Balancing Act Chapter 19, a percy jackson and the olympians fanfic

"A half-blood of the eldest god,

Shall reach sixteen in total awe,

And see the world in endless sleep,

The hero's soul, blessed blade shall reap,

A single choice shall end his days,

Olympus to preserve or raze."

Percy woke up with a loud groan. Every joint in his body spasmed with pain. He tried to open his eyes but the pain was too unbearable. He fell back against a soft pillow and felt a cool, wet towel get put on his forehead. He forced his eyes to open. His eyesight was blurry but he saw a flash of silver before he had to close his eyes once more.

"Percy."

He heard a whisper beside him and opened his eyes once more. This time he could see clearly. Artemis sat by his side, her eyes and nose red from her obvious tears.

"Artemis," he whispered out.

She put a finger to his lips. "Shh, my love," she whispered back. "I just had to make sure you were alright."

Percy groaned and forced himself to sit up. He looked around at his surroundings. "Infirmary again?" he asked.

Artemis nodded and put a hand on his cheek.

"You've been asleep for several hours."

Percy paled. He tried to get out of bed but Artemis stopped him. Before he could say anything she went to the door and opened it. Percy groaned when the hunters rushed into the room followed by Thalia. When Zoe and Phoebe reached his side, they both punched him hard on the shoulder. He grimaced in pain.

"What was that for?" he hissed. Instead of responding they just smiled. He looked at all of the hunters. "How long has it been since we've seen each other?"

Artemis glared at him. "A year, Percy. You've been gone for an entire fucking year," she said.

"Are you kidding?" he asked, eyes wide. The girls shook their heads. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know!"

Artemis sighed and sat on the bed next to him. She pulled him into a hug.

"I know. We were just worried."

Zoe coughed loudly. "Speak for yourself, milady. You were the one that was worried. We knew Percy here wouldn't risk his life not coming back." She grinned at Percy who rolled his eyes but smiled. Artemis laughed and nodded.

"I promised I would come back didn't I? Well here I am!" Percy looked behind the hunters to where Thalia stood awkwardly. Percy frowned. "Thals, you ok?"

The hunters moved to the side so Thalia could see her friend. She shook her head and sat down on the other side of Percy. He tried to put an arm around her but was met with a jolt of electricity.

"Ow!" he cried out clutching his side. "What was that for?"

Thalia glared at him.

"I thought you died, Percy!"

He looked at her confused.

"I'm right here, Thals." He paused looking at her. "I've almost died many times. What makes this time so different?"

Thalia broke down in tears and put her head on his shoulder. Artemis smiled sadly at the girl and motioned for the hunters to leave. When all the others had left, Thalia lifted her head. Her eyes were red from her tears.

"Bianca died, Percy," she whispered. Percy froze, his eyes widening in shock.

"H-how?" he asked. Thalia shook her head.

"She was killed during the battle."

Percy felt his own tears coming to his eyes. It took a few moments for them to calm down, but finally they did.

"Thalia, I need to ask you something."

Thalia shook her head. "I accept Perce."

Percy frowned.

"You don't even know what I was going to ask."

"Actually she does," said Artemis. "I already asked her."

Percy's eyes in surprise. He turned back to Thalia and jumped off the bed, ignoring his pain. He pulled Thalia off the bed and began dancing and jumping causing the two girls to laugh. He stopped, breathless, and pulled Thalia into a hug.

"I'm so happy, Thals!"

Thalia smiled and hugged him back before she stood back and frowned. Percy cocked his head. "What's wrong?"

"Does this mean I have to listen to you now?" she asked with a playful look of mock disgust. Artemis laughed at Percy's disgruntled look.

"Of course not," she said. "He's merely here for his looks. I'm the one that's in charge."

Percy scowled before he smirked. "So you admit I have good looks?"

Artemis snorted. "Don't let it get to your head, oh god of humility."

"So what's the plan? Do we know what the Titan's are up to?" asked Percy bringing them to the important matter at hand. Artemis frowned.

"Let's head over to the Big House," she said. Percy nodded and put on his watch. He followed the two girls out of the infirmary. Outside he found that the battle had taken a massive toll on the camp. Pan and the satyrs and nymphs were working tirelessly with the Hephaestus cabin fixing all of the damage. Chiron had put out more patrols, and guards stood at every entrance to the camp. The guards bowed to Artemis and Percy as they past while keeping their eyes fixated in front of them. Percy was incredibly impressed.

