Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.

Chapter 14

"You're… you're a son of Poseidon," Annabeth shouted for the millionth time. "You didn't tell us. I thought you… Argh!"

"How could you not tell us?" demanded Thalia, for the millionth time.

Percy didn't know how to explain it to them. They refused to understand if he told them straight up. They looked like he'd betrayed them, and he wanted to mend the wounds that he'd caused. Even though it really wasn't his fault. He just couldn't reveal it before this point. At least, not publicly. If he revealed it publicly, it would've caused uproar. They just had to understand.

"I've told you two a million times," he snapped. "You have to understand why I couldn't tell you."

"I thought we were friends," Annabeth said.

"Just because we're friends, doesn't mean I can't keep secrets," Percy growled. "I guarantee you that you've kept a secret from Thalia, and Thalia's kept a secret from you."

Thalia growled. "But no secret is as big as this one, son of Poseidon. You've been lying to us all this time, saying you're unclaimed. Who knows, you probably could have taken the bolt. Maybe you had an accomplice or something to do your dirty work, you piece of crap!"

"I didn't take the bolt."

"You could've taken it before Hestia found you, given it to whomever, and then they snuck off with it." Thalia, being taller than him, grabbed him by the collar and spat words into his face. "Did you steal it? Who did you get to take the bolt from you?"

Percy shoved her off. "I didn't take the bolt!"

"Liar!" She blasted him with electricity.

He flew back a few feet. He smelled something burning as he stood up. Thalia was fuming. Electrical sparks danced along her arms and legs. Annabeth backed up behind Thalia, as if taking cover from him. She was smart. He was done with diplomacy. He never had the patience, and he couldn't stand being a punching bag. He wasn't going to let the two beat on him just because he didn't tell them the truth. For a simple thing like that, they were making quite a big deal.

Percy uncapped Riptide.

Thalia let loose more electricity from her fingertips, but Percy deflected it. Riptide trembled in his hands as the torrent of electricity slammed against the flat of his sword and deflected into the forest. He didn't know how he managed to do that, but he advanced on Thalia, his eyes blazing with fury.

Their expressions grew from wary to fearful.

He lunged at Thalia, who was trying to get her spear out and had already sprung Aegis. His sword clanked off her shield. She tried to use it as a weapon of attack, but he sidestepped and swung his sword at her side. She was quick to recover, and the sword glanced off the edge of the shield.

"Stop it!" Annabeth shouted.

Thalia managed to get her spear out and jabbed at him. He swatted the tip away with his sword and tried getting in close. Her spear was really long. She did a good job repelling him with her spear, but it wasn't good enough. He feigned a strike one way before rolling to that same side and slamming the butt of his sword into her elbow. A grin spread across his face when she dropped her spear. He'd hit a nerve and caused a minor shock.

He swept his leg under hers and knocked her over before planting a foot on her chest. The tip of Riptide was at her neck. With one movement, she could die.

Kill her, hissed Kronos' voice. Kill her and solidify yourself as the child of the prophecy.

"Percy, stop!" Annabeth reasoned. "There's no reason to continue. You've won."

Kill her! Kronos shouted.

Percy pulled away and capped Riptide. He offered Thalia a hand to help her up. Surprisingly, she took it. They're just upset, the logical side of his brain said. They trust you, and you didn't tell them something as shocking as this. They'll be fine soon enough.

"I didn't take the bolt," Percy said affirmatively. "I'd never do something that crazy."

Just then, Luke appeared behind the two girls on top of the hill. Thalia noticed he was looking behind her, so she turned around. She went wide-eyed and bounded over to Luke. "Hey, Luke! Where were you? Percy… oh gods, he's a son of Poseidon."

"Oh, really?" Luke pretended to be surprised. "I didn't know."

Percy narrowed his eyes at the son of Hermes. He'd never revealed his godly parent to Luke. And he knew the son of Hermes long enough to tell that he was feigning surprise. To Annabeth and Thalia, however, he was completely surprised. The main thing Percy wanted to know was how he'd gotten here so fast. Only three hours had passed.

"I was in the washroom… well, I was looking for it. I had to… go number two. I didn't hear the commotion. I went back to the room, and a minor god told me everyone had left. I came back here, of course, though there were a lot of monsters I had to get through. But, I mean, I suppose that learning your brother had a kid he wasn't supposed to have has that effect on you. The sky's really stormy."

Percy scowled at the lie.

"I think we all deserve a rest, huh?" suggested Luke. "Why don't you two head off to bed? It'll get your mind off things. Trust me."

"You're going to stay alone with this… Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth said. "Watch out."

"This Seaweed Brain has got nothing on me," smirked Luke.

She blushed and turned. "Come on, Thalia. Let's go. Luke's got this."

