Chapter II: The Camp
Atalanta POV:
Grover was in the midst of explaining how badly things went with the Hunters' last visit to camp when thunder boomed out of nowhere above us. Bianca nearly fell off the log she's been sitting on, whilst Perseus and I merely glanced up towards the sky, which returned to silence soon after.
"Either a storm is rolling in," Perseus said, "Which doesn't make sense, it's already snowing buckets out here, or someone just swore an oath."
"What does swearing an oath have anything to do with thundering in the sky?" Nico asked curiously.
"In the demigod world, you can swear on the River Styx," Perseus explained. "It's a divine oath that basically insists you will fulfill whatever promise you promised. If not, the consequences you suffer are worse than death. At least, that's what I know."
"Basically, don't swear it unless you're absolutely sure of what you're saying," I added.
Minutes later, both the armored man and Artemis exited the tent. Zoe, who had been standing guard outside, immediately rushed towards Artemis, whilst constantly shooting glares at the man beside the goddess. The man exchanged a few words with Artemis making his way towards the cliff where Annabeth and the manticore had leapt off of. He stood still, looking out towards the night sky as if he were reliving a longtime memory.
"Atti, c'mon," Grover's voice pulled me out of the silent observation I was having on the man, and I followed him towards where the rest of my questmates had moved to. Zoe was off breaking camp with the newly initiated Bianca and the rest of her sisters, doing so as quickly as they had set it up. I stood shivering in the snow as Artemis stared east like she was expecting something. Nico seemed to have finally gotten over his excitement with everything as he watched his sister gloomily from a distance. Although I had listened to Bianca's reasoning behind why she joined the Hunt, I couldn't help but feel bad for Nico.
"So uh… how exactly are we getting back to camp?" I asked as dawn began to approach.
"At dawn," Artemis replied, turning to me. "I'll summon you all a ride from my brother."
"Apollo?" I asked just out of confirmation. "Can he fit all of us?" In my mind, I was envisioning the god driving a big sun chariot across the sky. Correction, I tried envisioning the god driving a chariot in the sky. Science taught me that the sun was really a star about a zillion miles away. I'd gotten used to some of the Greek myths being true, but still… I couldn't see how Apollo could drive the sun.
"It's not exactly as you think," Artemis said amusedly, like she was reading my mind.
"Oh, okay," I started to relax. "So, it's not like he'll be pulling up in a–"
There was a sudden burst of light on the horizon. A blast of warmth.
"Don't look," Artemis advised. "Not until he parks."
Parks?
I averted my eyes, and saw that the other kids were doing the same. The light and warmth intensified until my winter coat felt like it was melting off of me. Then suddenly, the light died.
I looked. And I couldn't believe it. Sometimes I forget that certain symbols of the gods were modernized to fit the current timeline, but even then, I wasn't expecting to see a sleek red convertible parked before me, glowing like the sun itself. It was then that I realized the car was glowing because the metal was hot. The snow had melted around the car in a perfect circle, which explained why I was now standing on green grass and my shoes were wet.
The driver got out, smiling. He looked about seventeen or eighteen, and for a second, I had the uneasy feeling it was Luke, my old enemy. This guy had the same sandy hair and outdoorsy good looks. But it wasn't Luke. This guy was taller, with no scar on his face like Luke's. His smile was brighter and more playful, like one of the bros you would go night driving with on a warm summer night. (Luke didn't do much more than scowl and sneer these days.) The convertible driver wore jeans and loafers and a sleeveless T-shirt.
"Damn," The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. "Apollo is hot."
"He's the sun god," Perseus deadpanned behind me.
"That's not what she meant," Grover smirked.
"Little sister!" Apollo called. If his teeth were any whiter, he could've blinded us without the sun car. "What's up? You never call. You never write. I was getting worried!"
Artemis sighed. "I'm fine, Apollo. And I am not your little sister."
"Hey, I was born first."
"We're twins! How many millennia do we have to argue–"
"So what's up?" he interrupted. "Got the girls with you, I see. You all need some tips on archery?"
It was established right then and there that even though Apollo and Artemis were immortal deities, they acted like literally any other pair of siblings I've met. Annoying the crap out of each other, nonstop without remorse.
Artemis grit her teeth. "I need a favor. I have some hunting to do, alone. I need you to take my companions to Camp Half-Blood."
"Sure, sis!" Then he raised his hands in a stop everything gesture. "I feel a haiku coming on."
The Hunters all groaned. Apparently, they'd met Apollo before.
He cleared his throat and held up one hand dramatically.
"Green grass breaks through snow.
Artemis pleads for my help.
I am so cool."
He grinned at us, waiting for applause.
"That last line was only four syllables," the armored man noted, smiling as he walked up behind us.
Apollo frowned, his gaze narrowing as he observed the man but otherwise saying nothing about it. "Was it?"
"Yes," Artemis rolled her eyes. "What about I am so big-headed?"
"No, no, that's six syllables. Hmmm." He started muttering to himself.
Zoe Nightshade turned to us. "Lord Apollo has been going through this haiku phase ever since he visited Japan. 'Tis not as bad as the time he visited Limerick. If I'd had to hear one more poem that started with, There once was a goddess from Sparta–"
"I've got it!" Apollo announced. "I am so awesome. That's five syllables!" He bowed, looking very pleased with himself.
"And now, sis. Transportation for the Hunters, you say? Good timing. I was just about ready to roll."
"These demigods will also need a ride," Artemis said, pointing to us. "Some of Chiron's campers. And also, him." She nodded to the silently watching stranger.
"No problem!" Apollo checked us out. "Let's see… Perseus, right? I've heard all about you."
Perseus stood up just a little straighter. "Hi, Lord Apollo."
"Zeus' kid, yes? Makes you my half-brother. Used to be a tree, didn't you? Glad you're back. Sucks being made out of wood. Man, I remember one time–"
"Brother," Artemis said, her tone borderline exasperated. "You should get going."
"Right, right," Then he looked at me, and his eyes narrowed. "Atalanta Jackson?"
"Yeah." I blushed. "I mean… yes, sir?" It seemed weird calling a teenager "sir," but I'd learned to be careful with immortals. They tended to get offended easily. Then they blew stuff up. Artemis' response was the tamest I had ever encountered when it came to being visibly uncomfortable around their preferable physical age.
Apollo studied me for a few seconds without saying anything, which I found a little creepy. Then, his attention swiveled to the man behind us, where his face darkened ever so slightly before his signature smile nearly blinded us once again.
"Well!" he said at last. "We'd better load up, huh? Ride only goes one way – west. And if you miss it, you miss it."
I looked at the convertible, which would seat two people max. There were like twenty of us.
"Cool car," Nico said.
"Thanks, kid," Apollo said.
"But how will we all fit?"
"Oh." Apollo seemed to notice the problem for the first time. "Well, yeah. I hate to change out of sports-car mode, but I suppose…"
He took out his car keys and beeped the security alarm button. Chirp, chirp.
For a moment, the car glowed bright again. When the glare died, the car had been replaced by one of those Turtle Top shuttle buses we used for school basketball games.
"Right," he said. "Everybody in."
Zoe ordered the Hunters to start loading. She picked up her camping pack, and Apollo said, "Here, sweetheart. Let me get that."
Zoe recoiled. Her eyes flashed murderously.
"Brother," Artemis chided. "You do not help my Hunters. You do not look at, talk to, or flirt with my Hunters. And you do not call them sweetheart."
Apollo spread his hands. "Sorry, I forgot. Hey, sis, where are you off to, anyway?"
"Hunting," Artemis said. "It's none of your business."
"I'll find out. I see all. Know all."
Artemis snorted. "Just drop them off, Apollo. And no messing around!"
"No, no! I never mess around."
Artemis rolled her eyes, then looked at us. "I will see you by winter solstice. Zoe, you are in charge of the Hunters. Do well. Do as I would do."
Zoe straightened. "Yes, my lady."
Artemis knelt and touched the ground as if looking for tracks. When she rose, she looked troubled. "So much danger. The beast must be found." She turned to the armored man and gave him a curt nod. The man said nothing and shrugged, as if he had already said his piece. The goddess silently huffed before sprinting back into the woods once more, quickly melting into the snow and shadows.
Apollo gave the armored man one last careful glance before he turned to us and grinned, jangling the car keys on his finger. "So," he said. "Who wants to drive?"
{o0o}
The Hunters piled into the bus. They all crammed into the back so they'd be as far away as possible from Apollo and the rest of us, as if it was illegal for them to affiliate with anyone outside of the Hunt. Bianca sat with them, leaving her little brother to hang in the front with us, which seemed cold to me, but Nico didn't seem to mind.
