Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does.

Chapter 5

Percy sat at the pinochle table silently. Luke swallowed nervously as Chiron stared him down.

"I understand that you might be feeling anxious or nervous about your quest," the centaur said calmly. "It's natural. Clarisse, on her first quest, had been somewhat uneasy before she left. Of course, she was ten at the time."

"Yeah but she's a child of Ares," Luke pointed out.

"Contrary to what you might think, children of Ares have feelings. They just tend to be more aggressive in their pursuits."

Percy snorted. "Bullies, you mean."

"So a run over of my quest again?" suggested Luke, deciding to change the topic.

"Your father said that it would be the same as one of Heracles' most challenging achievements. You must head to San Francisco, find the Garden of the Hesperides, and steal one of the golden apples that hang from the tree. It is guarded by a ferocious dragon, Ladon, whose scratch will poison you."

"If I get scratched, I die?"

"Not necessarily. But extremely likely."

"That makes me feel better," Luke said sarcastically.

"I will encourage you when I can, child," the centaur said sadly, "but I will not refrain from speaking the truth."

"Even when it's painful?"

"Even then."

Percy gave Luke an encouraging smile… well, as encouraging as it could be. It wasn't likely that Luke would survive, but he had to keep a positive outlook. Besides, if Heracles was lucky enough to steal the apple, Luke would be too. At least, Percy hoped he would.

It was a scary and dangerous quest, but it was somewhat achievable. A lot of the Hermes campers were jealous that their new brother suddenly got a quest from their dad, but Percy knew that quests were often more deadly than people let on. Getting a quest wasn't really a blessing. It was more of a punishment. There was great pride for accomplishing a quest, but often it involved much failure and pain that normal kids and teens would normally never experience. The quest members got hungry easily and never got enough sleep during the journey.

In simple terms—quests were horrible.

But people would do anything to make their parents proud. Like Clarisse.

Luke, on the other hand, was looking doubtful. Percy could see the lack of heart he felt toward the quest. After all, he was copying the accomplishments of another hero. It wasn't that spectacular. It would be spectacular if he survived, but the actual achievement wasn't really worth it.

Where's the glory in doing something others have already done, the dark voice said inside of his head.

The Crooked One. The Lord of Time. Kronos.

It had taken a long time for Percy to figure out who had been talking to him in his dreams. Kronos, the Titan Lord who had been sliced into a million pieces by his youngest son, Zeus, was preparing to rise once again. And Percy was contemplating joining him.

Kronos' arguments were persuasive. He loved Camp Half-Blood, but there was so much he was angry about.

Maybe the gods had important things to do. But couldn't they call once in a while, or thunder, or something?

Left alone for years. That's what'd happened to Percy.

Kronos had told him to recruit Luke ever since Luke began resenting his father. Every night, the same sharp voice prodded him, like a knife to his back. The way the Titan Lord spoke to him made him feel like every order he was given was a threat of some sort.

Even though quests were horrible, Percy felt like he needed one. Sure, he was a hypocrite, but what was he going to do. Staying at camp was uneventful. His entire life seemed like it was tucked into the depths of camp, and he'd already explored too much. Being in the outside world was where the real challenges were. He knew he was ready for it.

He snorted internally. He wasn't prepared for anything. He would die.

Quest to the Sea of Monsters, Kronos had said. Retrieve the Golden Fleece. Revive me.

There were just two problems with that. Percy had no idea where Kronos was. Or the Sea of Monsters. It was just a giant blank. His only guess was the Mediterranean, but how the Hades would he get to Europe? And second, he didn't have a legitimate reason to leave camp. It would look suspicious, and Percy figured the gods would find out about him sooner. They already found out about Thalia, daughter of Zeus. At least, that's what his father told him.

Then there was the problem about children of the Big Three in general. He had no idea why they weren't allowed to be born. Just because they caused world wars? That couldn't be the only reason.

