Orion Taylor wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation. He, Annabeth, and Thalia had been sent to Westover Hall to rendezvous with Grover, who'd found two powerful demigods. The mission was pretty simple; grab 'em, and get back to Camp. Then Thorn appeared, but that was pretty standard. Expected, even. From the way Grover talked about how strong the di Angelos' scent was, there was no way a monster would be able to resist.
Things got complicated when Orion found out Thorn was working for Luke and some General guy. The Manticore mentioned something about a Great Stirring, which did not sound very pleasant at all. Things got confusing when that Son of Hades showed up, killed Thorn with ease, and basically kidnapped Nico and Bianca.
Then, the Hunters of Artemis came. Grover freaked out like a fanboy, Thalia kept whispering insults under her breath, glaring at one Hunter in particular, and Annabeth had a calculating look in her eye, staring at the Son of Hades, who had been forced to kneel in front of Artemis.
"Penny for your thoughts, Wise Girl?" Orion asked, sidling up next to her. One of the Huntresses had just finished cleaning his wound, and sent him on his way with a harsh glare. He could use some more pleasant company at the moment.
"I'm just… Wondering. Why was that guy sent by Hades to retrieve Nico and Bianca? The only thing I can think of is that they were also children of Hades."
"Well, they did look kinda similar, with the hair and the eyes," Orion offered.
Annabeth nodded. "Yeah, they did, but… I dunno, it feels kinda flimsy to determine someone's godly heritage based on the color of their eyes. I guess that's why we didn't make the connection that you were the Son of Poseidon."
"They probably are siblings. I don't understand why else Hades would send someone after them- it's not like he's building a demigod army, right?"
Annabeth said nothing for a long time, and Orion was unnerved by her silence.
"You don't actually think he's building a demigod army, do you?" he asked.
"What?" she asked, head snapping up and blinking, and Orion was slightly relieved. Looked like she'd simply been lost in thought, as normal. "No, I don't, just thinking about other possible reasons, but… Nothing comes to mind."
"Why don't we ask him?"
"He refused to answer Lady Artemis, one of the Olympians. You think he's gonna tell us?" Orion shrugged half-heartedly.
"Couldn't hurt to try."
"Didn't you already ask him, anyways?"
"I mean, yeah, but we got interrupted by the Hunters coming out of nowhere," Orion protested. Annabeth snorted and rolled her eyes, before walking off to join Thalia. Orion wasn't sure if it was a good idea for him to follow, considering the absolutely filthy glares the Daughter of Zeus was occasionally shooting him, so he went to stand next to Grover.
"So. Artemis, huh?" he asked teasingly. Grover shoved his shoulder lightly.
"Yeah, man. I'm a Satyr, and we're kinda into nature, if you haven't noticed, and Lady Artemis is just so… There, ya know? She's amazing," he said, sighing dreamily, and Orion snickered.
"Whatever, Goat Boy."
"Son of Poseidon," Artemis called, staring at him from across the clearing. "Come. I wish to speak with you." Orion clapped Grover on the shoulder, and went to follow the goddess. She brought him to her tent, which looked way different on the inside than he would've expected. Rugs and pillows covered the ground, and pelts of all sorts were hung on the walls. There were even a few mounted heads, the beady black eyes really creeping him out. Artemis sat on the floor in the center of the tent, and Orion plopped down next to the Son of Hades, who was already there. The dark-haired boy offered him a nod in greeting, which he returned. In the soft fire light of the tent, Orion was better able to make out his features. Raven hair, almost as messy as Orion's, and slightly longer. His face was a bit gaunt, cheekbones well defined and chin pointed. His overly pale skin and the dark bags under his eyes completed the unhealthy image, though his obsidian gaze was as sharp as Annabeth's. The one Huntress, who he thought was named Zoe, sat on Artemis' right, slightly behind her.
"Are you surprised by my age?" Artemis asked. The question was directed to Orion, as she seemed to be ignoring the Son of Hades for the moment.
"Um… A little," Orion admitted.
"I could appear as a grown woman, or a blazing fire, or anything else I want, but this is what I prefer. This is the average age of my Hunters, and all young maidens for whom I am patron, before they go astray."
"Go astray?" he asked.
"Grow up. Become smitten with boys. Become silly, preoccupied, insecure. Forget themselves."
