Rage of a Demigod
AN: Hello, dear readers. Here's another chapter of Rage of a Demigod. We finally come to a conclusion to the Sea of Monsters arc. I hope you enjoy.
Now to reviews.
Dracus6: Eventually.
zarmag: You'll find out soon enough.
Bill Cipher3: Percy Jackson with some GoW elements.
michaelponte04: Thanks.
4 Old Friends
Marcus' consciousness was slowly returning to him. He felt wetness all around him, encircling him and something keeping him suspended in the air. His eyes fluttered open, as he was met with a strange sight. He saw the sun above him, but his eyes didn't sting when he looked at it and it appeared to be… flowing?
Then his eyes opened completely as he looked around him, his body feeling the resistance of his surroundings to his movement. He realized he wasn't suspended in the air, but submerged underwater. However, Marcus wasn't worried since he wasn't drowning.
He looked around for any possible threats, this was the Sea of Monsters after all, and slightly glanced down at the dark abyss below before swimming upwards, the metal of his blades now weighing him down at all.
The moment he reached the surface he looked at the sun's position and his surroundings to determine where he was exactly. The explosion of that craft blew him away quite a distance since he didn't see Scylla or Charybdis nearby. Though, he was in tougher situations than this one.
He wondered what happened to the Cyclops. Percy would be alright, Marcus threw him far enough from the explosion but didn't know if Tyson was alive. He could definitely resist the fire but Marcus wasn't sure if the young Cyclops was tough enough to endure the kinetic energy produced by the explosion.
But he couldn't let that bother him now. Judging by his position he should be near Circe's island, a place he wasn't really looking forward to going since the last time he was there, things didn't go over smoothly, for the lack of a better word. But that was the best place he could look at.
So he began swimming and swam at speeds that would make any professional swimmer jealous. After a few moments, he noticed smoke beginning to rise in the distance, right where Circe's island was located.
Marcus began swimming faster than before, needing to reach the island as quickly as possible. The island came to a better view where Marcus could better single out what was happening. He saw the employees running from what seemed to be… pirates? And not really any more modern type of pirate but those 17th-century ones.
There was also an old ship floating away from the island, but he couldn't focus on that right now. Once he reached the shore he quickly took one of his blades out and slashed at one of the pirates who was about to capture a young woman, cutting his torso open. The man fell on the ground dead.
He then charged at others, slashing at the pirates with his blades and killing them easily. The women who were there looked at shock as they saw Marcus slaughter the remaining pirates, splattering blood on the beach.
The demigod stood over the corpses of the pirates and swung his blades to get read of the blood on them. He only now noticed the state of dress he was in. His shirt was almost completely burnt off, with some fabric on his left shoulder being the only thing left, his pants now turned to shorts with the left side more intact than the other and his right leg was barefoot.
With a groan of annoyance, he ripped off what was left his shirt and with a swing of his foot took off his burned footwear. He then quickly approached one of the women who looked nervous at seeing him.
"What happened here?" he asked though it came off more like a demand.
"W-well… we received some new… guests and-"
The woman was interrupted by an enraged voice. "You! Get out of here!" Marcus recognized it as Circe's. She was quite a beautiful woman with long black hair and green eyes, she wore a silky black dress that was torn in several places and high heels. "I had enough of you demigods for one day! Look at what happened to my resort!" She gestured towards the ruined building behind her and the rough shape it was in. Broken windows, smoke coming out of several places, and the wall now painted in soot.
But what she said made Marcus think. Circe said she had enough demigods for one day, which meant that some came before.
"And that cursed Blackbeard sailed off with half of my employees!" she then pointed at him threateningly. "You, Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase better not set foot on this island anymore or I swear-!"
Faster than she could see Marcus quickly found himself in front of her with his hand clamped firmly around her throat, making her gaps and slightly choke.
"Listen here, bitch," Marcus said in a growly tone. That woman's attitude always rubbed him the wrong way. "I don't give a damn what happened to your resort. What I do give a damn about is you telling me where those other demigods went." He then put one of his blades at her stomach area. "And don't try any of your magic tricks; otherwise I'm going to decorate this beach with your entrails."
