Chapter 3

The Quest

AN: The quest is going to be shorter than Percy's quests because Luke did other things than quests as he did only 1 in his 5 years. Plus this is to Luke's death, I can't just spend 20 chapters on quests and certainly not 4 books on a single quest. Expect this to have less chapters but about 200k words also there is a little preview at the end. So majorly unfinished, misspelled and just basic ideas that may be changed

I chose no one for the quest because no one should die for this stupid quest. Chiron had told me that I was stealing a golden apple, in Hesperides or something like the Hespiridian tree. Anyways some nymphs try to push me off a cliff, after that I'm lost, I don't know how they would do that. I got a single plane ticket and took off to LA. Closest spot I could afford. I was sitting there on the chairs as I heard a commotion. I saw other people come out screaming, as a troll looking thing came out. cyclops, it only had one eye. These things suck. I drew my sword

"Luke Castellan, none have beat me in a thousand years, don't end up like them." He said in a deep, raspy voice.

"Were you burned in a fire when you were born, or did you die in a car accident and were reborn somehow? Just sayin your voice is kinda bad." This did not help his voice or his mood by any means because he charged me. I could easily stab him, but decided to make him even more mad. I side stepped

"Also you missed me, how can you be so blind? I mean depth might be hard with a single eye, but it shouldn't be hard to see." He swung his club, I cut it in half and dodged the flying piece. I heard screams on the other side of the airport. Woops.

"NOT MY CLUB!" he cried, he sounded heartbroken. should I cut him down, to pieces or end him quickly. I stabbed him in the stomach as a brilliant golden light swirled around him. I'm gonna guess that Hera sent this little monster. I checked the cracked screen showing the flights. Apparently every other plane but mine was canceled. Mine was on time. I thought fights would be longer, like the Trojan war was a couple years, that's larger than a fight, so like a couple hours. I ran to my plane as they were lining up, I got C 48. Last picks on the seats. I got a middle seat at the back of the plane. So exit would be virtually impossible with mobs of people. I sat in my seat and grabbed a book to look normal, without sending the technological flare to monsters. It probably wouldn't matter since Hera was sending them. I heard a radio buzz then the captain speaking

"This is your captain speaking, everyone remain seated we have an unexpected storm scheduled 10 seconds ago from the weather channel. Expect a little turbulence." This was probably my fault, but I kept silent. Zeus was probably helping Hera out. I sat there with my bronze sword which the metal detectors never noticed. It probably looked odd though. A single teen on a plane. No friends, family, or even people who noticed him. He hoped for a quiet flight, but like in every movie, it's shown so something happened. We had just gotten out of the turbulence. As we did, a very wrinkly, old, woman appeared flying at my window. Oh I forgot to mention, it had wings. Not like angel wing, white, gold, and large. No. The wings were brown and were barely large enough to hold this person. I tried to look like I was reading, but it started punching the window. Some guy saw it and tapped back. He randomly started screaming on the floor. The window was open, but the monster was gone.

I saw another board the plane, the crew just stared in the astonishment. All passengers were to busy on their phones, or getting their gas masks on. It charged me so I stabbed it in the gut. It exploded, not into powder like most monsters, or the golden light like troll. It was more like a firework show. I felt this pain in my stomach as I looked out the window and was afraid of the heights suddenly. I didn't use to be. I saw more and I didn't attack this time. They charged down at me and clawed my wrist.

"OW!" I yelled "Can you please leave I'm busy, I don't have time for flying goldfish with claws/teeth."

"He isn't the demigod. Bad, bad, bad, mistake." Apparently these old ladies are blind, nose blind, or just completely idiotic. Or all three. Only then did I realize that there were screams echoing through the plane. I looked out the nearest window and saw we were spinning so fast that everyone wasn't moving because the momentum was pushing us to the floor. What did they do?! I ran to the cockpit. I saw that the pilot and co-pilot were unconscious. I have no idea how to fly a plane!

"Open up!" I yelled at the pilots. They didn't move. Of course this was probably sound proof, but why think when you can act immediately and probably die. Bravely, but still you would die. I thought what to do. I realized how stupid I was. Those demon ladies were dumb, but I was dumber. I smashed my head into the door. I probably looked like an idiot, do I care, no. I heard loud snoring, that was muffled a lot by the door.

"ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz" The co-pilot was obviously a loud snorer because I could hear him through this door, a thick metal door.

"Hello!" I screamed. I looked at the altitude. Less than a mile in the sky is all I could get. We made it to California that means. I opened the door because I forgot they got in somehow, so I could. I slapped one guy in the face. He just snored louder. We were about to crash. Everyone went silent. Did they die? Were they okay? I looked forward to see a building, then everything went black.

