A/N: The last chapter was extremely long for my standards, but it was more fulfilling to write. I'll try to keep writing chapters as long as that one was but I can't promise anything. I also changed the summary because I wasn't digging it.
I don't own Percy Jackson.
"Forgive me, Lord Apollo," Chiron managed to speak, staring at Percy in complete shock, "do you mean to say that this child has been under your care for three years?"
"Not just that," a tall, blonde boy spoke up, staring curiously at Percy. "Dad said he was trained by Hermes and Artemis, too. That's three gods."
"That's right, Lee. Percy here was indeed trained by three gods, which is why I asked Chiron here to bring you all here. I need to talk to you kids about why he's being stuck in our cabin even after having all that training and not the Hermes cabin," Apollo said, his face turning serious.
Percy shook his head slowly and stepped closer to the god to speak lowly, "But Apollo, I thought Zeus said-"
"I know what Zeus said, Percy," Apollo frowned, "but it would make me feel a whole lot better if you have people that you can trust to back you up if things go wrong. We won't be telling the whole camp. Just my kids will know."
Percy winced at the thought of Zeus possibly punishing him for Apollo's insubordination but decided that the god had a point. He would never be able to call Camp Half-Blood a home if he had no one he could trust.
"As much as I love telling stories, though, I don't think this story is mine to tell," Apollo said, stepping back and gesturing for Percy to speak to the gathered demigods. The boy blinked for a moment then nodded hesitantly, slowing stepping up to stand closer to the pool table.
"Uh, yeah. Hey guys, I'm Percy-"
"Hi, Percy," the room of Apollo clones greeted with smiles on their faces. Percy swore he heard their father say the same thing at the same time behind him as well. He resisted the urge to sigh in exasperation.
"Right. Uh, I'm Percy Jackson, and a few years ago, my stepdad killed my mother."
The atmosphere in the room immediately changed. The smiles on the faces of the campers dropped. They were replaced by deep frowns and a few looks of sadness. Apollo looked grim and Chiron crossed his arms silently.
Percy had paused to gauge their reactions and continued a moment later, "He would've done the same to me if Hermes didn't step in and save me. He never told me what he was doing in my apartment building that night, but I don't care. He took me in and started training me after he found out who my godly parent was."
"And who would that be?" The boy named Lee asked. He seemed to be the only one capable of speaking amongst his siblings, as the rest were still slightly processing Percy's words.
Percy winced and sighed. He glanced at Apollo, who nodded encouragingly, and Percy shoved down the hesitation that he felt inside of him. "Poseidon is my father."
A few gasps came from the children of Apollo, with Chiron audibly choking on air. Percy would've chuckled at their reactions if he didn't feel so guilty over his mother's death.
"Poseidon? But the pact...?" Chiron stuttered out. He stared at Percy in surprise.
"He isn't lying, though," Lee said, staring at Percy in curiosity. "I can tell. I mean, we all can."
Percy nodded. It would make sense that the god of truth had children that could tell whether or not he was lying.
"I was born a few months before Elaine Chi. I don't have any practice being a son of Poseidon, and I don't tell a lot of people, but Apollo told me to be honest, so here I am," Percy said with a small smile. He was surprised that it felt nice, to be honest about himself.
"Does Chi know?" Lee asked, to which Percy shook his head.
"She doesn't need to know, at least not yet. Neither does Thalia Grace. It's better if no one knows actually. It's supposed to be a big secret," Percy replied, frowning softly.
"Is this due to the great prophecy?" Chiron spoke up. The look of realization on the centaur's face told Percy that he was beginning to understand the point of their secrecy.
"Yeah. For those of you who don't know, there's this prophecy that predicts Olympus' fate. One of the children of the Big Three will reach the age of sixteen and decide whether or not the gods will continue to rule. Right now, there are about 5 known children of the Big Three in play, including me. Thalia is older than me by a year I think, and I'm the second in line to be the kid of the prophecy," Percy explained. He received slow nods of understanding, though a majority of those in the room continued to reel in surprise from the news of the prophecy.
"So why are you here? If you've been trained by gods, shouldn't you be doing things a lot more important than staying at camp?" A short, blonde boy spoke up. Percy could tell from the tone of the boy that he wasn't accusing him of anything. He seemed curious about him if anything.
"Because I'm part of the prophecy I guess. If anything happens to Thalia Grace I'm next in line, and if I'm not in the camp then it'll be a lot harder to keep an eye on me," Percy shrugged.
"That and dad isn't too trusting with our kids, Michael. He gets it from his dad," Apollo added with a roll of his eyes. The short boy that Percy assumed was Michael laughed.
"The gods think it'll be better if I stay a secret from everyone because they suspect spies in the camp," Percy said, causing Chiron to pale slightly.
"Spies? For Kronos?" The centaur looked worried.
Apollo nodded, "Athena told us to be careful with who we trust outside of the council. I'm telling my kids because it's hard for them to lie in general and because I need people to watch over Percy while my sister isn't around to keep him in check."
A few nods and chuckles came from the Apollo cabin at Percy's expense. The boy let out an indignant cry but he was ignored by the god. A few wondered just how close Percy was to the gods he spent the last few years with if they had to watch over him before.
