AN: Hey all, hope you're all well. Here is the next chapter of the story, I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks for all the support so far, I really do appreciate it. It's been mostly positive, though there were some that pointed out way for me to improve on my story, so thanks for that.
Thanks for reading so far and I hope you continue to read, review and tell me what you think! As always feel free to PM me if you have any questions or suggestions, I'm usually pretty good at answering.
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson.
Betaed by Arch_Angel and Silver.
( - )
(Last Time)
"We will have a meeting in the big house in fifteen minutes with the cabin leaders to discuss the prophecy," Chiron said grimly looking around now at the noticeably more subdued group of Campers and Hunters.
Zoë and Thalia nodded numbly at that, both sharing a glance, before without a word they and the rest of the group broke up. The previous tension was now nonexistent as a couple of Campers gingerly picked up the corpse, even as everyone else started trooping back to camp. A new tension had started to spread over the assembled group, only this one was worse than the last.
Watching all of this happen, Percy knew he needed to get into that meeting. The ever-curious part of him needed to know just what in Hades was happening!
( - )
Chapter 7
( - )
(With Percy)
Looking around the room at the assembled cabin leaders. With Zoë in her position as Lieutenant of the Hunt acting as the head of the Artemis Cabin. Percy couldn't help but shake his head in amusement.
This council of leaders didn't look like much. Most of their number were still untested, inexperienced, and poorly trained kids. He doubted many of them would last even a day out in the real world with monsters after them night and day.
It was brutal out there, outside of the Camps and in the real world. Especially with all Demigods giving off a delectable 'scent' that drew monsters from miles around to them.
For all their airs and graces, most of the cabin leaders were still just children, plain and simple. The fact that they had gathered around a Ping-Pong table in the Big House added extra weight to his judgment, even as he leaned against the wall at the side of the rec room whilst the rest of the gathered Campers, and Zoë, sat around the table.
Due to his experience outside of Camp, and his overall unwillingness to just go back to the Hermes Cabin and wait to be told what happened in the meeting. He had been allowed into the room and to take part in the discussion over the recently made prophecy.
Unfortunately, though, as the 'son' of a minor goddess he was not allowed a place at the table. Instead he, like the rest of the children of the minor gods, was relegated to the Hermes Cabin, and thus came under their authority.
It kind of pissed him off, especially as the Stoll twins were the leaders of the Hermes Cabin. Both of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed teens were idiots, plain and simple. The two of them were more concerned with causing trouble and joking around than engaging with the topic of the meeting, the prophecy.
Their actions, and the puffed-up, peacock-like behaviour of a large proportion of the other cabin leaders. As they preened and bragged, was enough to give him homicidal thoughts.
He didn't give a fuck that the children of Ares were 'the toughest in the camp and the most capable of completing the quest'.
Nor did he care about makeup and beauty tips. Which is what the temporary head of the Aphrodite Cabin, Drew Tanaka. Was talking about with the head of the Demeter Cabin, Katie.
Seriously, he was quickly beginning to understand why the Hunters had seemed so pissed off about coming to the Camp.
Sure, when there was not much going on, it was nice to kick back and relax. He did it too. Or at least when he was not on a job, and had stopped off at a safe and secure place. He enjoyed goofing off; watching TV, writing up his adventures, and trolling people on the internet. It was a good way to let off some steam after a hard fight or a tricky mission. It was why he had enjoyed playing the capture the flag game so much.
When things got serious though, that is when he got serious too.
The world was already a dangerous enough place, the last thing you needed was to be messing about when planning a mission.
That was a surefire way to get yourself and probably others, killed.
Drumming the fingers of his right hand on his left arm, he let out an audible sigh as he continued to lean against the wall. His arms crossed as he waited for the meeting to start. Despite them having all been gathered in the room for a couple of minutes already at this point.
"Right, that is enough! Quiet! Everyone quiet down!" Chiron eventually shouted, calling for order as the assembled cabin leaders. Along with Zoë and a couple of her Hunters either sat around the Ping-Pong table. Or in the case of Percy, the extra Hunters and a couple of other nosey Demigods, stood around the wall watching.
