"Oh... fair enough." Jason nodded, "But then again... we've all been sent off on quests when we've barely arrived in camp."
"Yeah. We arrived in camp, got a prophecy, and left the very next day." Piper added.
"Same here." Frank nodded, "Well, for Percy. He came into our camp, we got jumped by my father, and we also left for a quest."
"Percy and I had no memories... so does that really count? Since we still had battle instincts and stuff?" Jason asked, and everyone glared at Hera, before Thalia shrugged, "I don't know. But the lack of memories would have made you guys more confused than anything, and you two were practically thrown into enemy territory. That would be enough to throw anyone off. I'd say it cancels out."
Chiron sighed, "As long as he got a prophecy, the quest was his to take. I had my suspicions, but the Oracle only confirmed them. Percy had to go on that quest, or the world would have ended."
"Yeah, Chiron, I don't know, maybe you could have not mentioned that to twelve year old me who was still wondering why my father and I were being framed. You know, no pressure or anything, I fail, everything dies." Percy asked, and Chiron winced, "Apologies, Percy."
The next morning, Chiron moved me to Cabin Three.
Several demigods grimaced, knowing how much Percy hated having to stay alone in his cabin.
I didn't have to share with anybody. I had plenty of room for all my stuff: the Minotaur horn, one set of spare clothes, and a toiletry bag.
"I like bunking with my siblings, but honestly, having a ton of room sounds awesome!" Silena grinned, before her expression turned sad, "I miss them."
I got to sit at my own dinner table, pick all my own activities, call "lights out" whenever I felt like it, and not listen to anybody else.
"Oh! Percy would like that! He doesn't listen to anyone!" Connor laughed.
And I was absolutely miserable.
Apollo frowned; that didn't make any logical sense.
Hazel, Nico, Jason, and Thalia nodded. Thalia used to be alone in the Zeus cabin before she became a Hunter, and Nico and Jason were always lonely in their cabins while staying at Camp Half-Blood.
There were also times where Hazel visited the Greek camp, and she was always happy when Nico happened to be hanging around so they could share the Hades Cabin; otherwise, if Nico was off with Will in the mortal world, or down in the Underworld with his father, she would be all alone in the Hades cabin until she returned to Camp Jupiter.
Just when I'd started to feel accepted, to feel I had a home in Cabin Eleven and I might be a normal kid—or as normal as you can be when you're a half-blood—I'd been separated out as if I had some rare disease.
Poseidon pouted. There was a good reason why he didn't claim Percy immediately, but he supposed the hellhound situation made things even worse for his demigod son.
Chiron frowned, "I thought I told you to be nice to him."
"We tried." Travis sighed, "But... I don't know... we were all freaked out by the hellhound in camp... and we weren't sure what to make of Percy yet."
"You know... would that have happened to me, if I hadn't died?" Thalia asked. Everyone's blood turned cold, and Annabeth muttered, "Maybe?"
Nobody mentioned the hellhound, but I got the feeling they were all talking about it behind my back. The attack had scared everybody.
"That... I agree." Chiron sighed, "I admit, I was a little shocked too."
"We were talking about it behind you back." Clarisse admitted, "But it was mostly who would summon a hellhound in the first place, and if no one actually summoned it, how did it even get into Camp? It was a serious security problem."
It sent two messages: one, that I was the son of the Sea God; and two, monsters would stop at nothing to kill me. They could even invade a camp that had always been considered safe.
"Yeah... that was our main concern... since we doubted that anyone would actually sic a monster on a new kid." Jake grumbled.
The other campers steered clear of me as much as possible.
Beckendorf sighed, "We didn't mean to ignore you, Perce. Plus... at least, I think the Athena cabin was wondering how the hellhound got in if no one summoned it, and my cabin was working on stuff that might be more useful against future monster attacks."
Cabin Eleven was too nervous to have sword class with me after what I'd done to the Ares folks in the woods, so my lessons with Luke became one-on-one.
Chris, Connor and Travis winced, "Sorry, dude."
"It's alright." Percy smiled.
He pushed me harder than ever, and wasn't afraid to bruise me up in the process.
"You're going to need all the training you can get," he promised, as we were working with swords and flaming torches. "Now let's try that viper-beheading strike again. Fifty more repetitions."
"Yikes. Even we Romans don't push the newbies so hard, especially if they can't find a suitable blade." Reyna winced.
"I mean... I probably didn't mind too much." Percy shrugged, "I was just happy someone was hanging out with me... And the training did help in the end."
Annabeth still taught me Greek in the mornings, but she seemed distracted. Every time I said something, she scowled at me, as if I'd just poked her between the eyes.
"Rude." Persephone snorted, "Did you really hate Percy that much?"
"No." Annabeth admitted, "Sure... I wasn't too fond of Lord Poseidon at that point of time since I thought I had to go with my mother's rivalries, but I was mostly bitter about Thalia."
"What... like... I died, so the Fates just procured an annoying, whiny Poseidon child to replace me?" Thalia asked, and Percy spoke up, "Hey! I'm not annoying or whiny!"
"Yeah..." Annabeth nodded slowly, "Percy's awesome... but at the time... It did feel like you were being replaced."
After lessons, she would walk away muttering to herself: "Quest… Poseidon?…Dirty rotten…Got to make a plan…"
"Dirty rotten?" Triton asked, insulted, as Malcolm let out a small laugh, saving his sister, "She was more angry at the Fates for "replacing" Thalia, than at Lord Poseidon."
Even Clarisse kept her distance, though her venomous looks made it clear she wanted to kill me for breaking her magic spear. I wished she would just yell or punch me or something. I'd rather get into fights every day than be ignored.
"You should have just called me, Prissy." Clarisse grinned toothily, "I'd beat you up whenever you liked!"
"Next time I want to be used as a punching bag, I'll call you." Percy smirked.
I knew somebody at camp resented me, because one night I came into my cabin and found a mortal newspaper dropped inside the doorway, a copy of the New York Daily News, opened to the Metro page.
"So... that's probably a Hermes kid." Apollo frowned, and Hermes looked insulted, knowing internally that it was most likely true, "You think he was the one who did it?"
"Probably. There's a convenience store down the road, but most of us are just interested in sneaking out, buying soda, and coming back. I think they also sell newspapers..." Connor nodded, "It's most likely him."
The article took me almost an hour to read, because the angrier I got, the more the words floated around on the page.
Frank sighed, "I'm forever grateful that I don't have dyslexia. I like reading."
BOY AND MOTHER STILL MISSING AFTER FREAK CAR ACCIDENT
Percy frowned, remembering the vile newspaper.
BY EILEEN SMYTHE
"Who is this Eileen Smythe person?!" Poseidon growled, "I'm going to go and -"
"Woah, you can't just hurt reporters and journalists! They're just being fed information and compiling it into newspapers! It's not their faults!" Percy defended.
Sally Jackson and son Percy are still missing one week after their mysterious disappearance.
"Honestly, is it bad that I think Sally and Percy being missing, even if they didn't find camp, is better than staying with that thing?" Thalia growled.
"Nope. But that's a very depressing thought." Artemis hissed.
The family's badly burned '78 Camaro was discovered last Saturday on a north Long Island road with the roof ripped off and the front axle broken. The car had flipped and skidded for several hundred metres before exploding.
Everyone laughed at the reminder of what happened to Gabe's Camaro.
"For once, I think I'm grateful to the Minotaur." Percy snickered.
Mother and son had gone for a weekend vacation to Montauk, but left hastily, under mysterious circumstances.
"More like "Left hastily because of a certain someone". Those aren't mysterious circumstances in the slightest." Demeter snorted, "These reporters need to eat more cereal!"
"I hate cereal." Hazel grumbled, remembering the karpoi that tried to kidnap her.
Small traces of blood were found in the car and near the scene of the wreck, but there were no other signs of the missing Jacksons. Residents in the rural area reported seeing nothing unusual around the time of the accident.
"Uh... no duh, why would we waste time reporting things?" Dionysus grumbled, "Annoying mortals, always so fussy and demanding!"