"If I recall correctly, young Percy here said Lord Hermes took him in. How are you and Lady Artemis come to be involved with him?" Chiron asked Apollo, who grinned sheepishly.
"I barged into Hermes' place one morning and found him. He eventually convinced me not to tell anyone about Percy, and I decided to help. We got Artemis to help too, even if I have no idea how we pulled that off," Apollo explained. Percy snorted at the mention of the goddess of the hunt, who until now refused to call him by his nickname.
"If Hermes took him in then why won't he stay in his cabin?" Lee asked. His tone was curious again. Percy found that the boy was similar to his father, who was generally friendly and kind.
"Because it's too full and too dangerous," Apollo said, prompting looks of confusion from his children.
Apollo began to count off his reasoning on his fingers, "First off, Percy's too slow in the head to be a son of Hermes. He could probably match their physical speed without having to use Hermes' blessing, and he can do a bunch of what they can do too, but he would be way too out of place there. They're all thinkers. Percy is not a thinker."
Apollo ignored the glare Percy sent his way and continued.
"Second," Apollo said as he raised another finger, "it's too cramped. Percy's supposed to be kept away from others as much as possible, and he can't do that while being stuck in a cabin with every other god's unclaimed kid."
"And lastly, something that I forgot to explain to Percy, is that we think the Hermes cabin is the least secure in camp," Apollo said. "We think that since Luke was the counselor of the Hermes cabin, he might've found an ally there to update him about what happens in the camp. There are kids there who haven't been claimed and might feel a little abandoned, which is how Kronos got to Luke. We can't know for sure if there is a spy in that cabin, or if there's a spy at all, but we want to be careful."
Percy, who had looked a bit confused at Apollo's last reason, slowly nodded in understanding. His actions were mirrored by the others in the room.
"So he's here as our secret weapon?" A girl spoke up from somewhere to Percy's right. She had green tips in her hair. She fiddled with something in her pockets as she spoke.
"Right you are, Kayla. We keep him a secret and when we need to fight some big forces, he'll be our trump card," Apollo replied with a smile at his daughter. The girl nodded with a smile back.
"How strong is he?" A dark-skinned boy asked. He had cornrows in the shape of a double-helix and a black suit jacket on.
"If I'm being brutally honest, Austin, I don't think there's a demigod in this camp that can match Percy in terms of raw strength," Apollo said with a shrug. "His training also puts him heads above your best campers. He could probably toss Thalia Grace around in a weapons fight without having to try too hard."
Apollo's kids looked surprised at his words and began to look at Percy in slight awe.
Seeing their looks, Percy shook his head with an uncomfortable look on his face and waved them off with both hands. "I'm just another demigod, guys, don't get it twisted."
A younger boy that looked exactly like Apollo snorted at Percy's words. "Yeah right, dude. You could probably bring us the win against the hunters all by yourself in Capture the Flag!"
The Apollo cabin exploded into excited shouts at the mention of the famed rivalry between the camp and the hunt. Percy was suddenly assaulted with questions on his abilities and skills, none of which he could respond to with how many were fielded his way.
"Okay, okay, settle down now kids. Will, you know better than to get your siblings riled up like that," Apollo chastised lightly. The younger boy that Percy now knew as Will grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry, dad."
The god waved him off and spoke again. "I want you all to get along with Percy here as best as you can. He's got a lot in store for him and I'll be damned if my kids aren't there to make sure he'll make it through. Plus, imagine how cool the paintings of you guys right behind Percy, charging into battle will be!"
The god's words brought stars into his children's eyes. Percy had to look away, as seeing Apollo influence a whole other generation of kids made him feel slightly worried.
"I'll be heading out to go see how Hermes is doing now that he's all alone. I'm trusting you kids to watch over Percy, you understand me?"
The Apollo cabin exploded into excitement once more, promising their father they'd take care of things in the camp. Percy felt like he was being treated as a pet who needed a sitter but kept silent in case Apollo was doing it on purpose.
The god gave them a grin and a wave and flashed out, leaving Chiron to deal with a hyped-up cabin of blonde teenagers and a powerful demigod who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but in the middle of the said cabin.
Percy walked with Lee Fletcher, who had introduced himself as the head of the Apollo cabin after the meeting. He met every member of the cabin as well, and Percy was glad that none of them seemed to fear him or dislike him. He felt like he could get along well with Lee due to the guy's friendly demeanor.
Lee pointed out the dining pavilion that Percy passed by earlier on his way to the big house, telling him that they'd eat most of their meals there together.
"And I think that's all I needed to show you," Lee said with a grin that reminded Percy of his father. "That concludes your tour, kid. You think you'll be alright here?"
Percy gave a small shrug as the two began to make their way towards the Apollo Cabin for Percy to get situated.
"I've never really been around people my age," Percy said with a small frown on his face. "I don't know how the whole 'making friends' thing works so I guess I'm just winging it. I think I'm doing pretty well so far though because I got Elaine and Thalia to smile at me. And that new Nico kid hasn't stopped staring at me."