"The prophecy was quite clear with its wording, as was the person the prophecy was given to. The quest is Zoë's and she will be the one to lead it, and she must bring with her four others." Chiron began, looking around at the gathered Demigods as he did so. His gaze flicked over in Percy's direction for a few moments. Before locking onto the tiara-wearing huntress.
The girl in question nodded at his words, her dark eyes locking with Chiron's, even as her full lips became a thin line.
She was tense, and worried, that much Percy could tell with a glance. The girl, despite being several centuries old, at least, was not good at hiding her feelings. Or at least not as good as she thought she was.
Unfolding his arms, Percy shifted slightly against the wall. Like Chiron had just said, the prophecy had been given to Zoe, and so, going off of its content it could be inferred that the goddess in chains was likely Artemis.
Honestly, he wasn't surprised Zoë and the other Hunters were looking so tense. Artemis was the source of their power. If she was killed and sent to Tartarus to reform. Then that meant that the Hunters would lose their Blessing. Or at least a large portion of their power, at least until Artemis reformed.
To be so reliant on their patron must have been a bitter pill to swallow.
Most of the Hunters may have started as Demigods, or in some cases Nature Spirits, but not all of them had. This of course meant that some of their number were entirely reliant entirely on Artemis's Blessing for their strength, agility, and longevity. As for those that were already Demigods before they took the blessing. They all still got a power boost from Artemis's power, and increased longevity pseudo immortality too.
Artemis to the Hunters must be their proverbial golden goose. Without her, they were shadows of their former selves. They would just be average run of the Demigods, Nature Spirits, and in some cases, just mortals. They would not be the powerful fighting force they were reputed to be without their goddess.
So yes, with that in mind, he wasn't surprised they were so worried about her well-being. If it had been him that was so reliant on Artemis for his strength, then he would have been frantic with worry by now.
A weak Demigod did not survive long outside of the Camps.
"The Hunters are more than capable of finding our lady, there is nothing that needs to be discussed. This meeting is nothing but a waste of our time, a distraction!" Phoebe spoke up bluntly, dragging Percy's attention back to the matter at hand, as the muscly Hunter walked up to the table and slammed her hand onto it for emphasis. Her blue eyes fixed on unerringly Chiron as if she were daring the legendary trainer of heroes to contradict her.
Only for that to be exactly what the centaur in question did, as Chiron simply shook his head calmly. "The prophecy stated the quest must be a combination of Hunters and Campers. I highly doubt any of you would want to fail this mission because you refused to listen to the words of the oracle…"
Percy's lip twitched upwards as Chiron said this, his dark eyes fixed gleefully on the Hunters as he saw the flashes of distaste and worry on their faces. The Hunters were now stuck between accepting help from the Campers that they hated so much. Or potentially failing in their mission to save their goddess.
He shouldn't be so amused, but he was. Most of the Hunters, or at least from what he had seen of them thus far, were either; rude, aggressive, bigoted, perpetually pissed off, or all of the above. Suffice it to say most of them weren't very nice, or pleasant people. A lot of them seemed to harbour a grudge against men, for the simple fact that they were men and thus the 'inferior' gender.
Phoebe, upon hearing Chiron's words, seemed to swell up. Her mouth opened, and she looked to be on the verge of retorting angrily to the ancient centaur's calm statement.
However, before she could, Zoë raised her hand and cut her off.
"That's enough Phoebe, Chiron is right. With that in mind, I will take Phoebe, Bianca, and Olivia, with me on the quest. Thalia too, as a representative of Camp Half-Blood, if she is willing to come of course?" Zoë's dark eyes flicked over to the surprised-looking daughter of Zeus as she finished speaking.
From the side of the room, Percy's eyes widened imperceptibly as he heard who Zoë wanted to take on the quest with her. Phoebe and Olivia, those two weren't surprising, they had probably been in the Hunt with Zoë for years. Nor was Thalia a bad pick either, the girl was strong. Plus her gender made it less likely for there to be friction between her and the other quest members. Bianca though, was a complete newbie to the divine world, which was a surprise.
But still, it was one that Percy would happily take advantage of if he had the chance.
