Chapter 1: A Hunter's Call For Aid
(Author's Note):
Hey everyone! For those of you who don't know, this is 'Champion of Olympus', my continuation/original ending to the Percy Jackson story. Just a few notes here, this is a strictly Percabeth story, regardless of the friendship Percy developed/will develop with Artemis and other females in this story. I will be doing a Pertemis story after this one, so don't worry.
As of right now I plan for this story to be about twenty chapters long, give or take, since I have the plot for this entire story planned out. It may extend past twenty, since I'm known for doing that.
As I said in the Prequel story, and I'd suggest you read them if you haven't, I will be giving Percy the Curse of Achilles back as well as a new weapon given to him by his father after he helped save Olympus in another war after the book series. I was planning on writing a prequel story for it but decided to hurry up and get on with this story and give a flashback or something to explain it.
One last thing, this story will contain an OC that will be a main character and a major part of this story. I know that not a lot of people like OC stories so if you are hesitant about this story having one let me tell you that my OC will not be a Mary Sue or fall victim to the typical OC issues that other stories have. I have tried my best to flush out my OC as much as possible and make them as realistic as possible. Which, has already been difficult due to his abilities and heritage. But no spoilers for him, I want you guys to get to know him through Percy. I you haven't figured it out yet, my OC, which hasn't been named yet, debuted in the 'COO' sneak peek. Yes, that was him. Unfortunately he won't be showing up until next chapter, as this first chapter is mostly a setup for the story. But my OC will be a major part of the story after that. I hope you guys find him as interesting as I do when he finally shows up in chapter 2.
Summary:
Two years have passed since the end of 'The Blood of Olympus' and Percy, Annabeth and the other demigods are enjoying the brief and temporary time of peace after the war. Percy and Annabeth have been living together in the newly constructed apartments in Camp based of off the ones in New Rome that the older Romans and families lived in. Annabeth has given up on quests and most of the Greek world in favor of taking college courses online and pursuing her dreams of becoming a famous architect, while deciding to stay at Camp to be with her boyfriend. Percy, on the other hand, has had a tougher time leaving the Greek world, still going on quests and missions for the gods from time to time and taking a leadership role in Camp, despite officially retiring from them. Teaching the Masters Swordsmanship Class as well as instructing the younger Campers. The two have had a few disagreements about Percy going back on his promise to Annabeth about leaving the Greek world, but the young couple has never been happier.
A new Prophecy has been delivered to the gods and Zeus has ordered it to be kept secret from the demigods and most importantly, Percy. Stirrings of an ancient being rising, an heir that will betray the gods and threaten Olympus has been foretold. Now Percy, with the aid of the Hunters of Artemis as well as old friends from Camp, must face this new threat alone, as the gods have declared that they will not assist the demigods in the endeavor and fight against an ancient foe and their champion. Read along as Percy must disregard his wishes for a normal life and lead the demigods against their most powerful foe yet. Pushing Percy to the absolute limits of his power and will to protect Olympus and the people he loves.
Now that has been enough stalling, I'm sure that a lot of people just skipped this AN and are now confused about what's going on. But it's fine, I sometimes skip AN's too. I hope that all of you enjoy this first chapter of my Champion of Olympus story. Please read the AN at the bottom and leave any feedback you might have.
See you at the bottom, have a great day, Hephaestus.
Chapter 1: A Hunter's Call For Aid
(February 10, 2011 - Camp Half-Blood Apartments)
If you were to ask Percy, he would have told you that this morning started like any other. He woke up in his shared room with his girlfriend of over two years, Annabeth Chase(yes they share a room and bed in their apartment but they have decided to wait until they're married to… do what married couples do in bed. As demigods, they are required to follow the ancient laws of the gods, one being that having sex outside of marriage is illegal. And as Annabeth figured that they had pissed off Hera, the goddess of marriage enough already, that it would best to wait until they were married). They woke up just after dawn, a luxury that only the senior campers were provided, as the regular campers had to perform chores and training before breakfast in the pavilion each day. As senior campers, Percy and Annabeth were also excused from all chores and from eating with the rest of the camp at the dining pavilion, but since Chiron asked them to attend because he was going to make an announcement to the entire camp, the two eighteen year olds made their way through their small apartment(which resembled a tiny studio apartment) and got ready for the day.
Percy was making coffee in their tiny kitchen when he heard Annabeth approach, seeking the delicious smell of freshly brewed coffee. He smiled at seeing her enter the room with a large fluffy towel wrapped around her still slightly wet hair, offering her a mug as well as a light kiss on the cheek. "Mornin', sleeping beauty." He smiled, offering the mug. "Coffee?"
