Chapter Six

While Percy was *ahem* catching up with Athena, Zoë and the others went back to their ship to prep it for its new occupants. Isaiah was gonna help but realized that it was all girls and he didn't know what they would need in their rooms. Zoë and Bianca handled that and tried to persuade Isaiah to go easy on the girls. He, on the other hand, was actually being useful for once and analyzing the background profile of every girl coming to his ship. He wanted to know their strengths, weaknesses, greatest fears, and best qualities.

As he reached McKayla's page, Percy beeped his arm to signal that they need to announce their presence to the campers and bring the campers from Camp Jupiter. He compiled the information to his arm so he could view it while Percy did the talking. He needed to fully analyze before speaking to them.

As he exited the white portal that Bianca erected, he saw Percy coming in at the same time. He sensed more emotion coming from him as if he just... Nah he was with Athena there's no way. He would check in on that later but for now, they needed to sort out the campers.

"-they don't really seem to be happy to be here so please do what you could to not stress them out. I can sense their arrival so please do listen to them. They will be the main reason for your survival in this war." Hermes finished explaining to the children and turned, expecting the Chaotic Warriors to walk up the steps to the stage in the Amphitheatre.

He instead saw Percy right behind him and jumped out of the way like a scared cat as Percy says, "Don't you mean the only reason for their survival?" The campers gasp as they see Percy.

To Percy, it's been hundreds of thousands of years. For them, it's been almost two years so unfortunately for him, all the people he knew were still there, with a few additions. It's not like they wronged him and he's mad, it's just that they never took the time to support him when he needed them most.

Flashback

"Damn bro, over Olympus?"

"It's not just that, it's more the extreme lack of time. Now that my plate is clear, her's isn't and she feels that I could find someone else instead of waiting forever." Is what Percy was telling Will Solace when inquiries about his and Annabeth's relationship arose. That is merely a pacified version of what happened.

In reality, after Annabeth suggested that he find another person, Percy looked at her suspiciously and wanted to know why she only said he should find someone else. Percy may not have been as smart as he is in present day but he knew that her wording meant two things. Either she already found someone to move on to or she expects a son of the big three to fall into his father's steps and need a woman at all times. Whether it was lucky or not, Annabeth was not cheating on him, but instead allowed a few of the goddesses whose palaces she was working on, get into her head.

They were telling her stories of demigods like Percy and how easily they became like their fathers. How easily they left the love of their lives to get more women and power. How easily they became corrupt, with or without godhood being granted. Annabeth would have made time for Percy, but was scared that he would turn into what the women were talking about. She knew Percy and that it would take a lot for that to happen so that was helping his case.

But she also knew that she and Percy had recently become sexually active and that he loved it just as much as her, if not more. That and while she developed early, the rest of the girls at camp starting blossoming in the past year. Demigoddesses naturally looked better than mortal females so most of the girls older than sixteen were already bombshells. Put a sexually active boy in a camp full of girls that admire him and would almost anything for him? It's a bomb waiting to go off every day he goes without seeing her.

The job of an architect is not a job that she could come home from every night, not when gods and goddesses are your customers. All this went through Annabeth's head before she stopped Percy on his way to visit her. She didn't want to meet him in her office, knowing that the special moments they shared in there would impede her thought process. As they sat in the park, Annabeth didn't know, she starts the process of Percy breaking.

It made sense to her and it doesn't sound too bad to me either, to be honest. Unfortunately, Percy didn't see it that way. What he felt was happening was that it was too good, too quiet, and stagnant for Percy. After wars and battles all the time, peace and he couldn't go well for once. And now here the Fates were to ruin his good fortune.

And as she gave her reasoning, anger and suspicion immediately died, leaving room for sadness to kick in. Is his loyalty not strong enough for her to hold on to as reasoning for them to stay together? After years of flirting and putting off a relationship then finally getting together and being the best thing since sliced bread. After years of the fates doing everything they could to separate them and them fighting and standing over everything in their path. She simply lets the Fates win without even putting up a fight. They can overcome physical challenges, but when a psychological fight comes up she lets them win.

