As always, thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. Sorry for the long delay, but I did write an extra long chapter. In the future, I'll try to keep them closer to 5,000 words. This chapter was extremely difficult, and I had to write four versions before I was finally happy enough with it.

Chapter 19: I Really Hate Councils

Obi-Wan took us to the Jedi Temple in some sort of air car. Annabeth sat up front and filled him in on everything that had happened in the meeting with the senator. That left Anakin and me in the back seat. I couldn't help but notice how nervous the poor kid got the closer we were to our destination. "Hey, Ani you got this." It must be pretty nerve wracking, thinking that your whole life depended on this one test. On top of everything, I'm sure he was probably worried that he may never see his mom again. Ani just nodded.

Even though personally I would have been thrilled if Anakin did not become a Jedi, I knew it would crush the kid, so I decided I would do everything I could to help him. Maybe, he would become an amazing Jedi and change some of their stupid traditions. Right now, I knew they would not be a fan of how nervous he was or that he was missing his mom since that was evidence of those dangerous attachments. "You know there's this secret trick you can do whenever you're nervous and don't know what to do, and it instantly makes you feel better. But, not just anyone can do this trick. You're really lucky Anakin because you can and so could the hero from those last few stories I told you."

"You mean Peter Johnson?" Ani asked. I quickly glanced at Annabeth, but she seemed too absorbed in her conversation with Obi-Wan to pick up on the name.

I nodded, "You see only people with really great, amazing moms can use this trick. And, you have a really great mom." As I said that, he got even sadder. Great going Jackson. "The trick is you have to think what would your mom want you to do. Like in the story, Peter wanted to sacrifice himself and the world to save his mom, but he realized that was not what his mom would want. She would never have forgiven him if he had saved her instead of saving the world. So, instead of doing what he wanted to do, he did what he knew his mom would want him to do and saved the world, honoring the choice he knew his mom would make if she had been able to because he loved her that much. Sometimes the greatest way to show your love for someone is to honor their choices and sacrifice, even if that means you might not see them again."

Even as I said the words, I wondered if I was a hypocrite. Sure, I used that particular reasoning when I escaped from the Underworld with Zeus' Master Bolt and also when I chose to ask Nereus about the bane of Olympus instead of how to save Annabeth. It had helped me avoid my fatal flaw in the past, but I also knew I wouldn't always be able to do it. After all, I wasn't able to let go of Annabeth when we were hanging at the edge of the Pit even though she had asked me to. Sure, it had turned out okay, or as well as a trip to Tartarus could, but the next time I might not be so lucky. I shook off the depressing thoughts and focused back on making Anakin feel better. "So, Ani what would your mom want you to do right now?"

The boy sniffed and wiped his nose on the back of his hand, but he put his shoulders back and looked me straight in the eyes. "She would want me to be brave and not worry about her. Instead of thinking about how much I miss her, she would want me to focus on this test and do my best. She would want me to be a Jedi, so I could make this galaxy better." With each sentence, Anakin seemed to shed his sadness and nerves and grew more determined.

I smiled, "There you go! I find it helps me not to miss my mom as much because when I use the trick I know she would be proud of me no matter how far away she is. Feeling better?"

He nodded, "Thanks Percy!"

"No problem, and there's one other thing. Whatever you do, don't lie to the Jedi," I advised. "Apparently, with the Force they can tell if your lying, even a little lie. Although that particular ability is more difficult with Annabeth and me, Qui-Gon still knew when we tried to tell a lie, and he wasn't too happy about it."

"I understand," he said.

"Other than that, I guess just don't lose your temper and blow up the toilets."

Anakin laughed at that, and I was glad I'd got him to relax some. "Blow up toilets? Really?"

"Yeah, at least that's the advice Qui-Gon gave me, more or less, for when I meet the Jedi Council," I replied with a wink, and we shared a smile.

"Oh, my gods!" Annabeth exclaimed. I looked up and saw that we were heading towards a mountain of a building with a huge pyramid like base and five towers on the top. She immediately started gushing about the architecture, talking about ziggurats and spires. It was a rather imposing building with straight and sharp edges though I preferred the more graceful beauty of the palaces and temples on Olympus.