Annabeth's mood lightened at his actions. She returned the kiss and accepted the steaming coffee. "Thanks, Percy." She took a sip, sighing with thanks as she slumped down on their couch. "You're the best boyfriend in the world."
Percy let out a soft chuckle, cleaning up the coffee pot and taking a sip of his own beverage. "This is why I love morning Annabeth, she's so adorable and nice whenever I give her coffee."
Annabeth snorted in her drink. "As opposed to what? Normal Annabeth?" She asked, her brow raised at him over her coffee from across the small room.
Percy paused momentarily, debating in his head if he should crack a joke. Instead he said, "Can I plead the fifth?"
Annabeth only rolled her eyes affectionately, taking another sip of her coffee, drying her hair as she did. "Wise choice." She sent him a smile before glancing at the clock on the wall. "But we should hurry, Chiron said that he wanted everyone there for breakfast so that he could make an announcement."
Percy nodded his head, draining his coffee and quickly rinsing it out in the sink before placing it in the dishwasher. He made his way over to Annabeth in their tiny living room that was connected to the kitchen. "Any idea what it'll be, Wisegirl?" He asked, plopping down next to her and putting his shoes on. "He say anything to you about it?"
She shook her head, deciding to take her coffee with her to breakfast instead of chugging it down like her boyfriend. "No idea," She admitted. "But it probably isn't anything bad. Since he would have called a meeting with the senior campers and the cabin leaders like last time, you know?" She paused to take the few steps to their bathroom, depositing the towel in a basket and fixing her hair, looking at the mirror from the doorway. Percy turned around on the couch to face her.
"I guess you're right," He shrugged, standing up, ready to go. "Chiron would've told us first if something was wrong." He gave a look to his girlfriend, smiling. "How is it that you're always getting on me for slacking off instead of getting ready when you're always the one slowing us down?" He joked.
Annabeth replied by tossing a towel at his head. He laughed, catching it before it hit his face. After a few more minutes of waiting for Annabeth to get ready, the two left their apartment and headed down to the dining pavilion. They arrived after a few short minutes of walking, saying hi or waving to the other campers walking by. Annabeth made sure to glare at the Aphrodite girls that were ogling Percy as they walked past, with Percy none the wiser as usual, the oblivious goof. She had to make sure to tell Piper about it. The daughter of Aphrodite and head of the cabin had set her sisters(and a few select brothers) down and told them to stop trying to get in the way of Percy and Annabeth's relationship. So far the threats of disembowelment weren't taken seriously. Drew was still proving to be a problem whenever Percy, or another attractive boy, was around. She and Piper had had an argument the other week when Drew tried to hit on Jason. He didn't even give her the time of day, as you would expect.
Percy and Annabeth arrived at the dining pavilion just as the last cabin, the Hypnos cabin of course, made their way in. But the young couple didn't have any problems finding seats together since they, as senior campers, sat with Chiron and the other adult campers at the new head table. It was tradition for demigods to sit at specific tables due to their godly parentage, but with the older campers it was more difficult, as a few of them who were older than Percy and Annabeth, had either started dating, became engaged or even married in one case. Jon and Martha, a son of Dionysus and a daughter of Persephone respectively, were prime examples of this, getting married the previous spring and living in the camp for some time before moving to New Rome so that they could one day raise a family in a city free of Monsters.
Percy and Annabeth had talked about that very subject a few times, with Annabeth wishing to move to New Rome so that she could go to their university there but ultimately relented and decided to stay at camp with Percy when he told her that he had too many responsibilities at camp at the moment to leave. But promising that he would wrap them up as soon as possible and talk to Chiron about getting someone to take over his Master Swordsmanship classes he teaches so that they could move to New Rome and start a new life there free from their responsibilities. Annabeth knew that Percy wanted to move to New Rome one day so that they could go to school, get married and maybe, one day, starting a family of their own, he had told her as much, but whenever she tried to approach the idea of them setting up a specific time to move to New Rome, Percy would always bring up something that threw a cog in her plans. Like two months ago when he said that the new campers he was training responded better to his training than Clarisse's, and that he didn't feel they were in a place in their training that he felt comfortable leaving them. Deep down, Annabeth knew that Percy wasn't doing it on purpose, but sometimes it just felt like Percy didn't want to leave camp for New Rome, despite being the one to suggest the idea in the first place. It probably bothered her a little more than it should have, but Annabeth tried her best to not let Percy's reluctance to leave camp get to her. No matter how much he denied it.