Ms Jackson's husband, Gabe Ugliano, claims that his stepson, Percy Jackson, is a troubled child who has been kicked out of numerous boarding schools
"Even regular mortals get kicked out boarding schools. Big deal!" Rachel rolled her eyes.
and has expressed violent tendencies in the past.
"Violent... tendencies!?" Grover growled, "If anything, he's the one with violent tendencies!"
Police would not say whether son Percy is a suspect in his mother's disappearance, but they have not ruled out foul play.
"Okay... one, how does a twelve year old child kidnap an adult lady!?" Pollux asked, clearly angry and confused, and Clarisse added, "Second, have they seen how scrawny Prissy was? He could barely kidnap Grover around, let alone kidnapping his mom!"
"Stop talking about how weak I was!" Percy complained.
Below are recent pictures of Sally Jackson and Percy. Police urge anyone with information to call the following toll-free crime-stoppers hotline.
The phone number was circled in black marker.
All the Greek demigods growled. This practically just confirmed that it had been Luke; he was one of the best at psychological manipulation.
I wadded up the paper and threw it away, then flopped down in my bunk bed in the middle of my empty cabin.
"Lights out," I told myself miserably.
"That's just depressing." Hades sighed, and everyone looked at him.
"What? I can tell if things are depressing or not!" The God of the Dead protested.
That night, I had my worst dream yet.
"Ha ha ha, nope." Will snickered, "Everything just gets worse."
I was running along the beach in a storm. This time, there was a city behind me. Not New York. The sprawl was different: buildings spread farther apart, palm trees and low hills in the distance.
"Is that Los Angeles?" Hades asked, and Percy nodded, "Yeah. At the time, I didn't know it, but having been there... yep."
"No wonder you thought it was me." Hades mused.
About a hundred metres down the surf, two men were fighting. They looked like TV wrestlers, muscular, with beards and long hair.
"TV wrestlers?" Poseidon asked, amused, while Zeus looked like he wasn't sure whether to be offended, or as amused as his brother. He settled for a scowl, while Poseidon took it as a compliment, "Well, TV wrestling is more of a show than anything! So I suppose that Percy means that I look good!"
Both wore flowing Greek tunics, one trimmed in blue, the other in green.
"Greek tunics are definitely better than Roman bedsheets." Percy grimaced, "At least you can still walk in them."
"They're called togas, Percy." Reyna sighed, mostly out of habit than annoyance, while the Greeks snickered; they had were going to attend some senate meetings as guests, and they wanted to try on the Roman togas, just to see what it was like. Needless to say, they were all tripping over each other until they ditched the bedsheets.
They grappled with each other, wrestled, kicked and head-butted, and every time they connected, lightning flashed, the sky grew darker, and the wind rose.
Hera sighed, "Can't you two talk it out like normal gods?"
"Sister, they are talking it out like normal gods." Demeter sighed, "They need more fibre in their diet! Maybe they'd stop fighting so much!"
I had to stop them. I didn't know why. But the harder I ran, the more the wind blew me back, until I was running in place, my heels digging uselessly in the sand.
"Man! That sucks!" Travis complained, but Connor grinned, "But you know... it seems like a good treadmill."
Over the roar of the storm, I could hear the blue-robed one yelling at the green-robed one, Give it back! Give it back! Like a kindergartner fighting over a toy.
Zeus glared at the other gods as they all burst into laughter, but no one paid him any attention.
"That's practically what they are." Hades snorted, while Hestia looked happy that her family was getting along.
"I do not act like a kindergartner." Zeus huffed.
"Well, now you're throwing a temper tantrum like one." Triton snickered.
The waves got bigger, crashing into the beach, spraying me with salt.
I yelled, Stop it! Stop fighting!
"Welp. Looks like that's something even Percy can't achieve; getting the two siblings of the Big Three to stop fighting." Apollo snickered, while Ares cheered, goading them on, "No! Don't stop fighting! Go, go, go!"
Aphrodite frowned at him, "Don't be like that! You know how bad it would be if Zeus and Poseidon decided to get into a war with each other!"
The ground shook. Laughter came from somewhere under the earth, and a voice so deep and evil it turned my blood to ice.
Some of the Romans glanced at Hades, but Percy caught their gazes, "Nah, it wasn't Uncle Hades. His laugh isn't deep and evil, anyways."
"You know... for once, I wished I really were the antagonist." Hades grumbled, "It's better than the other alternative."
The gods nodded in agreement.
"Come down, little hero," the voice crooned. "Come down!"
The gods, as well as the demigods who had faced Kronos, shuddered at the memory of his voice.
The sand split beneath me, opening up a crevice straight down to the center of the earth.
The demigods all flinched, thinking about the war against Gaea. If Leo hadn't managed to snatch her up in time... she could have done just that, completely devouring the demigod forces.
My feet slipped, and darkness swallowed me.
I woke up, sure I was falling.
"Aw man! That feeling sucks!" Thalia groaned, "I hate it when that happens!"
I was still in bed in Cabin Three. My body told me it was morning, but it was dark outside, and thunder rolled across the hills. A storm was brewing. I hadn't dreamed that.
"If I got my dates and timings right... that was a pretty terrible storm. Nothing compared to the one that occurred two years ago, though." Piper muttered.
I heard a clopping sound at the door, a hoof knocking on the threshold.
"Why did you use your hoof?" Annabeth asked.
Grover shrugged, "I wasn't sure if Percy was awake or not. When he's tired, it can be really hard to wake him up. And there was no way I was going to break into his cabin."
"Come in?"
Grover trotted inside, looking worried. "Mr D wants to see you."
"Why?"
"He wants to kill…I mean, I'd better let him tell you."
Poseidon glared at Dionysus, and the wine god flinched.
Nervously, I got dressed and followed, sure that I was in huge trouble.
For days, I'd been half expecting a summons to the Big House.
"Really? Why?" Leo asked.
Now that I was declared a son of Poseidon, one of the Big Three gods who weren't supposed to have kids, I figured it was a crime for me just to be alive.
"Okay, fair enough." Leo sighed, having got an answer to his question, "But it wasn't your fault!"
The other gods had probably been debating the best way to punish me for existing, and now Mr D was ready to deliver their verdict.
"Even if we were to do that, it would be me bringing in the message, not Dionysus." Hermes told Percy, grinning, "And there's no way we're going to do that either. Lighten up, little cousin!"
Over Long Island Sound, the sky looked like ink soup coming to a boil. A hazy curtain of rain was coming in our direction. I asked Grover if we needed an umbrella.
"No," he said. "It never rains here unless we want it to."
"The orientation film did cover that part, though." Percy nodded.
I pointed at the storm. "What the heck is that, then?"
He glanced uneasily at the sky. "It'll pass around us. Bad weather always does."
"Unless my father is angry at someone." Dionysus grumbled. It had been a nice day for pinochle, but the rain kept getting into the porch, which was his favorite place to play; it had completely ruined his plans for the day.
I realized he was right. In the week I'd been here, it had never even been overcast. The few rain clouds I'd seen had skirted right around the edges of the valley.
But this storm… this one was huge.
"Someone was really angry!" Apollo frowned, "But did you really have to take it out on the kids?"
Zeus didn't answer.
At the volleyball pit, the kids from Apollo's cabin were playing a morning game against the satyrs. Dionysus's twins were walking around in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow.
Pollux let out a small whine at the reminder of his deceased brother.
Everybody was going about their normal business, but they looked tense. They kept their eyes on the storm.
"First time we've ever seen rain get into camp." Travis complained, "We wanted to play a prank, but it was an outdoor prank! We had to rearrange our entire pranking schedule!"
"You have a pranking schedule?" Jason asked incredulously, and the Stoll brothers nodded.
Grover and I walked up to the front porch of the Big House. Dionysus sat at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke, just as he had on my first day. Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheelchair. They were playing against invisible opponents—two sets of cards hovering in the air.
"Okay... how does that work?" Leo asked, "Mr D magic? Cause like... isn't that technically cheating if you're playing for three people?"
Chiron shrugged, "I do not question Mr D during pinochle."
"You still end up winning anyways." Dionysus complained.
"Well, well," Mr D said without looking up. "Our little celebrity."
I waited.
"Come closer," Mr D said. "And don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father."
"Barnacle-Beard?" Poseidon glowered at Dionysus, "Get something original. Stop copying Owl Head over there."