Lee let out a small laugh. "Elaine Chi laughs a bunch, but Thalia Grace? I don't think I've ever seen her crack a smile in the last few months she's been here. Not even for Annabeth and those two came to camp together with Luke."
The mention of the traitor brought frowns to both the boys' faces.
Percy nodded at the new information he received about Thalia and Annabeth, the girl that he learned was the one who fell off the cliff.
"Did they take it hard when he left camp?" Percy asked. He wanted to know as much as he could about Luke because he needed every advantage he could get over the older boy who he assumed had only continued to grow stronger.
"Annabeth wasn't herself for a few days, but I don't think she was too surprised," Lee said as he looked skyward to try to remember what Percy was asking. "Said something about it being a long time coming. Thalia, on the other hand, was just healed a few months ago, so I don't think she's had the time to process everything yet."
"Were they close with Luke?" Percy asked again. If he could find some of Luke's friends, then maybe he could learn more about the traitor from them. Maybe even find a way to use his friends against him, even if he didn't like the idea of using people in that manner.
"Oh yeah. Super close. The thing with Luke, though, was that he made us all feel like he was our good friend. Maybe Annabeth anticipated him ditching, but the rest of us were caught off guard." Lee said, shaking his head.
Percy hummed back in response, content with how much information he had gathered from the older boy.
"And don't worry about making friends, Percy," Lee spoke up, sending the younger demigod a grin. "So far, you haven't pulled rank on any of us and you seem pretty cool. Just don't screw with any of our beds or anything like that and we'll all get along just fine."
Percy grinned back and replied, "I can't promise anything about the beds but I'll do my best to rein in the pranks."
Lee shook his head and chuckled as they neared Apollo cabin. Percy thought it looked like any other cabin until the sun's light passed over it and he almost yelled in surprise. It glowed so brightly he had a hard time looking directly at it.
"Is the cabin always this bright?" Percy mumbled as he shielded his eyes from the cabin.
Lee chuckled again and shrugged as he opened the door for him. "You get used to it, kid."
Bunk beds lined both sides of the cabin with a large cot in the middle that Lee told him was for the injured. There were beams along the ceiling and hooks on the walls meant for holding bows and swords. There was also a bookcase that held books about Apollo.
"Will got us some books to show any new kids that come around. It makes it easier to show them what dad is all about and what we expect of them," Lee explained. Percy nodded in understanding.
"I don't think anyone's ever been so informal with their godly parent before," Percy said with a small smile on his face. "I mean, you all call him dad when everyone else calls their parents by name or something weird like father or mother."
Lee shrugged, "dad's an informal guy. Plus, he and Hermes are the only ones that visit us at all so I guess we get to know them more than other kids do with their parents."
Percy grinned, "I'm glad I made them visit you guys then. I knew it would do you guys good."
Lee looked surprised at Percy's small revelation then grinned at him. "You made them visit us? Damn, kid, I think I could kiss you right now!"
"Please don't."
"Spoilsport."
Lee pointed Percy to his bunk that he would share with Austin Lake, the kid with cornrows. The boy was laying on the lower bunk cleaning out his saxophone and waved at Percy with a smile.
"Don't snore and we'll be great friends," Austin smirked as he stood and shook hands with Percy.
Percy laughed and nodded before Lee told the two to head to the woods next to the creek. "Capture the Flag, boys. With Percy and Thalia around I expect to win this time, so get your asses in gear and let's go."
The two boys shared a slightly exasperated look at Lee's downright serious tone and shrugged before following him out of the cabin. They were soon joined by other Apollo cabin members, who had either come from the cabin as well or from other activities around the camp. They would come up and strike up a conversation with Percy and Austin, who the former was starting to think was a cool guy.
With their rather large numbers, they ended up being the last cabin to make it to the gathering place at the edge of the forest that Lee called the West Wood. A large girl strode up to Lee with a frown as she strapped on her right bracer.
"What took you so long Fletcher? You still need to pick your fighters and send the rest to the spectating area," the girl growled.
"Relax, Clarisse, it's not like Chiron would start without us. I had to get the rest of my cabin off their asses," replied the son of Apollo, waving her off as he led his team over to the stands of armor and racks of weapons. Clarisse followed them back to the racks with a frown on her face.
"They're on a 55 win streak, ladies and gents," a large boy with goggles over his head called over. "I think I speak for all of us when I say we need to beat them already."
"Chiron's told us the same thing, Beckendorf," Lee replied, tossing the boy a jar containing Greek fire. He waited for the boy to catch it before continuing, "we didn't have the firepower we have now, and I can promise you that it'll be enough to get us that win."
"Firepower?" Piped up two boys simultaneously. Percy looked over to see twins that reminded him of Hermes with their brown hair and mischievous smirks. He assumed they were from the Hermes cabin.
"Really Travis, Connor? You didn't get what he meant from that? He means Thalia, guys," Elaine appeared beside Percy, causing the boy to jump slightly. She sent him a strange look mixed with a smile and continued, "She's strong enough to maybe tip the scales in our favor."
The daughter of Zeus had looked over when her name was mentioned. She rolled her eyes when she saw that it was Elaine that had spoken. Her eyes lingered, however, on the handsome son of Poseidon who was analyzing the camp counselors quietly. He suddenly turned his head to meet her gaze. She felt her face heat up and she ducked her head, returning to tightening the leather greaves around her calves.
