The Forgotten Legacy

Disclaimer: I don't own Assassin's Creed or PJatO or HoO. I wish I did, but if wishes were horses' even beggars would ride.

'Thoughts – Mind Speech'

"Normal Speech"

Chapter 4: New Recruits and Rescue Missions

Taken aback for a moment, Perseus considered his options for either accepting or denying this opportunity. After a minute or two of quiet contemplation, he shook his head and focused on the King for a moment. "Yes I would agree with two conditions. They would both need to be sworn to on the Styx before I would agree completely."

Raising a single eyebrow, Zeus motioned for him to continue. "First is that while I have the utmost respect for the majority, I would ask that Lady Hestia and Lord Hades both be granted permanent seats here on the council. My reasoning for this is that they have been overlooked and cast aside for far too long, and I have come to care for the both of them as family. I know that they both deserve this and as family you must stand together, especially in light of the dark and difficult times to come."

Nodding at his calm and logical approach to this request, Zeus turned to look at each of his siblings, only to see each of them nod in agreement. Returning his attention to Perseus, he rubbed at his chin in thought, before responding. "That is agreeable, young Perseus, what of your other request?"

Smiling broadly as he had received approval from the Council, he cleared his throat and spoke once more, clearly and with feeling. "My second request has to do with the men and women under my command. I would ask that six Greek demigods be allowed to join and help me to bridge the gap between the camps. My legionnaires are as knowledgeable as I with regards to the difficulties between the two camps, and have dedicated their lives to bring all demigods, regardless of aspect, to safety."

Frowning as he thought about the young demigod's request, Zeus rubbed his chin for a moment before turning and looking at each member of the council to gauge their reaction to his second request. Hades, Hestia, Hera, Hermes, Hephaestus, Demeter, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, and Poseidon all seemed to be in favor of his requests, Dionysus and Demeter appeared to be indifferent, while Athena was clearly not in favor of the idea.

Turning his attention to Perseus, Zeus leaned back in his throne for a moment. "Perseus, whom do your legionnaires claim as their Godly parents?"

Taking a moment to compose himself before responding, he breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. "A son of Bellona and a son of Mars, twin sisters who are daughters of Mercury, Four children of Phoebus Apollo, and two children of Vulcan, my Lord Zeus."

Nodding as he took all of the information into consideration, he turned back to the council. "If you were given the choice of demigods to add to your ranks, from the Greek camp that is, what Gods' children would you pick, and why?"

Turning his head to one side as he thought about it for a moment, Perseus bowed his head and stood. Looking up at the Council, he gazed at each one of them in turn before looking back at Zeus. "Please keep in mind that I bear none of you ill will when I give this frank assessment. If I could have any six Greek demigods join me, I would first like to have a child of Athena, not to make plans for me, but to ensure that the plan that we use is the best for any given situation that we may come upon. Next would be a child of Hephaestus, as another inventive mind and steady hand with a hammer would be of great benefit to us. As for the others, I would prefer to have at least one child of Hecate because the use of magic outside the standard demigod powers would definitely come in handy, and as far as the final three I would prefer a child of Hermes and two more children of Apollo."

Cocking his head to one side, his eyes clouded over for a moment, as he realized that he was forgetting something. Snapping his fingers as he remembered, he straightened up once more. "One last thing, I won't accept those at the top of the food chain as far as the respective demigods go. I want them to be somewhere around the middle of the rankings, for two reasons: first and most importantly, the group that I have put together has worked hard to become as good as they are, and they have pulled together in order to accomplish this. The reason that they all work together so well is because they taught each other, trained each other into the ground, and have helped each other reach deep inside them to be able to strive for their full potential. As far as the second reason goes, it ties into the first one. No one should be pulled from a position of responsibility to join us, as they are already fulfilling an important role, the role of leadership."

Here he sighed and frowned before continuing, "That and the fact that too many people would demand to know why I am more qualified to lead the Gladiis Nocte then they are, and I have neither the time, patience, or ego necessary to explain to them that I am Perseus Achilles Andreíos, Immortal Son of Nyx and Erebos, Champion of Lady Hemera and Lady Hestia, Slayer of the Chimaera, Bane of Monsters, Legate Audax of the Twelfth Legion of Rome, Princeps of the Gladiis Nocte, and the Guide and Guardian of Demigods." As he finished by stating his full name and titles, he knelt near the center of the Council and humbly bowed his head.

