"He's still alive."
"Titan-slayer."
"Chiron said that he was under the watch of a Kindly One. Would that mean..?"
"No, Katie swore she saw him fight with water."
"Titan-slayer."
"Are you sure? But the oath..."
"Titan-slayer."
"Given the recent war declaration, it's definitely his son."
"Titan-slayer."
Percy's eyes show open, startling the person tending to him. He groaned, clutching his head as he pushed himself up.
"Easy, easy," murmured his attendant, handing him a water bottle. Percy gave a nod of appreciation before chugging it greedily, sighing as he felt a small burst of energy.
After finishing the bottle, he looked at the boy. "Where am I?"
"You're at camp," he responded, giving Percy a toothy smile. "Home of half-bloods and demigods."
Percy just stared at him, causing the boy to laugh. "Guess Chiron hasn't given you the rundown yet."
"Who?"
Before the boy could respond, Mr. Brunner came in. Well, the top half of Mr. Brunner. Whereas he would normally be sitting in a wheelchair, his legs were now replaced with a horse's body. A centaur.
"Speak of the devil," he laughed, moving away from Percy's side. "Hey Chiron. He's alive."
The centaur nodded. "Thank you, Lee. I'll take over from here." Lee flashed Percy a peace sign before moving onto a patient several beds down."
"Hello, Percy."
"How long have you known?" Chiron blinked at his question.
"Pardon?"
"How long did you know?" asked Percy, through gritted teeth. "That I was in danger, that I could... do this. That I'm a freak."
"Percy, you're a demigod, not a freak," Chiron corrected. "The child of a-"
"God. Like Hercules and whatever. How long?"
Chiron sighed, but relented. "Ever since I first showed up at Yancy."
The demigod cursed. "Why did you wait this long to tell me? I didn't know until Grover and Mrs. Dodds showed up in the middle of my vacation!"
"Percy, knowing about your heritage is dangerous. Your mother and I were afraid-"
"Oh god," groaned Percy. "Where's my mom? Please tell me she's here too."
Chiron didn't answer him.
"Mr. Brunner. Please. Tell me she's here too. Please."
Chiron shook his head. "I'm sorry, Percy. We could only find you and Grover."
"... And here is our dining hall. Fresh, healthy food three meals a day. 'Course there's not much variety, but hey, free food is free food."
The boy, Luke, turned back to Percy with a grin. "So! Any questions?"
Percy had to admit, he had barely been paying attention to what Luke, apparently the son of Hermes, had been saying, his mind too preoccupied with the events of that night. Still, he figured it was best not to upset anyone so soon. He just shook his head.
Luke's grin widened. "Not much of a talker, huh? You'd get along with the Ares cabin - they're a bunch of actions over words, and your little performance against that titan was pretty dang impressive."
"Titan?"
"Fuck off," said Luke, his jaw dropping. "You're telling me you beat a Titan without even knowing who it was?"
Percy shook his head. "Until that night, I didn't even know I was a demigod."
"Jeez," laughed Luke. "If you're that strong without even knowing what you were doing, I'd hate to go against you once you really start learning. Come on, today's your free day. Let's blow off some steam at the arena, yeah?"
Personally, Percy would have rather just spent the day just not doing anything, but between hanging out in a cabin stuffed to the brim with dirty laundry or taking Luke's offer, the latter definitely sounded more appealing.
Right from the beginning, things went wrong. Every sword, every spear, every bow felt wrong - not a single one felt right to Percy. It was always too heavy, or too imbalanced, or, in the case of the bows, flat out felt wrong.
Luke scratched his head. "You're a picky one," he laughed. "Haven't seen a camper this bad with the generic stock in years. It's cool though. Once we put some muscle on those bones, you should be able to use anything like it's no problem."
"You're one to talk," Percy shot back. "You're skinny yourself."
Luke's laughter grew to a roar. "You blind, kid? I'm nothing but lean muscle, not like your little scrawny butt."
Percy blushed but eventually laughed along with Luke. As overbearing as Luke's presence was, it felt nice to have a mentor like him as a friend.
