Traveling alone as a twelve-year-old across the entire country in itself is not an easy task. Even with enough money to buy tickets for any form of transport, obscurity is not easily attainable. People tend to look, and in case of the few overly attentive, seeing a child traveling alone is not seen as normal. Things tend to get worse when the child in question is a demigod.
So far Percy's entire trip across the country had been far less than usual. Being hunted by monsters, gods and a group of man-hating immortal maidens tends to interrupt any peaceful trip. And things only got worse for him after the not so short stop in Las Vegas. His group had grown from two to seven, though Percy definitely did not enjoy the presence of at least three of his new companions.
The rather dysfunctional group finally ended up back in the wilds, to no small part because an incident involving Phoebe, Clarisse and a conductor. Needless to say that their entire group was no longer welcome near any train. Luckily though, they were pretty close to their destination now and could easily walk the last part.
"Foood... need... food..." Grover moaned, as their group walked slowly through the wilderness, careful to avoid any roads. With their current group they had little choice but to do so, since some of their members were not very social.
Phoebe loathed all men, Clarisse loathed Phoebe, but neither would leave any time soon. Phoebe had begrudgingly accepted that she and Zoe had to follow Percy, at least until he had finished his quest. She didn't like it, something she was very vocal about. But she obeyed Zoe's orders and the senior huntress would not allow Percy to leave her sights for more than a minute. And Clarisse... the daughter of Ares would not leave either, but only because she saw Percy's group as the best chance to find her unfaithful former quest-mates, so she can punish them accordingly.
"Maybe we should take a rest." Ariadne said, as she looked at the Satyr with an almost pitying expression. "It's getting late anyway."
Zoe seemed to contemplate that for some moments, before she nodded. Ever since they had run from the Casino she had taken the role of the group's leader. Ariadne and Phoebe were already used to following her orders, Grover was too scared of her to contradict any of her words and Clarisse just followed them and did as they did. And Percy... he spent most of his time explaining the relations of gods and demigods to the curious daughter of Hades. He did not care for Zoe's bossy nature, as long as they continued on their path towards the underworld.
So far Bianca had only followed Percy around, still distrustful of the others in their group. The tendency towards violence shown by two of them, combined with Zoe's rather cold treatment of Percy did nothing to make her trust them. So she tried to stay near the boy, since their apparent familial connection through their fathers was at least a start for a positive relationship.
But Bianca also enjoyed her current situation in many ways. After spending nearly all of her life inside the Lotus Casino this was a welcome change. And though she was worried for her brother's safety, Nico's absence was a blessing to her. To be able to act without having to think and worry about her brother was liberating. It made it easier to come to terms with this whole being a daughter of a god thing, which she still could hardly bring herself to believe.
"Oh well, camping out in the wild... how lovely." Percy muttered. His words caused both Ariadne and Bianca to chuckle, while Zoe merely regarded him with a cold look. He began looking around for some wood to make a fire, but as usual even that caused Zoe to scoff at him.
"No fire, foolish boy. It will only attract monsters and we do not have the numbers to deal with such a possible threat." Zoe scolded him, as if she was chiding a child that had done something very foolish.
"Fine. It's alright." He said, as he walked to a tree and sat down, leaning his back against it. "One question though, oh mighty huntress. Why have we not met the Hunt yet. Your sisters must have a burning desire for revenge after I have beaten them all in combat."
"They are waiting for the right time." Zoe hissed back. Luckily for him Phoebe had not heard him, since she had walked ahead, scouting their path, and was not due to return for some more time. But Zoe could not fully hide that she had asked herself the same question. The complete lack of any signs of pursuit worried her. She had no doubt her mistress and her sisters were still around and unharmed, but that they had not acted and captured Percy once they had left the Casino was still odd.
Ariadne plopped down next to Percy and Bianca, who once again had increased her distance to Zoe." I wish we could have stayed at the Casino for a bit longer... I already miss the bed, it was comfy."
"Yeah... comfy..." Percy said somewhat dubious. He knew he wouldn't remember that particular night very fondly. He could have lost a very important part of his anatomy had he not woken up before Zoe. "But that reminds me, why exactly were you with us in that bed? Last thing I remembered was you laughing about my misery while you left the bedroom."
Ariadne tried to look innocent for some moments, before another grin shattered that illusion. "Well... you did not expect me to sleep on the couch when there was a perfectly comfortable bed available." Percy looked at her dubiously. "And Grover was snoring and drooling all over the only other bed, moaning about food every once in a while."