Eyes wide, Zeus sat there deep in thought for a minute before standing and looking at, and speaking mentally with, each of the assembled gods and goddesses. Nodding as he came to a decision, he turned to look at the lone demigod and smiled as he spoke. "Rise Legate Perseus Audax, as we have made our decision. We, the Olympian Council vow by the River Styx to abide by the requests made today by Perseus Achilles Andreíos, and in turn we do grant him the Blessing of the Olympians, making him the Champion of Olympus."

As the aforementioned Champion arose, two thrones arose from the ground near the ends of the semi-circle; one that appeared to be made of flames that ranged from a deep crimson to a pale yellow; and a dark black and silver one that appeared to be made of bones, chunks of ore, and precious gems. Then from each of the Gods came a bright beam of light that connected with Perseus, and he held his ground against the agony that he felt from the massive influx of power. Collapsing to his knees as the light show ended, he took in huge gulps of air as he forced his body not to show any of the pain that he had just felt.

Chuckling lightly, Zeus sat back down, and motioned for everyone else to take a seat as well. "Rise Perseus, Champion of Olympus. I must commend you, for anyone else would have screamed in agony at the influx of power you were granted by the Blessing."

Nodding as he chuckled bitterly, Perseus smiled as he rose from where he'd knelt. "My thanks to each of you for your faith in me, as well as for your blessing…"

Changing aspects to Jupiter, he continued where he'd left off as Zeus. "We will grant your request as to whom among our children that you require, but I have two changes that I would add. First is that you will take an additional Roman and Greek demigod, and they will be spoken for as your Optio; don't worry about selecting them, as we have already decided on who they will be. The second thing is that as the Champion of Olympus, we will have a palace constructed here for you and your manipulus. What say you to our proposals Perseus?"

Stunned beyond belief, Percy took a minute to respond, as he needed a bit for his brain to reboot. Shaking his head slightly, he looked up at Lord Jupiter, and then around at everyone else before replying. "Lord Jupiter, I am honored beyond belief, but I must ask, why me? I may be an immortal, but I am still a demigod, and yet you give me a palace here on Olympus? I feel that it's all a bit overwhelming my Lord…" As he trailed off, his iron grip over his emotions faltered, showing a tiny bit of the confusion that he felt on his face.

Shifting back to his Greek aspect, his face softened as he mentally chuckled. 'I can see what you mean Hestia, he is one of the most humble and selfless demigods in history. Can any of you deny that he is deserving of the gift and Blessing that we have given him?' was broadcasted telepathically to all the Council members. Taking a quick peek at everyone, he was quickly reassured by most of them agreeing with him, and he laughed once more to himself before clearing his throat. "Try not to worry so much over your worthiness, Perseus. Most of us who have demigod children are very much in your debt, as you have taken no credit for your missions, instead crediting the God or Goddess who is their parent with asking you to take care of them. I know for a fact that you have rescued the children of Hades, Ares, Apollo, Demeter, Aphrodite, Hecate, even a couple of my own, and the list doesn't stop there."

It was while he spoke that Athena was found to be nodding in agreement with her father's statement. "I agree with Zeus, young Perseus, as you have rescued a few of my children as well. Be proud of your achievements, but do not boast of them and you will be fine."

Pausing there for a moment, she took a deep breath before continuing on. "I will be designing your palace myself, and as such, I would request your permission to search through your memories so that I might better tailor the design to suit you and your warriors."

Having regained his bearings, Perseus nodded and looked deep into her grey eyes, granting her access to what she sought. A few minutes later she bowed her head to Percy and thanked him once more for the rescue of her children. Smiling faintly in turn, he nodded and accepted her thanks in silence, before turning back to Zeus, who shook his head at Perseus' questioning look and then flashed out.