Obi-Wan parked his air car and lead the way inside. We entered a simple futuristic looking hallway first, but the next hallway we went through was enormous, like throne room of Olympus enormous, with towering columns and high arches. Annabeth just stopped and stared for a moment, too stunned for words. I pinched her gently on the arm to bring her back from architecture land. "Wow," she managed to say, "Percy, this is incredible!"

Obi-Wan waited for us to catch up since Anakin was also staring at the enormous hall with his mouth hanging open. As we continued walking, Obi-Wan told us how the Temple was built around and inside of an actual mountain, long ago. The Jedi High Council met in one of the towers, so Obi-Wan guided us to an elevator. I desperately hoped that this one had better music then the one in the Empire State Building. I had always blamed Apollo for that. Not surprisingly, we were surrounded by silence once the lift doors closed. Jedi probably had some crazy rule about no music because it might corrupt the youth or something.

Now that she was no longer distracted by architecture, Annabeth focused her intense, grey eyes on Obi-Wan. "So, what can we expect from the Jedi Council?"

"Well, many are rather skeptical after Qui-Gon revealed your heritage and how you got here," Obi-Wan replied. "And, I believe all of them are curious. After all, it has been a very long time since we have found new Force-users who wield the Force so differently from us."

The lift came to a smooth stop and the doors opened to a waiting room of sorts. Obi-Wan took a deep breath and looked at me, "Percy, as your friend, I would like to ask you to try and be respectful. I know you disagree with a lot of the Jedi traditions, but please try not to lose your temper."

I sighed and ran my hands through my hair. I really wanted to tell off these guys for breaking up families, brainwashing kids that emotions and caring about people were bad, and a lot more. But, I doubt they would help Annabeth and me if I just started yelling at them right off the bat, and I really would like to be able to go home. Plus, Obi-Wan had asked nicely, so for a friend, I would try. I nodded, "I'll do my best. In fact, if Annabeth doesn't mind doing most of the talking, I'll just try to stay quiet. But, I'm warning you there's only so much condescension and judgement I can take from people just sitting in chairs making decisions that drastically affect my life. I don't have unlimited patience like you and Qui-Gon."

Obi-Wan nodded, then turned to Anakin, "Do you mind waiting here until the Council is ready for you?"

Anakin agreed though he looked worried at having to wait. Annabeth smiled at him, "Hey, Ani, this is probably part of the test. After all, as Percy said Jedi have unlimited patience, so show them that you at least have more patience than Percy. That shouldn't be too hard."

Anakin grinned with renewed determination, "Yeah, your probably right."

At the same time, I said "Hey," at her insult to my patience. She gave me a smirk, but then she grabbed my hand and walked towards the large sliding metal doors where I figured the Jedi Council waited. Obi-Wan frowned at our joined hands but wisely decided not to comment. I realized then that I wasn't the only one rebelling against the Jedi's traditions and how they thought Force-users had to live their lives. Annabeth was just more subtle about it but that didn't make the statement any less powerful. By holding my hand, she was telling the Council that we dared to care about each other, we dared to love. We stepped through that door still holding hands as we faced the Jedi Council the same way we faced everything else the Fates, the Force, or whatever it was could throw at us. Because no matter what, we were together.

The Jedi Council chamber was a circular room with windows for walls that gave a pretty impressive view of the endless city below us. The council members sat in a ring of chairs around the room. The style of the chairs differed, but all of them were simple and bare which was drastically different from the elaborate thrones of the Olympian Council. The members of the Council seemed as different from one another as their seats. They were a mix group of humans and other species as well as males and females. Although I'm sure Annabeth would point out that there were far fewer females on the Council than males. I started counting exactly how many council members there were and groaned when I realized there were twelve. Why was it always twelve?

Obi-Wan joined Qui-Gon, who was waiting in the center of the room, and gave the Council a respectful head-bow. Annabeth and I just followed his lead. Then Qui-Gon spoke, "Masters of the Jedi Council, may I introduce Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson."

"Interesting, indeed," a tiny green dude said. He looked pretty old with lots of wrinkles, tuffs of white hair, and really long pointed ears. "Until you entered this room, sense you I could not. Please, your story, tell us." I had to mentally rearrange the words so that they made sense. Trying to figure out what this guy said, felt like trying to read English with my dyslexia. Hopefully, he wouldn't talk too much otherwise I would get a huge headache.

