A/N : So... I'm back with the next chapter, folks. Hope you guys didn't get rickrolled on April Fool's Day. Thanks to the two guests and Queen Annabeth Eighteen for your kind words, may the Emperor bless you all.
Disclaimer : I own nothing, only my OCs. Thanks to 8Ball3 for beta-ing!
~0~
Gambling With Percival
~0~
"What?!"
Right after Lady Athena had publicly announced Zeus' announcement, an amazing thing happened. His water evaporated.
Not the fact that the liquid vaporized itself, but the fact that it wasn't Ray who did it. However, he could feel it- exactly after the news of his impending execution, exactly with his younger brother's enraged statement, his control over his water was forcefully ripped away.
Admittedly he didn't exactly focus much on the water and it only happened in a split second, but still… Percy was able to mentally overpower him? The strength of his brother's impulse and sheer protective rage was strong… very strong.
If Lady Athena and Mr. D weren't there, Ray would hug his brother like a teddy bear.
"There is no need to yell so loudly, boy." Lady Athena sighed. "Though I agree with your sentiment- this very notion is maddening. Unfortunately, seeing it from Zeus' perspective, I can see why he would make such an ultimatum. Looking at a military standpoint, the Keepers as an organization is very powerful, despite only being manned by five half-bloods. He is already suspicious enough of you, and now that Poseidon has openly claimed Percy, he is certain that you worked with your father to steal the Master Bolt."
"Ah," Ray said, trying his best not to smile proudly for Percy's achievement. "That is indeed understandable. I'd probably do the same thing in his position."
"But that's not true!" Percy snapped, sitting down again. "You didn't steal the stupid thing, right Ray?"
"Of course not. I probably wouldn't even be able to use it- knowing Zeus, there's a chance he had modified it so any mortal that tries to use it will burn alive."
"I never said you did, only that Zeus thinks you did," Athena explained wearily. "Unfortunately, that is evident enough for him. I had tried my best to delay the date as much as possible, but then you got claimed."
She frowned as she glanced at Percy like it was his fault. Percy, on his part, was oblivious to the glare as he was muttering most probably unpleasant things about Zeus.
"With all due respect, Lady Athena," Ray calmly interjected. "Don't go throwing blames at someone who is completely guiltless."
The frown didn't disappear, but she did turn away. "The problem still stands, Ray. With your execution waiting just around the corner, what will you do?"
"I believe it is obvious, my lady." He smiled, pleased the conversation topic turned into planning. "We find the Master Bolt and return it. Simple as that."
Mr. D choked on his coke, suddenly bursting out in laughter. "Boy, you have a significantly much better chance on finding a needle in ten separate mounds of hay than that! In comparison, you'd be searching for a strand of hay in a mountain of needles."
"It may be very difficult," Chiron admitted, "But not impossible. The only way for this conflict to stop is for an offspring of Poseidon to find the Bolt, and return it to its master."
"Easier said than done…" Percy muttered quietly so only the two of them could hear.
Ray held back another smile, this one due to his brother's pessimism. Then the desire to smile mildly depleted when he remembered that Mr. D said the first immortal that comes to mind when talking about who was the possible thief was Hades.
They might have a problem. The Keepers had to blow up Orpheus' Door in Central Park to kill a surge of hellhounds around a year ago. He had no idea if Hades had any undead builders to fix it, so if that wasn't available, the nearest one was… friggin' Los Angeles. Crap.
He hoped it wasn't Hades.
"Regardless, I think we all know the next step, for now, is getting a new quest," Chiron informed them. "So Ray, if you will, please go upstairs."
He nodded, and stood up, putting his bottle on the floor beneath the table since it held no use for him anymore. Percy looked at him, confused, but he smiled in reassurance. Swiftly, he stepped outside the room and climbed into the attic, musing to himself just what law exactly that demanded prophecies had to rhyme.
~0~
"Where is he going?" Percy asked, half-worried, half-curious. That reassuring smile his brother gave him didn't exactly reassure him all that much.
"The Oracle," Chiron said, his tone borderline grim. "She… it is the creature who demigods go to when asking for a quest. You ask for a quest, and the Oracle gives a prophecy to aid you."
A quest. His brother was going on a quest that according to Mr. D had a very small chance of success, in order to prevent his death. There was absolutely nothing in that sentence that he would ever wish his brother to do.
"Looks like I'm done here!" Mr. D suddenly said with obvious fake cheerfulness, standing up. "I'd say I'll go back to my wife, but oh look, the sky is already orange! Oh wow, I heard that time goes slower when you do something you hate, but apparently it's the other way around!"
Percy turned to him, surprised. But he thought Mr. D was… wait, was that why he was wearing a fancy suit? He was so surprised by two random facts that Mr. D was allowed to go out of camp and he had a wife to forgot about his rage for a second, though it was only flushed for barely a second.
Chiron winced. Athena turned to the director-god with a raised eyebrow. "You want to say something to my face, Dionysus?"
"Oh, no, no! I mean, it's not like I'm being sarcastic or anything," Mr. D reassured sarcastically, sneering. "It's not like I absolutely love being around my wife and hate to be away from her, especially if I was forced to be away! What makes you think that?"
Athena sighed, running her hands down her face. "For all it's worth, I apologize for dragging you along, but you know if I had my way, you wouldn't have to come."
Mr. D just snorted, clearly still miffed. At first, Percy wanted to be annoyed, but he couldn't when he saw that, besides anger, the god's purple eyes showed weariness. "Whatever you say, Athena."
Mr. D didn't even walk out of the door like regular joes do, no. He summoned another coke can, and as he snapped it open, he disappeared in a cloud of purple accompanied by the sound of the hiss of an opened soda container and the smell of grapes.
After the director left, the room lapsed into silence. The only company in there was a goddess who Percy was certain hated him, and a wise centaur teacher who he wasn't quite certain he could trust. Those didn't sound like the quite right people to converse with him, so he looked down and fiddled with his pen.