The Big House was hardly affected by the battle and several guards stood around it. The three walked inside and found the camp counselors as well as Chiron sitting at a newly fitted oak table. Maps and diagrams were strewn across the table, with markings for possible Titan locations. Chiron noticed them walk in waved in greeting. The counselors immediately stood and bowed. Percy scowled at them.

"Quit your bowing. I'm not your master," he said. He pulled out three chairs for them to sit on. Once they had taken their seats, the other demigods sat as well. "Tell me what's going on."

Chiron rolled in his wheel chair over to one of the maps. It showed the entire eastern half of the United States.

"We believe that the Titans are holed up here," he said pointing up in the Great Lakes area. "We've sent spies into their camp, and they've reported that the Titans are preparing for something huge. They haven't been able to find out what exactly."

Percy nodded.

"We also have reason to believe that Ethan Nakamura survived the Labyrinth," said Malcolm. "Annabeth is believed to be K.I.A."

Percy growled. Artemis grabbed his hand to calm him. He sent her a thankful smile.

"What all has happened since the battle?" he asked.

"We're not sure. It's only been a few hours, and our spies have not reported back. Unfortunately, two of them were killed by our forces during the battle." Chiron looked at Percy. "We need more man power. We cannot hope to fight against the Titans by ourselves. We took too many loses."

"How many did we lose?" The room grew incredibly somber.

"Over half," said Chiron softly. "Nearly the entire Aphrodite cabin was killed." Selina began weeping loudly. Clarisse patted the girls back trying in vain to calm her.

"Di Immortales," cursed Percy. "Where can we get more demigods?" Suddenly his eyes flashed and he clutched his head in pain. Artemis leaped from her chair and cupped his cheeks.

"Percy!" she cried out. "Are you okay?" The other campers jumped to their feet, ready to help if needed. Percy moaned but finally opened his eyes.

"Sorry about that," he told everyone. "I'm alright. Just getting back some more memories is all." He looked at Chiron and Artemis. "We need to have a private meeting."

Chiron nodded and motioned for everyone to leave. Thalia looked to Artemis for permission.

"Go, find the hunters. Get them ready to leave camp." Thalia nodded and left the Big House. With everyone gone Percy grabbed one of the maps of the entire country and put it in front of Chiron. Artemis stayed in her seat.

"Look right here," he said pointing just below San Francisco Bay in California. Chiron narrowed his eyes.

"Why are you showing me California?" he asked.

"Do you remember Rome, Chiron?" The centaur's eyes widened in surprise.

"I swore on the River Styx never to speak of it again," he said. Percy nodded.

"You don't need to. But that is the only place we will be able to find more demigods."

Chiron looked over at Artemis who nodded. He sighed.

"How will we combine our forces? The Romans don't exactly trust us."

Percy smirked.

"Leave it to me and Arty over here," he said. Artemis scowled at the nickname. "We'll make sure the Romans behave themselves."

Chiron nodded and smiled, shaking his head.

"When will you leave?"

Percy looked to Artemis who shrugged.

"Today," he said finally. "I will go with the hunters to California. I'll Iris message you if and when we succeed."

Chiron nodded.

"Good luck, Gabriel." With that, Artemis and Percy left the Big House. It took them a moment to navigate through the maze of barricades the camp had constructed. Finally, they arrived at the arena where the hunters stood talking amongst themselves. When they noticed Percy and Artemis they all stopped and began smirking at Percy.

"What?" asked Percy, completely unnerved. Their smirks grew more profound.

"Oh nothing," said Rachel. "We just have our ways of making sure you know not to leave again."

Percy paled and began walking backwards slowly. He lifted his hands up in protest.

"Now, now let's be reasonable," he said. "No one needs to be hurt." Artemis snorted and grabbed him by his shirt collar.

"Oh don't be such a baby," she said with a hint of amusement. "They're just going to have some fun." Percy yanked free and shook his head adamantly.

"No! Last time they 'had some fun' I ended up covered in bruises and laying in a lake! I'm not doing that again!" Everyone laughed at his plight.

"Fine," said Artemis. "But we won't make things easy for you."

"Like you ever did," grumbled Percy under his breath.