"That sounds like G-man alright." Percy admitted with a laugh.
The Satyr in question pouted slightly as he heard them. "Hey, that's not nice at all." He complained weakly. The whole group, minus Zoe and Clarisse laughed at the mock distraught expression on Grover's face.
"Percy?" Bianca asked him.
"Yeah?"
"The others talked about this camp for demi... people like us. Why have you never gone there?" She was quite curious. From all she had heard it was very likely that she and her brother might end up there. Yet the first person she connected to has distanced himself from that place for unknown reasons. Even Zoe and Clarisse looked curious now.
Percy rubbed the back of his head, before he answered. "Well... I've always been with Apollo and..."
"The God of the Sun?" Bianca interrupted him with her question.
"Yes. Ariadne's dad." He gestured towards the blond girl, before he continued. "Ever since my mom died he has taken care of me. Of course he asked me whether I want to go to Camp Half-blood, but it just never seemed right. Like this tiny voice in the back of my mind telling me to not go." He wouldn't mention that it was the same voice that plagued his mind and dreams to this day.
"You wouldn't have survived one day in my camp, prissy." Clarisse said with a malicious smirk. "Though I wouldn't have minded someone to beat up every once in a while. The other kids are just whiny pansies."
"Pick a number, war girl." Percy shot back with a smirk. She was just like her father.
Without them knowing it, the small group of demigods was under the watchful eyes of a goddess, ever since they had left the Casino. Artemis had sent her Hunters back to Camp Half-blood only shortly after Triton had left. Ever since she had kept a close eye on her remaining wayward girls.
Though she hated looking weak in the eyes of other gods, she was very well aware what danger her Hunters were in. Triton's threat was anything but empty. Poseidon had often shown his temper and his vengefulness. Should she, inadvertently or not, be responsible for Percy Jackson's death, the god of the Sea would take revenge. And Zeus would only act if Poseidon tried to harm her. But her Hunters had no such protection. It was a risk she would not take.
So she watched for now, trusting in Zoe and Phoebe to complete their current task without the help of their sisters. She would not trust Percy Jackson to keep his word and surrender peacefully at the end of his quest. She had trusted a son of Poseidon once and nearly paid a great price for that. Never again. Though Apollo assured her that Percy was not like Orion, she still could not let go of her distrust and resentment.
"Heya, little sis."
Artemis whirled around with an almost furious expression. She had been so deep in thought that Apollo had actually managed to sneak up on her, something that he had not be able to do since they were little children. "Apollo, you shouldn't be here. Father has forbidden you to go to your champion."
"He has forbidden me to have contact with him, but I'm not talking to him, am I?" He replied with a grin.
"Then why are you here?"
"What? Can't I visit my darling little sister?" He pouted at her with a mock hurt look.
Artemis sighed in exasperation. "I am the older sibling, Apollo!"
As usual Apollo ignored her words and instead changed the topic. "You look worried, Artemis. Any reason for that?" He looked down towards the small makeshift camp of Percy's group, a slight grin on his face when he saw his daughter and his champion. Ariadne was already asleep, leaning against the same tree as Percy. The boy was still wide awake, watching over the girls around him. But Apollo's expression soon morphed into a frown. "Things are getting worse by the hour, you know."
"Father?"
"Yeah. He is getting angrier every day, arguing with everyone. Not even Athena can do anything without inciting his anger and you know how he always favors his perfect little daughter."
"Any leads on the whereabouts of his Master Bolt yet?" Artemis asked worriedly. She knew that things were bad when even Athena could no longer get away with everything.
Apollo merely shook his head. "The demigods they have sent on that quest have not yet succeeded. But they have a prophecy that will lead them to it. We just don't know yet whether they will managed to do it in time or not."
"I don't even want to imagine what he will do if the Bolt cannot be retrieved."
"Yeah...there are a lot of things our father is angry about at the moment. The theft of his Bolt was just the beginning. Percy's existence made things only worse... and now this..." He pointed towards the sleeping form of Bianca. "The knowledge that Hades has children as well... let's just say it was fortunate that he does not have his Bolt, else he would have tried to blast the girl to pieces."
"She has done nothing, hating her is just wrong."
"Aren't you the hypocrite here?" Apollo asked with a raised eyebrow. Percy was just as innocent in that regard, but yet she disliked him for being a boy and the actions of his long dead half-brothers. But Artemis showed no reaction to him. "But the girl is much more dangerous to Olympus than we might think. As things are, she is currently the oldest child of the big three alive. She may be the child of the prophecy."
