chapter 15.

Aunt P makes us tacos

If you're new to war, the first thing you should know is, it's okay to be scared.

Oh, and that lots of people die usually. Which is sad, but Caleb says there's nothing more honourable than dying in battle. I could think of a few more honourable things to be honest, and all of them involved not-dying, but Caleb still told me I was wrong.

But like I said in the beginning. Although it seems new and dangerous and like you're facing death, which you are, it's completely normal and okay to be scared. If you're not scared the first time you're in a war, you're either a super-powerful deity or a psychopath.

I mean, that's what Caroline told me. I don't know how she knew I was scared (she said it was because I was fidgeting a lot and seemed really restless. Which wasn't helpful, because I'm like that all the time). But she wasn't wrong. As much as I was trying to hide it, I was scared.

Terrified, actually.

See, all my life, the biggest problems I'd faced were a wolf trying to kill me and my Algebra finals.

Facing an army of monsters lead by an immortal Titan who had the power of predicting the future as well as the ability to control snow? That was in a league of its own.

Oh yeah, I'd done some reading. Koios was the elder Titan of farsight, intellect and the North. Which meant he could see the future, was smart- like scary smart- and I guessed he probably also controlled ice and snow. Definitely better than me anyway, I could barely control it at all. But that wasn't the part that worried me the most though.

In fact, everyone of us demigods was currently sitting around a hang glider in front of the silo discussing the most troublesome part of facing a Titan.

"So, if this Koios dude can see the future, like the gods told us, how can we beat him? He'll just see us coming and probably already knows it, thanks to his spies," Caleb was saying, and I had a sinking feeling in my gut that this would be harder than I thought. I hadn't really thought about the abilities this Titan in particular possessed, but, just like each of the gods had their domains which they were more powerful in, the Titans had theirs too. And Koios was sort of like Athena if she was a Canadian. But minus the politeness.

"Not really," Caroline replied. She was holding a So you're a new god and want to know the Titans? book, which she'd found in the attic of the gods' house. Trust them to not give us the one book that would actually help them, honestly I wasn't really surprised at this point.

The book had a really helpful list on all the Titans, their powers and abilities, and how to defeat them. But it was only for gods, because we couldn't follow instructions like,'To defeat X, turn him into a flock of birds and then command Apollo to shoot him', or 'To kill Y, turn into the Sun'.

Either way, Caroline was still referring the book, which she had propped open across her lap as she spoke.

"Koios is the Titan of foresigh," she continued, as she read from the book, before looking up, her golden eyes shining like coins in the heat of the sun. "So he can't exactly predict the exact future, just bits and pieces. Like the fact that we're going to attack today, he knows it-"

"Well then why don't we attack on another day?"

"-cause he'll realize that too, Caleb. It doesn't matter what day we attack, he'll know about it. He'll know who we are. Maybe even our godly parentage. He'll know where we're staying- in fact, I'm surprised he didn't kill us all last night. He might not know the minor details, like how we'll attack or when we will exactly, but he'd definitely have a premonition."

"If he's that powerful, how come he didn't wipe us out already?"

"I'm not sure," the brunette replied. "But if I were to guess, it's because Titans, just like gods, are really arrogant beings. They're the most powerful beings that roam the earth, so I'm pretty sure Koios doesn't consider us even a threat, which is why he's letting us live…for now."

"Okay," Eleanor said, frowning. "But how does that help us? It's good that his arrogance blinds him, which we could use to our advantage, but then again, won't he see that coming?"

"He doesn't know anything about the future. It's just that he has a general idea. Oh and also he has precognition, being the Titan of foresight."

"What's that?"

"In a fight, for example, he'll see every move that you're going to pull off, like, before you pull it off. If Percy and Haniel, for example, try to land sword hits on him at the same time, he'll see them both coming in for the hit a few seconds before they actually do so, meaning he can formulate a defence before they even strike."

I sighed. "So you mean he's going to see every attack we throw at him in advance?" Caroline nodded, he face dropping. "Pretty much, I don't know how many attacks he can see at a time, but yeah, it's pretty safe to assume that with the Titan army keeping us busy, we'll be too tied up to attack him more than one at a time."

Nike frowned. "Okay, but coming back to his pride- can we use that against him?"

"Possibly," Caleb nodded. "I've been told that Athena's fatal flaw is pride. The more intelligent one is, the more they tend to be arrogant. So I'm guessing that Koios is pretty stuck-up too, which means he'll underestimate us, hopefully."