"She probably used up all of the good ones." Hermes snickered, and Demeter turned to Dionysus, "Perhaps some cereal would help you think of better insults!"
"Really, Mother, enough with the cereal." Persephone sighed.
A net of lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder shook the windows of the house.
"Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus said.
"Really?" Zeus glared at the wine god, but Dionysus just rolled his eyes, "You left me to be the director of that camp. I run it however I like."
"That doesn't mean you can disrespect me!" Zeus thundered, but one look from Hestia shut him up, "That's enough, brother. Neither of us are happy about this situation, and I'm sure my nephew has his ways of dealing with it."
Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards. Grover cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth.
"If I had my way," Dionysus said, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames.
"You wouldn't hurt my son." Poseidon grumbled, and Dionysus sighed, "Well, he's clearly still alive!"
We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble.
"Yeah, we'd sweep up the ashes, and we'd probably instantly lose the war when the borders start failing and monsters invade camp, killing all the demigods." Thalia grumbled.
"Nico could have been the prophecy kid." Percy pointed out.
"No way." Nico shook his head, "You guys barely lasted the four years between Percy's first quest to his sixteenth birthday. There was no way we could have held out until mine."
"What if a Roman took the prophecy?" Percy asked, "We've got a Jupiter and a Pluto kid. They count as the Big Three."
The two gods flickered to their Roman forms briefly, though it was more of a mild discomfort rather than something painful.
"Well, my sixteenth birthday was a year before Nico's. We couldn't have waited." Jason stated, "And Hazel wouldn't be here if it weren't from Nico. Percy's the only one at the exact age."
But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."
"Err... Mr D... not to be rude... but spontaneous combustion is a form of harm." Reyna deadpanned.
"Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr D," Chiron put in.
"Oh, look, Reyna, you think like an old horse." Thalia joked, and Reyna grinned, "Better a horse-man than Percy."
"Hey!" Percy protested, "I'm not that bad! My plans saved you guys before!"
"That," Frank pointed out, "Is a very fair point. But your plans are utterly ridiculous and half the time, I have no idea how they work out in the end."
"Nonsense," Dionysus said. "Boy wouldn't feel a thing.
"Well... if it's spontaneous... then yes, I suppose." Athena stated, seemingly amused by the idea of spontaneously combusting Percy, "But a "form of harm" is very different from "feeling pain". Spontaneous combustion would be considered a painless form of harm."
"Whatever." Dionysus went back to sipping his Diet Coke.
Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."
The Seven snickered, and Leo couldn't help himself, "Oh, Frank can do that all by himself. He doesn't need Mr D to do it to him."
"Okay, what's this thing about Frank turning into a dolphin?" Thalia demanded.
"It's a dam inside joke." Percy smirked.
"Ah." Grover stated knowingly, "It's dam spoiler, I suppose."
Zoe shook her head as Thalia, Percy and Grover burst out laughing, still not getting what was so funny about the Hoover Dam.
"Mr D—" Chiron warned.
"Oh, all right," Dionysus relented. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness." Dionysus rose, and the invisible players' cards dropped to the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose.
"Dionysus!" Poseidon scowled, but Percy grinned, "Don't worry, Dad. Mr D just likes to threaten us and call us by the wrong name for fun. He cares too much about us to actually hurt us."
"As if I care." The wine god huffed, but Dakota just happened to run out of Kool-Aid, and looked upset until Dionysus waved his hand to conjure up more for him.
"I believe," Hermes pointed out, "that display shows that you care for them."
"Oh, shut up!" Dionysus groaned, "I've been stuck there unable to have my favorite drink for like... forever! It's torture!"
"You know... maybe Mr D should be allowed to have some wine. Sure... there are minors at camp, but I'm sure they know better than to steal from Mr D." Percy offered, "And taking away something he invented is just plain mean!"
"I agree." Poseidon nodded, "Athena throws a fit whenever someone tries to drag her out of her library. We can discuss and barter about the Camp Half-Blood situation later, but at least, on Olympus while we're reading these books, Dionysus should be allowed to have his wine."
Hermes, Apollo and Aphrodite nodded in agreement. Oddly enough, Ares also agreed; alcohol was commonly used in wars by soldiers to numb the pain from injuries, and in Ancient Greece, alcohol was even used as a way to motive their troops. And while Ares didn't like alcohol as much as Dionysus did, the War God did understand the pain of being banned from something he liked.
"Whatever." Zeus groaned, and waved his hand. Dionysus' can of Diet Coke immediately transformed into a wine glass, filled with Dionysus' favorite drink, and the god's face lit up, second only to the time Percy saw him on Olympus with Ariadne.
"Thank you." Dionysus stated gratefully, and took a small sip of his favored beverage.
Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do."
Dionysus picked up a playing card, twisted it, and it became a plastic rectangle. A credit card? No. A security pass.
"A security pass?" Dakota asked, and Dionysus explained, "I wasn't allowed to go back to Olympus during my punishment, but Father had to let me in for meetings, so he gave me a one-time security pass."
He snapped his fingers.
The air seemed to fold and bend around him. He became a hologram, then a wind, then he was gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind.
Grover frowned, "You know... as many times as I've seen Mr D go to Olympus... I never really noticed that. You really are observant."
Chiron smiled at me, but he looked tired and strained. "Sit, Percy, please. And Grover."
We did.
Chiron laid his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use.
"Darn." Dionysus grumbled good-naturedly, but everyone could tell he didn't really hold it against the centaur.
"Tell me, Percy," he said. "What did you make of the hellhound?"
"I miss Mrs O'Leary." Percy sighed, and Amphitrite asked, confused, "Who?"
"My pet hellhound."
Triton blinked, "A pet... hellhound? Did I hear that right?"
"Yep." Nico nodded, as all the demigods started singing praises of how good a girl Mrs O'Leary was and how sweet she was.
"You," Triton decided, "are the weirdest half-brother I've met. And I'm not sure if that's good or bad."
Just hearing the name made me shudder.
"Honestly, I don't blame you, bro, after what just happened." Jason nodded in agreement.
Chiron probably wanted me to say, Heck, it was nothing. I eat hellhounds for breakfast. But I didn't feel like lying.
Chiron laughed dryly, "You shouldn't lie about something like that. I could have seen through your lie anyways."
"It scared me," I said. "If you hadn't shot it, I'd be dead."
"You'll meet worse, Percy. Far worse, before you're done."
"Err... question... but what's worse than being dead?" Piper asked Chiron.
Chiron frowned, and scratched his beard, but Percy butted in, remembering Echidna, "Poison? At least, if the hellhound killed me, it would be a relatively quick, painless death. But a slow and torturous-"
That reminded him of dying by Gorgon's blood, and Percy choked on his words. As he tried to regain his breath, it triggered another memory of him suffocating in a bog, of nearly drowning in the River Cocytus, of nearly choking Akhlys with her own tears -
"Percy! Are you okay?" Annabeth tried to comfort the choking boy, grabbing his arm, and that was enough to jolt the son of the Sea God out of his thoughts. Percy nodded, clearing his throat, "I'm fine... just... choked on my saliva..."
Poseidon conjured up a cup of water for Percy to drink, and while everyone seemed to buy Percy's excuse, Annabeth knew, at least, partially of what he had been thinking about. She gripped his hand tighter, as if to say "That wasn't your fault", but Percy kept his attention on the cooling glass of water.
After letting the cooling liquid trickle down his throat soothingly, Percy shot her a look that said, "We'll talk about it later."
Annabeth nodded, and Persephone decided to take pity on the boy, and continued reading.
"Done… with what?"
"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?"
I glanced at Grover, who was crossing his fingers.
"You really wanted Percy to accept the quest, huh?" Thalia grinned, and Grover sighed, "Yeah... though if I knew what the quest was actually about... I would be less eager, but I would still follow Percy if he decided to let me go with him."
"You're the best, G-man." Percy grinned at his satyr friend.
"Um, sir," I said, "you haven't told me what it is yet."
Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part, the details."
"Of course it is." Leo stated dryly, "It's always the details!"
Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as I could see, the sky and the sea were boiling together.