"Wait, wait!" The woman from called out, worried for her boss. "The two of them took one of the ships! They went that way!" She frantically said while pointing in a certain direction.
Marcus looked at where she was pointing at, and that was definitely the direction to Polyphemus' island. He then turned towards Circe and saw that she was trying to subtly cast a spell but Marcus then struck her on the head with a pommel and knocked her out before throwing her down on the sand.
"Take her and leave," Marcus said. "Blackbeard will definitely return to this place, and I'm sure you don't want to be around when that happens. So take one of the ships and get out."
"But… but what about our colleagues he took?!"
"I thought you people didn't need help from men."
"I… we can't handle this by ourselves! We need help!"
"Not my problem," Marcus said dismissively. He had better things to concern himself with than Circe and her employees. Especially since what they tried to do with him last time. "If you want to, go and help them. But you people don't know how to fight, so good luck."
He found a motorboat next to one of the bigger boats and checked the fuel inside, seeing that it was filled with enough for his trip. He got in and quickly turned the boat and sped off towards Polyphemus' island, leaving Circe and the other women behind. He reached into the bag that was still on his person and put some wax in his ears, knowing that he would also be passing the sirens.
It took some time to get there and he was beginning to run out of gas but he was able to see the island in front of him along with a wooden ship. Once the motorboat was out of gas he quickly jumped out of the boat and swam to the island in the ship's direction, knowing that this would lead to where the others were.
Despite some quests leading to the Sea of Monsters he never actually went to Polyphemus' island, so he wasn't sure what to expect. His eyes narrowed, his senses on alert for any suspicious activity that he might find.
The island he was on was very green, a lot greener than what it really should be. No doubt because of the fleece. He jumped at the rocky cliff and stuck his blades in. He climbed up by sticking his blades into the rock as he climbed. He reached the top and pulled himself up, causing his bare feet to land on the grass.
He looked around before moving forward, looking for any sign of Polyphemus, the Golden Fleece or Percy and Annabeth. After a few moments, a golden glow came to his view, and he saw a tree on a green hill in the distance, with what he was certain was the Golden Fleece that was hanging down one of its branches.
He grinned as he saw the prize standing not too far away from him, but something else got his attention. He saw a cave entrance that was sealed by a large rock, no doubt the home of Polyphemus but that wasn't what got Marcus' attention. It was Percy and Annabeth, both of who were down there and trying to push the boulder, and failing miserably.
He sighed and sheathed his blades before slowly jumping down and landing right in behind the pair with a loud thud which caused them to swiftly turn around in surprise, weapons ready if need be, but when they saw it was him they looked relieved.
"Marcus, you're alive!" Percy exclaimed while Annabeth smiled in relief at that fact.
"Indeed I am," Marcus said as he put the blades on his back. Percy still wondered what exactly was keeping those from falling down.
"Wait, is Tyson alive as well?" Percy asked with a hopeful tone.
Marcus shrugged with his broad shoulders. "I'm not sure, I didn't see him," he said making Percy look sadder. Marcus then gazed at the rock. "Looks like you're having trouble with this."
"Yeah, we do," Percy said as Marcus approached the boulder and put his hands on it making Percy wonder what he was planning.
"We better hurry," Annabeth said. "We don't know when Polyphemus might return."
"Is there any way we can-"
Percy was interrupted when he saw Marcus push against the boulder making it move away and opening the large entrance to the cave, which caused Percy to look at the display of strength in shock. He and Annabeth couldn't make this rock budge an inch yet Marcus just pushed it away.
"Snap out of it, seaweed brain," Annabeth said making Percy gain his senses as she gave him a grin. "That's our Marcus for you. Full of surprises."
"No kidding," Percy said before regaining focus. "Come on, let's go find Grover."
The three of them entered the cave that was lit with torches and decorated in some fur skins and a few other random decorations. In the middle of it stood Grover who really was wearing a dress and a fake Cyclops eye in the middle of his forehead.
The moment he laid eyes on them, Grover bleated happily and ran over to them while discarding the dress completely.
"Oh, thank the gods you came!" he exclaimed as he ran up to them and hugged Percy. "I knew our empathy link would do the trick."
He then gave a hug to Annabeth who was more than happy to return it. He then went to hug Marcus but only now noticed who he was approaching and stopped himself.