The two went on to spend the rest of the day dueling in the arena. Well, Luke dueled. Percy more or less acted as a very awkward dummy, unsure of what exactly he was doing. Luke's grin every time he managed to pull off the slightest bit of swordplay was the incentive he needed to keep going though, and he pushed on.
Eventually, the horn blew signaling that it was time for dinner. After putting the equipment away, Luke led Percy over to the Hermes Table.
"Eating's pretty convenient around here. Dryads help serve whatever you want, and the goblets-"
Stalker.
Percy tuned out of whatever Luke was saying, focusing on identifying where the eyes came from. He'd learned to identify which ones were the nymphs, which ones were just the demigods, and even Chiron's - but this one felt different. It felt warm, soothing. Almost like his mom.
He scanned his eyes around and they landed on a young girl in a brown shawl in front of the fireplace. She noticed his gaze and looked away, and he felt the tingling sensation disappear, confirming his suspicions.
"Hey Luke," Percy said, interrupting the older man. "Who's that girl?" Luke turned to where Percy was looking and frowned.
"What girl?"
The boy blinked and the girl was gone. His jaw dropped slightly, causing Luke to laugh slightly.
"C'mon, Perce, let's give go our tributes. You must be going delirious from hunger."
Percy watched as each member of the cabin made a quick mental prayer before scraping a portion of their food into the fire. He could smell the smoke from even a distance, and it was a lot tastier than he imagined - he'd expected the kind of smoke that fire departments warned you about, not smoke that smelled like barbecue.
"Just make a quick prayer to whatever god you'd like, and they'll receive it," explained Luke, before offering some to Hermes in a quick, fluid fashion. After him was Percy's turn.
'Dad, I know you're a god,' thought Percy. 'And, maybe you don't care who I am. I just... want Mom back. Please, help me get her back.'
And felt it.
He felt their eyes, everyone's - demigods, nymphs, even the grouchy dude Luke said was Dionysus. Every single one of them was looking at him.
Or rather, above him.
He glanced up and his stomach instinctively lurched when he saw something floating above him - a glowing green trident.
"All hail Percy Jackson," whispered Chiron, kneeling. The rest of the dining pavilion followed suit. "Son of Poseidon."
Percy looked at Luke in confusion, who simply pointed at the empty Poseidon table. He sighed, before unceremoniously dumping his plate into the fire and sitting down on the Cabin Three table, alone.
Their stares continued until he left the pavilion.
"Tell me everything, Chiron."
The centaur glanced at Percy before giving a weary nod. "Very well. Where would you like to begin?"
"Grover said something about a war between Zeus and Poseidon. What's going on?"
Thunder boomed in the sky, causing Chiron to throw a brief worried glance at the sky. "I'm sure you are aware of World War Two, yes?"
Percy frowned. "The one with Hitler or something, right?" Chiron nodded.
"The leaders of the major countries involved in it were the children of the Big Three: Lord Zeus, Lord Poseidon, and Lord Hades. After the war, the three brothers saw how much damage their children had caused and swore and oath on the River Styx to never have children again."
Percy's jaw clenched. "And I was born."
"Yes," admitted Chiron. "But you weren't the first. Lord Zeus also had a daughter after the war, even before you."
"But he declared war on Poseidon."
The centaur sighed. "Yes, Lord Zeus has been known to hold... double standards, to put it mildly." Thunder boomed again, causing Chiron to wince.
"How is that fair?" yelled Percy. "Did my dad or Hades do the same to him?"
"Not your father, but Lord Hades. He sent his minions against Thalia, and Zeus turned her into pine tree to save her life."
Percy's eye twitched. "So let me get this straight. He breaks the oath and saves his daughter. Poseidon breaks it and he sends some psycho against me?"
"It's a bit more complicated than that but yes," Chiron replied. "Someone stole his lightning bolt and he's accused you of stealing it."
Percy blinked once. Then again.
"Are you joking?"
Chiron shook his head.
"Chiron," the demigod said slowly. "I didn't even know I was a demigod until the other day. I didn't even think that gods were real. How could I have stolen it?"
"I know, my boy," sighed the centaur, patting Percy on the shoulder. "But the evidence is stacked against you. The weapon was stolen during the Winter Solstice meeting, and you were in New York at the time."