"Poseidon and Zeus," I said. "They're fighting over something valuable… something that was stolen, aren't they?"
"Of course." Zeus stated matter-of-factly, while some of the other gods raised their eyebrows, surprised that Percy had still remembered that; the fact that Kronos spoke to him in his dream would have been creepy and scary enough to make any other demigods forget other aspects of their dreams.
Chiron and Grover exchanged looks.
Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?"
My face felt hot. I wished I hadn't opened my big mouth.
"I thought you wanted to impress Chiron, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth teased, and Percy grinned, "Yeah."
"The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she'd overheard something about a theft. And… I've also been having these dreams."
"I knew it," Grover said.
"Hush, satyr," Chiron ordered.
"I'm so going to use that next time!" Connor grinned.
"Hey!" Grover complained, but Connor shushed him, "Hush, satyr!"
"Don't ever do that!" Grover threatened, "Or I'd trample you underhoof!"
"But it is his quest!" Grover's eyes were bright with excitement. "It must be!"
"We hate quests!" Every demigod except for Thalia groaned, and the Daughter of Zeus protested, "Hey! If it weren't for a quest, I wouldn't be alive!"
"Well, if it weren't for any of our quests, we all wouldn't be alive." Reyna pointed out.
"Just because they're essential, doesn't mean we have to like them." Percy grumbled, "Seriously, I had to take my DSTOMP test and SATs in English! Why can't I do it in Ancient Greek or Latin?!"
All the demigods who were in college groaned in agreement, and Annabeth sighed, "Mortals."
"Only the Oracle can determine." Chiron stroked his bristly beard. "Nevertheless, Percy, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."
Jason's jaw dropped, "Someone... stole my dad's lightning bolt!?"
"His master bolt." Percy corrected.
"But..." Jason seemed lost for words, "Who!? Why!? How!?"
"The book should cover that." Grover sighed; he didn't want anymore reminders of just how twisted Luke had been.
I laughed nervously. "A what?"
"Do not take this lightly," Chiron warned. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play.
"Good that you clarified." Connor snickered, "Because that was exactly what I had been expecting."
"Excuse me?!" Zeus growled, clearly offended, but Poseidon rolled his eyes, "Brother, none of the other demigods have seen the master bolt clearly before. Give them a break."
"Oh!" Hazel nodded, "That's why you said that the master bolt didn't look like the one of the Jupiter statue at his temple!"
Percy nodded.
I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives."
"Oh."
"Great answer!" Thalia laughed.
"Zeus's master bolt," Chiron said, getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."
Leo whistled, "Man, that sounds awesome!"
He turned to his siblings and father, "You think we can emulate something like that!?"
"No! Absolutely not, you insolent demigod!" Zeus roared, but Hades sighed, "Brother, he's just curious. Hephaestus kids like to build; obviously powerful weapons would be interesting to them."
"We cannot. Not only does the master bolt channel power from Father, but the magic required for the creation of a Symbol of Power is ancient." Hephaestus shook his head, "It isn't something mere demigods can emulate, as good as you are. You wouldn't be able to get anywhere close to it's full power before it obliterates you instead."
"And it's missing?"
"Stolen," Chiron said.
"By who?"
"Whom." Athena corrected, "Really, Sea Spawn?!"
"By whom," Chiron corrected. Once a teacher, always a teacher. "By you."
"Yeah... no." Reyna shook her head, "Anyone who knows Percy for even half a second knows that he wouldn't do something like that."
My mouth fell open.
"At least"—Chiron held up a hand—"that's what Zeus thinks.
"Of course, Zeus clearly doesn't think before he acts." Hera huffed, "Otherwise, he should know better than to keep chasing after mortals since he's already married."
During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best,' 'Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,' et cetera.
"It's stupid." Hades grumbled.
"It's not stupid!" Jason protested, "Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disaster!"
"No! Sea disasters are cooler!" Percy shot back, "I don't like disasters, but tsunamis are powerful and demolish everything!"
"How many hurricanes have been named by mortals?" Jason looked on proudly, but Percy argued, "Yeah, but it's the quality that counts, not quantity! Each tsunami is devastating, but you just have some hurricanes that are harmless and some that just destroy stuff. And tsunamis are more devastating that hurricanes anyways!"
"Oh yeah? How many monsters have you destroyed with water!?"
"How many have you destroyed with wind!?"
"I asked first!"
"Oh us. They're like mini-versions of their parents." Demeter shook her head, "They need more cereal!"
"Except more talky and less fighty." Hermes grinned, amused, "And maybe much less cereal-y."
The two boys were trying to count how many monsters they've taken down, except they've fought so many that they lost count. Annabeth and Thalia used that opportunity to smack them with pillows.
Afterward, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon.
"And after Poseidon, he blames me." Hades deadpanned.
Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly—that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it."
"Like... who?" Poseidon asked, "Before Percy, I didn't even interact with the children!"
"Zeus should be the God of Conspiracy Theories." Hades suggested, and the duo nodded in agreement, ignoring Zeus' shouts of protest, much to the amusement of the demigods.
"But I didn't—"
"Patience and listen, child," Chiron said. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning.
"Mortals breath in air." Poseidon whined in a bad imitation of Zeus, "So Zeus has influence over every single demigods that breaths."
"That's a completely different matter altogether!" Zeus roared.
"Well, maybe if I wanted to fry every single creature living under the sea!" Poseidon rebutted.
Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne.
Athena deadpanned, and nearly facepalmed; that was just stupid, even by her father's standards.
The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his son. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief."
Thalia raised an eyebrow, and frowned, "That's just... apologies, Father, but that line of reasoning just sounds ridiculous."
"Tell me about it." Poseidon sighed, "My son doesn't even believe that we exist, nor would he even have access to Olympus in the first place, since he didn't go with the other campers."
"But I've never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!"
"Before you say anything, brother, I agree." Demeter frowned, "You need more cereal if you seriously believed that the boy had anything to do with it."
Chiron and Grover glanced nervously at the sky. The clouds didn't seem to be parting around us, as Grover had promised. They were rolling straight over our valley, sealing us in like a coffin lid.
"Stop being so pessimistic!" The demigods yelled at Percy, while Hades and Apollo both nodded, for very different reasons.
"That sounds lovely. Depressing." Hades nodded, while Apollo scribbled it down, muttering, "It's so poetic! I could make a Haiku!"
Before anyone could stop him, Apollo belted out, "Father's bolt is gone. Sealed in like a coffin lid. Anger targets camp."
"That was just... plain bad..." Artemis mimed gagging.
"Er, Percy…?" Grover said. "We don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky."
"Perhaps paranoid," Chiron suggested.
"Yes. He's very paranoid, indeed." Hades and Poseidon rolled their eyes.
"Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam.…"
"You expect him to remember that?" Athena asked, but Chiron shrugged, "It's one of the older, more popular myths. At least I didn't expect him to remember something obscure."
He looked at me as if he actually expected me to remember question thirty-eight.
How could anyone accuse me of stealing a god's weapon? I couldn't even steal a slice of pizza from Gabe's poker party without getting busted.
Everyone grew angry at the mention of Percy having to steal food. They all knew that Percy wouldn't steal if he could help it, and even then, that was only in desperate situations on quests where they needed the supplies.
If Percy had to resort to even consider stealing food... was that the reason why his appetite used to be so poor, and why he was just so small and scrawny? He was already much more healthy-looking after a few days of staying at camp... and his build just got better as the years went by, with proper camp food and food cooked by his mother...
"Did that thing ever starve you? Not give you food to eat? Leave you hungry?" Artemis hissed, and Percy shrunk back into his seat, before he admitted, "Sometimes... but there are also times where we just didn't have enough money to get sufficient food."
"Well, if he didn't waste it all on poker and cigars, I'm sure you'd have the money." Ares grumbled.
Everyone blinked at him weirdly.
"What?!" Ares growled, "I'm the God of War! I know all about resource management, rationing, budgetary restrictions, and only buying essentials when times are tough!"
Chiron was waiting for an answer.
"Something about a golden net?" I guessed. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods… they, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?"
"Apparently, that didn't work." Hera sighed, while the quest trio glanced at Hephaestus, remembering how they were nearly caught in his trap that was meant for Ares and Aphrodite.
