The walk back to my cabin was awkward, to put it nicely. Nearly everyone who saw me gave us a wide berth, afraid that I may go savage on them again. I think I preferred when everyone was gossiping about me having a harem instead, at least then no one treated me like a monster. It really ate me up on the inside, this was my home damnit, I couldn't have my family be scared of me! Whoever was behind this will pay, I swear it.
As we passed by the Ares cabin, I felt a small pebble be thrown at my head. I turned and saw Clarisse glaring at me as she approached rapidly. I really didn't have time to waste by arguing or fighting with her, so I planned on ending this quickly.
"You've got some nerve showing yourself after what you did, Jackson." She growled at me.
"You know he wasn't in control, Clarisse. Drop this, we don't need another scene." Annabeth came to my defense.
"Pfft, of course his girlfriend thinks he did nothing wrong. He could have razed the entire camp—hell, he nearly did—and you would still defend him." Clarisse sneered, her eyes narrowing at Annabeth.
"Yes, I would! I'm not afraid to admit it! You, me, and everyone who's ever met him knows he'd never do anything like this willingly! He's saved this damn camp so many times!" Annabeth snapped at Clarisse before turning her head and looking at all the people nearby pretending not to hear. "I know you're all listening in, and you know I'm right! There's not a person here who can deny that Percy has shed more blood defending this place than anyone else! If you think otherwise, then shame on you! Camp Half-Blood would have been destroyed years ago without him!"
I put a hand on her shoulder. "Annabeth, calm down. Let's just go."
She huffed and grabbed hold of my arm, and as we started walking again I turned my head back to Clarisse a final time. "If you see Chris, tell him I'm sorry, in more ways than one."
Clarisse stiffened up as she caught my double meaning, her expression softening and looking downcast. "I will, don't worry about it."
We then continued on our way and soon arrived at the Poseidon cabin, which wasn't that banged up surprisingly. A couple windows were broken and parts of the cabin walls were chipped and cracked, but other than that it looked fine. Once inside, I went to go change and put on some clean, not ripped, clothes. I put on an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. After I was done changing, Annabeth asked me a question.
"What did you mean back there? What you said to Clarisse?" She asked me.
"Did I not tell you? Could have sworn I did... Well regardless, here's the short of it: Clarisse and Chris got into a fight about attending college. Chris wants to go, Clarisse doesn't and thinks it's too dangerous. I offered to ask Frank if Chris could attend the university in New Rome, which I did, but Frank declined for reasons." I explained quickly.
"Oh... poor Clarisse." Annabeth said bluntly.
"Come on, show some sympathy. I know you're upset with her but she genuinely loves Chris and she is afraid this college drama will break them up." I chided her gently.
"You don't even like Clarisse! I don't like her very much either!" Annabeth snapped before sighing and smacking her cheeks. "Yeah, you're right; I shouldn't get hung up over stupid things like that, I can understand her anger. I hope Clarisse patches things with Chris, he was the only source of positivity in her life."
"Yeah, I'm not particularly fond of her, few are, but still. I want to try and move past our differences—if possible—which is the main reason I spoke to Frank about this. Though, a large part of me still hates her," I sighed. "I don't know why I can't get over my grudge against Clarisse, but I'll deal with that later. We have more important things to do now."
I then smiled softly at her and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. I also finally took notice of two missing companions that I hadn't seen yet.
"By the way, Annabeth, where are Calypso and Reyna? I haven't seen them once since I woke up." I asked her, slightly concerned.
"Don't get your knickers twisted, they aren't avoiding you. Calypso was healing some of the injured with her singing and helping mend the strawberry fields last I saw her. Reyna has been looking into the Katie Gardner case, asking questions and investigating. She was the one who interrogated Katie, with Chiron's permission. Last I saw her, she was doing a full examination of the Demeter cabin." Annabeth explained to me, which caused me to sigh in relief.
"I'm glad they're helping out, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't even more touched that they aren't scared of me now," I said with a warm smile on my face before I furrowed my eyebrows at something she said. "Wait, Reyna did the interrogating? You sure?"
"Pretty sure, I saw her go into the attic in the Big House, which is where Katie is being held. Why?" She asked me.
"Her robo-mecha-automaton dog things, they can detect if someone is lying. She can summon them whenever and wherever she wants, did she use them?" I asked impatiently.
