned, somewhat sarcastically, and raised her eyebrow. "How can we confirm that you're making these requests selflessly, and not because you're part of a separate coup with the minor gods?"

"Mother!" Annabeth said, scandalized.

"Believe what you may, Lady Athena," I stated, frowning. "If I wished for a selfish reward, I could've asked for anything from new powers to immortality. Or if I was a part of a separate coup, I would've never returned the Bolt. Better to let you descend into chaos and strife before trying to harm you when you're at your weakest."

Athena hummed in thoughtfulness. "I suppose you're right. Even Poseidon's children would not be foolish enough to wait before war broke out."

"Hey!" barked Poseidon, indignantly.

"So," I said, hesitating after a pause. "If it's alright, may I get my requests fulfilled now?"

All eyes went to the God of Lightning.

Zeus stared at me, leaning back on his throne with a contemplating gaze. His electric blue eyes bore into mine. Without backing out, I resolutely stared the King of the gods down. The smell of ozone filled the air as Zeus's eyes narrowed.

"Brother," Poseidon warned when Zeus' hand flickered with lightning threateningly. I noticed Artemis narrow her eyes at her father from the corner of my eye.

Zeus ignored him and turning to me, he finally said. "Very well."

My shoulders dropped in relief. Seriously, I could not be arsed to keep on arguing with the god about the pros and cons of giving some gods their deserved recognition. "Thank you, sir," I said, taking care not to let any sort of resentment seep into my tone.

Zeus grunted. "Do not be mistaken, Half-blood. I do not approve of your requests in the slightest. However, your words seem to be backed by Athena and valid reasoning. And therefore, I'm willing to give them a chance by putting up a Council vote."

I nodded reluctantly. I had expected nothing more.

"All in favor of granting Perseus' request," Zeus boomed loudly.

For a terrifying moment, none of the gods' hands went up. But then like a beacon of hope amongst the smugly twisting face of one Bovine Majesty, Apollo slowly raised his hand, and the other gods followed. Zeus abstained, and so did Hera and Dionysus, but everyone else seemed to agree with me.

"Then it's decided," Zeus announced, sounding none too pleased about it. "There will be new cabins for all the Minor Gods added to Camp Half-blood. I expect your children to take up the duty of designing them, Athena?"

"Indeed," Athena nodded, her eyes glinting with pride. "Annabeth will oversee the building of all new cabins."

Annabeth's mouth fell open. "Milady?"

"You are an architect, are you not?" Athena said drily. "You've been studying the techniques of the Greeks for years now. There is no one more suited to build them than you."

I grinned. "Official architect of the gods at twelve?" I whispered in her ear. "Your resume is going to be very impressive."

Annabeth blushed and nodded distractedly. "I'll have to prepare as soon as we get back. Graph papers, pencils, drafts," She muttered, walking past me, still seemingly in a daze.

Zeus cleared his throat, bringing my attention to him. He looked disgruntled as he glanced at Athena, slightly annoyed. The goddess merely stared coolly at her father.

I frowned. Had I missed something?

"Very well," He grumbled, seemingly acquiescing to whatever Athena had asked for. He turned towards me. "And you have my word that the gods will claim their children within a day of their arrival at Camp Half-blood."

I nodded. "Thank you, Lord Zeus." I glanced at Athena and gave her a small but grateful nod. She merely stared impassively at me, not reacting to the gesture.

Zeus nodded gruffly. "If that is all, I hereby conclude this meeting."

Thunder boomed overhead and the gods, one by one, flashed away. My mother gave me a quick smile before bringing her attention back to the embers of Olympus. I knew she'd want to talk with me about the quest once we reached the camp.

"That — was something else," Grover said dazedly, his voice echoing through the room.

"Yeah," Annabeth agreed in a tiny voice.

"So," I said awkwardly, glancing at the empty throne room. "Now what?"

My voice echoed through the large chamber.

Annabeth turned to me. "Listen, uh, look," She began uncomfortably, a little red in the face. "You didn't — have to do that for me. That was really nice of you, Percy. Thank you."

I rolled my eyes and bumped my elbow with her's. "Don't mention it, Wise Girl. That's what friends do, right? And you're, like, one of the smartest people I've met. You deserve it."

Annabeth turned red and gushed out another 'thanks' before turning around and hurrying outside. Grover snickered into his hand. I shook my head.

