It hadn't taken long for the group to find their way out of the labyrinth thanks to a mortal in Artemis's rank. Reappearing in some random forest, Percy was able to feel the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Alaska nearby, signaling that they were on the Canadian-Alaska border.
"Glad we're out of there." Apollo exclaimed, breathing in the fresh air and basking in the morning sun's warmth.
Percy had to agree with him there. Although he had only been in the labyrinth twice, he absolutely hated that place and wanted nothing more than to get out. Looking up at the sky, he wondered how long they had been down there.
"A week." Apollo said, answering Percy's thoughts. "We've been down there for a week."
"Shit." The son of Poseidon said. That was a lot longer than he had intended. Two weeks searching for the hunters and one week underground. Running a hand through his hair anxiously, he knew they had to get back to camp quickly. There was no telling what might've occurred during his time away.
"Let's get back to camp." Artemis hurriedly said, seeing Percy's nervousness. Before they could teleport away, however, a woman's voice stopped them dead in their tracks.
"You're not going anywhere. At least not until I'm done with him."
Turning around, the son of Poseidon found himself staring at Annabeth. Her golden blonde hair shone brightly in the sun's morning light and her piercing gray eyes caused his heart to skip.
"Anna-?" He attempted but stopped himself as he looked closer. Although this woman looked exactly like her, there was something off. There was a powerful aura surrounding her and her eyes held disdain, something he had never seen in Annabeth's before. His suspicion was only confirmed further when Artemis held an arm across his chest, shielding him from the unwelcome visitor.
"You're not laying a hand on him, Athena." The Goddess of the moon growled, her hands tightly gripping her silver knives.
"What are you doing here, sister? I suppose it isn't for a happy little reunion with Percy here, right?" Apollo stepped in, trying his best to diffuse the situation but to no avail. Athena gave a pompous hmph, crossing her arms as she continued to stare daggers into the son of Poseidon.
"No, it isn't, Apollo. I've come for him." She said, gesturing to Percy who stepped forward cautiously.
"What do you want, Athena?" He asked, narrowing his eyes as she pulled out a parchment of paper.
"I want you to know that what you're doing. Whatever your father and his little army are planning will fail." She deadpanned, causing Percy to roll his eyes.
"We'll see when the time comes now if that's all you wanted to say we'll be on our way." He said, turning around but was stopped once again.
"All that you're fighting for will be lost. You think you're doing this for the demigods, including Annabeth's future, but know this. When all is said and done, when you're rotting in a field, no one will remember what you tried to accomplish. No one will remember the name Percy Jackson. They'll move on. Annabeth already has." Athena smirked.
The demigod furiously turned around, uncapped Riptide in his hand at the ready. Glaring right back at the Goddess, he watched as she opened the parchment, inside of it revealing a video of Annabeth. Staring intently, he watched her talk to a guy he had never seen before. He was tall, tanned-skin with black hair. He looked a lot like Percy to the point that they could've been brothers but thankfully that wasn't the case. Poseidon personally assured him there were no other demigod offspring of his out there.
Continuing to watch he noticed the two were beginning to get closer to one another. The more he watched, the more his heart sank. A disgusted sneer formed on his face as he watched the girl he loved sit in the lap of the unknown man, looking at each other like they were lovers. He couldn't hear what they were saying to each other but he could still see the infamous three words depart from her lips.
"I love you."
It took all of his willpower not to collapse onto the ground. His legs had practically turned into jelly and his chest was hurting to the point he honestly thought he was having a heart attack.
"Stop your lying Athena. Your daughter would never do this!" Apollo said, looking over at his cousin who was breathing in quick recessions. He could tell he was on the verge of a major panic attack and it wouldn't be too long until the situation became even worse. Athena could capitalize on his weakness and possibly try to kill Percy and there was nothing he nor Artemis could do about it. Although his sister was quite skilled in combat, she just couldn't compare to the Goddess of warfare.
"You do not know my daughter well then, brother." Athena said, closing the parchment before walking around the group like a wolf.
"You've left her not once but twice, sea-spawn. From the Giant War to now, you've been gone for two years, almost three. Yes, you were together for some time during the war but you can't honestly think that was quality time. I know spending time in Tartarus certainly wasn't." She smirked at Percy's slight flinch at the mention of the hell of all hells.
"Then once that was over you had the gall to leave her once again. To a desolate place that you yourself didn't believe could survive."
