A/N (I recommend reading this): I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES or AND THE KANE CHRONICLES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Riordan. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

This is a The Tales of version of the Percy Jackson and Kane Chronicles crossover and takes place after 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The House of Hades
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Blood of Olympus
The Tales of Magicians and Demigods: The Son of Sobek
The Tales of Magicians and Demigods: The Staff of Serapis
The Tales of Magicians and Demigods: The Crown of Ptolemy

Also if you haven't got the chance feel free to read:

The Tales of Classical Mythology

A crossover with The Tales of series with my dictionary on Greek/Roman Mythology where The Tales of Percy Jackson tells his version of stories behind famous names in Greek and Roman Mythology.

And if you are a fan of Stephen King:

The Tales of the Heroes of the Stand

Which is basically a crossover of The Tales of series with one of Stephen King's best novels The Stand.

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed as long as you inform me about it.

Things Are Worse Than What Percy Told Me

Meg gawked. "He—he really is a centaur."

"Well spotted," I said. "I suppose the lower body of a horse is what gave him away?"

She punched me in the arm.

"Chiron," I said, "this is Meg McCaffrey, my new master and wellspring of aggravation. You were saying something about disappearances?"

Chiron's tail flicked. His hooves clopped on the planks of the porch.

He was immortal, yet his visible age seemed to vary from century to century. I did not remember his whiskers ever being so gray, or the lines around his eyes so pronounced. Whatever was happening at camp must not have been helping his stress levels.

"Welcome, Meg," Chiron tried for a friendly tone, which I thought quite heroic, seeing as… well, Meg. "I understand you showed great bravery in the woods. You brought Apollo here despite many dangers. I'm glad to have you at Camp Half-Blood."

"Thanks," said Meg. "You're really tall. Don't you hit your head on light fixtures?"

Chiron chuckled. "Sometimes. If I want to be closer to human size, I have a magical wheelchair that allows me to compact my lower half into… Actually, that's not important now."

"Disappearances," I prompted. "What has disappeared?"

"Not what, but who," Chiron said. "Let us talk inside. Will, Nico, could you please tell the other campers we will gather for dinner in on hour I will give everyone an update then. In the meantime, no one should roam the camp alone. Use the buddy system."

"Understood." Will looked at Nico. "Will you be my buddy?"

"You are a dork," Nico announced.

The two of them strolled off bickering.

Some gods be cautious about their demigod children dating a child of Hades, as they have history of causing gods demigods and mortals alike trouble, but Nico and his sister Bianca as well as Roman half-sister Hazel Levesque had proven to be different from your normal child of Hades/Pluto and earned their trust. I will admit, I did not understand Will's attraction to a dark foreboding type, but if he is happy, I am Heads up in fine.

Chiron led us into the living room, where comfy leather couches made a V facing the stone fireplace. Above the mantel, a stuffed leopard head was snoring contentedly.

"Is it alive?" Meg asked.

"Quite." Chiron trotted over to his wheelchair. "That's Seymour. If we speak quietly, we should be able to avoid waking him."

Meg immediately began exploring the living room. Knowing her, she was searching for small objects to throw at the leopard to wake him up.

Chiron settled into his wheelchair. He placed his rear legs into the false compartment of the seat, then backed up, magically compacting his equine hindquarters until he looked like a man sitting down. To complete the illusion, hinged front panels swung closed, giving him fake human legs. Normally those legs were fitted with slacks and loafers to augment his "professor" disguise, but today it seemed Chiron was going for a different look.

"That's new," I said.

Chiron glanced down at his shapely female mannequin legs, dressed in fishnet stockings and red sequined high heels. He sighed heavily. "I see the Hermes cabin have been watching Rocky Horror Picture Show again. I will have to have a chat with them."

Rocky Horror Picture Show brought back fond memories. I used to cosplay as Rocky at the midnight showings, because, naturally, the character's perfect physique was based on my own.

"Let me guess," I said. "Connor and Travis Stoll are the pranksters?"

From a nearby basket, Chiron grabbed a flannel blanket and spread it over his fake legs, though the ruby shoes still peeked out at the bottom. "Actually, Travis left for New Rome University last autumn. Ever since Percy got New Rome University to accept Greek Demigods who might be interested, many of the college age Campers signed up. And with Travis gone, Conner has mellowed quite a bit."