"Correct," Chiron said. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt.
"Because I didn't do it." Poseidon growled, and before another fight could break out, Hestia interjected, "Now, we all know roughly what happened. What's passed is passed. There's no need to fight over this all over again."
He took great offense at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you've come along—the proverbial last straw."
"But I'm just a kid!"
"A kid that can defeat a Fury without even trying, and a Minotaur without a weapon." Triton added, "But not a kid who can steal a master bolt because he doesn't know that Zeus existed in the first place, let alone the master bolt."
"Percy," Grover cut in, "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you,
"Wanting to make you a better ruler has a very, very different meaning from wanting to overthrow you." Poseidon groaned.
then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War II, that he's fathered a new mortal hero who might be used as a weapon against you... Wouldn't that put a twist in your toga?"
"Of course!" Zeus grumbled, and Amphitrite rolled her eyes, "Such a hypocrite."
"Imagine Zeus just wearing a toga, and it got so twisted that he tripped and fell." Hades grinned, and everyone laughed at the mental image.
"But I didn't do anything. Poseidon—my dad—he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?"
Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style.
"Thank you, Chiron!" Poseidon sighed.
But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That's June twenty-first, ten days from now.
"Ten days. That's not too bad." Leo whistled, "We had like... two or three days for ours?"
"We ran into... video game addiction issues." Percy shook his head.
"What?" Everyone asked, confused, but Grover groaned, "Aww man! We've have to cover that too!"
Annabeth sighed, "Spoilers. And seriously... not our proudest moments."
Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense.
"We all know we tried." The trio sighed.
But your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war.
"You know what's scary? That for this quest, our enemies were actually the God of Olympus, you know... the ones we are actually trying to help?" Percy stated.
Everyone glared at Zeus, while Reyna shuddered, "Yeah... I think I'd prefer a quest fighting monsters and unkillable giants, rather then the immortal beings we pray to."
And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy?"
"Bad?" I guessed.
Everyone paused, before they all erupted into laughter.
"Bad!? That's all you can say about a war between two of the oldest gods!?" Jason asked incredulously. Thalia was laughing so hard she forgot to breath, and Reyna was having severe trouble trying to stifle her laughter as she tried to help a choking Thalia, which Posiedon helpfully summoned some more water for.
"You are the best!" Connor cackled, as Travis tumbled off the couch, nearly taking his brother with him. Hermes helped his son up, before Persephone continued.
"Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight."
"So... bad." Leo nodded.
"Bad," I repeated.
Everyone dissolved into fits of giggles.
"And you, Percy Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath."
It started to rain. Volleyball players stopped their game and stared in stunned silence at the sky.
"Couldn't you have, I don't know... just make one of those cartoonish rain clouds that follow me everywhere I went, instead of making everyone get wet?" Percy complained.
Everyone took a second to get a mental picture of that, before they all started laughing again.
"Oh, what I would pay to see that!" Hermes snickered.
I had brought this storm to Half-Blood Hill. Zeus was punishing the whole camp because of me.
"You think rather highly of yourself, don't you?" Athena rolled her eyes, but Apollo pointed out, "But he isn't wrong. Father is angry at Percy, and let the rain into camp, and since they do a lot of outdoor activities that most likely have to be cancelled because of the rain, Father was effectively punishing the entire camp because of his anger at Percy."
Athena blinked at him owlishly, "You... actually have a brain in there?!"
"Of course I do!" Apollo looked offended and upset, "I'm the God of Reason and Logic!"
"We all know!" Percy grinned at one of his favorite gods, "That's why it's fun when you stump everyone like that!"
Apollo puffed his chest up in pride, and Artemis silently thanked Percy for lifting her brother's spirits. The only ones allowed to tease him about his intelligence were Hermes and Artemis, since Apollo always knew they were joking around. But when it came to Athena... she was always more... offensive with her words.
I was furious.
"So I have to find the stupid bolt," I said. "And return it to Zeus."
"It's not stupid!" Zeus growled.
"It is to a young, angry twelve year old who was being accused of stealing it when he didn't even know it was real." Aphrodite pointed out.
"What better peace offering," Chiron said, "than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus's property?"
"You mean what better way of getting me vaporized on the spot?" Percy asked bitterly; his reward for bringing the bolt back was not being killed to run an errand for Zeus. How nice.
"If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?"
"I believe I know." Chiron's expression was grim. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago… well, some of the lines make sense to me, now.
"Not the Great Prophecy... right?" Annabeth asked uneasily.
"No, child. A different one." Chiron reassured her.
But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."
"Why can't you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?"
"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge."
"Ha! As if Percy would ever back down from a challenge. He'd just charge headfirst into it and obliterate it." Thalia snorted.
I swallowed. "Good reason."
The Daughter of Zeus paused, "... Okay... who are you and what did you do to our Kelp Head?"
"That was me when I was still trying to process that, one, I was being accused of a crime I didn't commit, two, my father openly claimed me, probably making Lord Zeus even more angry and likely to kill me, and three, no one knew where the bolt was, because the only god who was likely to be on my side, wouldn't be able to help me in the slightest." Percy reasoned.
Thalia nodded, "Fair enough."
"If I knew where the bolt was, I would have told you." Poseidon sighed.
Hermes reassured his uncle, "I'm sure if you knew where the bolt was, we would have also found out, and brought it back to Father before Perseus was even involved."
Poseidon nodded; he knew that Hermes was aware that Percy liked the shorter form of his name, since monsters loved to use his real name before they attempted to kill him, and he could tell that Hermes serious when he resorted to using Percy's full name.
"You agree then?"
I looked at Grover, who nodded encouragingly.
Easy for him. I was the one Zeus wanted to kill.
"Sorry, man." Grover sighed, but Percy grinned at him, "All good."
"All right," I said. "It's better than being turned into a dolphin."
"Actually, being turned into a dolphin would be better." Frank mused, "Since your father would most likely just turn you back."
"Yeah, and you can turn into a dolphin and back without the help of two gods." Percy grinned, and Frank let out a chuckle.
"Then it's time you consulted the Oracle," Chiron said. "Go upstairs, Percy Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."
"Still... sane?" Piper squeaked.
"Ah... it's easier for the Oracle to Delphi to... control it's power with a living host. It's most suited for someone like Rachel, you see." Apollo explained, "And in her current condition... excess power might leak out on occasion."
Percy's eyes narrowed, and he shot Hermes a sympathetic look, "And... I'm sure Chiron saw something... else that would have warranted that warning."
Four flights up, the stairs ended under a green trapdoor.
"It's green? I always thought it was brown." Chris frowned.
I pulled the cord. The door swung down, and a wooden ladder clattered into place.
The warm air from above smelled like mildew and rotten wood and something else… a smell I remembered from biology class. Reptiles. The smell of snakes.
Apollo cringed, memories of fighting Python as a mortal filling his mind. He was surprised that Percy could detect the reptilian presence, though he just chalked that up to Percy being weirdly perceptive at the oddest times.
I held my breath and climbed.
The attic was filled with Greek hero junk: armor stands covered in cobwebs; once-bright shields pitted with rust; old leather steamer trunks plastered with stickers saying ITHAKA, CIRCE'S ISLE,
"Dang. You think we could have gotten a sticker?" Annabeth asked quietly in a joking tone.
and LAND OF THE AMAZONS.
"Oh! We've been there!" Hazel grinned, and Reyna nodded, "Yes. Thank you, again, for contacting my sister for me."
One long table was stacked with glass jars filled with pickled things—severed hairy claws, huge yellow eyes, various other parts of monsters.
"I get they're from monsters... but won't they like... rot or something?" Will wrinkled his nose, "That doesn't sound very hygienic."
A dusty mounted trophy on the wall looked like a giant snake's head, but with horns and a full set of shark's teeth. The plaque read, HYDRA HEAD #1, WOODSTOCK, NY, 1969.
Clarisse snorted, "I had to save Prissy's stupid butt from that one!"
"Okay, just why are there so many old souvenirs of things I had to end up facing?!" Percy complained.
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 black 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; she'd been dead a long, long time.
Hermes glared heatedly at Hades, but the God of the Dead just brushed his gaze off.