They made their way to the head table. Chiron stood in his true form at the center, giving his two favorite students a warm smile as they approached. They took the two empty seat to his right. Clarisse and her boyfriend, Chris Rodriguez, a son of Hermes, sat to his left. Clarisse and Chris had followed after Percy and Annabeth, with the two moving out of the cabins after both turning eighteen and moving in with each other in the new apartments set up next to the woods in camp. With Clarisse stepping down as the head counselor of the Ares cabin and leaving the responsibility to Sherman Yang. Though the two still held roles around the camp, as it was a requirement to staying there, with Clarisse teaching beginning combat training while Chris utilized his abilities and taught stealth training to the middle aged campers in the woods. Seeing the two, Annabeth gave them a nod, tipping her small thermos of coffee to them. Chris replied with a nice "hello" while Clarisse gave a mock salute, though she wore a small smile on her face as she did. Percy was just about to greet Jason and Piper who sat at their respective cabin tables since neither of them were eighteen yet, when Chiron stomped his hoof to get everyone's attention.
"Good morning, young heroes," He greeted, giving a smile to each table before him and an even bigger one to the older campers sat next to him. "I would like to start off by saying that yes, the capture the flag game will be held this Friday. Despite the crate full of Pylosian fire-breathing salamanders that were discovered in the woods after a few members of the Hermes cabin were sighted in the area, we will be having the capture the flag game as usual. Do not worry." His announcement was followed by cheers from the entire camp, with the head table being either more restrained or uninterested, as senior campers did not participate in camp games most of the time. Instead working with Chiron to help manage and keep track of the game to make sure that kills and maimings were kept to a minimum. Chiron stomped his hoof once again to silence the crowd.
"Yes yes, I am sure that we are all interested to see how the two nominated head cabins for this game, Aphrodite and Hypnos, will lead their respective allied cabins to victory." He paused for a few seconds to allow the Aphrodite and Hypnos cabins to cheer. And by that he mostly means Piper and Esteban from Aphrodite and Clovis and the few campers that were actually awake from Hypnos. Chiron cleared his throat, continuing. "But we will discuss that in more detail when we get to our weekly agenda at the end of my announcement. I am sure that you all are hungry for breakfast, so if we don't have any interruptions we will finish before the flesh-eating cicadas wake up and terrorize the first group that will be training in the woods." A few groans were heard from the Demeter table. Chiron continued with stride. "On a more serious note, I regret to inform you all that I have not received any more news from the gods. We are still unclear as to why they have been more… absent as of late. As well as why they have not been replying to Iris Messages or burnt offerings. I will be sure to inform you all if this changes in the near future, but as I told you eight months ago when the gods started to go silent, there is nothing to worry about. The gods have been known to go silent from time to time. We shall proceed as if nothing has changed, while doubling our prayers and burnt offerings to them for the time being." A few more groans were heard from the tables.
Eight months ago the gods had started to go quiet, and six months ago the gods had gone quiet altogether, they had stopped replying to any and all messages sent to them by their children. The gods had also not been seen by any camper or Chiron in that time. After a group of minor Titans and Monsters attacked the original Mount Olympus again eight months ago and the gods refused to send their aid when the campers traveled to Greece to fight off the army, the campers had started to worry that something was wrong after they returned home after fleeing the battle. Many campers had lost their lives in the slaughter, the only reason why any of them had survived was due to Percy ordering the surviving campers to retreat back to America and defending the godly mountain on his own. Though, it was known by all the campers that Poseidon did assist Percy by temporarily granting him his Trident and the symbol of his godly power to end the fight. Jason had been the one to stay behind and retrieved Percy's unconscious and nearly dead body after the son of Poseidon had harnessed the power of the godly weapon and summoned a hurricane the size of Australia and nearly caused Mount Olympus to fall when he created an earthquake to collapse the ground around the Titan's feet. And now, after all this time without any contact from the gods their fears were starting to grow. Though Chiron tried his best to assure them that the gods were alright, every camper could sense that something was wrong. Mr. D had been excused of his punishment by Zeus and had left camp in the hands of Chiron, so even their temperamental former director was nowhere to be seen. The always perfect weather and temperature in the camp was fluctuating more and more often as the days past. The tides became choppy off Long Island, the wind howled through the trees in the woods behind the camp, the earth shook below their feet and the strawberry fields hadn't beared any fruits all season, despite the hard work of the Demeter and Dionysus cabins. The wood nymphs had fled deep into the woods and a general feeling of uneasiness could be felt by most of the older campers.
