First, thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed this so far. Wasn't sure what kind of a response I would be getting, so I'm pleased that so many of you seem to like the idea.
For future reference, the events of this story take place three years after The Last Olymian but none of the following books in the series happened. So no Jason, Leo and Piper, no Romans, no Giants.
Enjoy.
Jinero: This is the first time I've explored the Percy Jackson world actually.
Guest 2.0: I've actually already decided on Oliver, sorry. I don't have plans at this time to make Thea as halfblood because being the daughter of Moira and Malcolm is such na important part of Thea's character. No spoilers on Barry.
Sleep did not come easy for Oliver that night. He dreamed of red skies over Star City, people running scared as lighting flashed ominously. Oliver wanted to help them, to save them but something was holding him back.
Then there was an ominous laugh. It sent chills down Oliver's spine, it was old and yet it carried with it such power. Then the voice the spoke to Oliver's mind, seeming to pierce his skull.
"Come hero, fight me. I will be waiting."
Then the scene changed. Oliver was in a room, standing in front of a machine. He couldn't describe it if he tried, but he knew that it was dangerous.
"Looks like this is it."
Startled at the sound of the voice, Oliver whirled around. Barry Allen, dressed in his Flash suit sans cowl, was behind him, looking at the machine with grim determination. Oliver knew that look well, it was the same look he wore when he was about to enter a fight he knew he couldn't win.
"Barry, don't," Oliver found himself saying, although he wasn't sure why, just that he needed to stop Barry from doing whatever he was about to do.
"I have to Ollie," Barry said as he moved towards the machine.
As Barry reached it, something happened. Barry suddenly cried out in pain as, to Oliver's horror, his suit and skin seemed to melt off, leaving only a skeleton before it turned into dust, leaving only a pile of dust as what remained of his friend.
Then his eyes snapped open as he shot up in bed, breathing heavily as he tried to calm his racing heart. Hearing birds chirping, he looked outside the open window of the room in what he was told was The Big House. Seeing teenagers and kids roaming around outside, it all came back to him. The Monitor, Camp Half-Blood, Chiron.
Running a hand through his hair, Oliver told himself it was just a dream. Barry was fine; he was still in Central City. And he would still be when it was all over, as long as The Monitor honored their deal.
Hearing someone at the door, Oliver looked over to see Chiron had rolled his wheelchair into the room. If he noticed Oliver's state, he didn't say anything.
"Good morning Oliver," Chiron said kindly.
"What is this place?" Oliver blurted out.
He probably could have worded that better, but after his dream and the news he was going to die in the Crisis, being forced to leave his family and friends, Oliver was fed up. He wanted answers and he wanted them now.
Chiron, it seemed, did not take offence at Oliver's bluntness. In fact, by the patient smile he flashed, it seemed he was expecting it.
"That is a complicated question. Come and we will answer your questions," Chiron said as he turned and began to wheel down the hall.
With a sigh, Oliver pushed back the covered, got his shoes off the floor, put them on, and followed after Chiron. Chiron led him into what seemed to be a rec room. There was a ping pong table in the center of the room, several chairs placed throughout the room. Sitting in two of them were two teenagers, about eighteen or nineteen, both of them wearing shirts that read 'Camp Half-Blood' on the front.
One was a boy; he had dark hair and sea green eyes. He had a grin on his face and reminded Oliver of the skater boys he'd seen in high school.
The other was a girl, her blond hair tied back into a pony tail. She looked like a California girl, except for the eyes. Rather than blue, her eyes were a stark grey. She had a calculating look in her eyes, like she was trying to figure out the best way to take Oliver down.
"Oliver Queen, Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase," Chiron introduced them. "We've been waiting for you for a long time."
"Waiting for me?" Oliver repeated.
"Three years ago, we were told that you would arrive, seeking out Annabeth and Percy," Chiron explained.
"Chiron, I don't think you're explaining it well," Annabeth said as she saw Oliver eye them all warily, like they were the threat.
"Perhaps not," Chiron agreed as he looked at Oliver. "You were sent here by Mar Novu."
"You know him?" Oliver asked in surprise and Chiron nodded.
"He and I met many years ago. He had just developed his powers, I helped him come to terms with it," Chiron explained.
Oliver nodded silently, his mind trying to work this out. From what he could gather, The Monitor was at least a few centuries old. So Chiron would have to be even older. Of course, he'd seen people who were far older than they appeared before. But something told him that Chiron hadn't been using Lazarus Pit water.
"I know it is not in your nature to trust easily, but you must trust us if we are to help you," Chiron said, offering Oliver a seat next to him, which he took. "If we are to help you, you must tell us everything."
So, reluctantly, he told them the whole story. How The Monitor had tested him and The Flash by switching their bodies, how he warned them of a Crisis that was coming. Then how he had appeared in his home telling Oliver that he was needed to stop this new threat. Finally, he told them of the Monitor's cryptic instructs, of finding he sea's son and wisdom's daughter. After he finished, Chiron, Percy, and Annabeth exchanged grim glances, like their worst ears had been realized.