He honestly thought those feelings were mutual, but apparently, it didn't.
"Percy Jackson," Athena said, turning to him.
"Uh, yes?" he raised his head.
"Do you love your brother?"
What kind of question is that, he wondered, a bit insulted. "Of course!"
"You'd do anything for him?"
"Of course."
Athena narrowed her eyes ever-so-slightly. "Even if you have to find an extremely dangerous, missing superweapon?"
A shiver went through his back as his eyes widened slightly. Oh, he realized the implication alright, he knew what she was insinuating.
"What are you saying, Lady Athena?" Chiron asked, suspicious.
She ignored him, though. "You love your brother, you said it yourself. You know how dangerous this quest is, do you really would let him go with that information in your conscious?"
"…No," he said.
"Zeus won't care which offspring delivers the Bolt- in his eyes, all of you are the same."
"No," Chiron interjected, eyes hard. "I cannot, in proper conscience, allow this to happen. Percy is just a child, this such a problem can be handled to those who are properly suited to it!"
He turned to the old teacher, a bit annoyed at being called a kid. "I can do it, Chiron, you don't need to have so little faith in me. You saw what I did, right? I killed the flying pig. You said it was impossible, and yet that feather is sitting on my bed in my cabin."
"This is different, Percy," Chiron pretty much pleaded. "Substantially different. We aren't even still quite certain where the Bolt is, let alone who has it. This is on a whole other level of danger."
Now though, remembering just what Ray knew about Chiron, that annoyance just rose through new heights. "Chiron, just where did this come from? Were you thinking this six years ago, when you brought whatever that was that made a hole in Ray's stomach?"
…The silence at that moment was so… loud. That was so deafening it felt like a bomb just went off, there was literally nothing else he could compare it to. It was as if the sounds outside just went silent, as if the world was itching to see what Chiron would say.
Chiron actually stepped back like his words just slapped him in the face, eyes wide and face quickly paling. The old centaur caught his eyes for a second, shame pooling in them, before he immediately looked down.
Athena looked shocked, and that wasn't even dramaticating things. But unlike the teacher, she easily regained her composure back, and turned to Percy- not before giving Chiron a look that screamed 'WE WILL TALK ABOUT THIS'.
"…We know there is one being who would gain if he has the Bolt," Athena whispered in an almost conspirational tone, since obviously Chiron was out of the conversation. He briefly felt bad for the teacher, but it was gone as quickly as it came. After what he did to Ray… being hurt by words was the least he deserved. "And is the the only one who would thrive if Zeus and Poseidon are weakened. Someone who made a replica of Olympus in his own domain, since he is forbidden from entering the Eternal City… someone who is quite bitter of this... ban."
That laughing voice from his dream came into memory again. "Someone who's… from underground. But you said that blaming Hades is unwi-"
"There is no need for you to repeat my words, I know what I said. But the truth of the matter is, Hades is the only one who has the power and the motive to steal the Bolt."
"But… Hades. The God of the Dead. That's…"
"Think about it." Athena sighed. "I know blaming such a powerful force is tactically inept, but we cannot ignore the signs. Salamanders roam near the River Phlegethon, which flows in the Underworld, so only he could call upon them with ease. And let us not forget- I have heard about the quarrel with your… disguised teacher."
His breath hitched in his throat. With all the mess he and his brother got caught up in, he seriously forgot about her. As if that can of worms was reopened, the terrible memories and nightmares said memories caused quickly emerged. "Mrs. Grelod…"
"A Fury. Your brother was also ambushed by Furies… not one, but two. That means all three of them attacked you, and if the reports were correct, at the same time. Not the same year, not the same month, not even the same day… the exact same second. They only bow to one master, and I do not think I need to spell out who it is."
Percy clenched his fists, that previous bravado started shaking with this new stack of information. If he had to travel all across the globe to save his brother, he'd do with barely a thought… but the Underworld? The Land of the Dead? Not that he didn't want to, but he had no idea where to even start!
"Where should I go?" he muttered, emotions raging in his head.
"Los Angeles," Athena answered without missing a beat. "I'd suggest the Doors of Orpheus, but it's destroyed and there's no telling if it can be fixed. The best course of action is Los Angeles."
Los Angeles? How many thousands of miles was that from here? How could he even go there?
Athena opened her mouth to add more fuel to the flame, but the door creaked open, signaling Ray's return. He turned to his brother, worried and fearful, and became only more concerned when he realized the emotion in those purple eyes… Ray was afraid.
"…Ray," he called softly, raising a hand to touch his brother. "What happened?"
Ray didn't answer. Instead, he just looked down to the floor, not walking further into the room.
"What is the matter, Ray?" Athena asked, also confused. Chiron looked up, curious, but he didn't move from his position.
"…The… Oracle…" his older brother mumbled. "It… it didn't…"
Ray glanced at him, then quickly turned his eyes away. He didn't say anything further.
"…The Oracle did not say anything to you, did she?" Athena asked, but her exasperated tone implied that she was expecting this. "If you did not acquire the prophecy, then what took you so long?"
Ray clenched his fists. "I… lost my temper."
That admission confused Percy, but he didn't voice his opinion- not when his brother seemed very stressed. And what was wrong if Ray didn't get the prophecy? Wasn't that a good thing? Didn't that mean Ray didn't have to go in this quest? Why wasn't Ray celebrating?
"Then that means you know what is happening," Athena said, frowning.
"…No," Ray growled. Percy dropped his hand, surprised at the anger his brother now held in his tone of voice. "I will not let it happen."
"You know there is no other way," Athena calmly informed him, but the frown didn't go away. "You must let him take the quest."
Him? When Ray turned to Percy, he instantly knew they were talking about him.