With that thought in mind, he pushed himself off of the wall. "Forgive me for speaking up, but surely the line; 'Campers and Hunters combined prevail,' means that an equal number of Campers or Hunters. Or at least as equal as is possible, as in 'Campers' meaning more than one; so with that being the case, would this really be the best choice for the quest?"
"And what do you suggest?" Zoë shot back, her tone hard but not quite aggressive. Despite Phoebe and the other girl, Olivia, glaring at him from behind their Lieutenant's back. Both of them looked annoyed at his sudden interference.
"I suggest a two Camper and three Hunter split. With you in charge of course," Percy said lightly. Stepping forward as he did so, the attention of the entire room was now on him.
"You have no seat at this table, boy. Hold your tongue!" Olivia growled, with both Bianca and Phoebe sending her a sideways look as she did so. He wasn't the only one that had clocked onto the girl's anger. Or onto the irony of the girl's statement considering she too didn't have a seat at the table.
"Well neither do you," Percy replied lightly, before continuing, cutting anyone else off before they could interrupt him. "That said though, I am still here to represent my parent. Lady Melinoe might not be a vaunted Olympian. But she is still a goddess all the same, a higher being, and as such as her child, i.e. me, I have just as much a right to be here and be represented as all of you!"
A couple of the cabin counsellors shifted awkwardly as they heard his words. Chiron noticeably looked away, a flash of guilt passing across his face.
Mr. D, the portly, red-faced God of Wine, Dionysus, however just continued to look bored. The god in question instead continued to read a magazine about Argentinian wineries. As opposed to tuning into the discussion. His purple eyes flicked back and forth, and the bored expression remained on his face as he didn't react at all to Percy's poorly veiled criticisms.
"So with that in mind, I suggest that you take Phoebe, Thalia, Bianca, and myself on the quest," Percy said simply. A smile on his face as he saw the looks of outrage on the Hunters' faces. The amusement on Thalia's and the surprise on Theo and the rest of the Counsellor's faces. The rest of the cabin leaders had all noticeably stayed silent in the discussion thus far.
"I think not, scavenger." Zoë retorted after a few moments of silence. Her tone was sharper than before and her lip curled up slightly in distaste as she looked at him. "What could someone like you possibly add to our party?"
"Well," Percy said easily, walking over to the table now; a smile on his face at the challenge in the huntress's words. "I'm a fighter, I don't think it would be too arrogant to say that I am probably one of the best in the Camp at the moment. I have extensive knowledge of the Divine World and experience fighting a whole assortment of monsters. Oh, and as you said, I'm a scavenger. I'm a born survivor. I think I would be quite a useful asset on the quest."
Zoë scowled at this but didn't immediately refute his claims.
"I think it's a good idea, after me Percy is probably the toughest in the Camp, well, either him or Theo." Thalia piped up, a smirk on her face as she saw Percy send her an amused look.
"Didn't he beat you?" Michael, the head of the Athena Cabin asked.
"He got lucky," Thalia sniffed, even as a couple of the other counsellors snorted. Percy however continued to watch her in amused curiosity. "But back on point, he is right; three Hunters and two Campers is a good split. So unless Theo wants to go…?"
"Erm, no, no thanks…" Theo said quickly, waving his hands in front of him. "I don't know how much help I can be. I mean I can go if needed, but well, I'm not sure what I can add. I didn't do all that much before, I mean if Grover, Clarisse, and… Annabeth… hadn't been there. Thalia wouldn't be with us and the camp would be unprotected."
Percy looked over at the younger Jackson curiously. The boy had little in the way of confidence. Sure he was good enough with a blade and had quite a bit of power behind him. But if he lacked the will to use it… Which, in Percy's opinion, suggested he was wasting his potential.
The kid needed to grow a backbone. Where was his attitude, the same attitude he had had when Percy had first met him? Back when his friend, Annabeth, had gone and gotten herself killed.
Not that he was about to make an issue of it now though, not when the kid's nervousness was working to his advantage.
"Well, I would be happy to come." He instead said with a smile.
Zoë frowned at this but again didn't reply immediately. Instead, she turned to look at Percy. Her expression was hard as her dark, ageless eyes met his dark, confident, youthful eyes.
"I can come too!" Grover, the Satyr boy from before, suddenly piped up.