"This is so cool!" Nico said, jumping up and down in the driver's seat. "Is this really the sun? I thought Helios and Selene were the sun and moon gods. How come sometimes it's them and sometimes it's you and Artemis?"
"Downsizing," Apollo said. "The Romans started it. They couldn't afford all those temple sacrifices, so they laid off Helios and Selene and folded their duties into our job descriptions. My sis got the moon, and I got the sun. It was pretty annoying at first, but at least I got this cool car."
"But how does it work?" Nico asked. "I thought the sun was a big fiery ball of gas!"
Apollo chuckled and ruffled Nico's hair. "That rumor probably got started because Artemis used to call me a big fiery ball of gas. Seriously, kid, it depends on whether you're talking about astronomy or philosophy."
"You want to talk astronomy? Bah, what fun is that? You want to talk about how humans think about the sun? See now, that's more interesting. You got a lot riding on the sun… er, so to speak. It keeps them warm, grows their crops, powers engines, makes everything look, well, sunnier. This chariot is built out of human dreams about the sun, kid. It's as old as Western Civilization. Every day, it drives across the sky from east to west, lighting up all those puny little mortal lives. The chariot is a manifestation of the sun's power, the way mortals perceive it. Make sense?"
Nico blinked once, then twice. "Nope."
"Well then, just think of it as a really powerful, really dangerous solar car."
"So like," My head began to hurt from the confusion that wracked my mind. "Does the sun in the sky actually follow your… chariot path? Or is it the other way around?"
"As in…?"
"If you dive headfirst towards the sea, say, hypothetically," I frowned. "Would mortals see the sun trying to commit sunset too early?"
"I'm sure the Mist would hide that if it ever happened," Apollo said, tapping his fingers on the headrest of the driver's seat. "If not, my lil sis would be after my hide next."
"Hey, Apollo!" Nico jumped up and down, his hand raised like he was in class. "Can I drive?"
"No. Too young."
"Oo! Oo!" Grover said, waving his hand excitedly.
"Mm, no," Apollo said. "Too furry." He looked past me and focused on Perseus.
"Son of Zeus!" he said. "Lord of the sky. Perfect."
"Uh… absolutely not." Perseus looked like he was back to tree-mode again. "No thank you."
"C'mon," Apollo insisted. "How old are you?"
Perseus hesitated. "I don't know."
It was sad, but true. He'd been turned into a tree when he was twelve, but that had been seven years ago. So he should be nineteen, if you went by years. But he still felt like he was twelve, and if you looked at him, he seemed somewhere in between. The best Chiron could figure was that he had kept on aging while in tree form, but much more slowly.
Apollo tapped his finger to his lips. "You're fifteen, almost sixteen."
"How do you know that?"
"Hey, I'm the god of prophecy. I know stuff." Apollo nodded knowingly. "You'll turn sixteen in about a week. Which means… you're old enough now to drive with a learner's permit!"
"Uhhhh–" Perseus tried to inch away, but Apollo wasn't taking no for an answer. He flipped a switch on the dashboard that flapped open a sign on the back of the bus, lit up in bright red. I had to read it backwards (which, for a dyslexic, really wasn't much harder than reading normally), but I was pretty sure it read something like: "WARNING: Student Driver."
"Take it away!" Apollo clapped Perseus on the shoulder with a hearty laugh. "You're gonna be a natural!"
I'll admit I was jealous. I couldn't wait to start driving. A couple of times that fall, my mom had taken me out to Montauk when the beach road was empty, and she'd let me try out her Mazda. I mean, yeah, that was a Japanese compact, and this was the sun chariot, but how different could it be?
"Speed equals heat," Apollo advised. "So start slowly, and make sure you've got a good altitude before you really open her up."
Perseus was gripping the wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. He looked stuck somewhere between terrified and about to puke.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"N-Nothing," He stammered. "Absolutely f-fine!" He suddenly jerked the wheel back, tilting the bus upwards so fast I fell back and crashed against something soft.
"Ow." Grover said.
"Sorry."
"Slower!" Apollo said.
"Sorry!" Perseus said. "I've got it under control!"
I managed to get to my feet. Looking out the window, I saw a smoking ring of trees from the clearing where we'd taken off.
"Hey, Perseus?"
"Not right now Atti!"
"Any lower you're gonna be responsible for the start of a wildfire."
"Arghhh!"
"Basically, lighten up on the accelerator."
"I've got it, Atti," He said, gritting his teeth. But he kept it floored.
"Loosen up," I told him.
"I'm loose!"
"Doesn't look like it."
"We need to veer south for Long Island," Apollo interjected, "Hang a left."
Perseus jerked the wheel and again threw me into Grover, who yelped.
"The other left," Apollo suggested.
I made the mistake of looking out the window again. We were at airplane height now – so high the sky was starting to look black.
"Ah…" Apollo said, sounding like he truly regretted his decision to put Perseus behind the wheel. Though his face didn't show it, his voice was tight. "A little lower, if you would. Cape Cod is freezing over."
Perseus took that too seriously and pitched the bus into a nosedive. His face was chalk white, his forehead beaded with sweat. It was the face of someone you really didn't want behind the wheel.
Somebody screamed. Maybe it was me. We were now heading straight towards the Atlantic Ocean at a thousand miles an hour, the New England coastline off to our right. And it was getting hot in the bus.
Apollo had been thrown somewhere in the back of the bus, but he started climbing up the row of seats. For a moment, I wondered why I hadn't just seatbelted myself to a seat to avoid turning into a ragdoll every time Perseus decided to jerk the steering wheel. But upon inspection, Apollo's bus didn't have any seatbelts, even in the driver's seat, so I suppose being concerned about safety was never a priority aboard the sun in the first place.
"Take the wheel!" Grover begged the sun god.
"No worries," Apollo said, looking plenty worried. "He just has to learn to – WHOA!"
I saw what he was seeing. Down below us was a little snow-covered New England town. At least, it used to be snow-covered. As I watched, the snow melted off the trees and the roofs and the lawns. The white steeple on a church turned brown and started to smolder. Little plumes of smoke, like birthday candles, were popping up all over town. Suddenly, I was a lot more concerned about my joke about the wildfire coming true.
"Pull up!" I yelled.
"There!" Apollo pointed. "Long Island, dead ahead! Let's slow down dear. Dead is only an expression."
"I'm under control." Perseus muttered repeatedly. "I'm under control."
Thousands of yards became hundreds, and hundreds became tens of yards. I braced myself, even though I was sure even Apollo wasn't stupid enough to let us crash straight into camp.
"Brake," Apollo said.
"I can do this, I can do this–" Perseus chanted, except now I noticed, his eyes were closed.
"BRAKE!" Grover, Apollo and I all yelled in sync, spurring Perseus to slam his foot onto the brake as his eyes shot open. The bus pitched and spun at an awkward 45 degree angle, smashing horizontally into the canoe lake, sending several frightened and surprised naiads flying straight out of the lake. One of them actually flipped us off, surprising me as I never imagined the naiads being capable of doing that.
The bus bobbed on the lake's surface, accompanying a few well charred canoes that we were gonna need to renew.
"Well," Apollo smiled weakly, his face putting up a brave look. "That was fun! I told you he's got it. Now, let us go see if we boiled anyone important, shall we?"
We quickly set to unloading, with the Hunters hobbling off in swift relief. For a band of girls that were meant to represent family, they did a good job sharing the same personality. Brusque, cold-shouldered, and haughty. At least, with everyone but themselves. I know I keep mentioning it, but it makes me relieved that turning down Zoe's offer earlier wasn't the worst split-second decision I had ever made.
I shifted my attention to the Camp, eyeing my second home in awe. I'd never seen it during the winter before, and the snow surprised me. See, the camp has this ultimate magic climate control. Nothing gets inside the borders unless the director, Mr. D, wants it to. I thought it would be warm and sunny, but instead the snow had been allowed to fall lightly. Frost covered the chariot track and the strawberry fields. The cabins were decorated with tiny flickering lights, like Christmas lights, except they seemed to be balls of real fire. More lights glowed in the woods, and weirdest of all, a fire flickered in the attic window of the Big House, where the Oracle dwelt, imprisoned in an old mummified body. I wondered if the spirit of Delphi was roasting marshmallows up there or something, which was a much more creepy image in my head than comical.
"Whoa…" I had honestly forgotten Nico was here. "Is that a climbing wall?" He asked curiously.
"Yeah," I said.
"Why is there lava pouring down it?"