"You're wrong." Percy spat but Athena simply smacked her lips mockingly.
"Am I? So Hazel Levesque's death was merely a figment of my imagination? What about a few of your hunters who died there too?" The Goddess pointedly asked her sister.
"Their deaths are also on you, Percy. Along with soooo many others. You know that right? You're a killer. Yet you wonder why Zeus sends his subjects after you."
"It's because of all that Percy has accomplished without the Gods!" Apollo furiously said, causing Athena to laugh.
"All this murderer has done is kill. So many deaths have been caused by him and for what? So that he can play God and have others worship him! Pretend that he saved them from a life that demigods have lived by for thousands of years!" She screamed, her eyes turning a dangerous shade of gray. They could feel her power start to emanate throughout the air the more she talked.
"You've killed my Malcolm already! Now you're going to get her killed too if you continue down this path!"
"Zeus has caused all of this!" Percy screamed, finally catching his breath. "The deaths! The war! He's the one! I just wanted to be left alone. I didn't want to fight any more wars. I didn't want any more quests. I just wanted to live my life the way I wanted to!"
"You know-" Athena tried to interrupt but Percy wasn't having any of it. He wasn't going to allow her to speak of things she didn't know about.
"I asked her to join me. I wanted her to come with us to Alaska but she didn't. She didn't trust me enough to bring her there and survive. I can understand why she would think that. No one would believe that demigods could do that in the Godless land. But we did! We did more than survive. We lived. But Zeus stopped that. He sent an army after us."
"Oh was that because of you attacking camp?" Athena asked in a way that Percy found suspicious. Now he was no Annabeth when it came to reading emotions but the way her eyes crinkled and tone of voice, he could tell that she knew. She knew exactly what really happened that night at Camp Half-Blood.
"You knew." Percy whispered, looking at her with eyes filled with hate. "You knew who really attacked the camp. You probably planned it, didn't you."
"Guilty." She said, her smile turning into a sinister one that sent shivers down the spine. Her face, her smile, resembled that of her fathers when he was up to no good. Clearly, it wasn't just him who would do whatever it took to get rid of the son of Poseidon. That both held an equal amount of disdain for him.
"And yet you call me the murderer. You orchestrated the deaths of countless demigods that night, including some of your own children! Just to get to me!"
"Sacrifices must be made in order to ensure that the current age continues. The sixth age must not come to fruition." Athena said, stepping back where she was originally.
"I don't possibly expect someone of your intellect to understand but these two do." Gesturing to both Apollo and Artemis.
"I didn't want a new age!" Percy cried out, pounding his chest. "I just wanted to live my life with my friends without seeing them die in my hands! But now you, Ares, your father, and Gods know who else took that away from me! You caused this war, not me!"
Athena rolled her eyes causing Percy to grit his teeth to the point of almost cracking. She didn't care about the deaths. Nor did she care for the harm and pain this war would cause. No, she only cared about killing him. That along with staying in power. This Goddess was the epitome of what he stood against. She, along with Zeus, was the reason why he brought the demigods to Alaska. They didn't care about the demigods. They didn't bat an eye to their pain or their suffering. No, they only cared for themselves. The thought of that brought so much anger in his heart. Anger that he couldn't control. Spurring into action, he leaped at the unsuspecting Goddess in front of him. He ignored the shouts of surprise coming from the hunters behind him as he raised his sword. Athena was on par with the Titans at this point in his eyes. They were all evil and didn't deserve anything less than death. If he could take her out now before the invasion of Olympus, that meant one less Olympian he had to worry about.
He should've known better though than to think he could catch the Goddess of warfare off guard. In the blink of an eye, Athena had managed to conjure her spear and intersect Percy's sword just before it could make contact with her head. The clash of weapons was magnificent, sending a powerful shock wave through the air, causing the trees around them to be blown back as if there was a hurricane right on top of them. The hunters, along with Artemis and Apollo, were thankfully shielded from the blast but they could still feel the enormous amount of power in the air crushing their shoulders.