Percy frowned. "Chiron, this camp is also in New York."
The centaur gave him a wry smile. "Funny how that works, yes? In addition, Lord Zeus believes that your father had you steal the bolt, as gods cannot take each other's symbols of power. He is concerned your father may rise up against him."
"My dad?!" yelled Percy. "I didn't even know my dad was still alive until today!"
"Percy," sighed Chiron, glancing at the sky once more. "As painful as it is to say this, Lord Zeus doesn't care. To him, you are guilty until proven innocent. You have until the summer solstice to find the lightning bolt and return it to him."
Percy's jaw clenched. "When did he say this?"
"... when he found out it was stolen."
"So," breathed Percy, anger bubbling up in him. "His stupid weapon was stolen almost six months ago. I had all this time to find the dumb thing, and nobody told me anything?"
Chiron could only hang his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Percy. I wish I told you sooner, before Zeus resorted to this."
Percy was about to retort but Dionysus - Mr. D, Luke said to call him - walked into the room.
"Alright boy," sighed Dionysus, rubbing his temples. "Father is particularly not pleased with you surviving the other night and is reducing your time limit down to 24 hours before he sends someone to kill you."
Percy blanched at that, and even Chiron stared at him in disbelief.
"Is he an idiot?" blurted out Percy. Thunder boomed in the distance. It appeared Zeus didn't take too kindly to that. "How am I supposed to find this thing if I'm dead?!"
Dionysus shrugged. "In his eyes, you did nothing for five months and just survived his attempt to capture you. He thinks you're deliberately going against him. Either that, or he thinks you're a threat for killing Pallas. Can't be too certain these days."
"Guess I should have lost then," snorted Percy. "Maybe he'd turn me into a pine tree too."
The god laughed. "You wish. Father would have killed you before Pallas dealt the finishing blow." He shook his head.
"In any case, go to the Oracle and get a quest. I'll be honest with you, brat, most people in this camp are siding with Father over Poseidon, so I doubt a lot of people will help you, but if you're lucky you'll find one or two people desperate enough for adventure to join you."
Dionysus's eyes glanced at Percy, and the demigod knew what he meant. He'd felt another pair of eyes staring at him in the room, hidden from view, but it was minor compared to both Chiron and the god's stares.
"Alright, I don't know who you are," Percy said loudly, staring in the general direction of the presence. "But I know you're there. Come out already."
For a brief moment, nothing happened, but soon, he heard a groan and a blonde girl popped into view, a baseball cap in her hand.
"How did you know I was there?" she demanded.
Percy shrugged. "Your stares make me uncomfortable. The more people look at me, the more anxious I get."
She huffed, but stared back in defiance. "I'm coming with you on this quest. You need some brains."
"I don't even know your name," retorted Percy.
"Annabeth, daughter of Athena, the goddess of wisdom."
"Uh huh," scoffed Percy. "Tell me, Annabeth, do you think I stole the lightning bolt?"
She shrugged. "Maybe. Mom told us to stay away from you in our dreams last night, since she's taking Zeus's side. I don't think there's any other child of Athena who will join you."
"Lovely," spat Percy sarcastically. "Where's this dumb Oracle anyways?" Chiron pointed up, and Percy turned to head upstairs before stopping and looking back at the centaur.
"Chiron. If Zeus and dad knew who I was since the last winter, why didn't he tell me who I was until after I asked him at the meal?"
Chiron couldn't find an answer, and Percy just walked upstairs without saying another word.
"How did it go, Percy?"
The demigod looked at Chiron wearily.
"You shall go west, and face the god who has turned.
You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned
You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend,
And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end."
He gave Chiron a weak smile. "Fun, right?"
"Prophecies often have multiple meanings," said the centaur, but Percy could tell even he wasn't feeling optimistic about it.
"Chiron," he said. "I don't exactly have a lot of friends. A lot of people don't want to talk with me, let alone hang out. I don't exactly have the biggest selection out there."
Annabeth glanced at him. "What if you made a friend on the quest?"
"What friend? Thunder beard is planning on having someone kill me in less than a day."