"We can't be overconfident guys," a girl that Percy thought was very attractive spoke up from beside the boy named Beckendorf. "We did that last time and we lost."
"Relax, Silena," Clarisse spoke up, surprising Percy with her oddly gentler tone. "We can do it this time. I know it."
The determined glint in the daughter of Ares' eyes was mirrored by the other camp counselors and the conversation was halted while they all continued to prepare themselves.
Both Lee and Elaine glanced at each other and nodded, sharing a strange look. Percy glanced between them and struggled to understand the look. He shook his head softly and decided it probably wasn't his business. He returned to looking at the rack in front of him to choose his armor.
Lee leaned over to the girl after waiting for Percy to strap on his armor and whispered, "we can't let Percy show off. I'm guessing my dad told you guys to keep him a little obscure too?"
Elaine nodded back quietly, "yeah. I think we should put him on defense. No one else knows about him, and the people that do probably know to keep their mouths shut about him, so it'll be easy to convince the rest to send him to guard the flag."
Lee agreed with a determined look on his face, and both settled back into their previous positions with Percy none the wiser.
Soon, the cabins all gathered in a loose circle once more with Clarisse, Thalia, and Lee striding towards the center to address the demigods. The fighters were chosen and the others were sent to the spectator area. The entire Dionysus cabin was there, a few of the Aphrodite and Demeter kids too, and a few of the Hermes cabin sat there with Nico di Angelo.
"Alright," Clarisse began in a loud voice, "listen up! We won't repeat ourselves and we expect the best from all of you."
After a few moments, the campers silenced themselves and Lee sent Thalia a nod. The daughter of Zeus nodded back.
"The plan is to send two groups to grab the flag," Thalia said, her eyes sweeping over the campers. They once again caught Percy's for a moment, with the boy sending her a curious look. She decided to look away and continue telling her orders before her cheeks heated up again.
"I will lead the main group with Clarisse to go for the flag. I'll be taking the Athena cabin, Ares cabin, some Hephaestus kids, and some Demeter kids with me. Silena, Lee, and the Stoll twins will be the group holding the hunters' attention. I want their group to take a few Aphrodite kids, most of the Hermes cabin, and a few Apollo kids with them. I want Elaine, Percy, and the rest of you I didn't mention to guard the flag. I left some Hephaestus, Demeter, and Apollo kids because I want traps set around the flag. I'll leave it up to your counselors to choose who goes for the flag and who stays." Thalia finished with a determined look on her face.
Her plan received multiple nods in response. Percy thought it was a sound plan; the hunters, though vastly more experienced and skilled than most campers, had smaller numbers and wouldn't be able to focus on two groups at once. He worried that one hunter could handle about five campers easily, but decided that it was their best chance. He also was slightly irritated that he was sent on guard duty, but knew that he wasn't meant to show off his powers. At least he had Elaine there with him.
"We can do it this time, guys. I know it," Lee announced loudly, causing the campers to roar in approval. The son of Apollo gave Percy a meaningful look. The latter simply grinned back and nodded.
The next few minutes were filled with yells as the camp counselors began to choose who would charge and who would stay behind. Percy assumed that those less battle-inclined would stay behind to set up traps and delay any attackers long enough for Thalia to cross the creek.
Soon, Chiron blew his horn to announce the beginning of the 'friendly' game and the campers took action. Lee and Silena led their group down the clearer path towards the East Wood where the hunters would be able to find them easily. Thalia and Clarisse took their group down the path with more trees and rocks in the way. Elaine took charge of the defenders, soon ordering a few Hephaestus and Apollo kids to set up traps with the few Hermes kids left behind. She also told the Demeter kids to begin to manipulate the plants in the area to rise vertically to make it more difficult for the hunters to get through to the flag.
Percy watched her from his spot next to the flag. He was feeling bored from the complete lack of action guard duty brought him. He knew he had a role to play in the larger scheme of things, but he didn't like his rather weak role in the capture the flag game.
"Is this...all we have to do?" Percy asked the campers.
Choruses of affirmative responses sounded out around him and he groaned. Elaine turned to smile at him and simply shook her head in exasperation. "It's our job, Percy. We have to be here or the hunters will end up winning by a landslide."
"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Percy grumbled, crossing his arms defiantly. Elaine sighed and turned back to direct the other Demeter kids on where to place their traps.
"It's not that bad of a job, you know," a feminine voice spoke up from behind him.
Percy turned his head and was greeted by a rather attractive girl with wavy black hair and brown eyes. She gave him a small smile and a wave, and Percy found himself waving back.
"I mean, I could be biased. I'm just a daughter of Demeter, so the whole 'charging into battle' shtick isn't my thing," the girl said again. Percy's eyebrow raised slightly.
"If you're a daughter of Demeter then shouldn't you be working on the traps and stuff?" Percy asked, slowly getting to his feet to talk to the girl properly. Artemis had drilled it into his head rather painfully to stand when the people he was talking to were standing.
