DISCLAIMER: All the characters except the OC's, belong to Rick Riordan


Chapter 17: I am forced into a Weapon Search.

On the day of the capture the flag, Percy had a faint premonition that things were not as easy as they might look on the surface.

Ever since his entry to the camp, he stayed out of reach for everyone. Once his heritage was known, he'd get shunned, as usual. The stigma of a Big three demigod was hard to erase. Only the undetermined campers didn't give him more than a customary glance before adding him to their ranks. He appreciated their impartial nature to sympathize with a fellow unclaimed demigod. So, to improve their chances of gaining more information, he had used every opportunity to elevate Piper's status while fading into the background so much so that other than Annabeth, no one gave him a second glance at camp.

'You're dead, Prissy, totally dead." Clarisse gave him an absolute look of hatred whenever he passed by the arena. Only she couldn't follow through with her threat. "If I purchased a jar to fill with drachmas for every threat, I'd have filled it by now." he had heard the death threats too many times to care now.

Leaving the arena, he walked towards the cabins, passing the arts and crafts room. He was almost out of earshot when he heard familiar names, "—Percy Jackson and Piper McLean."

Percy halted his steps. His eyes turned cold and sharp, and he turned towards the arts and crafts room. He was several meters away from the closed room, but his hearing has always been his sharpest instinct. His first assumption was someone was plotting against him and was having a meeting in the closed facility.

With a snort of derision at the enemy's carelessness and the lacking sense of danger, he combusted into water droplets and gently drifted along with the air currents towards the ventilators of the facility. He couldn't expose any sudden movements or his capabilities in the area under a god's supervision.

Only after having a clear view and listening to the overall conversation did he realize his earlier assumptions couldn't be further from the truth. He had actually used his dispersion technique to eavesdrop on a game strategy meeting, and to his utter embarrassment, of the team he belonged to. Piper would never let him live this down.

To be honest, he was quite impressed with Annabeth's analysis and her judgment of her opponent's psychology. As her comrades said, it was cold and cruel but a practical idea. He'd have really appreciated her strategy had it not involved him and his friend as baits.

He made sure not to stare at one person for too long to give away his position and listened in on their attack plan and defense strategy. It was a typical divide and conquer plan with diversions and baits added to lure her opponents. But once Annabeth declared to observe him, he immediately understood her intentions behind her 'bait' plan.

She must've come up with this plan after wasting time to get answers from me.

So he left the facility and found Piper, who was busy staring at cabin ten with an evil eye. Her intentions gave him a huge fright. "Pipes, what are you doing? We can't attack anyone at camp! With Mr. D here all the time, we can't even try." he even added himself to her agenda unwittingly. Piper grumbled in response.

"I know that. My cabin has a poster of my dad from his last movie. And some of my half-sisters are fangirling after him." she shivered, most likely remembering it. "I'm planning on tearing down that poster." she grinned connivingly. He shook his head and filled her in about the game. Her kaleidoscopic eyes crinkled mischievously.

"Then I call dibs on the Ares cabin. I was unable to defeat Peter last time in one blow, and I must set things right," she said. He left her to her weird priorities and made his way to Thalia's tree. Ever since he's learned about the brave act of the older girl, he was feeling restless. Hades had sent a Fury after him, who only observed him for months before taking action, whereas he had let out an army after Thalia; what was the scale behind Hades' actions?

Is it because of the time frames? Our respective fathers? Or is something more at play?

Once the dinner was finished and Chiron announced the game, Chris implored them to put on armors and helmets. The only thing Percy could make out of the set given to him as it was too big and clunky. Since they were placing him as bait, he'd need to stand out more. But he rejected using every silly reason there was.

"So what's the plan? Do we take them from our spots? We're totally on the opposite ends. Then again, do we need us both to handle a bunch of bullies?" Piper's smirk slowly transferred onto his face.

"Okay, let's do this then. Whoever finds Clarisse must stay behind to draw their attention for as long as possible while the other one can go after the flag before the flag team mobilizes. What say, ready to leave everything up to luck?" he challenged.

"Oh, good luck, then." she giggled and jogged away, while Percy cursed her for poking fun of him. Knowing his bad luck, he'd be stuck with the clean-up, mostly. As if providence was at work here, he was the one stuck with Clarisse and her goons.