I woke up with dirt beneath me and a brilliant golden sky above me, sometimes it flashed white. Everything was blurry. I saw a young girl, around 10 or 11 above me, with blonde hair. She gave me some nectar and ambrosia before leaving. She had to be a demigod, or a god. I hope a demigod loner, because gods can help you, then use that as an excuse to do a little somethin' for them. I drifted into unconsciousness again. I heard voices when I woke up. I opened my eyes, but could see nothing. I was starting to panic. I don't know how many days I was asleep. I finally opened my eyes and I was at the plane crash, so it couldn't have been too long. I looked around and saw no one. I heard something crack. Again I looked around. No one.

"Hello!" I called half hoping half not someone or something would answer. I saw an exit through what seemed like a cave of rubble, and parts of the plane. How did I survive mostly unscathed? No one was here and I saw the cockpit. I unsheathed my blade. If there weren't even bodies something took them. I exited, sword in hand, and looked everywhere else passengers would be. There weren't any. I looked around and saw we were a flying boat. The metal scraps must have smooshed together and formed a boat. I looked all around, and didn't see anything through the mist except for one direction which had a faint light. We were drifting away from it.

"Help!" I yelled, though no one could hear. I instantly went into survival mode. Food, there was food, and water/pop on the ship somewhere. Probably in my little cave. There was. I needed to get back to LA, so I started taking parts off the ship and forming my own boat. After a while I made it. 3 days and I had a metal raft with the food and water for 2 weeks. I had drifted farther away and couldn't see the lights. I made a little row, and set myself adrift

After arriving on the shores of LA I went straight to a golden light on a mountain. Mount Tam. As I trudged up the mountain I came to a clearing with a tree that had golden apples. Nearby were several nymphs.

"Oh, so who is this upstart who wants to steal an apple?" One asked.

"He smells of Hermes, doin' dirty work for his dad?" another asked

"Where is the thing/things I have to fight, is it you because I could easily beat you." I said interupting them as they exploded

"He speaks?" They all gasped at once.

"Yes I speak, where is the thing with glowing eyes." I asked again, remembering a vision I had.

"He describes like an ancient greek man." one said "Want me to wake it up, because I can."

"Can I see it first? Please?" I asked again.

"Look right behind you." one smirked. I turned around to see a golden dragon. It was sound asleep, though it freaked me out. It's scales were bright and really quite pretty. The dragon wrapped it's barbed tail around the tree.

"Oh god, why am I doing this?" I said under my breath. Apparently these 3000 year old nymphs heard.

"Now your here, do you have a choice?"

"I don't really, my dad trys to give me concussions already, what happens when I openly defy him?" I said, rhetorically.

"You die either way, such a shame, isn't it." The lead one said, well probably the lead one.

"Well I have a chance here, as long as Hera doesn't make me self-combust." I said. I stabbed my sword into the head of the beast before it could wake. What I didn't expect: Impenetrable scales, for it to wake up completely instantly, or it to eat my sword, well part of it. Without most of my sword I was weaponless. I heard the nymphs cry from far up

"Well look who lost already! It took a much more powerful sword for Hercules to beat this beast!" Hercules probably strangled it, but that wasn't gonna happen. I dropped the sword and kicked it's face which was low still, probably trying to stalk me.

"OW! Why is your face resistant to my foot!" I yelled. I don't know why, but yelling felt good at my death. Something hit my head hard. I looked up to see a raven, who had dropped a celestial bronze sword in front of me. I picked it up, and suddenly a steel backside popped out.

"How dare he use a weapon to kill both mortals and immortals!"

This was forbiden at camp, but it was still a weapon. I dodged one bite from it, it's first attack. After the kick you'd think it knew that I knew where it was. I jumped on it and stabbed down with the steel side on it's back. The blade passed right through. Makes sense because celestial bronze passes through mortals. I lunged at it's barbed tail, and slashed at the end and it fell off

"RRRROOOOAAAAARRRRR" It yelled in a dragon-like way. I through the tail right at it's face. It instinctively tried to eat it. It then, spit it out right at me. This time I wasn't fast enough. It got me in the side of my face. I was hit to the ground as it roared in triumph, but I wasn't done yet. I staggered to my feet

"Your a fighsty one, but you will still die, everyone who fights this dragon dies. Except Hercules, the most famous greek hero," One nymph said, "Thousands have been devoured by him. Don't add to the numbers, flee while you can." I wasn't about to or die. The gods and there stupid quests that kill demigods, when they sit on their thrones laughing at us. It isn't right. I lunged at the dragon, then jumped up. As it lowered it's head and attacked my face, a tooth got me right below the eye down to my lip. A mix of ichor and blood spilled, tainting the ground. I got so mad I cut a tree near the clearing as it fell and smashed the dragon. I walked towards it and stabbed it's eyes out, then through the mouth, as it slowly dissolved into sand.