"I've done my part, mind you," the girl sent him a half-hearted glare, gesturing to the large roots protruding from the ground behind her. The entire half-circle that Percy hadn't been looking at that surrounded the flag was covered in vines with thorns and long grass that hid the deep holes that the Hermes cabin had dug up rather efficiently.
"You...did that all by yourself?" Percy found himself slightly surprised. His being a fighter had always meant that his control over his powers was out of practice, as he always had to be swinging a sword or dodging one. He knew he was no pushover when it came to raw power, but he had yet to completely master his control over water or the powers that Hermes and Apollo had given him.
"Yeah, I did," the girl replied haughtily, tilting her head up to stare down at him, despite their rather large height difference. "I'm the best of the cabin at using my mother's powers."
Percy nodded, his face conveying his how impressed he was. "Well...good job."
The girl didn't reply and instead rolled her eyes at him as she brushed past him to help her siblings with the traps on the other side of the flag. Percy found himself watching her go with interest in his eyes. He felt his cheeks twitch and he realized he was smiling to himself.
Elaine walked up to Percy as soon as the girl had left with a small frown on her face. "Hey, you. What was that all about?"
In truth, she was slightly bothered that Percy had seemed so uncomfortable around the girl he was talking to. He had been nothing but confident around her and even Thalia, the scariest demigod she knew right behind Luke, but that girl easily made him look stupid. She wondered what had surprised him so much about the daughter of Demeter. She reasoned that once Percy would look at her as if she was at least his equal, she'd be able to find out why he felt so familiar to her yet so foreign at the same time.
Percy shook his head, wiping the smile off his face and hiding it with a cough. He shrugged, "I have no idea. I think I offended her a little bit."
Elaine raised her eyebrow at him, "how the hell do you offend Katie Gardner? She's the nicest person in this camp. The only other people that bother her are the Stoll twins but they bother everyone."
"Katie, huh?" Percy wondered aloud, his eyes wandering to stare at the girl again. He was promptly snapped out of his thoughts by Elaine flicking his forehead soundly. He yelped in pain and held the spot she struck in his hands. He glared.
"Get your head out of the gutter and in the game, Jackson. We can't afford to be distracted right now. You saw how much this win means to the camp," Elaine chastised with a frown on her face. She hid the smile that threatened to break her angry facade at Percy's pout.
Both settled into comfortable positions next to the flag and stayed vigilant as they surveyed their surroundings even as the Demeter cabin finished up their defenses. The few kids from the Hephaestus cabin and Apollo cabin asked for Elaine's permission to head out to help the diversion group, as they could already hear the sounds of blades clashing down the clearer path. The daughter of Poseidon nodded and slowly stood, taking out a pen and fiddling with it quietly.
Percy continued to look deep into the woods as he knew that no matter what, it would most likely be Zoe who would go for the flag. She was the best of the best and even if she didn't bring anyone along with her, she could singlehandedly hold them off long enough for her to eventually escape. She was smart, incredibly so, and he found that his spars with her were long and drawn out as he fought off instinct while she fought with her brain. She won most of their spars as a result.
He glanced at Katie for the third time in two minutes, and it irked him. He didn't like the sudden interest he had in the girl and he knew he'd probably have to ask one of his teachers about it eventually. He just hoped it wasn't anything crazy or strange. He could handle most things just fine, but he always feared that one day he'd come across something he'd never be able to understand completely no matter how hard he tried.
Suddenly, he heard a small snap come from the woods. He immediately jumped to his feet and roared, "everybody duck!"
A volley of silver arrows immediately descended upon the campers. Elaine immediately jumped up and clicked her pen, a bronze sword shimmering into view as she brought it up to block as many arrows coming for her as she could. Percy scrambled backward and onto his feet and ran to throw a few other campers into cover while dodging the arrows coming for him. The other campers had managed to avoid the arrows with only a few unlucky enough to get tagged. Percy saw that Katie had managed to cause a large root to rise and take the hits for her and a few of the younger Demeter children.
Percy cursed and looked towards where the arrows had come from to see Zoe and four hunters walk out with determined looks in their eyes. They stood on higher ground that they could easily vault over the defenses and traps that had been laid for them. Percy was glad that Phoebe wasn't here, because the girl would've driven the other campers into the ground with ease with or without Zoe. The hunters were a decent distance away, and no one wanted to make the first move.
Percy gave her a grin despite the situation and waved as he shouted, "Zoe! Hey! I haven't seen you in a while!"
Zoe, also momentarily forgetting the situation, simply sighed. "We saw each other this morning, Perseus."
"I can't believe you brought a group with you this time! I thought you were all about looking cool and doing it alone!"
"I do not go alone to look cool. I go alone as I do not need backup."
"So why'd you bring them this time?"
Zoe glared at him sourly, though he and the hunters knew there was barely any malice there. "You know why."
Percy pouted as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and flicked his wrist, his adamantine harpe springing into his hand, "you won't tell me it's because of me?"
"I refuse to," came Zoe's reply as she growled. She immediately leaped forward and two of the hunters followed suit. The other two left on the high ground drew back their bowstrings and prepared to fire at the campers.