"You've grown stronger." Athena's voice said with a slight strain. She didn't expect the son of Poseidon to have this herculean level of strength which had certainly taken her by surprise. If it wasn't for her thousands of years of experience, her head would currently be off from her shoulders. She stared into the demigod's eyes, looking for any sign of hesitation or weakness but couldn't find any much to her dismay. It seemed Perseus really was prepared to take on anyone who dared stand against him. Gone was the little boy who was loyal to their cause no matter what. Gone was the boy who defended Olympus against any foe. Now all that remained was the monster of their own creation. She could feel her arms slowly begin to weaken, causing the bronze sword to make its way closer to her throat. The son of Poseidon gave a strangled grunt as he pushed harder, sweat dripping down his eyes.
"I'll fucking kill you, you worthless bitch." He said, his face millimeters away from hers. Staring at her, he couldn't help but think of Annabeth. Perhaps that was another reason why he felt so mad to the point of challenging a Goddess like Athena. He knew he shouldn't trust her word or the video she showed him but that didn't help the nagging feeling inside of them. The feeling of what if it was true. What if Annabeth had really left him? The thought of that made a rage that he had never truly felt before fill his veins. His heart, his lungs, every single fiber of his being. If that video was true, if Annabeth had truly betrayed him, he wouldn't hold back any longer. He wouldn't keep his promise to her to hold back.
Thinking back to the time he was drowning in the River Styx, he remembered his mother's words.
"Show them what you truly are."
Those six words had lit a fire inside of him. A fire that he wouldn't extinguish until every last Olympian, minor god, and demigod that caused this war is dead beneath his feet. Grinning like a madman, he looked Athena directly in the eye. Even if he couldn't kill her today, he would make sure that she knew that there was nowhere she could hide. Zeus couldn't protect her from his sword any longer.
"I didn't want a new age and I didn't want a war. Now though…now, I'll personally make sure that it happens." He said softly, like the calm before a storm.
"I'll raze Olympus to the ground, along with the camps and New York if I have to. I'll do whatever I can to make sure that you, Zeus, and whoever else caused this, will never feel an ounce of power ever again. I'll destroy your thrones, your palaces, even your domains. I'll throw this world into chaos just to take you down."
The Goddess felt her throat dry as she looked at the man who very well could've been Poseidon at this point. The power he held, the eyes that displayed so much raw anger, it was just like the God of the sea. But that was good. She needed this reaction out of him. She wanted it or else the plan to continue this war wouldn't work.
"Why don't you tell that to them." Athena replied, almost in a giddy way. Pointing at a shimmering light about them, Percy looked up to find a plethora of faces staring at him. It was an Iris message and in it held the eyes of all of Camp Half-Blood and Jupiter, watching the scene unfold like a TV drama. At the forefront was none other than Annabeth, her eyes wide and brimming with tears. Her hands clasped on her mouth in shock as she stared at the man she didn't know anymore.
"I-" Percy tried to speak to the countless demigods looking down at him. He wanted to explain. He wanted to tell them what was truly going on. That the Gods aren't on their side. That they were being used. He could tell, however, no amount of words could help his case at this point. Judging by the scared, shocked, and angry faces those people held, he mise well be Kronos himself.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Athena quickly ended the Iris message before delivering a fatal blow directly at Percy's heart. Striking true, she greedily watched in anticipation for the spear to draw blood but was surprised to see it simply bounce off in a flurry of sparks. As if his skin was metal. The attack however was powerful enough to send Percy flying backward into the group behind him. For a few moments, she was happy at the prospect of finally killing the sea-spawn. That was a long-awaited thorne out of her side. But just as she was about to flash away she felt her mouth go slack as she watched the son of Poseidon get up as if he hadn't just been stabbed with a spear to the heart. She felt a shiver go down her spine when he gave her a blood-stained smile, blood dripping out the corner of his mouth.
"You-You have-" Athena tried to say. It wasn't possible. No one in history was ever able to acquire it twice! It couldn't be done.
"Ha, what's wrong Athena?" The demigod mockingly asked, walking toward her once more with sword in hand. Behind him thunder clouds formed in the sky, turning it black. Lightning flashed all around them along with the winds blasting against their faces. His eyes were practically glowing as he twirled his sword, ready to fight once more. The Goddess subconsciously took a step back. What stood before her wasn't a simple demigod. She wasn't confident enough to take him along with Artemis and Apollo at his side. No, her best course of action was to back off. She had accomplished her main goal of gathering intel along with framing the son of Poseidon in an even worse light than he was before. Now, no demigod of Olympus had any doubts about Perseus's true goal.