"What was that?" asked Artemis sweetly. Percy just shook his head. Artemis smirked triumphantly and turned to the hunters. "Alright girls get your things together. We have a big journey to make." The girls looked confused.

"Aren't we staying here to help the camp?" asked Atalanta. Percy shook his head.

"The campers lost over half of its forces. There is no way we can defend Olympus by ourselves. We need more troops," he said. The girls cocked their heads at him. "We need to go to San Francisco again."

Phoebe, Zoe, and Atalanta's eyes widened in shock. The others just looked even more confused.

"Why are we going to California?" asked Rachel. Percy smiled fondly. She had obviously found her place among the hunters while he was gone.

"I'll explain everything after we leave and make camp later tonight," he told her. The hunters did not seem happy at not being let in on what was happening, but they listened and quickly got their things together. With military precision they had their bags and tents packed and ready to go. They made their way out of camp.

They made their way across New York into Pennsylvania where Artemis conjured up a charter bus for them to ride comfortably. Zoe sat next to Artemis in the passenger's seat so they could go over the plans. Percy sat in the back with the rest of the girls.

"Why are we going to California, Perce?" asked the hunters. He sat himself down in one of the seats and leaned the chair back. He really hadn't had a chance to rest since he had left for the Labyrinth apparently a year ago. Geez, he thought. That makes me fifteen! Suddenly thoughts of the prophecy from his dreams came to his mind. He opened his eyes and looked at the hunters who were staring at him intently.

"Have any of you ever wondered why it was the Greek gods that survived through history? Even though Rome defeated Greece and took over their pantheon?" he asked them. They looked at each other confused. Obviously none of them had ever thought of that. "Exactly. Well let me let you girls in on a little secret." He leaned forward with a smile. "The Greek gods aren't alone. They have Roman aspects too."

The hunters gasped and looked to the front where Artemis was riding with Zoe. Percy nodded.

"She is also Lady Diana. The reason the gods remain in their Greek forms so often is because they are more compassionate as Greeks."

The hunters stared at him in wonder.

"What about you? Do you have a Roman aspect?" asked one of the hunters. Percy shook his head.

"I left Olympus and went on my own before Rome took over. I was never brought into their pantheon. I doubt any of them truly know who I am," he said. He didn't care however; he still had played a major role in Rome's founding… as well as in their taking over of Greece. All good things must come to an end after all. The hunters nodded.

"So do the Roman gods have demigods as well? Is that where we're going?" asked Rachel. Percy nodded, smiling at her induction.

"Yep," he said. "We are headed for Camp Jupiter. I'll warn you girls, though. The Romans do not like Greeks in the least. The last time Romans and Greeks met each other the United States was torn in Civil War." The hunters's eyes widened in shock but they nodded.

"So who do we tell them we are?" asked another hunter. Percy nodded.

"Good question. You are all the hunters of Diana. She is good friends with the camp director as am I. She will make sure that the Romans at least hear us out."

"So what's the plan, Perce?" asked Phoebe. Percy shook his head.

"I'll let you girls know later when we get closer. For now just get some rest."

[LINEBREAK]

Kronos growled and paced the room. He hated this body. Hated his weakness. Hated those blasted campers. Hated him. Everything had been going perfect. Years of planning and gathering up enough strength to transfer his being into another body had failed when he had showed up. He didn't even have his familiar scythe with him. He had to rely on the blasted demigods celestial bronze sword.

A low humming noise came from the back of the room. He whirled around and paled. He bowed as low as he could in the new body. It was going to take some getting used to.

"Have you done as I asked?" came a raspy voice. Kronos nodded but dared not look up.

"Yes, you're worship. But the campers were ready. They pushed our forces back and managed to destroy the Labyrinth. We lost nearly all of our attacking troops." The air grew painfully cold. Kronos suddenly felt empathy for what Ethan must have endured in his presence.

"You failed me then?" Kronos rose to his full height, his eyes burning golden with anger.

"I could not interfere. I was not at my full strength. I had to make it out of the Labyrinth before it collapsed," he said. Suddenly he felt the room begin to shake. The ground shifted beneath him and he stumbled to his knees.

"You had one responsibility, Kronos. I will not hesitate in finding another to take your place." Kronos glared at the voice's origin.

"I'll finish my job. I'll make sure that the campers are weak. You'll have your revenge. Just make sure you keep your end of the bargain."

"Do not test me, Titan. Make sure you do not fall to that wretched… thing."