"It is as Apollo warned us, the prophecy of the Seven has begun," Chiron said grimly.
"Yeah. I love prophecies," Percy said dryly.
"Prophecy?" Oliver repeated as they looked at him. "What are you talking about?" And who's Apollo?"
"It's complicated," Annabeth started.
"So you keep saying. I told you my side of the story, now you owe me answers. What is this place? And who the hell are you people?" Oliver asked, his patience hanging by a thread.
"What exactly do you know about Greek mythology?" Percy asked after a moment, confusing Oliver.
"I read The Odyssey in college. Sort of," Oliver said, as it had been Laurel who did most of the reading. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Everything," Annabeth said ominously.
"What if we told you that The Odyssey really happened? That the Greek gods - Zeus, Hera, Poseidon – they were real," Chiron said carefully as the three of them eyed Oliver for his reaction.
Oliver stared at them, thinking they were playing some kind of joke on him. But the looks on their faces, they were completely serious.
"You-you're serious? You're not messing with me?" Oliver said as he stared at them skeptically.
"You're the Green Arrow. You've fought Super Soldiers, aliens and magic, but the Greek gods is what gets you?" Percy said, sounding like he was fighting a laugh.
He had a point, Oliver admitted after a moment. But still, it was a hard concept to wrap his head around.
"Okay, let's pretend I believe you for a minute. What does this have to do with me?" Oliver asked curiously.
"It's why you're here," Annabeth said simply.
"You asked what this place is. It's called Camp Half-Blood for a reason. It's where the mortal children of the gods and goddesses are trained," Percy explained and Oliver stared at him, still having a little trouble comprehending it. "People like me, Annabeth…and you."
"Wait, what?" Oliver exclaimed, sure he had misheard Percy.
"Forgive Percy, sometimes he allows his mouth to run away with him," Chiron said as Annabeth elbowed Percy in the side. "But he is not wrong. The Olympian Gods have fathered many children with mortals over the centuries. They have not changed their habits in the last millennia."
"So…you two…" Oliver trailed off as he looked at Annabeth and Percy.
"Daughter of Athena," Annabeth said proudly as her posture straightened.
"Son of Poseidon," Percy shrugged.
"The sea's son and wisdom's daughter," Oliver muttered as Chiron nodded.
"Yes, I believe Mar Novu sent you here for the two of them," Chiron explained.
"Okay. But what makes you think I'm…like them?" Oliver said, unable to say it.
"There is a magical barrier around camp. Mortals, even those with clear sight, cannot enter it. For you to be able to be sitting here, you would have to be a son of the gods," Chiron explained.
Oliver was still not convinced. If he was the son of a god or goddess, why hadn't he ever developed any powers? It didn't make sense to him.
"You have dyslexia, probably ADHD to," Percy said and Oliver started.
It was true, but it was a secret he had kept to himself for most of life. Only his family, Tommy, Laurel, Slade, Shado and Felicity had ever known that. How did they know that? Before Oliver could ask, Annabeth picked up where Percy left off.
"You probably got into trouble a lot at school, were kicked out of a few," Annabeth said matter of factly and Oliver tensed.
"How do you know this?" Oliver demanded his voice low and dangerous.
"It's the same story for all of us. Your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek, which is why the words always look like they're flying off the pages. You can't sit still, it's for battle reflexes. You're one of us Oliver, whether you want to be or not," Annabeth said matter of factly.
It was crazy, it was unbelievable…yet too many things added up. Oliver couldn't explain how he could read the ancient Greek on the archway. And it wasn't like his parents had remained faithful to each other; Thea was living proof of that. And things from his past, things he'd always brushed off came back to him at this moment.
When he was about eight months old, a snake had somehow managed to find its way into the mansion. While he was sleeping, the snake had managed to slither its way into his room and his crib. When Raisa had come to wake him from his nap, she had found him in the crib, playing with the corpse of the snake he had somehow managed to strangle with his little toddler hands.
When he was six, he had awakened in the middle of the night to find a red haired woman he had never met watching him as he slept. He had screamed and the woman seemed to vanish into thin air. Moira had called the police and, coincidentally, that was when they had first met Quentin Lance. Quentin and his partner had searched the house from top to bottom, but there was no sign that anyone had entering the house that wasn't there regularly.
Oliver had pushed the incident out of his mind until Lian Yu. One day, while he was practicing his archery with Shado, he had looked up. From a distance, he had seen that same woman who had been in his room watching him and Shado. Before he could say anything to Shado, she had vanished. Oliver had never said anything, because he knew Slade would make fun of him and Shado would tell him it was a mirage and then he'd forgotten about it.
"I understand why you have difficulty believing," Chiron said, breaking Oliver out of his thoughts. "After everything you have seen, the idea of a divine being – or beings, in this case – that control daily aspects of ordinary life seems absurd to your eyes. But if you wish to save the earth, you must believe."
"Alright, let's say I do believe you. That I am a…demigod," Oliver said, the word sounding foreign to his own ears. "Who is my…"
"We call them 'Godly Parents'," Percy supplied when Oliver trailed off.
"And we won't know until they claim you," Annabeth explained.