"Oh, sorry about that," Grover said nervously.
Marcus had a small smile on his face as he looked at Grover rubbing the back of his head before turning serious and seeing another person in the cave who was hanging on the rope that was connected to the ceiling. It was Clarisse.
"Hey, how about you stop with the mushy stuff and get me down?!" she asked in frustration as she tried to pry the rope off her wrists.
Percy gave a laugh. "I don't know about that, Clarisse. Perhaps this could end up a humbling experience for you."
Clarisse growled. "I swear, Prissy, once I get out I'm going to-"
She was interrupted as Marcus took out once his blades and swung at the rope above her, slicing it easily. Clarisse gave a yelp as she fell before she landed in Marcus' arms. A flush adorned Clarisse's cheeks as she realized that Marcus was holding her in a newlywed bride position before he put her down on the ground before slicing the ropes on her hands.
The other three snickered at the sight. "Wow, big bad Clarisse is being saved like a princess it seems."
"I wish I had a camera," Percy said.
Clarisse glared daggers at them. "Once I get my hands on you-"
"We have more important things to do than bicker like children. The fleece is still out there and who knows when Polyphemus will return."
They quickly got out of the smelly cave and began moving towards the hill where the fleece is located.
Then a deep voice came from the distance. "Hey, Einstein! Come back here!" that made everyone except for Marcus look worried as they recognized it as Polyphemus. "You naughty sheep, don't make me eat you first!"
The said oversized sheep ran over the hill with Polyphemus following in tow with his arms stretched forward to catch the running sheep. The sight would have been hilarious if it didn't mean the group was in danger.
"You four, get the fleece. Now," Marcus said.
Einstein ran into the cave with Polyphemus following it and then noticing something. "The boulder! Who moved the boulder?" He sniffed the cave and noticed several scents that went outside. He turned to their direction and roared. "Thieves! Thieves stole my meal and my bride!"
Marcus then turned towards the four. "Get the fleece, and get out! Now!"
"What? Are you crazy?" Clarisse asked. "Do you really think that I'll-"
Marcus grabbed her by the hem of her shirt and pulled her towards him until they were staring at each other's in the eyes, with Clarisse looking nervous and Marcus frustrated. "You'll do as you're told! Only I can take him! You said you wanted my advice and now you have it! Get the fleece and GET OUT!" He bellowed out the last before pushing Clarisse backward, almost making her fall down.
"Well, I won't argue with him," Glover said quickly before running at the tree with Percy and Annabeth following. Clarisse looked at Marcus for a little while as he turned to the charging Polyphemus with his twin blades drawn out before she also began running away.
Marcus stared down at Polyphemus who was running at him. The blades in his hands ignited as he prepared a mighty swing. He put the blades next to each other swung in a wide arch at Polyphemus who stopped running and moved away as the blades nearly made contact with his head.
"You throw fire! How do you throw fire?!" Polyphemus demanded.
Marcus completely ignored him and charged right at the giant Cyclops. One of the blades came at Polyphemus who moved away, showing that he was pretty quick for his size. Marcus swung his flaming sword several more times in Polyphemus' direction but the Cyclops used his herder staff to block them.
Marcus was about to make a double swing with his blades but Polyphemus was able to catch them by the chains, surprising Marcus. Polyphemus grinned as he pulled the chains and swung Marcus over his head and right into the ground with a loud crash.
"Stupid thief! That will teach you to steal from me!" Polyphemus exclaimed before once again swinging Marcus in another part of the ground and slamming him even harder than before. "I'll eat you and those other thieves."
Marcus gritted his teeth with his eye blazing with rage. He quickly got up and with a snarl, he pulled on his chains, surprising Polyphemus who began to pull back, but Marcus pulled even harder causing Polyphemus to forcefully come at him. Polyphemus completely lost his balance and began falling down towards Marcus who responded by giving a nasty kick right into his face.
Polyphemus groaned in pain as the kick completely broke his nose and knocked out several of his teeth, and the force of the kick sent him hurling backward on his back with a loud thud as dust picked up around him.
Marcus quickly brought his swords back into his hands and jumped at Polyphemus, landing on his chest and stabbing him with his swords, making blood ooze from him with the large Cyclops letting out a guttural scream.