"We've grown stronger by the day, Perseus. Our power isn't like what you remember. Remember that before you take the battlefield. You cannot win." She said, trying to instill whatever amount of fear and doubt in his head.
"I'll keep that in mind." He replied snarkily before having to shield his eyes from the harsh, yellow glow of Athena flashing away. Reopening them, he spat the remaining pool of blood in his mouth on the ground where she had stood moments ago before turning to the group behind them.
"You good?" Apollo asked, quickly walking up to him and healing the internal injury Athena had caused. His ribs, although repaired thanks to the sun God's earlier actions, were still weakened and vulnerable which was why one simple hit from the goddess was able to cause that. But remembering Athena's last words, perhaps there were more reasons for that.
"What did she mean, Apollo? What did she mean that they grow stronger by the day?" Percy asked, grunting slightly as he felt one of his ribs pop back into place. The sun God sighed, shaking his head slowly in agitation. How he wished Athena wasn't the bitch that she is.
"Earlier in the year, when the thought of war between you and Olympus was becoming a reality, Zeus wanted the Olympians on his side to grow stronger in preparation. So in order to do that, he had temples built in their honor where demigods pray to them every day. In doing this, it-"
"increases the power of a God, yes I know." Percy finished, causing Apollo to do a double-take. How had he known that? It was one of the most important secrets immortals kept close. One look at his sister though told him all he needed to know. Of course, she would be the one to tell him now that she was on their side. Judging by how close she was standing next to the son of Poseidon, watching over him like a possessed girlfriend, perhaps there was another reason why she was helping him so much.
"Annabeth was the one to construct them and ever since they've been completed, the Gods powers grow every day. Zeus's especially."
Percy ran a hand through his hair, sighing in defeat. He couldn't keep defending Annabeth, no matter what he tried to tell himself. Every time someone tells him what she's been doing, it only sounds like she has cemented herself to Olympus. Loyal to the Gods till the very end.
"W-Was the video real? Was Athena telling the truth?" He asked. He hoped it wasn't because if it was, he truly had nothing left holding him back. And once he stopped doing that, he didn't know what type of man he would become.
"I honestly can't say. I can't discern if a video is telling the truth or not, only people. And Athena didn't say anything about the video that would let me tell if she was lying. I'm sorry Percy, wish I could be of more help."
"No, no, you've helped us out a lot. If it wasn't for you, I'd probably be dead from choking on my own blood by now." Percy said, trying to bring the conversation elsewhere. He couldn't think about Annabeth right now. He just couldn't. She was the love of his life and the one thing he was holding out hope for. Her potentially betraying him was enough for his mind to finally shatter into a million pieces after everything he's been through. Seeing all the hunters, Thalia and Artemis especially, looking up to him, however, was enough to put that on standby. For now, he just needed to get them back to camp. Hopefully before he collapsed in absolute despair.
"Are you coming with us, brother? We could certainly use your help at Camp Freedom." Artemis asked but much to her disappointment, Apollo shook his head.
"I can't. I have to stay on Olympus." He said apologetically before turning to the son of Poseidon once more.
"But know this, I am on your side, Percy. When the great battle comes, I'll be standing right alongside you."
Percy, despite wanting Apollo to join them now, was at least grateful that he had sided with him. That was one more God that could help them defeat Zeus. Nodding in understanding, the pair shook hands. Watching the sun God hug his sister and wish her goodbye one last time, he flashed away in a hurry, presumably back to Olympus where he had a lot of explaining to do as to why he was with the son of Poseidon and the hunters of Artemis, both of whom were considered enemies.
"Percy?" Thalia came up to him. "Are you ok?" She asked softly. The way she asked that question with such concern and sincerity was enough for Percy to bite his cheek so he wouldn't let out any sobs. Not trusting himself to reply, he instead focused upward to the sun.
"Let's go home. I'm sure Jason is worried sick about you." The son of Poseidon avoided the question before looking to Artemis to flash them all away. Not a moment later, they reappeared back on the cliff overlooking the camp. Immediately, Artemis collapsed into Percy's side, causing alarm from the hunters.
"Don't worry." He reassured. "Her powers were just drained after entering Alaska. She'll be okay here soon once her body gets acclimated again." Breathing a sigh of relief, the hunters brought their attention to the camp. He watched their eyes become wide as they looked upon the camp that they never got to see when they were here in Alaska. When they were here, it was a monster-filled valley that had no hope of being inhabitable for demigods. Now, it was a thriving camp that would one day rival New Rome in scale and beauty.