"Unless we act to protect her. You did save your champion from that fate." She flinched slightly when she heard her own exclamation. Her words sounded more accusingly than she had intended.
"Percy cannot choose to act against Olympus since he has sworn to serve me loyally for the rest of his mortal life. But I can't do the same for her. Father would not allow it."
"Than I will make her one of my Hunters. She can't fulfill the prophecy if she never reaches the age of sixteen." Artemis said determinedly.
"It's not that easy. Hades has plans with his children, that much is sure. But if we are lucky we might be able to influence her and help her make the right decisions in the future."
"We are forbidden to interfere with the quests of demigods, Apollo." Artemis chided him, before she realized something. "But your champion can help her in your stead."
"Finally realizing the awesomeness of my plan. I've turned Percy into the perfect hero, one that will save Olympus one day."
"He will be a bastard just like all the others..." She replied, before she and Apollo saw something, or more like someone, approach the small camp. "Is that?"
"I hope not. This must be our father's doing..." Apollo replied, his hands itching for his bow. But he knew that he could not help those demigods. His father would finally blow up, should he break the laws, especially to save a group that contained two children of his brothers.
Percy watched quietly as his companions fell asleep around him. One after another. He had faked sleep for some minutes, so the others around him would go to sleep as well. But it wasn't easy sleeping here, in the middle of the wilderness. It was not very comfortable, but sleep soon claimed the others. All except Zoe and Phoebe, who both had disappeared some time ago. But Percy knew that they wouldn't be far. He was sure that they must be with Lady Artemis, reporting their progress or something like that. He knew that they would be back sooner or later. But with bother Hunters gone, Percy saw it as his duty to keep watch over his group. It wouldn't do for them to be ambushed in their sleep. He wasn't used to living in the wilderness like the Hunters, but he knew about survival, a necessary skill when one is working for the sun-god.
And his attentiveness soon pain off, as he saw something move in the shadows. It looked like a person. A really fat person, approaching them. He stood up, careful to not wake his companions. They needed their rest, at least in his opinion.
The newcomer stopped a good distance away from the group, watching Percy as he got closer. When he could finally see the person, Percy couldn't help but feel unnerved. The person looked like and ugly and extremely obese woman with slitted pupils and a forked tongue, which slid out every once in a while. It was clear that she was anything but human and judging by the power she radiated, Percy could easily tell that she was very powerful.
"Aye, look what we have here, sonny." Percy was confused. It was obvious that she was not talking to him. Then he saw a grotesque creature next to her that resembled a chihuahua through the mist. "One bold demigod daring to face us."
"Who are you?" Percy asked with a low growl. He had a feeling that this wouldn't end right. No, scratch that, he knew that this would end up horribly. He would have to get this fat woman and her dog away from the others.
"I am your death, that is all you need to know, son of Poseidon."
"Has Hades sent you?"
The woman laughed at his words mockingly. "Hades does not command me! None of the gods do. Though sometimes they lead me to special prey."
Percy should have known that it was not Hades who had sent this monster here. Not with Bianca so close by. But who else? His next best suspect would be either Zeus or Athena. Both hated him because of who his father is. But somehow he couldn't picture Athena as someone who relied on monsters to do her bidding.
"You want my death, so let's fight." Percy said, as he summoned his sword from Apollo's amulet. "But not here."
The monster looked almost curiously at Percy's sword for a moment, before she followed Percy further away from the group of sleeping demigods. Neither Percy nor the monster knew that they were watched, by more groups than one.
"It has been a long time since I have seen that sword in the hands of a demigod." The monster said, as they stopped in a small clearing, sufficiently away from the others to not endanger them.
"This sword will be the last thing you will see before I sent you to Tartarus." Percy growled, his weapon raised for an attack.
"How ironic that this sword has returned to the hands of a son of Poseidon. One of the last relics of the late Titan Helios. No one has seen the Sunreaver since Theseus killed the Minotaur with it." Percy perked up when he heard that. So far he had merely assumed that it was a normal sword. A gift from Apollo, but normal none the less. Was this really a relic of a faded Titan? A former possession of one of his half-brothers to boot? He would have to ask Apollo about this later. "I will enjoy taking it from your cold corpse." The monster laughed. "Get him, sonny, kill him for mommy."