"Even then though," Haniel cut in, "the Titan army isn't going to be making any sort of mistake like that."

"Don't worry about the Titan army though," I replied, because I felt like I needed to add a least a little bit of hope. "I might have that covered."

"Percy, you're good, but not that good," Nike countered, and I shook my head.

"It's not me. I've got backup."

I told them about my dream yesterday, and how my dad had given me a conch shell to blow on when the times were desperate in the battle before us. More than just telling them the basic details of the dream, I told them more important things. Like how my dad had told me that the gods were fighting too, and that we weren't unnoticed. That even our actions here could decide the war.

"I'm pretty sure I can use the conch shell to take out half the Titan army at least…based on what I think it does."

I wasn't sure what it would do, but I had a pretty good suspicion as to what it was supposed to do. Which would honestly come really in handy. But I wouldn't really know until it was the right time.

I was screwed if it just did something like, summon horses or cause minor quakes or something, because Titans were above that, but I hoped it was something more powerful. Because since I was attuned to the power of the sea, I could sense that this conch shell was no ordinary one. There was a lot of power imbued into it, trying to get out like a rabid beast trying to escape its cage.

I realized with a jolt that this was the second gift from my dad that Lupa referred to. The conch shell- and the memory of spending time with him. It was a bit better than the first- I had no idea if the boat was even on the shore at this point, or if someone had stolen it- at least the conch shell and my memories would be harder to steal.

Haniel was frowning. Which meant he was thinking hard.

"Koios expects us to come take the weapon and use it to kill him, right?" he mused, and we nodded. The sickle of Ceres was the most powerful weapon in the vicinity, and definitely our only shot at harming him. A being as strong as a Titan would be able to more easily glance off blows from our swords, spears and toy dinosaurs (Nike used a few. Mostly stegosaurs tipped with celestial bronze spikes. He told me they were good at birthday parties), the weapon of an Olympian god would probably have the best chance of dealing some serious damage. Especially if it was wielded by a god.

"Well, and if he expects us to use it against him, we can just, uh, not use it, right?"

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"We could return it to Ceres instead. Or, I don't know, give it to one of the gods to return to Olympus?"

"And then? Stay in the field alone, without the help of that weapon? That's suicide!"

The son of Auster shrugged. "Just a thought, man. I didn't say it was going to make sense."

"Fair enough," Caleb grunted. "Not like you ever made much sense anyway."

Haniel cause a small gust of wind to push Caleb over, and the burly and the son of Mars fell on his back, before sitting up on the ground, chuckling.

"I deserved that."

I was glad to see them interacting like this. Especially in front of me, because it seemed like not too long ago they had all closed up around me, because of my parentage. I hadn't really noticed it, but I realised that everyone was making a conscious effort to include me in everything. The fact that I was a scrawny thirteen-year old with freckles and messy hair and wiry limbs probably helped reduce the fear factor.

"Well, in that case, Koios also probably expects Percy to use some cool water or earth powers, so we should probably not have that either," Caroline pointed out, and I frowned.

"Why? What's wrong with that?"

Everyone else would be using their powers, so I was a bit confused why Caroline had singled me out specifically. Besides, it wasn't like Koios had to know our parentage anyways. I looked around for answers.

No one met my eyes. It was awkward.

Eleanor finally spoke up. "It's not that you shouldn't use them, Percy," she said quietly. She was staring at the hang glider in front so hard I thought she was trying to make it burst into flames. "It's just that…Koios is a very clever opponent. He could probably trick you to use your powers in a way that could….would….urm…harm us."

"Especially because you have almost no control over them."

"NOT helping, Caleb!"

The bulky demigod shrugged. "Just sayin."

I nodded, though it felt a bit unfair to me. Everyone else got to use their powers, their godly abilities. The things that made them a demigod. I mean, using powers was literally the coolest part of beings a my powers I was just a scrawny thirteen year old that liked to slash swords. My godly powers were what made me who I am. They were my connection to this whole world, the new world that existed at the same time yet apart from what was going on outside it.

All the others could use their powers. It came naturally to them, to call upon their heritage as demigods. To do things normal people couldn't do. To show just why they were called half-gods.

It was just me that had to hold back, because my friends didn't trust me enough. Or maybe they did trust me, but were still afraid of me all the same.