Chiron looked like he was about to open his mouth and continue talking, but movement from the edge of the pavilion caught the eye of everyone, stopping him. A tall man resembling a very stereotypical surfer dude was making his way to the head table, though the dozens of eyes all over his body gave away his identity pretty quickly. As the head of security for the camp, Argus. Said man made his way silently up to Chiron, beckoning him with a quick head tilt. Chiron took a few steps back and leaned down slightly to allow the tall man to whisper into his ear. Argus' presence in the pavilion troubled and worried the older campers. Since Argus wasn't known to show up and make an appearance unless something was wrong. Annabeth felt Percy stiffen in his seat next to her, his hand slowly making it into his pocket where he always stored his pen, Riptide, just in case there was a problem. She could also see Clarisse clench her fist and give Sherman and the other Ares campers a subtle look to remain ready. It wasn't a secret that the entire camp had been on edge for the last eight months now. And each day was getting worse.
Chiron seemed to notice this after he nodded to Argus. "Show them in, make haste." Argus nodded and made his way as silent as ever past the campers and out of sight. Chiron then stepped back up to the head table, giving Percy and Clarisse a subtle look that all was alright. "There is no need to worry, young heroes," He started, though to Percy, Annabeth and the older campers at the head table it sounded like he was trying to convince himself. "Argus was just informing me that some unexpected visitors are currently on their way to converse with us." The old centaur must have noticed the hopeful faces on the campers because he gave an apologetic look, shaking his head. "But before any of you jump to conclusions, it is not the gods. A few members of Lady Artemis' hunt have arrived with a request." At the mention of the hunters, several groans could be heard from the campers old enough to remember the last few times the hunters had stayed at camp. Though Percy's ears perked up, mostly because of the chance that he would be able to see Thalia after so long but also because of his recent friendship with Artemis herself when he traveled with her for several days tracking down Monsters. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't a little excited to see the goddess again. It had been awhile since he was able to see how she and her hunters were doing.
Chiron gave the campers a serious glare. "Now, I do not want any incidents this time." He ordered, giving a look to the Hermes cabin. "Relations between us and the gods are already strained, we would not wish to anger Lady Artemis any more than we already have in the past." Just as the old centaur finished, three teenage girls adorned in silver hunting cloaks made their way into sight. They marched silently up to the head table, flanked by Argus. Thalia was in the lead, giving Percy and Annabeth a quick smile before facing Chiron.
"Welcome back, my child. If only for a short time." Chiron smiled to the daughter of Zeus, giving her a one armed hug. "It is good to see you again."
Thalia returned the smile. "Thanks, Chiron." Her smile faltered slightly, eyeing her sisters who stood stiff as boards glaring at the campers. "But I wish I was here with better news. Lady Artemis has been summoned to Mount Olympus and has left us alone for several months."
Chiron's eyes lost a little of their shine. "I feared as much. I hoped that Lady Artemis would be exempt, but it seems that it is not the case…"
"Chiron," Percy started. "What do you-."
"Nothing, my boy." Chiron cut him off quickly with a wave of his hand. "Just the ramblings of an old centaur." He gestured to Thalia. "Please, child, Argus tells me that you have come with a request?"
Thalia nodded. "Lady Artemis ordered us to continue traveling the country and hunting any Monsters we saw when she first left us eight months ago. They have been few and far inbetween, but we have received a few more instructions from her since then." Her face went a little worried, giving her sisters a look. "Our Lady has ordered us to travel to Colorado to hunt and kill an elder Hydra."
Chiron's eyes widened. "By yourselves? How would Lady Artemis expect you hunters to kill a Monster like that without help?"
Thalia shook her head slightly. "No, not by ourselves. Our Lady has ordered us to come to you about requesting help."
Chiron's smile returned a little bit. He gestured to Clarisse who sat next to him, who stood at seeing his motion. "We would be honored to assist the Hunters of Artemis. I assume that you remember Clarisse, child? She is our best female hand to hand and armed fighter." He then motioned to the Aphrodite table. "Piper is also a very skilled fighter as well. I am sure that the two of them can compose a team of our best female campers in no time and would be ready to leave within the hour-."
Thalia shook her head. "No no," She cut him off politely. Giving Piper and Clarisse an apologetic look. "We appreciate the suggestion, Chiron. But Lady Artemis was very… specific about the one person we were supposed to ask." Thalia then moved her eyes from the old centaur and to the son of Poseidon. Percy noticed this and felt a wave of uneasiness wash over himself.
"And who would that be?" Percy asked, though inwardly knowing the answer.
Thalia looked like she was about to answer when another hunter stepped forward and glared at him. "That would be you, boy." She snarled.