"No," Percy replied bluntly, not even looking at the goat boy as he did so. "We need to move fast, and we all need to be able to fight. You're not a fighter…, Grover are you? You would only slow the quest down, and endanger the rest of the group."
It was harsh but true. On top of which Percy couldn't allow this chance to slip through his grasp. Not if he wanted to fulfil Hades' mission without bringing the wrath of the Hunt, the Olympus, and Camp Half-Blood down on his head.
"Yeah, but I can track things!" Grover shot back, his brow furrowing as he scowled up at Percy.
"So can I, and so can the Hunters." Percy shut him down, his gaze still on Zoë. "Look, I'm not going to tell you what to decide. But I will say that it would make finding and rescuing Artemis a lot easier and a lot faster if you brought me along."
Zoë's inscrutable expression didn't change, instead, her dark eyes continued to bore into Percy's equally dark eyes.
"Zoë, come on, you can't seriously be considering this?" Olivia spoke up next, a look of shock on her face as she too noticed that her Lieutenant hadn't instantly shot Percy down like she no doubt hoped she would do.
"You heard what I had to say." Thalia chipped in. "Look, I don't like you, Zoë, and you don't like me. But all the same, I am happy to come with you and help save your goddess. But I would suggest bringing Percy along too. As he and I have said, he is the best choice out of the current selection of Campers, no offence Grover, and well the rest of you…"
"Nah it's cool," Michael said, waving the apology away. "He was pretty badass in the capture the flag game."
"Yeah, he took out half of the Hunters' team by himself from what I heard." Travis Stoll grinned.
"Which gave us the chance to crush the other half." Connor Stoll tagged on, also grinning, even as; Bianca, Phoebe, and Olivia sent him and his brother sour looks.
"He's alright with a bow," Will Solace allowed, grudgingly.
"He'd be useful on the quest." Katie nodded, her green eyes flicking over to Percy as she sent him a sunny smile.
"Whatever," Drew muttered, not even looking up. As she instead continued to check her long, painted fingernails for any imperfections.
"I reckon I could take him," Clarisse said bluntly, a slight frown on her face as she eyed Percy. "But I don't really want to spend any more time with you Hunters than I have to, so he is probably the next best thing."
Percy assumed that that was the best he was going to get from the abrasive daughter of Ares. Still, he couldn't help but smile as he was given the support of most of the Cabin Leaders. Though again he could see Grover scowling at him. For some reason, the goat boy really wanted to go on the quest.
"He's good," Theo, the son of Poseidon, nodded. After which he looked to Thalia.
"Well you heard them, Zoë," Thalia smirked, not looking at Theo as she instead continued to watch Zoë.
"Zoë?" Olivia hissed.
"Fine, I agree." Zoë finally said, her gaze still on Percy. "With your skillset and experience, you'll be useful."
"But he's a male though," Olivia said.
"Yes he is a male, and he is a scavenger too. But he is also competent, skilled in battle, and will be useful. That, and Lady Artemis's safety, is more important than his gender." Zoë replied firmly, finally tearing her gaze away from Percy as she instead looked over at Olivia. "But I do understand your reservations and distaste of having him along, and I do agree in part with some of them. But still, Lady Artemis's safety is the most important thing. There can be no room for friction. As such the group going with me will consist of Phoebe, Bianca, Thalia, and... Perseus."
Olivia looked stunned.
Grover looked heartbroken.
Percy however merely smiled.
"Then we're agreed, and the group heading on the quest has been decided," Chiron said with a nod. His gaze roved over the assembled group. Quieting any objections before his eyes came to rest on Percy. The brown orbs narrowed minutely as he saw the slight smile on the son of Melinoe's face. "You leave at first light. Prepare yourselves for the quest ahead and get a good night's sleep. I have a feeling that you'll need it."
As he said this, they all nodded, even the Hunters. The group of girls grudgingly accepted that setting out in the dark when they were ill-prepared was not the most sensible course of action.
( - )
(Later)
Not long after Chiron's proclamation, the meeting between the Campers and Hunters quickly broke up. Both groups streaming away from the Big House en masse.