Marcus was about to strike again but then felt a sharp pain in his left arm before he was sent away from the downed Cyclops a good distance. The moment he landed on the ground he cursed himself. He fought many Cyclopes before and he assumed that his fight with Polyphemus would be similar but the son of Poseidon proved to be far stronger than those before. Marcus underestimated the situation and now he had a broken arm to show for it.
Polyphemus was rising from the ground, one of his hands nursing the wounds on his chest while the other held his staff which was now broken in half, showing that he used it to hit Marcus and break his arm.
Marcus rose from the ground as well, his left arm dangling with a blade on the ground but he was more than ready to face the Cyclops.
"You hurt me!" Polyphemus yelled. "You steal from Polyphemus! You break his stick! And now you hurt him!" He threw the remains of his makeshift weapon on the ground in anger. "I'll kill you!"
Marcus braced himself for an attack as Polyphemus came at him screaming bloody murder. Then from nowhere, a rock flew right into Polyphemus' mouth making him choke.
"Tyson will help Marcus!" Marcus heard the voice that was unmistakably Tyson, no doubt surviving the explosion from before, who Marcus noticed was standing not too far away from him and glaring at Polyphemus. "Polyphemus make Cyclopes look bad!"
Marcus didn't waste the opportunity and ran at the Cyclops who was choking on the boulder that was suddenly thrown in his mouth. Marcus jumped high and landed on Polyphemus' shoulders before quickly stabbing his blade right into his eye, making Polyphemus scream again. Marcus then put his foot up and stepped right on the blade, digging it further into the Cyclops' eye before he turned to dust making Marcus land on the ground.
He turned Tyson to see the young Cyclops covering his eye with his hands and shivering, obviously disturbed by what Marcus did. Marcus sheathed his blade before picking up the other one with his good hand.
Tyson uncovered his eye and beamed in happiness to see Marcus calmly walk up to him. "Marcus is alright!" Tyson said before walking towards Marcus to give him another hug but the demigod raised his hand to stop him. Tyson then noticed the way Marcus' arm was bent. "Oh no, Polyphemus hurt you!"
"I'll live," Marcus said sourly as he briefly glanced at his broken arm. This injury shouldn't have happened and he shouldn't have misjudged the situation. "Where are the others?"
"Oh, they're on Rainbow and friends. I wanted to see if Marcus was hurt and when I saw Polyphemus bullying you I went to stop him."
Marcus honestly wanted to laugh at Tyson's innocent way of saying that Polyphemus was trying to kill him. He wondered when his own innocent perceptions of the world had gone since these days it seemed like he never had them.
"Come, others are waiting," Tyson said while gesturing for Marcus to follow him which he obliged. He walked down with Tyson to the shore where he saw three Hippocampi in the water with the four on them, Annabeth and Grover sharing one.
"Where have you gone to, Tyson?" Percy asked. "We turn around for a moment and you're gone."
Tyson scratched his head. "Marcus wasn't here so I look for him."
The three then noticed that Marcus was with him with Annabeth noticing his injury. "By the gods, Marcus what happened to your arm?!" she asked in worry.
"The cursed Cyclops caught me off guard," Marcus said with a groan. He then noticed Tyson looking at him funny which made him sigh. "I meant Polyphemus." Tyson smiled again.
"The fleece! Clarrise throw him the fleece!" Annabeth said to the tall girl who would usually verbally lash out at such a demand but this time she was happy to do so and threw Marcus the carpet.
Marcus caught it and looked at the fleece for a moment, not really ever seeing it until now before he put it over his left arm. The fleece glowed and Marcus could feel his bones mend back, any muscle tears fixing and soreness disappearing. He took the fleece off his arm moved it around before clenching his fist and giving his arm a flex. The results of the healing were really satisfying.
"So, if you're done posing for a wrestling magazine we should really go," Percy commented.
Marcus then stopped before quickly going into the water and climbing atop the hippocampus that Clarisse had while Tyson went to the one with Percy.
"Away, Rainbow!" Tyson called out and the three sea horses began speeding off.