Percy ignored the unknown hunter and looked to Thalia who nodded. Chiron motioned for him to stand, so he did. "Why would Artemis ask for my help alone?" Percy asked.
The same hunter stepped up to Percy quickly, unsheathing her dagger and pointing it at his neck. "How dare you speak about Lady Artemis with such familiarity!" She glared at him, her eyes ablaze. "You are not worthy to speak her name, male." Percy guesses that this hunter was trying to intimidate him, but since she was a whole two heads shorter than him and in a twelve year old body, she didn't exactly strike him with fear. He sent a glance to Thalia, wordlessly asking what he did wrong and to call her off.
Thalia rolled her eyes before stepping up to the other hunter and putting her hand on her shoulder. "That's enough, Medeia." Said hunter, now known as Medeia, forcefully shrugged Thalia's hand off her shoulder, still glaring at Percy and not removing the blade from his throat. "I said that's enough, Medeia. Stand down, that's an order." Thalia stressed the word.
Percy kept unflinching eye contact with Medeia, holding his hand out to Annabeth to tell her not to do anything at the same time. After a few seconds Medeia lowered her dagger and took a step back from Percy before turning her glare to Thalia and walking back to the other hunter who had stayed silent. Thalia gave Percy, Annabeth and Chiron an apologetic look. "Sorry about Medeia, she's the eldest hunter now that Zoë and Phoebe… you know." She shrugged before giving Medeia a quick glance before looking back to Percy. "While most of the hunters have learned to accept that Lady Artemis respects you, Medeia refuses to."
"I figured as much." Percy said somberly before looking to the offending hunter, taking a step forward and holding his hand out to her. "I don't hold grudges. I'm sure we can act like adults, at least for a little while. Medeia, right? I'm Percy, nice to meet you." Said temperamental hunter only 'hmphd', pointed her nose high and walked off, ignoring him. Percy wore a quick deflated look before turning back to Thalia. "I guess that what I get for trying to be nice…"
Thalia only let out a sigh. "Just ignore her for now. Will you come help us, Percy? We could really use your help."
Percy opened his mouth to speak just as Annabeth spoke up. "I'm sorry, Thalia, but he can't." Her sudden voice surprised Percy, Thalia, Chiron and everyone at the head table.
Percy gave his girlfriend a confused look. "Why not?" He asked. "If Thals needs my help-."
Annabeth shook her head, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Have you forgotten that we're retired from quests, Percy?" She asked but didn't wait for him to respond. "I thought we talked about this. You said that you were done with this."
"Retired?" Thalia asked, facing Percy, confused. "What does that mean?"
Annabeth answered for him. "We both decided to 'retire' after the war with Gaea, because we wanted to focus on our relationship and go to school." She gave Percy a pointed look. "We were going to move to New Rome and start a new life together, you can't leave now."
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Chiron cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the entire camp that had witnessed that moment. The old centaur looked towards his two favorite students. "Why don't you two discuss this in private?" He suggested with a calming voice. "I will inform you two about my announcement later. I feel that you two have many things to discuss."
Five minutes later found Percy, Annabeth and Thalia stepping into the couple's shared apartment. And as soon as the door closed Thalia felt like she was invading their privacy as they started arguing.
"What do you mean you want to travel with the hunters, Percy?" Annabeth asked, an incredulous look on her face. "You heard Thalia on the way here, this trip could take over a month! I thought that you said that you were going to talk to Chiron about getting someone to take over your classes so that we could move to New Rome? And now you want to go off for another month to hunt down a Hydra? I thought you told me that you were done hunting Monsters?"
The two made their way into their small living room, standing a few feet in front of the other, completely forgetting(or ignoring) that Thalia was in their apartment as she made her way into the other room. Not wanting to eavesdrop on their private conversation any more than she had to. Percy wore an expression like he didn't understand why Annabeth was so upset. "I know I said that, Wisegirl, this is my last fight, I swear." He said calmly, trying to alleviate the tension that had already formed in the room. They didn't argue very often, but when they did it usually devolved very quickly, but they always made up before long. They both refused to go to bed angry with the other. "But Thalia is asking for help. She says that Artemis was worried that they couldn't fight the elder Hydra alone. What do you want me to do, let them fight it alone and possibly die?"
"Yes!" She cried before instantly realizing what she said, an apologetic and sorry look on her face. "No. I mean, ugh, I don't know." She wore a conflicted look on her face, her hand placed on her forehead. "Look, Percy, it's not that I don't want you to help Thalia, gods know I love her too, but we were settling down, stepping away from the greek world so that we could move to New Rome, go to school and be able to live like normal people. I want to be able to walk down to the coffeeshop with my boyfriend after classes and not have to worry about being attacked by Monsters." He voice turned a little softer, as her words turned slower. "We tried living a normal life in New York with your mom and Paul last Christmas, but after that Hellhound burst into their living room we both decided that it was too much of a risk for us to live in the mortal world."