"Little extra challenge. Come on. I'll introduce you to Chiron. Zoe, have you met–"
"I know Chiron," Zoe said stiffly. "Tell him we will be in Cabin Eight. Hunters, follow me."
"I'll show you the way," Grover offered.
"We know the way."
"Oh, really, it's no trouble. It's easy to get lost here, if you don't," he tripped over a canoe and came up still talking. "Like my old daddy goat used to say! Come on!"
Zoe rolled her eyes, but I guess she figured there was no getting rid of Grover. The Hunters shouldered their packs and their bows and headed off towards the cabins. As Bianca was leaving, she leaned over and whispered something in her brother's ear. She looked at him for an answer, but Nico remained disgruntled, simply scowling and turning away.
"Perseus, you alive?" I glanced at our temporary driver, who had dropped onto the snow covered ground in a heap of relieved sweat.
"Uuughmuhgmahgu…" He groaned as I helped him stand back up. "Never… never again…"
"There, there," I patted him on the back. "You'll live."
"Take care, you all," Apollo waved to us. "Except you." The air suddenly felt heavy, like there was an invisible force pressing down on us. It felt like something was squeezing my lungs from the inside. The sun god had his hand on the armored man's left shoulder, and upon closer inspection, it looked like Apollo's eyes were glowing. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a few questions."
"Sure thing, Apollo," The man replied calmly. "Tone down your aura. You're scaring the kids."
"How can you even–" Apollo froze. "Never mind."
The pressure lessened, and it was once again easier to breathe.
"We should get going," Perseus eyed the two powerhouses behind us warily, having overcome the aftermath of his driving experience. "Chiron would want to know what happened."
I nodded in agreement. The winter air, so tranquil and welcoming just moments before, had become tense with frantic energy. It felt like a muted version of the experience I had when standing between Zeus and my father two summers ago, but no less daunting.
Nico looked really grumpy as we made our way towards the Big House. He kept fiddling with a set of cards in hand, his eyes becoming more confused as he flipped through each one.
"Who's Chiron?" He eventually asked, "I don't have his figurine."
"He's our activities director," Perseus replied. "He's well… you'll see."
"If those Hunter girls don't like him," Nico grumbled, "That's good enough for me. Let's go."
{o0o}
Percy POV:
"How can you sense aura?" Apollo asked the moment we stood out of earshot of any possible eavesdroppers. "You can't do that unless-"
"Unless you have the essence of one of the gods themselves? Yes, I know." I said retching. Thalia's – Er… that lightning kid was just as bad as driving as she had been. "And believe me when I say even if I could tell you, I've sworn never to reveal it to anyone outside of the Council of the Tofu Empire."
"The what?"
"Don't ask."
Apollo sighed and shook his head. "Whatever. What I want to know is why I cannot get a read on you whatsoever. Everyone, myself and my sister included, has some path of Fate. For the gods, it's slightly more skewed and sometimes blurry, but it's still visible. For the demigods, I can predict the direction that their actions and choices will take them, and what prophecies they may run into. But you."
"You're not completely mortal, that much is obvious. You could be immortal, but even then, what would that make you, a minor god of sorts? I don't recall any that look or act like you. If not, that leaves you as a demigod. But what sort of demigod comes up with a blank in my mind?"
I took a deep breath and exhaled. "Apollo. I'm not quite sure how to explain it myself, but I'm not really from here. To be honest with you, I wouldn't be surprised if you couldn't read my Fate. How can you read someone's future if they originally had no future in this world at all?"
Apollo's face darkened. "Well, you can't. But people don't just… spontaneously appear. And even then…"
"You're almost there…"
"So… you spontaneously appeared?"
I facepalmed. "You just implied that doing so was impossible."
"Yeah, I know, but I can't think of anything else!"
I clapped him on the shoulder, infusing my aura with cheeriness. It felt like a dirty trick, kinda like how Piper described using charmspeak on people to get them to go away kindly. "Look, Apollo, don't think on it too deeply. I know you're concerned for your sister, and about a lot of other things. But as of now, before I fully understand what's going on, I can't tell you much. Plus, the sun god has some morning duties to handle, doesn't he?"
"Y-You're right," Apollo pursed his lips. "Okay, then we'll discuss this later. When I'm free."
"Sure." I said simply, refusing to elaborate. I watched in silence as Apollo trudged back to his bus, said vehicle still bubbling in the lake. The naiads sitting on the edge shot me scathing looks, like it was my fault I kept the sun there on purpose.
"I'm watching you," Apollo mouthed as the bus morphed back to the Maserati in a flash, flicking two fingers between his eyes and mine. Then, he blasted out of the lake, leaving a fiery trail of light in his wake.
"Great," I muttered. Another god on my back. At least, it was Apollo. The god wasn't as stupid as people usually imagined. Sure, he and Hermes were excellent at acting like doofuses, but when it came to getting the job done, they had no problem getting serious. Thankfully, neither were good interrogators. I'd be in much deeper trouble had someone like Athena or Zeus questioned me.
I began heading towards the Big House. I wasn't as surprised by the emptiness of the camp this time. I was more nostalgic, seeing people who had been dead for years suddenly living life again.
There was Charles Beckendorf, the Hephaestus legend before Leo Valdez came. I wondered what sorts of contraptions and weapons the two could create together. Beckendorf knew how to craft some absolutely insane weaponry, but Leo was another level of mechanical brainiac. Too bad Fate only intended to keep one of them alive.
The absence of Clarisse didn't confuse either. I knew what she was doing this time. Chiron had sent her to explore the Labyrinth, a crazy maze underneath the world that led to everywhere and anywhere, created by Daedalus himself. The slow realization that the Labyrinth was beneath my very feet hit me as I walked, still laying dormant until next summer when Daedalus' final decision to die destroyed his life's work.
It had been nearly a month since I had been tossed into this alternate world. I'm not quite sure how, but one moment I was cleaving through an army of zombified giants in Canada, and the next I was standing dumbfounded next to a newspaper stand wondering if the vendor was playing the biggest prank on me. Even with all the crazy experiences I had lived through, I'd never imagined participating in the mind-bending phenomenon known as time travel. Yet there I was, in full armor with monster sludge dripping off my boots, wondering what I had done this time to land me 8 years in the past.
It took a lot of careful observations of everywhere and anywhere I knew as familiar: New Rome, Camp Half-Blood, even my old apartment that I had lived with my Mom in before she and Paul moved out after the Giant War. Both camps felt weaker in aura power, and were missing the scars gouged in the earth left over from the 2nd Giant War. Even with all the evidence laying before me, it was hard to imagine everything I was used to was gone just like that. I wanted so badly to believe otherwise, but one quick look at the unclaimed Bunker 9 in Camp Half-Blood was all it took to convince me. Leo and Calypso had transformed that workshop partly into a homey restaurant that was rarely idle. Not only did it serve the best food second to my Mom's, it was also the most heavily and powerfully fortified base in all of Camp. It was the birthplace of each of the Seven's suits, weapons, and the hub of aura research. Yet when I checked it just three days before I discovered the Hunters, it was no more than an unoccupied shell sitting sadly in the woods.
I had thought about approaching Camp Half-Blood about a week after my initial arrival, but couldn't find a sensible reason as to describing who I was. Even without my armor, any seasoned demigod or Chiron would be able to tell I wasn't some standard run-the-mill warrior. From my world, I had been established as one of the strongest mortal demigods, the first ever in several millennia to be blessed by Artemis and my father at once, and subsequently learning aura manipulation and sensing. I developed my own aura, and surpassed the limits of strength and ability control that children of Poseidon could reach.
Anyhow, that meant my eyes had a constant green glow to them, and my body emitted the same type of invisible pressure demigods felt around gods, even with me suppressing it. If that subtle observation didn't scream "Oh, he's a dangerous one," I didn't know what would. But, I had arrived with Atalanta and the others, who had witnessed my appearance and actions. So hopefully, they could at least vouch that I wasn't a threat.
Hopefully. So far, everyone I had talked to was rightfully suspicious. And if I heard right, the dark haired kid who had replaced Thalia was named Perseus. Which one, confused the heck out of me. And two, meant I probably needed an alias.
"You're glad to lose another camper," I heard Atalanta say angrily as I stepped onto the porch of the Big House. It was decorated with strings of red and yellow fireballs that warmed the air but didn't seem to catch anything on fire. I didn't have much time to appreciate them, as I felt the building tension inside. I pushed open the door to find my female doppelganger staring down the wine god furiously, her hands clenched to her sides.
"You have a point?" Mr. D yawned.
