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

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Chapter 22

Luckily for Annabeth, her cabinmates made a burial shroud for her during spring break.

Of course, since school was still in session, the Athena campers didn't get to see their sister return, but the shroud itself was so beautiful—grey silk with embroidered owls—that it didn't even matter. Percy jokingly told her that it was a shame not to bury her in it. Her response: a punch and a "Shut up!"

For the shroud of Thalia, daughter of Zeus, the Apollo cabin made a dramatic blue silk shroud with lightning bolts embroidered on it. To add to that, there was a Green Day album on top, which Thalia found great. But they had to ruin it by trying to write her name. It said: Thalia… whatever your last name is. Percy remembered when she told him not to say her last name, but the weird thing was that he didn't even know her last name.

When he asked, she zapped him so hard he was actually paralyzed for a minute.

Unfortunately, the Ares kids had volunteered to make his shroud. They'd taken an old bed sheet and painted smiley faces with X'ed-out eyes around the border, and the word LOSER painted really big in the middle.

It was fun to burn.

Though the camp was still small because of the lack of summer campers, Apollo's cabin led a sing-along and passed out s'mores. A bunch of the Aphrodite kids—both boys and girls—went over to Percy to ask him about the quest, which didn't please Annabeth or Thalia at all. But Luke went to talk to them, along with the Stoll Brothers, and kept them company.

The Hephaestus kids came over—the four of them—and also began asking him about the quest, interested after Percy told the Aphrodite campers that it would be cool to have a shield for once.

Out of the corner of his eye, Percy saw Beckendorf and Silena start a nervous conversation, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

The only ones not in a party mood were Clarisse and her cabinmates. They looked furious but like their dad, they didn't have the guts, at first, to approach him. Clarisse looked pissed to the extent that Percy wanted to laugh in her face. But he wasn't that mean. He wasn't like Ares.

Even Mr. D's welcome-home speech wasn't enough to dampen his spirits.

"Yes, yes, so the little brat didn't get himself killed and now he'll have an even bigger head. Well, huzzah for that. In other announcements, there will be no canoe races this Saturday…"

The only thing that bothered Percy was the fact that Luke wasn't approaching him. Annabeth steered clear of him, careful not to spark an explosion, but Thalia hung out with him, as if nothing had changed. Percy was sure Luke knew the reason. But for some reason, Luke didn't speak up. Even after the summer campers arrived, Luke hadn't left.

When the head counselor for Athena came back, he offered Annabeth the position, which was a pretty nice thing to do. Malcolm always said he wasn't the type for attention. Annabeth accepted, since she'd been on a successful quest and he hadn't. Everyone was elated that the new daughter of Athena was a head counselor now. Everyone except the Ares cabin and Luke.

It was on the Fourth of July when the tension finally snapped.

The whole camp gathered at the beach for a fireworks display by cabin nine. Being Hephaestus' kids, they weren't going to settle for a few lame red-white-and-blue explosions.

They'd anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rockets the size of Patriot missiles. Percy told Annabeth and Thalia that the blasts would be sequenced so tightly they'd look like frames of animation across the sky. The finale was supposed to be a couple of hundred-foot-tall Spartan warriors who would crackle to life above the ocean, fight a battle, then explode into a million colours.

Thalia and Annabeth were spreading a picnic blanket when Luke came.

Both the girls looked at each other and then at Percy. Percy used eye contact to tell them to back down. When Luke came, Percy noticed something different about him. He had a scabbard with a sword in it. Luke had never done that before unless he was preparing to train in the arena. But Luke's expression told him that this was going to be a serious talk. Percy knew he could stab Luke and end it all, but his instincts told him to listen to his old friend and new rival.

Fireworks exploded to life overhead: Hercules killing the Nemean lion, Artemis chasing the boar, George Washington (who, by the way, was a son of Athena) crossing the Delaware.

"Percy, can I speak to you alone?" asked the son of Hermes.

Anyone could have wondered why Percy didn't just turn Luke in. Anyone could have wondered why he didn't just kill Luke and declare the matter closed. It wasn't just an instinct. There was something about Luke that made Percy hesitate. Despite all the arguments they had, and despite the fact that Percy hated what Luke has said, he knew Luke had a good intention. Even though he'd betrayed the Titans himself after they betrayed him, it didn't mean he was on the side of the gods. He still hated some of the Olympians: namely Dionysus, Ares, Athena and Zeus. Plus Hades was on his list. He hated them in a weird way, like in the way where he would still help them (because if he refused they'd kill him) but he wouldn't hesitate to refuse if he had the opportunity.

"Sure," said Percy.