Before he realized it everyone had left him there in the throne room except for Hestia, Hades, Poseidon, and Hephaestus. Turning his attention to the Forge God, he bowed from the waist before standing straight once more. "Lord Hephaestus, I would ask a boon of you, not for myself, but for the eight new soldiers I am about to receive." Receiving a nod and a hand motion, he continued on with his request.

"I would ask for eight sets of armor, similar to mine in design, but with two of those sets that I different ideas in mind for. The idea that I had is that all of them are enchanted to fit themselves to their wearer and to bear the divine symbol of their Godly parent. The concept I had in mind for the other sets is that the other two sets of armor be slightly more ornate so as to show their rank in the manipulus." He waited patiently for Hephaestus to consider what he had asked for and received his answer a short time later.

Before he flashed out he looked at Perseus once more and asked him to swing by his palace before leaving Olympus so that he could ask him a few more questions about his equipment. Nodding to Hephaestus, he turned away as he flashed out. Turning to the next individual to approach, he was inwardly stunned to see that it was his biological father, Lord Poseidon.

Holding up a hand to forestall anything Perseus might have to say, Poseidon took his time gathering his thoughts as he spoke. "Perseus, it would appear that I have much to atone for, where you are concerned, especially since I was very much delinquent in my role as a father. I know that I may never be your father in your eyes, but I will always consider you to be one of my sons, as the sea never forgets its own."

Watching as one of the elder sons of Kronos humbled himself in such a manner softened the stoic façade that he had adopted, and Perseus smiled softly as he looked upon the Sea God's visage. "I have a father who has done everything he can to give me an advantage in the life that I was given, and although I feel that we may never recoup the relationship we should have had, I would never turn family away. If it's alright with you, I would consider you to be an uncle to me; after all, it was my abilities that I inherited from you that drew my parent's attention to me."

The look of shock on Poseidon's face gave way to a soft look of pride as he nodded. "That is more than what I had hoped for Perseus, and I must say that even though I don't a right to be, I am very proud of you and the way that you have grown up. If you ever have need of me for anything, you have but to ask and I will do all in my power to fulfill your request or need." He paused here for a moment and continued in a cautious tone. "I would like to extend an invitation to visit Atlantis to meet the rest of your family as I feel that you would benefit from it as much as they would."

That said, he clapped a hand on his son's shoulder and then vapor-traveled away. It was then that Hades and Hestia approached him and he bowed to them as they approached. "Lord Hades, Lady Hestia, it is good to see you both looking well."

Both of them chuckled at his antics, but it was Hestia who called him on his behavior towards family. "Percy, you are no stranger that needs to bow to us, especially with how long we have both considered you family my dear nephew." Nodding his head in agreement, Hades pulled him in for a one armed hug. "Indeed that is the case, and as long as all goes well, someday soon I will be able to call you son, isn't that right Perseus?"

Gulping as quietly as possible, Percy simply nodded as they burst out laughing. It was then that he began to smile, as he understood that the both of them would always look out for his best interests.

Camp Jupiter, Later that same day…

Swallowing the last of her water, Piper McLean sheathed her blades and headed to her quarters, as she had had a long day and needed some time to relax and unwind. Heading to the baths, she quickly washed her body before slipping into the hot water of the bath, closing her eyes and sighing as she allowed her aching muscles to uncoil and relax. Recently she had had a personal revelation, and that was that she was very much attracted to one of the most powerful demigods that she had ever met: Legate Audax.

When she realized just how little was actually known about the man who was just below Praetor Reyna and Praetor Jason in the chain of command for the Legion, her brow furrowed as she became lost in her thoughts. "Dearest daughter, please don't put a frown on your face so often, you'll give yourself wrinkles prematurely…"

Opening a single eye and looking towards the source of the voice, Piper sighed aloud as she realized that it was indeed her mother who had joined her in her bath. "What is it that you want Mother?" Only to open both her eyes as there was dead silence for a minute or two. She was stunned to see tears well up in her mother's eyes as she watched.

