Hi, everyone…I know its been awhile, too long. I apologize and I ask for you all to forgive me, I got busy with my sophomore year of college ending and then going back home and settling back into my summer job and schedule. Plus I picked up a few projects for film and started getting into some photography, and I started playing airsoft and paintball again…I realize now I may have bitten off more than I can chew. But rest assured, I will finish this story. Anything I start, I have to finish, I'm OCD about stuff like that. So know that if you ever begin reading one of my stories, it will always end, I promise to never give up on them. With that being said, if I don't update as often as I should, do know its just cause I have a lot going on. Just don't give up on me, please.
I promise, the next update will be much faster than this one was.
The Council
Percy-POV
Percy was nervous. So far, his friends had handled his return rather well and they weren't too terribly upset with him, but now he stood in the back of the dining pavilion with his hood covering his face as everyone settled in. Jason and Annabeth had informed Chiron (Dionysus had been called to a meeting in Olympus) of the attack, and that there was someone who could explain what was going on better (the person of course being Percy himself). Chiron had taken it a step further though; there were three iris messages at the front of the pavilion, one to camp Jupiter, one to the Hunters (Just as a reminder, Thalia was just visiting Jason, she is still a hunter, but she wasn't with them), and the last to the Amazons. Chiron had simply stated that everyone needed to know what was going on and they might as well hear about it now rather than later.
Percy saw the reasoning in Chiron's plan, but what the centaur didn't understand was that Percy had wanted to reveal his existence slowly so there wouldn't have been so much chaos. But Percy figured he might as well go ahead and get it over with, he was tired of hiding, and time was of the essence if they were going to be able to prepare a united front against Oceanus.
Chiron trotted up to the front of the pavilion and stomped his hoof. "Silence, please." When all the noise died down, including that from the iris messaging groups, Chiron continued, "Tonight there was an attack on some of our own. Jason and Thalia Grace, Leo Valdez, Annabeth Chase, Will Solace, Nico DiAngelo, Piper McLean, and Calypso were ambushed earlier this evening." At this shouts and murmurs broke out through the crowd, as people demanded to know if anyone was hurt. "SILENCE!" Chiron shouted again, and the crowd's noise slowly died down again. "I do not know the details of the attack, but all those mentioned returned alive. They are the one's who called this meeting together…they claim to have grave news." Percy could tell the moment Chiron finished his sentence a sense of dread fell over the audience. All of them knew this news was going to end their short-lived peace they had been experiencing. "Now, Annabeth, Jason, if you would." Chiron finished, gesturing for them to come stand at the front of the crowd.
As Annabeth and Jason both walked up, they both glanced back at Percy and he gave them an encouraging nod. When the two got to the front, Annabeth was the first to speak, "As Chiron said, tonight we were ambushed. Unfortunately, it was not a chance attack, nor was it a normal monster attack. It was led by the titan Oceanus." An uproar exploded from the crowd as people panicked.
"Zeus said there was nothing to worry about!"
"I thought Oceanus had returned to Tartarus!"
"Why didn't the gods warn us?"
"Everyone be quiet!" Jason yelled with ferocity, silencing everyone. "We don't know what the gods knew or if they truly had no idea that this might happen…we will have an audience with the Olympic council as soon as we can, but in the meantime let's just take the information we have available."
Jason gestured for Annabeth to continue speaking and she said, "We know there were a pocket of select few who knew this could happen and thankfully we lived because they were prepared."
"Annabeth," Frank said through the Iris message to New Rome, "Did any of you know? That information should have been-"
"No Frank, only one person here at the camp Half-blood knew there was a war brewing." Jason stated. The crowd again started to shout, but Jason cut them off before it could get out of hand. "As far as we know, the Olympian council was trying to keep peace and that's why they refused to acknowledge another war so soon after the last two. The people who knew and were preparing kept to themselves in order to keep the Olympians appeased and to not allow Oceanus to know they were on to him…Is that basically correct Nico?"
Nico got up form the Hades table. "In a manner of speaking. Oceanus would have targeted anyone he saw as an immediate threat, which is why the secret was shared with so few of us. The fact that it had to be kept secret was simply to keep Zeus from becoming angry. The king of the gods is simply refusing to acknowledge that we will soon be at war again, this time against an even stronger enemy than the last two."