He followed the son of Hermes into the forest. When they ran into a nymph, Luke seemed to think she was a monster. He pulled out his sword, and the dryad screamed. She disappeared in a pop of green smoke. That's when Percy saw the blade: the blade was two different types of metal—one edge bronze, the other steel.

Percy wanted to ask Luke if he was okay but he stayed silent, wanting Luke to start a conversation.

They were along the creek now in a nice shady spot. Luke, looking like he'd been through hundreds of nightmares, sat down on a big rock and sighed.

He slid his sword into its scabbard. "The name of the sword is Backbiter. One side is celestial bronze. The other is tempered steel. Works on mortals and immortals both."

"Why?"

"I'm going to need it," Luke said sadly. "Percy, listen—"

"You need to harm mortals?" asked Percy incredulously.

Luke's expression darkened. "Have you seen what mortals do to the world? It's better for everyone. The stupid satyrs and nature spirits have fewer mortals on their hands, and we get help from expendable troops that have ties to mortal weapons, a.k.a. mercenaries."

"That doesn't make it any better," Percy argued.

Luke clenched his jaw. "Look, Percy. I don't care if you betrayed the Titan lord. In the end, it's not about the Titans and the Olympians. It's about us. We get to be free. We're not looked at as tools. We're not threatened by deities so powerful we have no choice but to do what they say. This is for demigods. We're freeing them."

The son of Poseidon looked away.

"The gods should've been overthrown thousands of years ago, but they've hung on, thanks to us half-bloods. They twist glory and force us to do their dirty work. Kronos showed me that my talents are being wasted. I sit here in this stupid camp waiting for time to pass like a loner without a goal in life—like someone just trying to get by each day. There's that saying or quotation or whatever: 'Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.' Don't fear what the gods will do to you. Do something about their oppressive rule."

"I know but…"

"Don't tell me you want to make your dad proud," sneered Luke.

Percy scowled. "There's nothing wrong with that. I feel sorry for him, Luke, because he knows I'm the son of the woman he loved and he has to watch me almost die almost every day."

"You think the gods care about you, Percy?" Luke snarled. "When I asked my father about my future that one time I went back to my crazy mother's house, he kept it secret from me. If he loved me, he would've told me!"

"Knowing your future isn't always a good thing, Luke."

"He could've warned me," Luke said. "But he didn't, and it's led to this."

"If you're trying to convince me of joining your side, you should've thought about that before you tried to kill me," Percy shouted. "You tried to put doubt in Annabeth's mind about me. You wanted them to abandon me so I couldn't help them."

"I never wanted to kill you," the son of Hermes bellowed. "He forced me to. He promised torture for disobedience. I couldn't… I couldn't disobey the order. He knew you were going against him. I didn't want to hurt you because we became good friends and because I know you are a valuable ally."

"But like the Olympians, Kronos sees me as a dangerous threat," growled Percy. "He sent the Chimera and Echidna after me, didn't he? Was finding Medusa truly a coincidence?"

"I never wanted to kill you," Luke said desperately. "But… but I have to."

Percy looked at him warily. "Luke, don't you dare take that sword out. If you plan to kill me, I'll take you with me."

Luke closed his eyes.

Percy tried to take that opening and swung Riptide at Luke. The son of Hermes swiftly dodged it and swung down with Backbiter. It caught what would have been his shield hand and tore right through flesh, muscle, tendons, blood vessels and bone. Percy screamed in pain as he dropped to the ground.

Then Luke snapped his fingers. A small fire burned a hole in the ground at Percy's feet. Out crawled something glistening black, about the size of his hand. A scorpion.

Percy started to go for his sword.

"I wouldn't," Luke cautioned. "Pit scorpions can jump up to fifteen feet. Its stinger can pierce right through your clothes. You'll be dead in sixty seconds."

"Bastard!"

"Thalia told me the prophecy, Percy. I know what she was thinking. She was going to lose me to an 'evil plan hatched.' But that's not the case. You're the one that's going to die. Believe me when I say this, Percy. This is not out of desire. This is out of necessity. If I had everything my way, we'd be partners. Unfortunately, that is not the case. There another child of the Big Three that the Titan lord believes is easier to control. Goodbye, Percy. There is a new Golden Age coming. And you won't be part of it."

He slashed his sword in an arc and disappeared in a ripple of darkness.

The scorpion lunged.

Percy swatted it away with his sword hand and grabbed his sword. The thing jumped at him and he cut it in half in midair.

But he had no time to think about it. He dropped Riptide and began running through the forest toward the beach, where everyone was. His palm had a huge red welt, oozing and smoking with yellow guck. His ears pounded. His vision went foggy.

There were explosions in the distance and they seemed to be getting farther and farther away. Percy's legs felt like lead. His forehead was burning. He wasn't running anymore. He was stumbling. The nymphs stirred from their trees.