"Yeah!" She growled. "Just because you were sent here as a punishment doesn't mean you have to be a lazy jerk! This is your civilization, too. Maybe you could try helping out a little!"
For a second, there was no sound except the crackle of the fire. The light reflected in Mr. D's eyes, giving him a sinister look. The godly energy in the room began to push against my own aura, and I resisted the urge to push back, lest I wanted to expose myself to another god, this one far more loose-lipped than the twins I had met.
"SO COOL!" Nico yelled, bursting into the room, followed by Grover. The young innocent boy exuded such excitement that even Mr. D was taken aback. Nico held his hands out to Chiron, his eyes lit up. "You're… you're a centaur!"
Chiron managed a nervous smile. "Yes, Mr. di Angelo, if you please. Though, I prefer to stay in human form in this wheelchair for, ah, first encounters."
"And whoa!" Nico whipped his head towards Mr. D. "You're the wine dude? No way!"
Mr. D turned his eyes away from Atalanta slowly and gave Nico a look of loathing. "The wine dude?"
"Dionysus, right? Oh, wow! I've got your figurine."
"My figurine."
"In my game, Mythomagic. And a holofoil card, too! And even though you've only got like five hundred attack points and everybody thinks you're the lamest god card, I totally think your powers are sweet!"
"Ah." Mr. D said simply, completely perplexed. Nico's Confusion was truly effective. "Well, that's… gratifying."
"Atti," Chiron said quickly, "you and Perseus go down to the cabins. Inform the campers we'll be playing capture the flag tomorrow evening."
"Capture the flag?" Atti asked. "But we don't have enough–"
"It is a tradition," Chiron said. "A friendly match, whenever the Hunters visit."
"Yeah," Perseus muttered, "I bet it's reeeeal friendly."
Chiron jerked his head towards Mr. D, who was still frowning as Nico talked about how many defense points all the gods had in his game. "Run along now," Chiron said.
"Oh, right," Perseus said. "Come on, Atti."
The moment those two left, Chiron's attention turned to me. I had deactivated my armor before I entered the Big House, appearing more like any other year-round camper in the usual orange Camp Half-Blood sweater and black sweats. Magic and mechanical marvel made it possible for my exterior armor to fold up into a small triangular unit of storage attached to my back. The interior armor shifted to visibly match the texture and style of clothing I was envisioning. My two katanas transformed into silver and green wristbands. I looked pretty normal as far as one could see. But Chiron wasn't one to simply judge based on physical appearance.
"So," He began, taking a long look at me from head to toe. "You must be the strange case Atti had mentioned earlier."
"I suppose so," I nodded. I took the silence to observe my long-time mentor back. Chiron looked younger, despite his shaggier brown beard. The wars hadn't happened yet, making him look a lot less weary than he had. He looked brighter than the retired old man back in my world.
"I can't help but notice how familiar you look," Chiron said after a few seconds. "I can say confidently I have never seen you before, however. Who are you?"
"Now that's a loaded question," I chuckled sheepishly. "My name is Paul, by the way." I said, sticking a hand out to shake. I figured taking my stepfather's name wouldn't reveal anything obvious, since nobody knew who he was at this point.
"Paul," Chiron said, shaking my hand. "I'm Chiron, the de facto trainer and activities' director here at Camp Half-Blood."
I nodded. "The centaur who trained the greatest heroes of all time, right?"
"Indeed," Chiron replied. "Now that that's out of the way, may I ask what you intend to do with your visit?"
I sighed, sitting down on a nearby chair. "Chiron. I'd like to request to stay within the borders of Camp Half-Blood as a place of temporary residence."
Chiron studied me with an air of concern. "Will you answer if I ask why?"
"To the best of my ability," I said. "There are some confusing matters at hand. I would tell you more, but not in the presence of…" I tapered off, nodding discreetly to the confounded Dionysus. "It's nothing harmful, I swear, but it's information I don't trust many with."
"Yet you trust me?"
"Completely."
"We've never met."
"Not here, we haven't." I replied.
"You're a demigod, yes?" Chiron asked.
"Yes, sir."
"Do you know your parentage?"
I paused. "Yes."
"For your safety then, I'll have you stay in the Big House for the time being," Chiron decided. "I'm not sure how the campers would react to having an adult demigod living beside them, especially if you turn out to be the son of one of the more famous." He gazed at me pointedly, as if I had just failed another easy 10-question quiz with a wordbox provided. "And I have just the hunch that you are."
"Guilty as charged?" I shrugged.
"Now, if you don't mind, it seems that Mr. D's patience is nearing its end," Chiron said, turning towards the trio. "Settle in, Paul. We shall talk more at your next convenience. Please take care when you roam the campgrounds." Then he rolled off, leaving me in relieved silence.
After assigning myself a comfortable room in the Big House, I headed out towards the arena, a wide circular indoor gym of sorts with smooth wooden floor instead of the usual sandy concrete you see in typical gladiator arenas. On one side hung a line of punching bags that had seen better days. On the other stood a line of training dummies that looked even more depressing than the bags. It made me miss the insane Leo-mode dummies back home that were capable of emotionally and physically roasting you as you fought against them. Here, they were about as nonexistent as anything else.
"I didn't come here to mope," I muttered to myself, wrapping up my hands. I quickly set to beating the bags off the chains they hung on, even after I reinforced them with thick shields of ice from the air. I lost myself in the familiar rhythm of my hands slamming into the ruined plastic, so much that I nearly missed the sudden appearance of a very familiar and surprised aura appearing behind me.
"Wow, so you're really just a normal dude under all that armor." Atti said, shutting the door behind her. "I guess Chiron let you stay then."
I threw one last punch, infusing it with a shred of my aura. The bag exploded, sending sand and bits of plastic all over. Then I turned and sat back on one of the nearest bleachers, looking up as Atti approached me.
"So, want to tell me who you are, maybe? Why you followed us?" She asked curiously.
"How'd you know I was here?" I asked.
"Heard sounds coming from the arena." Atti shrugged. "Most people don't come here often. The ones that do are me, or the Ares cabin, and most of them are sleeping or absent at the moment. Clarisse isn't even here apparently, and everyone else doesn't seem keen on moving around in the cold."
"Fair enough," I said.
"So…?"
"My name is Paul," I said. "That's all you're getting out of me."
"Really?" Atti said, not believing me at all. "And what're you here for, Paul?"
"Figuring things out."
"Let me guess. It's complicated?"
"I would say so, yes."
"Do you think you'll eventually figure it out?"
I sighed, putting my head in my hands. "I really don't know. I had thought that, with everything I had done and lived through, Fate would be kind enough to leave me alone. But life is unfair. It always is."
"That's what Perseus said too," Atti hugged her knees against her chest.
"He's not wrong," I chuckled dryly. "This Perseus seems like a good kid."
"He is," Atti said, her voice tinged with jealousy. "I sometimes wish I could be more like him."
"Why's that?"
Atti took a deep breath. "For context, he was a tree just a few months ago. And he just came back recently. Anyways, he just seems better at everything. I want to like him, I really do. But seeing my friends turn to him for answers constantly, and waiting for his order, and watching him know all these tricks and skills…" She huffed. "I know he's more experienced, but it's still annoying sometimes."
"How many years have you been a demigod?" I asked. "And by that I mean, how many years have you known you were a demigod?"
"Only two."
"Am I right to assume that Perseus may or may not have grown up while on the run for his life?"
"He did. With Annabeth, you know, the girl who fell, and another guy."
"Then it should be no surprise that he knows just a bit more than you do." I said. "At this moment, sure, he could be better than you. But that also means you have room to grow as a demigod, and find your own path to success."
"..." Atti stared at the remains of the punching bag I had destroyed earlier. "Have you experienced the same feeling as me before?"
"I have." I said. "Before I became the way I am now, when I was your age. There was a demigod who my friends had been friends with for far longer. They knew her more personally than I did, and of course, gravitated to her almost immediately. I compared myself to her quite often, and only realized later that playing the me versus her game only pushed my personal growth further down than pushed it up."
Atti pushed herself up. "I suppose. It's… It's hard, you know? Thanks for hearing me out, I guess."
"Anytime," I nodded. "I appreciate the company." I turned back to the bags, wondering how the heck I was gonna replace it.
"Hey, Paul!" I heard Atti run back towards me. "I thought you know, since you're a demigod and a camper… technically, want to play Capture the Flag with us tomorrow night?"
"Seriously?" I asked.
"I know it's a kid's game but–"
"Of course!" I smiled sincerely for the first time since landing in this world. "I'd love to."