While dealing with the Ares cabin, he had planned to let them learn something from the fight, like controlling their temper, since he felt a little bad for trapping them. But he changed his plans immediately when he sensed a pair of eyes on him, looking at him intently. He could bet his last earning from the betting on the invisible stalker as Annabeth. So he pointed the booby-trapped zone as the flag direction to Clarisse, but she wanted none of that. He quickly dealt with the Ares resident to avoid any unnecessary setbacks.

He was not surprised when Annabeth appeared next to him. After all, his intuition had never misled him before. But his annoyance at her has mostly died down; she's come fairly quickly to his aid. Shortly after, the forest erupted with the blue team's cheers and the red team's grumbles.

"How did—" Annabeth started but was interrupted by an unexpected scene; a sign of claiming, on Piper, no less. He wasn't surprised she would be claimed before him, knowing all the controversy surrounding his life, but the changes that brought with the claim...wasn't what he'd expected.

Piper looked like a model, with long chocolate brown hair braided with golden threads, a faint blush, luscious full lips, and a slight touch of makeup to cover faint scars on her face. A cinch on her t-shirt to brought out her faint curves and slender figure. The girl before him was Piper, obviously, but it was a different version of her. A version Piper herself was averse to; a true daughter of Aphrodite.

Up until then, though they'd grown together, Percy had never treated her like a delicate girl. He'd bashed her mercilessly during training, and she'd never shed tears in pain. Gradually, he'd forgotten the fact that Piper was a girl, a daughter of Aphrodite, no less. His eyes remained glued to her, and a few words at the top of his brain flew out of his mouth before he could retract. "Pipes, you're..."

However, she never let him finish and mercilessly threatened him. That made him break out of the spell, whereas the rest of the campers—boys, especially—stared at her. Though the spell remained only for a few seconds until a loud howl broke the silence.

Six hellhounds jumped on him—despite Annabeth's futile attack on one of them—with outstretched claws. He watched them coldly before disappearing from their grasp instinctively. Chiron and the archers finished the rest of the work for him, though his senses tingled with danger.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Piper fire an arrow, whizzing past him and the hellhounds, at the shadows near the boulders. It wiggled a little, drawing his attention. Before he could prepare, a big black wolf jumped out of the shadow at his flank. It gave him no time to think and no room to escape its outstretched claws. There was a faint smoke erupting on its surface, covering the wolf in black mist.

Percy's sword passed right through the claws and its body. He instinctively slipped riptide into his left hand to defend against a strike and create some distance between them. But what astonished him was that his left hand turned numb, with a faint red flash on the back of his hand. It was the sword seal, the seal of Hurricane.

The sword in question conveyed its refusal to allow another sword to be wielded by his left arm and rebuked him for being dishonorable. Everything happened in a tenth of a second, and Percy felt conflicted at that. He felt stifled, annoyed, and funny. His sword displayed childish behavior in a life-threatening situation. It took him even more time than expected to override the command and stab the sword into the wolf's head.

Though his action was clean, the slight delay caused the claws to rake his left arm. Another second and his arm would've turned into delicatessen meat. Campers whispered among them, staring at him nervously. He didn't join in the conversation but stared at the truck-size corpse coldly.

A Barghest.

It was a goblin-dog-type monster that appears only at night. They're the creatures born in the Fields of Punishment and roam between the borders of the Underworld and the mortal world. It had a smoke-like layer on its surface that made it semi-transparent, and the only way to slay it was to attack its corporeal form between the transitions. Percy had learned the truth the hard way, fighting it for a long time to land in a hit by fluke on one of his night patrols a few years ago.

By stepping into the creek to heal the injuries, he had allowed his father, Poseidon to claim him effortlessly. He was tongue-tied when the campers kneeled before him and proclaimed his heritage. Thunder rumbled above him, concluding Zeus' opposition to his claim.

oOo

The next morning, Chiron moved him to cabin Three. It wasn't high and mighty like cabin One, but low, long, and solid, like a defensive bunker. The walls were of rough gray stone studded with corals and seashells and the floor was smooth and cool like the slabs had been hewn from the bottom of the ocean floor. The fresh ocean breeze swept past the cabin continuously, and the windows facing the beach provided a scenic view.

The interior walls glowed like fresh abalone, and the ceiling was studded with night pearls to glow at night. The bronze braziers were filled with seaweed and salts for variant shades of green fire. There were a total of six empty bunk beds with silk sheets turned down, like they hadn't been used in ages. The walls were bereft of trophies, spoils, or even pictures of the previous residents.