"Woah." Thalia said in awestruck. So this is what her cousin had been able to accomplish. There was no other way to describe it other than beautiful. The river running through the valley, the huge buildings that rivaled Olympus's architecture, the walls that encompassed it, the tree in the middle of camp, every single thing she looked at was beautiful.
"You were able to do this?" Atalanta exclaimed.
"Wasn't just me. Took a lot of help from demigods, cyclops, and Gods alike." He replied proudly. If there was one thing that could always take his mind off of all the shit that he'd been through, it was coming to this cliff and looking over the camp. Something about the mountains off in the distance and the soft patting of the wind against his face brought peace. Peace that he so rarely feels anymore.
"There's so many demigods." The daughter of Zeus continued, unable to fathom the scale of the camp.
"Yeah, while you were away, there was a battle. A big battle. Zeus sent an army here and we met them head-on just over that mountain there." Percy answered, pointing to one of the mountains in the distance.
"A lot of people died…on both sides. The survivors of the battle were taken here to camp where they were given a choice to side with me or be sent back to Olympus."
"How many-"
"Over twenty-five hundred died that day. We took in over three thousand once it was over, I believe." He quickly answered, not wanting to dwell on just how many deaths that had occurred. He didn't want to remember the bodies, the screams, the smells. He already had enough of that in his fucked up head. Some of the hunters whistled in astonishment. That was a lot of demigods and with that brought a lot of questions like how did he feed them? How many could a building hold? What was their training like? Endless questions filled the air causing Percy to raise in hands in surrender.
'Why don't I just take you all down there and you can find out for yourself. There's a lot of people down there that you know. I'm sure they'd like to see you all again." The son of Poseidon said before leading them down the cliff. Walking in the woods, numerous woodland spirits and dryads came out to greet them, happy that their of the wilderness had come back safe and sound.
"Percy! Percy!" A little girl's voice called out from a tree branch above.
"Lyah! Hey, long time no see!" The demigod exclaimed with a smile. He noticed that the young dryad hadn't changed a bit since the last time he saw her which came to no surprise. He had learned through the other inhabitants of these woods a long time ago that dryads actually took a long time to grow, just like trees.
"There's no time! You have to get to camp quickly! They're fighting!" She quickly yelled out, disappearing in a green mist before Percy could ask any questions. Fearing the worst, he ran as fast as he could, leaving behind the group of hunters. Making sure Riptide was in his hand, he appeared at the camp just in time to see two groups of Camp Freedom demigods by Hazel's tree prepare to attack one another. Leading them on one side was Jason and on the other was some kid that barely looked over the age of eighteen. The son of Jupiter seemed to be the aggressor, raising his sword high to deliver a final blow had it not been for Percy to will the blood in his arm to stop.
"What?" Jason grunted, looking at his arm frozen above his head.
"The fuck is going on here?!" Percy's booming voice yelled out, running in the middle of the altercation. The two sides gasped at the return of their leader and quickly lowered their weapons.
"I leave for three weeks! Three weeks and you're already trying to kill each other!" He said in exasperation.
"You don't understand, Perce. This guy, he's not who he says he is." Jason said, rubbing his arm that his cousin had finally released.
'Commander, Jason Grace has done nothing except treat the new arrivals from Olympus unfairly. He talks down on us, refuses to teach us, and is just a blatant bully. He thinks we're still on the Gods' side in this war!"
Percy prevented himself from rolling his eyes despite the situation. He knew this was going to happen at some point. He just wished he was able to stop it sooner. Of course, Jason and some others in camp were unhappy bringing in the demigods of Olympus and he didn't blame them. He didn't like it either but they needed numbers for this war. He needed bodies because he couldn't just rely on his father's army despite how big it was. And as he explained those weeks ago at the pavilion, both sides had committed atrocities against one another. Not one hand was free from blood. They were all guilty.
"Don't listen to him, Percy. He's lying. I've tried to get past what they've done to us. I tried, okay but they just refuse to listen. They sit around all day not doing a damn thing. They don't help build, hunt for food, or train with us! All they do is sit with their other friends who came here to attack us and talk ill about you! I won't stand for it any longer!" Jason explained his side of the story, his supporters behind him giving shouts of agreement.