"I... I don't know, actually. I left before the interrogation finished, it took hours. I just know what Chiron told me." Annabeth said with wide eyes at my implication. "If she did—"
"Then Reyna knows if Katie is guilty or innocent for a fact. But, for some reason, she didn't tell Chiron that. He sounded unsure back in the basement," I stated, finishing Annabeth's sentence. "We need to go find Reyna immediately."
Annabeth stood up and nodded. We then left the Poseidon cabin and started walking towards the Demeter cabin, where Reyna was last spotted by Annabeth. It was just across from where we were, so a brisk walk was all it took to get there. The cabin had definitely seen better days though, the grass on the roof had been torn away and much of the flora that once bloomed around and on it were gone, shredded, or wilted. Upon entering the cabin, it was empty bar for one Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, who was doing a thorough investigation of the kitchen area. She was currently bent over inspecting the oven.
The Demeter cabin has a kitchen? Is it new? Katie must have made that pie somehow, I suppose.
It seemed Reyna didn't hear us enter as we walked up to her without her noticing. I looked at Annabeth with a mischievous grin before leaning my head down next to Reyna.
"Hey." I whispered in ear, causing her to nearly jump.
Reyna stood up and had her hand on her weapon hilt as she spun towards me with a glare before her eyes registered me.
"Listen, Reyna. I wanted to—" I didn't get to finish my sentence as she then tackled me to the floor and crashed her lips onto mine.
I wanted to say I was shocked, but I'd be lying. Her hands flew to my hair as she deepened the kiss, her tongue overpowering mine quickly and exploring my mouth. After getting her fill of me, she pulled away with a jolly smile.
"I was so worried about you, Percy, I feared you might not come back to us. I'm so glad I was wrong." She whispered happily.
"I'm glad to see you too. I was worried you and the others might end up scared or even hate me after what happened. I am also glad to be wrong." I whispered back with a smile of my own.
Annabeth then cleared her throat. "I don't want to ruin the moment, but we are very short on time here."
"She's right, we have little time but a lot to do, Reyna. Annabeth here told me you interrogated Katie Gardner. I wanted to ask if you summoned your dogs for it, you know, since they can detect liars." I said as the two of us got off the floor and stood back up.
Reyna nodded in understanding. "Indeed, I did. She told nothing but the truth, not a single lie left her mouth. Katie is completely innocent."
I looked at her curiously. "If that's the case, why didn't you tell Chiron? When he spoke to me earlier, he sounded like he wasn't sure if Katie was innocent or guilty."
Reyna swallowed, locking eyes with me. "I did it to protect her. As long as she's in the Big House, no one will harm her. I figured that even if I told Chiron, and he spread word across camp, there would still be dissent and they may try to take matters into their own hands once she was free to roam again. There's also the possibility of the true culprit trying to kill her to silence her. But inside the Big House, she has Bacchus and Chiron keeping a close eye on her. I don't want to tell them the truth until I have solid proof that Katie is innocent to show everyone else."
"Makes perfect sense, Reyna. I expect no less from an ex-praetor," I said with a slight smirk. "Have you found any clues or a trail while inspecting this place?"
"Yes, I have, finally. I've been looking for evidence since you were put into the basement," She stated proudly before moving back to the oven. "How sensitive are your noses, you two?"
"Alright."
"Decent."
"Great, then try sniffing the top and bottom racks of the oven." She instructed us, which we took turns doing.
I leaned my head in and took a sniff of the top section, which smelled like blueberries, honey, and... strawberries, I think. I then lowered my sniffer down to the lower rack and gagged out of reflex. It was a putrid smell, like something died inside the oven. Annabeth repeated my steps and reacted the same, covering her nose upon pulling away.
"By the gods, what was that?! It was more rancid than hellhound dung!" Annabeth exclaimed as I nodded in agreement.
"That, is the smell of whatever was put into the pie that made Percy go berserk," Reyna explained as she closed the oven door. "I made this discovery last night, but I wasn't sure if it was a lead or just a normal thing for ovens. I know nothing about baking, so I had to ask some Demeter kids questions. They all told me that the entire oven is enchanted and it's supposed to smell like whatever was baked last, and the last person to use said oven was Katie. However, we know that's not true. Someone else has used it as well."
"But, it smells like four things—blueberries, strawberries, honey, and the mystery ingredient." I said.
"That is because Katie made a blueberry-strawberry combination with honey for your pie. I guess I didn't clarify, but each section of the oven has its own smell of what was made last. So there we have it, Katie's actual pie and whatever was made along with it. My guess? It was some kind of incense that burned and was absorbed into the pie resting directly above it. It's clearly magical in nature too." Reyna explained, her tone serious.