"I really want some Enchiladas now," Grover said, after a moment of silence as we followed Annabeth out of the council chamber. He glanced at me with a grin. "Do you think you can do your whole Son-of-Hestia-Power thing to hook me up with some?"

I laughed and pushed him playfully. "Let's first get down from this place, Goat-boy. I'll get you as many Enchiladas as you want then."

"Promise?"

"Absolutely."

I'd never seen him bolt so fast before.

Soon, Annabeth fell into line with me, a bewildered look on her face. "Why did Grover run past me and tell me to hurry the fuck up?"

"Just a promise between bros," I said conspiratorially.

Annabeth squinted at me. "Alright, then. Keep your secrets."

I rolled my eyes. "I just promised Grover Enchiladas when we get down from Olympus. That's all."

Annabeth's lips upturned but before she could laugh her eyes widened behind me.

"Well, it looks like Grover will have to wait a while for his dinner," she muttered.

I turned to see Athena walking towards us. She had changed out of her traditional armor she wore during Council Meetings into a pair of comfortable jeans and a gray blouse over a deep purple t-shirt. Despite the informal look, I could feel the discipline and power radiating off her.

"Hey, mom," Annabeth murmured uncomfortably.

Athena looked at her and her eyes softened. "Hello, my child. Would you mind waiting for your...friend at the elevator? It seems we have something to discuss."

Annabeth gave me a wary look and left towards the main road, quickly disappearing amongst the crowd.

I turned towards the goddess. "Lady Athena," I curtseyed briefly.

"Perseus."

"What did you want to talk about, milady."

Athena stared at me with her intense gray eyes before finally speaking.

"You laid some very good points in front of the Council, Perseus," She said, looking past me, at one of her statues that stood proudly in the Olympian Gardens. "It was certainly unlike what Poseidon's children have put forth in history."

I bit my tongue and refrained from making a comment that'd get me in trouble. I simply shrugged. "Maybe, I inherited my mom's intelligence?"

Athena's posture remained impassive, yet, a familiar fire erupted in her irises. For a second, she almost looked...amused. But then she quickly smoothed her expression again.

"Perhaps," She murmured. "But it's what comes to pass in the end. Our children do seem to inherit our worst traits, don't you think? It ends in becoming their downfall."

"Fatal flaws," I guessed. "You're talking about fatal flaws."

Athena paused, and for a moment her eyes darkened in suspicion. However, before I could ascertain the action, her face dissolved into the same impassive look she wore...pretty much all the time. I blinked at the rapid change, wondering if I'd imagined it all along.

"Indeed," She said finally, presumably in regards to her previous question, breaking into step. "Walk with me, Perseus."

A strange feeling settled in my gut. I looked at her rather suspiciously. While I knew it was highly unlikely she'd smite me on Olympus— especially after what had transpired in the Throne Room— it didn't alleviate my concerns about her harming me in some form. Despite this, I followed her. At worst, she could only turn me into a marmoset and leave me to find my own way to my mother to lift the curse.

"What do you know about fatal flaws, Son of Poseidon?" Athena asked once I had reached in step with her. I was a good arm's length away from her, yet my hair stood up because of the power radiating from her body.

"Not much," I admitted, scooting further away from the radioactive goddess. "I know that they're specific traits in demigods that have the potential to cause their downfall."

I wasn't lying. Everything I knew about them was what Athena had already told me after the quest at Mt. Othrys.

"Not quite," Athena replied. "But it will do for now. Do you know what your fatal flaw is, Perseus?"

"Uh, no," I said, lying through my teeth.

Athena came to a halt and fixed her eyes on me. I suddenly felt cornered. Like a deer who had been forced into a cave by a lion with no escape. I swallowed.

"I disagree," She narrowed her eyes. "A demigod who knows about the gods and monsters like the back of his hand, but doesn't know his own fatal flaw?"

"I don't know where you're going with this, Milady."

"Don't you think it is curious," Athena asked instead of replying, her eyes zero—ing on me like laser beams. "A demigod who discovered that Gods exist merely two weeks ago has accomplished so much on a quest with such little training? Wouldn't you agree?"

"I got lucky," I said. "And I had help from my friends."

Athena snorted. "There is no such thing as luck, Son of Poseidon. Have you ever heard the phrase, Fortuna favors the bold?"

I nodded hesitantly. The image of the pavilions at New Rome flashed across my eyes.