"You won't be taking an apple." A voice said behind me, as I heard an apple crunching sound. I turned around. "I don't know who you are, but I will."

"You don't recognize your family when you see them, such a shame." So, it was Hera.

"Why, hello Hera. I can still injure you, though your a god, and I have to have an apple, or I will probably die." I lunged at her and she teleported a little bit away. Next to the nymphs, still stunned that the dragon was dead, and I was powerful enough to challenge Hera. I couldn't tell what Hera looked like. Gods do this a lot, and are really unreliable on appearences. She left the tree open for me to walk over and grab one, so I did. She through a spear at me, and missed.

"You gotta work on your aim a little." This time, she didn't miss. I deflected it with the backside of my sword. I ran with the apple, but an invisible barriar stopped me. I remembered my dad's gift. Flying shoes. I put them on as fast as I could. They started flapping, and I easily controlled them. I flew at Hera and aimed for her head. I didn't anticipate the speed pushing my sword down a little, so I cut her shoulder. It poured ichor.

"You can't kill a god!" She shrieked. She sounded in pain.

"I can't, but I can injure you!" I yelled. Maybe the fates protect me from death for now. It has happened in some stories, the guy with the log was probably the biggest example. Then, she started glowing, iv'e heard of gods true forms, so I looked away and I was still blinded for a minute. When, I could see again, the nymphs were in such shock that one fainted and the others ran. I looked down, my skin was smoking. I was so tired I staggered into the trees and collapsed. I woke up and remembered that I needed a golden apple. The dragon was back. That is the fastest rebirth I've ever seen. I snuck up on the backside stole and apple and ran. It seemed to flinch in it's sleep as I grabbed the apple. The nymphs saw, but didn't even go near me.

"Hermes I got your stupid apple." I said in a scratchy whisper. The wind picked up and stole the apple, hopefully that was Hermes not Hera. I went to a hotel, bought a room for one night, said my stuff was to sit in my car because I leave early in the morning. Right before I crashed Hermes came to me.

"Well done, that is one of the hardest tasks given to Hercules. He had to use a sword to slay the dragon. For this occasion I will send you right back to camp."

"Can it be in the morning."

"Fine, but don't expect me to make this exception often." He said, then dissapeared.

AN: So in one part I point out the fact that this is likely written by Luke (even though I am) and make parts that point that fact out, just a warning. It is so I can skip a part I couldn't write very well, and so I can speed it along. Also I'm trying to keep some things the same with slight differences until the biggest point.

As I arrived to camp half blood in the Ares cabin, luckily it was breakfast so they were gone. Just have to traverse the landmines. Then, I thought of a better plan, using my flying shoes. I flew to the pavillion, tried to make a cool entrance, but fell and tumbled a few feet. The embarrasment. When the people right next to me gasped. Other people got curious, then gasped, then I stood up. Everyone saw me.

"Hah loser, where is that golden apple you suppose to get!" Clarrise yelled.

"Hermes has it." I said evenly back.

"Where did you get that scar from!" one kid asked, and as soon as he said it, everyone burst out with questions. The scar got my attention though. Where did I get it? Was it from the mace tail, or the dragons tooth.

"Silence!" Chiron yelled. Everyone went silent when he said the magic word.

"Let us talk in private, Luke," Chiron said. We went to the big house and I told him of the demon ladies on the plane, the plane crashed in water with no bodies left, the fight with the dragon, and Hera who wanted to protect her apples. Then, how Hermes sent me into Ares cabin and I flew to the pavillion. I left out my new sword which, when I didn't hold it, looked like my old one.

"You are no doubt a great swordsman. To kill a dragon of any kind alone. Then to injure Hera and make her retreat to the heavens. I have not seen such skill, of any type, since Theseus or, dare I say it, Hercules," Chiron whispered the last part, like he didn't want the gods to hear. Gods are super competitive parents. By saying that Zues could kill him. Stupid rules, stupid gods, they just did what they wanted, when they wanted, on who they wanted. I went to bed bitter that night. A voice echoed in my mind, in a deep, soothing voice.

"Let us destroy the gods and replace it with a better age, a golden age. A world where humans aren't test subjects, where demigods don't have to do quests. Where everyone can enjoy themselves." This sent an excited thrill down my spine.