It was at that moment that it's been a long time since they spoke about anything that wasn't about Annabeth's job, his missions from the gods, or their adventures. When did they actually take time to talk about each other? Their hobbies? Their hopes for the future? Their plans that they will make together?

When she finished telling him, her heart broke at his eyes and the amount of sadness that they held. She didn't start crying until he got up and walked away without a word. He typically visits a few of his favorites on Olympus, but he went straight to the elevator. She couldn't let him go at that moment, because something told her that she just ruined his life. If she stopped and thought slowly rather than at a million thoughts per second, maybe she wouldn't have broken up with him. She rushed to the garden and to the fountain in the back to send a few Iris Messages. She told Sally, Paul, Tyson, and Thalia what happened and why. She knew that he would confide in one of them and asked them to send him to her to give her another chance to talk to him. Hopefully, she could rectify her moment of weakness and still salvage their relationship.

Everyone gave her a stern or annoyed look but was ready to give her another chance. Well, everyone except Thalia. And guess who he went to confide in. Thalia got pissed at Annabeth for several reasons. She always called Thalia to complain about something Percy did, or to gush over something Percy did, to the point where Artemis had to make a "Lieutenants Tent" so the other girls wouldn't suffer. Now she went and broke the heart of someone close to Thalia and someone that Thalia knew that she loved more than anything. She didn't want Percy to give her a chance. Everything tough in Percy's life stemmed from Annabeth's presence, but we'll go into that spiel another day.

For now, let's just say that he never go directed back to her and she got swamped by her mom with work. Percy sat moping around camp and for once, he wasn't the center of attention. When he needed them most... they vanished. It was as if they knew that he was single and that he wasn't important anymore. He couldn't get mad at them, he was just sad that he was always there for them, but now they couldn't be there for him. His close friends were always busy like Annabeth and his mom was dealing with his baby sister so he was practically alone.

When the gods assigned him a new mission, he wasn't coming back to New York. That's how the hunters found him on Prater Mountain in Utah, but we can save that for another flashback...

Present

Looking at the campers now, he vowed to save them and train them to the point where he shouldn't have to come to save their asses again. It's not worth it to get mad at them. He's been harboring too much anger and he won't add on to it, especially not when Athena breached one of his walls an hour prior.

"Campers! My colleagues and I are here not only to save you but to also train you to save yourselves! We won't win the war for you, we will win it with you so you have until 5 am on Wednesday to chill and do anything that you like to because, for the next three months, you will hate me, that I promise. I will now be bringing the Roman campers here. They already briefed and will be staying here as well. While we are here, this will be called Camp Chaos."

And with that, Percy waved his hand and a portal opened to the Twelfth Legion who were standing ready in armor and had bags with them, signaling that they are there to stay. Apollo was in his Roman form directing them toward the portal and mentally preparing them to go through while Mars was in the back with a longsword forcing people like Octavian to agree to the terms.

Once everyone came through, the immortal campers arrived to join the crowd at the front. Percy can finally address them as a whole.

"I'm not here to motivate or inspire you. I do not care about you as people, I merely care about your fighting ability and being able to protect yourself and others around you. You are not people to me. You're merely soldiers under me. I will not tolerate anyone impeding this process and will harshly deal with them. This is your only warning. You may have known me to be a laid back person before a war and a little bit before that but this is not Percy before you. This is Frost, Commander of the Chaotic Army, and if anyone has an issue with that, step forward now."

As Percy said that last statement, his eyes glowed a bright frosty greenish blue, adding fear within the campers. Nonetheless, Octavian and two of his closest allies came to the front. Percy looked at them, then through them and made his decision. He wouldn't get his hands dirty with them. His eyes stopped glowing. At this, the three of them smirked. It was as they thought, Percy was still a softie and would not stop them.

Well, it was actually that Percy didn't have to do anything to them. He had an assassin for that. He motioned for Isaiah to handle them and the assassin looked up from his arm where he was still reading the profiles. He saw the three in the front and heard Percy in his head, I don't have time for anyone who will detract from my goal.