"...Oh," Orion muttered dumbly, not really sure what to say. Zoe, who'd been glaring at the other boy, flicked her gaze to him for a second, scowl becoming impossibly deeper. Even though Artemis couldn't see her face, she somehow knew what had happened behind her back, which was a bit creepy.
"You must forgive my Hunters for their hostility. Boys are forbidden to have contact with them. The last one we encountered, I turned into a jackalope." She smiled, and Orion swallowed nervously. Meanwhile, the Son of Hades was staring at the ground, as if he wasn't even paying attention. "Regardless, I wish to know if Thorn may have let slip any information. Did he say anything to you?"
"Yeah, he said he was working for some guy called the General." Zoe stiffened and opened her mouth, but Artemis, without even looking back, held up her hand, silencing the Lieutenant. The interaction threw Orion off, but he continued speaking. "Oh, and he mentioned this thing called the Great Stirring- something about the oldest and most powerful monsters waking up. Is that something we should be worried about?"
Artemis hummed in thought. "Only time will tell. Was there anything else?"
"Uh… Oh! He said, soon we shall have the most important monster of all, the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus."
Artemis went blank-faced for a second, before grimacing. "I have been too slow to see the signs. I must hunt this monster. I will return in time for the Winter Solstice council, and use this monster as proof that action must be taken. Until then, Zoe, you will be in charge of the Hunters."
"My Lady?"
"The task ahead is far too dangerous, even for the Hunters. You will go to Camp Half-Blood. Orion Taylor, will you guide my handmaidens to your camp?" He nodded, and the goddess seemed satisfied. "Now, onto the last manner of business. Perseus Jackson, what is to be done with you?"
"I will go to Camp Half-Blood as well," he said, voice soft.
Artemis narrowed her eyes. "Is that so? Why?"
"Father has ordered it."
"I am beginning to sense a trend." Perseus said nothing. "Then, why did you risk limbo for the Curse of Achilles?"
"Father ordered it."
Artemis smirked coldly. "Such loyalty," she said, the word dripping with disdain and sarcasm. "Like a dog. I wonder, if I were to give you a treat, would you roll over?" Again, he remained silent, merely staring at the goddess.
Zoe clenched her fist. "Milady asked you a question, boy! Answer her!" she barked. She calmed down when Artemis raised her hand.
"I see you also keep your hounds on a tight leash, Lady Artemis," Perseus mocked gently, the corner of his mouth twitching up ever so slightly. This time, Zoe actually pulled out a silver dagger, only stowing it away- and quite reluctantly- when Artemis fixed her with a commanding glare.
"Now then, if you all are going to get to Camp in a timely manner, I suppose you will need some form of transportation. I will call for Apollo in the morning. Perseus, Orion, you are excused." The boys quickly exited the tent, and Orion turned to Perseus.
"So. Perseus, huh? Guess we're both named after old Heroes," he said with a smile. Perseus hummed absentmindedly. "Were Bianca and Nico actually your siblings? Hades isn't, like, building a demigod army or anything, is he?" Perseus tilted his head and side-eyed Orion, the beginning of a smirk playing across his lips. It was kinda worrying, because that wasn't an answer. "Wait, so is he?" Orion asked once more, really hoping he was wrong.
"It is not my place to question Father's orders," Perseus whispered, filling Orion with dread. "Although… The di Angelos truly were Father's children." And then the dread was gone, replaced by relief. Orion huffed out an amused breath.
"Not cool, dude," he said with a smile. "Anyways, c'mon, I'll introduce you to the others."
Thalia was pissed. When Orion made it back to the smaller campfire set aside for the demigods from Camp, she was pacing circles around it, growling at nothing in particular. Annabeth and Grover were sitting on a nearby log, watching her wear a trench into the dirt.
"Those stuck-up, no-good-!"
"Hey, we're back!" Orion interrupted, hoping he would be able to spare them from making a bad first impression. Although, judging by the amused glint in Perseus' dark eyes, it was probably too late.
"Finally!" Thalia cried. "And what the Hades is he doing here!?" she asked, pointing at Perseus, who was now frowning.
"I've told you before not to use Father's name so casually," Perseus admonished softly, disapproval thick in his voice.
"And? What the HADES are you gonna do about it!?" Thalia snarled. Before anyone could even step in to try defusing the situation, the shadows behind the Daughter of Zeus rose up and wrapped around her throat like a collar, before yanking her down to the ground. She slammed back-first into the snow with a strangled noise, and the collar began tightening. Thalia started to flail wildly, her face turning blue from oxygen deprivation.