"What makes you think it was an incense? Couldn't it have been something else that was put into the pie? Like a liquid that was injected or something?" I inquired.
Reyna shook her head. "It couldn't be. You said you liked the pie, right?"
I nodded. "Oh yeah, best pie I've ever had, easily."
"Then it couldn't be something that was put into the pie directly, you would have tasted it, wouldn't you agree? I mean, you just smelled how nasty that thing was." Reyna told me.
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I would have definitely remembered taking a bite of something that putrid." I said in thought. "I'm impressed, Reyna! This is a big clue!"
"I agree, good job Reyna," Annabeth said with a small smile. "However, I still don't think it'll be enough to convince everyone that Katie is innocent."
"It should be enough to convince most, right? This combined with the testimony of Reyna's dogs, it would be hard to think Katie is still guilty." I argued. "I mean yeah, it would be best if we caught the true culprit, but we have nothing to go off of for that. We don't even know how the bastard snuck into camp in the first place. He's likely long gone by now, his boss would want him to report directly."
Annabeth set her jaw in thought. "Maybe you're right, Percy. We may not be able to catch the perpetrator yet, but we can at least clear Katie's, and by extension, your name as well."
"Wait—hold on a second..." Reyna muttered quietly, a hand on her chin in thought.
We both turned our heads to look at her.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I was just thinking... about how the one behind this could have possibly snuck inside camp..." She said quietly, staring intently into space. "It's not possible for your dream to have been of the past, could it? Because if so, maybe the culprit was already inside the camp by the time we warned Chiron."
I stopped and thought about that. Was it possible? I have had dreams of the past before, like when I dreamed about Zoë's encounter with Hercules. But, this would be a very recent one, plus if that were the case, why did the culprit wait until my birthday? How did he or she even know about Katie making a pie for me? The time table they would have had to operate in would be a day at most as well.
"I've had dreams of the past before, so I guess it's possible," I admitted uneasily. "Let's assume they were already inside, why did they wait so long to act? How did they find out about the pies?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Reyna said, her brows furrowed.
"What if..." Annabeth chimed in, her daughter of Athena brain turning its wheels. "What if their plan involved specifically targeting Percy? This whole ordeal is about revenge against him mainly, so, they had to wait in the camp until Percy returned and then had to wait for an opportunity to incite him with the incense or whatever it was. How they learned about the pies though, I am unsure, maybe they overheard my conversation with Katie? We were outside..."
"Yes, that could definitely be it. Maybe they also knew Percy's birthday was three days ago, and correctly predicted a birthday cake—in this case, a birthday pie—would be made for him. Perhaps on the day we returned, they shadowed us and learned of the pie that way." Reyna murmured in agreement.
"But we were all separated most of that day, how could they have listened in on us all at the same time?" I asked.
"A spell, perhaps; or maybe they didn't, instead they just rotated between all of us and got lucky when Annabeth approached Katie about the pies." Reyna responded quickly.
"Hmm, yeah, that could very well be how it played out. There's just one problem though—how did they get in?" I hesitantly inquired, having a feeling I already knew the answer.
"Let's think about that, Percy. With the barrier up, no monster could have gotten in. Even Tyson needed special permission to enter, even though Cyclopes are servants of Poseidon. That was before we had the Golden Fleece as well, which has amplified the power of the barrier by an order of magnitude. Therefore, our most likely candidates for the culprit's identity are a satyr, an actual god, or a demigod." Annabeth elucidated, my face hardening.
"So, we have another traitor in our midst, is that what you're saying?" I whispered, failing miserably to not sound upset.
"I think it's very likely, yes." Annabeth almost inaudibly mumbled.
"Another? You mean, this isn't the first time?" Reyna asked in shock.
I sadly shook my head. "Unfortunately, no. Back during the war with the Titans, we had a mole for Kronos in our camp: the counselor of the Aphrodite cabin, Silena Beauregard. Even when the final battle was happening, she was still relaying information to the enemy. However, in the end she redeemed herself and died a heroic death, an act that ultimately lead to us winning the war."
No one spoke for sometime after that.
"We could have everybody line up and let Reyna ask them about it with her dogs present, that wouldn't take too long, right?" I suggested, breaking the silence.
"Percy, do you have any idea how many more campers there are now?" Annabeth asked me.
"There was like, fifty of us back in Manhattan." I said, counting in my head.
"We've had a lot of new arrivals, Percy. There's around a hundred now." She said with her hands on her hips.