"Tyche had whispered these words in the ear of the Roman poet Virgil. It was written to make people believe that luck had sway over their lives. Something that makes me scoff even to this day. Life is binary. It is either-or. Luck has no place in a binary system. Every choice — every decision you make is voluntary and it affects what holds for you in the future. Luck does not exist."

I laughed out an incredulous laugh. I could only hope she couldn't detect the undertones of nervousness in it. "Are you saying that I — a twelve-year-old without any training at camp — successfully defeated the God of War without luck?"

"Yes," Athena's eyes bore into mine. "Because I don't believe you haven't had any prior training. Nor that you have known about us only for a week."

Fuck fuckfuckfuckfuck—

She stepped closer to me. The hair on my arms stood on the edge and my hand snaked into my pocket.

"Did you honestly think that the Olympians wouldn't notice anything," Athena raised her eyebrow. The air around her became static. "Hm? Everything that was...off about you? You defeated a Chimera by yourself, sea-spawn. You managed to wound the God of War with a punch to the face. You have remained unwavering in the face of the mother of Monsters and your familiarity towards us, the divine world, was implausible seeing how long you have known us allegedly."

My hands turned clammy.

Nyx, I screamed in my head.

There was no reply. No deceivingly peppy primordial came to my aid.

Athena let out a harsh laugh. "You managed to turn over a millennia-old curse cast by a second-generation Olympian, boy. Did you genuinely think I would forget about that?"

The moon flashed in the distant sky.

I exhaled slowly. "If you had suspected me from the very beginning, why did you come to my aid in the Throne Room today?"

I didn't mention anything about her monologue. I didn't need to. We both knew she had hit the nail on the coffin. Athena let out a little scoff.

"Aren't you pretentious," She muttered lowly and shook her head. "I didn't come to your aid, Son of Poseidon. I spoke for what was right. Kronos may very well be rising, and the camps desperately need unity. Unless, the Olympians mend — or at least improve — our relations with the Minor Gods, they are sure to join the Titan Lord. People may think of me as a heartless goddess but my heart aches for the children that are slaughtered by monsters because of our neglect."

'You've done a real good job showing that,' I thought bitterly.

She paused. "And the talk with my sister clarified a lot of things."

I straightened. Huh.

"Artemis," Athena clarified seeing my puzzled face. "I had a conversation with her regarding you. Which, I'll admit, is also one of the reasons I didn't say anything about this in front of the council. She vouched for you and your loyalty to Olympus," She stated before tilting her head and peering at me. "It was certainly a surprise to see my sister vouching for a male."

I blushed.

"So, you have one chance to explain yourself, Son of Poseidon," Athena said. "Tell me why and how you know so much about the divine world, and how you have these...powers and skills. Or I call upon Zeus, and inform him about my suspicions."

I clenched my jaw. On one hand, I could not reveal anything to her and on the other hand, I couldn't risk getting blasted by Zeus. Athena had cornered me and I had no one to blame but myself.

I should've seen this coming. I had gone way over my head when I received my new powers and my immaturity had come back to bite me in the ass. I could've been more discrete using my powers. But nooo, I had to flaunt over them like a fucking three-year-old getting a new toy.

I exhaled deeply and met Athena's piercing eyes evenly.

"You would be correct in your deduction, Lady Athena," I said carefully. Athena preened silently. I searched for the proper words but came up short.

"I— I don't know how to put it into words," I bit my lip in frustration. "But — yes, you're right, I haven't found out that gods existed this week. I've known for a long while. I can't say how, but I have."

Athena narrowed her eyes and I swallowed thickly.

"I'm not trying to deceive you. I really cannot say how. You don't know how many times I've wanted to spill my guts out about what's going on with me to...so many people. Especially people close to me. Or, were close to me. But we'd be looking at a whole new problem if I did and it would mess up a lot of stuff that I'm trying to prevent. I swear that I'm not a threat. I've been given...these powers to stop the rising threat and I'm not your enemy. I know it seems cynical and skeptical but I can just hope that you can trust Artemis — if not me — for just a while longer until everything goes back to normal and I can be honest with everyone."

I took a deep breath, not meeting Athena's eyes. I didn't want to see the expression she held over my words.

"I just want to help my friends and people that deserve help," I shrugged helplessly. "And my friends are the demigods at the Camp. They can be saved if — if the Gods start paying better attention to them. Again, I can't say how or why, but it's the truth. And I'll try all I can to protect the campers. I swear it on the—"

"No."