Jason, Piper, and Leo paled. Imagine getting a prophecy from that... in front of the entire camp... that would have been terrifying.
Piper shuddered; Hera had used Rachel like some kind of ancient phone line to send her a message... and Piper was relatively sure she would have confined herself to an insane asylum if she had gotten Hera's creepy message through a mummified, dead lady.
Reyna wrinkled her nose, "Is it weird that... I'd still prefer her over Octavian?"
"Nope!" The Romans chorused.
Apollo shot Rachel a look, and the duo grinned.
Looking at her sent chills up my back. And that was before she sat up on her stool and opened her mouth. A green mist poured from the mummy's mouth, coiling over the floor in thick tendrils, hissing like twenty thousand snakes.
"Okay... that just sounds like a horror movie coming to life!" Leo cried out, and he tightened his grip on Calypso's arm.
I stumbled over myself trying to get to the trapdoor, but it slammed shut. Inside my head, I heard a voice, slithering into one ear and coiling around my brain:
"I hate that feeling!" Piper grimaced, "I'm so glad that Rachel's the Oracle now!"
"Me too!" Rachel grinned.
I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask.
"Someone has an ego!" Artemis grinned, and Apollo shook his head, "You try to fight him as a mortal! I deserve my ego!"
I wanted to say, No thanks, wrong door, just looking for the bathroom.
The demigods all burst out laughing.
"What would happen if you actually said that to her?" Jason asked, and the older demigods, except for Chris, Clarisse, and Annabeth grimaced, "She would probably chase him to the ends of camp in order to tell her his prophecy."
Thalia groaned, "Okay, no. We aren't having that again."
"What if I chased you guys to the ends of camp?" Rachel laughed, and Grover bleated, "For one, you're alive! And when you're done with your prophecy, you can walk back to your own cave, or anywhere else you wanted to go!"
But I forced myself to take a deep breath.
The mummy wasn't alive. She was some kind of gruesome receptacle for something else, the power that was now swirling around me in the green mist. But its presence didn't feel evil,
"We'd have a real problem on our hands if our Oracle were evil." Annabeth shook her head, and Apollo squeaked out, "Python."
like my demonic math teacher Mrs Dodds or the Minotaur.
Nico snickered at the "demonic math teacher" comment; he definitely related to that, though Alecto didn't teach him such basic things as math.
It felt more like the Three Fates I'd seen knitting the yarn outside the highway fruit stand: ancient, powerful, and definitely not human.
"That... seems about right." Malcolm muttered.
But not particularly interested in killing me, either.
"Definitely not." Apollo confirmed.
I got up the courage to ask, "What is my destiny?"
"Dang. So cliche, Kelp Head." Thalia snickered, and Percy threw a pillow at her, "I was twelve!"
The mist swirled more thickly, collecting right in front of me and around the table with the pickled monster-part jars. Suddenly there were four men sitting around the table, playing cards. Their faces became clearer. It was Smelly Gabe and his buddies.
"Your Oracle needs better taste." Aphrodite gagged, and Rachel turned to Percy, "I apologies, sincerely, in advance if an image remotely close to that appears when I spout a prophecy or two."
"Even then, I'd blame the Oracle of Delphi, not you." Percy pointed out.
My fists clenched, though I knew this poker party couldn't be real. It was an illusion, made out of mist.
"Good." Artemis nodded, "You need to focus on the prophecy. You can't be distracted by the illusion."
Gabe turned toward me and spoke in the rasping voice of the Oracle: You shall go west, and face the god who has turned.
Some of the gods glared at Ares, who sighed, and leaned back into his chair. He knew that he had been manipulated and partially brainwashed by Kronos, and getting stabbed in the heel by Percy had helped him shake it off, but still, as much as he liked fighting, he felt bad that he had even been tempted by the thought of his father and uncle fighting.
He may be the War God, but that didn't mean that he liked needless bloodshed; he was the personification of War, and as terrible as it was, war was necessary. Sometimes, he really preferred being Mars to Ares.
His buddy on the right looked up and said in the same voice: You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned.
"That's very good." Poseidon nodded, and Zeus looked at him weirdly.
"What? You having your bolt back is much better than Father getting his grubby hands on it." Poseidon rolled his eyes.
The guy on the left threw in two poker chips, then said: You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend.
All the demigods grimaced.
"That sounds terrible." Reyna winced, and Percy let out a dry laugh, "Yeah. Suddenly, I'm glad that you guys weren't too nice to me in the beginning."
While some of the others looked confused, the older Greek demigods shot the son of the Sea God a knowing look; because they weren't close to Percy, and weren't his friends, they wouldn't be considered by the prophecy to betray Percy.
But still, that didn't hide the fact that they had still treated Percy terrible, especially when they found out who has father was.
Finally, Eddie, our building super, delivered the worst line of all: And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end.
"Okay... that is one depressing prophecy." Leo pointed out, "And we got a prophecy that said that Hera would unleash death. Half of your prophecy was literally "You're going to be betrayed, and you know what you want to save? Oh well, you fail". That's just sad. "
"I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the mast bolt isn't "what matters most", since that was already covered by the second line." Jason frowned, "Then... Sally? But she's..."
Hades' expression tilted into something unreadable, "It's... complicated, and as you would say, spoilers. But it all got resolved rather nicely in the end."
"Yeah. Thanks, Uncle." Percy let out a small smile at the god. Hades didn't have to return his mother, since he didn't swear on oath or anything, but he was still glad that his rage had been quelled, and the god had been compassionate enough to return his mother.
"You're welcome." Hades nodded. Percy had done him a great service by returning his Helm, despite the god threatening to kill him, and the least Hades could do was to return his mother. And Sally reminded him too much of Maria di Angelo; he didn't want to kill a woman like that, and he wouldn't wish that kind of pain upon Poseidon, since his brother hadn't done anything malicious towards him.
Heck, his kids could all go swimming in the ocean, and Poseidon wouldn't even bat an eye.
The figures began to dissolve. At first I was too stunned to say anything, but as the mist retreated, coiling into a huge green serpent and slithering back into the mouth of the mummy, I cried, "Wait! What do you mean? What friend? What will I fail to save?"
"Can we install a rewind button on the Oracle?" Piper asked jokingly, and Apollo snickered, "Sorry, kid. One prophecy only, no rewinds allowed."
The tail of the mist snake disappeared into the mummy's mouth. She reclined back against the wall. Her mouth closed tight, as if it hadn't been open in a hundred years. The attic was silent again, abandoned, nothing but a room full of mementos.
"That's even more depressing." Rachel sighed. She was so happy that she was the new Oracle now.
I got the feeling that I could stand here until I had cobwebs, too, and I wouldn't learn anything else.
My audience with the Oracle was over.
"That's why I like Mars' prophecies." Percy snickered, "They're clear and concise."
The Romans, save for Jason, nodded in amusement, and Ares grinned, while the other demigods looked at each other in confusion.
Apollo rolled his eyes, "Mars doesn't give prophecies. He gives you military orders."
"Well?" Chiron asked me.
I slumped into a chair at the pinochle table. "She said I would retrieve what was stolen."
Grover sat forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. "That's great!"
"Yes, it is." Zeus grumbled, and Hera rolled her eyes, "We get it. Stop repeating yourself. No wonder the boy called you crazy; you're raving like a lunatic."
"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed. "This is important."
My ears were still tingling from the reptilian voice. "She… she said I would go west and face a god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."
"I knew it," Grover said.
"You sure are excited." Juniper let out a small laugh, and Percy grinned, "Of course he is. The Oracle confirmed it's my quest, and practically said that we would succeed."
Chiron didn't look satisfied. "Anything else?"
I didn't want to tell him.
What friend would betray me?
Everyone narrowed their eyes knowingly.
I didn't have that many.
"Now, you have Greek, Romans, some gods, and -" Annabeth couldn't continue her sentence, thinking about how they just left Bob and Damasen down in Tartarus.
"Yeah." Percy let out a sad smile, "Lots of friends now. And... lots that I'll never see again..."