"It's not his responsibility!" Ray ground out, still facing him. So he knew his brother was actually saying 'This isn't your responsibility!' "This is my problem, and my problem alone. Percy… you… you don't have to do this. I can send the Keepers, I can send brainwashed monsters, but not you! Not… you…"
"Monsters can't get the Bolt, Ray, you know it. Anyone who has… 'impure' blood will be burnt to a crisp if they touch it." Athena sighed. "Monsters fall under the impure category, but half-mortal and half-god do not. And, even if your friends managed to find and deliver the Bolt, Zeus will see it as an insult- what would he think if the son of Poseidon can't even be bothered to return the stolen item himself? If your brother brings it to him, he will not be displeased, I am sure of that."
Percy narrowed his eyes, looking into Ray's worried own, determination flowing into his body. "If I give him the Bolt, he'd clear your name."
The pain in Ray's eyes increased. "But…"
He waited for his brother to continue, but he didn't. It was obvious that Ray was searching hard for something to say. Thankfully, neither Athena nor Chiron decided to talk- at least they knew it was better to let them sort this out on their own.
"But I'm supposed to be your big brother, Percy," Ray begged. "I'm supposed to protect you, not the other way around! This is… this isn't…"
"I'll be fine, Ray," he assured his brother, standing from his seat so he stood right in front of his brother. "And besides, I think you're just being dramatic. This prophecy can help me locate the Bolt, right? It's not like I'm literally signing my own death sentence."
That last part was his lame attempt at a joke, but Ray's fears didn't look quelled. "Do you not know how dangerous it can be, Percy? Whoever stole the Master Bolt must have very strong minions to protect it, if not they are strong enough to guard the thing themselves."
"I'm sure you can give me enough weapons to take down a building, Ray," he joked again with a grin. "You wouldn't happen to have a rocket launcher, do you?"
A small twitch on the lips, but Ray still wasn't convinced. "I'm... I'm still not okay with this. You don't have to do this, Percy. There are always others… or I can go without a prophecy at all."
"Ray, if you didn't get the prophecy, that means you're not meant to go on a quest." That much he gathered from his previous conversations. "Let me go upstairs, and if I don't get the quest, we'll someone else go. If I do, well… it is what it is. The Oracle won't try to bite me, will she? …Er, it?"
Ray searched his eyes, seeking for something Percy didn't know. If he was trying to find determination, he got loads of 'em. If Ray was searching for bravery, well… uh, good luck with that, bro.
In the end, Ray sighed, sounding defeated, though he hugged him tightly. Percy readily returned it, not minding it at all. His family had always been physical in showing their love, and he loved it that way.
"…Whatever you hear, Percy," Ray whispered. "Don't let the Oracle's words get to you. Prophecies always have double entendrés- double meanings, sometimes they don't mean what they sound like they mean."
Percy had no idea what that means, but ok. He nodded. Ray pulled back and ruffled his hair.
"Also, the Oracle won't try to bite you, even if it wants to," Ray said, smiling weakly. "You don't have to worry about that."
He grinned at that. "Thanks for the tip."
Ray smiled for one more full second, before he succumbed to sighs once more. "There's a flight of stairs at the end of the corridor, you can't miss it. The Oracle is in there. You'll know the Oracle when you see it. Good luck, Percy."
"You got it."
~0~
"What do you mean, you lost your temper?" Lady Athena asked, rather curious and confused.
"That's exactly what it means." Ray sighed, rubbing his face with his hands, suddenly feeling tired. Percy was having a 'chat' with the Oracle… the stupid thing even creeped him out. "The stupid piece of turd didn't give me what I wanted, and in a moment of… vulnerability, I bashed its skull in with a shield Michael Connor got in nineteen-sixty-nine."
The Goddess snorted loudly, and she hastily covered it up by coughing to her fist, a light blush on her cheeks. "You… know that is inappropriate, Ray."
He shrugged. In the corner of the room, he could tell that Chiron didn't find it amusing and stared at the ground, the teacher's horse tail flicking left and right with uncertainty.
"I imagine you didn't stop there?" Lady Athena enquired, raising an eyebrow.
"I'll bore you," Ray honestly replied. His hands were still a bit sore from using the useless corpse as a punching bag.
"Ah."
Silence landed upon the small room. He wondered where Dionysus was, but he decided it hardly mattered anyway. Considering this was a day where the old god was allowed to visit his wife, he couldn't blame Dionysus for wanting to leave early.
This sort of silence though… Ray narrowed his eyes, realizing the atmosphere of the room. It was awkward, very awkward, and not just awkward, it was almost tense. Something happened while he was away.
He raised his gaze to the two other beings in the room. "Alright, spit it out you two, what happened while I was gone?"
His Mentor glanced at Chiron with barely hidden hate, an honestly surprising turn of events. "An important piece of information was just revealed to us, but that is not my place to say."
Chiron looked at them both, eyes full of emotions that revolved so quickly Ray didn't have time to pinpoint them all. "I… later, you two. This is… not the time. Not yet."
Seeing Lady Athena's murderous look, the teacher quickly added. "We must focus on the matter at hand. We must find the Bolt first, then we can turn our attention to… me. As it stands, as much as important this is, it will only hinder Percy's focus and potentially fail the entire quest."
The Goddess of Wisdom glared at him one more time, but she turned away and sighed, so Ray knew she found merit in what he said.
On his part, though, Ray found himself very perplexed. What was Chiron talking about? And why was Lady Athena suddenly so… hostile? Last he remembered before he left, she was only displeased to Mr. D for just being there. What could make her this way, and why on Olympus did Chiron look like he just broke a 10 million dollar ancient vase?
But Chiron was right, whatever it was he was about to say, thinking about this was just going to make them turn their attention away from the grand prize. He couldn't care less about his life- seeing their current… condition, his death would barely impact the Keepers' future plans- but he wouldn't dream of letting Percy follow the same fate.
He turned to his Mentor, taking his mind off of this apparently hard-to-handle problem, to an easy-to-handle problem. "Lady Athena… let's just make this quick- are you still willing to take me as your student?"