"You know…" Clarisse began as she looked back at Marcus who had his arms wrapped around her so he could brace himself. "…I honestly thought that you were indestructible!" She got an unamused look from him. "Alright, sorry! Just hold on tight!" He obliged and tightened his grip around Clarisse which made the girl wince. "Not that tight, please!"
Marcus slightly smirked as he lessened his grip.
Annabeth looked at the exchange and couldn't help but smile since almost everything that happened with Marcus over these several years had always had him look gloomy. It looked like even he could derive amusement from some things every once in a while.
After some time of riding giant sea horses, they made it to the city shore where they immediately ran into a problem. They didn't have time to come back to the camp and heal Thalia's tree. Luckily for them, Tyson had some cash that he found in the duffle bag that Hermes gifted to Percy, which he thought was a treat for the sea horses.
They decided that Clarisse should be the one to take the money and get a plane to Camp Half-Blood since they only had the money for one and time was of the essence.
"So, there she goes," Percy said as they watched Clarisse drive away.
"I hope she gets there fast enough," Annabeth said.
There were a few moments of silence that were soon broken by something they didn't want to hear.
"Well, quite a group has gathered around here."
Marcus' eyes quickly narrowed and he turned around with his blades drawn to see Luke standing on the beach sand with his hand in his pocket, the other holding his sword Backbiter, and a smug look on his face.
"Hey there, cousins," Luke said before glancing at Marcus. "At least, I assume we're all cousins."
Marcus only snarled as he got ready to strike at him before Luke put up his hands in defense. "Whoa there, Marcus. We haven't seen each other in a while. No need for such hostilities towards an old friend."
"Oh really? Well, I don't see one," Marcus said.
"Ouch," Luke said in a mock hurt tone. "Well, whatever the case, you aren't going to attack me."
Marcus then heard several yelps and grunts come from behind him and saw the Bear Twins Agrius and Oreius holding Percy and Annabeth respectively while two Laistrygonian giants took hold of Tyson.
"Now, I'm sure you'll be more cooperative," Luke said.
The group soon found themselves on Luke's yacht, the Princess Andromeda, where the three were still held captive while Marcus and Luke stood across each other on the middle deck of the yacht, where Luke made sure that the tattooed demigod was held by three Laistrygonian giants.
Luke demanded that they give him the fleece so he could revive Kronos whose remains were in the sarcophagus which he was more than happy to flaunt around. He found it a real shame when they explained that Clarisse was already gone and she took the fleece.
"You know, Marcus, you're quite a threat to Kronos' plans," Luke said to which Marcus just continued glaring at him. "But it doesn't have to be that way. You can still join us. Kronos can provide a far better life than we could have within that stupid camp and we would no longer serve the gods. There would be no more unfair treatment. To you especially, such a great warrior, the greatest demigod that has been seen in generations yet you haven't yet been claimed by your godly parent. Surely you agree." Luke extended his hand, confident that the giants would hold Marcus in place. "What do you say? Come on, be reasonable."
"I say, you can take that offer, and shove it up your-!"
"Fine then!" Luke interrupted retracting his hand. "I have no idea why all of you are so stubborn about this but it's your choice. I may as well have all of you killed right here, right now."
"Luke, I promise you," Marcus said in a grave tone. "I'll kill you, and every single monster and traitorous demigod on this cursed ship before sinking it with my bare hands!"
Luke only laughed at the threat. "You mean like you killed others? I thought you learned from that."
Percy looked confused at that statement, a fact which Luke noticed.
"Oh, nobody told you?" Luke asked Percy. "Maybe, he is ashamed of it after all."
"Okay, will people stop speaking in riddles and tell me what on Earth you're talking about exactly?" Percy asked already frustrated that this topic has been danced around too much.
"You see, Percy, Marcus here is a personal slave of Ares," Luke said making Percy look shocked. "Yes, during our travels, Marcus pretty much gave his services to Ares and now he does any quest that the war god desires. One of which was killing a group of demigods who were treated unfairly and decided to rebel against the tyranny of the gods. One of which included his own sister."
Percy looked even surprised while Tyson gasped. Percy then remembered his dream of Marcus killing all those demigods so that was probably the thing Luke was talking about. He saw Annabeth's expression and saw the look of sadness in her eyes, with Marcus only clenching his fist.
