Characters: Percy Jackson- Omega, Luke Castellan- Alpha, Zoë- Beta, Bianca di Angelo -Theta, Phoebe-Eta, Charles Beckendorf- Delta, Silena Beauregard - Gamma, Ethan Nakamura- Iota, Castor- Kappa, Lee Fletcher- Zeta, Michael Yew-Epsilon
AN: Hello, my good people. This is my present to you for being gone for so long. Chapter 16 won't come so fast, but it also won't be months away, sometime in October. Love you!
Chapter 15
¨You have a visitor,¨ Bianca said.
Percy looked up from his table covered in maps. He thought he heard someone knocking, but had pointedly ignored it, hoping they would go away. Apparently, it didn't work. He nodded to Bianca and she stepped back as another girl stepped into his doorway.
¨Thank you B,¨ Artemis said as Bianca curtsied and shut the door. Some things never changed, and even though Bianca now served Percy and then Chaos, she would always have a strong connection to Artemis. Today Artemis had changed her look she was about 18 with long, wavy, brown hair. Her eyes were silver like the moon and her skin was tan, a little darker than Percy's. It seemed she was back to her original self.
"What are you doing here Artemis?" Percy asked, collapsing into one of the chairs around the table.
"I wanted to know how the trip to the underworld went," Artemis said, setting herself gracefully into the chair next to his.
"And Thalia wouldn't tell you?" He asked. Realizing he sounded harsher than he had meant, he amended with, "I'm sorry, there's so much stress with this war, keeping our identities secret-"
"I heard Annabeth found you out," Artemis interrupted.
Laughing at her abruptness, he said, "she always was too smart for her own good."
"She is a daughter of Athena," she pointed out. "They're all too smart for their own good. As is their mother."
"I'd be careful. Athena isn't the most forgiving type. Especially when it's anything competitive that she doesn't have the upper hand in."
"What?" Artemis asked, "you don't think I can handle myself?"
Percy opened his mouth in response and then closed it. He didn't know how to respond. Finally he said, "of course not Artie. I only meant that Athena can be quite cruel in her punishments and I didn't want anything to happen to you. I mean, look at Arachne."
"Percy, you know she won't hurt me. I'm her favorite," she replied softly. The way her voice sounded when spoken softly pulled at Percy, it made him want to listen to her talk all day and night.
"Yes, true," he said huskily.
"So how did the little mission go?" Artemis asked.
Percy explained how the little visit to Hades went while she sat back watching him. He unconsciously waved his arms around when he was telling stories often and with this story there were a lot of gestures he could make. When he was done Artemis just smiled
"So he knows who you are too then?" She finally asked.
"Well yeah, though I'm sure we'll be giving up our identities soon since everyone is blackmailing us and sneaking into our private sessions." He thought back to the way he look over his shoulder slack jawed to see a horrified face staring back at him before she turned and ran out the door.
"And how is the war going?" Artemis asked looking over at the maps.
Percy looked down at the map he'd been studying before she came in. It was a map of the camp and surrounding areas. He also had a map of Manhattan. "We can't find them, though how they can hide Titans is beyond me. I just wish this world could be left alone, I'm sure we have problems on other planets when we get back that we need to handle," he sighed thinking about all the work ahead of him.
"War's changed you. I mean, before you seemed harder. You had a shell around you, but now, now you seem older. More responsible. Although I did hear about that fight with Grady."
"He's a Knight now," Percy said absently. "I don't know. It seems obvious that war changes you, but when you're the sole leader it's different. Plus, you don't know what it's like out there. On the other planets."
"Do the others know of this burden you carry?" Artemis asked gently.
"Wha? No. No. They have no reason to know. I don't need them fussing over me all the time, then I'll be the burden." Percy looked astonished that she should ask something like that."
"Percy," Artemis said gently, "do the others know of this burden you carry with you?"
"What?," he asked looking astonished. "No. No, of course not. Why should they? Then they'd be worrying if me and we'd never defeat anything. No, I'd be a burden on them."
"You don't need to take all of this upon yourself. You've carried the sky upon your shoulders, for gods' sake," she said looking at him with concern. Percy didn't think he'd ever see Artemis looking at a man like that, especially not him.
"Artemis, don't. This, this burden you call it; it distracts me from the past. The hope, pain, love, heartbreak. I'm scared that if others take this burden from me, it'll all come rushing back. How will I handle that?"
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"How will I handle that?" Percy looked honestly scared. Even though it had only been about 5 months or so since he'd been gone, on the other planet it was 500 years. She could see those years reflected in his eyes as he looked down at her. Even though she was in a body that was about his age, she was shorter than him; she could've been taller, though she liked this form better.
"Percy," she said cutting from her thoughts, " you know you have people who'll help you. Hades, I'll help you, you know that right?" She looked at him pleadingly, trying to show through her eyes how willing she was to help him. That she'd go to Tartarus and back for him.
He looked puzzled by her expression, but she didn't back out of it. "Yes, but I don't understand is why."