Wiping her eyes with her fingertips, Venus sighed as she gathered herself up to speak. "I know who your heart desires, Piper, and he is indeed attainable; it will be hard for you though, because of me…"

Over the next hour or so, the two of them spoke of the prophecy, what it meant for her, her new position in the Legion, even the existence of the Greeks. As they sat there after their mother-daughter talk, Piper heaved a sigh and then looked at her mother. "While I can't say that I am happy that I will have to share him, or that you have made it as close to impossible for me without it being as such, you are my mother and I do care for you. I have to admit that he was right though about the way you work most of the time, and I think that you need to sit back and look at what you have done and are doing, to yourself, your husband, your children, to everyone. It may come as a shock to you, but love and lust should work together, not separately as you have done for millennia…"

Shocked at first, Venus soon turned pensive for once and simply listened as her daughter spoke. Somehow she knew that Piper was right, and she would need to change a few things…

Underworld Throne Room, At the same time…

Hades and Persephone were spending time with Melinoe, Nico and Bianca, explaining the prophecy and her part in it, as well as explaining about Perseus. They had spent some time explaining about the aspects and the role that Percy had played in getting Hades accepted as an Olympian God. It was after an hour or so that Nico asked about where he would be spending his time and if he would be by himself.

Thinking about his son's question, Hades had an idea, and his face lit up as he smiled. "What would you say about joining the group of soldiers along with your sister? That way you wouldn't be alone in a strange place and you would be able to get stronger, as well as be able to look out for your sister."

Scrunching up his nose as he thought about it, he was unaware of his sister's glare at their father, or of the amused look that Persephone had on her face. Turning his attention back to his father, he smiled and nodded. "Who do I need to talk to about joining, father?"

Chuckling as he smiled at his children, Hades just shook his head. "Don't worry about that, I will take care of it. You two just make sure that you have everything that you want with you tomorrow when you arrive at Camp Half-Blood."

Turning his attention back to his wife for the moment, he smiled as he thought about how much better things had gotten, and who would have thought that all it took was some time and attention to their daughter?

Camp Half-Blood, December 12, 2009

To say that Chiron was apprehensive about what was going to happen later on that day would be an understatement of massive proportions. Dionysus had briefly explained the role that the gods had designated for Perseus, and how he was going to be the one to bridge the gap between the Romans and the Greeks. It wasn't that Chiron didn't have faith in Perseus' abilities as a leader or as a demigod; it was more along the lines that he wasn't sure just how the Greek campers would take the proposition. He had taken the liberty of gathering a few of the designated campers, after hearing from Lord Zeus and Lord Hades on the exact makeup of the ones that he was looking for, and told them that the Gods were looking for some of them to serve in a slightly different role than just coming to camp and training all summer long.

The list of demigods that he had gathered to the Big House was short; and he was currently explaining the situation in as much detail as possible. The demigods were: Lou Ellen, a Daughter of Hecate; Austin and Kayla, children of Apollo; Jake Mason, a Son of Hephaestus; and Laurel, a Daughter of Athena.

It was right before he was about to open the proverbial can of worms when Perseus appeared in a burst of fire. Bowing his head to Chiron, he then turned to each of the assembled demigods and met their gaze. Counting them as he went, he then turned back to Chiron and tilted his head slightly to one side. "Chiron, I do believe that we are two demigods short, are we not?"

Chuckling as he fielded this question, Chiron shook his head. "Not at all, Perseus, as Lord Hades himself said that he would be providing the final two from this camp." His chuckles turned to full-blown laughter as he watched Perseus' eyes widen to almost comical proportions before he began swearing under his breath. Regaining his breath at the same time as Percy stopped swearing, two shadows moved from the walls, and from within them appeared two more demigods.

Nodding once sharply at the both of them, he turned to Chiron and thanked him before dismissing him. Facing the demigods once more, Perseus waited for Chiron to leave before speaking to them. "Greetings fellow demigods, and welcome to you all. My name is Perseus Achilles Andreíos, Immortal Demigod Son of Erebos and Nyx, and I am the leader of a small select group of demigods who have a specific mission, and that is the protection and rescue of our siblings and cousins, as well as slaying the mortal monsters who may abuse and take advantage of the demigods that are under their care. You are the children of Hecate, Apollo, Hephaestus, Athena and Hades, and before we leave here you will swear an oath on the Styx to never reveal what you are about to learn until I release you from this vow."