Thalia scowled at Percy before turning and following Annabeth back to the cabins.

Once they were out of sight and out of earshot, Luke turned back to Percy. "What in the Titan Lord's name have you done this time, you troublemaking son of a gun?"

"They're overreacting," he complained. "And you're underreacting."

"You can't blame me if the Titan Lord tells me things," Luke shrugged. "What he tells me, he desires me to hear. If he wants me to know your parentage, he'll show me your parentage. And what a lovely father you have. Stealing the helm was genius. Your father is in trouble now. Both Zeus and Hades against him. Bloodbath."

Percy punched Luke across the face. "I don't know what game you're playing, Castellan, but it better stop. You do anything out of line, I'll kill you. Then we'll see if you were a useful pawn for Kronos or not."

"I'm not a pawn," spat the son of Hermes. He wiped his mouth, which was beginning to bleed. "I don't bow down to anyone but the Titan Lord. And once he conquers Olympus, we'll be free. I don't need to bow down to anyone at all. I am my own ruler. I make the rules. I rule the world."

"Why are you early?" Percy demanded. "You were supposed to bring the bolt to Los Angeles."

"I got caught," Luke admitted.

"Already?!"

"It was Ares. I had no chance. I mean, I could've defeated him, but I was too cocky. The Titan Lord promised me nightmares for my failure. The same punishment you received. However, I did manage to get the bolt into a safe spot."

"How? Ares has it."

"He told me what to say. I put the idea in Ares' head about a great war between the gods. I said all he had to do was hide the items away for a while and watch the others fight. Ares got a wicked gleam in his eyes. I knew he was hooked. He let me go, and I returned to Olympus before anyone noticed my absence. Even Athena, the wise old goddess, thought I was in the washroom. So did Chiron. Two of the wisest minds in the world don't suspect a thing."

Percy remembered that Hermes was the one to usher the campers down. Surely, Hermes would have noticed. But he kept quiet. He didn't want to burst Luke's bubble.

"All this talk of revenge, yet I still never see why you're this mad," he said instead. "All this trickery, yet you're only carrying out Kronos' commands. You're his servant more than anything, Luke. You've been brainwashed. You've been tricked."

"Why do you keep going against us, Percy? Why do you always appear to want to betray us?"

"Because this plan is insane!" Percy exclaimed. "Do you know what a war would look like? All life would be obliterated. I'd be the first to taste death. Then it'd be Thalia. All your friends would die because of a stupid war."

"That's the point!" Luke said. "You see, when none of the gods show up with the bolt within the next month, Zeus is going to send Thalia. You will go on that mission. You bring the bolt to Tartarus. I help you by giving cursed shoes. Capture Thalia and Annabeth. Then we'll live together happily after Olympus has been torn down brick-by-brick."

"I know your past, Luke. Why the desperation to tear Olympus down?"

"They're dictators, Percy! They think they're so much better than us. They force us to live under them. They use us as pawns. They think of us as nothing! They think of us as unimportant mortals who will eventually die out, replace us by having sex with the next generation of mortals, and repeat that cycle over and over again. Don't you see? Western civilization is a parasite. It needs to be destroyed."

"I agree to some extent, Luke, but you have to see reason."

"And you need to trust. No wonder you have no friends. No one trusts you because you don't trust anyone. You lie to your friends and you would rather watch a friend die than save them. Grover died because of Hades. Your mother died because of Hades. Zeus tried to kill you. And since when has your dad done anything to help you aside from that one time?"

"Don't you dare say a word about Grover to me," Percy growled. "You never cared for him. He was just another weakling that would die no matter what. You lack that moral conscious most people have. Maybe you did inherit something from your mother: insanity."

"Take that back!"

"Never."

Luke lunged at Percy. The twelve-year-old boy side-stepped and uncapped Riptide. He could still feel the resonating feeling of hitting Thalia in the elbow as he hit Luke with the flat of his sword. The son of Hermes fell to the ground.

"Only relying on your sword, huh?" spat Luke.

Percy ground his teeth before letting loose a bellow that would've woken the entire camp up if it hadn't been up already. Water came rushing through the trees and exploded out of the forest. It felt like the entire creek had bent to his will as it slammed into Luke. He probably could have killed Luke, but Luke needed to be alive for Kronos. Only because of Kronos.

Percy hated Luke's pride and desire for power. Everyone had a bit of that in them, but none went to the extent of Luke's. He understood partially; his mom must have driven him mad by being crazy herself. But Luke's arrogance would be his downfall.

It's easy to judge others, Hestia voice said in his head.

Angry, Percy stormed away to the Poseidon cabin, where he'd moved all of his stuff. He jumped into the bed he chose and pulled the sheets over him. He lay there and wept for what seemed like hours. He was angry, frightened. He just wanted this nightmare of a life to be over.