The daughter of Athena was about to retort, but Chiron cut in. "I think the more pressing matter is the first line. I shudder to think about who the god in the first line could refer to."
The three thought in silence before Annabeth looked up. "It must be Hades! If the two brothers fight, his kingdom would become stronger if a lot of people die!"
"If this was a month ago, I'd agree with you," replied the centaur. "But, I've spoken with a Kindly One. She decided not to kill him, so I don't think Hades could be behind it."
He turned to Percy. "Still, I do think you should head to the Underworld. Lord Zeus ordered Lady Styx to punish you, and from what I gathered, she was the one to send Pallas to retrieve you. I think you should be able to find your mother by the River Styx."
Percy groaned. "Just great. I find out my math teacher is a bat-woman, my Latin teacher is a centaur, and my uncle is trying to kill me."
He looked at Chiron. "Funny how that works out, right?" The centaur gave a weak chuckle.
"Go eat breakfast," he urged. "The sooner you finish your meal, the sooner you can go on your quest."
Percy nodded and ran to the dining pavilion. Most of the campers had finished their meals by then, but there were still a few dryads around and one of them was kind enough to help fill up his plate with some toast and grapes. He walked over to the pavilion fire and closed his eyes.
'Please keep mom safe, dad.'
Percy scraped some of it into the fire before walking back to his seat and scarfing down his food.
"Feeling nervous?"
The demigod nearly jumped when he heard the young girl's voice. He hadn't noticed her presence, although he saw that she wasn't looking at him but at the table. That must have been why, he reasoned.
"Honestly, no," he admitted, not bothering to waste time asking the girl where she went last night. "This is all coming at me so soon, it's like I don't have a chance to breathe before something else happens. Now I've got this stupid quest to worry about, and Zeus is sending another person to kill me if I don't find his stupid weapon in less than a day."
The girl nodded, and he felt a warm sense down his back as she looked at him. Gazing into her eyes, he saw that she didn't have irises, but fire in them. She then surprised him by placing her hand over his.
He didn't know how to describe it properly, but her touch had a certain touch to it, as though it was one of the hugs his mom gave him whenever Gabe yelled at him, or when he showed her a good grade her got.
"You deserved a better life," she whispered. "I hope you make it back alive."
She pulled out a small bracelet made from plants. She gestured toward his left arm, and he extended it, allowing her to slip it on.
"It's not a lot," she admitted. "But if you ever feel lonely, or worried that you can't go on, just hold that bracelet close to your chest. I'm not allowed to interfere much, but I'll do my best to look after you."
She looked up at him nervously, unsure of what he'd think of the gift. What she was not expecting though, was for him to pull her into a hug.
"Thank you," he said gratefully. "You've shown me more concern for me than my dad ever did."
A slight blush adorned the girl's face at how tightly Percy embraced her, but she reciprocated the gesture, hugging him back, a feeling of confidence welling in him.
Eventually he released her and looked at her face again. "I never got your name. Who are you?"
"Just call me Hestia," she said with a smile. "Good luck, Percy."
"Everything all set?" asked Chiron.
Percy nodded. "The store loaned me a bit of money, and Annabeth's waiting for me at the camp border with our bags."
The centaur responded with his own nod, before sighing. "Percy, I wish I could have trained you sooner. Prepared you better. I didn't expect Lord Zeus to take such drastic measures, and I can't regret my action enough."
A part of Percy wanted to yell at him, that he should have been told all this earlier, but the rest of him wanted to forgive his former Latin teacher, who was one of the few people that made Yancy enjoyable to him. He placed a hand on Chiron's arm.
"Thank you for everything... Mr. Brunner," whispered Percy. "You were my favorite teacher.
Chiron smiled, before chuckling. "Don't let Alecto hear you say that."
Percy ran off to find Annabeth, and saw three more people than he expected: Grover, Katie, and Luke.
He blinked. "Is this a party?" Grover looked up at the sound of his voice.
"Percy," he bleated. "Gods, I'm so sorry for not protecting you. It was my job but I failed, like last time and-"
"Whoa, G-man!" interrupted Percy. "Listen, it's cool. Don't beat yourself up over it, I've got other people to be mad at. You warning me saved my life, at least."