This was probably what June meant when she told me the other demigods would fear me for my powers. I didn't expect them to literally ask me not to use my powers in life and death situations, but the fact that they just did made it sting a little bit more. I felt a bit bitter about it, honestly. I don't know how close I'd get to anyone if it went on like this. I'd either be alone, and use my powers but not be accepted by the others, or I'd silence my powers and my call of the sea just to…fit in. To have friends. Which would be horrible.

My whole life I'd gone being the odd one out. I was kicked out of schools for being a troubled kid. Mom couldn't let me go to summer camps because they wouldn't take kids like me. Even Lupa used to think I was a weakling, and I had to prove to her that I wasn't.

My friends were the only real…well, friends that I had. But now, even they weren't that confident in my ability to protect them using my powers.

Could I blame them? No. But that didn't mean I had to like it either.

"Fine," I grunted. "Unless you're in mortal peril and I can use my powers to save you, I won't use them."

Eleanor smiled. "Thanks, Percy."

"Don't thank me," I replied tiredly. "Let's just get on with the plan."

I was tired of people treating my like a walking C4. Tired of them thinking I had no control over my powers- I had more control that people though I did. Not like I could convince them, but eh, I guess I had to live with it. I don't know if anyone would ever fully accept me, powers and all, and that thought bothered me more than I'd like to admit.

Besides, more than that, the last thing I needed from anyone was pity that I couldn't use my powers around others.

"About the plan," Caroline broke into the silence before it could turn awkward. "We'll steal the weapon, and then improvise from then on?"

I frowned. "What sort of plan is that?"

"Something Koios won't expect. He probably expects a plan, and when he sees us attack, he'll be working on counter-plans. But if we don't really have a plan…it might throw him off. I think he really underestimates us, plus, his abilities won't be on full power, which means he can make mistakes. Especially if we don't really have a plan he can counterattack."

"What do you mean he isn't at full power?" Nike asked, frowning. "He's a Titan."

"Yeah," the daughter of Apollo replied,"but the Titans are only beginning to reform. Koios is one of the first to form, and his essence still isn't strong condensed yet. Which is good for us, because if his powers actually condensed together, looking at him alone would kill us."

Haniel turned pale. "When you put it that way, I'm glad we're facing him now and not then."

My stomach turned queasy at the thought though. If Titans at full power were able to turn demigods to ashes with a single glance, how would I ever face Titans nearing their full powers?

Like Kronos, my mind whispered to me.

I still hadn't forgotten the dream I'd had. Where I had turned down Kronos' offer. I knew he would still prefer me on his side- unlike most demigods, he actually appreciated my power- so I had a little leeway. But there was only so long he'd wait. The moment he decided I wasn't the trouble, I was pretty sure he could just send in orders to kill me. In fact, the only reason I wasn't dead yet was because Kronos didn't want me dead yet. If he did, I'd be no more than a pile of clothes and a few drops of blood on a sidewalk somewhere.

It was a dark thought, but it wasn't the first time I'd faced it. Lupa had told me that I wasn't wrong, but acting like I was a victim and blaming my circumstances was a sign of weakness. A true Roman rose above their circumstances, no matter what they were, and chose to press on. Not giving up and expecting those coming after him to do the same.

I never really expected those firelight lessons Lupa told me about Rome and ethics and Caesar to stick in my head, but somewhere along with the daily runs and the sword training and the punishing regime, Lupa had done her job. She had turned me into a roman- I was really thinking like one.

I'd have to thank her if I got back.

When I got back.

"Can anyone face a Titan at their full power?"

Caroline shook her head. "Of course, the Greeks might have answers, but their texts are too old to be preserved in readable forms. Any secret their demigods had died out with the last of the Greeks. The Romans don't know of such a way, though we have outlived the Greeks for centuries. Gods could face Titans at their full powers, but yeah, we're not gods so."

It felt so weird for me to be around my friends when they spoke about Greeks like they were dead for centuries, especially considering that fact that I was one, technically, but I knew better than to correct Carolilne.

"What if we send the weapon through Mercury to Ceres?" I asked. Mercury was a messenger god. I was pretty sure he could just swoop into the battle and collect the weapon and leave. It wouldn't even go against his domains or the godly non-interference pact or whatever. And if Ceres got the weapon back, the gods could attack Koios. They'd have a better chance than us.