He placed the Minotaur horn on the wall, as a start of a tradition. The empty cabin made him wonder about how long the camp had been running in the United States. The big three pact had been made only during WW-II, but for cabin three to turn up bare... He shook those thoughts out of his head. He had occupied the first bunk and sorted his things in the nearby closet.

Unlike the Hermes cabin, he didn't have to share the space with anyone, got his own dining table in the pavilion, and got to pick his own activities. To his delight, cabin three had an attached bathroom, freeing him from the messy shower allotment times.

The campers steered clear of Percy and Piper as much as possible for the next few days for different reasons. Annabeth had stormed off the clearing after a few minutes of his claiming but came to her terms quickly. She still taught him ancient Greek classes, but always seemed distracted.

The Athena cabin was displeased because their mother's rival, Poseidon had broken the oath too. The Hermes cabin was put out because Piper's claim timing had messed up their chances to win the victory laurels. She was a Hermes camper until she crossed the boundary line. And they were too nervous to have sword classes with him after what he'd done to Ares folks in the woods. The Ares cabin was pissed at him because of the humiliation and their loss at the game. Their venomous looks made it clear they wanted to kill him, but kept their distance wisely.

The Aphrodite cabin was a mess. Not only was the whole cabin jubilant about winning the laurels for the first time but also ticked off because of Piper's entrance. She had created havoc with her entrance; tearing up the half-naked posters of her dad on the walls and roughening up her siblings who mooned over the posters. The counselor had offered her position and bunk to her, but Piper directly refused and took ownership of an empty bunk.

The rest of them were afraid of Zeus and Hades' reaction. His claim gave two messages: he was born from a broken oath and his misfortune would likely be the same as Thalia's. Zeus and Hades would stop at nothing to kill him. They could invade a camp that had always been deemed safe. Only the Stoll brothers approached and congratulated him for the prank played on the whole camp about his identity.

Typical pranksters!

Nobody mentioned the hellhounds incident, at the dining pavilion or during their activities. But Percy knew they were all talking about it behind his back, speculating the outcomes of his arrival. He didn't feel inclined to alleviate their worries or remark them for being worrywarts. Only a few were aware of the actual truth behind the incident. Someone among the campers had summoned the giant wolf to make it look like Hades was furious about him.

Whoever the mastermind was, they've successfully dragged Hades to the forefront to take all the blame; though Hades wasn't completely blameless. Percy knew for a fact that every summoning from the Underworld would've to be approved—albeit lightly—by Hades, and a high-level creature like the Barghest wouldn't miss his evaluation. Instead of searching for his Fancy Helmet, Hades had been hung up on him for his missing weapon.

"So," he started. He was with Annabeth, for his morning Ancient Greek class, which only has the two of them, at the canoe. She was briefing him about the Underworld and the things about Hades' domain. "I was wondering, could you really get an invisible cap at the Yankee Stadium?"

"It was a gift from my mother," she said, annoyed at his irrelevant topic. He shrugged and picked up his book.

Three days passed but no sign of instruction showed up. Percy was getting vexed at the alienation at the camp, much more profound than in the mortal world. He was a nobody in the mortal world—an ADHD nobody, perhaps. But he was being treated like a plague at camp; a stick of lit dynamite thrown in a crowd. It was grating on his nerves.

So he wanted to find Chiron to talk about the missing toys and prepared to search for the Centaur, but unexpectedly Piper—sans makeover—showed up at his cabin with summons from Mr. D. He had wanted the gods to take the initiative and sought him for the quest, and it was, surprisingly, going accordingly. What met him was another unexpected view. Instead of lazily lounging or playing cards, Mr. D awaited his arrival. He was dressed for an official meeting in a purple three-piece suit. "Well, well," he said, looking up. "Our little celebrity arrives."

Percy smiled wryly at the sarcastic quip.

"Come closer," Mr. D said. "And don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father." A net of thunder rumbled, closer to the camp. A black storm surrounded the whole camp. Wind rattled the windows of the Big House.

"Blah, blah, blah," Mr. D remarked. Chiron feigned interest at the table. "I'm off to Olympus for an emergency meeting. If I'd my way, I'd cause your molecules to erupt in flames and be done with a lot of trouble."

Percy internally snorted at that. "Mr. D—" Chiron warned.