She seemed surprised, momentarily forgetting about her feud with Chiron. "Of course, why wouldn't I?"
"Well, I mean…" he weakly motioned to himself. "You now know I'm a son of Poseidon. Look, if you dislike me now, I won't hold a grudge against you. If anything I was expe-"
"Regulus Jackson, stop." Lady Athena held up a hand. "Just because I hate barnacle-beard doesn't mean I hate you."
Ray raised an eyebrow. "You seem to hate my brother." A matter that he would rectify later.
"If you didn't notice, you and he are significantly different. Perseus is your typical son of Poseidon- loud, impulsive, destructive… you, on the other hand, are not. You are quiet, you have better control over yourself, and moreover, you are smart. You initiate experiments to further our knowledge of the mortal world and the other, you actively search for bastions of knowledge to expand your own… if I didn't know any better, I'd think you're one of my sons."
Bastions of knowledge… that was a fancy way of saying moldy, old, ruined-down libraries and workshops. And apparently, she forgot about the fact that Percy was physically stronger than he was, has a healthier mind than him, and of course a way more preferable… morality. Not to mention kind. Seriously kinder than he was.
"The point is, I'll be pleased to have you as a student, so you don't need to worry about me hating you. You remind me of Theseus, Regulus. You and he are rare men in this world- sons of Poseidon who pursue the path of knowledge."
He wondered if Theseus ever tear open a hydra's stomach to see their digestive system. Then rip open their throats to see how they could breathe acid and fire. Then keep them alive to see how long they could live with their intestines spilling out of their stomach, the inside organs trailing behind them as they staggered away.
But it was oddly comforting to know that someone, who wasn't his family, was still willing to take him in. "I… thank you, Lady Athena."
His Mentor smiled at him, and nodded assuringly. Only to return glaring at Chiron.
Ray wearily mused if this was a part of the Bolt's thief's plan, making them hate each other like this. This happened with the Keepers, now Lady Athena with Chiron. This conflict never occurred before, during the 16 years he was alive.
Bah, holy Hell, just thinking about it made him tired. He hoped his brother quickly returned…
As if on cue, the door opened and Percy quickly stepped inside and sat down, putting his head down on the table.
That sight was familiar- he acted the same way when he heard his first, weird prophecy. He patted his brother's shoulder sympathetically, and Percy gave a small, weak smile in return.
"Well, boy?" Lady Athena asked, turning away from Chiron and crossing her arms. "What did the Oracle say?"
"…She said… she said I will find what was stolen." Percy sighed.
Ray smiled. "That's good! That means this quest is bound to succeed!"
…Why was Percy staring at him like that?
"What did she say next?" Chiron urged quietly.
"I shall go west and face the god who has turned," Percy recited, looking tired. "I will retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."
"The god who has turned in the west…" Lady Athena mused. "That could be anyone. If I teleport out of this room and land randomly in the west, I will be in the suspect list."
"Well, the important thing is, you'll find the Bolt!" Ray said, now more cheerful knowing the quest was meant to be successful. Well, they still didn't know where to look for it, but now they know they'd find it! "Is there anything else?"
His brother stared at him with so much fear in his green eyes his elation was quickly doused away. What did he hear that made him look like that?
"…No," Percy said, "There's nothing else."
"Very well." Chiron sighed. "But remember what your brother said, Percy. Prophecies have double meanings, sometimes they never mean what they sound like they mean."
Ah, so Chiron could see it too. There was something his brother didn't say. Something that rattled him to the bone, and it was as obvious as the daylight. He'd have to do something about it later.
"If that is out of the way, I believe the next task at hand is choosing your companions, Percy," Chiron continued, not unkindly. "As the ancient law dictates, you are allowed to bring two. One has-"
"Grover," Percy quickly said, then blushed when he realized he just cut Chiron off. "Er, sorry, but yeah, I want to bring Grover. He needs to do this as much as I do."
For some reason, her Mentor pursed her lips, something she usually did when she found something stupid but she wouldn't or couldn't say anything about it.
"I mean, I'm going to ask about him later," his little brother added. "But until he says no, that one spot will be Grover's."
"Very well. Then I'll take the other spot," Ray said, already making move to stand up.
"No!" Percy and Lady Athena snapped. Ray immediately sat back, stunned.
His brother's eyes softened. "Sorry Ray, but no. The main reason why I'm going on a quest is to save you, and if I bring you with me it kinda beats the purpose of making sure you're safe."
Lady Athena closed her eyes, exhaling softly. "Yes… apologies Regulus, but I do agree with your brother. Besides, seeing that your… date is in next month, I doubt Zeus will want you out of his sight."
At this, Percy simmered again- his fists clenched and his mouth turning into a hateful scowl as he glared at the table. Ray sighed, half-heartedly accepting this decision… he was irritated, yet also amused, but mostly flattered.
Chiron stared on with a raised eyebrow, and when the centaur realized the conversation/argument had stopped, he nodded. "Very well. The other one has… volunteered, if you wish to accept her help."
And then Percy groaned, putting his hands on his face. Ray smiled slightly, pleased that he was temporarily distracted from whatever it was that scared him. "Why does it have to be her?"
"Who?" Lady Athena asked, confused.
"Me," Annabeth announced, entering the room, her magical cap in her left hand. She bowed respectfully at her mother. "Greetings, Lady Athena."
"Annabeth?" the goddess enquired further, very much still confused. "Why? You know who he is, do you not?"
"Yes, he's a son of Poseidon." Annabeth nodded. "But it would be unwise to abandon a perfect opportunity just because of a dislike for a particular person."
Ray raised an eyebrow. "Have you been eavesdropping, Annabeth?"
She blushed at his (most probably correct) accusation. "Not… entirely."
As in 80% of what was said. Ray shook his head, but he didn't act on it- he knew she meant no harm… she was just too curious and nosey for her own good.
"I thought you were smart, Annabeth." Percy sighed. "But you're apparently stupid enough to join this party."