"What, do you think he's a postman of some sort?" Caleb asked, cracking up. Everyone else chuckled as well. "Lord Mercury does not simply take your packages. He's the god of commerce and trade. You want to figure out which stocks to buy? Or the best stuff to trade? You pray to him," he explained, as his face turned serious. "But you do not used him for errand duty. He's a Roman god, he doesn't like that. The last demigod who asked Mercury to deliver a parcel to him was turned into a rat. Not sure why he was turned into a rat, but yeah. It's freaky."

I had a pretty good idea why the demigod was turned into a rat. Two good ideas- and they were both green with scales and started with the letters G and M.

I shuddered, feeling bad for the demigod. So calling Mercury was off the charts.

"Okay, but assuming we somehow return the weapon to Ceres, what next? Will the gods come in and help us?"

Eleanor nodded. "We made them swear. Plus the prophecy said no man's hand can kill it, meaning its pretty much the gods that will have to deal the finishing blow then."

"Sure, and they'll take all the credit too I'm pretty sure," Nike huffed. "Not that I care. I just want to get this over with, get Melissa back and head back to camp. I really miss our bathhouse."

Of course, Nike brining up Camp meant everyone had to talk about Camp. About their favourite experiences. Their best dating spots and their most embarrassing memories. Places they nearly died. Good places to kill monsters.

(Do you remember that barbecue place in the barracks? Yeah, that was where that centurion nearly stabbed my lungs out. Good potato fries though.)

I hadn't been to Camp Jupiter, so I just listened, but from the way they described it, it seemed like a pretty cool place. From what I could gather, you entered it through a service tunnel between some hills and then there was this river around the whole camp that protected it. The Camp had a roman army region and the city of new Rome, which basically was the equivalent to 'fight till you die but if you survive you can retire to paradise'.

New Rome sounded cool, but I hadn't seen it before. It honestly sounded like New York with a lot more demigods, weapons and deadly peril, that's all.

Yes, I was still excited to see New Rome. I knew literally every singe demigod there would be really suspicious about me, but I honestly couldn't care. New Rome was why we fought. New Rome was the home Lupa wanted me to lead- I was sure.

I had to do my best to protect it.

We spent a better half of the day talking about what the Camp would be like. The Titan Camp, not Camp Jupiter.

We'd gone into the house though, because the sun got a little too hot. So we sat around the dining table, under the cool blast of the air conditioner, sipping juice boxes and eating a few tacos Aunt P had made us, which honestly was the most surprising thing I'd seen today.

Caleb figured they'd have some crude divisions, because although Koios was smart, the average monster was definitely dumber than a demigod, which was something we intended to use to our advantage. Eleanor was pretty sure they'd have some form of aerial scouts we would have to avoid, especially at night, because that was literally when they would be placing guards around the camp, and I had to agree. I shivered, thinking about the ghastly screams I'd heard up in the air that night I'd kept watch.

Another issue was that unlike demigods, monsters have little to no trouble seeing in dim light- and even if they did, it's not like they needed to see us to know where we were. Monsters had enhanced sense of smell and hearing, not to mention the fact that we smelt like walking Happy Meals to them.

Basically, we were trying our best to seem optimistic, but I knew deep down that everyone was pretty sure we'd fail. The odds were too high against us. I don't mean to sound like a pessimist or anything, but even I was doubtful all of us would escape alive, if we escaped at all. I remember Lupa telling me about a lot of failed Roman conquests, where the demigods never returned. Not because they weren't so smart or brave or skillful or whatever, but simply because the odds were stacked against them. I mean, I get that heroes and all face the odds and win and whatnot, but honestly, what they forget to mention is, the heroes are the exceptions. When the odds are stacked against you, the basic idea is simple.

You don't win.

Rob and Mel were sitting there with us. They weren't helping of course, Mel was thinking about what to tell Favonius on their date, while Rob was going through the trends of corn prices throughout history by referring a few books I had no idea about. I wasn't really sure why they were sitting with us, but Mel told me Aunt P had told them to 'come help us because we were fighting a losing battle'

Gee, thanks. Like we didn't know.

But besides that, we didn't discuss much. We all readied our weapons, checked the hang gliders conditions, and made nervous jokes. My fingers kept closing around the shell dad had given me, rolling it around like a nervous tic. I honestly just needed some reassurance, but since Lupa wasn't around to shout at me till I got over my nerves, I had to resort to the next best thing and ask someone around me to snap me out of it.