Annabeth gave my hand a final squeeze before she began to talk. She told them all about the gods and both camps along with a brief summary of events for the past five years. I guess she wanted to let them know what we had accomplished and reassure them that we were the good guys so to speak. But, she didn't tell them as much as we had told Panaka and left out the more personal stuff, mainly Tartarus. The Jedi only interrupted to ask for more details at certain parts or for her to clarify something.

I did participate in a few demos. Annabeth asked me to form a water sphere from the moisture in the air again. I only managed a little sphere, but the Council still seemed impressed. They also were skeptical of Riptide, so Obi-Wan turned on his lightsaber at full power while I brought out my blade. We took a few swings at each other at half our normal speed. Once again, there was a hiss as Riptide made contact with the lightsaber. But, my trusty blade withstood the heat, and no steam appeared yet.

When Annabeth had finally finished, silence filled the room. Then a Jedi that looked almost human except that he had a really long cone shaped head – maybe, he just had a really big brain – said, "Surely, these gods cannot exist. Pure beings of the Force? That is bordering on heretical."

"Regardless of whether or not you believe us about our parents, we were hoping you could help return us to our own universe," Annabeth said, no doubt trying to steer the conversation away from outright questioning their precious beliefs. "You believe us about that don't you since we do not have any midi-chlorians?"

"Believe you, we do. Sense the truth, I can." I was starting to suspect that the little green guy must be the leader since he seemed to speak for the whole Council at times. It was hard to tell since all the chairs were equally plain, and unlike the Olympian council where Zeus's and Hera's thrones were clearly at the head of the U shape, the Jedi sat in a perfect circle.

"However, as of now, we are not aware of a way to travel in between dimensions," a bald, human man with a serious voice and dark skin said from his seat next to the tiny leader. "It is possible though that the information could be found in our extensive archives. Perhaps some of our librarians could begin researching the topic."

I could tell by Annabeth's frown that she was hoping for a more proactive answer. "So, we should just return to Naboo and wait for your librarians to find something? There isn't anything more we can do?" she asked.

"Perhaps, if the Council agrees, you and Percy could stay at the Temple for some time," Qui-Gon hesitantly suggested. "You could help direct the research and learn more about the Force and Jedi while we could learn more about you and this alternate dimension. I think that with the proper training, you could use the Force as Jedi do. Both parties would benefit with the sharing of knowledge."

The Council's response was immediate. The way too serious, bald dude said, "They are too old to learn the ways of the Jedi, and I think it would be unwise to let their different upbringing and philosophies corrupt our teachings."

A voice from behind me said, "The girl is far too proud." Annabeth bite her lip at the mention of her fatal flaw. I had no idea how the Jedi picked up on it so fast.

"The boy is too emotional, and his Force presence is as chaotic as a storm," the cone-headed dude said. "Furthermore, their relationship is far too dangerous. I also find it suspicious that the dark side clouds our vision yet not the boy's. If the Sith truly have returned, perhaps this is an elaborate plan to sew confusion among us. After all, we can barely sense anything regarding these children's intentions behind their Force blocks."

I snorted at that comment. Before, I could end my silence, Qui-Gon came to our defense, "I believe that is highly unlikely, Master Mundi. It would have been far more beneficial to let us remain in the dark regarding any return of the Sith Order, yet Percy warned us about not only one but two Sith Lords from his vision. Furthermore, both Percy and Annabeth were the ones that helped me fight the Sith when he attacked. I had told Percy to leave me and return to the ship, but thankfully, he did not listen. Otherwise, I would not be here right now. He even managed to wound this Darth Maul, though I will admit he used unconventional methods."

"He used the dark side?" a human woman asked with concern.

"No, he did not," Qui-Gon replied with certainty. "Although he did resort to trickery, and it helped that the Sith could read his intentions no better than we can. However, in a fight, he does seem to draw strength from his emotions, but it is balanced by the desire to protect and defend as opposed to a desire to harm his opponent."

"A dangerous balance that is," the green guy commented. I gritted my teeth. What a crime, that my anger actually gave me an adrenaline boost so that I could save my friends from impossible situations, like taking down Polyphemus as a thirteen-year-old or even a Titan for that matter. Annabeth squeezed my hand as a reminder to stay calm and just bear with it. The green guy cocked his head and studied us carefully. "Teach them some already you have, Qui-Gon?"