Percy let out a breath. "I know, Annabeth," He said slowly. "But I just don't think that right now is the best time to move to New Rome."
"Then when is the best time, Percy?" Her voice raised a little. "I've been trying to get us to move to New Rome since after the war. Two years ago. You were the one to suggest that we should move there together. But every time I bring it up you make up an excuse saying that we can't go."
Percy's eyes widened. "I'm not making any excuses," He shot back. "I want to move to New Rome with you one day, but now isn't the best time. The entire camp is worried that something is wrong with the gods, I just can't leave them right now. I'm a member of the senior leaders of the camp. I run games, training, programs and I'm the elected leader of the war council. With everything going on right now, I just can't risk it. Too many people depend on me to leave."
Annabeth's voice hardened, her hand raising to cover her heart. "I depend on you too, Percy." Her voice was just below a yell. "You can't just leave me for another month to go travel with the hunters. We promised each other that we would stop all of this fighting so that nothing would happen to either of us!" She took a step closer to Percy, putting her hand on his chest. Her voice dropped from a yell, the anger from earlier completely gone and replaced with sorrowful passion. "What am I supposed to do when you're out fighting a Hydra for a month or possibly longer? Sit here at home twiddling my fingers waiting for you to come home to me? Do you have any idea how I felt waiting for you to come home everyday when you were gone for nine days the last time the gods asked you for help?"
He lightly took her hand that was on his chest, giving it a comforting squeez. "But everything turned out alright-."
"It did not turn out all gods damned right!" She yelled, moving her face closer to his, increasing the grip on his hand. Her strong language surprising Percy, since she did not normally curse. "You were gone for nine days. Nine days, Percy! I thought you were dead! Zeus told everyone that you were! We held a funeral for you for gods sake! We had to bury an empty coffin! Your mom nearly died of grief when I told her, she had to go the hospital. She had to live without her son. I had to live with not being able to say goodbye to you one last time!"
"I know that, Wisegirl, but-."
"No," She interrupted him, her voice deathly calm and tight. "I don't think you do. Do you have any idea how it felt to think that you, the love of my life, was dead for nine days? I didn't sleep for an entire week, I couldn't, because every time I looked at that empty bed besides me I became heartbroken all over again." Her jaw was set tight and she looked like she was holding back tears. "You always go on and on about saying that you'd never know what you'd do without me, but don't you know that I feel the same way about you?" She took another half step closer to him, their bodies almost touching. "Percy, I love you, and I want you to do what makes you happy, but I can't live without you. Every time you're away helping the gods or hunting some Monster or traveling I can't sleep at night, because every time I see the empty bed next to me I worry that I'll never get to see you again." She let out a sob, a few rogue tears rolling down her face. She dropped her head so that it was sitting against his chest.
"Don't you realize that every time you lie to me about leaving this all behind breaks my heart?" She spoke softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I've lost track of how many times you've said that 'this is the last quest'. That 'this is my last fight'. That you were giving up this life for me."
Percy stiffened, his breath hitching and his jaw tightening. He looked down to Annabeth, a look of refusal to accept what she said on his face. "I'd never lie to you, Annabeth-."
"But that's what you're doing right now." She cried, looking right into his bright green eyes. An almost heartbroken look on her face. "You promised me after the fight with Gaea that you would retire with me. We were supposed to finish things up here at camp and then move to New Rome, go to school, live like a normal couple, get married and start our own family in a few years…" She paused to force back another sob, tears now freely flowing down her cheeks. "We can't do any of that if you're not here or dead!"
Percy almost stumbled back at her words, momentarily surprised by her words but after a second he only clenched his jaw tight and wrapped Annabeth in his arms, embracing her. "I never meant to hurt you, Annabeth," He whispered into her hair, holding her tight as she cried. "I'm so sorry… I was being an idiot and not thinking about how this made you feel."
He pulled back slightly, cupping her chin in his hand, lighting her head so that her stormy grey eyes bore into his own sea green ones. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Wisegirl, you know that. I've fought so hard for it… I had to face your mother and the council to ask for your hand just to be refused..." He paused briefly to wipe a rogue tear away from her eye with his thumb. He wore a pained face, as if every word he was about to say physically hurt him to utter. "...But I have to help Thalia and the hunters. If I don't… they could die. I… I just couldn't live with myself if she died because I didn't help her."