And with that, Isaiah closed the screen on his arm, jumped off the stage right in front of them. He pulled out his gun, which everyone observed went back to its golden color, and shot each of them in the head. Each Deagle shot splattering the front of their faces. The bullets went straight through but an invisible shield stopped the bullet and flesh from hitting the immortal campers right behind it.

The campers gasped and stepped back, some fainted on the spot and others looked ready to throw up. Isaiah simply opened a portal under their bodies and then snapped to get rid of the rest of the mess. He jumped back onto the stage and pulled the screen onto his arm and resumed analyzing it as if he didn't just murder three people.

"Any other objections? I made myself clear about the warning, right? Keep trying me and you'll end up with them. Now that that's over, we need to address where you guys will be. There are no more cabins for now and no more cohorts, it's now barracks ordered by age and skill. When my captains arrive they will sort you. The main thing I would like to get done is taking specific campers that will be trained as specialists," Percy droned on about what they told the Olympians about their children.

"The people that will be coming with me are -" he was cut off by a longbow being fired and two pistols from Zoë and Bianca respectively. Apparently, two Romans saw it fit to try to attack the person who killed their brother while everyone was paying attention to Percy and their target was focused on his arm. They didn't take into account that the girls were just as dangerous. Well, I guess they know now cause one is sticking to the wall with an arrow big as a harpoon through his chest and his brother with his flesh spread across the floor. All the while Isaiah remained on his arm, reading the last profile.

Just as he finished he looked up to see horror-stricken campers staring at two dead bodies. He realized what happened, snapped his fingers to clean up and gestured for Percy to continue.

"Anyway, I will be taking eight people. They are Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque, Will Solace, Katie Gardner, Derrick True, Amy Ruth, Kevin Lopez, and Annabeth Chase. Go to your respective barracks and gather your things and join me in the Chaotic centre in the middle of the camp." And with that Percy stood back to contact his captains.

Isaiah stepped forward and being the only person that the campers didn't know, besides Reyna who squinted at him remembering the pictures of past praetors, everyone only knew him to kill and his two assassins to do the same.

"I will personally be training the hunters with the addition of Alíra Valentina. She and Thalia Grace are receiving specialist training. All of you gather your personal materials and meet me directly under where my ship is hovering." After finishing that statement, he and the two former hunters dissolved from sight.

The temporary pause allowed people to gather their bearings and come to terms with the recent events. Percy comes back after almost two years, gets five people killed, is going to train them for war, and is now helping them while at the same time scaring them. The campers selected to receive special training were surprised to be chosen, especially Annabeth who knew that Percy hated her.

Their thoughts were interrupted by four portals opening to reveal four people, two of whom the campers recognized. Whether they wanted to or not, they were reintroduced to Luke Castellan and Charles Beckendorf. The other two were girls they've never seen before.

"Luke Castellan, First Captain of the Chaotic Army, Son of Hermes and originated from Planet Earth!"

"Esmeralda Diaz, Second Captain of the Chaotic Army, Daughter of Gysp and originated from Planet Elcrat!"

"Acura Evel, Third Captain of the Chaotic Army, Daughter of Veene and originated from Planet Elcrat!"

"Charles Beckendorf, Tech Specialist of the Chaotic Army, Son of Hephaestus and originated from Planet Earth!"

"And with that, I leave you all in their hands. I will be at the command centre, awaiting the people that I named. Have a good day, and if you want to burn shrouds for the five people killed, you have until five am Wednesday to do so." After finishing that, with a relieved sigh, Percy's body froze until it shattered, leaving nothing but frozen shards evaporating as they hit the ground behind.

He reappeared in his private room and sat down on his bed. And when I say private room, he was back in Chaotica and due to the time difference, he can stay for a long time before the campers show up. Time to truly reflect. He had to save his soldiers due to the incompetence of a lieutenant, had to come back to Earth and see the very beings he could've gone without seeing. He had to see the campers that he could've gone without seeing. He had sex with Athena, someone who he had a strictly familial relationship with up until today. He has shown more emotion than anyone outside of his tight circle has seen in the past hundred thousand years.