"I-"
"Percy, you have another visitor. She seems quite mad too." Bianca ducked back out into the hall as Rachel came into the room. She stopped abruptly upon seeing Artemis and Percy sitting quite close to each other in what seemed an intense conversation.
"Lady Artemis," she nodded. "I'm sorry, but can Percy and I have a moment alone please?" She seemed uncomfortable, but liking upon Percy again, he'd expression hardened.
"We'll finish this talk later," Artemis left wondering how on earth Percy had made this young oracle so mad.
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"Wha-" Percy started, but Rachel walked up to him and pushed her finger sharply into his chest.
"Don't you 'what' me sir. You don't have the right. You showed ANNABETH who you were! Do you know what this has done to her? Have you seen her? How-" Percy cut her off mid rant and gently pushed her hand away so she wasn't stabbing him in his sternum, where he was sure to already have a bruise.
"I," he laughed sarcastically. "I showed her who I was you say. Well, let me tell you something Rachel, I was helping Nico who passed out. I carried him to his cabin. I had Thalia get Will to help me heal Nivo, because gods know I don't have the powers. And when I pulled my hood back to show Will that I wasn't an enemy, someone happened to be outside spying. Someone who thought they had the right to look mortified.
"I made a deal with Chaos. I was never going to come back here. But I had to, Rachel, don't you understand? How could I have let you die? My mom and Paul, Leo, Calypso, Piper, Jason, Frank, Hazel, Thalia, Grover. All of my friends here, my family. Rachel, even through all that's happened, how could I let any of you die?" His voice broke and a tear slipped down his face, but he stood shock still.
Rachel looked at him mouth wide. He realized the capacity of what he said and wiped his tear away and turned back to the table of battle maps. "Never mind. Will you look at this map? I think I know where they are, but-"
Rachel cut him off once again, but this time she had run up and given him a hug hug. He turned in her arms so he could hug her properly back. He was about a head taller than she was and bent down to lean his forehead on top of her head. She squeezed him tightly and then they detached themselves from each other.
"I didn't know," was all she said.
"How could you have? You all thought I was dead," he replied anxiously. He hadn't been sure how she'd react. He thought she'd start screaming again honestly.
"I should've noticed Percy. We've been friends for years. Speaking of, have you talked to Grover recently? He, like everyone, was told you were dead."
"No, there's been so much going on. Dammit!" He yelled punching the table. "How could I forget!"
"Percy?" Bianca stuck her head in. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes B, I just- how's Nico?" He asked diverting her attention from his reddening hand.
"He's fine. Just needed some sleep is all," she said.
"Alright, thank you. I'll be out in a couple minutes." He nodded to her in encouragement when she looked worriedly at his hand, and she closed the door and left.
"Let me see," Rachel said grabbing for his hand. "You shouldn't take on so much responsibility Percy. It's tearing you apart."
He laughed bitterly. "You sound like Artemis."
She looked up at him with a question in her eyes, but asked a different one. "Do you have wraps for this?"
He walked into his bathroom and grabbed the medical equipment. Then, he sat down and let her bandage his hand. "Do you want me to take you to Grover? I've been meaning to pay him a visit too."
"That's very kind, but I think I will go alone. Though you may go first. I have to talk to my Knights." She tied off the wrap and they both stood up. "Let me walk you out," Percy offered.
"Okay," she nodded and Percy led her through the house and to the door. "I'll see you later then?" She asked.
"Of course," he nodded and closed the door behind her as she walked off, red curls bouncing on her back.
"Got her to calm down did you?" Bianca asked coming up behind him.
"Wasn't that hard. We need to talk about these Titans. Gather everyone and have them meet in the living room please."
"Yes sir," she said mock saluting, but obeyed and ran off to get the others.
Percy walked into the living room and pressed the button that flipped the table over to show their strategy maps. It glowed with green and blue showing where known enemies and allies stood. There were a group of the enemies a couple miles from the camp, where Percy could only guess their base was. He noticed a green(enemy) dot slipping out of camp and realized it must be Stephen. Ever since Percy had came back thinking of him as a traitor, there had been a green dot that went in and out of camp all day. He knew it was Stephen because they were down one camper on the map.
"What's up Perce?" Charlie asked as the others walked towards him.
"We need a new strategy. I'm tired of being here and there many battles on other planets we need to be fighting," Percy said sternly. He noticed the others looking at each other in concern, but they all came and sat around the table. "Their base is here," Percy said pointing to the group of green dots, and Stephen just left camp and is here." Stephen's dot was only a mile from the base camp.
"So do we know when their next attack is?" Zoë asked.
"Castor is supposed to be watching him right now, but I don't see his light," Lee explained.
"That'll be him there, looks like something's up," said Luke pointing to a blue dot racing towards their cabin.
And something was up. Castor then burst through the door panting. They looked up at him curiously.
"What'd you find?" Percy asked as Silena handed him a glass of water she started filling when she saw the racing dot.
Castor drank the glass of water in one gulp and then said, "They're coming. Tonight."