Staring each of them in the eye, and glaring down the ones who appeared defiant; Percy quickly extracted each of their oaths, starting with Laurel, and ending with Nico. Once he had their oaths, and ensured that they had everything of theirs from their respective cabins, he waved a hand and engulfed them all in the shadows. After the shadows receded the room was empty once more…

Throne Room, Tartarus

They all reappeared in front of the Primordials thrones, and followed Perseus' example in taking a knee before them. "Father, mother, I have brought the seven Greek demigods and need to go and retrieve the final member of our group. Once I have brought them here, I ask that you give them your blessing, so that all of us have the capacity to travel through the shadows."

Looking up into their bemused faces, he felt relief at their nods; at least he did until he heard his mother's voice inside his mind. 'Which of the lovely girls before us is to be our Greek daughter-in-law, son?'

Growing slightly pink in the cheeks, he growled low in his throat before responding. 'The Daughter of Hades, Bianca Di'Angelo, is the one whom you seek; and she is currently standing near her younger brother, Nico. I am going to retrieve my other Optio from Camp Jupiter, and if my gut instincts are right, she may just be the other girl mentioned in the prophecy.' Bowing his head once more, Perseus stood and wrapped the shadows around him once more, and disappeared into them again.

Camp Jupiter, Praetor's Chambers

Appearing where he knew that Reyna and Jason would be, and once he had seen them both, he made his presence known and saluted them. Once they had acknowledged him, he told them that he had some important news that they needed to be aware of, but that he couldn't tell them until he'd gotten their oaths that they wouldn't reveal the secrets until he released them from their vows.

After he'd allowed the final crackle of thunder die down, he then related to them many of the happenings that had occurred over the last few days, including the information about the Greeks, and what Lord Jupiter had directed him to do. It took them a few minutes to wrap their heads around the information bomb that he had dropped on them, but eventually they responded and agreed that he should do as the Gods had instructed him.

While he waited for the legionnaire to come back with the last of his soldiers, he took off his helm and sighed, running one of his hands through his hair. Standing up and approaching him, for she recognized the emotion behind his breathing, Reyna placed her hand on his shoulder to get his attention. Once he had turned his multi-colored eyes towards her, she smiled gently at him. "Brother of mine, what disturbs you so? I have known you most of my life and never have I seen you this upset and disturbed before…"

Giving her a small, sad smile, Percy thought back over the past few years, both from before and after she and her sister had been trapped on Circe's Isle, and decided to indulge her questions for now. "You and your sister are the only living mortals who know of my greatest source of heartbreak and pain come from, and I have recently found out that I am to be wed to one of her daughters. Knowing Venus as well as I do, and how often she has toyed around with my love life, it doesn't bode well for me to end up with one of her daughters who is more than likely to be like her; flirty, flighty, and for all I know, unfaithful as well."

Looking her in the eyes, he allowed her to see the emotions that he hid from all others but his parents and closest of friends. "If it weren't for the fact that I will need them somewhere down the road as my wives as it was prophesied by Apollo himself, I would have nothing to do with them. As it stands right now, I can't see the point in letting either of them in, at least not for the foreseeable future."

With little regard for the proper decorum, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. Smiling slightly as she felt his arms wrap around her in return, Reyna almost missed the sound of the door opening and closing. Her cheeks glowing as he squeezed her gently and then let go, she smiled up at him once more before walking back to her seat. "Just promise me one thing big brother, and that is that you give it an honest chance, for you never know when you might actually be wrong…"

Nodding, Perseus turned his attention to the legionnaire who was frowning at Praetor Reyna as she spoke. Clearing his throat to get her attention, which he had in short order, he scowled at her as he had perceived her to be disrespectful as she hadn't bothered saluting even once when she had entered the room. "Legionnaire, I don't know who in the hell you think you are, but you will not show such discourtesy to the Praetors ever again, am I understood?"

Growling at the man who had just taken her to task, she placed her hands on her daggers before responding. "Just who do you bloody think you are to talk to me in such a manner? You aren't anyone that I know or recognize…" Trailing off as he took off his helm and stared her down, she immediately paled as she recognized him and realized just how badly she had screwed up.