I recoiled. "What?"

"No," Athena repeated. "Oaths on the Styx are unbreakable, Son of Poseidon. Do not make a rash promise that you wouldn't be able to keep. Especially not in circumstances like these."

"I intend to keep my promises," I stated resolutely.

Athena stared at me. I could almost imagine the neurons firing in her brain as she analyzed everything I'd just told her. For a minute, she kept staring at me, looking like her brain was running a mile a minute. My hands turned clammy and I awkwardly stood there.

Finally, she seemed to come to a decision. Her eye twitched some more and she sighed. "I believe you."

Before I could drop in relief, she continued. "But I still do not trust you. Your arrival is unprecedented and I still believe you may be a danger to us. That being said, we're out of options and I have no choice but to see if you fulfill what you say you will. But mark my words, Son of Poseidon, even if I have the slightest evidence that you plan on going against the gods, your head will be in my hand. Not even your father can stop that."

I swallowed and nodded.

"Good," She said, a glint in her eyes. "Now, I assume you know about the Romans as well?"

I froze. "How did you—"

Athena rolled her eyes. "I am the Goddess of Wisdom, Perseus. I noticed you used Tyche and Nemesis's roman names in your...speech in the Throne Room. Hardly a confirmation, but based on how much you know about us, it wouldn't have surprised me that you knew about the Romans, as well."

"Oh," I flushed, scratching my neck. "I didn't mean to. It just slipped out."

"Hm," Athena made a sound — that could've meant anything, really. "I suspect you already know, but I must tell you this. Do not breathe a word about them at Camp," She warned. "The gods have worked actively to keep the two camps away from each other since the Civil War. If you go babbling about them, it will end disastrously for everyone."

"I'm aware," I confirmed. "And don't worry, I won't say anything."

"And what do you plan on doing with the Romans?"

I chewed on my lip. "I haven't thought anything about that yet but I'm leaning towards visiting Camp Jupiter in the summer. Is Jason Praetor, yet?"

Athena muttered, "And he knows about Jupiter's bastard as well. Chaos help me," she shook her head before turning to reply to me. "No, he is not. Not yet. Juno has been visiting him in his dreams to guide the boy. I believe he is still a legionnaire in the Fifth. A respected legionnaire, but a legionnaire nonetheless."

I exhaled noisily. "Okay."

If I had to guess, the titans would probably mobilize their forces on Othrys in two summers and all the way till the Battle of Manhattan. That'd mean I would have just a summer to get the camp Jupiter going.

I rubbed my head softly. Octavian and the Senate would also have to be dealt with, along with Lady Lupa. I had no plans of leading the place. That was Jason's destiny and I wasn't about to take it away from him. But, I don't think he'd decline help in whipping the camp into shape for war.

And then came the issue of Reyna. There was no way in Hades I was letting her stay with that witch on her island any longer than necessary. She was one of the best warriors of this generation and Hylla was meant to lead the Amazons.

"I'll speak with Lady Artemis about Rome," I said. "If I can gain the favor of Lupa, I may have a better bet of dealing with the Senate about the war. Artemis — or Diana — could be able to convince her."

Athena snorted uncharacteristically. "No, she wouldn't. Lupa's loyalty is to Rome first and foremost. And then to power. Diana may be her good friend, but she would never succeed in influencing Lupa's opinion about something pertaining to Rome. You will have to gain the respect of the goddess yourself."

I bit my lip and nodded. "I'll try."

"Try not to draw too much attention to yourself there," Athena advised with a thoughtful nod. "I assume you already know their thoughts about the Greeks. Moreover, if any Olympian comes to know of your involvement with the Romans, they'll have no compunctions against reporting you to Zeus, and you will be executed."

I flinched. Great. Fantastic.

"However," Athena said, putting my worry to ease. "We never have been quite so attentive towards Romans. Only Diana visits the city during her hunts. Apart from that, Camp Jupiter is a place where you won't be discovered by us — not unless you bring attention to yourself. You have my word for that."

"That's the hard part, isn't it?" I muttered. "Not drawing attention to myself."

Athena's lips curled up in an amused smile. I blinked. I don't think I'd ever seen her smile before if I was being honest. It made her look more like a human and less like a soulless automation.

"I'll leave that part to you, Son of Poseidon."

I nodded.

"Now, I'll repeat this once more," Athena's face turned serious once more. "Do not disappoint me, Perseus Jackson. Even think of betraying us and my spear running through your head will be your last sensation."