Meg looked over from the old Pac-Man arcade game. "I poked that guy Connor in the eyes."

Chiron winced. "That is nice, dear… At any rate, we have Julia Feingold and Alice Miyazawa now. They have taken up pranking duty. You'll meet them soon enough."

I recalled the girls who had been giggling at me from the Hermes cabin doorway. I felt myself blushing all over again. Thankfully, I then remembered about my promise to Percy. I took off my backpack and dug out the binder.

"Percy wanted me to give this to you," I handed the binder to Chiron. "It's has the latest updates of his and Annabeth's plans for adding more memorials to camp."

"Ah, thank you. I'll admit when I lost contact with Percy about further plans, I was worried, but a part of me really hoped he didn't push himself too much," Chiron said.

"Well from what he told me, Annabeth has him focusing on his studies while she's in Boston dealing with a family Emergency," I said.

"That sounds like something Annabeth would do," Chiron agreed. "Even before they started dating, Annabeth was one of few who could keep Percy in line. Although he has mellowed down himself since he first arrived at camp almost eleven years ago, he still has his moments." Then he gestured toward the couches. "Please sit."

Meg moved on from Pac-Man (having given the game twenty seconds of her time) and began literally climbing the wall. Dormant grapevines festooned the dining area—no doubt the work of my old friend Dionysus. Meg scaled one of the thicker trunks, trying to reach the Gorgon-hair chandelier.

"Ah, Meg," I said, "perhaps you should watch the orientation film while Chiron and I talk?"

"I know plenty," she said. "I talked to the campers while you were passed out. 'Safe place for modern demigods.' Blah, blah, blah."

"Oh, but the film is very good," I urged. "I shot it on a tight budget in the 1950s, but some of the camera work was revolutionary. You should really—"

The grapevine peeled away from the wall. Meg crashed to the floor. She popped up completely unscathed, then spotted a platter of cookies on the sideboard. "Are those free?"

"Yes, child," Chiron said. "Bring the tea as well, would you?"

So, we were stuck with Meg, who draped her legs over the couch's armrest, chomped on cookies, and threw crumbs at Seymour's snoring head whenever Chiron was not looking.

Chiron poured me a cup of Darjeeling. "I'm sorry Mr. D is not here to welcome you."

"Mr. Dee?" Meg asked.

"Dionysus," I explained. "The god of wine. Also, the director of this camp."

Chiron handed me my tea. "After the battle with Gaea, I thought Mr. D might return to camp, but he never did. I hope he's all right."

The old centaur looked at me expectantly, but I had nothing to share. The last six months were a complete void; I had no idea what the other Olympians might be up to.

"I don't know anything," I admitted. I had not said those words very often in the last four millennia. They tasted bad. I sipped my tea, but that was no less bitter. "I'm a bit behind on the news other than what Percy told me. I was hoping you could fill me in on the rest."

Chiron did a poor job hiding his disappointment. "I see…"

I realized he had been hoping for help and guidance—the exact same things I needed from him. As a god, I was used to lesser beings relying on me—praying for this and pleading for that. But now that I was mortal, being relied upon was a little terrifying.

"So, I take it since you have Percy's binder, you seen him?" Chiron asked.

"Yeah." I recounted our battle in the peach orchard and Percy's return to New York. "He said he would come out here this weekend once Mrs. O'Leary returns."

"I see." Chiron responded.

"Percy mention that there been communication problems though," I said.

"Not just communication but also travel issues," Chiron said. "We haven't heard from our friends at Camp Jupiter in weeks. No new demigods have arrived. Satyrs are not reporting from the field. Iris messages no longer work."

"Percy mentions he couldn't communicate with Camp Jupiter due to some sort of curse going on," I said. "He was in communication with Jason Grace until they started having issues."

"It's not just mystical either. Normal human communications are also on the fritz and then they stopped working altogether. Mobile, landline, Internet… it does not seem to matter. Even the archaic form of communication known as e-mail is strangely unreliable. The messages do not arrive. We just do not have communication with the outside world. We are alone and understaffed. You are the first newcomers in almost two months."