"Oh, alright." Mr. D relented. "The last option is pure foolishness, which is perhaps why the rest of them agreed to it." he snapped his fingers and slowly turned into a hologram. Another second, he was gone, leaving behind a fresh-pressed grape smell.

"Percy, Piper. What brings you here?" Chiron smiled at him, but he looked tired and strained. So Percy directly related everything about the missing weapons and his intentions to retrieve them.

Chiron sighed. "I had hoped things wouldn't turn out this way. Alas. Percy, since you wish to take up the quest to retrieve the master Bolt, tell me first. What do you know about the Bolt? What does it look like?" Chiron stroked his bristly beard.

"It's Zeus' Flashy Toothpick used to pick up cloud nymphs," he quipped. Chiron rolled his eyes but explained.

"Don't take this lightly," he warned. "I'm not talking about the tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long high-grade Celestial bronze cylinder, capped with god-level explosives on both ends." Percy accurately remembered something similar from his dream.

"Zeus' master bolt," Chiron continued, getting worked up. "The symbol of his power, the first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans. The bolt has enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."

"Oh," a typical Percy response when he wasn't in the mood for a talk.

"Zeus still blames your father for his missing weapon." Chiron held up his hands. "Yes, he didn't use you and you're not the thief, that much is certain. But Luke, who has been missing could be your father's weapon to overthrow him. This is what Zeus suspects at the moment. He has demanded that Poseidon return the Bolt by the Summer Solstice. That's June twenty-first, ten days from now. And Poseidon wanted an apology for being called a thief by the same date."

"So I find the toothpick and return it to Zeus before the summer Solstice?" he summarized, straight to the point.

"What better peace offering, than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus's property? This would reduce his ire to smite you a little bit."

"Did the gods have any useful information other than this nonsense?" he snarked.

"Yes and no. Before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."

"Alright, Where's the Oracle?" he wondered about the Oracle Chiron mentioned. Did the consultation with an Oracle improve the success rate of a quest? What does an Oracle do? All kinds of questions swirled in his head.

"Go upstairs, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more about your quest."

What do you mean, sane?!

Percy walked up the stairs to the attic of the big house with trepidation. He arrived under a green trapdoor with a cord. The door swung open and a wooden ladder clattered down. The warm air from above smelled like mild dew and rotten wood and something else—reptiles, the smell of snakes. A smell he remembered from his biology class.

The attic was filled with all kinds of hero stuff from different generations. He saw broken armors in cobwebs, dented shields, and rusted weapons ravaged by time. There were old leather steamer trunks with stickers: ITHACA, Circe's Island. One long table was stacked with glass jars filled with body parts: hairy claws, mesmerizing yellow eyes and more.

By the window, sitting on a wooden tripod stool, was the most gruesome memento of all—A Mummy. Not the wrapped-in-cloth kind, but a human female body shriveled to a husk. She wore a tie-dyed sundress, lots of beaded necklaces, and a headband over long—once black—glossy hair. The skin of her face was thin and leathery over her skull, and her eyes were glassy white slits as if the real eyes had been replaced by marbles; a proof she'd been dead a really long time ago.

The sight sent chills down his spine. He contemplated what kind of a person to live in this god-forsaken place and what advice they might have for his quest. And that was before the mummy sat straight on her stool and opened her mouth, looking straight at him. The real-life reenactment of 'The Mummy' spooked him so badly that he stumbled towards the trapdoor, but it was slammed shut.

He trembled slightly at the closed path and took a breath. "Ah, hello. How you doin'?" he tried, looking at the mummy.

A green mist poured from her mouth, coiling over the floor, like thick tendrils, hissing like thousands of snakes. Inside his head, he heard a voice, slithering and coiling around his brain.

"I am the spirit of Delphi," the Oracle hissed in a triplet tone. "Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, Slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, Seeker, and ask."

He wanted to say, No thanks! Wrong door! and bolt out of the room. But the quest depended on the Oracle's advice, and it was possible that Chiron might not let him have a quest without her advice.

The mummy wasn't alive, he can feel that much. She was some gruesome receptacle for something else, like a parasite, the power surrounding him in the green mist. Its presence didn't invoke any aversion from him. It felt ancient, powerful, but not particularly interested in his life.

He found the courage to ask. "A couple of divine items went missing. What should I do to find them?"