"And this guy is a spy! I can feel it in my bones! I've seen him on numerous occasions disappear out into the woods. And during the day, he scouts out the camp like a rat!"
"You're fucking lying! You've had it out for me since day one!" The other man exclaimed, now with his supporters behind yelling out with weapons raised. Percy could feel tensions rising to the point of no return. Soon camp would be filled with dead demigods if he didn't do something quickly. He tried his best to think but the yelling was only getting louder and louder. More and more demigods joined both sides, spouting jabs at one another and pounding their swords against shields. It was chaos.
"QUIET!" The son Poseidon yelled out, having enough of the nonsense. Making sure that his aura was on full display, he glared furiously at both sides.
"Fucking quite all of you! I understand both of your sides, I do. I should've known better than to think we could all live with each other peacefully right off the bat after what we did to each other that day. But we're going to have to do just that, okay? We're a team now no matter what you all might think. We all took an oath to defend this camp and have each other's back!"
"But, commander-"
"No buts! Either you learn how to get along or you can explain to the River Styx why you couldn't live up to your promise." He snapped back, causing the supporters of the unknown man to flinch back. Percy squinted his eyes at the man who didn't seem fazed at his anger. Looking closer, he noticed that he was a son of Hermes with that brown hair and blue eyes of his. He could see the mischievous grin trying to hide itself from him but he knew better. After all, he had grown up with the Stolls.
"What's your name?" The son of Poseidon asked him.
"Luther Lexington." The man replied, licking his dry lips in a nervous manner.
"Can you do that, Luther? Can you keep your promise to defend this camp?" He asked, walking closer to him.
"I can, sir. You have my word." The son of Hermes quickly replied. For some reason, however, it seemed off. Maybe it was just Jason's words rattling off in his head but for some reason, he couldn't help but think there was more to the story with this kid.
"Recite it to me again." Percy ordered unsparingly.
"Sir?" Luther asked, this time his voice showing the nervousness he was feeling.
"Recite the oath you took that night in the pavilion to me again." Percy said once more, this time in a tone that left no room for excuses.
Luther gave a short laugh, thinking that this was some sort of joke Percy was playing. One look at him though, he knew that wasn't the case. Feeling his mouth dry up, the son of Hermes took a step toward the son of Poseidon before kneeling. Everyone watched the scene unfold intensely, wondering why Percy was making him do this. Was it to embarrass him? Or to show that their vows to defend camp were to be taken seriously and that no mutiny would be tolerated?
Taking his eyes off him for a moment, the son of Poseidon looked to his cousin, exchanging a wordless conversation in a mere glance.
"Something is definitely up." Both their eyes said to each other.
That moment, however, left an opening in Percy. An opportunity that Luther didn't hesitate to take advantage of. Reaching back behind him, he pulled out a bronze knife that seemed to have a green residue at the point of it. With his eyes taken off him, Percy didn't have enough time to react despite his inhuman reflexes.
"Percy!" Jason screamed out, trying to dive toward him but it was too late. The knife made contact with his skin. The surrounding demigods cried out in shock as they watched the exchange. Expecting to see the knife slide right into Percy's abdomen, they were all surprised to see it bounce off like an arrow hitting a rock.
"What the?" Luther said in alarm, watching his weapon bounce off of Percy. Thinking that it was a fluke, the son of Hermes attempted to stab him again. This time however he couldn't get it up in time before a silver arrow had lodged itself in the side of his neck. Everyone screamed in shock as they looked over at where the arrow had come, seeing the hunters all with their bows raised and strings drawn back.
"Anyone else?" Thalia asked the crowd, drawing back another arrow, daring anyone to attempt to kill her cousin again.
Percy, thinking fast on his feet, knelt down to try and save the son of Hermes. Since Jason was right in him being a spy, that offered them a chance to extract valuable information that could help them. Using his powers to stop the bleeding, the son of Poseidon quickly realized that his powers were useless. The man was already dead when he hit the ground, the arrow lodging itself in his spinal column.
"Damnit." He sighed to himself before getting back up.
"DAMNIT!" He said angrily, causing the supporters of the now-dead Luther Lexington to step back in fear. They didn't want to suffer the same fate as their now dead friend but it wasn't looking good for them.