Before I could respond, she started glowing. I averted my eyes quickly and with an exaggerated flash, the goddess disappeared, singing the hair on my arms and I was left alone into an unknown part of Olympus.

I sighed and began my trek towards my friends, hoping to meet someone who'd be kind enough to lead a lost son of Poseidon back to the custody of his friends.

Predictably, I found no one.

We took a cab back to Camp Half—Blood.

All three of us were absolutely beat. No spoke during the ride back to Camp. With the last of my strength, I summoned a plate of cheese Enchiladas for Grover and a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches for me and Annabeth.

If the driver thought it was weird that three kids were scarfing down food from a well—crafted glass plate in the back of a New York taxi, he didn't mention it.

Soon, the familiar part of the woods came into view. Annabeth made the cabbie stop the car a few meters from the camp's disguised entrance.

The driver tried to argue about leaving three kids in the middle of nowhere but a wad of cash shut him up. As the taxi revved and sped away, the three of us glanced at each other and began our trek to Half—blood Hill.

It was Travis, who was on the lookout near Thalia's Pine, who first noticed us.

He nearly fell down from his post in surprise before hastily blowing the conch to alert the campers of our arrival.

His face broke into a toothy grin at us. "We were getting worried that you guys were dead!" He said, the mischievous glint in his eyes never dimming. "Glad you're not, though. War against my friends in Camp would've been a pretty sucky way to go."

Despite my exhaustion, I couldn't stop the bubble of laughter that emanated from my throat. "Good to see you as well, Travis,"

Annabeth squinted at him. "The whole camper situation must be pretty serious if Chiron let you on guard duty."

Travis put his hand on his chest. "You wound me right here, Annie."

"Don't call me Annie."

His face sobered up. "Yeah, it's bad. Chiron had to stop Apollo and Athena campers from getting into a fight last night. Athena campers were convinced that Percy was the thief and tried rallying everyone in camp against him. Luckily Chiron managed to convince them temporarily that attacking the other cabins wasn't the best course of action."

I grimaced. "That bad, huh?"

Annabeth looked scandalized. "That's a load of Minotaur dung!" She cried. "I told Malcolm not to do anything until we came back. Percy was supposed to be believed innocent until proven guilty."

"Is he?" Travis looked at me suspiciously. "Are you guilty? Hm?" He prodded my chest with his thumb.

"Dude, I'm literally with Annabeth. You think she would've left me alive if I wasn't innocent?"

"Fair point."

"Look," Grover interrupted us, pointing towards the Hill where a hoard of campers was approaching us. Chiron galloped in front of them while Luke was just behind him. His face looked pinched.

"You succeeded!" Chiron said, clopping to rest before us. Luke shuffled behind him, his face pulled in a plastic smile. I looked back towards Chiron. The centaur genuinely seemed delighted — and also surprised. I felt mildly offended.

"You don't have to sound so surprised," I shook my head, holding back a smile.

Chiron laughed. "I apologize, my child. I was just very relieved. It's still surprising when Demigods return from their quests."

He paused, realizing his poor choice of words.

"Right," Annabeth remarked uncertainly.

"No, I didn't mean—" Chiron fumbled his words, before sighing. "I've dug myself a hole there, haven't I?"

Grover nodded sympathetically.

"I think you guys might be better at these quests more than me, you know," Luke stepped forward, sounding playful. His tone was light but I could see the resentment buried deep within his eyes. He was dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and an orange CHB t-shirt. He looked no different from when he bid us goodbye on our quest.

Annabeth dropped her bag and crashed into the son of Hermes, nearly throwing him on his butt. My eyes twitched.

"Luke!"

Luke laughed — openly and ruffled Annabeth's hair. "Good to see you too, Annie. Look at you," he beamed. "Going — and succeeding on quests to save the world! You'll have to start teaching me your secrets at this rate!"

Annabeth flushed and pulled away. The campers cheered.

"So, what happened during the quest?" Silena materialized from the crowd, leaning on Beckendorf. Her sisters rolled their eyes at her eagerness but one look from the burly son of Hephaestus stopped them from saying anything. "How was the mortal world? Oh! Did you happen to stumble on Dior's new collection while you were out there?"

"Uh," I said.