The mist swirled thickly, and three shadows made of green smoke appeared in front of him, their faces indistinct. The first one turned towards him and in a raspy voice,

You shall head west, and face the god maligned,

You shall find the stolen, and see it safely returned.

Though it was raspy like the Oracle, the voice was domineering and audaciously commanding. The second one stepped forward,

You shall uncover the one, who bid time for many a year,

And hold the fate of Olympus, the time draws near.

This one was mighty and bold, and even with a blindfold, Percy could identify it belonged to Poseidon. The last one turned towards him, and in a rich and imposing tone, stated the last and most ominous phrase.

You shall be betrayed, by one who calls you a friend,

And you shall fail to save what matters, in the end.

At first, he was too stunned after listening to the couplets, but as the mist retreated, slithering back to the mummy, he cried, "Wait! Who'd betray me?" The mummy reclined back against the wall, mouth tightly shut. The attic was silent, abandoned, with a room full of mementos.

His audience with the Oracle was over.

He came down to the hall murmuring the lines repeatedly. The hall opened to a Centaur in a wheelchair and a tense Piper, waiting for him. He slumped into the chair next to her, facing Chiron.

"Well, how did it go?" Chiron prompted.

"She said I'd find the bolt and see it safely returned."

"That's great!" Piper sat forward. Before he could douse her excitement, he felt someone stare at him and glanced around the room. In a corner of the room, the light seemed to bend a little and shimmered ever so slightly; it'd be missed without closer observation.

"What did the Oracle say exactly, Percy." Chiron insisted. That is important."

"Sure, before that though," he agreed and turned in the direction. "There's one thing I'd like to clear," his eyes emitted a sharp light, pressuring the one invisible. He knew for sure they weren't alone in the room.

"Annabeth?" he called confidently. The air shimmered beside Chiron. Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket.

"How exactly did you find me?" she asked, mildly surprised. Chiron sighed in defeat. Clearly, he knew about her presence, but still let her in.

"What are you doing here?" Percy asked her instead.

"I've been waiting for a quest for a long time. If you're going on one, then I'm coming with you." she declared.

"Negative. I don't need your help." he denied flatly.

"Why not?" she cried out. "It's not like we have some bad blood between us."

"Nothing like that, but I don't trust you." He replied shortly. Piper nudged him, her eyes warning him to speak properly.

Annabeth gritted her teeth, chewing her bottom lip in frustration. Her eyes were filled with tears, threatening to slip.

"Think again, Percy," Chiron gently reminded. "Three is an auspicious number, and two companions may accompany you on a quest. You'd do well to take her along. I can assure you of that." he encouraged. Piper nudged him again to reconsider things. He thought about it for a while and relented. If he was going to be betrayed by one—Annabeth—then it's better to let her tag along to keep an eye on her.

"Welcome to the quest, Annabeth. Let's have fun." Piper welcomed her. Annabeth nodded grudgingly.

"The prophecy is as follows: You shall head west, and face the god maligned, You shall find the stolen, and see it safely returned.

Annabeth exchanged a look with Chiron, making Percy wonder whether she was actually aware of the culprit or just assuming based on some clues. He hid the next line and continued with the last one. The second verse made his spine tingle; it looks like the most ominous one among the three, for the time being.

"You shall be betrayed, by one who calls you a friend, and you shall fail to save what matters, in the end."

Annabeth's eyes widened but she kept quiet about it. She glanced at him with an unknown emotion but tried to hide it well. He didn't intend for it to go this way, but whatever.

"What does it mean, fail to save what matters in the end. What kind of Oracle issues a prophecy and says Oh, by the way, you'll fail, Oops!." Piper cried. He shook his head. The Oracle stated he'd find the missing weapons but failed to save something else in the end. Weird.

Chiron studied his face carefully. "Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until the events come to pass." he advised. Percy knew the Centaur was warning him not to dwell on the last couplet, but he has another line to worry about too.

"Okay," he said, anxious to change the subject. "Where should I go? Who's the god in the West?"

"Ah, think Percy, if Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other, who stands to gain?" Chiron asked.

"Someone who wants to take over. Hades!" Annabeth answered automatically. Chiron nodded. The dark-haired duo exchanged a bewildered look.

"Yes, someone who harbors a grudge and is unhappy with his lot in the Underworld. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken." Chiron supplied everything that can point toward Hades.