Percy stayed motionless as he held his head in his hands, thinking of what to do now. Camp was becoming unstable. It wouldn't be too long now until they had a civil war themselves inside these walls. And worst of all, everyone now knew that he had the curse of Achilles. There was no possibility of hiding it anymore. It was just his luck that his little secret had been exposed twice in a matter of an hour
"Jason." The son of Poseidon called out, causing his cousin to step forward. "I want every single demigod to recite the oath again to their centurions. Anyone unable to do so will be arrested immediately, am I clear?"
"Crystal, commander." Jason said, throwing on his title for good measure. He didn't want Percy any more angry than he already was. That wouldn't do the geography of this land any good if they had an angry son of Poseidon on their hands.
"Where's Will Solace at?" He continued.
"Here, Percy." The son of Apollo raised his hand above the crowd of demigods standing around.
"Take his body to the hospital. I'll be with you shortly."
Without another word, the blonde demigod did as he was told, gesturing for help to another medic before they picked up the dead demigod, still leaking blood, and made their way to the hospital.
Percy watched them leave, sighing once more to himself before looking over to Thalia. He gave her a nod of appreciation. If it wasn't for her skills with a bow, who knows? That spy could've actually hit his mortal spot, wherever that may be. It annoyed him greatly that even he didn't know where it was but Styx seemed to like playing this mind game with him. Getting the curse twice must've hurt her pride greatly and she made sure he felt every ounce of her revenge.
"I want everyone to hear this because I'm only going to say it one last time." He announced, seeing that everyone was still standing around him in shock.
"I won't tolerate any infighting in this camp. We're one people now and it's time we start acting like it. If we're still divided by the time another battle rolls around, we'll be slaughtered." He let the threat loom in the air before continuing.
"I'm not asking you to love each other. Hell, you don't even have to like each other but you will respect one another. You will follow orders. And you will have each other's back. If you don't like that, you can go back to Olympus. I'm sure Zeus will totally forgive you for siding with me." He said in a disbelieving manner.
"I know we'll never get past that day. We'll never get past the slaughter we committed against one another but remember this. We're all guilty. We all have blood on our hands so don't go thinking that you're innocent and can have this holier-than-thou attitude."
He watched both sides hang their heads at his words. It seemed he had managed to strike the problem head on but that didn't mean it was solved. It was going to take a lot of effort and time to get both sides to work with one another. Effort and time that they might not have but he was going to try. He had sacrificed too much to get where they were just to let it all collapse because of politics.
Disbanding the demigods back to their respective cabins, the son of Poseidon walked up to Jason who stayed back.
"Thanks, Percy for your-"
"You're not out of the woods yet." The son of Poseidon interrupted sharply. "Meet me in my office in two hours."
The son of Jupiter wanted to snap back at him. Say that he didn't do anything wrong but he could tell that Percy was actually really angry despite his relaxed demeanor. His eyes held an authority to them that demanded respect. But that quickly went away when the son of Poseidon turned around to show him the hunters with his sister in the front.
"For now, why don't you show these girls around camp." He said. Looking over, the siblings locked eyes, happy that they were safe. They had a lot of catching up to do and it seemed Percy had given them that chance despite all that needed to be discussed.
"Thanks. I'll see you then." He slapped his cousin across the back before walking over to Thalia. Watching them hug one another before walking off to explore camp, Percy's eyes sank as he began to make his way to the hospital. He knew that there were going to be spies in camp. It was inevitable. But an assassination attempt on his life was a new one. If it wasn't for the curse, he'd be dead right now. The thought struck a nerve for some reason. He was used to almost dying around every corner of life but for some reason, this one hit him differently.
Deciding to ask himself why later, he entered the hospital and made his way to the back where the bodies were stored. Shoving back the curtain, he was shocked to find the morg still filled to the brim with dead demigods.
"We haven't been able to make and burn all of their shrouds since the time you've been away." Will said from the corner, seeing the confusion written across his face.
"Is that him?" Percy asked, pointing to a body that had a blanket over it, fresh blood soaking the top of the cloth. The son of Apollo nodded as he pulled back the blanket, revealing Luther Lexington whose body had now turned cold and pale. Walking up to it, Percy peered down at the lifeless brown eyes that stared through him. Eyes that just a moment ago held a hate toward him that he couldn't see. Perhaps that was what irked him earlier. He was used to seeing eyes filled with hate directed at him. But the thing was, he always knew whose eyes it belonged to. Kronos, Gaia, Zeus, he could see it in them but not in this guy. For some reason not this guy.