"And when will that be?" Oliver asked wearily.
"Usually within the first day, sometimes the gods get lazy and wait a few days," Percy explained.
Suddenly, there was a loud clap pf thunder and Percy rolled his eyes.
"Oh you know it's true!" Percy shouted and Oliver was convinced he was insane.
"I apologize…for him. He has a knack for pissing off the gods," Annabeth said with a long suffering sigh and Percy glared at her.
"Thanks Wise Girl," Percy muttered.
"Oh you know I love you Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said.
"Are they always like this?" Oliver asked with a glance at Chiron as Percy and Annabeth began to playfully bicker.
"Since they were twelve," Chiron confirmed in a mix of exasperation and fondness before interrupting what Oliver was convinced was Percy and Annabeth's version of foreplay. "Percy, Annabeth, could you show Oliver to the Dining Pavilion? I'm sure you all must be hungry."
Now that he said it, Oliver did feel pretty hungry. He realized he hadn't had anything to eat since sitting down to dinner last night with Felicity and Mia. And just the thought of his wife and daughter sent a pang of grief through him. They weren't dead, Oliver reminded himself. But it did little to ease him when he knew he would never see either of them again.
Oliver was silent as Percy and Annabeth led him thought the camp. Now that the sun was up, Oliver could see just how beautiful the camp was. As a kid, he probably would have liked to visit this place. In different circumstances, maybe he would have. Not that he was entirely convinced about the whole 'Godly Parent' thing.
As they walked through the camp grounds, they passed a few campers, some of them stopping to stare at Oliver. Now, Oliver was used to people staring at him. First they stared at him because he was the guy who came back from the dead. Then because his family helped Malcolm Merlyn orchestrate The Undertaking, then because he was the Green Arrow. But this, this felt different. And Oliver had a feeling that it had something to do with the prophecy that Chiron had mentioned.
Percy and Annabeth led him into a dining hall that was nicer than any Oliver had ever seen. Although the tables were just ordinary tables, the pavilion was made of stone pillars that seemed ancient, yet looked like they had been made yesterday. As soon as Oliver stepped into the pavilion, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at him. Now Oliver was sure that it wasn't just because he was Oliver Queen or the Green Arrow.
"Well Peter Johnson, Annabel, what poor soul have you brought to us now?"
Oliver glanced over at the sound of the voice. Sitting at one of the tables was a man with dark hair and bloodshot eyes. He looked like a bum, Oliver thought, dressed in a striped shirt and Hawaiian pants. Yet Oliver got the feeling he was not someone you wanted to mess with.
"Oliver, this is Mr. D, our camp director," Percy said in a voice that said he didn't exactly like this Mr. D.
"Aren't you a little old to be a camper?" Mr. D asked as he eyed Oliver disdainfully.
"I'm just here temporarily," Oliver said blankly, managed to not let his annoyance with this man show.
"Well, which god do I have to thank for sending me you?" Mr. D. asked rudely as though Oliver was a stain on his favorite shirt.
"We don't know. He's undetermined," Annabeth quickly intervened, as though she sensed Oliver's patience was hanging by a very thin thread.
"What a shame," Mr. D said sarcastically.
Oliver was liking this man less and less with each passing second when suddenly, something in the pavilion shifted. Annabeth and Percy suddenly stared at Oliver like he'd sprouted a second head. So did the rest of the campers. Even Mr. D seemed taken back as he stared at Oliver. Actually, Oliver realized they weren't staring at him, but above his head. Oliver glanced up, wondering what the big deal was.
Hovering a foot above his head was a holographic, silver bow, no bigger than his hand, maybe even smaller.
"What is this?" Oliver asked, not understanding what this was or why everyone seemed so freaked out by it.
"Your Godly Parent…they just claimed you," Annabeth said, sounding like getting the word out was difficult for her.
"Then why do you all look like I've just been given a death sentence?" Oliver asked wearily.
Oliver heard the sound of hooves clicking on the ground. Oliver looked over to the sound to see Chiron. Except now he was standing, but instead of human legs, where they should be was the back half of a stallion, to Oliver's shock.
Oliver now knew why the name had sounded so familiar. Chiron, he had trained Achilles, Jason and Hercules, he remembered Laurel telling him when they had discussed The Odyssey once.
Chiron looked grim as he eyed Oliver before speaking so softly Oliver had trouble hearing him.
"Hail Oliver Queen, son of Artemis, goddess of The Hunt, the moon and maidhood."
In this, Percy would be played by Dylan O'Brian (imagine him with green eyes), Annabeth by Penelope Mitchell, Chiron by Richard Armitage, and Mr. D. by Seth Green. Thank you to my friends Aragorn II Elessar and Bl4ckHunter for their help with the castings.
The Prophecy of the Seven is going to be a major part of the story, although I am going to change said prophecy ab it to better suit my story.
DUN DUN DUN! Oliver is the son of Artemis, you didn't misread that. Before you point out she's a maiden goddess, so is Athena, but Athena found a loophole. So di Artemis, so she's still a maiden goddess. How this all came to be will be revealed later on.