Wait what? Why was Percy saying that? Ray stared at his brother with furrowed eyebrows. He was quite certain he hadn't missed anything… had he?
"I can reduce the chances of failures if I'm able to stop you from doing stupid things," Annabeth retorted, annoyed. "Do you want my help or not?"
His brother sighed again, but he nodded. "Yeah, I want your help. Thanks."
Annabeth blinked, surprised. She then smirked slightly. "Don't mention it, seaweed brain."
Lady Athena just watched on with a small frown on her face, but she didn't say a single word. As for Ray, this weird banter was familiar to him- it reminded him much of Percival and himself… hm, now that he mentally mentioned it, what should he say to that owl-faced guy later?
"If that is decided, this meeting is adjourned," Chiron announced. "You will go first thing tomorrow the reclaim the Master Bolt. If Grover Underwood refuses to go along with you, then it falls under your responsibility to search for a proper replacement. Dismissed."
Without another word, the centaur quickly galloped away from the room, purposefully turning his face away from all of them.
Lady Athena stood up elegantly. "My duty is done… for now. Regulus and Perseus Jackson, I wish you two luck."
In a flash of silver light, she disappeared. With the last of them gone, Ray turned to the remaining occupants of the room.
"I guess you two are gonna go to Grover?" he asked.
Percy nodded, then his green eyes burned with determination. "Don't worry Ray. We will save you."
Without giving him a chance to reply, his little brother whirled around and practically ran outside.
"I won't be as dramatic as he is, but he's right." Annabeth nodded, her own grey eyes glinting with the same amount of determination as Percy. "You can trust us- we will not fail you."
She turned around and walked out of the room, leaving him alone. Shaking his head, Ray sat back down on a chair. His first plan was to talk to Percy about what he actually heard from the stupid Oracle that made him like that, but it seemed that his brother was already over it.
He turned to look at a window, and found Stalker peeking in.
"…Hey," he said.
The bird squawked.
"Mess of a day, huh?" he asked, partly to himself and partly to his old friend. "I can only imagine what will when the quest begins… heck, not to mention where to begin. The west is pretty friggin' big."
~0~
Since Ray couldn't find his brother- not like he should, this problem with Grover was personal if he was correct- he decided to take this chance to work on one of the easier tasks he had to do.
Aphrodite cabin wasn't that happy with the decision of sleeping in the safehouse near the hill, but they still thanked him anyway and got to packing. He wanted to tell the Athena cabin, but all the kids were scattered all over camp, helping with the renovations. Good thing Percival wasn't there, though.
Sophia took the news of his heritage swimmingly well, if her bright eyes and smile were any indication. She wasn't afraid at all, she was actually pretty proud to 'have him as her boss', as she had put it. So, with an easy wave and goodbye, that was one task off of his mental checklist.
He didn't mention his impending execution of course, since to be frank, due to her unimportant role within the administration section of the Keepers, his death would do nil to her. He also didn't mention the possible spy/traitor in the midst- and the fact that she could be one of them- since this would just give her needless anxiety and thus make her blabber nervously on and on to one of her friends, and he wouldn't want that, now would he?
Marcus was… Marcus. Like Alexa implied, the guy just didn't give a crap. When he brought up the literally traitorous matter after Ray found the guy in the empty Hephaestus cabin, Marcus just said,
"Ok."
When he brought up his execution (Marcus' position wouldn't change, since the guy didn't want it to, but Ray mostly wanted to see his reaction), the son of Hephaestus said,
"Ok. Good luck."
Well… at least it was easy. Ray also ordered him to deploy a couple of automaton and sentries as guards for the Half-Blood Hill safehouse, and the guy merely nodded. Ray didn't have anything else to say about that.
The next though… wasn't so easy.
"What is it?" Percival asked coldly, crossing his arms. "I thought I was a traitor in your eyes."
Damn sentimentality.
"I did say it was nothing personal," Ray reminded him. "It was just business, Schneider. Regulations. In all honesty, I wasn't going to come to you and rectify any conflict between us, since I myself haven't found out who was the snitch."
He didn't know if his words did anything to mend said conflict, if the scowl that popped up on Percival's face was any indication. "Then what in the name of all that is holy are you doing here?"
"Just making sure of something. See, Alexa came to me earlier this day and… convinced me that she wouldn't betray me. I won't tell you what my final decision is regarding that, since if I say she's good you'd get jealous, if I say she's not you'd get angry."
"Irrelevant." As usual, Percival pointed out the obvious. "Just what do you want? I'm busy."
Oh Percival, Percival, Percival, Ray thought while holding back a knowing smile. The guy was sulking when he found him sitting near the arena; 'busy' wasn't the word to describe him. "I want to gamble."
Percival didn't say anything for a while. "…It would seem that you have mistaken me for Dionysus."
"Not that type of gamble." Ray pulled out his revolver, then checked the barrel to make sure it was full. "Wanna play a round of Russian roulette?"
"What?" Percival growled dangerously.
"Now, you know I ain't the gamblin' type, pardner. If I gamble, you'd be sure as hell that I've rigged it in some way. This is no different- the gun is rigged." He turned the safety off and offered Percival the gun. The son of Athena didn't take it. "If you pull the trigger, it will fire the bullet. Whoever is on the other end of that gun will wind up dead. What I'm gambling… is my faith in you."
Since Percival didn't show any initiative in taking the gun- or doing anything at all, he took one of Percival's clenched fists and put his Smith & Wesson directly into it. The guy's glare was so deadly if Ray was any lesser man, he'd urinate on the spot.
However, as he was Ray he completely ignored that look of hate directed at him. "You know how this works, right? But now my fate is in your hands. No tricks, no Mists, no nothing. You pull the trigger, and I'll die. And considering the time, you'll have enough to run away from camp and go into hiding."
"What are you implying, Jackson?" If Percival wasn't that eager to use the gun, that twitching other fist would definitely mean he'd impale him right then and there.