"Why assume it's only Hades?" Piper asked. Percy thought Chiron already knew about the missing Helm of Darkness, but it seemed he hadn't listened in to his talk with the Fury. Or perhaps Artemis had restricted the information from spreading. It seems only a few know about the second missing item. But what he doesn't know was that Olympus has never cared for Hades' missing helm or his grievances, at all. Percy was still in a delusion that there were still fraternal ties on Olympus.

"Hades can raise his army with large causalities. While Zeus and Poseidon weaken from constant war, Hades could sit back and raise an army to wipe them in one fell swoop." Annabeth added. Percy glanced at her skeptically.

A sound and logical conclusion if you don't have the inside story. Can't fault her. Whoever's behind it, they're manipulating everyone like clay dolls.

"A Fury came after Percy at school and only attacked after verifying his identity." Chiron reminded them. "Furies only obey one lord: Hades."

"Yeah, but doesn't Hades hate all heroes, you know..." Piper trailed off, but Percy knew what she was hinting at. Thalia.

"A pack of hellhounds got into the camp," Chiron continued. "They can only be summoned from inside the camp. And a Barghest couldn't be summoned without his approval. Hades must have a spy in our midst. He didn't want Percy to clear Poseidon's name. He sent a minion to steal the bolt and hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon."

"I don't pretend to understand Hades' motives perfectly, or why he'd choose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth." he finished.

"And the entrance to the Underworld is..." Percy prompted Chiron to answer. Annabeth shifted in her seat nervously.

"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the West. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. It's at the western end of the country; specifically, Los Angeles."

Percy had a moment of clarity about the locations of the camps. They were strategically placed to watch the two locations. Camp Half-Blood was situated at the base of Mt. Olympus as the last defense to guard their homeland whereas Camp Jupiter was situated at the end of the Western Civilization to watch over the entrance to the Underworld.

Percy exchanged a silent conversation with Piper, to sort out the things for the task. The other two believed that perhaps the information has been too much for Percy to handle. The duo nodded and turned to the Centaur.

"So we get on a plane to—" he planned to go along with the assumptions and proposed.

"No," Annabeth shrieked. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?"

"What does that have to do with the quest?" In fact, he had been on a plane more than a few times. Not his favorite place.

"Think, Percy," Chiron said, patiently. "You're the son of Sea God, Zeus' bitterest rival. Your mother would never let you on a plane. You'd never come down alive." As if to back Chiron up, thunder rumbled, shaking the sky outside.

Personally, Percy thinks this was absurd. As if Zeus, the busiest god of all the Olympians, would be out all day on the lookout for his brother's demigod children to step into his realm to smite them. Only when pigs fly. Then he remembered there were actually flying pigs in Greek history.

"That's pure nonsense. I'm here doing a favor for Zeus. If he doesn't want his Bolt back, fine by me." he stood up to leave. What kind of nonsense is this! Piper yanked him back and gave him a sign to listen completely. Chiron coerced him to avoid planes for the quest.

"Then we take a few pegasus..." he paused midsentence at the bewildered look from Chiro and Annabeth. They told him to not step into air during the quest. After a lot of coercing from the others, he relented wisely.

"Okay, so I'll travel overland. What do you suggest we do, Chiron? The prophecy said 'face the god'. You don't believe we should confront Hades in the Underworld, right? Fat chance for one of us to return alive then."

"No Percy, despite everything, you're still a demigod and a twelve-year kid. The gods won't take any challenges lightly." Chiron confirmed and moved on to the task at hand. "What I want you is to get an audience with Hades. Convince him that a war between the brothers is not a good option at the moment. Try to find a peaceful solution."

"Chiron, you're using that kind of tone when speaking about Hades. You do know that he's one of the Big three, right? Should we be talking about him like that? What are you not telling us?" Piper asked. He could clearly see that she's getting annoyed at Chiron's one-track propagation about Hades being the evil guy and leading them far off the quest. He too felt the same but didn't voice his objections to the Centaur, who was doing his best to prepare everything in his power.

"I'm not allowed to speak about a few things, child. They involve karma. But you have a target now. Convince Hades to call off the war on his side." Chiron refused to answer her question.

"Yeah. As if he or anyone would abandon months or probably years of planning just because a demigod asked him nicely. The only way I find plausible is tricking him in some way. We need a strategy for our action after reaching the Underworld." he glanced at Annabeth who immediately understood his intention—try to come up with a strategy. She nodded and drifted into her world of planning.