Most of the Campers either milled around talking to one another on their way back to their cabins. Or, headed back to their respective cabins straight away so they could speak with their siblings and cabin mates within, and enlighten them on everything that had taken place in the meeting.
The Hunters, however, did not stop to talk, instead, all of them headed straight to Artemis's Cabin, with all of them filing in one after the other and then slamming the door to their cabin behind them. No doubt they too would be discussing everything that had happened, and what would be happening as far as the quest was involved.
Honestly, at that thought, Percy couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Zoë. She would no doubt have a hard time explaining why she was taking him, a boy, on the quest, and only travelling with four others as opposed to leading the entire Hunt out of Camp straight away.
It was probably likely that many of them would believe that the close-to-threescore Hunters would be far more effective at tracking down and saving their goddess than a group of five, especially a group of five that had two Campers in it, one of whom was a boy.
Yes, she was probably in for a difficult night. No doubt she would have to pull rank and smack more than a few of the bolder or bolshie naysayers down before the night was over.
Still, that was her problem and not his.
Shaking his head at that, Percy continued to slowly amble his way down from the Big House and towards the nearby Hermes Cabin. The cabin in question stood out from the rest due to the simplicity and cheapness of its design.
"Hey, Percy!" Thalia called out from behind him. The dark-haired Demigoddess jogged to catch up with him. Both Theo and Grover noticeably follow her.
"Hey Thalia, what's up?" Percy replied brusquely, smiling at Thalia for a moment; his gaze then panning over to the other two. Theo looked nervous and awkward, as per usual. Whilst Grover, the gangly, ginger-haired satyr, looked angry.
"Why did you insist on going on the quest like that?!" Grover cut in, speaking over Thalia as he instead trotted over to Percy. His brow furrowed and his blue eyes were full of anger as he got in his face.
"Because it was for the best," Percy replied easily, not all that concerned with the satyr's anger. He didn't know why the other teen was so dead set on going on the quest. But he was not about to back down on his own desire to go for his sake.
"I never thought of you as the type to be so generous," Thalia said, placing her hand on Grover. Before he did something he would regret. "I thought you were a survivor, Percy?"
"And I am," Percy replied easily, looking between the trio curiously as he did so. "There is more going on here than just a missing goddess, you do realize that, don't you? The enemy's forces are already on the move, and they're rapidly gathering in strength. Artemis's capture, it's just their first gambit!"
"You're talking about the Titans, aren't you?" Theo spoke up, deliberately not saying the name of their leader. After all, in the Divine World names had power. "The ones Luke betrayed the Camp for!"
"Theo!" Thalia said sharply, her electric blue eyes flicking over to the son of Poseidon as she did so. Making him flinch before they then returned to Percy.
"Luke?" Percy asked, his brow furrowing. "Luke Castellan, I take it? That's a name I've heard before."
"Yeah," Thalia said, her normally confident voice softer now, and her expression noticeably downcast. "He was a friend, back, well back before I reached the Camp. Things, well things happened, and he betrayed the Camp and went to join 'him'."
"Yes, so I have heard. They've been recruiting too, you know, and not just monsters, but Demigods as well." Percy warned, his eyes narrowing now.
He had heard of Luke, his betrayal and his allegiance to Kronos were well-known within the closely-knit supernatural community. As were his attempts to suborn other Greek Demigods.
That said though, from what he had heard, Luke hadn't made any attempts to recruit the Roman Demigods. Or the Amazons, or any of the Demigods from the other Pantheons, or at least not yet. He could be wrong though, his sources and contacts were not always the most reliable. Many of them were easily bought.
"We know, quite a few Campers, nearly a dozen have gone missing or didn't return to Camp over the summer. Some might have died, sure, but most of them have probably joined 'him'." Thalia said darkly, meeting Percy's gaze again, her burning hot anger now obvious for him to see. It seemed Thalia hated this Luke, kid. She seemed far angrier and hurt than she probably should be. "Did he try to recruit you?"
"Not directly, but I heard a rumour, and some contacts approached me with the offer of joining up for 'the cause'," Percy replied dryly. His lips quivered upwards in amusement at the thought of selling his services for a cause. He didn't do anything for free, not unless it benefitted him in other ways. "I sent them packing of course. I mean sure, things are shit now and the Olympians are useless. But things under the Titans would be so much worse! The gods, at least in my opinion, are a lesser of two evils."