"You're my friend, right? It's not you who just put me on the next month's execution block, right?"
"What?" Percival whispered, utterly shocked as he took a step back.
Oh wow, a response Ray genuinely didn't expect. "Duh? Zeus hates my guts now, and in one month he wants those guts to be splattered across his floor like a new coat of paint. I thought we both knew this was going to happen?"
"…I… never wanted it to be true."
"That's awfully naïve of you," Ray dryly said.
"…Maybe," Percival admitted. The son of Athena gazed at the revolver in his hand, regarding it with conflicting emotions he struggled to hide.
Ray saw hatred, sadness, anger, sympathy and many more; the list went on and on, overlapping each other and some stayed longer than others. He opted to wait and see what Percival would do in the end, just calmly staring at Schneider. He could tell it stressed Percival even more, but at that moment, he couldn't care less.
Percival looked up, hiding his emotions as best as he could (Percival was bad at it) and put the revolver back in Ray's hold.
"You think I'm the traitor?" Percival asked, with a deceptively calm raised eyebrow. Ray saw through the ruse, and he could see some sort of desperation within those steely grey eyes.
This surprised the heck out of him.
Wow. Just... wow.
But it wasn't him to just show the surprise on his face. Ray shrugged. "I'm indecisive, if you must know. I can tell this'll bite me in the butt later."
"Then let me assure you." Percival put his hands over Ray's, so Ray was effectively holding the revolver, then raised the hand with the gun to his forehead. "I'm letting you make the final choice. I didn't sign you to this fate, but if you blame me, I won't object, since if you truly believe it I know my death will calm you down."
Ah, so even Percival was also familiar with the use of desperate, perhaps even insane, measures. Unlike Ray however, Schneider was actually controlled by this desperation, whereas Ray was proud to say that he was not. He already assumed there were only three outcome from this conversation. Either he or Percival dies, or neither.
The gamble was rigged, after all.
"…You're right," Ray agreed, pulling the gun's hammer back. "Your death will calm me down."
Percival closed his eyes, sighing but resigned.
"…If I truly believe you did it. Unfortunately for me, I don't."
Ray lowered the revolver and put the safety back on. Percival took a deep breath, opened his eyes again, and mumbled, "…I bloody hate your drama."
He stared into Percival's eyes, and with a mental snarl, he banished the thought of how easy it was to emotionally drain Percival. "I suppose drama just runs in my blood."
Percival tried to laugh, but it just came out as a pathetic huff. The blond demigod ran his hands over his face, unintentionally messing his hair as he keep running them over the back of his head. "Do you truly mean what you say?"
"Yeah." Ray drummed his fingers over the handle of his gun. "I am indecisive, and yet at the same time I don't have it in me to convince myself that any of you did it."
Damn… sentimentality.
Percival tilted his head down so his messed up hair covered up his eyes. "A... pologies."
"Don't worry." Ray threw his revolver in the air.
Stalker immediately swooped in out of wherever he was and snatched it in mid-air, quickly flying away.
"…I was blaming myself. Rejoice, Percival, both of us walk out of this gamble without brain matters still inside our heads."
They went silent. The sky had turned dark right when Ray offered (forcefully offered) his revolver, and now it was just a matter of time until the harpies noticed a pair of dudes still outside of their cabins.
Oh yeah, he almost forgot. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Percival, if your cabin doesn't want to sleep in your damaged… cabin, I've authorized that the Athena cabin can sleep in the Half-Blood Hill safehouse, if you so choose. But you'll have to share it with the Aphrodites."
Ray waited for a response.
…Out of all things, Percival decided to chuckle. "I can't believe how easy it was for the traitor to destroy any semblance of trust between us."
Ray's smile was far from amused. "Oh, you don't have to worry about this too. This is still all me- I'm still suspicious and paranoid, but I can't see myself doing anything about it. Either I take this personal conflict with me to my approaching grave, or the traitor steps out of the light and I can focus my hate on the prick."
Percival weakly huffed again, his tired version of a laugh. "My… sympathies for you to be like this."
"Eh." Ray shrugged. "It happens. Well… I guess that's just why I'm here. Looks like the only I'm able to learn from this is how much this stupid problem is making my head hurt."
"Heh…" Percival's posture slumped. "You know… if you say the word, I'll gladly storm Olympus to halt your execution."
"And we both know that'll just end in you in the chopping block right next to me, if you're not outright killed."
Percival smiled weakly and sadly. "I… hope that trust can grow again, Jackson… no matter how short it might soon be."
"You and I both, Schneider. You and I both."
Neither he nor his distrust won that night. But… now he also knew that his distrust and his very own being couldn't overpower each other. He was stuck in an uncomfortable and incredibly stressful impasse because of this, stuck in an endless cycle of ever-present paranoia and the ever-present effort to get rid of said paranoia.
Piece of feces.
~0~
Ray checked in the now dark Poseidon cabin and saw Percy sleeping, drool trailing down to the pillow beneath his head. Beside Percy's bed was a backpack, filled with the necessities for the quest tomorrow. He honestly didn't see why his brother should go now- his execution was still a month away, after all- but he supposed the unknown location of the Master Bolt was a factor.
Stalker was already on his bed, sleeping in a ball on top of his gun.
Shaking his head, Ray pulled out a sheet of tissue from the Kleenex box on a small table to clean his brother's drool. After it was done, he kissed his brother's forehead then ran his hands across Percy's black locks, just watching him sleep.
At least he knew how to feel for his brother. Ray would gladly die for Percy, he knew that much. The very idea of the trust he had for the kid sleeping soundly on the bed in front of him disappearing was downright heretical.
He sighed, standing up. It would be easier if everyone was more like Percy- wearing their emotions on their sleeves, a bit impulsive yet still kind… heh, but then again, if people like Percy were put into positions of power, the third World War probably would've occurred years ago.
