A Demigod out of time

The Lightning Thief

IV

He was moved to cabin three just after dinner -which, by the way, was the most uncomfortable meal he ever had at camp- and he couldn't decide whether he was happy to be here again or not.

On one side he was forced to leave the Hermes cabin even earlier than last time, not even sleeping there a single night, and thus stealing his only chance of being one of them without the entire 'Son of Poseidon' thing hanging over his head. He had hoped to befriend some of his roommates before his inevitable claiming, hoping that that would enough to stop them from ignoring him and going out of his way afterwards.

Just like the last time around.

Sadly this chance was now taken from him, and considering he had no idea how much time he had left before he needed to left for the quest under this new conditions he couldn't be sure if he would be able to befriend anyone else before that.

On the other side, he was finally back in his cabin, which was the place he felt closest to the sea without actually being inside of it. Besides, even if the camp's treatment still stung, he was used to it. After all, he had already experienced it before, and he knew it would get better with time.

He only needed to be patient. Not his strongest trait, but he would manage.

The next two days he spent in a similar fashion to what he did the last time; Luke trained him one-on-one in sword fighting, where it was once again demonstrated that his body wasn't just much weaker than his opponent's but that he also lacked a lot of muscle memories that are essential for a swordsman, while Chiron taught him Greek in the mornings.

The last time it had been Annabeth who did that, but he wasn't surprised that that wasn't the case anymore as they haven't even talked with each other yet.

Then he had the same dream he had had once before, about running along the beach and in a storm and watching two men, which he now knew were his father and Zeus, fighting each other. Even knowing that this was just a dream he still tried to stop them, yelling at them to calm down, as if he could actually accomplish something this way.

And once again he woke up once the ground shook while Kronos' laughter could be heard before he slipped and fell into darkness.

Afterwards, he decided enough was enough and went to Chiron to tell him about this dream, hoping to get the quest started this way if only to be done with it. And who knows? Maybe starting the quest earlier would get him some advantage?

"I see," Chiron murmured after he finished telling him about the dream. "I had hoped you would have more time to train, more time to become stronger, but it seems we have no other choice."

"Um, sir, what exactly does that dream mean? You seem to know."

The old centaur looked at him for a long time with sad eyes before he spoke up again. "You'll need to go on a quest, Percy. A very dangerous one too, if I'm not wrong, which I'm rarely. I already suspected it, but your dream just now proved it."

"And... and what will this quest be about?" he asked, feigning nervousness to the best of his abilities.

Chiron sighed. "Your father, Poseidon, and his brother Zeus are fighting. It's their worst quarrel in centuries, and it's all about a valuable object that was stolen: Zeus' Master Bolt."

"Zeus' Master Bolt? And it's missing?"

Chiron nodded. "His symbol of power. The probably most powerful weapon in existence, made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans. A weapon that makes mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."

He had heard all that before, but it didn't stop his anxiety from rising. If such a powerful weapon fell into Kronos' hands the quarrel between the gods would be their smallest worry.

"It was stolen during the last winter solstice, at the last council of the gods. And, probably because Zeus and Poseidon had another argument during the council, Zeus immediately blamed his brother when he realized his bolt was missing. Now, as gods cannot steal another god's symbol of power by themselves they need mortals to do their bidding. All Zeus needed to do, from his perspective, was to find the demigod that your father sent to steal his weapon to have proof. And then"-Chiron pointed at him" -your father claimed you as his son and Zeus thought he found his culprit. After all, who else could have helped Poseidon to usurp his symbol of power than his own son?"

"But I didn't do it! I didn't even know that I am a demigod back then!" he exclaimed, and he didn't even need to try to act offended. He remembered how upset he had been when Chiron told him this the first time around, that he was blamed for something he couldn't have done in the first place.

"Which is something you can't prove," Chiron said. "As far as Zeus is concerned, you being not only Poseidon's son but also been present in New York over the winter holidays, giving you a chance to sneak into Olympus and steal his Master Bolt, is more than enough reason to suspect you and even judge you guilty."

He looked at him as if he expected another outburst, but he held himself back. No matter how unfair he still thought this was, getting angry wouldn't help him.

"As it is," the centaur continued. "Zeus has demanded that Poseidon returns the bolt by the time of the summer solstice, which is in twelve days from now. Poseidon, however, wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. Some of the other gods tried to calm them down and make them see sense, but your arrival has inflamed Zeus' temper once again. The only thing that can stop a war between the gods is the return of the Master Bolt before the solstice, and as you're currently the main culprit the best way of proving your innocence is if you're the one who returns it."