"That's one way of putting it," Thalia replied, both relief and amusement tinging her words now. The girl even managed a smile, her expression less downcast now.
"So you weren't tempted at all?" Theo asked curiously. "Not even with your mother being Melinoe and Luke offering an opportunity for the minor gods and their children to win themselves more prestige and acclaim than they currently get? From what I've heard, that's how he has been recruiting most of the children of the minor gods and the unclaimed…."
"I am my own person," Percy shrugged. "I succeed or fail on my own. I don't need any petty son of Hermes with daddy issues to be preaching to me about what I should and should not be doing, and thinking! Besides, I've never really been all that keen on 'causes'."
"Then why go on the quest then? In fact, why stay at Camp Half-Blood at all if you don't want to be a part of something bigger than yourself?" Grover asked bitterly.
"Because I like the status quo." Percy lied, his gaze flicking back to the irritating satyr. The goat boy's attitude was beginning to get on his nerves. "As for why I'm here; well it's only temporary, don't worry…."
"Wait, does that mean that you'll be leaving?" Theo asked in confusion.
"Afraid so, once the quest is done, I'll head off again. I'm not suited for staying in one place for a long time, I prefer travelling and moving about." Percy shrugged. "If I stay here I'll get very bored, very quickly, and my skills will stagnate!"
"Really, but it's dangerous out there. You'd be safer if you stayed at Camp!" Thalia said, a hint of worry in her voice, and disappointment on her face as she looked at him.
"True, but that's why I like it." Percy shot back, even as he started walking again. "There's a big world out there beyond the borders of Camp Half-Blood, Thalia. Don't you think it would be a waste to not see as much of it as you can?"
"I suppose," Thalia said, pensively from behind him.
"But anyway, we've got an early start tomorrow. We're supposed to be meeting Zoë and her minions at the Camp entrance at dawn." Percy cut it, changing the topic of the conversation before they pushed it too far. He didn't particularly want to get to know any of these people or get attached. Attachments were just a weakness.
"Right," Thalia nodded quietly, her expression still slightly sad as he looked back at her.
"Yeah, you two should probably get some sleep," Theo added obliviously before he paused. "It's going to be pretty grim once you've gone, especially with most of the Hunters staying here."
"They're not that bad." Grover shot back, his attention shifting from Percy to Theo now.
"You only say that because you fancy, Lady Artemis!" Thalia retorted, her mood picking up slightly as she saw the red-haired satyr flush.
'So that's why he wanted to go on the quest' Percy mused to himself. 'Poor guy doesn't stand a chance.'
"No! I don't fancy her or anything, I just… well she's just so in tune with nature. It's hard not to be drawn to her." Grover shouted weakly, waving his hands in front of him in denial.
Smiling slightly at this, Percy began to split off from the other three. Even as Thalia and Theo closed in on the now red-faced satyr and started teasing him remorselessly about his 'crush'.
"See you in the morning, Thalia!" Percy called, waving over his shoulder to the daughter of Zeus as he headed off in the direction of the cabins.
"Yeah, in the morning!" Thalia shouted after him.
Not looking around, Percy continued heading down the hill and towards the Hermes Cabin. Only for him to then walk past it, and then into the woods. Pulling a gleaming drachma out of his pocket as he did so. Absentmindedly rolling the coin along his knuckles as he entered the forest and tried to find a bit of mist.
He had a call to make, and some arrangements to put in place for the upcoming quest.
( - )
AN: And so I've decided to end this chapter here. There was not much action, and quite a lot of talking but for the sake of development it needed to be done. That said the next chapter will involve the quest and the changes that will occur, especially now the questers have changed slightly and some of them now have different intentions.
Either way, it should be fun. I have quite a few ideas for what I want to happen, and hopefully most of those pan out. I have about twenty chapters outlined and planned out at the moment and the main plot points finalised, but despite that, the proof is in the pudding as they say. It'll only be once I write it that I discover whether my ideas work.
But yes, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Catch you next time, and please do check out my other stories if you have the time. There are a lot, too many in fact.
Greed720.