He just did what he did every day: wipe the slate clean and start fresh.

If Percy went back to the very root of the cause, it would have been Kronos' fault. It was Kronos' fault that Luke needed to take the lightning bolt. It was Kronos' fault that the gods reacted the way they did. It was Kronos' fault that Poseidon was forced to claim him.

Life had pretty much gone back to the way it had been like before Annabeth and Thalia arrived. The notable differences were that Grover wasn't there, and Luke was spending a lot of time with Annabeth and Thalia. He spent most of his time sitting at the beach staring out into Long Island Sound and just musing about. It was a boring life, but what else was he going to do. Kronos ruined his life.

Seeking help a month after the theft, Percy went to Chiron.

The centaur was playing pinochle with Dionysus on the porch of the Big House. As soon as Percy got there, Dionysus threw his hands up in the air angrily. He looked like he just lost. Dionysus looked over Chiron's shoulder and noticed him approaching and scowled. He muttered something quietly to Chiron before snapping his fingers and dissolving into mist.

Chiron turned around slowly, as if wary of his approach.

"Percy," he said warmly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Come here. Sit down if you must."

The two of them spent the next five minutes sitting and watching camp. Everything had become a lot tenser ever since the Winter Solstice incident. Percy tended to avoid people now because nobody really had anything nice to say to him. Either they feared him or they were scared of him. Even Clarisse kept her distance.

"Chiron, I don't know what to do," Percy said at last. "Everything is so messed up."

"How so?" asked the centaur.

"I mean…" he trailed off. He tried to find a way to say it without revealing the secret that he was working for Kronos, though he suspected Chiron knew. "Something happened that I knew was going to happen, yet I'm still angry about it. My… my father claimed me at an inopportune time, and even though I knew it would happen at some point, I wish—I wish that it hadn't happened. It's caused a rift between me and my friends. I don't want the war, the death, the destruction. What would happen if the gods couldn't find the master bolt?"

Chiron sighed and looked off in the distance, like he always did. "That I do not wish to ponder. But I suppose that truth has come and hit us hard. The word I have from Mr. D is that the mortal school break in spring is the final deadline for the gods. After that, they will entrust a hero to do the work as mortals have greater maneuverability and are not as restricted to the ancient laws as the deities are. Zeus suspects no less of you and is keeping an eagle's eye on you to make sure you do not do anything with the bolt."

"I don't have it, though."

"It doesn't matter. It is stolen—something that has never been stolen before. I fear the person responsible is quite a daring individual to steal something of such power from right underneath the noses of the gods. They would also have to be smart to smuggle such a thing away. I have a speculation as to where it is headed."

Percy looked down at the fire burning at the center of the ring of cabins. It reminded him of Hestia's hearth on Olympus. "Hestia told me she knew something about me. Something that I've chosen to do that isn't necessarily good. Do you think, with your speculations that the other gods know exactly what I am up to?"

"Many will be ignorant, if I am to speak the truth," Chiron admitted. "I'm sure the wisest will know or have an idea. Perhaps Athena, but no. I don't think the majority know what you're up to. They just know that you have the power to destroy or save Olympus, and some believe that you are not worth the risk of keeping alive. Some may wonder if you are trying to aid your father into being king of the gods. That is the most logical, barring others."

"Barring other what?"

"Other ideas of the purpose of your actions," he explained.

"Well, I'm not trying to help my father be king of anything. He's already king of his own kingdom."

"The Olympians are prideful, if anything, Percy. They are paranoid, because you stealing it is the more obvious conclusion than to say if, oh, an unclaimed demigod were to take the bolt. I, personally, never have dreamed about such a thing occurring. Though through everything I've been through, I probably should have expected something like this to happen."

The conversation died off as Percy soaked it in. At the arena, he saw Luke and Thalia sparring. The latter was actually beating the former, though with her spear she had a longer reach. Luke was good, but Thalia was better. Perhaps she'd been training because of how he'd gotten into her reach. Because he never thought he did that well against Luke. She was fighting well.

Annabeth was watching them from the stands. Percy couldn't see her eyes from where he was, but he knew they were racing at a million miles an hour trying to analyze the fighting tactics that each fighter was using. That's just who Annabeth was.

He thought about the quest that Zeus would send once spring break came. Thalia would definitely be on it, and so would Annabeth. He knew their third choice would be Luke, but Luke told him that he should be on the quest to trick Thalia and Annabeth. Luke would work better, but if Luke pulled it off, Thalia and Annabeth would die. If Percy knew anything about Thalia and Annabeth, it would be the fact that they would never turn to the Titans' side. Percy, on the other hand, could pull it off, and the two girls could die without feeling heartbroken that a close friend doomed the world—just betrayed.

He swallowed nervously as he shifted in his chair. "It's going to be her, isn't it?"