"Beach," he croaked. "Please…"

Two of them took his arms, pulling him along. He didn't think he was going to make it. But he hit the beach, and there were sudden cries for help. He remembered screaming and shouting and general panic amongst the campers. There was a centaur trotting toward him. And then everything went black.

Percy woke with a drinking straw in his mouth. He was sipping something that tasted like liquid chocolate-chip cookies. Nectar.

He opened his eyes.

He was propped up in bed in the sickroom of the Big House, his right hand bandaged like a club. Argus stood guard in the corner. Annabeth sat next to him, holding his nectar glass and dabbing a washcloth on his forehead.

"Hey," he said weakly.

"You idiot," Annabeth said, which meant she was overjoyed to see him conscious. "You were green and turning grey when we found you. If it weren't for Chiron's healing…"

"Now, now," Chiron's voice said. "Percy's constitution deserves some of the credit."

He was sitting near the foot of the bed in human form, which was why Percy hadn't noticed him yet. His lower half was magically compacted into the wheelchair, his upper half dressed in a coat and tie. He smiled, but his face looked weary and pale.

"Where's Thalia?" Percy asked.

"Outside assuring the campers that you're fine," Chiron said. "She is quite worried about you, Percy. Quite a difference from before the quest, even if it has been over a month since it ended. How are you feeling?"

"Like my insides have been frozen, then microwaved."

"Apt, considering that was pit scorpion venom. Now you must tell me, if you can, exactly what happened."

Between sips of nectar, Percy told them the story.

The room was quiet for a long time.

"And you went the entire time without consulting me?" asked Chiron.

"I knew the entire time… everything…" Percy hesitated. "I just—I didn't think they'd betray me. True, I betrayed them, but I thought I did it first. Turns out that they wanted to get rid of me and replace me with Thalia."

"This must be reported to Olympus," Chiron murmured. "I will go at once."

"Zeus declared the matter closed," he snapped. "It won't help."

"They will at least know the traitor," Chiron reasoned. "For now, you need to rest. I understand you are holding back right now. You want to go out and do something. However, you must be careful. If he truly wants you dead, he will want you to become unraveled. He wants your life disrupted, your thoughts clouded with fear and anger so that he can lure you out by yourself. Do not give him what he wants. Train patiently. Your time will come."

"Assuming I live that long."

Chiron put his hand on Percy's ankle. "You'll have to trust me, Percy. You will live. As for your hand… your, ah, non-dominant hand suffered quite a blow. I assume you didn't realize that during the heat of the battle."

"What are you talking a—?"

Percy looked at his non-dominant hand. Or, at least, the place where it used to be. Annabeth touched it gently, her eyes angry and sad as they lingered on the heavily bandaged stump.

"You were also bleeding heavily from the wound," said the centaur in the wheelchair. "Fortunately, the ocean could heal that wound. To some extent. The damage to the nerves and bone and muscles was too great for the water to even heal. It had to be cut off. But do not fret. There is a way to re-grow it. Unfortunately, that would put you out of commission for over a year. It is very intense, pure magic from the goddess Hecate herself. Or a much simpler way is to get the Hephaestus cabin to build a mechanical hand with a quick surgery, though I'm not sure if you'd like a cliché solution to a problem such as this."

"My… my…"

"I'll stay with you the entire year if you want to regrow your hand," Annabeth said. "It won't be a problem."

"Mind you, regrowth of the hand will cause you to stay indoors for a great deal of time and will restrict the activities you can do," Chiron added as a warning. "Anyway, I'll be back as soon as I can. Argus will watch over you. I hope you make your decision by the time I'm back, my boy."

Chiron rolled himself out of the room. Percy heard the wheels of his chair clunk carefully down the front steps, two at a time.

The room settled into silence.

Percy could hear the sounds of camp activities in the distance. Was Thalia really that confident that he would be fine? He even had his own doubts whilst being hauled to the beach through the forest.

"Help me up," he told Annabeth. "I want to go outside."

She pursed her lips. "Percy, don't do anything stupid."

He slid his legs out of bed. Annabeth caught him before he could crumple to the floor. A wave of nausea rolled over him.

"I'm fine," he insisted. He didn't want to lie in bed like an invalid after what happened. Just because he'd lost a hand and nearly died didn't mean he would lie there and do nothing. He'd nearly died many times on the quest and managed to get through everything without giving up.

He managed a step forward. Then another, still leaning heavily on Annabeth. Argus followed them outside, but he kept his distance.

By the time they reached the porch, Percy's face was beaded with sweat. His stomach had twisted into knots. But he had managed to make it all the way to the railing.

It was dusk. The campers were ending their daily activities.

