Unwelcome Return

An: hey guys, hope you're ready for the new arc Escort!

I don't own PJO or HoO that belongs to Rick Riordian

'Thoughts'

Previously

Maybe it was a good thing he forgot his hearing aid. Snapping his attention back on the raven he had finished his song and in his wake left nothing but golden dust. The bus finally came to a halt and the remaining passengers got off for next one. As he watched his targets disembark a feral grin crept up his face. This millennia's recruits were going to be interesting.

~Percy POV~

It was night when we got off the bus but something felt off to me. One was that only one passenger wasn't a monster. Two is that he didn't react at all when the monsters started attacking each other and bursting into dust. I turned to Jason, he was nervous and I could tell. After all if that passenger follows us and attacks the legion with us present when we were both banished it would not look good.

"Jason, I think I should be the one to bring Maggie to the gates. You should take care of our stalker, they might recognize you even with your hood up ,but they don't know me and we'll be back on the road before you know it".

He looked at me with wary eyes in deep thought before nodding.

"Alright, I'll leave it to you Percy I just hope I don't make to much noise over an overly curious mortal". He said.

"Haha, don't forget we're human too, well part human anyway". I said sweat dropping.

He smirked. "Oh that's right I forgot I am not part bird".

"Anyways what do you want to do if he turns out to be more than an 'overly curious mortal'? You would need a way to get my attention and fast". I told him with a small laugh.

Jason hummed a bit before answering, "lightening bolt sounds good to me. Big and flashy".

I took out piece of paper and began righting down a rough sketch of our plan for Maggie. If Jason used the signal I needed her to run straight to the gates without looking back. I briefly thought back to the first time I went to camp, and then the story of Thalia turning into a tree. I wondered if Olympus would do the same for me and Jason if things went south... no need to think about that now though. I handed Maggie the paper and while she read it her grip tightened up on my hand. She looked up at me with worry and fear but I just gave her a reassuring smile and gentle squeeze of her tiny hand. When she returned my smile I turned to Jason and nodded. As we came up on a turn he turned on his heel and waited for our stalker to catch up.

It took some strength and will not to look back.

~Jason's POV~

After Percy and Maggie were gone I started to get a bit nervous. These past few months I'd gotten used to having Percy at my back to take care of things if it got hairy, but now he wasn't here and I could hear footsteps approaching. The man then appeared from around the corner and stopped. If he was surprised by my appearance he didn't show it and that did nothing but put me more on edge. He wore a black jacket and blue jeans his long hair and eyes were colored a startling white. His eyes shifted t look at our surroundings almost as if he was looking for something. He probably thought that Percy was still here and was hiding somewhere else to get to him if he made a mistake.

He then looked at me and smiled and gave a small wave.

"Yo." He said in a baritone voice.

My left eye twitched.

"You're kidding me right?" I said.

"What all I said was hi, does that offend you?" He replied.

" No but it's just kind of hard to believe that the same guy who has been following us around since we got off the bus is just going to look at me and say 'Yo' like we're friends."

"Ouch that hurts and here I thought we could be friends. After all its not like I'm a monster you know." He grinned. "Your friend ruled that one out quiet nicely don't you think?"

My eyes narrowed, that rules out him being some common thief or some curious guy wondering what happened to the other passengers on that bus.

"What are you, and what's your business with us? Because I seriously doubt that friendship is your only goal for today." I told him.

He laughed. "My name is Shima thanks for asking and I'm not here for the girl or that camp in case you're wondering. No I'm here because I know you're not welcomed there, in fact I know you're hated there."

"What are you talking about why would I be hated when I've done nothing wrong?" I was confused, did this have to do with what Thalia told Dan?

~MEANWHILE WITH PERCY~

We were still a block away from the camp when Maggie tugged on my hand. I squeezed her hand a little to to tell her I was listening. We were going a bit faster so that I could get back to Jason without me leaving Maggie with nowhere to run in case of danger. I wasn't ready for another wise girl to die young. Especially not this young and not while I was close enough to stop it. To reach out and grab her hand.

" Do you think Jason is going to be okay Percy? That guy looked off to me, kind of scary."

I tipped my head to her in surprise , I mean he felt off to me too but I found it impressive that she felt it too.

"Don't worry Jason is stronger than most demigods his age. He won't gone down easily." I told her on a piece of paper. Man it's good thing that I know how to walk and write at the same time or else this would be taxing.

"I know that, but that man was different he doesn't belong here."