He needed to speak to Chiron about it, about Thalia, about everything.

Luke stood up from the table. "I'm ready."

"Very well," Chiron said. "Argus will lead you out."

The one-hundred-eyed guard of camp nodded and brought Luke away. Chiron turned to Percy and gave him a grim smile, "Let us hope Luke makes it back alive."

"He will."

The centaur gave him a curious look, but didn't say anything. Percy felt like Chiron didn't want to burst his bubble. But before he could walk away, Percy stopped him. "Chiron, can I ask you something? It has to do with something Poseidon told me."

Chiron looked around to make sure no one was listening. "Okay, Percy. What is it?"

"Poseidon told me about Thalia, a daughter of Zeus. Do you know anything about her?"

Chiron's eyes darkened. "Perhaps we shouldn't talk about this right now."

"No, Chiron! This is important. I need to know why the Big Three made the pact. Them being too powerful isn't a good enough reason. There has to be something else too! There has to be a reason behind it all."

"Sometimes knowledge can be a burden, Percy. It is better if you don't know."

"Why not?" Percy challenged. "Nothing can be worse than what I've already gone through. I lost my mom at six. I've lived at camp for almost six years, seen a dozen demigods die during border patrol, and known nothing but isolation. What is so bad that you can't tell me?"

He gave him a sad look. "I'm sorry."

"You think you're protecting me," Percy said angrily, "but all you're doing is turning me into a useless machine. Doing the same thing over and over again. The Oracle is a mummy. Children of the Big Three are too dangerous to live. Children of the gods aren't claimed. If I'm not supposed to be alive, I want to know why."

Chiron didn't say anything. He gave Percy a pained look and turned away. The demigod gave the centaur a dark look.

"Fine. Don't tell me. Don't be surprised if I'm gone within the next few days. And don't come looking for me. You're supposed to be my fatherly figure, but I guess you don't trust me enough to tell me the truth." Percy took a deep breath. "At least tell me what you know about Thalia."

Chiron sighed. "From what I know, Hades and the gods of the Underworld still do not know about the girl. Naturally, your father is angry, but he cannot risk you either, so he is keeping quiet, putting on a façade of seething anger. I don't know where Thalia is now, and satyrs are being prepared to look for her."

"Thank you!"

"Do not act rashly, Percy. Why you and Thalia should not be alive does not matter… Dark times approach, I fear, and I do not want you in the wrong place at the wrong time. I do care about you, Percy, and that is why I am not telling you why things are the way they are. I'm trying to protect you like I have protected many heroes. You walk your own path. It is not up to me to tell you everything about yourself. Sometimes, you find out along the path."

"Sure." Percy was still angry. "Whatever."

"See you at dinner."

"Yeah. Sure."

Then the son of Poseidon walked away.

In his dream, Percy was standing on a street he didn't recognize. It looked like a suburban area, but a downtown metropolis rose in the distance. It was getting dark. The sun was setting, to the west, which was toward the land. He could see the water from where he was, so he knew he was on the east coast somewhere. Mortals walked along the streets in T-shirts and shorts.

The setting seemed a lot more peaceful than some of the dreams he'd had. It was quieter and happier. But why did he have such a dreadful feeling?

He was standing there for minutes, absorbing in the scenery. He noticed young kids running around and playing happily. They looked around his age and looked much brighter than he did. When he looked in a mirror, he usually saw a dark, brooding face. He distinctly remembered his reflection from when he was a kid, especially at the aquarium when bright green eyes stared back at him as he looked into the glass. Looking at the windshield of the car in front of him, he saw a pair of ocean blue eyes staring back. Ever since realizing who his birth father was, he figured his eyes changed with his mood, like how Poseidon could be both stormy and calm. Sometimes, they would be peaceful… sea green, like the colour of the sea floor. Sometimes, they would be darker… ocean blue, like the colour of the open ocean.