"Oh-Okay," Atti smiled back. "See you then!" Then she scampered off, her aura feeling frantic and… embarrassed?
I shook my head, bemused. Looks like I had something else to look forward to at least.
I remained undisturbed till dinner. I held back from openly practicing my sword skills, and instead focused on close-combat training and working on my elemental control. Thankfully, I hadn't busted out Riptide in the fight against Dr. Thorn, otherwise, I'd need to explain a lot more than just my hidden identity. Controlling ice and snow could at least hide the fact I was a son of Poseidon under the pretense that I could be a child of Boreas, but not many reasons could explain why an exact duplicate of Atalanta's sword lay in my possession.
"What's with the long face?" I asked during dinner, sitting down beside Atti at the Poseidon table. Being a guest in Camp meant that I could technically sit anywhere I wished, so long I was welcome. And well, not that anyone knew, but this was also my table.
"It's nothing," Atti sighed, prodding at her food.
"Must be pretty depressing if you think Camp food is meh." I said, digging into my steak. I didn't exactly know what was on her mind, but had a pretty good idea. Although being one of the kids of the Big Three made you all-powerful and one of the best, one major downside was that we didn't really get siblings. And with Camp rules, you couldn't even sit at other tables. It made dinner probably the loneliest time in camp.
"Thanks for keeping me company," Atti mumbled right as I just about finished my mashed potatoes. I chuckled.
"Yea, no problem."
When the majority of everyone had finished eating, Chiron made the usual customary toast to the gods and formally welcomed the Hunters of Artemis. The clapping was pretty half-hearted, but then again, the Hunters didn't normally leave a very good impression on the Camp, so it wasn't surprising most people weren't so enthusiastic about it. However, when Chiron announced the "good will" Capture the Flag game that would take place the next night, reception was a lot better.
Afterwards, we trailed back to our nightly residences for an early, winter lights out. Atti looked like she was going to fall asleep on her feet right then and there, but still managed to give me another quiet thank you and good night before stumbling off. I took the first actual shower I had taken in weeks (the suit has a magical "cleaning" effect that removes the grime off of you, but doesn't feel as good as warm water and shampoo). Then I promptly collapsed in bed, not realizing how tired I was. I fell asleep rather easily. However, like any other demigod, I was cursed to dream. And like any dream I had had before, I was about to wake up as one very unsettled demigod.
{o0o}
I found myself on a dark hillside covered in fog. It almost felt like the Underworld, but a lot colder than the Underworld because it was Mount Othrys, the black marble fortress of the Titans all the way in California. Back then, when Annabeth talked about how frustrating it was for her family to be living in the west, I didn't understand why. Now I know. Besides Mount Othrys, the west symbolized the home of the Romans, something the gods were highly paranoid about meeting the Greeks. Sure, they had a right to fear the union of both camps, but also, the gods didn't know how positive the outcome of doing so would be.
I glided upwards, until I was met with a familiar sight. Annabeth, trapped beneath old Atlas' curse, her hands pressed against the invisible force of the sky. She whimpered, the only thing keeping her alive being sheer willpower. For a moment, I wondered if I should've saved her from Thorn.
Swiftly approaching footsteps broke me out of my thoughts. The dream tugged me backwards so that I was floating over the cliff, giving me a better view of a familiar and old rival I'd never imagined I'd see again.
"We need to hurry," Luke said, his gaze shadowed as he examined Annabeth. "Any longer and she'll be dead."
I tensed up, even though I didn't have a physical form in the dream. Although it was a long time ago, I didn't quite remember Luke saying that.
"Choose!" A powerful baritone voice boomed across the dark landscape, like the sound of a bass-boosted waterfall. A meaty hand shoved someone forward, and much to my surprise, it wasn't Artemis, but Athena.
"Mother?" Annabeth winced, too exhausted to say much else.
"Give me the sky," Athena all but pushed Annabeth out from beneath the curse, grunting as she shifted the uncomfortable weight onto her immortal body. "How dare you do this to my daughter!"
A deep and cold laugh reverberated off the mountainside. "It was a necessary sacrifice in order to properly persuade you to take on this new job. Would you have cared otherwise, Lady Athena?"
"You will pay for this," Athena growled. "I swear–"
"Blah, blah, blah," Her captor turned away, beckoning to his guard consisting of a duo of dracaena. "Luke. Let us hurry back. I intend to begin the preparations for our eventual Lord's return. There's no point in wasting any more time here, eh?"
The dream blurred, and as I drifted silently in darkness, my mind whirled with questions. Why was Athena captured? Where was Artemis? Was the goddess okay? What was going on?
My surroundings righted itself once more, and this time, I found myself amongst the units of the monstrous army that supported Luke and his alliance with the Titan of Time. Cyclops, wild centaurs, hellhounds, weird hybrid birdmen, dracaena, and various rogue demigods. Each of them stuck to their own races, occupying up to two tents at most. I drifted into the largest tent, observing everything I saw. On one side, the horrible coffin that housed Kronos' body sat, emitting the evil and toxic aura it always had. The Titan was the epitome of cruelty, and even in a million pieces, he defined it still. And to the right sat Artemis, unconscious and chained inside of an imperial golden cage etched with several runes along the edges. I didn't need to know what they said. The raw suppression surrounding the cage was so thick I could feel my own aura fighting against it. Why they intended to keep the goddess trapped like this I didn't know, but trying to figure it out in my head didn't make seeing her like this any less uncomfortable.
"BRING HIM OUT HERE NOW!" A shrill cry interrupted my dream, and for a second, I thought I had been caught. Only to realize, that one) I had leapt out of bed and dropped into a defensive stance out of habit, and two) I was wide awake and still hearing a commotion downstairs.
"Thou brain-boiled lout!" Zoe's frantic cry echoed all the way upstairs. "Let me see him now!"
I exchanged my pajamas for a casual set of sweats and a hoodie as I made my way downstairs at the same time Chiron went out to greet Zoe. The centaur looked like Argus, wanting to be anywhere but in front of the near-sobbing huntress.
"Miss Nightshade. What is so urgent that you need me at this early hour?" The centaur yawned, taking in Zoe's ruffled state.
"Lady Artemis is in danger! I need thy permission to leave the camp so that we can go save her." Zoe stated.
"Out of the question." Chiron rebutted. "I have orders from your mistress for you to stay here until she returns."
"What?! But she's in trouble!" Zoe shot back, her face tense.
Chiron shook his head. "I can't grant you something when I have no direct orders from Artemis herself. I'm sorry."
Zoe then started talking really fast and old-fashioned, so much to the point that I couldn't stand it anymore. You'd think that someone who had served the goddess for 2000 years would think more logically about the situation, instead of reacting emotionally like something I would expect out of a little kid. Yet here she was, more or less offending Chiron and Argus, who rightfully was concerned for the Hunt's overall safety.
"Lieutenant," I said, releasing a hint of Artemis' aura. Of course, the imbued amount in the earring was nothing compared to the raw power of the goddess herself, but it should be enough to turn the enraged huntress' ire onto me. "I need you to calm yourself, right now."
"You!" Zoe's eyes narrowed. "How can you wield m'lady's energy?!"
I shook my head, unafraid to show how disappointed I was with her response. "That's your greatest concern? Not about the fact that you're begging Chiron to let you lead your sisters to their deaths?"
"I would never–"
"Yes, you would." I interrupted her, my voice cold. "You, Zoe Nightshade, who knows the goddess better than any of us should, approached the Big House under the pretense that Chiron would allow her to lead the Hunt on a suicidal mission to save her mistress from the middle of nowhere."
For a moment, silence overtook the front porch as Zoe stared at her feet. She looked like she wanted to retort something nasty back, but couldn't do so without proving me right.
"How did you know?"
"That Artemis was in trouble?" I asked. "Dreams. I figured that if I got one, it wouldn't be too wild of a guess to guess that Artemis' most loyal would get it too." Totally bluffed that reply, but nobody had to know that.
"I-I…"
"Your heart is in the right place, and I admire your undying loyalty," I said dryly. "But you forget, Lieutenant. Not only have you recently taken on a new Hunter, who by the way, hasn't even learned the basics of demigod survival yet. You plan to undertake a mission following Artemis' tracks. You're out of your immortal mind if you think for a second you can take on Artemis' captors purely based on your emotional ruling."