Yeah, he kinda knew that already.

"Then where is this stupid thing?" he asked, ignoring the thunder in the background.

"I have some ideas, but little proof," Chiron admitted. "But what I think doesn't matter, you will find your answers elsewhere. It's time you consult with the Oracle. Go upstairs, Percy, to the attic. When you come back, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."

He gave the man a humourless smile. What encouraging words!

Four flights up, the stairs ended under a green trapdoor. He pulled the cord, the door swung down, and a wooden ladder clattered into place. He ignored first the warm and smelly air, and shortly after when he climbed up the ladder he ignored all the junk lying around as well. He had seen all this stuff before and, frankly, had more important things to do right now.

Making his way over to the poor girl that ended as the last Oracle, sitting on a wooden tripod stool by the window, he couldn't help but think about May Castellan and her fate, suffering because of the same curse the mummy before him did. He also thought about Rachel, who would become the next host of the Oracle's spirit, and how it would still be years until he saw her again. If they even meet at all, that is, some voice in the back of his head reminded him.

He shook his head to drive these dark thoughts away. He had other worries at the moment, for example the other voice he could hear inside his mind.

I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo,

slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask.

He thought that the entire thing was still just as creepy as the first time he had been here, or all the other times he was forced to interact with the Oracle. Honestly, why was it necessary for the thing to speak inside his mind? Wouldn't a simple sign stating "Ask your question out loud to receive an unnecessary cryptically answer in return" do the trick?

Instead of voicing his thoughts, he asked: "How do I retrieve Zeus' Master Bolt?"

The mist, already pouring out of the mummy since he entered, swirled more thickly, collecting itself right in front of him. The last time he had been in this situation he had seen Smelly Gabe and his buddies. This time around it was different though, and, to his surprise, four different faces he could recognize almost instantly appeared in front of him: Zoe Nightshade, Bianca and Nico di Angelo, and Annabeth. And not just any Annabeth, but the older one he remembered from before.

He didn't need to think too long why these faces appeared in front of him now; the last time the Oracle had shown him Gabe and his buddies because there had been no one he had wanted to see any less than them, now it showed him four people he had failed in some way or another.

Then, one after another, they began to speak:

"You shall meet the ruler of the Underworld, and make a trade,

You shall find what was stolen, but a price must be paid,

You shall make a mistake you will bitterly regret,

And, in the end, you shall gain a great asset."

His eyes widened in shock. He had suspected the prophecy might differ from the original he remembered, but this was, essentially, an entirely new one! Was his future knowledge even still helpful? Well, of course it is! he chided himself, trying to get a clear mind.

He still knew who the real thief was, that hadn't changed. Ares finding Luke shouldn't have changed either, so the god was still in possession of both Zeus' Master Bolt and Hades' Helm of Darkness. All in all, the basics were still the same. He was still in control.

Now, what could the prophecy possibly mean?

The first line was pretty straightforward; he would meet Hades and make a deal with him. Maybe something including the Master Bolt? If Ares still gave him the backpack with the bolt inside it this might be a possibility. Besides, he had nothing else of interest for the god, so there was nothing else he could trade with.

The second line was rather easy to interpret as well, but much less nice. He really wasn't looking forward to the 'a price must be paid' part'.

The third line was the worst. He definitively didn't want to make a mistake he would bitterly regret. This phrase was also so broadly formulated that he had no idea what kind of mistake he would make, making it impossible to even try to prevent it.

At least the last line was promising. He would take whatever boon he could get, and gaining a great asset sounded pretty nice.

"Well?" Chiron asked me once I slumped into a chair opposite of him.

I sighed before I repeated the prophecy for him.

He didn't react for what felt like an entirety, but when he did his voice was gentle. "You should know this, Percy: 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."

That was the exact same thing he had told him once before, and it wasn't as if he didn't know that himself anyway. His entire presence in this time was proof to it! But still, something like 'You shall make a mistake you will bitterly regret' can only be interpreted in so many ways.

"Okay," I said, anxious to change topics. "How do I find Hades? And when do I leave?"

Chiron grimaced. "I don't like the thought of you searching out the Lord of the Dead. I knew there was a big chance of it happening, with him being probably the true thief, but-"

"Where was it said that Hades is the true thief?" he asked, only to blush slightly when Chiron looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I mean," he continued to explain himself. "The Oracle just said I would meet him. And probably make a trade with him. It wasn't stated that he is the thief."