Truly, there wasn't much of a difference, but he wondered if his eyes would be bright and green ever again.

After what seemed like forever, Percy noticed a commotion from down the street. There were two girls, both his age, running like they'd just seen a hellhound. As they ran past, Percy noted their appearances.

One of them was taller and more athletic. She had spiky black hair that only went down to her shoulder. Her electric blue eyes crackled with energy, and there was a splash of freckles across her nose. She was wearing a Green Day T-shirt, torn jeans, and a ruined leather jacket. Dirt was smeared across her face, as if she'd just been rolling around on the ground, and she held a bronze spear in her right hand.

Percy guessed that it was Celestial bronze because none of the mortal residents paid any attention to the weapon. Maybe they saw a large wooden staff.

The other was shorter and looked a lot less wild. She had jeans and a white T-shirt, which had been torn. From what she was doing, it was easy to tell that they had just escaped a fight. The shorter girl put on her pullover sweater to cover the tears that she'd gotten in her shirt. Percy blushed at the thought of her torn shirt. She had blonde hair and stormy grey eyes that looked like they were racing at a hundred miles an hour. The traits of a child of Athena. The only weapon he saw that she had was a worn Celestial bronze knife.

After they ran past, Percy waited to see what was chasing them. At first, there was nothing. But after a few more seconds, he saw something large and black turn the corner down the street. His eyes widened when he saw the hellhound coming. He followed the girls as they ran away from the monster.

They kept running until they made it to a beach.

"Chesapeake," the dark-haired girl said. "Come on!"

"Thalia, it's right behind us," the blonde-haired girl said urgently. "It'll find us even if we make it to the hideout."

"Annabeth, we have supplies there. How else will we get it to stop hunting us?"

"I… I don't know."

"That's a first."

Percy stared in astonishment at the scene unfolding before him. The dark-haired girl standing in front of him in his dream was Thalia, daughter of Zeus. And she was with a daughter of Athena named Annabeth. The thought itself was so paralyzing, the only thing he thought was, Where is Chesapeake?

The hellhound burst onto the beach, and the two girls turned in fright.

Percy had never seen a hellhound before. It was scarier than he thought it would be. Each of its fangs was like a sharpened dagger; there were at least two dozen of them. The whole beast was the size of a fully-grown rhino, and it had glowing red lava eyes.

Without a thought, the beast pounced at Annabeth.

The girl jumped to the side as Thalia raised her spear. The hellhound flew into the weapon and immediately exploded into sand. But not without a large scratch to Thalia's stomach area. Annabeth scrambled over to her friend.

"Thalia! Thalia!"

"I'm all right," Thalia grunted.

The scene with Annabeth trying to help Thalia up dissolved into a night scene with the two at a campfire. Thalia was shivering, and Annabeth was helping her dress her wound. Percy watched curiously as the two interacted. They seemed to be in a disagreement.

"We have to get to New York!" Annabeth insisted.

"No, we don't," Thalia retorted.

Annabeth frowned. "It's safer there. It's the more logical solution. We can't run forever."

"How are we supposed to find it?" Thalia shot back. "It's not like there are big signs pointing to a magical camp on Long Island somewhere. And we have to get there first. The distance from Virginia to New York by foot is a long way. Especially because monster attacks are growing every day. I think… I think Hades finally knows I exist."

"There… there has to be another child of the Big Three, Thalia," the daughter of Athena said.

"Maybe. But Hades isn't off to kill them. He's off to kill me."

"Thalia—!"

The daughter of Zeus gave her companion a harsh look. "You don't know what it feels like, Annabeth. I'm eleven, and people are already out to kill me. Monsters… creatures… You're my best friend, but you can't possibly know what it feels like to be an 'illegal' child. Just because my stupid dad is stupid Zeus." Thalia looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Sometimes I dream of a life without all of… this."

"Don't say that." Annabeth's voice was trembling a little. "I'm… I'll stay at your side no matter what."

