Annabeth: Preparing the campers for the inevitable
Chiron called an emergency meeting that I had to attend to just a few days after the incident with the scouting party. The meeting was simple enough with only the cabin counselors brought and boy was I in for a surprise. Chiron told me to tell them about the incident with the scouting party and the fact that a few had escaped. "At this moment, I do not know if the survivors of the scouting party made it back to Orthys but since it has only been a few days since the incident I have confidence that it is not the case," I said in a brief but understandable report.
"Well that's just great brainiac, how are we going to prevent the Titans from taking over Camp Half-Blood if they decide to mount a full-scale war?" Clarisse of the Ares cabin asked. "According to a dream that I had, the recruits are not yet confident of their skills and must be tested before Prometheus and his brothers can carry out any assault on this facility," I answered. I remembered that dream very well since Atlas was unusually disquieted by the lack of training in the soldiers they were using. "Let's hope they haven't laid their hands on a weapon that could help them through our walls if they attacked," Drew of the Aphrodite cabin said.
"Drew, don't you be worrying about that when you don't even know how to use a knife to cut food. You're no warrior, you're just a laid-back coward who seduces boys to her bed when she chooses," Clarisse said. "Is that a challenge because I have enough power to take you down?" Drew asked. "Oh what, you're going to put makeup all over me and dress me up?" Clarisse snapped.
"Enough both of you, this is exactly what I do not want us doing when the Titans come marching on our doorstep! Stop this immediately or I will find replacement counselors for both of you," Chiron ordered. Clarisse was quick to back down but Drew insisted on looking very spiteful and vowed silently that Clarisse would pay dearly. She even vowed that she would get Clarisse the moment this war ended and they didn't have to work together.
"Annabeth, what do you suggest we do between preparing for war and waiting for them to come to us?" Chiron asked. "I suggest both, prepare for war in a way where when they come we will destroy them. The way I have seen bigger armies being taken down throughout history is that they were brought on the domain of the smaller enemy," I answered. "Please explain that in a manner we can all understand what you're saying," Clarisse said.
"Let me put it this way: in chess, the pawns go first. Our pawns go first to lure in the enemy then our stronger forces unite with them to destroy the Titan forces," I replied. "Are you suggesting that we put the new arrivals and all the children of the minor gods first then bring in our stronger ones?" Drew asked, surprised. "By the time they realize that they are fighting stronger demigods than they thought they were, it will be too late for them to escape," I explained.
"Don't worry, you're not going to be put on the spotlight just yet. Besides, we can't have all of our cabins fighting," Chiron assured her. "That is correct and I was thinking of it this way: everybody has a function whether for combat or not. In the case of the Aphrodite cabin, their purpose would be to deliver supplies to certain rendezvous points," I explained.
"Then what about the Hermes kids? They would certainly be faster than the Aphrodite cabin members in that case," Travis Stoll of Hermes asked me. "You would be better for espionage, messaging, and stealing items from the enemy. On top of that you can each hold your own against enemy soldiers if you were caught for a short period of time besides, the Aphrodite kids need a purpose even if it's a lazy one," I answered.
"Wouldn't the Hypnos kids be good for an espionage mission since they don't even have to go behind enemy lines to spy on them?" Amy Delgado of the Hypnos cabin asked. "You would be good for espionage in the sense that you can hear entire conversations but sometimes, we don't need conversations but items," I assured her. "Then I will have my fellow campers be sure to do the best they can on that end," Amy said. I nodded to her then Drew asked what the Aphrodite kids would be doing.
"Let's just say we'll have you put to work delivering supplies to the Asclepius children when they need medications to hand the wounded and/or infected. I will also be needing your assistance in bringing food and beverages to tired soldiers that can't reach the pavilion such as those who are assigned to the sentry posts," I explained. "That is certainly better than being asked to pick up a sword and slay monsters thus ruin your makeup, right?" Chiron asked Drew. Most of the cabin leaders, including myself, laughed at that comment because for once Chiron had the joke and not a Hermes kid.