Everyone fell quiet, remembering everyone that they had lost over the years. Persephone gave them all a minute to grief, remembering how she had talked to Bianca's soul briefly in Elysium. She wanted to learn more about Nico, to try and get along with the younger di Angelo child to keep the peace with Hades, and she had started to grow fond of the girl despite her being a reminder of her husband's cheating.
Then, the girl had decided to choose rebirth, and Persephone would never see her again.
She continued.
And the last line—I would fail to save what mattered most. What kind of Oracle would send me on a quest and tell me, Oh, by the way, you'll fail.
How could I confess that?
"Your Oracle also needs lessons on tact." Hermes commented, eliciting some laughter from the kids.
Apollo rolled his eyes, "You just try to teach the Pythia some tact. I'd love to see you try."
"No," I said. "That's about it."
Chiron turned to Percy sadly, "As much as I dislike you withholding information... I do not blame you, child. If I had gotten a prophecy like that, I probably wouldn't share it."
He studied my face. "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 events come to pass."
"Some lines are clear... and some just make no sense until it happens." Annabeth shook her head.
I got the feeling he knew I was holding back something bad, and he was trying to make me feel better.
"Percy... of course I could tell you were holding information back." Chiron let out a dry laugh, "The Oracle never gives us two line prophecies."
"Okay," I said, anxious to change topics. "So where do I go? Who's this god in the west?"
"Ah, think, Percy," Chiron said. "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?"
Hades shot Chiron an unamused look, and Chiron sighed, "Apologies, Lord Hades. But really, I did not want to consider the other option."
"Somebody else who wants to take over?" I guessed.
"That is correct, though." Hades begrudgingly admitted, "Though it's not me."
"Yes, quite. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions.
"Are you really unhappy about getting the Underworld, brother?" Poseidon asked, and Hades shrugged, "Not really. I rather enjoy my realm. It's just that people keep dying at a faster rate, and that just gives me more work to do."
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."
Poseidon had the decency to look a little ashamed, while Zeus just glowered, as if he was trying to burn a hole in the floor.
I thought about my dreams, the evil voice that had spoken from under the ground. "Hades."
Chiron nodded. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility."
"You were the only one I was willing to consider." Chiron admitted softly.
"Apologies, Uncle." Percy hastily apologized, but Hades waved him off, "It's alright, godling. It's not like you knew about Father's rising anyways. And Chiron was herding you towards that answer, not that I blame him for that either."
A scrap of aluminum dribbled out of Grover's mouth. "Whoa, wait. Wh-what?"
"A Fury came after Percy," Chiron reminded him. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades."
"Okay... that does seem to point the blame in Dad's direction, though." Nico admitted.
"Yes, but—but Hades hates all heroes," Grover protested. "Especially if he has found out Percy is a son of Poseidon.…"
"I only tried to kill Thalia because of what my brother did." Hades waved his hand dismissively, "Poseidon hadn't done anything to upset me, so that really isn't a reason to hunt Percy down."
"But you were still involved, Lord Pl... Lord Hades." Reyna corrected herself.
Hades shrugged nonchalantly, "It'll probably come up at some point. No use repeating myself."
"A hellhound got into the forest," Chiron continued. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here.
"Okay, I think Zeus is rubbing off on you, Chiron." Poseidon chuckled, "That doesn't even make sense, since Grover already said that Hades hates heroes."
He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill this young half-blood before he can take on the quest."
"Great," I muttered. "That's two major gods who want to kill me."
"And that's only the beginning." Annabeth grumbled.
"But a quest to…" Grover swallowed. "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in some place like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year."
Percy grinned at Grover, "Well, you got your wish! Except it was two years late."
Grover bleated nervously, "Don't remind me! Dr Thorn was terrifying!"
"Yeah. He was a dam thorn on our side." Thalia grinned, and the trio burst into laughter, with Zoe still scratching her head in confusion.
"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," Chiron insisted. "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon.
Hera snorted, "Poseidon wouldn't even have to take the bolt. Zeus could misplace the darned thing, and still blame Poseidon for it."
I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose 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."
"Well... Chiron wasn't wrong. We did go to the Underworld, we found the master bolt, and we finally understood the situation we found ourselves in." Annabeth frowned, "It was oddly specific. Is Chiron psychic?"
A strange fire burned in my stomach. The weirdest thing was: it wasn't fear.
"Hey, Percy, I think this confirms that you are psycho." Jason stated.
It was anticipation. The desire for revenge. Hades had tried to kill me three times so far, with the Fury, the Minotaur, and the hellhound. It was his fault my mother had disappeared in a flash of light.
Hades sighed, "Fair enough, I suppose, godling."
Now he was trying to frame me and my dad for a theft we hadn't committed.
I was ready to take him on.
Nico's eyes lit up with amusement, "Yeah, maybe in four years time."
Percy met Nico's gaze, and let out a light snicker, while Annabeth raised an eyebrow. She knew that Percy had encountered Hades sometime during his small trip to the Underworld to bathe in the Styx... but they were in the middle of a war, and Percy wasn't exactly the best at giving synopses of what he had gone through.
Hades let out a groan; he was really hoping that the books wouldn't cover that incident, but given that it was right before the war, his hopes that his utterly embarrassing defeat wouldn't be mentioned was diminishing quickly.
Besides, if my mother was in the Underworld…
Whoa, boy, said the small part of my brain that was still sane. You're a kid. Hades is a god.
"I wish you still had that part of your brain." Annabeth shook her head, and Grover nodded, "Yep. You lost that in like... five days time."
Everyone stared at the boy. Based on their wording... it seemed like Percy would end up fighting a god.
When he was twelve years old.
Without much experience.
With barely any training, whether it be with a weapon, or his powers.
They wondered which god Percy had fought, and how in Hades the boy got out of that fight alive and still lived to the age of eighteen. They knew that he had encountered Ares and Hades... but as for which god he would fight...
The demigods all looked at each other knowingly. They couldn't wait to hear how Percy whooped Ares' butt, though Clarisse was more conflicted.
Grover was trembling. He'd started eating pinochle cards like potato crisps.
Dionysus frowned, "So that was where the pinochle cards went! I couldn't find them when I returned."
"Apologies, Mr D." Grover stammered, but Dionysus didn't look too upset, "Bah. Forget it. We got a new set of cards anyways."
The poor guy needed to complete a quest with me so he could get his searcher's license, whatever that was, but how could I ask him to do this quest, especially when the Oracle said I was destined to fail? This was suicide.
"Thanks for considering that, Perce." Grover grinned, "But I'd still follow you if you wanted me on your quest."
"Look, if we know it's Hades," I told Chiron,
"Which it isn't." Percy corrected his past self.
"why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads."
"If we could, we would bust into Zeus' domain and beat some more sense into his thick head." Hades snorted, and Poseidon sighed, "Sadly, no matter how hard we try, Zeus would forever remain stubborn."
"Suspecting and knowing are not the same," Chiron said. "Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades—and I imagine Poseidon does—
"I didn't suspect Hades, actually." Poseidon stated resolutely, "I thought Zeus misplaced the darn thing again."
"Thank you, Poseisond. Now, if only our little brother were as sensible as you are..." Hades shook his head, while Zeus glared at the two bothers who were ganging up against him.
they couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it.
"That doesn't mean you should go around challenging them, understood?" Annabeth glared at Percy, but the boy raised his hands, "Hey. I can't change the past. But I'll be more careful in the future."
Poseidon asked uncertainly, "Son... just how many immortals have you challenged?"
Percy grinned innocently at Poseidon, "I don't know. I didn't count."
Poseidon, Hades and Ares groaned, though the later two for different reasons than Poseidon.
No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?"
"You're saying I'm being used."
"Ouch." Triton muttered, as Poseidon cringed at the harsh wording.
"I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon has claimed you now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs you."
My dad needs me.
Amphitrite nodded, "He did. He would have rather keep you safe at camp, and let one of his other more experienced subjects handle something like the master bolt, but he had no choice in this matter; they too, couldn't go down to the Underworld to confront Hades."
Emotions rolled around inside me like bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. I didn't know whether to feel resentful or grateful or happy or angry. Poseidon had ignored me for twelve years. Now suddenly he needed me.
The demigods all sighed; they knew exactly how Percy felt.
I looked at Chiron. "You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?"