As Zoe fidgeted uncomfortably on the porch, suddenly deep in realization of what she had just intended to ask for, I sighed. I hadn't wanted to dress her down so badly, but the way she acted back in my world hurt the Hunters for a long time. Not only had she stressed the Hunt out prior to the quest, leaving them on edge at camp whilst Phoebe laid disabled by hives for weeks, she more or less brought them to tears with her prophesied death. Bianca's death delivered a second deathblow to the Hunt's overall morale. Honestly, it was impressive how Thalia rallied the Hunt back together.
"Walk with me," I said, beckoning to Zoe. The girl surprisingly followed, her feet shuffling in the snow as I led her to the arena. Once I activated the ring of torchlights that lit up the arena, I sat down on the bleachers and nodded to Zoe. "You looked like you wanted to say more earlier. Want to say it now?"
"Where did you get that?" Zoe didn't move, though it was clear what she was asking about.
"This?" I tapped my earring fondly. "It was a gift."
"From Artemis?"
"Yes."
"That's it?"
I shook my head. "Well, no. But I can't tell you much more for certain reasons."
Zoe huffed. "Ever since thou arrived, it seems that there's been a lot more reasons for me not to know things."
"It's for your benefit, Lieutenant," I said simply. "Knowledge is power. And in my case, there's far too much of it."
"The knowledge, or the power?"
"Both."
"Cryptic as always," Zoe crossed her arms. Her gaze was piercing as she stared me straight in the face. "Men are usually easy to read. However, I find it difficult to read thee whatsoever."
"Is that all?" I asked, slightly amused.
"What can I do then?" Zoe asked, her tone almost desperate. "You know that Lady Artemis is in danger. What am I supposed to do? I've already told them–"
"Calm yourself first," I repeated what I had said to her earlier, surrounding her with my aura. Steady, calm, and serene. "You're the leader when Artemis is not here. Your sisters, both old and young, will turn to you for guidance. If you panic and fall, they will follow."
"A-Alright."
"You're right to be concerned." I said. "But we both know that whoever can capture Artemis is as intelligent as they are deadly. The goddess of the Hunt is not such an easy catch."
Zoe nodded slowly. "I… I knew that."
"You have always known," I chuckled humorlessly. "Think about it like this. Would Artemis want to see you crying and sobbing for her? You're her family, her sisters-in-arms. That's what she called you. She made you all into warriors, women serving her for eternity." I stood up, gazing at Zoe sternly. "So keep your chins up! The goddess isn't dead. She's strong. So be like her." I paused, sitting back down. "Be strong, Zoe Nightshade."
"Thou make it sound so easy, I almost believe thee," Zoe said. "Can one truly believe the words of a man?"
I shook my head. "This has nothing to do with whether I am a man or a woman. You know the right answer in your heart, Lieutenant. I'll let you decide what you want to do."
I stood back up and headed towards the exit, leaving the huntress to her thoughts. "The torches will deactivate after you leave, Lieutenant. Have a good night."
I was met by an astounded Argus on the Big House's porch when I returned. I had been around the camp's head of security long enough to know what his expressions were and chuckled.
"Surprised that I'm alive and well?" I asked, shaking my head. "Yeah, me too. Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna go catch up on sleep." And I did just that.
{o0o}
Atalanta POV:
Demigod dreams were never normal. Some of them predicted the future. Some revealed backstories of the past. And others were straight up fever dreams. The one I had last night was none of them, as I got a front row seat of my old rival Luke using Annabeth as bait for her mom, Athena. And the worst thing was, I couldn't do anything but recall everything before Grover the next morning.
The two of us sat in the meadow watching the satyrs chase the wood nymphs through the snow. The nymphs had promised to kiss the satyrs if they got caught, but they hardly ever did. Usually the nymph would let the satyr get up a full head of steam, then she'd turn into a snow-covered tree and the poor satyr would slam into it headfirst and get a pile of snow dumped on him.
When I told Grover my nightmare, he started twirling his finger in his shaggy leg fur.
"So wait… you saw Annabeth getting crushed by an invisible ceiling?"
"Uh huh."
"Then she passed it to Athena?"
"Yup."
"And it's cause of Luke?"
"Sounds about right."
"You aren't really making much sense, you know."
"Tell me about it," I muttered. "I feel like I should understand what's going on, but I don't."
Grover shook his head. "I mean, I can't figure it out either. But after what Zoe dreamed–"
"Whoa. What do you mean, 'after what Zoe dreamed'?"
"I… I don't know, exactly. About three in the morning, she came to the Big House and demanded to talk to Chiron. She looked really panicked."
"Wait, how do you know this?"
Grover blushed. "I was sort of camped outside the Artemis cabin."
"What for?" I asked, bewildered.
"Just to be, you know, near them."
"..." I took a deep breath. "Grover respectfully, you're a stalker with hooves."
"I am not! Anyways, I followed her to the Big House and hid in a bush and watched the whole thing. She got real upset when Argus wouldn't let her in. It was kind of a dangerous scene."
I tried to imagine that. It was a bit comical, to say the least. "What did she say?"
Grover grimaced. "Well, she starts talking really old-fashioned when she gets upset, so it was kinda hard to understand. The gist of it was Artemis was in trouble and needed the Hunters. And then she called Argus a boil-brained lout or something… And boy, Argus looked like he wanted to throw hands…"
"Whoa, what? How could Artemis be in trouble?"
"I… well, finally Chiron came out in his pajamas and his horse tail in curlers and–"
"He wears curlers in his tail?"
Grover covered his mouth.
"Right, sorry," I mumbled. "Go on."
"Well, Zoe said she needed permission to leave camp immediately. Chiron refused. He reminded Zoe that the Hunters were supposed to stay here until they received orders from Artemis. And she said…" Grover gulped. "She said 'How are we to get orders from Artemis if Artemis is lost?'"
"As in, she needs directions?"
"No. I think she meant gone. Taken. Kidnapped."
"Kidnapped?" I tried to get my mind around that idea. "How would you kidnap an immortal goddess? Is that even possible?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, it happened to Persephone."
"Yea, but wasn't she taken by another god, you know, Hades? You can't just take a goddess like her without dealing with the consequences, I'd think."
"I suppose," Grover looked on mournfully.
"Anything else happen?" I asked.
"You know that armored demigod?" Grover said.
"Paul, you mean?"
"Paul?"
"Uh, his name. I talked to him yesterday."
"Well, he showed up and immediately shut Zoe down. I couldn't believe how disrespectful he was being, telling her that she was overreacting and–"
"Paul?" I pictured the stern veteran demigod in my head. "Of all the times I've seen him address the Hunters, he's never talked down on them."
"You didn't see him," Grover shook his head. "Zoe had every right to be stressed, and he just…" He sighed. "I get that he's powerful enough to get an audience with Artemis, but he shouldn't treat the lieutenant of the Hunt like another random camper."
I shrugged. I knew Grover practically worshiped the ground the Hunters walked on, but having actually spoken to Paul, I couldn't imagine the man being rude. Curt, yes. Truthfully blunt, also yes. But blatantly rude? Not really.
"Anyways," Grover sighed. "You're right. But I have no clue who would have the power to capture Artemis, much less why they would."
"I mean, she did say she was going to hunt some kind of monster capable of bringing the downfall of Olympus," I said. "Surely that means she was eventually going to cross paths with our enemies, right?"
"You think it could be Kronos?" Grover asked miserably.
"Can't be," I shook my head. "Last time we saw him, he was still in a million pieces. Plus, if Kronos re-formed, don't you think the gods would have shown some kind of sign that he had come back?"
"It's just weird," Grover said. "You had a nightmare the same night as Zoe. It's almost like–"
"They're connected," I shuddered. "To think that out there, not one but two goddesses have been captured in a single night."
"It's concerning, that's for sure." Grover said.
I couldn't really concentrate on anything for the rest of the day. It was nerve-racking enough already, knowing that Annabeth was somewhere in Luke's grasp, unable to escape. The smelly lazy wine god refused to let us take action, and now, according to my simping satyr best friend, Artemis was missing as well.
I attended javelin-throwing class, only to be sent packing five minutes in after I absent-mindedly ripped a hole in the pants of the Ares camper in charge. My feet led me to the pegasus stables, which usually helped calm me down, except today I noticed Silena Beauregard from Aphrodite cabin locked in a verbally violent argument with one of the Hunters and decided to detour back towards my cabin.
By the time it was time to play Capture-the-Flag against the Hunters, I was stressed to the limit. I had felt so lost the whole day, with no one to turn to and ask for guidance. I thought about asking Paul for a while, but would he even spare the time to listen to the frustrated musings of a 14-year-old demigod girl? I didn't know, so I hadn't bothered.