Annabeth sniffled, slowly nodding, still hugging him tightly like she feared he would disappear if she were to let go. Her voice was so soft that Percy could barely hear it, despite the close proximity. "I know that, Percy…" She whispered. "But I don't want to lose you."
Percy's face was pained, he hated seeing Annabeth like this. Nothing else hurt him like this. He wanted nothing else than to tell Thalia that he couldn't leave and stay with Annabeth, move to New Rome and live the rest of their lives in peace… But he knew that the life of a demigod, and more so of a hero, was never easy. Chiron told him that a hero's life was filled with pain, loss and regret. If you were to ask Percy, he would tell you that he didn't think a 'hero' like him would ever have a happy life. Regardless of how much he wished and fought for one.
"I know, Wisegirl, I know," He whispered back, his voice tight. "But I have to go. But after all of this is over, I promise that this is my last fight. I'll come back to you. I promise-."
"No," She cut him off, her own face pained. "Don't promise me you'll come back…" His face softened into confusion. "Because you might have to break that promise. I don't want you to break the last promise you made to me." She moved her hand to cup his face softly and ran her hand over it, as if trying to remember every detail of it in case she never saw him again. "Just promise me that you'll always love me… that's all I ever wanted." She looked up to him, her eyes had tears forming in them but she forced them not to fall.
Percy nodded slowly, covering her hand on his face with his own. "I promise that I will always love you, Annabeth Chase. I swear it on the Styx."
Her eyes widened slightly. "You swore on the Styx…" She muttered, taken back but not surprised, he was always rash. "You could die for that…" Her tone was more amazement and and humor than surprise now.
He gave her a small smile, more like a grin, combing his free hand through her hair. "I'd never want to live in a world where I didn't love you, Wisegirl. And I'll tell you that everyday for the rest of our lives."
They stayed in their embrace for so long that only the gods knew. Both of them refusing to let go of the other. Both not wanting to have to leave the other but knowing in their hearts that they must. Percy had to help Thalia and the hunters. Speaking of the daughter of Zeus, she tried her best to give the emotional couple as much time as possible, but she had to eventually enter the room and break the somber atmosphere.
Thalia cleared her throat from her spot at the door, getting their attention. It took a few seconds, but Percy eventually gave his girlfriend one last tight squeeze before letting go and taking a step back, giving Annabethone last broken smile as he did. "I'm sorry, you two," Thalia started. "But we must hurry. We have a lot of ground to cover."
Annabeth nodded, forcing the tears back that threatened to fall. "...I understand." She tried her best to give her boyfriend a smile. "You two look out for each other, okay? And be safe."
"Why don't you grab your bag, Percy?" Thalia said as she made her way into the room, standing beside Annabeth, placing a hand on her best friend's shoulder. "I need to talk to Annabeth."
Percy only nodded, unable to say anything in fear of collapsing under the pressure and crying himself. He needed to stay strong for Annabeth. Only once he made his way to their room and shut the door did the two girls start talking. Annabeth practically collapsed onto the couch behind her, Thalia had to help her stabilize herself as she sat next to her friend on the couch.
Annabeth spoke up softly, whispering as she tried in vain to hide her emotions. "Am I a terrible person?"
Thalia's eyes widened as she looked to her friend in shock. Why was she asking that? Of course she wasn't. "No no no," Thalia cooed, placing a hand on Annabeth's. "Why would you think that?"
Annabeth covered her mouth with her free hand, stopping a sob. "...Because I'd rather you and the hunters die than for Percy to." She looked to her oldest friend, but recoiled when their eyes met. "How am I supposed to live with that? Thalia, you're my best and oldest friend, and I- I-, said that I'd rather you died-"
Thalia draped her arm around her friend, giving her a comforting hug. "You didn't mean that, Annabeth." Thalia reassured her. "It was just your emotions talking. I'm not upset. I understand."
Annabeth let out a long breath. "...I know. I'm… just scared for Percy." She looked to the closed door that hid her boyfriend then back to her friend. "I've already lost him, more than once. We thought... we lost him when we retreated from Greece. Jason found him under a pile of rubble, half dead and unconscious. I didn't get to see him until a few days later. Will and the other healers wouldn't let me." She held up her hands in a praying gesture over her mouth. "Neither they or Percy would ever tell me how bad it was. Like after the last time he went on a quest with Lady Artemis for a few days. I held him after he returned, his body was fine, thanks to the Curse of Achilles, but I could sense something happened."