"That's right, Marcus here is quite ruthless. Do you see just what people the gods take in?"
Percy began thinking for a moment as pieces began falling into place. He saw Marcus' expression and saw that there was sadness beneath the deadly glare. Still, there was one thing that didn't add up.
"I honestly had enough!" Percy said before stomping on Agrius' foot causing the Bearman to let him go as he winced in pain. "I had enough lies, enough secrets, and enough of YOU!" Percy exclaimed as he took out a drachma before throwing it at Luke who casually dodged it as it landed in the fountain behind Luke. "You're worst of all. You lied to and betrayed everyone! Even DYONISUS at CAMP HALF-BLOOD!"
Marcus wondered why Percy was suddenly acting like that, even he could tell the son of Poseidon wasn't really the type to lash out. He then noticed something behind Luke and tried to keep his expression neutral before looking at Tyson and mouthing something.
"You betrayed everyone. You poisoned the tree, you summoned the bulls in the camp and you framed Chiron."
Luke raised an eyebrow at that. "Yes, I did that. But I told you that already. Why are you repeating it?"
"Um, you might want to look behind you," one of the giants said making Luke turn around and see an Iris message with an image of Dyonisus who sat at a table next to Tantalus who was still trying to grab food, a look of complete shock adorned his face.
"Well, that's some unplanned dinner entertainment," Dionysus said dryly before looking at Tantalus who was able to catch a burger. "Looks like we will have to reinstate Chiron back to his duties which means…" A hole opened beneath Tantalus and he fell into the glowing abyss screaming in protest.
Luke growled before taking out his sword and slashing the Iris message. He heard Marcus give a chuckle which caused Luke to turn to him.
"You know, Luke, if you weren't so busy bending over for Kronos you may not have been so arrogant for a thirteen-year-old to outsmart you," Marcus said making Luke angrier. "Speaking of which… NOW!"
Tyson suddenly threw one of the Laistrygonians at Oreius which freed Annabeth from his grasp. Seeing that she was no longer in danger, Markus made a mighty heave which overpowered the giants holding him and threw the two holding his arms before grabbing the one around his neck and throwing him overboard.
Percy then took out Riptide and attacked Luke who quickly blocked the attack, while Tyson punched out the other giant holding him. More soldiers began pouring on the deck where a fight ensued.
Percy defended himself from Luke's assault as the older demigod quickly gained the advantage. Percy was barely able to block the last strike from Luke and tried to put some distance between them.
"You're out of practice, Percy," Luke commented and Percy had to agree. While he did do some training with Marcus he didn't train for the entire school year and he was beginning to regret his decision of refusing Marcus' early training.
Then Luke went for a lunge, in a way that made Percy's brain activate, remembering that Marcus was showing him a special maneuver when they trained. It was risky and required good timing and accuracy, but Percy had to.
When Luke made a thrust, Percy went to intercept it with his sword. When the blades connected Percy switched hands which made him better coordinate where his blade would go considering the position he was in and gave Luke a cut on the hand.
Luke quickly backed away before wincing in pain and looking at the cut on his hand. "One of Marcus' tricks no doubt," Luke said angrily before looking back at Percy and taking a battle stance again. "But the cut is superficial, it doesn't change anything. You won't get another-"
He was interrupted as a boxing glove arrow suddenly struck him in the face and sent him flying in the pool of the fountain.
A volley of arrows, both regular ones, and some strange ones, came upon many monsters aboard the yacht, dissolving them into dust. The group saw that it was Chiron along with many other centaurs who were dressed in party clothes.
"Ponies!" Tyson exclaimed happily. With the words 'PARTY PONIES' printed on their shirts that statement wasn't as wrong this time.
The centaurs then began picking Percy and others to lead them away from the ship. Marcus then sliced some heads off of several Dracanae that attacked him. He saw a centaur approaching him to pick him so he sheathed his blades.
Marcus then quickly turned around to see Luke suddenly charging at him, Marcus moved out of the way of the sword slash but it connected enough for him to be slashed across the eye, though not enough to damage the eye itself.
Marcus put his hand on the bleeding injury before groaning. This got Luke more confidence as he went for another strike but Marcus grabbed his sword arm.