"You knew?" Reyna asked Nico before anyone else could say anything.
Nico looked through the Iris message right at her. "Yes, I was one of the few, along with four others."
"Hold on, you said an even stronger enemy. How could that be? Oceanus isn't any stronger than Kronos and especially not as strong as any of the giants." Clarisse asked.
Nico swallowed hard. "Because it's not just Oceanus, he has gathered the other titans and some of the primordial gods as well."
Again, shouting exploded through the pavilion.
"The primoridals too! Why?"
"Why aren't the gods preparing for war?"
"Why aren't we preparing for war?"
"Damn the Fates, damn the oracle! Why didn't we have any warning?"
Not even Chiron or Jason's voices could calm the crowd. Percy was watching things get out of hand for a few moments but then he decided he had enough of listening to it. "ENOUGH!" He stomped his foot and a shockwave coursed through the ground followed by a gust of wind, the blast not hurting anyone but causing everyone to fall silent in a split second. All eyes turned towards Percy, seeming to notice him for the first time. Percy's hood was still up, so his identity was still concealed, so he took the opportunity to approach the front of the dining pavilion. Everyone still watched him silently, even Chiron seemed nervous. Percy couldn't blame them, his way of getting their attention reminded him how the gods often silenced everyone, half of the crowd was probably afraid that he was a god himself.
Finally after a great bout of silence, someone asked, "Who are you?"
Percy sighed quietly before he pulled off his hood. There was stunned silence for a few moments before Clarisse finally asked, "Percy?"
Percy gave her a look and then addressed everyone. "I know I'm supposed to be dead and all of this is a shock to you all, but I ask that you hear me out. I was one of the two that first knew about the upcoming war. I was going to be the first target killed by Oceanus, he was prepared to strike me down four years ago. Instead of waiting for him to attack me or worse, attack any of you to get to me, I took an offer to help me fake my death."
Annabeth-POV
"Who told helped you, and why did they know about the war? And how did they keep it all hidden from the other gods?" Chiron asked, which surprised Annabeth. Normally Chiron always seemed calm and collected, but seeing Percy alive again with all of this seemed to really have shaken the old centaur. Annabeth could relate though, her world still seemed to be spinning.
"Rhea, Kronos's wife came and found me on my way to school. She was the one who knew about the plan. How she knew about it, I'm not entirely sure. I never asked. I stayed in ancient Greece, in the mountains." Percy replied. Annabeth didn't think it was possible, but suddenly Chiron looked even more confused than before. Percy continued, "I trained alone with Rhea for about a week, but she realized she couldn't push me enough, so she went and got help." Percy glanced in Annabeth's direction and things suddenly clicked into place.
At the beginning of the ambush, Athena had shown up. She had been just as aware of the threat as Nico had been. She had been going to the Underworld. She had known about Percy four almost the entire four years. "My mom?" Annabeth asked aloud, not wanting the answer but knowing it to be true. Percy's nod made Annabeth lose it. "MY MOM KNEW YOU WERE ALIVE!?" She yelled loudly, causing Percy and several others to flinch. "She watched us suffer without you, she watched me suffer without you and all the while she knew?"
"Annabeth, we need to stay focused." Piper said, her words soothing, but her anger at her mother was too great to be charmspoken away.
"Is that why she refused to hardly ever come and see me? She couldn't face me?" Annabeth continued.
"She loved you as much as I did, Annabeth." Percy said perfectly clear. "When she first found out I was alive she wanted to kill me for leaving you like I did, but we both wanted to keep you safe so we let it go."
Annabeth didn't know what to say. It made sense for her mother to keep it a secret, that was the entire point of faking Percy's death after all, but it still hurt her to know her own mother had known. Ananbeth did however stay quiet, she knew now was not the time to be angry with her mother.
Percy turned back towards everyone else and continued, "I trained with Athena and Rhea for three years. Then we came back to the United States. I took on the curse of Achilles again-"
"That shouldn't have been possible, no one should be able to survive the process anymore, not since both the greek and roman worlds are together!" Chiron interrupted.
"I did. I had to if I were going to have an edge in the war." Percy replied simply.
"You're invincible again?" Conner Stoll asked.
