July 13, 2020

Camp Half-Blood:
Dining Pavilion

It was at any given moment in that morning that I realized how terribly my life sucked. Had it been when I was taking orders from Hades? I couldn't doubt it. Perhaps when I had nearly scared Annabeth into the lake; how should I know? But I had realized it, I had despised, and then I had accepted. This was the life chosen for me, laid out, and a note left to the side with all the rules and regulations that guided and restricted me.

Life was an unfair test that you had to go through to discover who you are and your purpose.

Mine had been simply to save Olympus the one time by being brave enough to hand over my knife to a guy I no longer trusted—or was it stupidity? Now, it was to steal and guide and protect. I was the modern day Robin Hood.

The way Chiron was looking at me made me feel like he was trying to be kind but he honestly didn't want me there at camp. I couldn't disagree; I hardly wanted to be there. But the feelings that came with camp were worth the world to me.

And a problem with technical deaths and arrivals was separation. I could feel and see the distance between Annabeth and I. She had drawn a line around her and built up those walls that so many discussed. They were the means of protection for a heart, and I didn't enjoy appearing in front of her only to find the door locked. The bridge was up, the gators snapping. No way good a prince ever reach the tower.

I rubbed the back of my neck and left my hand in place as my eyes met Annabeth's. She didn't except my arrival or my existence. The way she looked at me, all I had was the one chance and she was done. Grover, on the other hand, was nearly jumping for joy, trying to restrain himself. I could feel his leg twitch, causing mine to, also.

"Percy," Chiron's arm reached out towards me. "Care to join me in the Big House?"

I looked around at my fellow campers and caught a sudden strange chill running down my spine. Everyone, all the people I had grown and fought with, were grown. All but myself; they had become young adults. Even the Stoll brothers stood calmly in front of their seats, watching me. And I was still the age that I had left, or so I appeared. I was mentally older, but my physical body was trapped down at the younger age. I was the little kid to all of them now.

I nodded but refused to be guided to a place I had been at least a thousand times. I walked behind the centaur, quietly studying the ground below my feet. As we walked, I picked up and listened to the sound of gentle feet padding along behind me. I clenched my jaw to keep from laughing, amused that Annabeth still thought she could follow without my noticing. I knew her too well to know she would do something whether I liked it or not, though I didn't mind this time.

I evened my pace with Chiron and we walked the stairs together, not talking, not paying the other any attention. He motioned toward the old card table and I hesitantly sat in Mr. D's seat as Chiron compacted himself into the small box on the magical wheelchair. He was so easily bound to confinement, and I started thinking deeper in my life, as I seemed to do often.

He studied my face before asking me what happened to me.

I contemplated telling him; I trusted the old horse considerably more than I trusted Annabeth, which was saying a lot. I… adored Annabeth. Trust was necessary between us. We had trusted each other with our lives, our secrets.

And so began my telling of the night I was stolen up until my most recent, horrible task of whisking away a young girl in her sleep. She was not yet five years old. I did, however, avoid stating my current mission, knowing my victim was in the hearing vicinity.

Chiron's face, thousand-year old eyes, said everything. He was disbelieving; he'd never heard of such a creature. It was true it was kept well under wraps, but it was also something you had to become before learning of. Some couldn't comprehend the thought unless the experience was theirs to share. I waited silently for him to respond.

"You will not be with us long, I assume," he said and I could hear the grief in his tone.

"Two weeks," I agreed. No, it wasn't long to be able to catch up with everybody. Unfortunately, it was enough time to adjust to the life style before I had to leave it behind again.

"Well," Chiron leaned back in his chair and rubbed a hand over his eyes. "What brings you here now? Is it a task I've been dreading?"

I started to nod before I caught his words. "You've been dreading?"

"Oh, yes, of course," he told me, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. "I sense when something is either about to go terribly wrong or terribly right. But this is not something that I enjoy currently, so I would assume…"

I pursed my lips and rubbed my face with my hands, so unfamiliar and comfortable. "Yeah, it is. Please… don't ask what. Just… please don't." But I knew I hadn't given the target up, the very second I made the plea. Chiron's face was solemn and he stared at the table.

"Very well," he cleared his throat. "When do you plan on taking action?"

I was surprised, confused even. Chiron was allowing me to take one of his campers without a fight. Why? Was it for fear of interfering with the god of the Underworld's business? Or was he just too tired to try and fight something so terrible?

"I was holding off for as long as possible," I confided.

He shook his head and met my eyes. "Percy, it may seem like a nice idea, spending time with old friends while you can. But believe me you, when you've become reattached, it'll be too late. You won't be able to do as you're told. What would be the consequences?"

Eternal damnation in the Fields of Punishment; the deepest circle reserved for failures while working for Hades. I started to believe Annabeth was worth that risk, but I hurriedly ripped that thought from my mind. I couldn't survive a second stuck there, knowing I'd never see Annabeth again. Because, once you were there, you didn't get that second chance at life.

I decided not to answer his question, which only made him jump to a conclusion. "Is that worth it?" He asked me, and I became aware that he was striving for the best thing for me, because he really did care. My disappearance had struck him as hard, but he lived with these deaths every day. So, how could I bring more of that?

"I think," I paused to consider my words. "I just want a little time being me. This isn't about her right now. I've missed so much already. You know I forgot my own name?" I asked, keeping an even tone for as long as possible. I was stressing this point to the area of no return. He needed to understand.

"Percy Jackson, you will never forget who you were or your old life, will you?" He asked just as even. I knew he was right. I didn't openly admit, but it was true. I knew I was the Hero of Olympus and I had once… dated a beautiful, intelligent, independent girl named Annabeth. But it was painful remembering all that I had. I'd have rather remembered my name then all of the things finally going right in my life.

"I'm technically still alive," I told mostly myself. Chiron rested his elbow on the arm of his chair and rubbed his fingers as I spoke. "I was never stolen; I'm not dead. Not yet."

He appeared satisfied for the time being.

That was the moment I felt the old porch tremble and footsteps bounced off of it, taking the step, all of them at a time, and was gone into a full sprint. I didn't know if she had caught on, but I couldn't just ask her about it.

Suggest, guys. I'm not even asking for reviews, just suggest to friends and your readers if you think this story is even okay. Don't comment on how lame that makes me; it's late where I am and I'm not thinking too clearly right now.