"I wish I was never born," admitted Thalia. "Then I wouldn't have to suffer like this. People around me wouldn't have to suffer."

Percy looked down. If people knew who he was and stayed by his side, would he feel the same way as Thalia? Up to this point, he'd never really considered that. He'd been too busy with Kronos and his desire for revenge. He was angry at the gods for not paying attention to him. No one ever paid attention to him. He felt like a wall.

But if he could manipulate Thalia onto Kronos' side, that would mean another powerful demigod would be fighting with them. He wouldn't have to fight against Thalia in any battles. They would be like a team. But the blondie, Annabeth. Percy wasn't sure about her. She was pretty, but children of Athena tended to follow their mother. They wouldn't often betray the Olympians.

He wondered why he was even having this dream.

"What did Hal say?" Thalia suddenly asked. "The Great Prophecy or something?"

"Yeah. The prophecy about you," Annabeth recalled. "Or about any other child of the Big Three that happens to turn sixteen before you do. That's all I remember."

"So something happens when I turn sixteen," Thalia chuckled grimly. "I doubt it's something pleasant. And… Hal said that my future would be calm. Full of pain, but calm. Not exactly sure if that makes any sense at all, but that doesn't sound like prophecy stuff."

"He said something about family—"

"You're with me now. I'm not returning to any family. You are my family."

Annabeth looked hesitant. "Hal said I would find a partner and we would stick together even when things pull us apart. But he said my partner would be a 'he.' You're not a 'he.'"

"Whatever," Thalia snapped. "He's a crazy old man who likes to make the lives of demigods miserable with his pathetic visions of some future that will never happen. There is no way we're separating."

They sat in silence for a little while.

Thalia struggled to her feet and said, "Well, good night, Annabeth."

Annabeth opened her mouth to say something but seemingly thought better of it and looked down. Thalia gave her a sad look and turned away.

Thalia said, "I hate my dad about as much as you hate yours, Annabeth. But it's not like I can do anything about that. Sometimes I guess we have to work with what we're given."

Then the dream faded.

"So the prophecy?" Percy sneered. "One you decided not to tell me about? Something is supposed to happen when I'm sixteen."

Chiron didn't cave under the intense glare of his pupil. He'd been expecting this for months now. He couldn't be hidden forever. And things couldn't be hidden from him forever. He would mature, grow up, develop a hatred for the Olympians, and then try to change his future. That's what most heroes ended up doing.

And Chiron wasn't sure how to help him. He hadn't faced something like this before.

For years, Chiron dreaded the day he would have to tell a child of the Big Three the Great Prophecy. It would only cause them more pain. This case with Percy was even worse. Anyone could see it in his expression and posture. He was truly scarred the day his mother was murdered. He had been traumatized, and in a sense, he had gone crazy.

Chiron knew the resent Percy felt toward his father was dangerous. The boy was too prideful and too unpredictable. The Olympians would have a good reason to kill the boy if they ever got the chance. Living at camp didn't work for every demigod. Many had run away. None had ever returned alive. And if Percy decided to run, the Olympians would surely catch him unless he went to the ocean, his father's domain.

Percy had pressed him for the last two weeks about this prophecy, though Chiron wasn't sure where he'd learned of it. There was something suspicious going on for sure.

"Your fate is set in stone, Percy," he said. "You understand that nothing you do will be able to change it."

"Just tell me what it is," growled the son of Poseidon.

Chiron recited it by heart: "A Half-Blood of the eldest gods, shall reach sixteen against all odds. And see the world in endless sleep. The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. A single choice shall end his days. Olympus to preserve or raze."

Percy gave him a blank stare for a few seconds. Then he exploded like a plinian eruption.

"Is that what you planned for me?" he growled. "To raise me like a pig for slaughter? To keep me safe so that I can die at the right time either to save Olympus or raise it? What does raising Olympus have to do with this?"