"All except for my Achilles spot, yes." Percy assured. Slight murmuring began again and Chiron began trying to silence everyone. Annabeth took the moment to look down at the small of Percy's back, his old Achilles spot, and then she looked up to meet Percy's eyes. The silent question was answered when he gave a slight nod. He kept his weak spot the same, at least Annabeth knew where he couldn't get hit; at least she could try and protect him.
"So what now, Percy?" Reyna asked. Annabeth could see her grim faced through the Iris Message.
"We prepare for war." Percy said, and as he said it his clothes changed, morphing into his armor. Annabeth had seen the armor earlier, but now, standing in front of everyone she couldn't help but feel pride over Percy. She always knew he was a leader, but now the air of power and authority mixed with his armor made it clear to everyone.
"What about my dad, Perce?" Jason asked, just loud enough to get everyone's attention. "What if he refuses to help? He can be stubborn about that, like his policy during the Giants War."
Annabeth nodded in agreement, she had been having similar thoughts. They'd be lucky if Zeus would even allow them to talk to him.
"Tomorrow, we will take a small group to Olympus and address the gods ourselves." Percy said.
Chiron, who had been watching Percy intently, finally spoke up and said, "What if lord Zeus refuses to allow you up to Olympus, Percy? If its true that Zeus has already been blinded to the threat he will try desperately to keep things the way they are, he will not want to believe in this-"
"With all do respect, Chiron, Zeus will see us tomorrow whether he wants to or not. The Olympian council will begin preparing for war, I will make certain of it…" Percy interrupted. The way he said it made everyone in the crowd hush. Even Annabeth was stunned. Percy's comment could be taken as a threat on Zeus and Percy knew that, yet he didn't act concerned in the slightest. It seemed to her that Percy was done being a pawn for the gods; this Percy was calling the shots now. She liked this version of Percy.
Percy-POV
After more explaining and answering questions, Percy stood in the rec room with the cabin leaders and iris messages still to the Hunters, Amazons, and Romans as they all discussed battle plans.
"We just had our scouts come back." Reyna said through the Iris message. "Mount Othrys is back. There were already sentries posted and roaming the mountainside so our scouts couldn't get in very close."
"That's fine, I'd rather not take any chances yet. I just wanted to make sure they intended to reclaim the mountain. If they hadn't already been there I was going to see if we could take it first, but I knew the odds of that were slim." Percy replied. Reyna simply nodded.
"So what now, Perce?" Annabeth asked.
Percy just sighed as he looked at the map on the Ping-Pong table. "For now we cover what we can. I want the hunters to go cover Central Park, and make sure they don't try and use the Doors of Orpheus, I'll send a detachment of campers there as well. I'll have the Hephaestus cabin start making some traps and fortifications in the area for a more permanent solution."
Leo spoke up, surprising Percy. "Won't that be risky? The mortals are going to wonder what's going on in the park if we just start turning it into a fortress."
"You're right, Leo. That's why we're building as much as we can here for the time being. Tomorrow, we'll enlist the gods' help. They'll have to manipulate the mist to cover us so we can really dig in. But once we get our forces dug in and prepared we wont have to keep as many there to guard." Everyone nodded in agreement. Percy then turned towards Thalia. "Thalia, you'll join the hunters in Central Park after our visit to Olympus tomorrow, I want you there with me."
"Not a chance I'd be any where else, Kelp Head." Thalia replied smiling mischievously. "I'd like to have a word with my father just as much as you do."
"Leo, Annabeth, I need both of you to get your cabins together tonight to start making those designs for the fortifications and traps. I want you to both make sure the cabins know exactly what there task is because you two are coming to Olympus with me as well tomorrow." Both Annabeth and Leo nodded. Percy felt slightly guilty about sending Annabeth away from him with a task, he wanted to be with her, but he knew now wasn't the time to catch up. The first few days were going to be crucial if they were to get prepared for war so quickly. Luckily, Annabeth seemed to understand that, and for that Percy was eternally grateful. "And don't hold back, either of you. Get creative and don't be afraid to go big, we don't want to just make it hard for them to use the exit, we need it impossible." Percy said.
Leo got a wild look in his eye and Annabeth offered Percy a smirk. "You got it seaweed brain." Annabeth replied.
"Yeah, Perce. No worries, using that tunnel will be guaranteed suicide for them by the time we're done." Leo chimed in.
"Good." Percy allowed himself a small smile. "Also, Annabeth. I need Malcolm to be prepared to head out to Central Park and operate as my tactician there, if you'll pass that information to him?"