He had to decide whether or not he will allow this to continue or if he should frost up and stick to the mission. Percy knew that the mission would be easier if his soldiers liked him, the soldiers being the campers. It could also work with fear, but wouldn't stick as well as a charismatic leader would. He would have to get personal with the people he is working with one on one. He checked their profiles and he knew most of them already so it wouldn't be too difficult to get them to open up.

Nevertheless, he also needed to make sure that his troops were just as good, if not better than Isaiah's to exert natural male dominance. He also learned from Eros that he needs three lovers to truly reach emotional equilibrium. Part of him doesn't want to put that burden on anyone but if they want to help, he will happily accept it.

There is also the random flirting that comes from Chaos to him and his brother and they don't know how to react to it most of the time. In some of the more recent moments, Percy would respond and she would turn away embarrassed, leaving him confused as hell.

As he reflected he was in a state of sleeping while being wide awake, a useful trick he learned from the assassin side of the Chaotic Warriors, allowing him to have the energy to brief his specialists and start training Hazel immediately after.

Back on Earth, only half a minute passed since he left and the captains were strategically splitting the campers into the six barracks based on age and skill, not about parentage but that factors into skills kind of. The hunters were packing up as Artemis overlooked them. She couldn't believe that Percy had those three guys killed. Males or not, the Percy she knew would never let something like that happen. The stark contrast between him now and him before he died truly scared and made her feel guilty.

The conversation she had with Zoë also confused her feelings about the assassin and the commander and the charisma that surrounds them. It's something that she knows she needs to protect herself from because it clearly has won Zoë and Bianca over. She and her hunters were going on his ship and she didn't want to be indoctrinated like her former hunters. Poor Artemis, thinking that they used something to program them.

That conversation with Zoë also made her realize that Percy has definitely changed emotionally. The little game of romance that they played before he died has to have been forgotten over the course of three hundred thousand years. Even the most respectable man she knew wouldn't have abstained for that long and she has no one to blame but herself.

Thalia wasn't afraid of the new Percy. In fact, she embraced this side of him and was glad that he finally stopped being the nice guy. No one showed him the respect that he needed unless they were on a battlefield and needed him to save them. Now, they respected him because he's dangerous and has no problem killing who doesn't fall in line. Zoë and Bianca coming back surprised her and hearing from Artemis that they were willing to kill her to protect Isaiah, the same guy that will personally be training her.

She honestly couldn't wait to meet this "Abyss" or Isaiah or whatever. This guy must be as good as Isaiah, just in different ways. No one is above Percy but there's someone on his level? This has to be good!

Alíra Valentina looked at Piper nervously. The girl had not been in the best of moods lately because of Jason's death and to hear that she isn't the top daughter of Aphrodite may tip her off. Alíra knew it the whole time though, every time she used a power she felt like there was a well and she barely broke the surface of the water.

Add that to her natural beauty and Hispanic heritage, she was easily the most beautiful girl in camp and low-key the most powerful. Why is the assassin teaching her though? Why not the commander? Will she be doing things similar to those two girls that stood next to him? To see the quick reactions to the two Romans coming to attack, Alíra wanted to learn how to do that, while also retaining her morals about killing.

Her mother told her that she wants to speak to her once she goes to sleep aboard the assassin's ship. Piper says she wants to speak to her before she goes to the ship. The rest of her sisters seem apprehensive to let her go on the ship with hunters that hate children of Aphrodite, and with an assassin who really doesn't care for human life. Drew was the only one jumping up and down, happy for her. She and Drew shared a minority connection among their sisters because they were the only ones that weren't black or white.

She wanted to make her mom proud and her sisters proud as well. Her cabin shouldn't be known as a place where the floozies go and where a guy can go to get his nut off. If she becomes a dangerous force like the assassins, she can teach her sisters to do the same and the cabin's reputation will change. She wasn't doing this for herself, she was doing this for her family and for her mother.