"I know, but I still want to come help you."
"Grover, you don't have to do this."
Grover gave Percy a pleading look. "Please Percy. I don't want to stay here knowing my best friend is out there risking his life while I'm here safe at camp." Percy sighed, but a smile graced his face at his friend's devotion.
"Just let him join," said Annabeth. "Knowing him, he won't let up on this until we say yes." Percy laughed at that.
"Alright, goat boy, welcome to the team." He hugged Grover and turned to Katie, who was staring absentmindedly at the strawberry fields.
"What about you, Katie?"
She gave him a slightly vacant look, and he shivered involuntarily under her gaze. "Mother told me to help you, that she knows what it's like to have a loved one taken from you."
Annabeth huffed. "Really? What can a-" She didn't get to finish when a vine grew behind her and lightly tapped her shoulder, causing her to jump and shriek.
"Mother said if you won't accept her help, she'll join King Zeus's side she said," she added. Percy balked at that.
"You know what, sure, might as well get all the help I can." Finally, he turned to Luke. "Don't suppose you'll be joining us too?"
The older demigod shook his head. "'Fraid not, kiddo. I've got a whole cabin to look after, and my old man didn't give me an ultimatum like Nature Lover got. Nah, I got you a pair of these."
He pulled out a pair of rather old sneakers. Percy raised an eyebrow before Luke cleared his throat.
"Maia!"
Suddenly, wings sprouted on the sides of the shoes and they began flying around. "Flying sneakers. Used to use them on my old quest before... well, that's a story for another time."
Percy grinned as he took the sneakers. "Thanks, man. You're the best."
Luke was about to reply when Annabeth butted in. "Wait, Percy, you shouldn't wear those. A child of Poseidon going in the sky would be giving Zeus an excuse to smite you out of the sky.
The son of Hermes's smile slipped off his face at her deduction, but he patted her head. "Thanks for looking out for our little hero here, Annie. Wish I caught it myself." Annabeth blushed under his praise but her smile was practically beaming.
Percy studied the shoes for a second before handing them to Grover. "Hey goat boy, you have these." Grover's eyes widened.
"Perce, are you sure?"
The demigod nodded. "Maybe I can't wear them, but nothing says you can't, right? Unless he hates goats too, I guess."
Annabeth shook her head. "He was nursed by Amaltheia, a divine goat. If anything, goat boy is the best option to wear them." The satyr grinned at that and ran into the van, changing shoes.
One by the one, the demigods entered Argus's van, until it was Percy's turn. Before he could enter though, Chiron called out from behind him.
"Perseus!"
The son of Poseidon turned around to see Chiron trotting forward. In his hand, was a pen.
"I never got the chance to give you this earlier," explained the centaur. "Uncap it."
Percy raised an eyebrow at that, but did as Chiron asked. To his surprise, the pen became a three foot long bronze sword.
"It's name is Anaklusmos," said Chiron."
"Riptide..."
The centaur nodded. "It is a sword of the sea. I imagine you'll be able to use this better than any of the other weapons available at camp." Percy stared at the blade for a few more seconds before nodding.
"Thanks again, Chiron," he said, entering the van.
"Did you sense it?"
"Of course I did. If a Fury could tell, then so could I."
"A demigod and a legacy at the same time... that's a terrifying thing to think about. Just how strong is he?"
"Strong enough to drive Father insane, that's for sure. I almost feel bad for the kid."
"Almost? Lord Dionysus, you are supposed to look after these children."
"He's been here for barely two days, Chiron. As far as I can tell, I don't even remember his name. What was it, Perry Johnson?"
"Percy Jackson. And anyways, who do you think his ancestor could be?"
"Frankly? Don't know. Might also be Poseidon's legacy. Wouldn't pull it past the old man to do what Father did to Alcmene. Or maybe it's a different god altogether, just one strong enough that even thinned blood makes him kill a Titan."
"You seem surprisingly nonplussed about someone as strong as him roaming around. I thought you had taken Lord Zeus's side of the war."
"Haven't chosen yet. And frankly, I doubt the boy will be much of a problem after a day or two. Father has decided to Artemis will be one to kill him."
"...Deus Carus."