Annabeth nodded. "Yeah, I'll let him know. I'll send him with our old battle plans from the Battle of Manhattan as well, maybe he can utilize them and adapt them."
"That's a good idea." Percy said nodding his head.
"Stick with me, Percy, I'm full of good ideas." Ananbeth replied jokingly, winking as she left the rec room with Leo in toll. Percy chuckled, Annabeth seemed to be in high spirits despite the awful news everyone had learned tonight, but Percy figured him showing back up and being alive might be the thing that was making her life a little easier. That thought made him happy.
Pulling himself back to reality, Percy turned to Clarisse. "I need you to get the Ares cabin's best ready to support the hunters out there in Central park. The hunters will provide the range, I need your cabin to provide the muscle."
"Understood, I'll round up about a dozen or more of us and take them down there myself." Clarisse replied.
"No, you won't. Malcolm will take charge down there." Percy said. Clarisse seemed taken aback and she opened her mouth to protest but Percy cut her off by continuing, "Look, Clarisse, I don't know how tomorrow is going to go with the gods and I'd feel better if you had my back."
Clarisse pondered his statement for a moment, then she finally smiled and said, "Alright then, Prissy, I got your back if things go south tomorrow."
Percy smiled back at her, he had missed his friends greatly, even the teasing from Clarisse. "Good." Finally Percy turned his attention to the Iris Messages to Hylla and also to Frank and Reyna. "New Rome and Camp Jupiter are unfortunately the real frontlines at the moment. Hylla, I need you to get the Amazons with the Romans and help them bolster the defenses and prepare for the assaults that are bound to come very soon."
Hylla simply nodded and said, "We'll be there before dawn." She then swiped through the Iris Message cutting off the communication.
"She still isn't a big fan of me is she?" Percy asked to no one in particular. It drew a few chuckles out of some people, but Reyna outright laughed.
"No, I'm afraid not Percy. But trust me, she's taking orders from you which says a lot in of itself." Reyna said. Percy smiled at her comment. But Reyna's face grew serious quickly. "But Percy, even with the Amazon's if they launch a full fledged assault we won't be able to-"
"I know Rey." Percy interrupted. "Tomorrow morning I'll send as many campers as possible to New Rome on Pegasi. They'll have to serve as your reinforcements until I can make sure our backs are secure. And as soon as I get the Olympians straightened out I'll have them send whatever help they can. I'll be there myself as soon as possible."
Reyna nodded. "Knowing there are reinforcements on the way would be a tremendous boost for morale when I alert the senate as to what's going on come the morning."
"They should be there before night fall tomorrow." Percy said.
"Okay." Frank chimed in from next to Reyna, "If its possible for you to let us know ahead of time, please tell us how many extra hands we can expect and what we might be able to use them best for." Percy nodded in response. "Okay then. We need to go wake the Centurion's and fill them in on what's going on so they can tell the cohorts tomorrow morning." Frank stood up form his seat and walked towards the Iris message. "It's good to have you back, Percy." He added.
"It's good to finally be back, Frank." Percy said truthfully. "I'll see you soon." With that, Frank interrupted the Iris message with his hand and he and Reyna disappeared from his view.
There was silence for a moment, then finally Will asked, "What campers are going to leave for camp Jupiter?"
"You'll pick five of your cabin to stay here and act as Camp Half-bloods sentries, the rest will be heading out with the remaining Ares campers." Percy answered. "But you will be with me tomorrow." Will nodded and Percy could tell he was a little relieved, probably because it meant he wasn't going to be separated from Nico. "Clarisse, are you still the combat class instructor?"
"Yeah, I am."
"I need you to rank the top fighters aside from the people I've already given tasks to. I want the remaining best to accompany the Apollo and Ares campers to Camp Jupiter. All the Pegasi need to have a rider and be headed that way except for five. Keep those Pegasi here in case of an emergency."
"Alright, I need to go look through my records for the class, if it's okay for me to go ahead and leave?" Clarisse asked.
"Go ahead. If anything else comes up I'll make sure you're informed." What Clarisse did next caught Percy off guard.