Percy immediately barked out orders as he stalked forward slowly, his face calm despite the rapidly approaching hunters. "Campers, fire from a distance! Keep yourselves behind cover and avoid their arrows! Elaine, go for the other two hunters! I'll take Zoe! They are not taking our flag!"
His words lit a fire within the campers who roared their approval. They sprung into action, with Demeter kids shoving their hands into the ground to create low walls of root to provide cover for the Apollo and Hephaestus campers. They began shooting arrows and throwing Greek fire back at the two hunters still on high ground.
Elaine followed Percy's orders by walking in pace with him and letting her hand hover over the ground. They were lucky that some of the creek water had managed to get into the clearing due to the uprooting of some of the plants in the area. She used the rather large amount of water that she had control over to send a wave hurtling towards the three charging hunters. Zoe was the only one quick enough to jump over it as she fired off two arrows at the demigods of Poseidon. Elaine dodged to the side and charged to deal with the two huntresses who were pushed back by the wave while Percy stood his ground, knocking aside the arrow meant for him.
Elaine quickly engaged the two hunters in battle and realized that they wouldn't let up for even a second. When one's strike would be blocked, the other would jump in and she had no time to rest. Growling, she kicked one away and used the water in the area to send the other one to the ground with a strike to the stomach. She used this time to back up and yell back, "Anyone wanna help me out here?"
Immediately, a few Apollo campers began to advance with a Demeter child backing them up. They used roots and plants with large leaves to block any arrow that came their way. Austin, who had been left behind to defend and set traps, began to fire off arrows at the two hunters. His interference disrupted their attacks that were meant to come in tandem. Their rhythm was effectively bothered and Elaine began to gain the upper hand with her quick swordsmanship skills.
Percy was doing rather well against Zoe who wielded her dual hunting knives expertly. He ducked one slash and blocked another, using his sword's longer blade to push her back with a strong diagonal slash. He leaned back to avoid a slash and knocked away the next. He planted his foot into the girl's gut while she was off-balance, sending her to the ground. He leaped forward to capitalize on her vulnerable position only to be kicked backward by the girl. She got to her feet quickly, twirling her daggers in her hands.
He sent her a grin as he sniffed back what smelled like blood, "still as quick as ever, Zoe."
Her fierce glared only grew in determination as she nodded back, "you are still a worthy opponent."
The two charged forward again. Zoe slashed at his face, only for him to duck down and shove his left fist into her side. She let out a grunt and kicked him back, then tried to stab him in the shoulder. He deflected her attack and spun, landing an elbow on her cheek. It cut into her cheekbone and ichor seeped out slowly. She growled and pressed her attack on him harder, her slashes and strikes faster than her previous ones.
Elaine roared as she kicked one hunter in the side and looked to see the other on the ground with an arrow in her shoulder and a tree root wrapped around her ankle. She grinned and turned back to her opponent, who looked winded and bruised. She charged forward and blocked the left fist sent her way with her right arm and used her left hand to strike at her opponent's ribs. She then grabbed onto the limp right arm of the hunter and held on as she delivered two quick punches into the girl's stomach before sending her to the ground with a forceful shove.
The groans coming from the two girls told her they wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. She looked up to see the two hunters who had stayed back were backing away from the Greek fire that was burning the ground in front of them. She yelled for the campers to take advantage of their predicament and a few Hephaestus members ran forward to continue their assault.
Percy ducked as Zoe went for his face with one of her knives, only to be kneed in the nose. He stumbled back and was caught by Elaine, who spun them away from Zoe's attack.
Percy got to his feet slowly with Elaine watching Zoe for any sudden movements. She spun her sword in her hand once in a similar way to how Percy did often, making Zoe narrow her eyes. She worried slightly that Percy's excellent swordsmanship would be mirrored to an extent by his half-sister. She couldn't match the boy when he was going all out anymore, and while she knew that he wasn't trying as hard, his sister did not have to hold back for anything.
Percy sniffed back the blood that began to drip from his nose freely. "She broke my nose," he growled lowly. He wasn't angry at the hunter at all, simply peeved that he hadn't seen the knee coming.
"We can take her," Elaine said confidently, a smirk slowly forming on her face. "She can't handle us both at the same time."
Percy grunted in response, his eyes focused on the hunter a few feet away from them. "Make sure the others are watching the flag. We can take her alright but we can't lose because we weren't thinking."
Elaine nodded and called back to the other campers who immediately assumed positions around the flag that allowed them to watch the impending battle between the hunter and the two demigods. The gathered demigods, except for the Apollo cabin, had been completely caught off guard seeing Percy match Zoe almost blow for blow in their fight and had come to realize that there was much more to the boy than he seemed.
Both demigods prepared to launch themselves forward when a gasp from Katie broke their concentration. Zoe too looked towards the daughter of Demeter to find that she was staring at an old mummified figure that resembled a woman shambling its way slowly towards where Zoe was. The hunter paled, and her expression was mirrored by Elaine. Percy narrowed his eyes at the Oracle, knowing full well what had happened to it.
The Oracle paused and suddenly began to speak as its eyes glowed green.