Then I realized that everyone was expecting me to snap them out of it. Except Caleb, of course. He was a son of Mars, he found few things as cool as fighting to the death. It didn't mean he wasn't scared, but he was a lot less obvious about it.

The day went by quickly. I didn't notice much. We had tacos for lunch though. Corn tacos. They were alright.

Which was why it was nearly nightfall, and we were gathered around the dining table in the house once again, with Rob and Mel (who were just there because they hadn't gotten up in the first place. Yeah, we had to get the tacos to them). You know that feeling when you don't want to do that one assignment that's annoying you for ages, that one bit of work you keep procrastinating because you don't want to do it? You do everything that's needed to prepare for it- get your markers and pens and paper and laptop out, and get your coffee or whatever and sit at the table, but you still. Can't. Do. It?

Yeah we were doing the same thing with our epic death quest. Which was why we were still sitting around the table at nightfall.

I'd like to say it was a really cool pre-quest meeting, with everyone around the table brimming with restless energy, weapons glowing in the moonlight as the fire in the centre of the table highlighted our heroic profiles, the sparks rising up into the starry night sky.

But yeah, that would be a lie.

In fact, the table was a little too bright. There were two LED tubelights on either side of it, which made the already wonky-looking wooden table even more wonky, because shadows seemed to appear in weird places where the two light sources counldn't quite reach. Besides that, no one really looked cool or anything. I was a little green after throwing up because I'd accidentally eating a few too many corn tacos. Eleanor and Haniel were playing I-Spy, while Caroline was drawing a picture of a girl that turned into corn. Caleb was the only one doing something moderately heroic- he was whetting his knife with the spike of a toy Triceratops. Nike was trying to steal photos of baby elephants from Mel, who for some reason was trying to make a collage of things that Favonius liked. I felt a little bad for her- because even though I wasn't the best at dating, even I knew that photo collages about the hidden likes of my date wasn't the best way to start. Mel, obviously, had had centuries to see people court and fall in love and die, but she still was as nervous as any mortal could be. I wondered if she had feelings for Favonius- like, actual feelings- and figured there was probably something like that.

Rob was still reading the manual on corn trade. But at least, he'd reached page 827 out of 900.

Aunt P was in the kitchen, making us some corn on the cob. She said it was the best pre-battle meal, but I think she was a bit biased. Personally, I find cookies and milk to work better- the milk calms you down and the sugar gives you ADHD surges, which translates into better reflex time on the battlefield.

But since it was my first quest ever, I didn't argue.

"So, guys," Caleb began faltering as everyone looked at him. "Let's…uh…let's win this!"

"Surely after the corn, dear!" Aunt P called from the kitchen, and he turned red. Rob laughed.

"Sure, we can wait for the corn," Caleb said, gruffly, his ears still red.

Confession: I did not eat the corn.

After what Aunt P's tacos did to me, I wasn't really sure I wanted to eat it right before a life-threatening battle. What if I got shot by dracaenan archers when I lost focus simply because I had to go to the loo?

Mom would kill me, so I figured it would be better if I just quietly rolled them down my jeans, balanced them on my shoe, and then let them slide on the floor.

I wasn't the only one doing it though. I mean, as sweet as it was a gesture, no one really wanted to risk a constipated stomach mid-battle. Which meant that underneath the table there was enough corn to feed a small family.

Of course, Aunt P went back to the kitchen to refill after every serving, and Mel and Rob didn't really care, so after a quick exchange of looks, we nodded and got up from the table. The gods seemed to have realized that we were going, because they stood up.

"Get us back the weapon, demigods. For, uh, your fallen comrade."

We nodded.

"Don't forget to eat some fruits! Always stay healthy- you know they say an apple a day keeps the doctor away!"

I smiled at that. Aunt P was really like a grandma. A thousand year old, super-powerful, cranky grandma, but a grandma nonetheless. I think she'd come to get a little attached to us, especially because right now she was a mortal and not a god. Funny how having to face death puts things like being a nice person into perspective.

I nearly tripped over the welcome mat as we left, but other than that, our walk through the corn fields was fine.

Well, as fine as it could get when you were lugging a heavy hang glider behind you, with deadly weapons tied around you, walking around in stealth towards almost certain death, hoping the monsters prowling around you couldn't detect you yet.

Better than corn trading, though.

A/N: Reviews are really appreciated by me, so why not leave one?

Don't really expect any more updates till close to March probably on any of my stories. I'll be busy with University exams, so I hope to get back after that. Cheers!