"Hey, you good?" Paul's voice of concern drifted over and I looked up, slightly startled. He was dressed in the classic armor we wore for these games, seemingly having found a size big enough to fit him. Two silver and green wristbands glinted brightly on his wrists. I had a guess those were the alternate forms of his swords he had strapped on his back from before, much like how Riptide was enchanted to change into a pen when capped.
"I uh…" I took a deep breath. Maybe I should've asked. "It's been a long day."
"Looks like it," Paul chuckled. "Hopefully, the game cheers you up. I know it does for me."
"You've played before?"
"When I was your age, yeah, a lot. Nothing teaches you better instincts than getting beat up by your friends for a simple game of Capture-the-Flag."
"Except actual experience."
"Yes, except actual experience," Paul smirked. "I heard you took down a minotaur your first year. Pretty impressive."
I blushed. "It was… circumstances."
"Most of our feats are," Paul said knowingly. "Now, let's focus up, shall we? There seems to be a habit of losing these games against the Hunt."
I nodded and walked a little faster to catch up with the taller demigod. The game was gonna be a small one, with only thirteen Hunters including Bianca di Angelo, and twelve campers plus Paul. I looked across the field towards the Hunters, all of whom looked a lot more depressed compared to the night before, when they were laughing and joking around during dinner. Zoe Nightshade looked pretty upset, but otherwise kept herself calm on the outside. Every now and then, the huntress would share a glance with Paul, and it would always be Zoe that whipped her head to the side, out of embarrassment or resentment I couldn't tell. It looked like whatever he had said had been meaningful, not so much like the brtual talking down Grover had described in the morning.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Hunt had no qualms against showing their displeasure for being forced to stay at Camp. They just huddled together in groups, whispering nervously to each other as they strapped on their armor. Some of them looked like they had been crying. It was almost like Zoe told them Artemis had died or something.
On our team, we had Beckendorf and two other Hephaestus guys, a few from the Ares cabin (though it still seemed strange that Clarisse wasn't around), the Stoll brothers and Nico from Hermes cabin, and a few Aphrodite kids. It was weird that the Aphrodite cabin wanted to play. Usually, they sat on the sidelines, chatted, and checked their reflections in the river and stuff, but when they heard we were fighting the Hunters, they were raring to go.
"I'll show them 'love is worthless'," Silena Beauregard grumbled as she strapped on her armor. "I'll pulverize them!"
That left Perseus, me, and Paul.
"I'll take offense," Perseus volunteered. "You take defense."
"Oh." I bit back the urge to just say, 'Uh, no?'. "Don't you think with your shield and all, you'd be better at defense?"
Perseus already had Aegis on his arm, and even our own teammates were giving him a wide berth, trying not to cower before the bronze head of Medusa.
"Well, I was thinking it would make a better offense," Perseus said. "Besides, you've had more practice at defense."
I wasn't sure if he was making fun of me. I'd had some pretty bad experiences with defense on Capture-the-Flag. My first year, Annabeth had put me out as kind of bait, and I'd almost been gored to death with spears and killed by a hellhound.
"Yeah, no problem," I relented.
"Cool," Perseus turned to help some of the Aphrodite kids, who were having trouble suiting up their armor without losing their composure in front of the son of Zeus. Nico di Angelo ran up to me with a big grin on his face.
"Atti, this is awesome!" His blue-feathered bronze helmet was falling in his eyes, and his breastplate was about six sizes too big. I wondered if there was any way I'd looked that ridiculous when I'd first arrived. Unfortunately, I probably had.
Nico lifted his borrowed sword with effort. "So, do we get to kill the other team?"
"Well… no."
"But the Hunters are immortal, right?"
"Nico," Paul deadpanned, stifling a laugh. "Are you suggesting we skewer your sister?"
"Uhhhh…" Nico's face exploded into panic. "No, no, that's not–"
I couldn't help it. The giggles slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. "He's teasing you, Nico."
An excited grin took over Nico's face once more. "It would be awesome if we just, like, resurrected as soon as we were killed, so we could keep fighting, and–"
"That would make Capture-the-Flag games so much more intense," Paul mused. "I know a few who would simply go in guns-ablazing no questions asked if that were the case. But, here if you get stabbed enough, you can definitely die. Basically, follow the team, stay out of Zoe's way, and we're gonna have a blast."
Chiron's hoof thundered on the pavilion floor.
"Heroes!" He called. "You know the rules! The creek is the boundary line. Blue team - Camp Half Blood - shall take the west woods. Red team - Hunters of Artemis - shall take the east woods. I shall serve as referee and battle medic. No intentional maiming, please! All magic items are allowed. To your positions!"
"Sweet," Nico whispered beside me. "What kind of magic items? Do I get one?"
I was about to break it to him that he didn't, when Perseus said, "Blue team! Follow me!"
We cheered and followed Perseus into our designated part of the woods. Our flag was set at the top of Zeus' Fist. It was this cluster of boulders in the middle of the west woods that, if you look at it just the right way, looks like a huge fist sticking out of the ground. If you looked at it from any other side though, it looks like a pile of enormous deer droppings, but Chiron wouldn't let us call the place the Poop Pile, especially after it had been named for Zeus, who doesn't have much of a sense of humor as much as he does a stick up his butt.
Anyways, it was a good place to set the flag. The top boulder was twenty feet tall and really hard to climb, so the flag was clearly visible, like the rules said it had to be, but it didn't matter that the guards weren't allowed to stand within ten yards of it.
"The Hunters will scale that pile of dung in seconds," Paul said, looking up Zeus' fist. "Well, under normal circumstances at least."
"What do you mean?" I asked after assigning Nico on guard duty with Beckendorf and the Stoll brothers. I figured that this way, the young boy would be safely out of the way, since his safety was more concerned with his inability to handle the massive sword in his hands already.
Paul chuckled, snow swirling up from the ground around his arms. "You looked a little bit miffed being told to play defense."
"What does that have anything to do with–"
"I'll take your defensive post," Paul raised his right hand, an icy sphere of air whirling in his palm. "So that you can make use of an offensive golden opportunity, eh?"
"You're the freaking best," I said, before turning and running up to where Perseus and the others stood. Perseus was giving orders, pointing to each specific camper as he spoke.
"We'll send out a decoy to the left," Perseus said. "Silena, you lead that."
"Got it!"
"Take Laurel and Jason. They're good runners. Make a wide arc around the Hunters, attract as many as you can. I'll take the main raiding party around to the right and catch them by surprise."
Everybody nodded. It sounded good, and Perseus said it with such confidence you couldn't help but believe it would work.
Perseus looked at me. "Anything to add, Atti?"
"Um, yeah. Keep sharp on defense. We've got five guards, two scouts. That's not much for a big forest. Remember, we're up against the Hunters, who literally do this for a living. I'll be roving. Yell if you need help."
"And don't leave your post!" Perseus said.
"Unless you see a golden opportunity," I said.
Perseus scowled. He leveled a cool glare at me, before speaking again. "Just don't leave your post."
"Right, unless–"
"Atti!" He touched my arm and shocked me. I yanked my arm back in surprise. I mean, everybody can give static shocks in the winter, but when Perseus does it, it actually hurts. It makes sense, cause his dad and all, but still, that was uncalled for.
"Sorry," Perseus said, though he didn't sound particularly sorry. "Now, is everybody clear?"
Everybody nodded. We broke into smaller groups. The horn sounded, and the game began.
Silena's group disappeared into the woods on the left. Perseus' group gave it a few seconds, before darting off to the right.
I waited for something to happen. I climbed Zeus' Fist and had a good view over the forest. I remembered how the Hunters had stormed out of the woods when they fought the manticore, and I was prepared for something like that – one huge charge that could overwhelm us. But nothing happened.
PHISSSSSSSSSSSSHHHH
Below me, my eyes widened as sheets of ice expanded from beneath Paul's hand, blanketing the ground with a thin translucent layer of well, ice. The air became noticeably cooler, making me wonder what exactly was going on.
"Uh, what's happening?" One of the Stoll brothers asked.
"Defensive maneuvers," Paul explained. "I felt them cross the border minutes ago. A few are already on their way here. I just… slowed down their progress a little."
"I've never seen anything like this before," I admitted, turning to stare at the forest. Not a single leaf rustled to reveal the presence of the hidden huntresses, yet Paul knew they were there by simply feeling the goddamn air? Crazy.
I caught a glimpse of Silena and her two scouts. They ran through a clearing, followed by five of the Hunters, leading them deep into the woods and away from Perseus. The plan seemed to be working. Then I spotted another clump of Hunters heading to the right, bows ready. They must've spotted Perseus.