The ugly little dog jumped forward, growling menacingly at Percy, teeth barred, eyes filled with a murderous glint. Percy didn't know whether to laugh about this hilarious sight or whether he should feel threatened by the dangerous vibe he felt from that little dog. He clearly opted for the latter, when the Mist cleared and the little animal was no longer little. Instead there was a large monster, a lion's head on a goat's body, a menacing snake as its tail hissing at him.
"This is not cool." Percy said, as he took a few steps back. Before him stood the Chimera in all its glory and it was obvious that the beast wanted him as a midnight snack. It roared loudly, before it unleashed its fiery breath on Percy.
Behind a nearby tree two Hunters readied their bows, waiting for the right moment to enter the fight. Zoe and Phoebe had watched their camp all night, mostly to make sure that Percy would not try to run away from them. And when he suddenly stood up and left the others they had believed he would try to make a run for it. But instead he approached very dangerous foe and lured it away from their sleeping group. Zoe couldn't help herself but acknowledge him for this selfless action. She would have never expected any male to act like this, but Percy defied her expectations of the male gender on a regular basis.
"Zoe, lets kill that monster. That idiot won't stand a chance and only get himself killed this way." Phoebe muttered, as she raised her bow.
Zoe looked at the other girl with an arched eyebrow. "Since when do you care for the life of a man, Phoebe?"
"Lady Artemis wants him alive. I don't want her to get into trouble with Lord Zeus just because we did not act in time." Phoebe hissed back in a small fit of anger. She still hated Percy, she just did not want to be responsible for his death.
The boy in question was meanwhile busy evading the Chimera's fiery breath and its insanely dangerous snake tail. He tried to remember all he had learned about the big and famous monsters. A Chimera was not a run of the mill monster like a Hellhound. He vaguely remembered the times when Apollo told him the stories of the ancient heroes. The stories about Theseus, Perseus, Achilles and Bellerophon. The last name finally brought back the memory he had looked for. But it was of little help to him. Bellerophon had the help of Pegasus when he killed the Chimera, Percy was all alone by himself.
The snake had come dangerously close once more, nearby sinking its poisonous teeth into his shoulder. But a swift strike with his sword chased it away once more. But even that strike did little damage to the scaled tail.
"There must be a way to get this thing down other than making it kill itself like Bellerophon did." Percy yelled in frustration. He was nearly constantly on the defense, only managing a few counterattacks that were either stopped by fire or the snake head.
He rolled to the side as the Chimera tried to pounce him, jumping up again as quick as he could. He tried to attack the sides of the Chimera's goat body, hoping for some weak point there, but he had clearly underestimated the monster's speed.
"Fire, why does it always have to be fire." Percy said, as he saw the stream of fire leave the beasts mouth. He had no time to evade, not this time. His body still hurt from his last attempt to evade an attack and his muscles protested against the strain of another roll on a ground littered with sharp rocks. So he did the next best thing that came to his mind. He swung his sword at the fire in a futile attempt to keep it away from his body. But to his astonishment the fire did not reach him. It danced around the blade, before it was gradually absorbed by the golden weapon.
"A Titan's weapon indeed." Percy muttered in awe. Even that fat woman looked astonished at his blade. She had called it a relic of the Sun Titan Helios. Percy could only marvel what a magnificent gift Apollo had given him. He would have to thank his patron the next time they met.
But as Percy looked at his blade in undisguised astonishment the Chimera continued. The snake tail came closer and closer to Percy, ready to deliver a possibly fatal blow. But to Percy's luck he was not as alone in this fight as he had believed at first. Two silver arrows hit the snake head, one even impaling the small head through its eye, causing the Chimera to roar in agony.
The two Hunters appeared not far away from Percy and the monster. Phoebe and Zoe kept their distance from their enemy, firing one arrow after another. They distracted the Chimera long enough for Percy to regain his composure. He used the new opening to attack the Chimera's now unprotected side, ramming his sword into the monster's chest. The fire that the sword had absorbed before suddenly erupted from the blade, incinerating the monster from the inside.
"NO. YOU WILL PAY FOR HURTING MY SON!" The fat woman screamed in fury as the Chimera staggered, before it collapsed and turned to golden dust. Numerous silver arrows fell to the ground.
"This is enough, Echidna." Another woman said with an authoritative voice. As Percy turned around he couldn't help but curse his bad luck. There between him and Echidna stood the goddess Artemis, glowering at the fat woman.
"The gods are not allowed to interfere!" Echidna hissed, her snake-like tongue showing more and more with each moment.