Ray shook his head, stepping out of the cabin. He knew though, it was better if the world was filled with people like Percy, than people like him. Paranoid, manipulative, rather cruel… the world would've turned into an empty wasteland years ago.
He trudged easily to his final destination for the day. He glanced aside and saw how the night had changed the entire camp. Lamps and torches lit up the place everywhere. The place seemed empty, despite how lively it was- would be again- in the day. There was an odd… melancholy over it, if you would. Shadows flicked across the sky, signifying that the harpies had started their nightly guard/hunt.
Ray ignored it and knocked on the door.
Cold air gathered around his head, and a bodiless voice called out, "Come in."
He entered. As soon as he stepped inside the building and closed the door, the coldness left him alone.
The cabin looked exactly the same as the last time he'd been there. That giant fricking statue in the middle of the room, imposing to anyone that entered the cabin. The carved-out walls, making random alcoves no one cared about. Nothing inside- no tables, chairs, barely any windows- no signs that made people know that someone lived there.
All in all, Cabin One made Cabin Three look like a five-star hotel room.
Ray walked around the giant Zeus statue. He laid his eyes upon his final goal of the day, who was sitting with her knees up to her chest on top her sleeping bag, and her arms hugging around said knees. She didn't turn around even when he had clearly announced his arrival by his footsteps, she just stared at the small electrical lantern on the floor in front of her.
The girl herself looked as miserable as the place she was in. Her hair was messy, like she had furiously messed them up and didn't tidy it later. She didn't wear her Barbie death jacket, and instead, it was thrown without care behind her.
Even though this was the first place Ray chose to search for her, it still surprised him to find her here. After all, everyone knew she hated the place. But weirdly enough, because of that, he expected her to be here. All things considered, this was the last place to search for her, and his best bet of quickly finding her.
"Hello, sister of fate," Ray greeted quietly but cheerfully. "Got room for one more?"
Thalia just scooted slightly to the right. He understood the invitation and sat down next to her, following her as an example and hugged his knees as well.
"So…" he murmured quietly, staring at the small lamp that was placed inside a lantern. "Mind telling me why you're like this?"
He honestly didn't expect an answer, but he got one anyway.
"…Stress," Thalia admitted quietly. "And… I guess guilt."
Ray raised an eyebrow. "Guilt?"
"Is it bad that I… that I feel glad someone else knows how I feel?" she muttered questioningly, her voice implying that she was partially asking herself. "That someone else knows how… terrible being like this is?"
"Compared to you, I guess I have it better," Ray mused. "Least my cabin has actual beds."
Thalia snorted half-heartedly. "You got that right."
Ray smiled slightly, but it soon disappeared. "Is that why you've been avoiding… not just me, but practically everyone else?"
Thalia sighed loudly, dipping her face into her knees. When she spoke, her voice was muffled. "I… I guess I'm jealous."
"That cabin thing was just a joke, you know."
"Not that, asshole." She chuckled, but the mirth quickly died. "I'm just jealous that you're… well, you're not alone. Seeing you with your brother like that… brought up some nasty memories I'd prefer stay hidden."
Ray went silent, and cautiously took a proverbial step forward into a dangerous area. He whispered the most taboo name one could utter around her.
"…Jason?"
She took a sharp, quick breath. Ray half-expected her to immediately sucker punch him, but she didn't. Instead of that, she looked like another ton of invisible burden was placed upon her shoulders.
"…Yeah." She breathed wearily, emotionally. "Him. Seeing you and Percy like that… makes me wonder what could've been. What should've been. It… it makes me not want to see you. This is stressing the hell out of me."
So he was right. If you want to make Thalia all emotional, you say the name of the brother she once had. The kid that was lost one day, taken by who-knows-what. If Jason was still alive out there, despite the extremely low probabilities, Ray reckoned Jason would be around the same age as Percy.
He wondered what would happen if both of them met.
But that was just a problem for another day.
"I see," he murmured. "Despite… despite how little this might help, I'm going to say we're sorry we made you feel that way."
"…'S not your fault, and you know it," she muttered back just as quietly. "If I was a better friend, I should've felt glad for you that you have someone for you."
"Seeing your situation, it's an entirely natural thing to feel."
"No it isn't, we both know I'm being a bitch. I hate being all emotional like this."
"Hey, at least it's better than being an entirely emotionless buttcrevice who feels nothing about anything. They're just useful as soldiers or tools, nothing else."
Thalia didn't say anything for a while. She then glanced at him with little amusement in her eyes. "I still don't get why do you keep censoring yourself when we're alone."
"The consequence for working near children. Even my thoughts start censoring themselves."
She cracked a weak grin. "If that's the case, I can't see myself working with children anywhere near the future."
She went silent again. Talking about emotions was… emotionally exhausting, that was a known fact, but something was different this time. Thalia was more stressed than she claimed, something was bugging the heck out of her.
"What's wrong, Thalia?" he enquired straight to the problem, no use dancing around the bush anymore. "Any way I can help?"
She fully turned to him, only to look away soon after. "I… I don't know. On one hand, I'm glad you and Percy got claimed, but at the same time, I feel bad that you two got claimed. I always felt alone… but now that I'm not alone… I want to be alone. This sucks so bad."
He couldn't think of anything to say other than the reassurances which was already been said, and he didn't like being redundant, so he decided to held her shoulder with an arm. For a second he stilled, surprised at how cold she was, but it didn't deter him for long.
Thalia laid her head on his shoulder, but she still stared at the lantern. Ray could tell her mind was still in a conflict, her feelings fighting over each other, and that struggle alone wore her down more than anything.
With his free arm, he pulled the jacket back and draped it over her.
"How're you gonna take your arm back?" she mumbled.
Ray just shrugged. She felt the motion and hummed quietly, getting more comfortable underneath the leathery piece of clothing. And his arm he supposed, but he doubted it was that good or that warm.