"Yeah... he even went to Yancy to keep an eye on you." Artemis noted.
"And I was in contact with Sally. She filled me in." Chiron added.
"I had my suspicions. As I said… I've spoken to the Oracle, too."
I got the feeling there was a lot he wasn't telling me about his prophecy, but I decided I couldn't worry about that right now. After all, I was holding back information too.
"Fair enough, I suppose." Nico nodded, "An eye for an eye."
"Don't talk to me about eyes." Percy hissed; he didn't need to be reminded of poor Ethan Nakamura, who had died before he could even see the fruits of his labor. He had been on the wrong side of the war, but in the end, Ethan had still chosen the right side, and had paid dearly for it.
Maybe if he had been stronger, he wouldn't have to put the decisions to attack himself or Kronos on the poor son of Nemesis... and maybe he wouldn't have died... he would have gotten to live happily at the Nemesis Cabin at Camp, knowing that his mother had gotten the recognition she deserved...
"Percy!" Grover bleated, "Stop blaming yourself for his death. He fought and died for what he believe in, and you helped him make his dream reality. You did all you could."
Percy sighed, as Annabeth patted his back reassuringly.
"So let me get this straight," I said. "I'm supposed go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."
"Check," Chiron said.
"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."
"Check."
"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days."
"That's about right."
"Yeah... that sounds easy enough..." Katie stated sarcastically, as she paled.
"The fate of the most powerful weapon in the universe is in your hands." Connor added, "No pressure. None at all."
"Yeah... it's not like a war is going to start if you fail." Chris added, "No worries."
"Guys, we already know that we succeeded." Percy deadpanned.
I looked at Grover, who gulped down the ace of hearts.
"Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" he asked weakly.
"Yes. Quite a few times, in fact." Thalia snorted.
"You don't have to go," I told him. "I can't ask that of you."
"Oh…" He shifted his hooves. "No… it's just that satyrs and underground places… well…"
Clarisse grinned, "You guys should have brought Coach Hedge. He would just charge into any old underground place and start whacking things."
"Er... as much as I appreciate Coach..." Piper stated, "I don't think he'd be too good on a diplomatic mission."
"Eh. Fair enough." Clarisse nodded, "He'd probably get killed by Lord Hades because he tried to whack him on the head or something."
Hades looked slightly offended that a satyr would try to hit him.
He took a deep breath, then stood, brushing the shredded cards and aluminum bits off his T-shirt. "You saved my life, Percy. If… if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down."
I felt so relieved I wanted to cry, though I didn't think that would be very heroic.
"We wouldn't blame you, honestly." Travis sighed, "I don't think anyone wants to go on a quest to the Underworld., especially on their first one."
Grover was the only friend I'd ever had for longer than a few months. I wasn't sure what good a satyr could do against the forces of the dead, but I felt better knowing he'd be with me.
"He helped us drown in a bathtub." Annabeth grinned, and the quest trio burst into another fit of laughter.
"But... you can't drown?" Jake asked, and Percy paused, before shaking his head at the memory of bogs and poison, "I can't drown in water... but any liquid that isn't water... I can, and will, drown."
Persephone continued, as the demigods started panicking at the prospect of Percy drowning, and just why he had that kind of particular knowledge.
"All the way, G-man." I turned to Chiron. "So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west."
"Which isn't helpful. Camp Half-Blood is located in the East. Literally anywhere else would be considered west." Malcom commented.
"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America."
"Where?"
Chiron looked surprised. "I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles."
"How is that... obvious?" Reyna asked.
None of the other demigods had an answer to her question.
"Chiron is really old." Annabeth reminder her, "To him, it was probably really obvious. But I'm not sure why he would think that Percy would know, given how new he was to this whole "I'm the kid of a god" thing. And the "apparently things from Ancient Greece moved to the United States"."
"Oh," I said. "Naturally. So we just get on a plane—"
"PERCY!" Everyone yelled, and the son of the Sea God jumped.
"I didn't know then!" Percy defended himself weakly, "And I know now!"
"You knew that then, and yet, you still proceeded to get on a plane!" Grover sighed.
"But you've been on a plane with us!" Frank asked, before realization crept in, "That's why you seemed so sick and jumpy!"
Hazel shuddered, "Yeah... planes aren't exactly the best. But to be fair... you didn't have your memories. And I was Roman, so I'm not sure if that changed anything."
"I think Zeus... or Jupiter... I don't know which one, knew better than to swat our plane out of the sky, though." Percy commented.
"You've been on a plane again!?" Poseidon just looked at the demigods with a horrified expression on his face, and the other gods looked back at him sympathetically.
"No!" Grover shrieked. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?"
I shook my head, feeling embarrassed. My mom had never taken me anywhere by plane. She'd always said we didn't have the money. Besides, her parents had died in a plane crash.
"Well... that does make sense." Clarisse nodded, "At least, more sense than "oh, you uncle hates you and would kill you"."
"Percy, think," Chiron said. "You are the son of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive."
"Well, Percy's defied that statement twice." Thalia laughed.
Overhead, lightning crackled. Thunder boomed.
"Okay," I said, determined not to look at the storm. "So, I'll travel overland."
"For once, that's a good idea." Leo nodded; thank the gods that Gaea wasn't remotely awake at that point in time, or at the very least, powerful enough to actually do anything, besides killing his mother, that is.
"That's right," Chiron said. "Two companions may accompany you. Grover is one. The other has already volunteered, if you will accept her help."
"Gee," I said, feigning surprise. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?"
Annabeth smacked Percy's arm lightly, as the other campers chuckled.
"How was I supposed to know!?" Percy protested.
The air shimmered behind Chiron.
Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket.
"Were you eavesdropping?" Hestia frowned.
"Chiron and Grover knew I was there." Annabeth sighed, "And Percy and I would probably have gotten into another argument before Chiron could even explain anything."
"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, Seaweed Brain," she said. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon,
"And then you guys ended up dating!" Aphrodite cooed, "Like Romeo and Juliet!"
"Uh, not like Romeo and Juliet!" Percy protested, "We're not going to die any time soon!"
"Wow, I'm surprised you know about Romeo and Juliet, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth grinned, and Percy grimaced, "Of course I know. I had to study the play for English class in Goode High School. Thank goodness Paul found me a Latin version to read, but cross-reading both books so I didn't randomly spout Latin in class was a pain."
but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up."
"True that." Percy nodded, "Annabeth's saved our butts plenty of times."
"If you do say so yourself," I said. "I suppose you have a plan, Wise Girl?"
Her cheeks colored. "Do you want my help or not?"
"OHHH! SOMEONE HAS A CRUSH!" Aphrodite screeched, but Poseidon drenched her with seawater and seaweed, "Stop it already!"
The truth was, I did. I needed all the help I could get.
"A trio," I said. "That'll work."
"Yep!" All the demigods who had been on quests before chorused.
"Excellent," Chiron said. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own."
Frank and Hazel sighed; they remembered the small little boat that they had been given for their first quest. Compared to that, a proper bus sounded awesome.
Lightning flashed. Rain poured down on the meadows that were never supposed to have violent weather.
"No time to waste," Chiron said. "I think you should all get packing."
"Well, that doesn't sound ominous at all." Silena winced, "First quest ever, and you need to stop a war between two gods."
"If we didn't know you already succeeded, I'd probably bite all my nails off in anxiety." Piper admitted.
"I think we can cover one more chapters before we let you kids go to sleep." Hestia stated, and Demeter reached her hand out, "I'll read next."
Persephone obliged, and let her mother teleport the book out of her hand. Demeter took one good look at the chapter title, and frowned. She glanced at Percy, "Really, child? Maybe if had you eaten more cereal, this wouldn't have happened."
Percy blinked, running through the events in his mind, before realizing what Demeter was talking about, "With all due respect, Lady Demeter... I'm fairly sure that cereal would not have helped."
Demeter sighed, and read out the chapter title.
A/N Hey guys! Just wanted to add that if there are specific characters you want added, or to react to a particular scene, feel free to ask for it in the comments. I may or may not do it, if I forget or don't think it's suitable, but still. Also, please just TLT scenes, not from any of the other books. When I eventually start those, then you can ask on the new book.