"Woah, really? I knew we had more but not that many... still, a hundred isn't too bad, should take maybe an hour or two." I said.
"That's assuming the traitor is still here, and is in fact a demigod." Reyna added.
"I think someone would have noticed if a god was wandering around camp three days ago, especially Dionysus. He's not that oblivious, I'll give him that much," I admitted, giving the wine god some credit. "A few years ago I left camp unofficially to go on a quest I wasn't supposed to be apart of. Dionysus knew and tracked me down. Chiron would also likely take notice, he's pretty perceptive."
Annabeth looked at me in confusion. "What? When was this?"
"When you got captured by Atlas. Did I never tell you that part?"
"You broke the rules to come rescue me?"
"Uhh... yeah, pretty much."
Annabeth had a very happy smile on her face after that.
Reyna then coughed. "Back to the matter at hand..."
"Right, sorry. As I was saying, I don't think it was a god. The Olympians also had an emergency meeting yesterday, so it's pretty unlikely to have been any of them, among other reasons why it couldn't be them. I don't know how long said meeting was, but Dionysus was at dinner, so he was back before then," I said, explaining my logic. "It could have been a minor god, I suppose, but minor gods aren't really good at blending in, someone would have noticed them."
"That fits with my timeline for that day. Bacchus—er, Dionysus—returned about an hour after our meeting with Chiron, as Chiron left me to go speak with him about the situation." Reyna mused, slowly nodding.
"I asked Katie about the pies maybe two hours before dinner, so that tracks for me as well," Annabeth agreed. "Since it seems very likely to have been done by a demigod, and going by the timeframe, that means they have to be in camp still, trapped, likely panicking that they'll be found out."
"Well then, shall we go through with the dog thing? Go tell Chiron about all of this?" I asked, feeling resolute.
The girls nodded at me, so the next thing we did was leave the Demeter cabin and head straight to the Big House. We found Chiron and Mr. D playing pinochle at the table, though I think Chiron had been winning all of the rounds because there was a small pile of crushed Diet Coke cans behind Mr. D, who had a livid look. They then revealed their cards, Chiron winning with a matching set of aces, kings, queens and jacks. Mr. D looked ready to burst a vein after that, which brought a smile to my face. Chiron then turned to us with a smug grin, which is something I've never seen on the old centaur's face before.
"What is it, children?" He asks.
"We have some news regarding the pie incident. We think we have a way to find out who is really behind it." I declared, causing Chiron's eyebrows to raise.
"I'm all ears. You are too, right, Lord Dionysus?" He said in an ever so slightly mocking tone as he looked at Mr. D.
"Yes, very good, Picasso Javier." Dionysus grounded out through gritted teeth as he glared at the cards on the table.
We then took turns explaining the situation to them. Chiron was engrossed in our findings, meanwhile Mr. D didn't seem too interested and was still fuming over the card game.
"It pains me to think one of our own is responsible for this yet again. So many betrayals in such a short amount of years..." Chiron said in sorrow. "But, justice must be carried out, Miss Gardner can't be kept in the attic forever. I'll gather everyone for this. We can host it in the amphitheater, it has suffered minor damage compared to the rest of the camp. However, before I do so, I'd like to see these automatons of yours in action. I don't doubt you, but I want to ensure they can properly detect lies."
Reyna nodded then walked a short distance away and waved her hand. A moment later, two dog automatons that were gold and silver respectively appeared. She then looked at me.
"Go ahead and tell a lie, Percy." She said.
"Um... oh I know! I'm the king of Olympus." I lied.
The two automatons then growled aggressively at me before Reyna commanded them to stop.
"Good, now tell a truth." She instructed.
"I love my mom." I stated simply.
The automatons did nothing. I then looked at Chiron, who seemed impressed.
"Thank you for humoring me, Reyna. I shall organize a camp meeting at the amphitheater immediately, I trust you are ready? It will undoubtedly take an age to get through everyone." Chiron said as he looked at Reyna, who nodded.
"I'll go first, I think Katie should go next." I stated.
"Yes, I think that would be best. Of course, I believe we will need to demonstrate a lie to everyone to showcase that this is legitimate." Chiron said, which we all agreed with.
Chiron then left the Big House to gather all of the campers while Annabeth went up the attic to explain everything to Katie and bring her out. Some time later Annabeth and a disheveled, nervous Katie came down the stairs. Katie's eyes were bloodshot badly and she had bags under her eyes, marring her once tan skin. I felt bad for her, she must have been so stressed and scared.