"Five shall go west to the goddess in chains,
One shall be lost in the land without rain,
The Bane of Olympus shows the trail,
Campers and Hunters combined prevail
The Titan's Curse must one withstand,
And one shall perish by a parent's hand"
The Oracle collapsed onto the ground when it finished its prophecy, leaving a stunned group of demigods in its wake. Percy glanced to see the rest of the campers staring in shock, with Thalia almost about to cross the creek with the flag on her back. He sighed and flicked his wrist, shoving his phone into his pocket. He began to rub his temples as he felt a headache coming along.
The Big House was filled with yells of debate coming from Zoe and the camp counselors. Phoebe and Percy had accompanied their respective camp counselors to the meeting due to their closeness to Zoe. Percy sat a few feet behind Lee, leaning his back on the wall tiredly as he held an ice pack to his nose, and Phoebe stood behind Zoe with her arms folded over her chest. There was clear panic over the lines in the prophecy that predicted the possible deaths of two quest members. The hunter was still slightly pale from the words of the Oracle. Her death would not be as devastating to her as the death of Artemis, who she was starting to assume was the goddess in chains.
Chiron sighed after listening to the shouting and slammed one of his hooves down onto the wooden floor loudly. "Enough!"
The loud boom that echoed throughout the room effectively silenced the rowdy campers. Chiron gestured for them to take their seats, "We will discuss this in a civilized manner. We were not making any progress whatsoever."
The centaur received nods of understanding in return and he spoke again, "now, there is no use discussing the lines of the prophecy as of now. We will not be able to alter fate and change destiny to satisfy our whims. What will happen will happen; there will be deaths."
Chiron's grim tone inspired a feeling of melancholy in the campers' hearts, a few looking down quietly to ponder his words.
"If we can't change anything then what do we do?" Silena asked, breaking the silence in the room.
"We choose those meant to accompany Zoe on the quest," Chiron answered in a matter-of-fact tone. His words prompted the counselor's to begin volunteering to accompany the hunter, each trying to make their case to Zoe who looked like she disliked the attention she was getting.
"Silence!" Chiron shouted again, forcing the campers to listen to the words of the hunter. "It is not our quest to lead. We will listen to the decisions of the hunters."
Zoe sent him a thankful nod to which the centaur inclined his head. She swept her eyes over the counselor's quietly before slowly nodding her head. "I will take Phoebe here, and I would like to ask Thalia Grace to accompany us on the quest. I will take two more hunters of my choosing with me."
Thalia nodded her head at the hunter who looked at her with a pleading look in her eyes. She had her history with them, but she knew they needed help and she wasn't petty enough to decline when a goddess's life was possibly on the line.
Percy locked eyes with Zoe and saw the meaningful look she gave him. He frowned but did not comment.
"Only one camper? Will that be enough?" Lee asked from his spot at the pool table. His question was something that the rest of the counselor's had on their minds as well, as he received multiple nods in agreement.
"It does not specify the number of campers we must take. We also have oaths to adhere to, and I believe that no male in this camp is of a high enough caliber to come with us on this quest," Zoe explained. She felt relieved that no one contested her decision; she was unsure whether it was due to her sound logic or intimidating aura.
"Zoe?" Elaine spoke up, causing the people in the room to look her way. "I know you don't owe me anything, but I would like to be on the quest. I'm sure you know I can hold my own and..."
Zoe raised her eyebrow at the girl, "and why is that?"
Elaine paused for a moment in hesitation. "I...I think I can help, that's all."
Zoe regarded the girl quietly before she slowly shook her head with a soft frown on her face. "I respectfully decline your help. It is not personal, Elaine, but it is of great importance that we do not fail this quest. I simply believe that the hunters will succeed in larger numbers."
Elaine looked like she wanted to argue again but a stern look from Chiron silenced any further protest. "I believe Zoe is making a sound choice. I support her decision. Does anyone else have a problem with the quest members?"
The camp counselors shook their heads, but most still looked concerned.
Chiron nodded, "now, we shall briefly discuss the prophecy. Perhaps we could find clues to guide the quest along more smoothly."
"I got some advice," Beckendorf spoke up with a small concerned frown on his face. "Avoid the desert. It says one of you will get 'lost in the land without rain'. That sounds like death in a desert."
His statement received nods and sounds of agreement from the rest of the campers.
"I think the last line is pretty telling, too," Elaine spoke up again, this time more determined to help in a different way than before.
"How so?" Lee asked as he folded his arms.
"Whoever's going on the quest needs to watch what they're doing constantly," Percy spoke up from behind Lee, surprising the counselors slightly. He nodded as he caught onto Elaine's thought process easily. "If someone will die by their parent's hand then Thalia can't go off running into any place with lightning in it. The same goes for the other ones on the quest; avoid anything that might be connected to your godly parent's domains."
Percy was given surprised looks. He wondered if Apollo meant it when the god told him he looked way dumber than he was.
"Anyone know what the Titan's Curse is?" A boy with gray eyes asked. "I've read most books about the history of the gods but I can't place my finger on anything about the Bane of Olympus either."
"It is alright, Malcolm," Chiron placated the boy. Percy assumed that he took over for his currently missing sister while she was gone, and found that his gray eyes were almost exactly like the Annabeth girl's eyes.
"I don't know much about titans or banes," Thalia spoke up finally, "but I do know that if there's any goddess in trouble, then we can't fail."