Clarisse bowed slightly and said, "General." Then without another word she walked out. Her actions hit Percy hard. Up until now he hadn't realized that he truly was completely in charge, but Clarisse acknowledging him as their general was a gesture that left little room for Percy to call himself anything less. Clarisse was a great fighter, and she was proud. But her actions had just demonstrated that she was submitting fully to Percy's command. Suddenly, Percy felt like a great deal of weight was now on his shoulders, despite having known for a long time that it was bound to come. It still made him nervous.
"What about the remaining campers, Perce?" Jason asked, pulling Percy back into the present.
Percy shook his head to clear his head from worrying about his leadership in the war and he took a moment to think. Finally he answered, "You, Piper, and Nico are all coming with me to Olympus tomorrow. The campers who have the least combat training are going to remain here at Camp Half-blood to defend it since it should be fairly secure. The only entrance they could possibly use to attack is from the doors of Orpheus, and we'll have it locked down. The remaining campers are going to load up in the vans and start the drive out west to Camp Jupiter. Most of the fight is going to take place out that way. Calypso needs to head out to Camp Jupiter as well, she's a pretty good healer and I'm afraid they're going to need a lot of healers."
"What of me, General?" Chiron asked. Percy again didn't fail to notice the fact that he was called general, this time by his teacher, and again it made him slightly nervous.
"The party ponies, do you think you can round them up to help in the fight?" Percy asked, not letting his nervousness show through.
Chiron sighed. "I can try, but they're not soldiers or truly trained, I'm not sure how well they will work with us."
"If you can get them to Camp Jupiter, even if it's just a handful it would be helpful. And Reyna and Frank will have them under control in no time, I know it. But if they can't get them under control then by the gods I will when I get there." Percy replied.
"I'll see what I can do then." Chiron said and he began to trot out of the room. Right before he exited though, he stopped and turned to Percy. "Be careful tomorrow on Olympus. I'm not sure how Zeus is going to react to all of this."
"We'll handle it Chiron, don't worry about us." Percy reassured. Chiron gave him a small smile and then he left. Percy and the others waited in silence for a while. Then finally Percy said, "Let's go guys, we have a lot to do tonight. Try and get some sleep between now and the morning, I'm afraid we might need our strength come tomorrow."
It was pushing three in the morning when Percy finally entered cabin three. He was tired from the battle and from trying to get everyone else situated. Luckily, the campers were quick to jump on their given tasks and they quickly worked out a schedule so some could sleep while the others worked. Percy himself had planned on staying up but after spending awhile in Bunker nine with Leo and the Hephaestus campers, Leo had sent Percy off to bed saying he would be of more use to everyone if he took care of himself and rested. Percy had wanted to argue, but he knew Leo's advice was wise, Percy needed to be ready for Olympus.
Without much thought Percy began stripping off his coat and shirt when he heard someone clear their throat. Percy turned around to see Annabeth sitting on his bed.
Not having true alone time together since he showed everyone he was alive, Percy was unsure of how to start a conversation with Annabeth. finally, he said, "Hey."
Annabeth laughed, and Percy felt light headed at the sound of it, he had missed far too much. "Always the seaweed brain…After everything, hey is the first thing you're going to say? Even-"
Before she could continue, Percy had crossed the room and pressed his lips to hers. Annabeth was stunned for a moment, but he felt her quickly give in to the kiss. It felt amazing to Percy, he had missed the way her lips tasted and the way her hair smelled. He pulled her into his arms, deepening the kiss. One of her hands wrapped around his arm while the other rested on his chest. After a few moments, Percy finally pulled his lips away, but he let his forehead rest against hers.
"That-you should have just started with that in the beginning." Annabeth managed to tease while she tried catching her breath.
Percy smiled and replied, "I wasn't so sure I was still allowed to do it."
Annabeth moved her head and nuzzled into the side of Percy's neck. "I'm still yours, Seaweed Brain." Percy wrapped his arms around Annabeth. "Just please promise me this time we don't leave each other?"
Percy went rigid. "Annabeth, I wish I could take it all back, but-"
"The past is in the past, Percy. I just want to focus on the future…our future. I just want your word, Percy, that's enough for me."