"Hey, woah, she didn't mean anything by it! She's just ticked off about… Something," Orion finished lamely. He didn't actually know why Thalia was so angry, and the only person who might, aside from Thalia herself, was currently pointing a dagger at Perseus.
"Let her go!" Annabeth shouted, looking ready to jump through the campfire to get at the Son of Hades. Grover pulled out his reed pipes and held them near his mouth.
"Hey! EVERYBODY CALM DOWN!" Orion roared, voice echoing through the dark forest. He took a few deep breaths, then turned to Perseus. "Let her go, man. She's not thinking straight right now- I'm sure she wasn't trying to insult you."
With a barely-audible sigh, the shadows retreated back into the ground, and Thalia sat up, hacking violently. She rubbed at her bruised throat and glared daggers at Perseus, who stared back blankly. Nodding in satisfaction, Orion turned to Annabeth.
"Put the knife down, Wise Girl. He's not an enemy."
"Really? Could've fooled me," she said scathingly, though she did as he asked. Grover followed suit, looking rather relieved. Thalia, however, was on the warpath.
"Whaddaya mean, he's not an enemy!? He jumped in outta nowhere, kidnapped the di Angelos, and threw them to the monsters! Don't think I didn't see those Hellhounds!"
Orion blinked. "Hellhounds?" he asked Perseus. "What Hellhounds?" He was more than slightly alarmed now.
"They were under my control, with strict orders to bring them to the Underworld unharmed."
"Oh, so we can trust monsters now, huh!? The last time I saw a Hellhound, it was trying to rip me to pieces!"
Perseus exhaled through his nose, and turned his head to face Orion. "Is she always like this?" he asked, a humorous lilt in his voice.
"No, she's actually pretty chill. But, why were there Hellhounds?"
"They were convenient for transport."
"…I guess?" Orion didn't really get it, but Perseus looked pretty relaxed, despite having actually thrown his siblings to a pair of Hellhounds, so it was probably fine. Probably. While they were having their little side conversation, Thalia had stomped up, and grabbed Perseus by his collar.
"Don't ignore m- hurk!" A boot connected solidly with her stomach, sending her to the ground. She rolled backwards instantly, and by the time she got to her feet, her shield and spear were in her hand. She brandished Aegis, and despite having seen it so many times, even Orion cringed a bit. Yet, Perseus remained unbothered, hands still in the pockets of his sweaters. His apathy sent Thalia over the edge, and she thrust out her spear, sending a bolt of lightning at him. Before Orion could even cry out, Perseus had sidestepped the attack.
The Son of Hades merely watched the electricity slam into a tree, blasting the bark off the truck in an explosion of splinters. He turned back to Thalia, the corner of his lip pulled up in the largest smirk Orion had seen from his new cousin. Meaning, it was just barely visible.
"Lord Zeus' blood truly runs through your veins," Perseus commented without inflection, though the humor in his eyes was undeniable. Thalia bristled at the jab at her wild temper, and for being compared with her father, whom she wasn't particularly fond of.
"ARGH!" With a bestial cry, Thalia lunged forward, spear pointed and ready to skewer Perseus through the gut. He fell backwards, though, dropping below her spear and into his own shadow, created by the light from the campfire. An instant later, a hand popped out from the darkness under Thalia, grabbing her by the ankle and yanking her leg out from under her, sending her crashing to the snow. While the Daughter of Zeus ate shit, Perseus calmly rose out of Orion's shadow, completely unruffled. When Thalia climbed to her feet and turned on him once more, Orion stepped between them.
"Move, Kelp Head!" she growled, tightening her grip on her spear. The message was clear; she'd go through him if she had to. Still, Orion remained firmly planted. Luckily for him, Annabeth finally came to his aid.
"Thalia, stop," she ordered her friend. "There's no reason for you to try and fight him."
"Me!?" Thalia screeched, straightening up indignantly, "He strangled me!"
"That doesn't mean you have to escalate it," Annabeth said sternly. "Now, put the spear down, and let's talk like rational people." After an intense staredown between the two, Thalia reluctantly did as she was told, folding her weapons away into their compacted forms. She crossed her arms and glared fiercely at Perseus.