"Morpheus forgives the mistreatment of the greater gods and will allow his children to fight for you," Jose the leader of the Morpheus cabin swore. "Nemesis, goddess of revenge, has consented to her children fighting for you!" Karen of the Nemesis cabin agreed. We heard oaths made on the River Styx until all of our new arrivals agreed to fight with us when the time came to fight. "Then let us prepare for the battle for Camp Half-Blood, we're at war with the Titans," I said.
"Spears and shields would be nice for us," Karen said. "Katanas are our specialties," Jose said. "I will have the Hephaestus kids on it as soon as possible," I replied to both of them. "The Hecate cabin would like to have guns if possible and make those shotguns, it is a good backup when our magic fails," Lou Ellen of the Hecate cabin said. "I will have a box established by the Hephaestus cabin where you can write your requests," I assured her.
"If this is the case, I'm going to look at the box at the end of each day during the preparations. I am pretty sure I will get some incredible requests that will surely challenge the Hephaestus cabin," Jake Mason, the leader of the cabin, said. "Pray to your father that you'll have the manpower and skill to fulfill every request," I agreed. "With preparations underway, I declare that (both in the absence and the presence of Gabriel, Percy, Thalia, and Nico) Annabeth shall be Supervising General and Supreme Strategist of the preparations for our new war with the remaining Titans of Kronos," Chiron shouted.
I was surprised to hear that but then yet again, I was the one coming up with the ideas for the war preparations. "She, Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo, and Thalia Grace will be of equal power. However, for Gabriel I am making him my equal: Supreme General of Camp Half-Blood's mobilizing armies," Chiron added. He concluded by saying that Percy, Nico, Thalia and I answered to him and Gabriel.
"Mr. Chiron before the meeting is dismissed, I would like to ask why Gabriel gets such a prestigious position when he hasn't even been here a full year. I don't doubt that his lineage, which is mutual to yours, counts but besides that why?" Drew asked. At first, Chiron hesitated and I guessed it was because he was at a temporary loss for words since he never saw it coming. "He's dealt with entire armies by himself before and has even killed at least four Titans, I figured his experience would deserve a prestigious position in this camp," Chiron answered.
Murmurs flew throughout the entire meeting room and such comments as "He's a god-slayer?" and "He's killed gods? I thought gods were immortal and could not die" went around. To pacify their need for answers, Chiron ordered them to silence and asked me to explain the logic behind it. At first, I had my moment to lose my train of thought but then it came to me quickly. "Killing a god is possible, it's just incredibly hard to do for those that don't know how," I began.
"You mean to tell us there's a certain way to kill a god?" Clarisse asked, excited by the idea. "It's not that there's a certain way, it's that it usually requires a lot of power to be able to kill a god. Though the Olympians are superior, the Titans by themselves are not to be underestimated when one intends to go to combat with them. Yes the gods are immortal however, they are not invincible," I answered.
Everyone, including Chiron, listened in silence as I explained what I meant. "Immortality means that no natural means of death can affect you such as old age or disease. However, invincibility means you cannot be killed by weapons, poisons, and other unnatural means of death. To top it all off, the gods are just… physical incarnations of a magic that we mortals can never destroy: the magic of the universe," I explained.
"Annabeth is right even if a god is destroyed, their essence continually exists as part of the magic of the universe. That extends to any immortal including myself so technically, we too have an afterlife just like mortals," Chiron added. "That explains a lot and it sure does explain how the heck the Titan Krios might have disappeared with the fall of Mount Orthys," Will Solace said. Everyone agreed with nods of affirmation and also thought that it made sense.
"Yes, Gabriel is a God-slayer but only when he needs to be such as when he fights Prometheus for instance. Another instance is when he slew Hyperion as a test of his abilities for us before we had him brought here," Chiron added. Everyone was taken by surprise and many asked Chiron how it was possible for Hyperion to escape the prison that Grover had created. "It's a long story but in the end, Gabriel silenced him and that was the end of any rebellion from Hyperion," Chiron replied.