"And what about the new Givenchy store that opened last month. The one on—"

"Ah," Chiron interrupted. "I'm sure that can wait, my dear. They must be very tired. How about we hold off the questions until the Campfire, tonight, and—"

"Did you return Zeus' bolt to him?" Lee shouted from the crowd of Apollo campers, completely cutting off Chiron. The centaur sighed and rubbed his forehead exasperatedly. I tried not to laugh.

"Yeah."

"Was it as badass and awesome as in myths?"

"Absolutely. I felt like I was Electro from Spiderman."

Lee looked at us in awe. "That's so cool."

"And what about the thief?" Beckendorf said gruffly. "Did you catch the skata?"

"One of them, yes," I confirmed.

Chiron raised his eyebrow. "One of them?"

I nodded and paused, contemplating if I could tell them who it was or not. "A god was working with him."

A stifled gasp ran collectively through the crowd. Hushed murmurs emanated from the demigods as Chiron's eyes widened.

"A god?" He asked nervously.

"Wasn't just a god, was he?" Annabeth muttered before looking up to Chiron. "It was an Olympian."

Hushed murmurs paved the way to barely concealed noises of surprise. Chiron looked like he had aged ten years. His face was pale.

"A god aiding someone to steal another god's weapon," He said worriedly. "Even the most daring of the gods wouldn't think of such transgressions against their fellow deities. Olympus hasn't been this undivided since the Trojan War. Did you find out who it was, Percy?"

I glanced at Annabeth and Grover. Collectively, we had come upon the decision to refrain from telling the campers about Ares going against Olympus. If the news got out, I did not doubt that there would be a major rift formed against the Ares cabin and the rest. And that was the last thing I wanted. The camp didn't need any more dividing.

"I did. But I'm not allowed to say. The god's name has been given to Zeus and he has promised us he would give out the suitable punishment to them."

Chiron nodded. "I would expect no less from the Lord of the Sky."

"What about the thief?" Lee asked.

"What about him?" Annabeth frowned.

"Well, how will you catch him now?" Lee said. "He'll obviously be plotting something else now that his plan failed. He went through the trouble of stealing the most secure weapon on Olympus. Surely, he'll be back to try something else."

"These are only speculations," Annabeth said defensively. "We don't even know if he was part of something greater in the grand scheme of things. He might've just been a demigod who wanted to boast that he managed to steal Zeus's Master Bolt."

I paused. "Actually, I think I may have an idea who it is."

Fifty eyes turned towards me. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Luke narrow his eyes.

"You knew who it was," Annabeth said slowly, her voice becoming indignant. "And you didn't think to tell us about it?"

"I think I may know who he is." I corrected. "I wasn't sure. Not until now."

Annabeth still looked a little miffed but her curiosity got the better of her. "Well, then, who is it?"

I uncapped Riptide. The Xiphos shimmered into existence, its double-edged blade gleaming in the setting sun. Luke tensed beside Chiron.

"The bolt was stolen on the Summer Solstice, right?" I turned towards Chiron, looking at him in confirmation.

He nodded. "Indeed it was. Dionysus relayed the information to me the next day."

"So, it must have been something to do with the demigods who visited Olympus on the Summer Solstice."

"Are you blaming one of us?" Luke voiced, sounding so incredulous, I could almost feel the campers swaying to his words. A bad guy or not, one thing I always admired about Luke was his charisma.

"Just entertaining a possibility," I assured him.

Luke barked out a harsh laugh. "A possibility? Are you hearing this, guys?" He turned to the rest of the campers. "He's accusing one of us of stealing the bolt. What next? Are you going to say it was Annabeth just because she has an Invisibility Cap?"

The campers started murmuring amongst themselves. I knew what he was doing. He was trying to get the campers to turn against me.

"Funny you should say that," I replied. "As a matter of fact, I do think the Invisibility hat was used to steal the bolt."

Annabeth's eyes widened. "Are you seriously—"

"No, no," I shook my head sharply. "Absolutely not. I know it wasn't you."

"Then who?" She demanded.

"Do you remember lending your Invisibility hat to anyone?"

Annabeth scowled. "It is a gift from my mother. You must be out of your mind to think I'd just give it to— to—" She faltered, her eyes growing wide.

"What happened, Annabeth?" Chiron prodded gently.

"I—" She swallowed thickly. "I remember giving it to Luke."

Luke tensed and his eyes flashed with uncertainty. I knew I had him on the ropes now. The campers started murmuring behind him.

"I wanted to go to the restroom," Annabeth recalled nervously. "And Luke offered to hold on to it until I came back."