"What about the oracle?" I asked.

Chiron cupped his hands around his tea. "You know that during the war with Gaea, the Oracle of Delphi stopped receiving prophecies. In fact, all known methods of divining the future suddenly failed."

"Because the original cave of Delphi was retaken," I said with a sigh, trying not to feel picked on.

Meg bounced a chocolate chip off Seymour the leopard's nose. "Oracle of Delphi. Percy mention that along with a harpy."

"Ah yes, Ella. Last we heard she was still trying to recreate the Sibylline books," Chiron said. "She's no oracle or auger, but from what I seen she's very observant of what's going on around her and seem too able to relate it to a prophecy. If communications have not gone down, we would have checked up on her and see if she knew something."

That sounded like a good idea. It makes me wonder if this communication problem was deliberately set up to make sure we cannot even use Ella. Then again, who else knows about Ella? Most harpies do not memorize books and able to relate what they read to what is going on. Ella was truly one of a kind Harpy.

"At any rate," he continued, "even before the communication problems started, we hoped that once the war was over, the Oracle might start working again. When it did not… Rachel became concerned."

"Who's Rachel?" Meg asked.

"Rachel Dare," I said. "The Oracle."

"Thought the Oracle was a place."

"It is."

"Then Rachel is a place, and she stopped working?"

Had I still been a god, I would have turned her into a blue-belly lizard and released her into the wilderness never to be seen again. The thought soothed me.

"The original Delphi was a place in Greece," I told her. "A cavern filled with volcanic fumes, where people would come to receive guidance from my priestess, the Pythia."

"Pythia." Meg giggled. "That's a funny word."

"Yes. Ha-ha. So, the Oracle is both a place and a person. When the Greek gods relocated to America back in… what was it, Chiron, 1860?"

Chiron seesawed his hand. "More or less."

"I brought the Oracle here to continue speaking the prophecies on my behalf. The power has passed down from priestess to priestess over the years. Rachel Dare is the present Oracle."

From the cookie platter, Meg plucked the only Oreo, which I had been hoping to have myself. "Mm-kay. Is it too late to watch that movie?"

"Yes," I snapped. "Now, the way I gained possession of the Oracle of Delphi in the first place was by killing this monster called Python who lived in the depths of the cavern."

"A python like the snake," Meg said.

"Yes and no. The snake species is named after the Python the monster, who is also rather snaky, but who is much bigger and scarier and devours small girls who talk too much. At any rate, last August, while I was… indisposed, my ancient foe Python was released from Tartarus. He reclaimed the cave of Delphi. That's why the Oracle stopped working."

"But if the Oracle is in America now, why does it matter if some snake monster takes over its old cave?"

That was about the longest sentence I had yet heard her speak. She had probably done it just to spite me.

"Meg." Chiron gave her one of his heroically tolerant smiles. "The original site of the Oracle is like the deepest taproot of a tree. The branches and leaves of prophecy may extend across the world, and Rachel Dare may be our loftiest branch, but if the taproot is strangled, the whole tree is endangered. With Python back in residence at his old lair, the spirit of the Oracle had been completely blocked."

"Oh." Meg responded.

"The larger problem," Chiron continued, "is that without communication with Camp Jupiter to check on Ella, we have no other source of prophecies."

"Who cares?" Meg asked. "So, you don't know the future. Nobody knows the future."

"Who cares?!" I shouted. "Meg McCaffrey, prophecies are the catalysts for every important event—every quest or battle, disaster or miracle, birth or death. Prophecies do not simply foretell the future. They shape it! They allow the future to happen."

"I don't get it."

Chiron cleared his throat. "Imagine prophecies are flower seeds. With the right seeds, you can grow any garden you desire. Without seeds, no growth is possible."

"Oh." Meg nodded. "That would stink."

I found it strange that Meg, a street urchin and Dumpster warrior, would relate so well to garden metaphors, but Chiron was an excellent teacher. He had picked up on something about the girl… an impression that had been lurking in the back of my mind as well. I hoped I was wrong about what it meant, but with my luck, I would be right. I usually was.