As Annabeth packed her clothes, she couldn't help but think back to all the good times her and Percy had, the fight that they had, and all the attempts she made to fix her mistake. She thought back to her reaction when she saw him and Thalia holding hands as they walked through Camp Half-Blood's forest. It may not have been romantic, but it showed that they still had a friendly connection and she couldn't even have that wit him.

No matter the training, no matter how hard he will work her, she will do everything she can to be the best and get close enough to him to just apologize for what happened. Even if she can't salvage what they had, she wants to be forgiven and given a chance to be friends with him. This is her motivation.

Hazel was floored by the events of the day. She was given the chance to kill the very monster she created and allowed to destroy her life. She watched five Romans, two of which she knew, two of which she didn't and one that she loathed, die in front of her and she couldn't do anything to stop it. The worst part about that is she knew they partially deserved it, so what could she do anyway? She was selected by Percy himself to receive specialist training and she didn't even feel special enough to do it.

Sure she's a heroine. Sure she saved the world from Gaia. Sure she was a part of the Prophecy of Seven. Sure she had to be brought to life and got to stay alive. Take that away and what does that make her? She's a black girl in a society that brushed her off after they celebrated her achievements. She the youngest heroine of Olympus and felt like she was already fifty years old and needed to retire.

But Percy said her name. Not Piper, not Frank, not Reyna, but her. This is her chance to get out of the shadows of her friends. This her chance to not just known as the magical death girl. Seeing her sister looking angelic and dangerous at the same time gave her hope that maybe she could achieve the same state of being. She will do this training to the best of her ability and will make a new name for herself. She felt like she disappointed Percy in some sort of way and this can be her chance to make it up to him. She could make up for Annabeth's mistake too and show him that he should care for the campers as people and not just soldiers.

Leo's idol comes back and is nothing like the person that he admired before. His idolization changed from wanting to be the cool, powerful guy that everyone loved to wanting to fearfully worship the cold, powerful guy to save his own life. The second that Percy mentioned specialists, he asked all the gods and goddesses he knew to put him on that list... then he watches two more people get added to the death toll. He could care less because they were Romans but being a man who thought about his mother all the time, he couldn't help but think about the parents who will never get their kids back.

He got that train of thought from Percy himself, who helped him reign in his abilities when his emotions come into play. Percy told him to think of all the mothers that he is hurting when he accidentally hurts another person. Think of Calypso, who wants nothing more than to do good in the world for the rest of her life. He would be hurting more than just people in the wrong place at the wrong time, he would hurt those who care about them too. To see the same man signal for people to die and not bat an eye astonished him.

He immediately blamed Annabeth, who started Percy's downfall. If she didn't break up with him, he wouldn't have been with the hunters. Gaia wouldn't have used the last of strength to send her lackeys to attack the hunters to get to him. Percy wouldn't have been alone in that fight and he wouldn't have died. As a machinist, Leo focuses on the root of the problem and what started the issue. He found the root and it was Annabeth.

No. It is Annabeth, and he has to stop her from getting back into Percy's life. Cold-blooded or not, Percy is still that older brother who taught him how to be a man and he won't allow that girl to get another shot at destroying his life. That's another motivation for being the best damn specialist he can be.

Will Solace had fewer memories with Percy than some of the other specialists but the memories that he did have showed Percy being a good guy. A great leader, a great person in general and the most important thing to him, a good brother to his boyfriend. Nico was ready to freak out when Annabeth broke Percy's heart. He got worse when Percy was with the hunters and found out that Zeus ordered it to happen. Then Percy died to top it off and Nico didn't smile if he wasn't with Will.

If anyone has the much impact on Nico's life, Will needs to take this opportunity to get close enough to Percy and create some sort of bond that could bring him and Nico together. Being that he doesn't know Percy all that well and being that he honestly did not know why he of all people was chosen to be Apollo's specialist. All he knew was that he would make the best of it and not waste any time that could be spent learning more about Nico through his brotherly figure.