Percy saw Thalia walking out from the arena. "Thalia!" he shouted, his voice hoarse. "Thalia!" He tried raising his hand to wave, but he couldn't find the energy. Pit scorpions were horrible. He was lucky to have survived.

But his shouts alone were enough to spur the daughter of Zeus. Thalia bolted up toward the Big House.

"Percy, for Zeus' sake, I would blast you with a bolt of electricity if you weren't in such bad shape," Thalia screamed. "You're a stupid idiot, you moron! What in Poseidon's name were you thinking?!"

Soon, a whole group of campers had gathered around the porch and bombarded him with questions.

"Hey!" Annabeth shouted. "Quiet down! Percy needs to rest. It's not good for him to be—"

"It's okay, Annabeth," Percy chuckled.

"Did Luke really do this?" asked a Stoll brother, Travis.

Percy looked out at Long Island Sound in the distance as it glittered in the last light of the sun. "Travis. Since you've got seniority of years with your brother, take the head counselor spot. For those that want the spot, that means you have to choose cabin activities, go to war counsels, lead your cabin to meals, and do cabin inspection. You also have to be responsible for your siblings."

"Then why the Stoll brothers?" a Hermes kid asked.

"I'm insulted," Travis muttered.

"Because, it'll teach them responsibility," Percy said. "Now, don't worry about me and continue on with your activities. Dinner is soon, I presume."

"Twenty minutes," Connor said.

"Good. Go!"

Everyone rushed off until only Annabeth, Thalia and Argus remained.

"Really?" said Annabeth. "The Stoll brothers."

He smirked. "It'll keep things interesting. We need that, especially if we're going against the Titans. You know what they say, 'Laughter is the best medicine.'"

"For what?"

"I dunno. I just thought it would sound cool."

Annabeth poked him to the side. Percy yelped as he lost his balance and hit the ground. Both girls burst into laughter as he groaned in pain. Annabeth gave him mercy when she helped him back up. She said, "Well, you're right about that. I do feel better now."

"My pleasure," he said wryly.

Then he began putting all his weight on her shoulders. "Ugh, I'm feeling light-headed, Annabeth. Help me."

She struggled under his weight. "You're… so… heavy…"

"That's mean."

"Stop putting pressure on my shoulders or I'll drop you," she threatened.

"You wouldn't be able to slip from my grasp without me collapsing on top of you," he said with a smirk. "And we don't want that, do we?"

She smirked back, which made him a little nervous. With a heave, she pushed up and slipped out from under him. He fell to the porch deck again, but this time it really hurt. He didn't move from his spot and planned to just lay there until someone wanted to pick him up. But apparently, Annabeth thought she'd seriously hurt him.

He could feel the panic in her fingers as they checked for a pulse. She rolled him onto his back and put her ear to his mouth. Her hair drooped over his nose and he smiled at the smell.

"Lemons," he whispered.

There was a sudden sharp sting sprouting from his stomach, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Annabeth blushing wildly with her hand in a fist. He groaned some more. "How much pain do you have to cause me? Am I not in enough pain?"

Seemingly out of nowhere, Percy heard Chiron's voice say, "What in Zeus' name happened here?"

"I decided," groaned the son of Poseidon. "Mechanical arm. Annabeth was just disappointed she won't get to stay with me the entire year by my side as I heal from re-growing my arm. And also—ugh! Stop punching me!"

"Annabeth," Chiron said in an amused tone. "Please stop injuring Percy more than he needs to be."

"Don't play funny, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth hissed. "And we both know you're the one who likes me being close to you. And…" She lowered her voice so only he could hear. "I guess I'll keep using… the, uh, lemon scented… ugh, I hate you."

"Annabeth, if you would kindly roll Percy back into the sickroom?"

"Wait, roll? Ahh!"

"Let me help," Thalia chimed in.

Percy felt two pairs of hands roughly guide him into the sickroom. As he complained, Annabeth took a spoon of ambrosia and stuffed it into his mouth. He shut up.

Maybe Luke was out there. Maybe Kronos was rising. But Percy was injured. And if the best medicine was laughter, then he needed to cherish these moments the most. The happy, fun, albeit painful, moments.

He smiled up at Annabeth, and she smiled back at him.

Plan all you want, Luke, Percy thought. Just don't underestimate the power of Camp Half-Blood. Because united, we are stronger than an entire army of monsters. United, we can overcome anything.

Aaaaaand that's a wrap for now!

I want to address something: if you think this is the end of the evil, bad, destructive Percy you thought you were going to read about, than you are truly giving up on this story. I've already spoiled a bit of the future, so you guys better stay and wait if you want that Percy. But how he switches back will be a mystery. I'll leave that to your guys' and girls' imaginations for now.

See ya guys in a couple weeks!

-sharkattack