"The last time I checked, the Jedi do not have a monopoly on meditation," Qui-Gon replied. My respect for Qui-Gon just doubled with that sarcastic remark he just gave his bosses.

"You have remained rather quiet, Jackson," the serious Mr. Baldy said. "Do you usually let your companions do all of the talking?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Obi-Wan wince. He knew what was coming. I was rather proud that I had managed to make it this long. I closed my eyes for a second and imagined Montauk again. The waves were over 50 feet high, so I quickly willed them to calm. I was starting to like mentally using my powers like this. It was a safe way to release them. I knew this man was trying to goad me and see if he could make me lose control, but I refused to give him that satisfaction. I smirked at him. "I'm sorry, but my mother, who I'm dangerously attached to, taught me that if I had nothing nice to say then I should say nothing at all. But, maybe that lesson in manners is something only parents can teach their children because you guys clearly never learned it. Since you spent the last few minutes listing everything you dislike about Annabeth and me, perhaps I should return the favor."

"Dislike us, do you?" the green guy asked. He didn't seem offended, just curious.

I shrugged. "As individual people, I'm not sure yet. All I know is that you guys are way too judgey, and I do have a strong dislike for councils that just like to sit there and control everyone's life. But, I definitely do not like a lot of things about your Order.

"I mean you guys go around this galaxy breaking up families which is wrong on so many levels. Sure, I know it's legal, and the parents give their permission maybe with some bribes or threats from the government. But, the kids never have a real choice until after you brainwash them that they shouldn't react to their emotions and that caring for their families is selfish and will turn them evil. I don't know, maybe this whole release emotions into the Force thing actually works, or maybe, it just causes some kids to repress their emotions which is really unnatural and not good. No wonder some of them explode and turn to this dark side. You guys say you are all about balance, but that just seems like an extreme.

"Plus, in my experience my dangerous attachments have saved me way more than they have hurt me. In fact, our parents, the Olympian gods, kind of have this no attachment policy with their kids, and that almost cost us the war against the Titans. So many half-bloods felt ignored by their godly parent that they became angry and bitter and joined Kronos to get revenge.

"Finally, you guys say you're the champions of peace and justice for the people, but how can you really save and protect people if you guys don't understand them since you live your lives so isolated up here? Without attachments, how can you relate to a son's love for his mother? Or a person's need to protect his loved ones? In fact, if it's for the greater good, maybe you wouldn't even try to help that person protect his loved ones. After all, you guys have turned a blind eye to slavery, one of the worst injustices for a sentient being. It's happening right in your backyard, but you do nothing just because if might disturb the peace."

When I finished the rant, you could hear a pin drop. All the Jedi looked stunned. I figured they probably never had someone talk to them like that in this room. I was just relieved I hadn't blown up any toilets during my rant. I wanted to prove to these guys that I wasn't some ticking time bomb that would explode if I was a human being and got angry. Finally, the green leader said, "Darkness, I sense in you. Faced it you have. Pursue it, you did not. What stopped you, hmm? Resist the temptation, most could not."

I was a little surprised at the change in topic. "Umm, I thought you guys couldn't really do that mind reading thing with me."

"Older am I, and more patient," he replied in his backwards speech. "Others sense the storm, look for the eye, I do. Also, quieted your mind some you did."

"Umm," I wasn't really sure how to respond since I didn't know what exactly he was talking about. "I mean both Kronos and Gaea tried to recruit me offering the usual power, fame, fortune, and protection for my mom, but I knew it was just a trick to use me as a pawn. Plus, I don't think destroying the world and rebuilding it is a good way to fix things. Sure, there's a lot of bad in our world, and the gods are far from perfect and can do some really messed up things. But, that doesn't mean we should destroy the good as well. Besides, I believe things can always change for the better even if that means I have to deal with the gods being jerks."

The green guy grunted sounding amused, "That is good to hear. But something else, I sensed. Used your power, you did. Too far, it went."

How could he possibly have known about that? "Invasion of privacy much?" I felt my anger building up again. This time I didn't bother to stop it since the last time it clearly helped the green guy read my mind or feelings or whatever. Who did these Jedi think they were that they could just prod into people's thoughts and feelings?