Glaring at her full bore, Perseus immediately regretted making the promise he just had to his little sister. If this was the other woman he was supposed to be with, it was clear to him that she was easily angered and seemed incapable of thinking before speaking. "Legionnaire, if there is one thing that should have clued you in, it should have been the fact that neither Praetor Jason nor Praetor Reyna jumped in to save you from your well-deserved ass-chewing. I am Perseus Audax, Immortal Son of Erebus and Nox, Legate of the Twelfth Legion, Princeps of the Gladiis Nocte, as well as your new Commanding Officer. I suggest you keep your mouth shut and think before you use it, because I have no use for impulsive, disrespectful demigods in the ranks. What's your name and who is your Godly parent?"

Gulping as she paled even further, having realized that she may have just royally messed up before even getting to know her crush and future spouse, she immediately saluted and sounded off. "Legionnaire Piper Mclean and my mother is the Goddess Venus, Sir!"

Mentally smirking, he nodded at her and returned her salute, before momentarily turning back to Reyna and Jason. Explaining the situation as quickly as possible, Perseus had her give oath on the Styx, just as he had the others. Bowing to the Praetors of the Twelfth Legion, he offered them one last salute before travelling through the shadows with Piper to his manipulus' quarters. Once they had arrived, he started barking out orders, getting them moving to pack up everything that they owned and move out. Turning to his Roman Optio, he suggested that she hurry and do the same before coming back here. Nodding her head she quickly left to do as instructed. Chuckling as he watched her leave, Perseus shook his head before turning his attention to his own gear, which he packed rather quickly.

Throne Room, Tartarus

Twenty minutes later, all the members of the Gladiis Nocte were gathered together before Perseus' parents, kneeling in front of them. Mentally directing her son to rise and approach them, Nyx and Erebos gathered him into a hug and softly congratulated him on his becoming the Champion of Olympus. Turning their attention to the assembled demigods, his father cleared his throat to garner their attention to him.

"Rise demigods, and all will be explained to you in due time. For the next several months you will train together, work together, eat and even sleep together. Your Commander is Legate Perseus Audax, our demigod son, who is the Champion of Olympus. Given that he is of both Greek and Roman origins, he will be leading both Greek," pointing to the group of seven demigods, "and Roman", pausing once more to point towards the other, larger group, "so as to foster familial bonds between the two groups. We have foreseen that in the upcoming years that such will become a necessity if we want to survive, so from here on out there will be no thoughtless or careless remarks between you, and I know it is possible because the Roman demigods have known about Perseus' dual heritage for several decades and have followed him regardless. Now then, we will be bestowing our blessing upon you newcomers, and then Perseus will gift you with your armor."

December 15, 2009, Great Lakes Michigan

Early mornings were among his favorite times of day, along with the first light of the moon at night, and he was never fully able to explain it to anyone who asked him about it. He had just finished his morning workout when he felt a source of power approaching, which made him wary. Whoever it was, they weren't trying to be stealthy, but still caution was advisable. As he looked around, he finally caught a break when he heard them step on a twig, causing it to snap and drawing his attention to the exact place that the power came from.

As the person came out of the woods, he immediately went to a knee and bowed his head, as he recognized the individual. "Lord Hermes, what is the cause for you to seek us out? My group and I aren't due to arrive at Camp Half-Blood for a few more months yet as we are supposed to be getting everyone up to speed and it is rather unusual for you to be so deep in the woods…"

Grimacing at his choice of words, Hermes quickly had him stand and walked with him back to his camp site. "I wish I were the bearer of better news, but it would appear that we are in need of your services, as one of the next lines from your prophecy has come to pass, and Lady Artemis has been captured."

Nodding as took in the news, Perseus ushered the God into his tent and continued with his normal routine of washing up and shaving. "I take it that one or more of my soldiers is needed on the quest to rescue her, am I correct?"

Getting a nod in answer, he continued shaving for a moment before speaking. "What was the exact wording of the prophecy, so that I can make plans and issue orders?"