"Raze," Chiron said. "R-a-z-e. To obliterate… destroy."

"Oh, that makes it so much better," he said sarcastically. "A half-blood of the eldest gods, AKA the Big Three, shall reach sixteen against all odds. That doesn't even make sense if you're trying to keep me here my entire life. And see the world in endless sleep, the hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. Great, I'm supposed to get my stupid soul reaped. A single choice shall end his days, Olympus to preserve or raze. A choice I make will kill me and Olympus will either fall or stay. Is this what you're trying to protect me for?"

"You need training, Percy, more than ever before," the centaur said calmly. "A dark threat is rising."

"Oh, I know all about the dark threat," Percy said furiously. "Why couldn't I have died with my mom? Why do I have to be the stupid son of Poseidon? I wouldn't have had to suffer. People around wouldn't have to suffer. Endless sleep?"

"I warned you, Percy. Knowing your future is not a good thing."

Percy scowled and gave him a murderous look. "At least I know now that you and the Olympians are going to let me survive until sixteen just so I can be killed for this stupid prophecy."

"It could be Thalia."

"Then it's worse. Raising a young girl to die at the right time."

"Percy—"

"I'm tired of being useless. Isn't this what you've trained me for? To go out and succeed on a quest or something. But you want to protect me by keeping my isolated and hidden under the noses of the gods. Well here's a heads up, Chiron! Eventually they'll inhale and realize that I'm here. You can't protect me forever."

Chiron gave him a steely look. "And you're not mature enough to handle truth and knowledge."

Percy was stunned but he quickly recovered. His face twisted angrily and he stormed away. The centaur sighed in defeat. The boy was too stubborn… But Chiron knew one thing that would keep Percy in line. Percy had a kind heart, and under the layers of hatred and fury, he was a good person. He would never give up on friends and family. Chiron figured it was because of his mother, both the way she raised him and the effects of her death.

One of Percy's only close friends was Grover, a young satyr who Chiron planned to send after Thalia, and he knew, just by the way they interacted, that Percy would stick up for his friend no matter the cost.

But Chiron had priorities. He needed to get Thalia to camp. Percy's issue would have to wait.

So he turned and walked into the Big House for the night watching Percy sadly before closing the door and shutting out the night.

Percy was sitting alone on the beach on the day Luke made it back to Camp Half-Blood. He was pondering his thoughts when Grover ran up to him with the news. Even after all these years, Grover had stuck by Percy when people looked him off. Maybe it was because Grover wasn't the average satyr. He was way better.

The son of Poseidon nearly had a heart attack when he saw the condition that Luke arrived in. There was a thick, red scar that ran down the right side of his face. Most of the campers watched from afar as the Apollo kids rushed up to Luke to help him. Percy never forgot that image: the thick line that ran down his face. It was a symbol of Luke's failure, but it was also the mark of his anger. Luke had never been more furious with the Olympians. Percy could sense it even before he spoke to him.

Percy walked into the infirmary with Grover and Chiron right behind him. The Apollo campers cleared out until only Luke and the three of them remained.

"Luke, what happened?" asked a shocked Percy.

"The dragon got me," Luke said darkly. "Left this scar. I'll be fine, though. No poison."

"Di immortales," Grover said.

Percy frowned. "That's Latin."

"Yeah, I know."

"We speak Latin?"

"If you're smart enough," Chiron said quickly, "but that doesn't matter right now." He turned to Luke. "How did the quest go?"

"How do you think it went?" Luke spat bitterly. "I failed."

"What happened exactly?" Chiron pressed.

Reluctantly, Luke recounted the events of the quest from the moment he left to the moment he returned. There was a dark tone in his voice that was full of fear and anger as he spoke, and if Luke wasn't already one who truly resented his father, he would be now.

Recruit him, hissed Kronos' voice. Hurry!

"That's horrible!" Grover exclaimed.

Luke nodded.