Obi-Wan sighed, "Percy, Master Yoda is just trying to understand you. Jedi have spent years carefully observing each other for traces of darkness so that we can help each other before one of us falls to the temptation of the dark side. It is second nature for us to search for that darkness in a fellow Force-user. Surely after you faced the Sith, you understand the danger dark side users possess. The Council just wants to make sure you are not at risk of falling to the dark side. Plus, if you really resisted it, like Yoda said that is rather impressive."

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. I really didn't want to open up to these arrogant, judgey strangers about my darkest secret. After all, only Jason and Annabeth knew the full truth. Annabeth gave my hand another squeeze for support. I looked at my amazing girlfriend. Maybe, some good could come out of this since it would only strengthen my previous argument about attachments. "Well, during the second war, Annabeth and I accidentally fell into Tartarus. It's sort of the worst possible place in our world. It's where the evilest beings are thrown for punishment and where monsters are reborn after we kill them. The very air you breathe is acid, and you have to drink from a river of fire just to survive. I don't know if you guys have a hell in this universe, but that's where we were."

"That sounds like Chaos where the spirits of deceased Siths are believed to go," Qui-Gon provided.

I was a little surprised by the name since Chaos was sort of at the edge of Tartarus. I wondered if Chaos spanned across universes. "Yeah, well Annabeth and I are going to stay very far away from that place. One pit of eternal damnation is enough to last a life time. Anyways, we needed the goddess of misery and poisons to turn us into ghosts, sort of, so we could sneak around monsters and get out of Tartarus. She did her part, but then she betrayed us and tried to kill us as a sacrifice to the primordial deity of the night. We couldn't really fight back in our new ghost forms, and she was slowly suffocating us with toxic fumes as she surrounded us with hundreds of poisons. In a desperate attempt, I tried to control the poison like I would with the water in a stream. I felt something inside me crack, and I was able to push the poison back towards the goddess. I was angry and felt more powerful than I've ever felt before. The goddess started choking on her own poisonous fumes, and when she started crying I forced the tears to fill up her throat. I wanted her to drown in her own poison and misery. Then, Annabeth begged me to stop. I didn't want to, but the realization that the woman I loved was afraid of me snapped me out of it and made my anger fade. I let the goddess go after that. So, you see in the end it was my love for Annabeth, what you guys would call my dangerous attachment, that saved me from turning to this dark side if that's what it was. I just don't see how true love could be a bad thing. In my experience, love brings out the best in people."

The Jedi seemed to consider my words for a moment. Then, Master Yoda said, "A bad thing, love is not. The fear to lose love is a path to the dark side. To the edge, it brought you."

Before I could make enough sense of the green guy's statement to argue back, Mr. Baldy asked, "Have you used this power over other fluids again? Can you control blood?"

I grimaced at the implication and cold accusation in his voice and shook my head, "No, I understand now that somethings aren't meant to be controlled." I hesitated before adding, "I'm not even entirely sure if I could do it again outside of Tartarus since that place has its own rules. And, I don't really plan on trying to find out."

"Nevertheless, this boy is dangerous," cone-head said. "We do not even know the full capabilities of his powers. Perhaps we should keep him monitored and under surveillance to ensure he does not harm others."

"Wait, what? You guys want to spy on me?" I asked shocked. All the Jedi were silent. I had a feeling they were having some sort of mental discussion with each other. "At least the last time a council of powerful beings made a decision about me, they had the courage to own up to it and not hide behind some secret mind reading conversation." I really hated councils. They always tried to control people.

"I would not recommend trying to do that," Annabeth warned. "You have no jurisdiction over us. We are not Jedi, and that would be a serious breach in privacy under the laws of the Republic."

"It is well within the powers granted to us under the Republic," Mr. Baldy replied. "We could even detain you, as dangerous, rogue Force-user for a period of time. I'm sure the Senate would not object, particularly since exiling dangerous Force-users in the past never seems to work well in the end."