"But wait, didn't Percy say freeing the Oracle might be your trial?" Meg said.

"It is possible," Chiron said. "You have done it before. Perhaps you are not a god now, but the first time you killed the Python it was no challenge at all! Hundreds of storybooks have praised the way you easily slew your enemy."

"Yes," I muttered. "Hundreds of storybooks."

I recalled some of those stories: I had killed Python without breaking a sweat. I flew to the mouth of the cave, called him out, unleashed an arrow, and BOOM! —one dead giant snake monster. I became Lord of Delphi, and we all lived happily ever after.

How did storytellers get the idea that I vanquished Python so quickly?

All right… possibly it is because I told them so. Still, the truth was rather different. For centuries after our battle, I had bad dreams about my old foe.

Now I was almost grateful for my imperfect memory. I could not recollect all the nightmarish details of my fight with Python, but I did know he had been no pushover. I had needed all my godly strength, my divine powers, and the world's deadly bow.

What chance would I have as a sixteen-year-old mortal demigod with acne, hand-me-down clothes, and the nom de guerre Lester Papadopoulos? I was not going to charge off to Greece and get myself killed, thank you very much, especially not without my sun chariot or the ability to teleport. Although I been convinced, I am a demigod thanks Will giving me nectar, I know for certain that demigods do not normally can teleport. Heck super strength like what Hercules had was a rarity for any demigods. I do not plan to fly commercial because gods do not do that.

"It seems to me," I said, "that our priority is to bend all the camp's resources to helping me regain my divine state. Then I can face the Python. Because in my present state, that's impossible." I pointed at Meg. "Right now, my job is to serve this demigod, probably for a year. After I have done whatever tasks she assigns me, Zeus will judge that my sentence has been served, and I can become a god.

Meg pulled apart a Fig Newton. "I could order you to go to this Delphi place"

"No!" My voice cracked in midshriek. "After my year of servitude is up, I'll become a god. Then we can talk about how to restore Delphi."

Preferably, I thought, by ordering some demigods to undertake the quest for me."

"Apollo," Chiron said, "at the rate things are going, we may not have a year. We may not have the strength to protect you."

"Wha-what do you mean?" I asked.

Chiron stroke his beard some more. "I guess it started when we lost contact with Rachel Dare." He started. "She planned to visit us during her winter vacation, but she never did. It might mean nothing, or it might be part of the Communication Problem."

I leaned forward. It was unheard of for Rachel Dare to be late for anything. She was artistic, unpredictable, impulsive, and rule-averse—all qualities I dearly admired. But it was not like her not to show up at all.

"Then the disappearances started," Chiron continued.

In the fireplace, a log slipped from the andiron. I may or may not have jumped in my seat.

"You mention the disappearances before." I wiped drops of tea from my pants and tried to ignore Meg's snickering. "Tell me about those."

"Three in the last month," Chiron said. "First it was Cecil Markowitz from the Hermes cabin. One morning his bunk was simply empty. He did not say anything about wanting to leave. No one saw him go. And in the past few weeks, no one has seen or heard from him."

"Children of Hermes do tend to sneak around," I offered.

"At first, that's what we thought," said Chiron. "But a week later, Ellis Wakefield disappeared from Ares Cabin. Same story: empty bunk, no signs that he had either left on his own or was… ah, taken. Ellis was an impetuous young man. It was conceivable he might have charged off on some ill-advised adventure, but it made me uneasy. Then this morning we realized a third camper had vanished: Miranda Gardiner, now full-time head of Demeter Cabin. That was worst of all."

Meg swung her feet off the armrest. "Why is that the worst?"

"Miranda is one of our senior counselors," Chiron said. "She originally was substitute Head Counsellor during the winter while the main head counselor Katie Gardner attended mortal school, but Katie too had left for college last autumn. Miranda was glad to take up full position after that. The thing is though, she would never leave on her own without notice. She is too smart to be tricked away from camp, and too powerful to be forced. That is why Katie had entrusted Demeter's Cabin in her hands. Yet, something happened to her… something I can't explain."

The old centaur faced me. "Something is very wrong, Apollo. These problems may not be alarming as the rise of Kronos or the awakening of Gaea, but in a way, I find them even more unsettling, because I have never seen anything like this before."