Chiron followed his line of sight. "Ahh, Thalia. Probably. Zeus will send heroes he trusts, and it would be out of character for Thalia to truly be the thief. I would never suspect her of stealing her father's bolt. I presume Annabeth will go with her, and the third member of the group will be—"

"Me," Percy interjected. "I'm the third quest member."

Chiron had a pained look in his eyes. "Percy, I'm not so sure—"

"I don't care if Thalia approves it or not," he said with finality. "You know how that would sound, wouldn't it? A son of Poseidon returning the symbol of Zeus. If Thalia wasn't here, I would be your first choice to head on the quest, right? What better way to return it than have me do it?"

The centaur said nothing.

"Please, Chiron. Promise me that I can go on the quest with them," he begged.

"Why have you come to me to beg?" Chiron asked. "I cannot force them into accepting you into the quest group. They have to accept you. If they don't, then you are not allowed to go on the quest. It will be her quest. She may decide who her companions are."

"But—"

"There are no 'but's, Percy. Those are the rules for quests. If you want a chance, you will have to make amends."

The son of Poseidon looked back toward the arena. The trio of friends were now laughing, probably at a joke Luke told, and drinking water hanging out like all four of them used to do. They didn't seem bothered by the fact that one of them wasn't there laughing with them. They didn't seem perturbed by the fact that he wasn't hanging out with them.

He felt resentful and angry, but he needed their trust for the whole plan to work. One thing he realized was that Ares would recognize Luke if he went on the quest. That would blow his cover, and everything will have gone down the toilet.

Percy thanked Chiron and made his way down to the dining pavilion. It would be dinner soon, and he wanted some blue Coke.

He crouched behind the tree as he listened in on the conversation.

"You'd be doing me a huge favour, Silena," promised Luke. "I swear to the River Styx. It won't hurt. Nothing will happen."

The daughter of Aphrodite looked flustered. "Sure. Of—of course, Luke."

"Good girl." Luke sounded like he was talking to a dog. "Now you will tell no one about this, okay? Not even the people you think you can trust the most. If you do…" He left the threat hanging.

"I promise, I won't," she said.

He smiled. "Good. Have a good night's sleep, Ms. Beauregard."

With a dark smile, he left.

Percy stayed in the shadows as Silena clutched the silver bracelet in her palm. She looked around, checking for anybody, when he noticed her eyes locked on him. He accidentally snapped a twig as he tried to re-hide, but knew she'd already seen him.

"Percy!" Silena exclaimed. She looked frightened. Percy realized she knew he was listening in on the conversation. She thought she already broke her promise to Luke. "What—what are you doing here?"

He slowly stood up and raised his arms in surrender. "I know about it," he said. "About what Luke is doing."

"You… you aren't going to turn me in, are you?"

"No," Percy promised. "I won't. I was just… just taking a walk."

"Percy, I—I can't…"

"I swear to the Styx I won't say anything about this. This never happened. Nothing."

Silena looked like she was about to burst into tears.

Thunder rumbled in the sky.

Percy offered to help her back to her cabin if she needed, but she declined, saying she'd rather spend some time on the beach, alone. He nodded in respect and walked away casually, as if he'd just been on a stroll. The truth was that he was scared. Luke was already tricking people into things. It was his charm—his looks. He saw the way girls looked at him. It was only now that he actually thought something of it.

Why did it feel, these days, like everything Luke did was bad? Why did it feel, these days, like everything Kronos willed them to do were things that he didn't want to do? What was the point of joining Kronos?

He wanted to tear Olympus down for their arrogance and their pride, but were those just lies that Kronos was feeding him. No, Chiron had confirmed the gods were like that. He'd been doing a favour to the world, right? But was Kronos any better. Was it really worth destroying the only home he'd ever have? Percy didn't want to rule the world. He didn't want to live in a golden palace.

As horrible as the things that the gods had done, he didn't see why the Titans were any better. Blackmail, terror, all sorts of things like that. There was a reason Kronos was nicknamed the Crooked One.

Yeah, he thought. I have to go on that quest.

This is becoming quite repetitive, I know. But there's the final snap now. Percy has finally labelled the Titans bad. Now, despite this, I must clear up that Percy isn't necessarily on the gods' side yet. He appreciates his dad and is happy that his father has claimed him, but he doesn't really like the other gods. Athena and Zeus and Hades are all wanting to kill him, which doesn't exactly thrill him.

Anyway, tell me what you think of this chapter, which is a filler, yes. The Lightning Thief quest will go by rather quickly, though with the way FanFiction works, it won't feel that way, necessarily. I promise to those who like longer chapters, the following chapters will be longer. Not by too much, but still longer.

Thanks for reading,
Sharky

P.S. Don't forget to review.