Annabeth just shrugged, but I could tell she did not like Mr. Baldy trying to intimidate us with his threat to have us arrested. "I disagree," she said in what I considered her dangerous voice. "After all, we don't have any midi-chlorians. I think that's a strong enough argument to question your jurisdiction over us since you seem to define Force-sensitives by the number of midi-chlorians they have, at least in the eyes of the government. Many would see this as the Jedi overstepping their boundaries since Percy and I have not broken any laws. Plus, I doubt you would want the Republic to find out you might be wrong about midi-chlorians altogether, especially since you use that midi-chlorian count to justify separating young ones from their families. Can the Jedi Order really afford such negative attention in the current political atmosphere? Or, I suppose you could just let the whole galaxy know that other universes exist beyond this one and deal with the chaotic fallout of such a revelation." Both Annabeth and Mr. Baldy calmly stared at each other as if trying to size the other one up for some sort of battle of the wits.

"It will not come to that," Qui-Gon said a little gruffly trying to break the tension between the two. "You and Percy have done nothing wrong and have survived far more than most Jedi despite your young age. It would be a crime for the Jedi to hold you for what they fear you can do and an invasion of privacy to keep you under surveillance, especially since you have done nothing but help others since you arrived in this universe."

"Speak the truth, Qui-Gon does," Master Yoda stated.

"The boy is still dangerous if left free," cone-head said. "Much less if anything happened to the girl–"

I cut him off there. "Well then, you better make sure nothing happens to the girl, or I might become a crazy, evil boy who wants to take over the galaxy." Yes, part of me was being sarcastic, but it was also a threat. I didn't like how Mr. Baldy had looked at Annabeth, like – well like how Annabeth looked at everyone else – like, he was thinking of the best way to take down my girlfriend.

Before anyone else could speak, Obi-Wan said in a calming tone, "Yes, Master Mundi, Percy may be dangerous, but he is not a threat to us or the people we protect."

"Trust him you do, Padawan Kenobi?" Master Yoda asked.

Obi-Wan paused for a moment considering. He looked at me, and I cocked an eyebrow. I wondered what he would say just as much as the Council. "Yes, I do trust him," he concluded.

I smiled for real for the first time since entering the council chamber. It meant a lot to me that Obi-Wan trusted me enough to stick up for me in front of the Council, especially after hearing about everything I had done, the good and the bad.

Our meeting ended shortly after that. The Council promised to devote as many librarians as they could to finding a way home for us. Amazingly, it had become a top priority. I'm sure it had nothing to do about Annabeth's threat to expose our lack of midi-chlorians or some of my more dangerous abilities. Qui-Gon lead us out of the chamber and told Anakin that the Council was ready to see him now. The boy gave him a determined nod and entered the room before I could warn him about how bad the Council was or try to convince him one more time to not be a Jedi.

In the elevator, Qui-Gon sighed in frustration, "That went well."

"Apparently, it could have gone a lot worse," Obi-Wan said with a small smile. "I think I'm starting to understand some of your frustration with the Council, Master. I understand not training them in the Jedi ways, but I cannot believe that some of them wanted to detain Percy. That is against the very justice we strive to protect. I am very sorry that was your experience with the Council, Percy and Annabeth."

I shrugged, "It's okay. That actually wasn't the worse council meeting I've been to. One time when I was fourteen, the Olympian Council, my own family, had a vote on whether or not they should kill me just because I might make a decision that could destroy civilization when I turned sixteen."

"I think I am glad your family is in another universe," Obi-Wan stated. Both Annabeth and I managed to laugh. It felt good after the stressful meetings.

Qui-Gon offered to give us a tour of the temple, but Annabeth politely turned him down saying we had to get back to the senator's office as soon as possible.

"Umm, who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?" I asked as we headed back to the landing pad with the air cars. "Because I thought Hades would tap dance before you passed on the chance to admire the architecture of a cool building like this one."

She smiled at the comparison and looked wistfully at the grand arches before shaking her head, "I would love to stay and see more of this amazing temple, but unfortunately, I don't think we can afford to." She bit her lip before adding, "I think I might have made a mistake."

"Okay, now I know something is wrong," Annabeth never admits to making mistakes. "Do you feel okay?" I pressed the back of my hand against her forehead just in case it was some fever induced dementia though usually when demigods aren't acting themselves it's something far more serious.