Thalia's eyes widened slightly, she had been the only hunter that her Lady had confided in and told her everything that happened. Including how Percy had actually died for a few minutes before miraculously coming back. Lady Artemis had said that she did not understand how this happened, but believed it to have been the will of a being older and more powerful than herself and the other Olympians. Thalia had also been sworn to secrecy, never allowed to tell a soul about what happened. Even Annabeth. And that hurt her heart more than anything. Especially considering the true reason why Lady Artemis had ordered for her to have Percy join them on their journey.
Annabeth continued. "He thinks that he's protecting me by not telling me these things, but in reality the secrets only make me even more worried for him. I can sleep at night when I know what to expect… but when he won't tell me what he's going through? I just can't stand it."
Thalia bit the inside of her cheek, berating herself for going against orders but she had to tell Annabeth what she could. She surprised her friend by suddenly grabbing her shoulder and knocking her out of her somber thoughts. "There's something that I need to tell you, Annabeth, but I've sworn on the Styx not to tell anyone." The daughter of Athena noticed her serious tone and straightened up, listening.
"...What?" She asked, her eyes widening. "Is it about Percy?"
Thalia didn't reply, instead she gave a cautious look to the door and lowered her voice so low as to not be overheard, silently answering the question. "I can only say a few things, since I've sworn an oath, but there is… discord among the gods and Lady Artemis feared that Percy might be unsafe at camp. So she ordered me to have him travel with the hunt. So trust me, he will be safest with us." Thunder boomed overhead, a not so subtle warning.
Thalia stood suddenly, giving her friend a sorrowful look. "I'm sorry, Annabeth, but the gods are always listening, I would be struck down if I said another word. I've said too much already."
Annabeth grabbed her arm. "Wait, that doesn't answer anything!" She cried. "What's going to happen to Percy? Why would he be in danger at camp? Camp is the safest place in the world for demigods!"
"Not if the gods are the danger." Thalia muttered under her breath, shooting an eye to the air above them, waiting to hear a warning from her father. None came however, perhaps the Fates were hiding her from her father for a brief moment, they had done so when Lady Artemis had told her months ago. Good. Thalia didn't care if it was considered insubordination to her father, when she heard of the danger Percy was in she cursed her father and verbally ripped him a new one. She had been disowned for her blatant disrespect and actions, but to her it was worth it. Percy was worth it.
"What did you-." Annabeth started but was cut off by Thalia, taking the opportunity to speak as freely as she could.
"Listen carefully, Annabeth," Thalia said seriously, keeping her voice as low as possible as she eyed the ceiling cautiously. "We are being hidden from my father, but we don't have much time. I need to tell you something."
Thalia finished whispering a quick message to Annabeth just as Percy emerged from his room. Thalia took a quick step back, giving Annabeth a look to not say anything. But if the stunned look on her face was anything to go by, she most likely wouldn't be saying anything for awhile after being delivered that news.
"I'm ready to go, Thals." Percy spoke as he walked up next to them. Giving Annabeth a quick peck on the cheek before heading to the door. He was too worried to speak to her, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from spilling out his soul to her if he started. He hated it, but he also knew that in truth, Annabeth did not need any words from him to know how much he loved her. He had decided she was the woman that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with despite the gods refusing to let them marry. Despite the risk he was taking staying with her even when Athena refused to let him marry her daughter. He didn't care about the risks, he would do anything for her, and Annabeth knew that.
He left without looking back, as much as it killed him, and followed Thaia and the two other hunters out of camp and into the woods beyond the city.
(Author's Note):
Thanks for reading, I hope you liked the first chapter of this story. I hope that the interactions between Percy and Annabeth didn't make anyone think that she was being too controlling or anything at first. Annabeth is just worried, rightfully so, that Percy could die if he keeps doing what he's doing and doesn't leave the greek world behind. It may have happened before this story started, but the two did promise each other to stop fighting and live the rest of their lives together. I hope that all came across well.
So Percy is now traveling with the hunters, and will be for a few chapters. I'll most likely avoid most of the typical 'Percy in the hunt' cliches, since this is an older, wiser Percy that has earned the respect of Thalia and Artemis. And as Thalia said, most of the hunters at least respect his reputation and abilities. So they won't have the 'prank/hate on Percy' mindset like they would if Percy were meeting them for the first time.
Like I said at the beginning, my OC will be showing up next chapter. Make sure you read the prequel story as well as the preview/sneak peek since he debuted in there.
If you liked the chapter please let me know with a Review. I'd appreciate it if you Followed and Favorited me and this story as well. Once this story is done in like twenty something chapters I'll be doing a Pertemis story, so you don't want to miss that. I'll try to keep updating as often as possible.
I'll see you guys next time, have a great day,
Hephaestus