I noticed the shadows moving through the valley around us and stopped. I slowly bent down to give Maggie her bag. Peering through the woods I could just barely make out the old abandoned house. Maggie stared at me confused but when a wolf existed the woods towards us she froze. her hands shaking and I thought back to what Jason said before. According to him Thalia said that a new mysterious power showed up when the gods vanished. 'If that was true then that guy might be more than what Jason and me originally planned for.' I turned my attention to the wolf which now that it was closer was a lot bigger than I thought it was which could only mean one thing.

"Are you the goddess Lupa?"

She looked at me with sharp eyes. " That depends demigods who's asking?" She demanded.

" Me I'm no one important I just came to escort the girl here. She needs somewhere to go."

Lupa's gaze turned to Maggie.

She asked, "what is your name child?"

" Her name is Maggie she's-"

Lupa cut me off with a snarled. " No one asked you banished prince."

I resisted wincing at her tone. Instead favoring a bitting quip.

" Well sorry is just that she can't understand you since she's oh you know deaf. But what do I know I'm just a banished prince."

The other wolves around me growled at me but didn't care. I wasn't one to cater to the gods authority. If they wanted me to respect them they needed to earn it.

Lupa was surprised at first but her gaze softened at Maggie.

She then returned her sharpened gaze to me. " I can't tell whether you're brave or just plain stupid. But I commend your no nonsense attitude, I will admit my apology for not hearing you out before."

I took a moment to calm down before replying. " Yeah I get that a lot but still if what I've been told is right you're usually not this harsh towards demigods. So what do you have against me?"

"Hmm I suppose I could tell you. But soon after your banishment the Olympians vanished too. The rumor is that you're responsible, both you and Jason. Now I'm not one for rumors but considering that we have no contact with Olympus it seems probable. Both camps are in disarray with no orders everybody's assuming, afraid it is not safe for you or Jason in either camps now."

I stood there in shock I couldn't believe it. The gods go silent after we're gone and all of the sudden its our fault? Can we not just get a break.

" Just who started these rumors anyway, and this has something to do the strange power that was felt?" I hurriedly put my hand up before she could answer." No, wait, don't tell me I want nothing to do with it. I just came here to drop off Maggie I want nothing more to do with the gods I'm done."

She just scoffed at me, if wolves could scoff. Then lightning went off behind me. 'Oh no Jason'. I thought.

She caught my worried gaze and said, " Go and leave this place boy but I don't think you have a choice. The fates seem to love toying with you Perseus Jackson, don't forget it."

I gave her a quick nod before turning to Maggie. I wrote one last note on her notepad. "Go with them and don't forget to stay safe, be a good girl."

She looked at me with slight sorrow but she didn't forget the plan she turned and went to Lupa. "Goodbye." She said, and just like we planned she did not look back she really is a wise girl.

"Goodbye." I said to her retreating back before turning on my heel and running back to where Jason was.

~previously with Jason ~

"Okay I'll bite why am I hated there Fox face? I didn't do anything to get them to hate me."

Instead of the angry look I was expecting for the insult I got an amused fox-like grin. He laughed, "Sorry but that's not what they know. All it takes is a good disguise and a really clever mind to oh I don't know, let a couple of monsters in the residential area of new Rome."

"You what!?" I yelled taking my coin and flipping it catching a sword in my hand. He put his hands up in mock surrender.

"Whoa there I am not the culprit, sure I love playing tricks as much as next Fox but that's a bit much don't you think? Anyways the next day the poor framed demigods are banished without ever knowing why and later on the gods go silent. Coincidence? Maybe if such a thing existed but it doesn't."

' You will come to know your crimes soon enough.' For days I racked my brain to find the answer to what Jupiter said and now I know. We've been set up, but something still doesn't feel right. "Why did the gods let us live, if someone like that was brought before Olympus for treason they would be nothing but scorch marks on the floor?" I questioned.

Sigma shrugged his shoulders. "I know right they even knew you weren't the ones responsible and still kicked your asses to the curb." I swung my sword at him hoping to catch off guard but he dodges to the left of me. "What a big happy family."

I slashed at Shima some more but he continued to dodge just out of my reach. "I don't believe you, there's no way the gods would do that after all we've done for them. Especially if they knew that Percy and I were not the ones responsible!"

He stopped sweeping my legs from under me and pinning my throat under his boot. His face changed from amused to serious. " If you really believe that then you're a complete idiot, but thankfully I know you are not a fool. The gods have betrayed thousands before you. Theseus and Arcane to name a few so what makes you so special?"

I finally managed to find an opening in his defense and went for it. He still managed to get away but I cut off some of his hair. His smirk vanished into frown as he froze.

"Alright I was going to just talk it out but I see that isn't going to work. In that case I'll just beat the living shit out of you!"

Shima blurred out of sight before I went flying off my feet when I felt a foot hit my face.

"Want to play kind I'll play, but a word of warning this Fox fights dirty."