AN: Chapter 6 already! Wow! :D
Thank you, my faithful readers! You keep me writing!
L. Lawliet-Rue Ryuzaki: Thanks. I think it will, I have it planned out… kind of.
MysticLion: Yeah, sorry about entire Annabeth scene. I wanted to do something where Percy's happy.
SnowTime: Ok, thanks again for reviewing.
NA (guest): Thanks! It took me almost three days.
conover7283: Yeah, I like Percy x Bianca too.
x Theseus: Thanks for the input.
UltimateHades: Thank you…
1973: Thank you.
razor200972: Uh…
Bacon Burg: Thanks, it took me a while.
The vote now is:
No Percabeth: 8
Percy x Hestia: 2
Percy x Zoe: 4 (Still in the lead.)
Percy x Thalia: 1
Percy x Clarisse: 2
Percy x Bianca: 2 (Yay, I like this pairing.)
Percy x OC: 2
Percy x huntress: 1
Percy x someone who saves him from Gaia: 1
As for Annabeth:
Evil Annabeth: 4
Not Evil Annabeth: 3
Disclaimer: Gah… Another disclaimer… Let's just get it over with… I don't own Percy. There! Done.
Chapter 6: A Camper is Found
Mystery Person's POV (10:00 PM)
I paced back and forth on the dirt, waiting.
Finally, a figure rose out of the ground. I stopped my pacing immediately.
"Mother!" I said. "Have you succeeded in turning more of the demigods?"
The figure held out her palm. It in laid three bracelets this time. "We have only three spies at the camp. You must find and recruit more demigods if our plan is to work," she said.
"I shall try, but you know how hard it is to find demigods these days, after the gods have sworn to claim their children before they turn thirteen. The ones we find are hardly capable of fighting. We have only ten. Eight of them have not even reached double digits yet. The other two are eleven."
My mother nodded. "Demigods will be harder to find. The ones we have found must not leave our side. Have you started teaching them about Greek Mythology yet?"
I shook my head. "No."
"Start now," said my mother. "Tell them about the gods, and how they ignored their children, and destroyed their parents. Let them know the truth."
"Yes, Mother," I said. "I shall start tomorrow morning."
"Good." She nodded to herself. "Now to more pressing matters. The boy?"
I pressed my lips together. She wasn't going to like this. "He is still in New York."
She growled, and the dirt churned beneath my feet. I lost my balance. The dirt did nothing to soften my fall. My mother walked closer and towered over me.
"The boy cannot be in New York," she said. "Olympus is in New York. When we attack, he cannot be close enough to defend it again. You must either kill him or drive him away. But he cannot be in New York."
"Of course, Mother," I said.
"Good. You cannot be too hasty. Be patient. Over time, our strength will only increase."
With that, she melted into the earth again. I sighed.
Nico's POV
Someone tapped my shoulder.
"Nico, the wall's done," a voice said.
I slowly opened my eyes, still sleepy, and yawned. The face of Ms. Jackson filled my vision. My mind came back to the present. I had dreamed of Bianca. I still missed her.
"The wall's done," Ms. Jackson repeated.
"Ok," I said. I looked around and saw a dozen skeletons leaning against a wall. "Uh, you have served me well. You can leave now."
One of the skeletons nodded at me, and then they all walked out of the door and dissolved back into the dirt. Ms. Jackson stared at the spot they used to be. Mr. Blofis had a confused look on his face.
"I should be going," I said.
Ms. Jackson nodded. "Good luck."
"Thanks," I said. "I'll go find Percy."
"Thank you." She smiled at me.
"No problem. Percy's my friend. I have a plan." With that, I dove into the nearest shadow.
When I opened my eyes again, I was in the Underworld. I set my plan in action by sitting down on the hard, black rock and waiting.
Eventually, my pet hellhound, Raven, sensed my presence in the Underworld, and bounded over to me from wherever she was. Raven meant as much to me as Bianca. I would never doubt her for a second.
Raven leaped on top of me, and licked my face. Unfortunately, I wasn't a son of Poseidon, so the hellhound spit dripped all over my face.
"Hey, Raven." I grinned, wiping her saliva off my face.
Hey, chief.
The grin melted off my face. "How many times have I told you not to call me chief?"
Uh… A lot, chief.