"What do we know about him?" Percy broke away from his thoughts.
"Luther Lexington, age eighteen, son of Hermes. Apparently came into camp after the battle with the rest of the survivors." Will rattled off.
"Mmmh, that lines up but it doesn't make sense."
"You thinking he snuck into camp after the battle?"
"I don't know. All I know is that Styx would've reaped his soul the moment he lifted that knife at me."
"But she didn't."
"Exactly." Percy nodded.
"Which means he didn't take the oath the night everyone else did."
Percy nodded his head again at Will's assumption. That night at the pavilion when Reyna was the first to swear on the river, he had made the rest of the new campers swear to the centurions. That way they could keep track and make sure no one slipped past the cracks. They couldn't just have everyone swear at once. People like Luther could've easily faked it and wouldn't have been bound by their oath to protect camp.
"How did he slip past us then if he didn't take the oath? We would've caught him that night."
"My guess is he moved into camp later than the rest. He bided his time and waited for the perfect opportunity to slip in. We couldn't have caught it." Percy answered, causing Will to put a hand to his chin.
"That means he would've had to hide in the woods that surround the camp. You think there's more like him out there?"
"Good point. The dryads might have seen him and they might can explain this." He pulled out the knife Luther had used, the unknown green residue coating the blade.
"I couldn't identify whatever that stuff is so I think you're right. Our best shot is to ask the elder spirits of the woods."
"Sounds good. Want me to come with you when you go do that?"
"Sure, thanks." Percy replied before readying to head out. Will, however, put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
"I know you're a strong person, Percy. Stronger than all of us. But you did just have an attempt on your life. That can take a toll on anyone." The son of Apollo said with concern.
"Thanks, Will but I'm-"
"I know that you're going to say you're fine. I know how you are but if you ever need to talk or even just need some company, I'm here for you."
Putting the blanket back over the son of Hermes, Percy thanked Will for his efforts and walked out of the hospital without another word. Afraid that if he stayed in that hospital any longer than necessary he would break down, he decided to head to his office. He needed to be alone after everything that had occurred today. Maybe there was some paperwork in his office that could offer to take his mind off some things. Swiftly walking into the room, he locked the door.
Putting the knife down on top of his desk, the son of Poseidon slumped heavily against his chair, leaning his head over the top of his desk.
"I love you."
He couldn't get those anything but simple three words out of his head. Her voice just kept rattling off in his skull, causing his head to pound painfully. Putting a hand over his eyes, he felt his lips tremble as he remembered the video Athena had shown him.
"It's fake! She's playing mind games with you!" One-half of his brain argued.
"But what if it's real? It makes sense. You've been gone for close to three years. Annabeth would've moved on at this point." The other argued.
He couldn't help but listen to that side of his brain more. It made perfectly good sense. He just wished things were different. He wished she was here despite all that she'd done against him and Camp Freedom. He knew she had led the attack that burnt camp to the ground. He knew of the temples she built for the Gods. He could get past those things despite how much pain it caused simply because he loved her. Love would make anyone blind. But that video…he couldn't be blind to that. It was seared into his brain. No amount of love for her could make him forget or forgive
Feeling tears roll down his cheeks for the first time since his mother's death, he let out all the grief, pain, and anger he had been holding in for what felt like an eternity. He released the anger, the grief, the pain, that had been inside of him for the last three years. He couldn't hold it in any longer. Annabeth's betrayal was his breaking point. Pounding his desk with his fist, he wept, crying out heart-breaking sobs that would break the heart of any eavesdropper.
"WHY?! WHY?!" He internally screamed to himself. Why was this happening to him? After everything he's done, after everything he's sacrificed, why couldn't he just have a break?
"HAVEN'T I GIVEN YOU ENOUGH?!" He cried out, looking upwards to the ceiling hoping that the Fates were listening.
"Why am I still being punished?! I've done everything you've sewn in my thread without hesitation! I did it time and time again but you don't care!"
Slamming his head back onto the desk, he stayed leaning over his desk for what felt like hours. He didn't want to move, blink, or even breathe for that matter. It was just too draining on his already exhausted body. He was physically and mentally drained and he could feel it weighing down on his entire body like the sky on his shoulders. With eyes half-lidded and tears still dripping down his skin, he let out one last breath before passing out.
"This is all just a game to you." He whispered one last time before Morpheus took him away