"Splendid. This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own." Chiron said.

Lightning flashed above them and thunder rumbled in the distance. Rain poured down on the meadows that were never supposed to have violent weather. "No time to waste," Chiron grimaced. "You should all get packing."

"Meet us at Thalia's pine in ten," Piper informed Annabeth and ran out of the Big House to her cabin. Percy had already warned her on their way to not reveal anything to her siblings. They don't need trailers behind them or any spies getting more info about their quest.

Percy arrived at his cabin and packed a bag with a set of spare clothes and a toothbrush. He changed into his combat gear: dark cargos and a pullover, and put on his bracers underneath. He loaded half of his flying daggers into them and other hidden pockets. Though he hoped he doesn't have to use them on a quest, one can never be ill-prepared.

He also hoped Annabeth to be the culprit and a likely spy for Luke, working to thwart the quest, but her conduct made doubts creep into his speculations. No spy would place themselves out in the open for their enemies to spring a trap. That's too disadvantageous. He made his way to the pine tree, thinking about the upcoming quest.

"What took you so long? I've been waiting for ages. Where's Annabeth?" Piper tapped her foot impatiently and demanded testily. She stood next to the pine tree in her combat outfit. It seemed she had been cooped for a long and was eager to create some chaos. How could she ask him about Annabeth? Then again, they had decided on a time, no point complaining.

"Pipes, I'll ask straight. How's Annabeth?"

"To begin with, she's a good person once you get past that arrogant persona she projects," Piper went on with Annabeth's peevish disposition at camp, her aloof personality. "You know about the incident five years, Annabeth has a huge survivor's guilt about it."

"That's fine and everything, but that's not what I'm asking about."

Listening to his question, Piper's whole demeanor and look turned as sharp as her daggers. "Yes...to sum it up, she's clean."

"I see. I was still suspecting her of being a spy. That would've made things easier for us." he lamented.

"Other than observing her for a week, I've always mixed probing questions in our conversations. The look in her eyes while answering my questions, the number of blinks, the blush on her capillary vessels, breath, heartbeat, and perspiration. I can't find any signs of lies."

With each word, Percy heaved sighs of defeat. He was certain of Annabeth's place at camp. But for Piper to confirm her innocence...

Piper giggled. "What, are you surprised? Could anything faze you?"

"Of course, I'm human after all. I might've miscalculated then. Her place at camp is too good to be true, even if it's by accident. I thought for sure she's betrayed the camp and joined Luke in his revenge." But he stood speechless when Piper asked him why he had assumed the secret agent to be alone.

Her giggles turned into full-blown laughter. "There's something called tact. Please learn it quickly." he stood there awkwardly.

"Actually, that's not it. It's not entirely Grover's fault for Thalia's fate either. But it didn't help when plenty of them blamed the protector in question. Perhaps Luke and Annabeth blamed him too." she mused.

"Luke could have, but I doubt Annabeth to play the blame game that young. If I have to make a guess, she would've blamed herself for her incompetence," he said.

"Oh, why do you say that?" Piper had a knowing look on her face. Looking at her mischievous grin, Percy was once again reminded that she was Aphrodite's and was good at playing with people's emotions.

"Because it's what I'd do if something were to happen to you?"

She smiled gently in response. "True. Luke must've used your technique and Annabeth's cap to steal the weapons from the throne room after the meeting. He had been gone for a while in their tour and gave her cap on their way back." Percy nodded. Everything makes sense that way.

They talked more about Annabeth's cabin fever and whether it was genuine. From what he had gathered and Piper's talk with the blonde, Annabeth had been raring to go on a quest since she has learned that heroes could fight and destroy monsters. She's been asking for one since she was ten and has been preparing for her eventual chance.

"I hope this quest wouldn't squash her hopes."

"So, what's the plan? Don't you think our quest is doomed to fail if we went along with Chiron's idea?"

"No. This is a foolproof plan considering our inside information." he thought about it. "For some unknown reason, Artemis didn't inform the others about the missing Helm. It may be so to keep the others in the dark. Now, the one behind all this would do something to escalate this situation into a three-way war. If only we could find him beforehand..."

"He would get to keep the weapons once the three brothers destroy each other or weaken severely. It'd be a brilliant plan considering the planning went behind it despite the negligible slip-up." Piper cheerfully interjected. "Oh, look, there's Annabeth."