I sighed. "You're impossible."
I swore I saw her smile.
Raven and Mrs. O'Leary were basically best friends, even if Percy didn't know Raven. They played with each other all the time, and even Cerberus would join sometimes. They had some sort of connection between them so that they always knew where the other was. I still didn't understand how it worked. But, I figured that Mrs. O'Leary would be with Percy, since I hadn't seen her around camp, and Raven could easily find her.
"Come on, Raven," I told her. "I've got a friend who ran away from camp. His name is Percy. Mrs. O'Leary is probably with him. Can you find her for me?"
Sure thing, chief. I'll need a nap later though.
I rolled my eyes and jumped onto her back. Raven ran into the nearest shadow. We came out of an identical shadow in a small alleyway in New York.
There was a fight going on.
A small figure, who was obviously Percy, was being attacked by so many monsters it looked like a small army. I could just make out what looked like a huge, truck-sized shadow pouncing on the other monsters. Mrs. O'Leary. And flying low in the sky, using his hooves to kick the enemy, was a Pegasus who could only be Blackjack.
Percy still had the Curse of Achilles, and none of the monsters had been lucky enough to find his Achilles Heal. But as I got closer, I could tell that he was having trouble. His swings were slow and sluggish. The monsters could dodge them almost easily. The Curse of Achilles was the only thing keeping him alive. He probably hadn't slept in days.
The monsters hadn't noticed me yet. The shadows were still around me, covering my demigod scent. But Percy needed help, even with Blackjack and Mrs. O'Leary. I uncovered my demigod scent, unsheathed my sword, and dove into battle. Raven, as tired as she was, followed me.
Immediately, the monsters turned their attention to me and attacked. Behind them, Percy dropped to the ground. Blackjack landed next to him. Mrs. O'Leary, recognizing Raven and I, jumped back into the fight.
I fought long enough for Percy to regain enough strength to help me in the battle. We stood together, back to back, in the middle of the monsters. Mrs. O'Leary stood in front of Raven, who was so exhausted she had finally fallen asleep, clawing and biting at any monsters that dared to close in on the sleeping hellhound. Blackjack was attacking from the sky again.
With Percy's help, in a matter of minutes, the monsters were all disintegrated. My energy level had depleted by almost half, but Percy was worse off. He was so tired he was swaying on his feet.
"Perce, you all right?" I asked.
He grinned at me sleepily. "Yeah, Death Boy, I'm perfectly fine, after being woken up from my first nap in two days by an attacking monster army." His expression turned serious. "Why'd you come, Nico?"
"I found your letter," I said.
Percy nodded. "Yeah, I know. I had a dream." He paused. "But why leave camp? You're welcome there."
"There isn't anything left for me," I explained. "Being a son of Hades is hard. My father hates me. The only reason he agreed to teach me was because Poseidon and Zeus were doing it too, and he didn't want to have the weakest kid. Everyone at camp is basically afraid of me. The only thing I ever go there for is capture the flag. And since you left, there's only James. He's not even a challenge. What do you want me to do? Go to the Underworld? I can't spend my life around the dead. I came to find you, Perce, and you'd better be fine with it, because I'm staying with you."
Percy grinned at me. "Ok," he said. "I'm fine with that. But can I take a nap first, before we do anything else?"
I smiled. "Sure. I'll keep watch."
Annabeth's POV (8:00 AM)
I woke up, refreshed, but still thinking about Percy's note. I reached under my pillow, fighting back tears, and felt the edges of the note. Percy…
A voice broke me out of my thoughts. "Annabeth?"
I blinked and looked around. Malcolm was standing in the doorway of our cabin. I forced a smile. "Yeah?"
"Chiron wants you in the Big House. You have a quest with James and Clarisse. They're all there, waiting for you."
This time, my grin was real. "Thanks, Malcolm."
He smiled at me. "Don't die."
"I won't. I've got James," I said.
For some reason, his smile dulled. "And Clarisse," he added bluntly.
"And Clarisse," I repeated, even though I thought James would be more helpful. "Tell Chiron I'm coming."
Malcolm nodded, and ran back outside. I quickly got dressed and followed him.