He couldn't help himself, it would feel wrong not to say these things when he, in fact, knew that Hades wasn't just innocent but had been robbed himself.

"Percy," Chiron said with a voice he instantly recognized as his teacher's voice. "Hades is the most likely culprit. After all, who would profit more from all the deaths a war between his brothers would result in than him? He has a grudge against his brothers for a long time now, so this being his revenge for all the injustice he received, from his perspective, isn't unlikely."

"I guess," he agreed halfheartedly. It wasn't as if he could convince Chiron, or anyone else for that matter, without telling them how he knew what he knew.

"Be it as it may, you will need to travel to the Underworld anyway. That much at least becomes clear from the prophecy. And about your questions: the entrance to the Underworld is located in Los Angeles. We will be able to help you at the start of your journey by bringing you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan, but the rest of it you and your companions will need to do on yourselves. And about the when, well, I would say you leave as soon as you have found two people to accompany you. Maybe add an extra hour to pack your stuff though."

He wasn't quite sure where to start looking for people who might accompany him. Grover had left yesterday -thankfully he was completely sold on the idea to look into places where you couldn't feel even a bit of the wild, making it nearly impossible for him to be captured by Polyphemus again, soothing his worries- and thus it was impossible for him to ask his friend.

He stubbornly ignored the sting in his chest at the thought of going on a quest without Grover.

He knew that he wanted to ask Annabeth, but he would wait with that until after he found his final companion. He told himself that it was just logical to do so because this way he could solve the harder problem, which was finding a third party member, first, as Annabeth was guaranteed to agree while everyone else was not.

He nearly believed himself.

The only person he had relatively much contact with in the short period he had been at camp was Luke, and he would definitively not take him with him. There might be no line about being betrayed by a friend in this prophecy, if Luke could even be called his friend in the first place, but he was not about to tempt Fate.

But maybe...

He shrugged. This idea wasn't foolproof, and he had no idea if the boy would even agree, but it was worth a shot. With this thought in mind, he made his way over to the forge.

He could hear the hammering on metal before he could even see the forge, and once it came into his sight it became obvious why: most, if not all of cabin nine was currently there, working on some project of their own.

One thing he always appreciated about the children of Hephaestus that they didn't make a big deal out of him. They still ignored him like the others, of course, but they didn't go out of their way to avoid him. At least not as long as they had work to do.

"Hey, Beckendorf!" he called out once he was within earshot.

A few people turned around to see who he was but looked away as soon as they realized that it was him. He ignored them, focusing on Beckendorf.

The last time he had seen him (the few glimpses he got in this timeline didn't count) was on board of the Princess Andromeda shortly before it blew up with Beckendorf still on it. It had been fortunate that the first time he had come to the forge, which had been yesterday when Luke showed him around, he had taken over the conversation with Beckendorf, allowing him to catch himself. He still -justifiably- blamed himself for the other boy's death, and it wasn't easy for him to convince himself to ask him to accomplish him on this quest now too and bring himself in danger, but if there was someone who could survive it then it was him.

Beckendorf was as a huge African-American with a permanent scowl, muscles like a pro ballplayer's, and hands which were calloused from working in the armory all day. He wasn't as big as he would be in a few years yet, but his form was still impressive enough to make people double-check when he told them he was just 14 years old.

Percy was pretty sure he had once thought that Beckendorf could make monsters cry for their mommies, and it was already pretty apparent that this would be the case once more in a few years.

"Jackson," Beckendorf said gruffly but not unfriendly. "What can I do for you?"

One reason for asking Beckendorf, besides the obvious, was, that he was probably one of the nicest people alive. He had even accepted Tyson when he brought him to camp! This meant that he wouldn't deny his request to accompany him solely because of who he was like so many others would probably do.

"Well, you see..." he began, a bit uncomfortable asking the boy to risk his life by coming with him. "I had a demigod dream, and when I told Chiron about it he told me to visit the Oracle as preparation for a quest." He could see several heads of people who not-so-sneakily listened to their conversation turning around in shock, which didn't surprise him. There hadn't been a quest in quite some time, after all. "I wondered if you would want to accompany me?" He cursed himself inwardly for sounding as childish as he did, but he couldn't help it now. Sadly the fact that his twelve years old body had a higher voice than his sixteen years old couldn't be changed.

Beckendorf glanced at his half-siblings before turning back to him with much more interest than before. "Let's talk somewhere else," he said while pointing to the exit. "Where we can't be overheard."

He nodded his agreement, relieved that the boy hadn't instantly turned him down.