They watched as Annabeth made her way from her cabin. She was dressed in an orange camp t-shirt and jeans, looking like a teenager on an outing. Watching the mischievous grins on the duo, Annabeth glanced down at her choice of outfit, then at the both of them. The duo sported dark combat outfits: cargos, pullovers, and bracers with combat boots.

Looking at her, Percy was reminded of the hellhound attack in the game once again. If it wasn't Annabeth who had set him as bait, then it must the one who has known his position. The most likely person would be Chris Rodriguez of the Hermes cabin since he would be helping his half-brother on the run.

"Percy," he was brought out of his revere by Annabeth. "Why didn't you make me—" he raised his hand to stop her.

"I know what you're thinking, but swearing an oath is a very big thing, and shouldn't be taken lightly at all. I understand your resolve, but you should consider this carefully before you proceed," he warned once he understood her intention to absolve herself from any misgivings.

"Then, I swear on the river Styx that I have no relation to the master Bolt's theft nor do I know the identity of the thief." Thunder rumbled above them, sealing her oath. Nothing ominous happened, claiming her innocence in the theft. The last of his doubt faded away with that.

"I hope this can ease your suspicions for now and trust me one day. I'm not your enemy."

Percy nodded in understanding. Though he couldn't say anything about the future with certainty. "Swearing on river Styx is the most binding one. You shouldn't throw them around without repercussions." Annabeth nodded at his warning.

"Are you injured? Any injuries should've healed with ambrosia and nectar, right?" she asked, pointing at the taped left hand.

"Oh well, this—" he started only to be interrupted by a panting Chris Rodriguez, climbing up the hill.

"Thank the gods, I caught up!" he wheezed, out of breath. "I wanted to give this to you before you left." he held out a box. "Percy, I wanted you to have these with you on your quest. Luke left them behind. They might help you." He opened the box and held out a pair of sneakers. They looked normal to Percy.

"Maia!" With the command, white wings sprouted out of the sneakers. "The fate of the world depends on you Percy. I hope you will be able to put good use to them." Percy took the shoes after a subtle headshake from Piper.

"Thanks, Chris. It means a lot," he said gratefully.

"Cool! Best of luck guys." With that, Chris ran downhill, back to his cabin. He passed Chiron, who trotted up to them.

"Chris meant well, Percy," Chiron said, glancing at the winged sneakers. "But you cannot enter lord Zeus' domain in this situation." Percy nodded. He had a bad feeling, holding the shoes so he handed them to Piper. Chiron had apparently sorted out money for them. He split the cash, notes and drachmas alike, and nectar and ambrosia between him and Annabeth.

"Argus has been waiting for you on the road. You two head out now. I'll have a word with Percy." Chiron motioned the other two to the pick-up truck at the base of the hill.

Once they went out of ear-shot, Chiron turned to Percy, his expression grim. "Percy, you have to be cautious on your way. Many things are in motion here. You cannot be careless in anything."

"Chiron, there's one thing I don't understand. This is an obvious plot. The Big three were set up against each other. Does no one see the issue here?" This has bothered him a lot. The Olympian council has been running blind, searching for the Bolt, without even trying to rat out the real culprit. And there was no news about Luke either.

"Percy, it's not important who the real culprit was, okay, it was important." Chiron amended watching his disbelieving look. "What's most important is returning the master bolt to Zeus. The master bolt is too powerful a weapon to be left in the wrong hands. Remember, this was the bolt that defeated the King of the Titans himself."

"The Titan of Time, Kronos," he remembered. "The father of the gods."

"Yes, and my father too, incidentally. Though I avoid advertising the fact. The gods had defeated him by standing together in unity. But if a rift appears in their harmony...I hope I'm reading too much into things..."

"Sir?"

"It was probably nothing." Chiron shook his head. "I wish I had more time to train you, Percy. Come back alive and I will finish your training. The fate of the world depends on you three now. So keep your wits and come back victorious. Good luck, child."

Yeah! No pressure!

Percy glanced back from the bottom of the hill. Under the pine tree, Chiron stood in his Centaur form, holding his bow in salute. Just your typical summer camp send-off on a quest by your typical Centaur-teacher.

He got into the truck and without any words, Argus drove them into the city.

xXx

A/N: And the quest officially begins. How's the story so far. Tell me about it.

I have updated the story so far once again. I hope there are fewer errors in the story for you to enjoy. Happy reading.