Clarisse, James, and Chiron were waiting for me when I got to the Big House. Chiron was in wheel-chair form. Clarisse had a bored look on her face and was twirling a dagger around her fingers. James was staring at a glass of water in front of him. His face was paler than usual. He noticed me, and grinned. I smiled back.
Chiron looked up. "Good morning, Annabeth. Good night's sleep?"
I nodded.
"Well, since we are all here, let's hear the prophecy, James," he said.
James nodded and recited the prophecy:
"You shall lead two others, go west to unite,
Protection shall follow, but only at night,
Arrival at camp, to be put to death,
A hero's decision, to save your last breath."
Clarisse was the first person to break the silence. "Well, it's not that bad." She was still twirling the dagger around her finger.
"It's not that bad?" I asked incredulously. "Arrival at camp, to be put to death. James could die."
"A hero's decision, to save your last breath," she countered. "Sounds like some hero is going to come and save him. Your boyfriend's fine." She snorted and muttered something about Percy. "Come on, let's just go."
"Yes," Chiron agreed. "You should get going on your quest. Argus is waiting on the top of Half-Blood Hill, next to Thalia's pine tree. He will give you a ride to the nearest bus stop, where you will be on your own."
Third Person POV (Olympus)
There were two more flashes of light, and then Zeus stood up. The council of Olympus had been assembled.
"All right, Apollo," said Zeus. "Tell us why you requested this council meeting so urgently."
Apollo nodded, sat up straighter in his throne, and swallowed. "The next Great Prophecy has been delivered."
Zeus sighed and sat back down. "Why is that so urgent that the council must meet immediately? The last Great Prophecy took nearly 70 years to complete. It won't be happening anytime soon. Why would you-?"
"Father," Apollo interrupted. "I know the prophecy. I think the first line has been fulfilled."
The throne room fell silent. Not a single argument broke out.
The only sound heard was Ares, picking at his fingernails with a dagger. But when the information sank into his head, he stopped. Dionysus, who had been slouching on his throne, a glass of wine clutched in his hand, turned pale and immediately gave Apollo his full attention. Athena looked lost in thought, but then again, she always did. Poseidon and Hades glanced at each other, and let worried looks onto their faces. Was one of their children going to be the Child of the Great Prophecy?
Zeus fingered his Master Bolt. A hint of fear crept into his eyes. Was there going to be a third Titan war, so soon after the second Titan war?
"Are you sure?" he asked.
Apollo nodded silently.
"How did you know about the prophecy?"
"I'm the god of prophecies. My Oracle doesn't tell one without my noticing, especially not one as powerful as a Great Prophecy."
The throne room was silent again. And then Athena asked the one question that was on everyone's mind.
"What was the prophecy?"
Apollo opened his mouth. But instead of words, green mist poured out, and Apollo's eyes glowed faintly green. The Olympians backed up on their thrones, not knowing what had happened to Apollo. When he spoke, his voice was deeper and layered with at least three other voices.
"A camper is lost who shall never return,
To find the hero, the camp must learn,
Son of the titan's secret revealed,
The bond that is broken can never be healed,
Daughter of wisdom must choose her own path,
Either shall teach her to fear the sea's wrath,
In the midst of betrayal love conquers all,
And help will be needed or Olympus shall fall."
With that, Apollo collapsed on his throne.
As the gods glanced at each other, Apollo sat up again and said, "The prophecy was: A camper is lost-"
"We already heard the prophecy," snapped Athena. "You do not need to repeat it again."
Apollo looked confused. "You heard the prophecy already? I don't remember telling you. You just asked me for it, I tried to give it to you, and then you told me to stop."
"The Oracle spoke out of you," said Athena. "Has that not happened to you before?"
"I don't think so…" said Apollo.
"Some sort of sign…" muttered Athena, her mind obviously searching for explanations.
"What does the prophecy mean?" Zeus asked his daughter, breaking the short silence.
"I don't know for sure," muttered Athena. "I'll need some time to figure it all out, but I can guess some of it."
"Yeah," interrupted Apollo, ignoring Athena's glare of annoyance. "A camper is lost who shall never return. That has to be Percy, right?"
The gods and goddesses all nodded, except Athena. "Yes," she said. "That is a possibility. But prophecies are almost never clear. We thought Percy would be the hero who dies in the last Great Prophecy." She looked at Poseidon. "It was Luke."