"First give someone who will listen to you this scythe, they will spy on the gods. The first step to toppling them from there pretty thrones in the sky." It said pretty like it was a disease and showed my a scythe necklace. "The gods sent two young demigods, and a satyr to an early death, two good demigods and a satyr, they left on their quest before you." It was Carson's quest, he was quite a nice kid. He was about to go to college when they killed him. The gods just killed demigods for fun. Entertainment to please themselves.

"I will do what you say, but are we starting a war?" I could speak this time.

"Yes, a few demigods will revolt at first, but when they see their friends are creating the next golden age, they will come and make the world better," The voice said, "There may be a few casualties, but that is what must happen in war." I should have realized earlier, this is Kronos. He isn't as bad as the gods said. I woke up the next morning and pondered who would be a great spy. One nobody would suspect. Not Ares, or anyone in Hermes and a cabin leader would be prefered. Somebody who looks like they really be great at hiding it. The most likely person to do it would be Silena, but I would have to befriend her more. It was worth the time. She was a cabin leader, looks like they want to help, but can't really, and given a little time, could spy on the camp for us. I spent about a week talking to her more and joking around. Of course I won't put all the encounters into writing. I finally thought she would help me as I had been hinting at her that I was going to help destroy the gods. Her satyr was killed in the quest before mine. I walked over to her in our free time, she was waiting just inside the forest. Enough so that we wouldn't have any eavesdroppers.

"Answer truthfully, do you think the gods are needed." I said bluntly hoping she would say no I would kill her.

"The gods just do what they want." She answered in a voice that implied they were bad, but wasn't sure what I wanted. "But we have to put up with them until we are adults." Silena was smart, saying it in such a way that she could hide her true answer, but make it sound true. It wasn't going to fool me.

"Silena isn't there a way to have to not deal with them, a way to destroy or replace them without bloodshed." Now she knew what I wanted.

"If there is a way, I would die for it." A little overkill (pun not intended) but what I wanted.

"Here take this scythe, and tell press this button on it and tell plans." I said "You may think this sounds like spying, and it is sort of, but right now just you and me are the demigods for this cause, don't tell anyone. The gods will kill us if you do." Now she seemed relieved that she probably wouldn't die.

Everyone had heard the rumors. A son of the 3 big gods made it into camp. He killed the minotaur with nothing but the minotaurs own horn. Annabeth was watching over him. I had told Silena the prophecy and that he would help us. His name was Percy Jackson. He woke up, and Annabeth as the blunt 12 year old she was told him he drools in his one had me cracking up. He was put in my cabin, as usual. Annabeth and I assume Percy Jackson opened the door. He had dark brown hair that was kind of messy in the sunlight and was average height for his age and was built with a skater complexion

"Hey, so your Percy Jackson?" I asked.

"Yep that's me." Percy said. I swear Annabeth was blushing.

"Here is the cabin you stay in until your claimed." Annabeth said.

"Annabeth, I'll get him settled he'll meet you outside when he's done." I finished it quickly to spare Annabeth. I shut the door and asked Percy "You killed the minotaur without a weapon?"

He replied "He killed my mom, he deserved worse than a quick death."

"You like your mom?" I asked again this was very odd, but so was killing a minotaur with his own horn.

"Yeah she used to bake me my favorite food and go out of her way to make it blue, my favorite color." OK so his mom was not bad.

"Sorry we don't have any bunks, but this place is always crammed," I said, "Hermes cabin houses all the unclaimed people. One of the many stupid rules." It came out harsher than I meant it to be.

"Ok so you ready to head off?" I asked

"Yeah, see you soon," he answered. He wasn't a bad kid. He had many decisions to make, but I'm sure he is the one of the Great the weeks passed I learned many things about Percy and we became close friends. He didn't like many rules here either. Well, no one liked them all, but some people don't mind them. I was there when he got claimed, he turned aqua and had a trident above his head. I was the first to kneel. He looked bewildered. He looked up and saw the trident.

"My dad is Poesidon isn't it," he said.

"Yes it is" Chiron answered. Then everyone went back to there buisness as usual. One kid near whispered to her friend "That's how the toilet ate Clarrise." I heard the rumors for a while, but didn't believe it. Now I understand why he could do it. I walked up to him after the encounter.

"Well, looks like you will be busy for a few days. Also almost everyone is supposed to hate you because a lot gods hate Poesidon, sooo don't make them more mad." I told him.

"Great your making my explosion a lot better" he muttered.

"Better grab your horn before you head to the Poesidon cabin."