Percy pulled back and looked into Annabeth's gray eyes. He began to open his mouth, wanting nothing more than to promise her, but instead he said, "I can't…"
The look of betrayal on her face almost killed Percy. She pulled away from him and stared him up and down. "What?" she asked in disbelief. "What do you-what do you mean you can't…"
Percy quickly closed the gap between them and raised one of his hands to her cheek and wrapped his other arm around her waist. "I love you, Annabeth Chase. I want nothing more than to be with you for the rest of time, you know that. But I can't-I can't make you this promise. If I'm to be the general…If I have to lead us all into this, I can't promise we'll make it out." The moment he finished he felt all the angst and worry he had been bottling up wash over him. Tears pricked at the back of his eyes and he tightened his grip around Annabeth's waist. "I can't lose you again, Annabeth. I can't lose any of you. I can't let Olympus, the camps, our friends, my family-" As the tears began falling down his face, Percy felt Annabeth's arms wrap around him and she pulled his head towards her shoulder. "I'm not ready for this, Annabeth. I'm not cut out to lead. I can't do this."
The slap he received stung, despite his curse of Achilles. He looked at Annabeth only to see her face set defiantly towards him. "I don't want to hear anything like that come out of your mouth again, do you understand that?" She demanded. Percy was still shocked and didn't answer, so she continued, "This war isn't just yours to fight alone, Percy. All of us are behind you. We all hate to acknowledge it, but no one is expecting this war to end with out casualties, and no one will blame you or think less of you when those deaths eventually happen. Not a single one of us is being forced to follow your leadership, we do it on our own free will."
Percy was silent as he stared into Annabeth's eyes, which were hardened as she stared him down. Percy finally dropped his eyes to the ground, causing Annabeth to sigh.
"Look, Percy." She reached out and grasped a hold of his chin and forced his eyes back towards hers. "I know you're scared…about this war, about our friends, about me and you…" Percy saw her eyes start to tear up and he instinctively reached out and caught the first one on his thumb, carefully wiping it away. "We're stronger together. We always have been. The Titan war, Tartarus, the Giant war, we've always made it through together." Annabeth tucked her head beneath Percy's chin. Percy responded to her movement by wrapping her in a tight hug and resting his chin on top of her head. After a few moments of silence and just seeking comfort in each other, Annabeth continued, "I know you can't make promises about the war, or what the fates have in store for us, but I do know you can promise me this; no more leaving me. Where you go, I go, or at least I know where it is. I need you to promise me that no matter what happens to us that there will always be an us. I need you to promise me that if this war doesn't turn out in our favor then we'll still be there for each other, even if its on the other side of life, no matter where we end up…can you promise me that you'll always be my Percy?"
Percy's tears rolled down his cheeks and fell into Annabeth's hair. It only caused Annabeth to hold him tighter. He was still nervous about the war, he was still scared, but holding Annabeth close and listening to her talk about their future, Percy found it easier to focus on the here and now. She was right, she gave him strength, she always had. They were stronger together, they always had been. His answer came easy, "I love you, Annabeth Chase. And I don't know what the Fates have in store for anyone, but I do know that I will always love you. I am yours in this life, and in the afterlife. No matter where we end up at the end of it all, I still want to be by your side, and you'll always have my love…I promise you."
"I'll hold you too that." Annabeth replied.
Percy didn't feel the need to reply, he simply titled her head up towards his and closed his eyes. When their lips met, Percy felt all his troubles and worries disappear and the only thing that mattered was the present moment. Even after all the years he had been gone, his desire for her and her desire for him had only grown. He felt his desire for her increase and he deepened the kiss, earning a noise from her that stirred something deep inside of him. He felt that he was going to lose his control and was about to pull away but Annabeth pulled away first. They locked eyes for a moment and in that moment both their wills broke. Their lips met again, but everything was a blur to Percy. The only thing that mattered to him was the woman he loved with him.
Omniscient-POV
About an hour and a half later, Percy and Annabeth laid pulled close to each other in Percy's bed fast asleep.
Camp Half-blood was bustling quietly as those who had volunteered to work through the night went about their duties and attempted not to wake those who were resting.
The campers had still not heard a word from the Olympians and it made some of them cast glances towards the sky in worry. Many of them wondered if Zeus was even going to take action and help in the war or if he planned to hide away and let the demigods deal with the threat alone. Everyone was primed and nervous, they knew war was upon them yet again, and without a prophecy, without any sort of guidance, they had no idea if they even stood a chance at victory.
But like it had all through out history, Hope never abandoned humanity, and even in the approaching dark days, hope grew strong within those who were prepared to fight.