Once they were out of earshot of the other Beckendorf started speaking again. "What did the Oracle say?"

That was a sensible question and he had definitively a right to know its content, so he told him what he already told Chiron.

Afterwards, there was a moment of silence before the other boy asked: "Why did you ask me?"

That was a bit harder to answer, considering he couldn't say he trusted him because they fought side by side in the future and that he trusted him explicitly because of his knowledge of the aforementioned future.

"Well, for one thing, you have a good reputation with the rest of the camp. Since I arrived barely three days ago I can't really reliable judge the people myself, this seemed to be a good starting point." Beckendorf nodded understandingly, which he took as a good sign. "I also think that all the gadget you can make and your technical understanding might become very useful," -another nod- "but most importantly: you're one of the very few who don't avoid me like I'm the plague, which means I'm more inclined to ask you than most others. Oh, and I guess that also means you're more open-minded than others, which is definitively a good thing!"

Beckendorf looked at him for a few second after he finished talking -Percy was forcefully remembered that the other boy was always a bit shy and took his time before he spoke- before he gave him a small smile. "Well then, who will be our third quest member?"

He let out a relieved sigh before returning the smile with a crooked one of his own. "Why don't you come with me and see for yourself?"

They found Annabeth training in the arena together with the rest of her siblings. Luckily she was currently resting at the sideline instead of participating in a fight, allowing the two of them to talk with her without one of her siblings listening to them.

"Excuse me?" he asked when they were close enough, not even playing his nervousness.

Annabeth looked at him calculating with her stormy grey eyes, giving him the feeling that she was analyzing him. It was just like in their first meeting all these years ago, where he thought she was thinking of the best way of taking him down should she needed to do so. Instead of feeling even more uncomfortable because of that though, the well-known feeling actually helped him to calm down.

"You got a minute?" he asked.

He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw something like curiosity flash in her eyes. A good sign, he thought.

"Sure," she said before nodding to Beckendorf as a greeting, which was something he returned.

"So, we're kinda going on a quest and-" he started before she interrupted him.

"A quest?" she exclaimed and took a step in his direction, causing him to take a step back in turn. She ignored that though and continued with wide eyes. "I want to come along! If there is someone who can solver whatever problem we come across it's me!"

"Um, that's kinda why we're here?" he said uncomfortable while scratching the back of his head. "To ask you to join us?"

If he didn't know better he would say Beckendorf was currently laughing at him inwardly.

She blinked and glanced first at Beckendorf and then at him before she visibly reigned her excitement in and cleared her throat, her cheeks now slightly reddened in embarrassment.

"And why should I accompany you?"

By the gods, was she now acting as if she wasn't interested after she just literally begged them to come along? Well, two people could play this game.

"I don't know," he said with a teasing smile. "Why don't you tell me why you should come with us? After all, I thought taking a child of Athene with us might be a good idea, but I could just as well ask one of your siblings."

She narrowed his eyes at him, and he was sure she saw exactly what he was playing at. Still, she didn't call him out of it. "I waited for this opportunity for years, Jackson. I prepared myself for a long time, not just through training but also by reading about every possible monster and how to beat it. There is no one more prepared in this camp than me."

His smile fell a bit when he heard her talk. He remembered that this younger Annabeth wasn't as good at reigning her fatal flaw, her hubris, in as she would be later, and even then she wasn't perfect at it. He was relatively sure she would recognize in a few minutes that what she just said was extremely arrogant, but it still proved that in the heat of the moment she would fall back to bad habits.

Not that he had any right to point fingers at her, he had enough problems with his own fatal flaw himself.

"Besides," Annabeth added. "As a son of Poseidon, you have probably a talent for destroying stuff. Beckendorf might solve that problem by just repairing whatever you damaged, but it better if someone just stops you from doing it altogether. And who is better suited for that than a child of Athene?"

Well, that wasn't completely untrue, even if she never really managed to stop him from blowing stuff up, but the topic gave him the chance to talk about something with her he really wanted to address.

"One more thing," he said seriously, catching her a bit off-guard. "I know Poseidon and Athena don't get along very well, but I would like to not let that affect us. I mean, I don't know about you, but I never even met my father. I don't want to let his quarrels decide who I can be friends with and with whom not. So, peace?" He stretched out his arm to her, inviting her to shake his hand.

She looked at his hand for a moment before she took his hand, some new respect in her eyes he didn't think they had this time around in the other timeline.

"Well," she said. "A child of Athena, of Poseidon, and Hephaestus. I would say there were much worse teams in history. When do we leave?"