"You never learn," Marcus said before twisting the arm and snapping the bones in it like a twig which made Luke yell in pain. Then Marcus gave Luke a mighty backhand right across the face making him bleed from his mouth and fly backward.
"Come on, man! Climb up!" the centaur said before grabbing Marcus, putting him on his back and jumping overboard along with every other centaur.
As the centaurs began galloping the surroundings turned into a blur at how fast they were going, so much so that they quickly found themselves in front of Camp Half-blood.
The celebrations soon began, with many congratulating Clarisse for bringing the Golden Fleece back at the camp which was now healing the tree. Marcus didn't get the attention but he didn't mind.
The campers were sitting at their tables eating, drinking, and generally having at not having to defend themselves against invading monsters every other day.
Marcus sat alone, eating a chocolate bar that he requested from a nymph. He was in a mood for having something sweet today. He was also provided with close, but this time he actually wore the camp shirt.
He then looked to see Percy approaching his table with a lunch box in his hands. "May I sit?" he asked politely to which Marcus nodded. Percy sat and opened the lunch box before taking out something from it and giving it to Marcus. It was a blue cupcake. "My mom made me these. You should try it, they're really good."
Marcus looked at the strange cupcake for a few moments before grabbing it and taking a bite. He had to admit that it tasted quite good. Percy also joined and both of them began eating the cupcakes.
Though there was silence between them, something Marcus knew that normally wouldn't happen considering what he knew of Percy. "I know you're wondering about what Luke told you," Marcus said gaining Percy's attention. "Yes, I do indeed serve Ares. Once during our travels, my sister was in a very perilous situation, and then he came to me and offered to save her in exchange to serve him. I accepted, which also gave me these." Marcus then took out one of the blades which made a chain suddenly materialize from the pommel, wrapping around Marcus' forearms. The chains actually seemed to be embedded into the skin. "The Blades of Chaos, weapons personally given to me by Ares as a symbol of my servitude. A badge that I can never get rid of." Marcus tugged on the chain to show that it was tightly connected to his arm. He put the blade back on his back and the chain disappeared.
"So… those special quests that you mentioned…"
"Were tasks given to me by Ares, yes," Marcus finished. "But considering how things turned out it may as well have been for nothing."
Percy was afraid to ask but he did anyway. "So… your sister-"
"She wasn't rebelling against the gods if that's what you're thinking."
"I know," Percy said making Marcus look at him curiously. Percy then proceeded to explain about the dream he had, and Marcus just shrugged it off, knowing that demigods can have such dreams so it wasn't a big deal.
"With the task I was given, I came to an abandoned warehouse where those demigods were. I killed them all, but only realized too late that last person I killed ended up being Maya," Marcus said in sorrowful voice though it was hard to tell. "She just turned up there out of nowhere. And I ended up cutting her down like the rest of them."
"But… how did she end up there?"
"Ares."
Percy's eyes were as wide as they could be when he heard the answer. "What?! Why would he do that?!"
Marcus' fists clenched tightly with cracking sound as his eyes narrowed. "He told me that it was because my concern for her was holding me back. An obstacle that was better to be rid of."
Percy's anger at Ares only grew when he heard that. How could Ares be so cruel to do that to Marcus, just because he thought that Marcus cared for her too much? That was just barbaric.
"Boys," came the voice of Chiron who walked up to them. "Please, no need for such topics right now. This is the time for celebration and joy, not sadness. Come, join the others."
"Hey!" the Grover came and he looked frantic. "Listen, something happened to the tree."
That got both Percy's and Marcus' to look worried as they quickly ran towards the tree. Marcus suddenly stopped and looked at the tree in shock. Percy was wondering what he was looking at and saw that it was a girl with short black hair, dressed in jeans a red shirt, and a leather jacket, someone he saw in his dream.
"Thalia?" Marcus said not believing his eyes.
The girl rubbed her, getting rid of the tiredness in them. "Marcus? What happened?" Thalia asked. "Why do you look like that? Where's Maya?"
AN: And that is it for now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This time much more action happened and I hope I didn't ruin it for you.
And don't forget to check out my other stories. And please, leave a review. They are great motivators.
See you next time!