"No, it was definitely Percy," said Apollo. "Do you even know why he left?"
"Yes." Athena sighed. "My daughter found the son of Barnacle Beard here cheating on her, and she left him. He was heartbroken, even though he cheated on her, so he left."
"That's not what really happened. I really thought you'd be smarter than that, Athena," said Apollo. "Another camper kissed Percy against his will. Annabeth saw and, for once, didn't use her brain."
A huge grin broke out on Hermes's face. "I knew he wouldn't do that!"
Meanwhile, Athena's face broke out in a scowl. "You can't prove that! You made that up! A daughter of mine would never lie!"
"I'm the god of truth. I would know." Athena opened her mouth, but Apollo talked right over her. "You want proof? I'll show you!" He looked at Hephaestus. "Can you get us a TV?"
Hephaestus nodded. "Sure." He snapped his fingers and a large, ten-foot wide flat-screen TV rose out of the floor.
Apollo snapped his fingers almost lazily, and the Olympians watched as Percy headed out of the dining pavilion. He turned around and said something to someone behind him. The video zoomed out enough to see the camper he was talking to.
The gods and goddesses watched with dread as she suddenly ran forwards and smashed her lips against his. They watched as the Savior of Olympus vainly tried to separate himself from her. As they realized how wrong they were about their hero, the video zoomed out more to reveal a blond-haired girl with stormy grey eyes watching the scene in front of her and sobbing. And as another black-haired, green-eyed boy moved to comfort her, she turned and ran away.
"Annabeth… No… Why didn't you try to see what was really happening?" Athena whispered, almost whimpering.
The video faded to black, and the words "Ten minutes later…" came into view. After a couple of seconds, the words blurred, and the video cleared. Now the Olympians saw Percy sitting on the beach, watching Poseidon talk with Athena. They heard the entire conversation, and watched as Percy slashed Riptide through the Iris Message.
Poseidon's hands clutched the arms of his throne, eyes wide with realization. A tear made its way down his face. He couldn't remember how he ever thought James were special. "I'm sorry, Percy…"
Finally, the scene changed to show Percy flying away from camp on the back of a black Pegasus.
Poseidon and Athena both slumped down on their thrones. Apollo smirked, and Hermes's grin grew wider. It wasn't every day the goddess of wisdom was outsmarted.
"I should go down to the camp," said Apollo. "To find the hero, the camp must learn. They have to know the truth, including Annabeth." He spat the name out.
"No," said Athena. Her voice had gotten stronger. "Annabeth is on her quest. If you tell her, she will get too distracted."
"Fine," said Apollo. "Well, the third and fourth lines are harder to understand. The fifth and sixth are probably about Percy and Annabeth. The line after that-"
"In the midst of betrayal love conquers all!" squealed Aphrodite.
"Yes," said Athena. "That is harder to comprehend. The love could be anyone's. But it is the last line that worries me most. And help will be needed or Olympus shall fall. We are going to need help. That much is obvious. Could it be the camps?"
"Let's give the prophecy to the camp," said Zeus. "Tell Chiron. Your children can work on finding out what it means, Athena."
"I will continue to ponder the Great Prophecy, as will my children, Father," Athena said. "I will notify you when we have something."
Zeus nodded, smiling at Athena. "I know you will figure it out." He turned to Hermes. "Hermes, go down to Camp Half-Blood and tell them about the Great Prophecy."
Hermes pouted. "Can't Dionysus do it? He's the camp director."
Zeus nodded again. "Dionysus, get to Camp Half-Blood and tell them the prophecy."
"Fine," Dionysus grumbled. He snapped his fingers and disappeared, leaving behind only the scent of grapes.
"Council dismissed."
AN: Thanks for reading, guys! Keep voting, it's not over yet! I'm pretty sure the pairing for Percy is down to Zoe, Hestia (which I'm probably not going to do, sorry), Clarisse, Bianca, and an OC. And the evil Annabeth one can be compromised. (Should I make a poll for this on my profile?)
Sorry for not updating as fast as usual. There's been a lot of stuff happening, and I can't find time every day to write. And I've been reading the Mark of Athena. It's really good. If you haven't read it, go read it. Eh, now you're listening to all my excuses… Never mind. I promise to try to update faster.
And well? Like this chapter? :D