They stared at the lone lamp on the floor, watching as insects who were attracted to light approaching it and before long, orbiting it. Neither of them moved a muscle, just sitting there huddled up together in the cold cabin and may or may not enjoying each other's company. Harpies cackled outside to whatever it was they found funny, the sound of their wings flapping periodically interrupting the absolute silence.
Ray was already wondering where should he sleep- or maybe where Thalia should sleep since Cabin One was not an ideal sleeping face- but the daughter of Zeus who was currently leaning on him opened her mouth to speak.
"You've been training, Ray," she murmured, yet despite her low voice, she was as focused as she could be. "We don't just get the knowledge and strength to do what you just did this morning out of nowhere."
When he didn't say anything, she continued with a slightly, very slightly louder tone. "How long have you known that you're a son of Poseidon?"
He closed his eyes, and then decided there was no point in bending words- she'd know immediately. "…Six years, give or take."
"…Six," Thalia repeated, sounding more tremendously out of energy than before. "You… you've been keeping it a secret for six years."
Ray opted for silence.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, voice hurt as she now looked directly at him.
…In truth, he had made several pre-made words- speeches, if you will- just in case something like this happened. No, not 'just in case something like this happened', when this would happen, because he knew no matter how well hidden, how well thought of a secret you may have, in as a wide range of possibilities from a few hours to a dozen millennia, somehow, someway, someone would find out.
This was no exception. Ray was already in the process of remembering those sentences, yet… in the end, he found that he couldn't. Oh, he had no problem remembering, he just found it difficult… executing.
He gazed at the lantern. "I see no reason why I should."
Anger rose up within Thalia's eyes as she pulled away and glared at him. "Are you kidding me?"
"Please." Ray sighed. "Tell me just exactly why I should. And before you say anything, 'being friends' wasn't enough of an excuse."
"Hey jackass, 'being friends' is supposed to be the main reason. I thought friends are people you can share your secrets with."
"And a personal problem is a personal problem. Out of all people Thalia, you know how bad being a Big Three kid is, and you're a daughter of Zeus." Ray shook his head and put Thalia's jacket on its owner's shoulders. Said owner's glare hadn't lessened one bit. "If your father found out about me, a kid of Poseidon, earlier... suffice to say I seriously doubt I'll be sitting here right now. Most probably I would've been in a casket six feet under, if I wasn't obliterated out of existence."
Thalia rolled her eyes. She shrugged off her jacket and let it pool on the floor around her, then glared at the lantern. "You're being dramatic."
Ray shrugged. "Even if that isn't true, it would still be pretty bad. I mean, your father hates my father, and that hate is amplified to his kids. I don't know what would've happened to me if I showed my cards earlier, but saying 'things might've been not that bad' is so ridiculously optimistic it's not even funny. You know this as well as I do."
The stubborn girl beside him clenched her fists, but she didn't retort. After all, Ray did stand beside her when she was chosen to lead a deadly quest for the fourth time in March a few years ago. Then the first quest for April. Then the third quest for May.
Ray fought next to her when they got attacked by a giant in Albany while hanging out. He fought next to her when they got attacked by a pair of empousai when they got stranded in Utica. He exploded the head of a hellhound who almost took a bite of Thalia like a dusty watermelon in Baltimore.
If there was someone who knew how bad the kids of Big Three get, they were Thalia and him.
And whether she liked it or not, she knew it. Ray knew she knew it.
"I can keep a secret, you know," she grumbled. "I won't just start babbling it on to the next asshole I see."
"I'm sure you can. But you know me, Thals. I'm not a guy who'd take any chances."
"Turns out there are still things I don't know about you," Thalia muttered loud enough for him to hear.
Ray didn't give a response to that particular statement. Afterall… "The secret isn't particularly important, to be fair."
"Not important?" she turned to him, bewildered. "How can it be not important? The fact that you're literally-"
"Not literally," Ray cut her off, and got her to frown at him. "In the sense you're talking about, then sure, it's a piece of important information. But regarding us, not so much. Does it alter our relationship in any way?"
Thalia didn't say anything.
He drummed his fingers on the cold floor. "That wasn't a rhetorical question, Thalia."
"But that…" she really struggled to find something to say, he could tell, but in the end she didn't discover anything. "Well, no, not that much, but…"
"…But what?" Ray raised an eyebrow. "You answered it yourself. Regarding us, it does nothing. So what if I'm a son of the god of the sea? Does that mean we stop being friends? Do we become enemies?"
"No, of course not!" She scowled. "But we can trust each other better, you know. We can be… oh, I don't know, better friends? You know what I mean."
"I understand you completely. I also understand the danger that'd bring to not just me, but also Percy and maybe even my mom as well." Ray inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Hate me all you want, Thalia, but I don't want or need the unnecessary risks. Putting our lives in premature danger, just so you can keep a dangerous secret? Sorry Thals, but it just isn't worth it. It just… isn't."
Thalia glared at the lamp so hatefully that blue sparks started to dance around her. Ray wasn't worried- not yet- but when she lowered her face to her chest, so the light couldn't illuminate it and thus he couldn't see her expression, was the moment he slightly narrowed his eyes and prepared to dodge just in case.
As quickly as it popped up, the sparks disappeared.
"…I don't hate you," she muttered, the hostility ripped away all of a sudden. "When you say it like that, how can I?"
Ray didn't say anything, but he did lower his guards.
"Please get out," she mumbled weakly, face hidden and voice tired.
He sighed, but he conceded. He stood up, dusting dust off his pants and made his way to the door again. Thalia kept sitting and huddled up in front of the lamp, looking miserable.
Right as he passed the giant statue, he called out to her one more time. "Hey Thalia."
She didn't respond, yet he knew she was still listening.
"I didn't like what I had to do," he admitted. "But I'm not sorry I did it. Just… thanks for not immediately hating me. You can sleep in our cabin if you want, I doubt Poseidon will kill you in your sleep just because of that."
He neither expected nor waited for a reply. He opened the doors and walked back to his cabin, mind already wandering off to possible possibilities that might happen tomorrow.