Kronos nodded. "You have my word." With that the room returned to normal. Kronos let out a loud sigh before glaring once more and returning to his duties. He had a certain son of his to disembowel.

[LINEBREAK]

The hunters rode for days on the bus. Percy began banging his head against the window trying to drown out the sound of teenage girls singing along to the radio. Sadly, it didn't help. He groaned.

"What's wrong, Golden Boy?" asked Thalia plopping into the seat next to him. He glared at her.

"I'm not sure how much more of this I can take," he hissed. He hadn't slept in three days. "I swear if I hear one more song…" suddenly the girls began singing loudly again. He yelled into the seat in front of him. Thalia smirked.

"Oh get over yourself," she said. He twisted his head to glare at her. She laughed and went back to her original seat. Percy looked out the window and saw that they were reaching Colorado Springs. Damn Artemis drives fast, he thought to himself. The mountains came quickly into view and soon they were driving at an incredibly high altitude. Percy looked down and paled.

"Uh, Artemis! Shouldn't you take it easy up here?" he asked worried. Artemis just laughed.

"Just sit back and relax, we'll be fine."

That was just what he wasn't going to do. Percy clutched the seat in front of him for dear life. After several minutes and still nothing bad happening, he finally relaxed his grip. It turned out to be a terrible mistake. He looked out the opposite window and paled. A giant stone was hurdling down the mountain towards them.

"Artemis! Watch out!" he cried out but it was too late. The stone hit the bus flinging it off the cliff. Percy had no time to react and the bus crashed into a ravine. The hunters were flung from their seats throughout the bus. Percy crashed through the window of the bus into the trees. The bus rolled several feet before finally coming to a stop. Percy pulled himself up to his feet, his leather jacket protecting his upper body, but his right leg had a nasty gash running down his calf. Blood poured freely from it but he ignored the pain. He limped towards the bus and looked in the windows. Zoe and Artemis were both unconscious with nasty cuts on their faces. Percy pulled out Isorropia and slashed the windshield. The glass shattered on impact and he covered his face from the shards. He put his sword away and reached into the bus. He pulled Zoe free and set her down on the grass away from the wreckage. He did the same for Artemis and the other girls. It took him a long time, and cost him a lot of blood, but he finally managed. He fell to his knees in pain and grasped wildly at his jacket pocket. He pulled out an ambrosia square and stuck it in his mouth, swallowing it whole.

His leg sealed up instantly making him cry out in pain. He panted heavily before getting to his feet once more. He climbed into the wrecked bus and found the medical bag. He pulled out a jug of nectar and proceeded to pour some down each of the hunters' throats. He paused when he reached Rachel, but then decided that Artemis's blessing should give her the ability to consume godly food.

Artemis was the first to regain consciousness. She looked around wildly before her eyes settled on Percy. She leapt to her feet and rushed towards him pulling him into a strong embrace. Percy sighed with relief and returned the hug.

"What happened?" she asked him, pulling away.

"We got hit by a stone I think," he said. He looked at the bus. "It's a miracle that no one was killed."

She looked at the bus in complete shock. "How could this have happened?" she asked.

"I think someone had a hand in that," he said. He squinted trying to see up the mountain. "But we can't wait much longer. We need to get to San Francisco and quick." Artemis nodded.

"We need to rest tonight though. Go get some wood for a fire while I get the camp set up."

Percy nodded and gave her a quick kiss. "I'm glad you're alright," he said. Artemis blushed bright red.

"I'm glad you're alright too," she said back. "Now go! Get!" She laughed as Percy pouted but did as she asked.

He came back several minutes later with an armful of firewood. Artemis had already set up the entire camp and put the girls in front of a makeshift fire pit. Percy placed some wood into the pit and quickly got to work starting the fire. In no time at all he had a blaze going. The girls continued to sleep while Artemis sat down by Percy.

"I missed you," she whispered. "It hurt having you gone for so long."

Percy frowned and pulled her close.

"I missed you too. But I'm back now." Artemis smiled and snuggled into his chest. Percy smiled back at her and kissed the top of her head. Suddenly a thought popped into his mind. "There's something I need to tell you," he said quietly. Artemis pulled back and looked at him expectantly.

"What's wrong, Percy?"

Percy sighed and shook his head solemnly.

"I think I found the next prophecy. It's been playing over and over in my dreams."