"Well, I suppose you'll want to rest," Chiron concluded. "I'd recommend that you stay in the infirmary so that people don't bombard you with questions about the quest. Especially because you need to heal."

"No, it's fine, Chiron," Luke said weakly. "I can't show weakness."

Chiron gave him a wary look. "All right. You know what is best for yourself." Chiron didn't sound convinced. "See you at dinner."

The centaur trotted out. Grover nervously bit his lip. "Well, I hope you get better soon," he said timidly. "If you need anything, just ask me. I'll be there." Then he sadly exited.

"He's a good friend," Percy told Luke. "If you actually do need help, ask him."

Luke immediately stood up. He towered a good six inches over Percy. Luke was an early bloomer. "That won't matter when we're done with our business, Percy. Unless they want to join us. I… I've had the dreams. The same dreams as you've had in the past."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?" He'd never revealed Kronos to Luke. He'd only planted the ideas that his father didn't actually care for him.

"I remember distinctly you mumbling and drooling in your sleep about the Crooked One," he said. "This was back when I was beginning to have really bad nightmares. I would wake up and you would be mumbling to someone. I heard 'Crooked One' once, and I met him. He's a Titan Lord, isn't he? The King of Titans."

"Yeah. Kronos."

A cold chill passed through the room, and Percy shivered.

"I want to join," Luke said hungrily. "I want revenge. I want to tear Olympus down brick by brick for this. They send me on a stupid quest that's already been done by another demigod in the past, and it was Hercules of course. Where's the glory in repeating what others have done? All the gods know how to do is replay their past. And I know all I'm going to get because of this scar is pity. I don't want people's pity. I'm not a failure!"

Percy opened his mouth to criticize Luke for being cocky but he decided against it. He looked at Luke's scar.

"He wants me to go on a quest," Percy revealed. "To retrieve to Golden Fleece."

Luke's eyes glinted evilly. "And he wants me to steal the master bolt."

"Wait, what? That's crazy!"

"But it's something that no hero has dared to steal… ever."

"Because that's is an insane idea!"

"I understand, though. It's a two part quest. You retrieve the Golden Fleece to heal him, and I take the master bolt to give him a weapon. My quest involves stealth and theft. Yours is… well, less dangerous. I assume there's a reason why you're going into the Sea of Monsters."

"You know?"

"He told me in the dream."

"What else has he told you?" Percy asked suspiciously.

Luke shrugged. "Nothing else. I swear to the Styx. Nothing you don't know… I hope. So… are we doing this? Together?"

Percy looked down. "I don't know where the Sea of Monsters is."

Luke smirked. "I asked Hermes on my way back. Bermuda Triangle. And you're smart enough to find a way."

"Bermuda Triangle," Percy mused. "That makes sense. With mortals saying lots of ships are lost there."

"I can go with you," Luke offered.

"No no." Percy held a hand up. "Only one of us can steal the bolt anyway. One has to stay behind to lie about the other's whereabouts. You know… what's the word… An alibi. Yeah, I have to create an alibi for you."

"And I'll pretend to be worried about you after you leave for the Sea of Monsters," Luke piped up. "That's brilliant. So we're doing this?"

Luke held up a hand to seal the deal.

Percy glanced at it and nodded. He took the hand and shook it. But something deep inside of him told him that this was the wrong thing to do. The Sea of Monsters was too dangerous, too turbulent. Did Kronos really expect him to survive? Besides, did he truly want Kronos' rise? He was going to help him rise, he was on his side in disliking the Olympians… but was this what his mom would want him to be?

He'd never told anybody that he sometimes went out onto the beach in the middle of the night to grieve. He cried until he couldn't cry anymore. Because the one thing that really got to him was his mother's death.

Along with the nightmares and Kronos' voice, he could remember his mom's death clearly.

Was he nuts? Probably. But he'd agreed. He was going on the quest.

Enjoy!

Or not.

Depends.