"A-Annabeth said you've all found a way to clear my name? I hope it works..." Katie croaked, her voice hoarse from her crying.
"Yeah, we should both be cleared soon and hopefully find the one responsible for all of this." I said softly as I gave her a thumbs up.
We then left the Big House and a still upset Mr. D behind.
The four of us headed to the amphitheater and waited by where the bonfire used to be. While waiting for everyone to arrive, I suddenly felt a pair of arms snake around my waist. I turned around to see Calypso, who was smiling tearfully at me before burying her head against my chest. I smiled softly and brought my arms up to hold her in a warm embrace.
"I'm so happy you're back, my love. I was worried sick for days on end, I visited you every day yet you were still under the effects of whatever sinister creation was in that pie. I thought I was going to lose you..." She whispered between her quiet sobs. "Then, Chiron came and told me you were normal again and at the amphitheater. He tried to tell me something else but I didn't care, I sprinted straight here to see you."
"Sorry for worrying you," I cooed as I placed a kiss into her caramel hair. "I'm so glad you're safe, Calypso. If I hurt you or any of the other girls I'd never forgive myself, even if I had no control of my actions. We're going to set things right now, though."
She lifted her head and kissed me sensually, her stress and worries fading away. After a moment, we parted for air, a jovial smile on her pretty face. She then coiled her arms around my left arm and refused to let go of me until our little—what would you call this? A trial? An investigation? I don't know. Until our little trial started.
Soon the rest of the campers slowly started to show up. Annabeth was right, there were so many new faces now as I looked out around the gathering crowd, along with some familiar ones amongst them, including the rest of my friends. I even spotted Clarisse and Chris, though they weren't sitting together. I supposed they hadn't made up yet, maybe Chris was still avoiding her.
Some time later the last camper arrived followed by Chiron, who walked down to where we were. The entire amphitheater was full, to the point where some had to stand to the sides. Chiron then cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
"We are here to settle a matter pertaining to the recent attack on our camp. Many of you think either Percy Jackson or Katie Gardner or even both are guilty. However, some new evidence has come to light that dismisses these claims. But, we have reason to believe that the one responsible is still among us," Chiron announced in that teacherly voice of his.
He then explained the evidence we found inside the oven of the Demeter cabin. I'd like to say everyone believed it and that was that, but no, that was not the case. Murmuring broke out amongst the campers at the news. The older campers—specifically the counselors and the ones who know me—trusted what was said immediately while the younger and newer kids looked unconvinced still. But, that's what we had the automatons for. By the end, everyone will know the truth.
Chiron cleared his throat, silencing the crowd. "I will now ask each of you individually a question. These canine automatons"—he gestured to the robo dogs—"have the ability to detect if you are lying or not. I will provide a demonstration so you have no doubts. Do we have a volunteer?"
I saw Nico shoot his hand up and offer. He than descended down the amphitheater and towards us before stopping in front of Chiron and the automatons.
"Alright, Mr. di Angelo, first tell us something true." Chiron instructed.
"My father is Hades." He said, which the automatons didn't react to beyond looking at him.
"Thank you, now tell a lie." Chiron instructed once more.
"My sister is dead." Nico said, this time the automatons started to growl and stand up, looking ready to attack.
"Heel!" Reyna ordered and the two stopped.
Murmurs erupted across the campers after the scene.
"Thank you, again. Now I will ask you first, if you don't mind," Chiron said to which Nico nodded. "Did you put something into the Demeter cabin's oven three days ago that wasn't a pie? Did you tamper with any pies in the cabin?"
"No." Nico responded immediately.
The automatons did nothing. Nico was innocent, which didn't surprise me. Chiron thanked Nico then dismissed him, Nico then came to our group and patted me on the shoulder before stepping towards Reyna and talking to her about something. Chiron then asked me to go next. I removed myself from Calypso's grasp and walked in front of him and the dogs. He then asked me a different question.
"Were you in control of yourself three days ago when you attacked the camp?"
"No." I said.
Silence.
The dogs did nothing.
The murmuring in the amphitheater grew louder as a result. I then went back to where I was, Calypso grabbing onto my arm again. Next was the moment of truth as Chiron asked Katie to come over. She was shaking like a leaf as she stood in front of everyone.
"Miss Gardner, did you tamper with the pie you made for Percy Jackson in any way? Did you do something to it that caused Percy to go berserk on the camp?" Chiron asked softly.
Katie was shivering, but she shook her head. "N-No."
There was silence as Argentum and Aurum did nothing.
Then, the whole amphitheater was in an uproar.