"We will not," Zoe replied. Her tone was incredibly confident and there was a fire in her eyes that told Percy she was determined. Her words also gave the other counselors the reassurance they needed and they all nodded, offering her wishes of luck. She nodded back in thanks.
"Alright. The quest will leave at first light tomorrow. Meeting adjourned," Chiron said, stomping his hoof again. The counselors all walked out, though Chiron had asked Clarisse to stay behind to talk with him for a moment.
Percy lagged behind Lee a bit and told the older boy he'd catch up to him at the cabin. He tapped Zoe's shoulder with his finger. When she turned her head, he gestured for her to follow him outside. He gave Phoebe a look that told her to do the same. The two hunters shared a confused glance before heading outside to follow him.
They walked for a few moments in complete silence before Percy slowed. He glanced back and checked that they were a decent distance away from the big house and leaned in to speak. "Is there anyone tailing us?"
Zoe and Phoebe frowned softly at his question before reaching their senses out. The blessing of Artemis allowed them to see more things in the night, and they found no one else in the area but them.
"What is this about, Jackson?" Phoebe asked. She folded her arms over her chest again and held in a tired yawn.
"I want to know what your plan for this quest is," Percy asked, his face completely serious. "I think we all know who the goddess in chains is and I don't like this quest one bit."
Phoebe's previous sleepy demeanor vanished and she nodded grimly. Zoe mirrored her expression and nodded as well.
"Artemis is in trouble and while I don't mind that I wasn't chosen for the quest, I saw the way you looked at me in the meeting. What's going on?" Percy asked, his eyes narrowed in confusion.
Zoe sighed as Phoebe turned to her lieutenant with a confused look on her face as well.
"Chiron would never allow two demigods of the Big Three on the same quest even if I had chosen to bring one of you. It would be too risky. However, I fear that our combined strengths will not be enough to face the challenges in store for us," Zoe admitted quietly.
"How does this involve me?" Percy asked. He still looked confused but was beginning to understand why Zoe had declined Elaine's request earlier.
"I saw those twins of Hermes hand over an article of clothing to one of our rougher hunters, Joanne. They must have been thoroughly beaten by her during capture the flag and wished to take their revenge. It was coated in a poisonous substance that was hidden well and she will be unable to move for a week at the least," Zoe said as she frowned.
"Get to the point, Zoe," Phoebe grumbled slightly.
With a sigh, Zoe continued her explanation, "I will choose her as one of our quest members and tell Chiron that her illness caught us by surprise. It will leave open a slot for Perseus to join us in the quest as the prophecy states a need for five as long as we convince Chiron that four quest members will need to suffice tomorrow morning before we set out."
Phoebe's eyes widened slightly, "you would do that to Joanne?"
"Joanne would understand. It is for Lady Artemis," Zoe said. She didn't look happy at having to sacrifice one of her own in a way but it was clear to the three that they would need much more firepower than a single daughter of Zeus.
"Who do you plan to bring other than Joanne?" Percy asked after a few moments of silence. He changed the subject to avoid having to look at the discomfort on Phoebe and Zoe's faces.
"I was considering taking Bianca along," Zoe admitted and was surprised to see both of her friends shake their heads.
"She's too inexperienced, Zoe," Phoebe said with a small frown. "It would be good for her but she hasn't even been to the woods with us yet. I don't think it's a good idea."
"I agree with Phoebe on this one, Zoe," Percy nodded slowly. "Besides, she has a brother here in camp, doesn't she? And they're children of Hades. If she dies on the quest, we immediately get that Nico kid and their dad on our bad side."
Zoe's gaze flicked between the two of them thoughtfully before she finally sighed. She nodded, "I suppose. I will ask Naomi to accompany us."
"Naomi is the nymph right?" Percy asked and received two nods in response. He nodded slowly. "She's been in the hunt a while, and she's a dedicated battle medic. Good choice."
"Hold on," Phoebe interrupted, scratching her forehead in slight irritation. "How exactly will Jackson follow us anywhere, Zoe? He won't be in the van with us."
Zoe blinked and suddenly frowned. She cursed quietly at having overlooked the small detail. Percy snorted at the two and shook his head, and received two glares for his reaction.
"I have shoes with wings on them. I don't know what kind of mushrooms or fungi are growing this time of the year in the forests but I strongly suggest you two stay away from them. I think they're causing a little bit of amnesia-oof!"
Percy's teasing was interrupted by Phoebe walking forward and punching him in the gut. He crumpled to his knees, letting out high pitched squeaky noises as he held his stomach in pain.
"Better," Phoebe said, and the two hunters began to walk away from the hunched over demigod to return to their cabin for the night. Percy wheezed as he slowly pushed himself to his feet.
"Bunch of ungrateful old virgins..." He continued to grumble as he stomped his way back to the Apollo cabin, fully intent on getting as much rest as possible before he went on a quest he was informally invited to be on.
A/N: So, if you couldn't tell yet, I'm leaning towards making Katie the girl of Percy's dreams. I'm still winging this entire thing so don't worry, nothing is final.
I will see you all soon in the next update which will probably be around before the month ends. Ciao!