"I am allowed to hunt monsters as I see fit. Leave now or you will become my next prey."
Percy marveled at the sight. He had seen Lady Artemis many times before. He had seen her angry before. Most of those times he was the one she was angry at, though he always managed to deflect that anger at Apollo. But this was nothing like those times he had seen her before. For one she was in an adult form at the moment. He only knew her in the form a thirteen year old girl, which she always assumed among her Hunters. But now she looked like a young woman in her early twenties and despite her beauty she had this aura of danger around her... the respect her voice commanded...
Echidna felt the same aura and watched the goddess wearily. She was furious with Percy and the two Hunters that had killed her son. But she had no intention to test her strength against the goddess of the hunt.
"I will return. And then I will kill you, boy. You and your Hunter friends. You will pay for killing my son." Echidna said with hatred, before she disappeared. It was not just a threat, Percy knew that very well. It was a promise. And one day he would have to face this very dangerous foe. Just his luck, of all the people and monsters he had to meet only those who had a habit of holding grudges.
But even with Echidna gone, Percy was far from save. Now he was alone with Lady Artemis and two of her most loyal Hunters. His quest was over now... and his life forfeit.
"Perseus Jackson." Artemis said, much calmer now, to the silent boy. Percy did the only thing he could at the moment and bowed respectfully before the goddess. "You have caused quite a ruckus on Olympus."
"It was never my intention to..."
"Silence, insolent boy." Artemis chided him harshly. "I am not here to listen to your excuses."
"You are here to capture me on Lord Zeus orders."
"Don't assume to know my intentions, Jackson." She looked down at the boy with an evaluating expression. He was a male and a son of Poseidon to boot. Two reasons for her to dislike him. But he gave her more reasons to respect him. Just moments before he had willingly risked his life to protect his friends. A group that now also included Ariadne. Apollo was right, Percy would protect Ariadne with his life. It gave Artemis a lot to think about. Percy Jackson did not make any sense to her. He was not what he was supposed to be. "You will continue your Quest for Hades. I know of your deal with Zoe and it is something that I can approve of. But try to betray us and you will not make it back to Olympus in one piece. If you run we will hunt you down, even if it takes all of your mortal life to do it."
"I understand. Thank you, Lady Artemis." Percy bowed again. He had no idea what to think about this situation. He had not expected Lady Artemis to let him go. But he was grateful none the less. He was sure that this must be Apollo's doing.
"And keep Ariadne safe or else I won't be the only Olympian to try and kill you. But I will most definitely do it in the most painful way imaginable." She nodded once towards Zoe and Phoebe, giving them the wordless command to keep an eye on Percy. Then she disappeared in a silver flash. A bit away from them Percy could also see a golden flash.
"Just what are you planning, Apollo." Percy muttered, before he joined Zoe and Phoebe on their way back to their makeshift camp. For the moment he was tired and sore. He would need some rest, tomorrow they would reach Los Angeles and the end of his current quest. His fate after that... only the gods knew about that.
A/N: I do know that the Chimera is supposed to be a very powerful monster and one that Percy could not beat in canon when he met it. But I chose this little bugger for him to fight since I also wanted to show that this Percy is stronger than his canon counterpart. There are important differences in his fight this time, compared to the original fight on the Arch. There are no mortals around like on the Arch, so Percy can fight it more openly. Percy is considerably stronger than in canon at the same age, since he was trained by more than one god since early childhood. And not to forget, Percy was not alone in this fight. Without the help of Zoe and Phoebe things might have gone different. Bellerophon beat chimera in the myth by riding on Pegasus, flying out of the monsters reach before he used a lump of lead on his spear which killed the monster when Chimera's flame breath melted it in its mouth, both poisoning and suffocating the monster at the same time.
In past chapters someone had asked me about the weapons Percy has received from Apollo. He obviously does not have Riptide yet since Chiron had no chance to give it to him. But with a god as his patron I wanted to give Percy something different. Though the sword is entirely made up, it is based on the sword the mythological Ariadne gave Theseus before he entered the Labyrinth to kill the Minotaur. Ariadne herself was not a mere mortal, in fact she was the granddaughter of the Sun Titan Helios, which is the reason I got the idea to use this sword as a supposed relic of Helios, given to his children and grandchildren until it ended up in Theseus hands. The name, well I used the first name that came to my mind. But please don't expect me to translate that name into ancient greek, sadly I only learned Latin in school.