"Alright, fine. Let's talk. Who the fuck do you think you are, attacking me like that!?" she shouted at Perseus. Annabeth slapped a palm to her forehead, and Orion could sympathise. That's not talking, Thalia. Perseus seemed to agree, because other than a glance in her direction, he didn't further acknowledge the Daughter of Zeus' existence. Instead, he turned to Grover, of all people (Satyrs. Whatever).
"Grover Underwood," he said silkily, rolling the name around on his tongue, as if testing it out. "I have heard of you."
Grover almost quailed under the unwanted attention, but he managed to find the spine of steel he'd developed during his time as Polyphemus' almost-wife. It vanished instantly when Perseus noticed him squaring his shoulder, and smiled sharply at the satyr, showing far too many teeth for it to be anything other than predatory. "O-Oh yeah? That's… Nice," Grover said lamely.
"Yes. Nice, indeed. You were the one to find Father's children, were you not?"
"Um… Yeah?"
"And approximately three years ago, you were also the one to locate Orion Taylor, yes? And years before that, Thalia Grace." The girl snarled at the mention of her name, but Annabeth's hand on her shoulder kept her from going off again.
"R-right. Um, why?"
"No particular reason. Father was simply curious about the only satyr to ever dare step hoof in his domain. He spoke quite well of you."
"Uh… Thanks, I guess?" Grover stammered. Perseus nodded, eyes roving around the clearing before landing on Annabeth.
"Daughter of Athena," he greeted with a tilt of his head.
"Son of Hades," Annabeth replied, responding in kind. Perseus' eyes flicked to Orion at his side, and the Son of Poseidon suddenly felt rather unnerved.
"Uncle was right. You make quite the pair with Orion Taylor. Aphrodite will have fun with the two of you in the coming years." Orion's cheeks burned with the heat of a solar flare, and a glance at Annabeth showed her face was equally red.
"W-What are you talking about?" Orion stuttered, slanting his gaze to the side so he didn't accidentally make eye contact with Annabeth. Then, he registered the beginning of that statement. "Wait, by Uncle, do you mean my Dad? When did you talk to him?" Orion wouldn't lie; he felt a spark of jealousy at that.
"Oh, we've never spoken face-to-face," Perseus assured him, easing the sudden tightness in his chest. "I simply overheard his conversation with Father during their weekly tea session."
"Tea?" Annabeth cut in. "Poseidon and Hades get together every week for tea?" She sounded vaguely hysterical, the mere notion nearly defying logic.
"Every Saturday," Perseus replied seriously. "They gossip like old wives."
Just like that, the tension in the clearing had been broken, and everyone was giggling. Even Thalia cracked a begrudging smile. The group took a seat around the campfire, and proper conversation finally began.
"So, you're going to be living at Camp from now on?" Orion asked, starting off the round of questioning.
"Yes, although Father has not told me exactly why. I have my theories, but questioning Father rarely tends to end well."
"Did you stay in Hades' palace before this?" Annabeth asked.
"I did, though Father himself rarely interacted with me. Instead, he sent proxies, usually in the form of the Furies. Alecto still has not forgiven you, Orion Taylor."
Orion spluttered indignantly. "What? She attacked me first both times!" First in the museum, and then on the bus. He wasn't going to roll over and just die!
Perseus raised an eyebrow. "I was referring to your time as her student. She had quite a few choice words about your academic abilities once she returned from her assignment." Orion blushed once more, and his friends snickered at his expense.
"Even the monsters agree that your head is full of seaweed, Kelp Head!" Thalia ribbed.
"Orion didn't even have the worst grades in Pre-Algebra, though," Grover said, defending his best friend. "That honor lies solely with Nancy Bobofit, and Ms. Dodds- I mean, Alecto, loved her."
Perseus shrugged. "It might also have something to do with the fact that you sliced her in half twice. People tend to remember that kind of thing."
"Of course," Annabeth said, rolling her eyes. "What's it like, living in the Underworld?" she asked, both eager to learn something new and wanting to change the subject off of monsters that had attempted to kill her.
Perseus went deathly still for a moment, so still he didn't even breathe. Orion could tell, because chilled mist stopped pluming out of his nose in the steady pattern it had been, and he was momentarily overcome with the impulsive urge to check his cousin's pulse. Then, Perseus sighed.
"It was… Quiet." A single word was all he offered, yet the weight behind it kept the rest of them silent. "Perhaps it is better if we turn in for the night."
Nobody disagreed.