Katie Gardner got close to Percy before he died. So close that she left camp to join the hunters and put her powers over cultivation to a helpful cause. Under the guidance of her mom and Artemis and the support of Percy, she became a powerful foe for monsters attacking the hunt. Surrounded by the jungle at all times, her natural born powers and her hunter's blessing helped tremendously.

After he died, she didn't want to go back to camp to even visit. She buried herself in work with the hunters and laughed way less. Now he was here, alive and taking her from the hunters and she couldn't care less about them. She was curious what they would learn from the assassins but she wanted to be reunited with Percy as fast as possible and he was coming to her.

They may have never shared anything romantic, or even a familial kind of relationship, but she knew that if she had anyone behind her, she wanted it to be him. If anyone was to be Demeter's specialist, it's obvious that it has to be her and she needs to ensure that she's just as good as some of her soon to be colleagues, given that some already had the fame of a hero. She will reconnect and make him proud as she does it, she's ready to fucking roll.

Derrick True didn't understand why Percy would agree to train a son of Ares given their past history. When he said he would be training the Olympians strongest children, the Ares cabin deflated, remembering how Hermes said Ares was treated during the council meeting. Derrick was named and they were surprised he would train them and surprised that it wasn't Clarisse.

She assumed it was because she used to bully him and that it wasn't forgiven by Percy yet, but she knew the truth. She peaked out in the Battle of Manhattan but Derrick was a ball of potential and if formed correctly, he will easily exceed her. As he finishes packing up, Clarisse tells him in a stern voice to not disappoint Percy and to make up for their father's mistakes. She certainly hurts others and bullies her siblings almost as bad as any other camper, but she knew as the oldest that she needed to take care of them until they have someone else to do it.

Derrick looked up to her naturally and he knew that he has to work hard to make her happy, to impress Percy and give him a reason not to kill them for their lineage, and he has to give his dad a reason to respect Percy. If the man himself is taking time to train a child of the gods that wronged him on several occasions, he deserves respect. Derrick will do all of those things and better. He won't let the heroes of the past pass him up because he wasn't a big part of the Giant War. He will be the strongest there is and surpass even his father.

Amy Ruth was truly confused. Hecate wasn't an Olympian Goddess. She is a major goddess, yes, but he said Olympian gods only have these children destined to be specialists. Is this an omen that she will join the council? Is she just that powerful? Or is there another card being played right now? Amy never felt as powerful as her siblings. Ever since Alabaster, they had a bar to meet and she thought that it was so lofty that she could only dream of reaching that point.

To hear her name was surprising for all of those reasons and also that she was thinking while he was talking and couldn't help but focus on how good he looks. She was young when he left the camp to join the campers and when he died, she had just turned 16 and her hormones going into full fruition. Now that he is here, she concentrated on his body build, muscle mass, and his eyes. Then he says her name and makes eye contact with her, startling her.

She asked her mom for guidance, but the lack of response showed her that her mom was still processing along with everyone else. As she packs her best-looking clothes, and form-fitting outfits, for no reason, of course, she knew it wasn't a fluke. She is supposed to go in that command center and show Percy why he chose a child Hecate, proving to her family that she can meet the bar and exceed it too.

Kevin Lopez was embarrassed at how scared his dad looked when he told them about the Chaotic Warriors arrival. Then Percy calmly walked behind the god and Hermes nearly jumped off the stage in fright. While they didn't witness everything that he had, his children turned red at his behavior and knew it wouldn't help their image. Then Kevin's name is called and everyone looked at them in a new light.

All of his brother's and sisters knew why he was selected. He was clearly the fastest person in camp and undeniably the sneakiest as well. The only thing that made people question him was his dislike for pranks. Now, what can the really say to him? He's about to go into the command center and get trained by the commander himself, maybe it's because he's more serious than them.

As the specialists approached the command centre and the hunters approached the ship, all were thinking about why they had to do it an their final conversations with their families, not knowing if they would make it or not. No matter what, Earth was in better shape already, morale going through the roof from the demigods ready to be trained.