"Did he?"

"Did he what?"

"Did he give it back to you after?" I clarified.

"No," Annabeth said. "He gave it to me after we arrived back at camp."

"Enough time to steal it while the gods weren't in attendance in the Council."

"You're crazy," Luke said in disbelief.

"It was you who stole the Bolt, Luke," I accused. "You hated how the Olympians treated us —their children— so you decided to steal the bolt, knowing it would cause a war on Olympus that could destroy the gods."

"Luke is our leader, Percy," Travis said defiantly. "And our brother. You're insulting the Hermes Cabin if you accuse him of trying to get us all killed."

"And you don't even have any proof that I did it," Luke grit out. "All you have is some half-assed theory about me using Annabeth's cap to steal the most powerful weapon in the universe."

"Ah, but I do have the proof," I stated cheerily. "See, you remember the shoes you gave me? The one you received from Hermes. I knew there was something off with them when I first held them. Turns out, I was correct. I cross-referenced the aura over them with Lady Hestia. And it turned out, they were charmed to drag us in Tartarus while we were in Erebos."

Annabeth reeled back amongst the gasps of the campers. Chiron turned sharply towards Luke.

"What?" Grover paled. "T—Tartarus?"

I nodded. "We were lucky my mother transported the shoes to herself while they were burned in the bus during the attack from the Furies," I lied smoothly. "She told me about the charm in a dream thereafter," I turned to Luke. "You knew we would have the Bolt then, and so you tried to kill us so the war could continue."

"You're— you're lying," One of the Hermes kids spluttered in shock. "Luke couldn't have done any of that."

"Am I?" I challenged. "I'll tell you what, an oath on the Styx would clear up a lot of things, wouldn't it?"

The camper nodded hesitantly.

"Then I swear on the River Styx that Luke Castellan gave us a pair of cursed shoes charmed to drag the wearer to Tartarus, and he stole the Lightning Bolt to create strife on Olympus."

The thunder boomed deafeningly overhead as I met the flabbergasted gazes of the demigods. The campers watched me with bated breath, half—expecting me to get blasted out of the ground.

When nothing happened, their gazes turned hesitatingly towards Luke, whose color had gone several times paler. His eyes flit wildly across the campers and then rested on me, looking completely shocked by the turn of events.

"No," Annabeth whispered, shaking her head wildly. She turned towards the son of Hermes, almost desperately. "No. You —you couldn't have done that. You couldn't. You wouldn't try to hurt us. You — you promised Thalia to protect us — me."

Luke flinched. "Annabeth." He took a step forward.

"No," Annabeth said, her voice trembling as a tear trickled down her cheek. She took a step back. "Stay — away from me."

Luke's expression pained further. I half expected Chiron to whip out his bow and tell Luke to surrender but he looked like he was still reeling from the shock that one of his prized pupils had turned a traitor to his home.

Sneers and disgust were painted on the faces of the campers who looked to tear down the same person they were defending so fiercely merely minutes before. Cries of 'Traitor!' and 'Murderer!' rang out from the crowd.

Luke flinched and he took a step back, his face darkening. His hand rested on Backbiter's scabbard. I noticed the action and mirrored it by taking out Riptide from my pocket as well. His eyes turned manic when they met mine. They looked like they'd been pushed past their tipping point.

"You." The Son of Hermes spat at me, pure unadulterated hatred coating his words. "This is all because of you." He shook in purple fury. "You ruined everything. I was supposed to become their savior if it wasn't for your wannabe heroics! The Gods were finally going to get justice for everything they'd done if it wasn't for you! You ruined EVERYTHING!" He screamed, unsheathing Backbiter. "I will make you pay for this, Jackson."

"I didn't do anything, Castellan," I snarled back, uncapping Riptide. "You should've known better than to go against your own family."

Luke's face twisted into a sneer. "The gods aren't my—"

"I'm not talking about the gods," I snapped. "I'm talking about Camp Half-Blood. Did you even think about the consequences of a godforsaken war on the demigods? It would've got us slaughtered! You would've fucking killed your own siblings just because you wanted revenge on Hermes for not treating you better!"

Luke's grip on his sword tightened as he snarled viciously at me.

"Think before you do something rash, Luke," I warned, gesturing to the poised campers behind me. "You may be the best swordsman in a hundred years but you won't be able to beat all of us."