I see what Chiron meant now. With Rachel missing, communications down, and now demigods disappearing, how can I expect them to protect me within one year when they might not be able to protect themselves.

"These demigods…" I spoke. "Before they disappeared, did they act unusual in any way? Did they report… hearing things?"

Chiron raised an eyebrow. "Not that I am aware of. Why?"

I was reluctant to say more. I did not want to cause a panic without knowing what we were facing. When mortals panic, even mortal demigods, it can be an ugly scene, especially if they expect me to fix the problem.

"You think our issues are connected, don't you?" I asked. "Your disappearances and my oracle problems."

"I don't fathom the idea, but I doubt you coming here now of all time is a mere coincidence." Chiron said. "And forgive me, but Delphi is your responsibility."

And there was the nail in the coffin. I tossed my hands. "I wasn't the one who opened the Doors of Death and let Python out! Blame Gaea! Blame Zeus for his bad judgment! When the giants started to wake, I drew up a clear Twenty-Point Plan of Action to Protect Apollo and You Other Gods, but he didn't even read it!"

Meg tossed half of her cookie at Seymour's head. "I still think it's your fault. Even Percy blamed you. Hey, look! He's awake!"

She said this as if the leopard had decided to wake up on his own rather than being beaned in the eye with cookies.

"RARR," Seymour complained.

Chiron wheeled his chair back from the table. "My dear, in that jar on the mantle, you'll find some Snausages. Why don't you feed him dinner? Apollo and I will wait on the porch."

We left Meg happily making three-point shots into Seymour's mouth with the treats.

Once Chiron and I reached the porch, he turned his wheelchair to face me. "She's an interesting demigod."

"Interesting is such a nonjudgmental term."

"She really summoned a karpos?"

"Well… the spirit appeared when she was in trouble. Whether she consciously summoned it, I do not know. I do have to agree to what Percy said though about Demigods tending to have dangerous pets from time to time though. She named him Peaches."

Chiron scratched his beard. "Its true demigods do have dangerous pets from time to time. But I have not seen a demigod with the power to summon grain spirits in an exceedingly long time. You know what it means?"

My feet began to quake. "I have my suspicions. I'm trying to stay positive."

"She guided you out of the woods," Chiron noted. "Without her—"

"Yes," I said. "Don't remind me."

It occurred to me that I had seen that keen look in Chiron's eyes before—when he had assessed Achilles' sword technique and Ajax's skill with a spear. It was the look of a seasoned coach scouting new talent. I had never dreamed the centaur would look at me that way, as if I had something to prove him, as if my mettle were untested. I felt so… so objectified.

"Tell me," Chiron said, "what did you hear in the woods?"

I silently cursed my big mouth. I should have not asked whether the missing demigods had heard anything strange.

I decided it was fruitless to hold back now. Chiron was more perceptive than your average horseman. I told him what I had experienced in the forest, and afterward in my dream.

His hands curled into his lap blanket. The bottom of it rose higher above his red sequined pumps. He looked about as worried as it is possible for a man to look while wearing fishnet stocking.

"We will have to warn the campers to stay away from the forest," he decided. "I do not understand what is happening, but I still maintain it must be connected to Delphi, and your present… ah situation. The Oracle must be liberated from the monster Python. We must find a way."

I translated that easily enough: I must find a way.

Chiron must have read my desolate expression, but before he could say something the sound of a conch horn blown in the distance.

"That means dinner." The centaur forced a smile. "We will talk more later, eh? For now, let us celebrate your arrival."

A/N: In case none of you noticed I jumbled up the order of Chiron's and Apollo's conversation. Not an easy thing to do, but I got the chapter done.

Also although I did have Chiara, Paolo, Holly and Laurel appear in The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus series as counsellors of Tyche's Hebe's and Nike's cabins, Apollo doesn't know their names so don't expect me bring up their names right away in the next few chapters.

I know I had the Sibylline books and Ella mention, but since the spirit of the oracle that wrote those books are among the oracles needing to be freed, I'm keeping the part in the summary about 4 oracles needing to be saved, but as far as Apollo knows, Ella be the one that need to be protected.