Taking a second to gather his thoughts, the God of Messengers allowed Perseus the chance to wash up and get dressed before addressing his previous question. "The quest was given to Zoe Nightshade, Artemis' lieutenant, and she was not pleased to learn that the only way that the quest will be successful is to include some of your people, including one male."

After taking a deep breath, Hermes repeated the words of the Oracle:

"Five shall go west to the Goddess in chains,

The Champion of Olympus at the reins;

The Bane of Olympus shows the Trail,

Hunters and Blades combined is the only way to prevail.

The Dove's Warrior Daughter along must go,

Also the Dead King's Daughter or the quest will end in woe;

The Titan's Curse must one withstand,

Else one shall perish by a parent's hand."

Taking it all in, Perseus started swearing up a storm as he heard the final lines of the Oracle's words, and he stood and started pacing. Turning to Hermes, he sat down across from him and spoke quietly. "So Zoe, Piper, Bianca, another Hunter, and me are the ones who will go on this quest, yes?" Getting yet another nod of the head, he swore again. "Are the Hunters and campers aware of whom the Champion of Olympus is?"

Receiving a third nod of the head as his answer, Perseus fell back into his seat and sighed while running a hand through his hair, before exhaling harshly and slapping his hands on his knees. Standing up and heading out side, he was followed by the Olympian messenger, who was intrigued with how he would handle this. Once Percy had woken everyone up, he'd had them gather near the campfire, where he calmly gazed into their faces and assessed each of them.

"Brothers and Sisters, we have received news that one of the Gods have been captured, and we have been selected by the Oracle to provide members for the quest to rescue her. Bianca, Piper, and I have all been tasked with supporting the other two members of the quest, which are from the Hunters of Artemis. I will be gone for about two weeks at most, and during that time I am leaving Rick in charge, with Laurel as his second in command. I expect you to accomplish the tasks that we were given, and then head to Camp Jupiter, which is where we will liaise with you. Ladies be ready to depart in a half an hour, full kit and no armor yet." Getting firm nods and salutes from his soldiers, Perseus smiled warmly at them, for they truly were his family.

Forty-five minutes later, the three of them stood in front of Hermes, dressed and ready to go. Bianca and Piper had chosen dark blue cloaks very similar to Perseus', and they were dressed much the same as he was, even down to the wrist protectors and throwing knife belts. After they had pulled up their hoods, Percy nodded to the Olympian, who snapped his fingers and flashed them to their destination.

Bowing his head to Mr. D, as was his wont, the three of them then turned to Chiron and bowed their heads to him as well. Chiron chuckled as he shook his head, before offering his arm to Perseus in a warrior's greeting. Clasping his arm, Perseus clapped his other hand on Chiron's shoulder, and smiled ever so slightly. "It's always a pleasure to see you Chiron, how goes the training these days?"

Smiling down at the young man before him, Chiron laughed once more. "They don't make demigods like they used to, I can definitely say that much. Of the ones here at camp, the only individuals that I can think of that are even close to being anywhere near your league are Thalia, Daughter of Zeus, Clarisse, Daughter of Ares, and Charles, Son of Hephaestus. Other than that, none of them really possess the same drive to excel like you did, as most of them pass on, or in the case of the girls, join the Hunt."

Shaking his head as he listened to his old instructor, he heard the girls snort. Turning his head so that he could look at them, he raised an eyebrow at their outburst. Piper was the one who responded, smirking the whole time. "Please Chiron spare me the line about their drive, as they are just a bunch of hypocrites, as men don't have a monopoly in being perverse, breaking hearts, or even committing or advocating sexual crimes against the opposite sex."

Snorting in agreement, Chiron sadly nodded his head. "Too true, that is all too sad but true. But now is not the time nor is here the place to get into such discussions, as Zoe and Phoebe should be here momentarily to finalize the details of the quest and to meet up with you." As he spoke, the door opened and in walked the two Hunters that they had just been discussing. And right as Perseus met the eyes of Artemis' lieutenant, he knew that this would most likely be one of his most uncomfortable quests ever…

A/N: Another chapter down and the setup have been finished for the next chapter of the story. Just to give you all an idea as to how I am planning this story; I have decided that there will be certain quests that they will go on and others that they will just assist in.

As always, please read and review!