Luke faltered, realizing that the odds were stuck against him. However, instead of defeat, a cruel smirk appeared on his face. I felt a chill travel through my spine.

"Good thing I'm not going to fight now."

He slashed the air behind him, too quick for any of us to react. The unpredictability of his action was what caught me off guard. I was confident I could've easily matched him in speed as well as agility but I had never expected him to pull off, well, that.

The air ripped like a piece of cloth where he had made the slash with his sword. A bone-chilling scream screeched from the ripped fabric of air and sent us all stumbling back. Luke winced momentarily from the scream but quickly regained his wits and stepped into the vertical portal.

"The Gods will fall, Jackson," He announced with a sneer. "And you will join them."

He flicked his hand and the portal started re-knitting itself and uke gave us a last cruel smirk. "Meanwhile, enjoy the little present I'm leaving you."

A shadow where he stood not moments ago, took the form of a creature I knew all too well. After all, it had nearly killed me when I was twelve, and as such I expected it to do the same as it had in past.

However, unlike the last time, the Pit Scorpion didn't lunge at me. It poised its four pairs of legs and leaped on a petrified Grover. My eyes widened, and with lightning-quick slashes, I disposed of the monster mid-air.

I certainly would not have been able to do that if I hadn't trained under Artemis for the past year or so. I muttered a quick prayer to her in thanks.

Grover brayed loudly in shock. "What was that?!"

"I have no idea," I lied. "I just saw it jumping towards you so I killed it."

"I'm afraid I know what it was," Groven said gravely. "A pit Scorpion."

"A what?" Silena asked timidly beside Beckendorf.

"A deadly monster from the deep depths of Tartarus," Chiron muttered worriedly. "A child of Echidna and Typhoeus. Its venom can kill in under sixty seconds. If Percy hadn't managed to kill it, Grover would've been almost certainly dead — and we couldn't have done anything to stop it."

Grover paled and looked at me like he was seriously contemplating kissing me straight on the lips. I gave him a weak thumbs-up.

"If Luke has access to monsters like these," Chiron shuddered in thought. "Then I can only wonder with whom is he involved with."

'You don't want to know, big guy,' I sighed internally. 'You really don't want to know.'

Over the next few days, the camp started returning back to normal.

Well, as normal a camp filled with dyslexic demigods could become.

The betrayal of Luke still rang through the ears of many campers. I could hardly blame them if I was being honest. Luke had been their absolute leader for such a long time, it was almost unfathomable for them to imagine him trying and harm them.

As a result, I wasn't really surprised when one or two estranged rumors about me being the actual traitor and Luke just being one of my brainwashed victims surfaced. I was just glad to see that it didn't get the momentum that other gossip got. (though that might've been due to the guy who started it getting his ass kicked by Annabeth)

I didn't think much of it. They needed a way to cope with the events and they were just naturally trying to hold their beliefs true as long as possible and I just happened to be the scapegoat. However, if it continued for a long time, I would have to set things straight. But for now, I just left them to figure their way out.

Fortunately, these rumors pretty much stopped when Chiron announced that new cabins for the Minor Gods would be built in the coming days of summer. We — as in Annabeth, Grover, and I — tried to deny our involvement with the Olympian's change of heart as much as we could, but literally no one seemed to buy our bullshit. It was quite obvious that we had asked the Gods for this wish as our reward when we completed our quest.

Yet, we never outright confirmed it — we'd just shrugged it off whenever someone would bring it up. This granted us a sort of a 'hero' status within the camps. It was quite funny to see Grover and Annabeth basking in all the glory and attention from the campers. I couldn't even condemn their actions — they fully deserved it.

Soon, the gods fulfilled their other promise to me as well.

With the subsequent claimings in the coming days, I had never seen the camp as unified as it was now.

Now, just one more thing until we'd be ready for the war.

It was time to wake up my dear ol' cousin.

so i have covid. yay.

join the discord server please, the link's on my profile. and if anyone is wondering why i was awol for a few months, please read the A/N of my most recent new fic 'of starlight and conquest'.

also, to everyone that's been pm-ing or reviewing to ask if this fic's going to be continued the short answer is yes.

again, i can just apologize for the half-assed answers and i should really make proper ANs, especially after what I've put the readers through with my update schedule, im literally tired as fuck because of the whole coronavirus thingy. maybe I'll update the AN when i get better.

anywho, i hope you enjoyed this chapter, and pls join the server and review.

bbyee