"Enough talk, the more we talk the more time we give them to attack us. Let us begin preparations by first adjourning this meeting," I ordered. Chiron agreed and adjourned the meeting for us to begin preparations for Prometheus' inevitable assault on our camp. "I'll have a box ready to accept requests shortly Annabeth, count on it having to be emptied at least twice," Jake said.
"Believe me, I'm not worried about that. All I'm worried is if you have the manpower and the skills for such tasks as what may be requested of you," I told him. "By the gods, you worry too much for just us. Why not worry instead for whether or not the Aphrodite children will even do their part?" Jake asked.
I snorted in agreement and told him that perhaps that was better. "Or better yet, why not pray to the gods that Gabriel, Percy, Thalia, and Nico will succeed in their forcible entry of Mount Orthys?" Jake asked. "That I will most definitely do because if they don't succeed, the retaliation of the Titans will be brutal, savage, and without mercy," I answered. "Good luck on getting at least your mother to listen, you know how the gods can be sometimes," Jake said and I nodded.
I watched as he then walked back to his cabin and I was amazed he was even walking. Because for one thing, he was wearing a full body cast thanks to burns from our mechanical dragon Festus for crying out loud! Believe me, that was enough to make even Chiron wonder how he was still able to move around as though it was no big deal. Then Katie and Miranda Gardiner came up to me and asked what they could do to help with the war efforts.
"I think you will be most useful creating food for us just in case strawberries and the pavilion food are not enough. In fact, come to think of it, you would be most useful as cooks since you do have the ability to grow and manipulate plants plus your mother is the goddess of agriculture," I said. "I will have my fellow cabin members begin work as soon as possible," Miranda said. "Is that what you want, for us to start ASAP?" Katie asked.
I nodded and they ran off to tell their cabin members what they would be doing. Castor of the Dionysus cabin also asked me what he could do for the camp and I told him that created healthy beverages and growing more strawberries would definitely help the cause. "I'll be sure to have my cabin members begin their duties and also may I add that they will have to defend the fields if the Titans get through the walls?" he asked. I nodded and he thanked me before running off to inform his own cabin members of their responsibilities for the assault from Prometheus. When I finally arrived at my cabin, I must have had at least six cabin counselors ask me what they could do to help and my brain was just too fried to do anymore.
I lied down on my bed and that was when Malcolm had returned from one of his chores. "Hey sis, you awake?" he asked. I told him I was and asked him what it was he wanted to tell or ask me. "Between you and me, I just received a private Iris message from Percy Jackson while you were in the meeting," he told me.
"What did he have to tell me?" I asked. "He told me that he was about to lead the first assault on Mount Orthys and Nico had been knocked unconscious in the process of bringing up an army but in case he died, he wanted you to know he loves you very much and thinks of you a lot," he answered. I thought about that and admitted that I found it very sweet and comforting to know he was alive. "Did Gabriel have anything to say before the Iris message disconnected?" I inquired.
"Just to have the campers ready for battle as soon as possible, regardless of the success or failure of the mission to steal the Sky Sword and defeat Ouranos. Thalia wished you luck and preparing us for our renewed war with the Titans and wished she could be here to help you now," Malcolm explained. "Did you tell them that I said thanks and that I wished them luck?" I asked. "That was the first thing I did just before I lost contact with them on the Iris message," he answered with a nod.
Hopefully Seaweed Brain comes through, Thalia and Nico too. As for Gabriel, I not only hope he makes it but that he has the Sky Sword in his possession when they return I thought to myself. But then, Gabriel sparked other thoughts in me like how he had changed the whole feel of the Camp ever since he arrived. Just one visit was enough to change everything besides Drew's sexual status of course.
I wondered what it was about him besides his past that brought about that special aura he always brought in. By the time I fell asleep, I was inconclusive about anything and decided that for now it was best if it stayed that way and I could solve it later.