"What's happening?" Nico demanded, trying to climb up next to me.
My mind was racing. Perseus would never get through, but the Hunters were divided. With that many on either flank, their center had to be wide open. And with Paul here on defense, I just had to move fast.
I glanced back, only to be met by Paul's already grinning face. "Go Atti! Go for it! We got this."
I nodded, and the Stoll brothers and Nico cheered as I sprinted toward the boundary line.
I ran at top speed and felt great. I leaped over the creek into enemy territory, pausing for a second as Paul's icy aura crackled off of me. For a moment, I felt vulnerable, as if a layer of protection had been removed. I didn't think too much of it as my eyes locked onto the silver flag waving up ahead, guarded by only one Hunter from what I could see. I heard fighting to my left and right, somewhere in the woods. I had done it.
The guard turned at the last minute. It was Bianca di Angelo. Her eyes widened as I bodychecked her and she went sprawling into the snow.
"Sorry not sorry!" I yelled. I ripped down the silver silk flag from the tree and took off.
I was ten yards away before Bianca managed to yell for help. I thought I was home free.
ZIP. A silvery cord raced across my ankles and fastened to the tree next to me. A trip wire, fired from a bow! Which in hindsight, was smart, but at the moment, I wanted to curse whoever shot it so badly. I wanted to stop, but momentum launched me onto the snowy ground.
"Atti!" Perseus yelled, off to my left. "The heck are you doing?!"
Before he could reach me, an arrow exploded at his feet and a cloud of yellow smoke billowed around his team. They started coughing and gagging. I could smell the gas from across the woods – the horrible smell of stinky socks, onions, and possibly horse manure.
"No fair!" Perseus retched. "Fart arrows are unsportsmanlike!"
I pushed myself up and started running again. Only a few more yards to the creek and I had the game. More arrows whizzed past my ears. A Hunter came out of nowhere and slashed at me with her knife, but I parried it to the side and kept running.
I heard yelling from our side of the creek. Beckendorf and Nico were running towards me. I thought they were coming to welcome me back, but then I saw they were chasing someone – Zoe Nightshade, racing towards me like a cheetah, dodging campers with no trouble. And of course, she had our flag in her hands.
"No!" I yelled, and poured on the speed.
Just as Zoe was about two feet from the water, her movements suddenly slowed ten-fold, like someone hit her with a slow-mo beam. Her face visibly seized with panic, and her eyes darted to me, widening as I landed on our side with the silver flag in hand.
"WOOOOOOOOO!" The explosive cheer that erupted amongst the campers nearly took out my eardrums. Both sides converged onto the creek, with the Hunters looking confused as gravity took over Zoe once again and dropped the fuming huntress onto the ground. Chiron appeared out of the woods, looking grim until he spotted me holding the flag. For a split second, his eyes lit up before he turned serious once more. He had both Stoll brothers on his back, and it looked as if both of them had taken some nasty whacks to the head. Connor Stoll had two arrows sticking out of his helmet like antennae.
"The Campers win!" Chiron announced with pleasure. Then he shook his head, disbelief across his face. "For the first time in fifty-six games."
"Atalanta Jackson!" Perseus stomped towards me. He smelled like rotten eggs, and was so furious that blue sparks flickered on his armor. Even though we had won, he still looked like he wanted to murder me. It took all my willpower not to cower.
"I thought I said to stick to the plan?!"
I rolled my eyes. Was he serious right now? "Yeah, I heard the plan. But I said, if I saw a golden opportunity, I'd take it. What's your problem? We won, didn't we?"
Perseus threw his hands up in frustration. "Ugh whatever. I should've known that you were incapable of listening after your performance two nights ago."
I balled my fists. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
This son of a– I cut myself off, trying not to explode. "You had half the Hunt on your ass. So I took the chance."
"Oh, so it's my fault?"
"I didn't say that."
"Argh!" Perseus pushed me, and a shock went through my body that blew me backward ten feet into the water. Some of the campers gasped. A couple of the Hunters openly laughed.
"Sorry!" Perseus said, turning pale. "I didn't mean to–"
I don't know what I did, but the air around me suddenly thickened. Anger roared in my ears. A wave erupted from the creek, blasting Perseus in the face and dousing him from head to toe.
I cracked my knuckles and stood up, glaring at Perseus. "Yeah." I said. "I didn't mean to, either."
Perseus spat to the side, then wiped his mouth. He stood up, hefting his spear. "You really want to start something, Seaweed Brain?"
Somehow, it was okay when Annabeth called me that, and occasionally Grover, but hearing it from Perseus was not cool.
"Bring it on, Pine Splinter!"
I raised Riptide, but before I could even defend myself, Perseus yelled, and a blast of lightning came down from the sky. It deflected off his spear and shot straight towards my chest, only to ricochet off the massive ice wall that formed out of nowhere in front of me.
"Both of you, stand down!" Paul's voice boomed through the woods. He hadn't moved very far from his spot beside Zeus' fist, yet I could feel his power resonating all around us. The air itself was filled with warning, daring us to make a move.
"I cannot believe what I'm seeing," He said, making his way over to us all. Paul glanced pointedly at me first, then Perseus. "Fighting on the same team? Seriously?"
I looked down guiltily. For some reason, getting scolded by Paul was the worst feeling in the world.
"Good heavens," Chiron stood beside us, shaking his head in similar disappointment. "That was not how I imagined we'd celebrate a well-played victory."
"Hmph," Perseus huffed, shrinking his spear back into keychain-mode. He turned to leave, only to stop abruptly. "Uhhh… guys. What is that?"
The nervousness in his voice turned everyone else's attention to what he was looking at. Someone, or rather, something was approaching. It was shrouded in murky green mist, but as it got closer, the campers and Hunters gasped.
"What is…" Chiron's horse half stamped the ground skittishly. "This is impossible. It… She has never left the attic. Never."
And yet, the withered mummy that held the Oracle shuffled forward until she stood in the center of the group. Mist curled around our feet, turning the snow a sickly shade of green.
None of us dared to move. Then her voice hissed inside my head. Apparently everyone could hear it, because several clutched their hands over their ears.
I am the spirit of Delphi, the voice rasped. Speaker of the prophecies of the Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python.
The Oracle regarded me with its cold, dead eyes. Its head swayed towards Zoe Nightshade for a few seconds, before it turned to face the last person anyone thought it would approach. The mummified corpse hobbled a few steps more before it stilled in front of Paul, who was staring at the Oracle with an expression of dismay and stony acceptance.
Approach, Seeker, and ask.
Paul glared at the Oracle. "Wrong person, Oracle. The Huntress is your seeker."
I shivered. You know how temperature is normally regulated inside of the camp? Well, when Paul refused the Oracle, the chill dropped to the point where frost was visibly forming on my clothes.
The Oracle shook its rotting head ever so slightly. Approach, Seeker, and ask.
Paul took a deep breath, looking like he'd rather be reading an English textbook than here.
"Fine. What must we do to save Artemis and Athena before the winter solstice?" He asked, ignoring the gasps that erupted around him.
The Oracle's mouth opened, and green mist poured out. I saw the vague view of Mount Othrys, and a woman standing at the barren peak, her back hunched and hands raised as if fending off an attacker. It was Athena, her arms and legs wrapped in chains, her clothes in tatters. Just as I had seen in my dream from the night before.
Then the Oracle spoke:
Six shall go west to the deities in chains,
Death shall be found in the land without rain,
The bane of Olympus shows the trail,
Campers, Hunters, a stranger prevail.
The Titan's curse must one withstand,
One shall perish by a parent's hand.
The sacred oath of brotherhood,
Shall be broken and stained with heaven's blood.
Shreds of moonlight change his path,
Unleashing hell by the Serpent's wrath.
Once the blade returns to the sea,
Behold the Titan's legacy.
Then, as we were watching, the mist swirled and retreated like a smoky green snake into the mummy's mouth. The Oracle sat down on a rock and became as still as she'd been in the attic, as if she might sit by the creek for the next hundred years.
A/N: I figured why write an alternate reality where Atalanta is the only different character? Now we have Perseus (Male!Thalia) for reasons that will be revealed as the story goes on, and is of course not the same Percy we know and love (Paul). I did say I intended to write a different vibe to this rewrite, and I'm sure those of you who've read the first one can already see the difference. Go nuts trying to decipher what you can with the prophecy. Remember, not all lines are to be taken literally :)
Anyhow, I've got a few exams set for this upcoming week. If I don't post next weekend, you'll know why. Read and review, all of that. Glad to see some of yall back.
Peace out, you legends.
~Zayden Shade