She rolled her eyes, "I'm fine Percy, and I guess it wasn't really a mistake. There's no way I could have known before, and once I figured it out, it was too late to really do anything." I gave her a confused look. "But, the point is we need to do everything we can to speed up our departure back to Naboo. I'm afraid there's a good chance that the Trade Federation will find out about our plan to ally with the Gungans. If they manage to find them before we get there, well it won't be good for any of us, particularly the Gungans."

"That would be bad, but how could they have found out about it so soon?" I mean I had just come up with that plan like two hours ago.

Annabeth pressed her lips together and eyed a nearby droid and a group of Jedi whispering, their voices carrying in the near silent hall. "Not here, the acoustics are too good," she muttered.

"There's no reason to be so worried," Obi-Wan tried to reassure her. "You can trust the Jedi, and there are frequent checks for espionage technology throughout the temple."

Annabeth shook her head, "No, I'll tell you later. If things in the Senate go as planned, I suspect you guys will be heading back to Naboo with us. Besides, it's just a suspicion though it would be disastrous if the rumor spreads regardless of whether I'm right or not."

I stopped suddenly when we reached the modern hallway. "What about Anakin? If he's accepted into Jedi training, we might not see him again. We won't be able to say bye. And, if he isn't he'll be crushed, he shouldn't have to face that alone."

Annabeth looked conflicted, but then Qui-Gon said in that confident, calm voice of his, "He will not be alone, and I am sure the Council will realize that the boy needs to be trained as a Jedi despite his age." Obi-Wan's frown said a different story, but he was too polite to interrupt. "Also, I believe you will see him again. Through the Force, I feel that something is coming. A turning point that will affect the Jedi, Sith, and the whole galaxy. As the Chosen One, Anakin will be at the center of this, but I am certain you two will also have a role to play due to your mysterious appearance and your impressive ability to attract trouble."

That wasn't particularly comforting. Sure, I would like to see the kid in the future, but I would rather avoid whatever big galaxy changing crisis Qui-Gon was talking about. "Perhaps, a clean break would be best for this anyways," Qui-Gon continued. "Anakin will have a fresh start. If there is anything you wish to tell him now, I promise to relay your messages after the Council's verdict."

"Please tell him that we are sorry we couldn't wait, and if it was anything short of saving a planet, we would be there for him," Annabeth said. "Also, remind him with a brain like his, he needs to create more than he destroys." Qui-Gon nodded and turned to me.

I thought for a moment before responding, "Tell him, I'll keep my promise, but he'd better train hard, focus on his classes, and make some friends. No one can do it alone, even if he is the Chosen One." I winced, "On second thought leave out the Chosen One part. That sounds pretty stuck-up. For being so humble, shouldn't Jedi know better than calling the person that is supposed to save them something so pompous? It might go to a guy's head. Tell him. . ." I paused trying to come up with a way to tell Anakin everything he might need while adjusting to the Jedi Order and whatever Jedi powers he had. "Tell him to remember the stories."

"I will pass on your words to him," Qui-Gon promised.

When we reached the air car, Obi-Wan hoped into the driver's seat, but Qui-Gon stayed behind. The old Jedi smiled at us, "I am thankful the Force allowed our paths to cross. Percy, Annabeth, it has been a rather enlightening experience to say the least. May the Force be with you." He gave us one of those little bows the Jedi seemed to give everyone.

"Thanks, Qui-Gon for everything," I said. "I have a feeling if any other Jedi had found us, things would have gone very differently and much worse for Annabeth and me. So, thanks for believing us. I would tell you goodbye, but I don't think there's really a point if I'm going to see you again in a few hours."

"Oh, you are that certain we will return to Naboo with you?" he asked amused.

I shrugged, "After all these years, I've learned never bet against Annabeth."

Despite our best efforts, it was night when we were finally able to leave Coruscant. We probably would have been stuck for at least another day if it wasn't for Annabeth's paranoia. She was afraid someone might have sabotaged our ship and asked Shmi to check it over as soon as we got back to the office. Shmi actually did find something wrong with one of the engines. The pilots claimed it must have been an honest mistake by the refueling guys, but that seemed like too big of a coincidence. I stopped believing in coincidences a long time ago. Luckily, Shmi was almost as good at fixing things as Anakin.

The queen and Panaka returned from the Senate meeting in the early evening. It had gone about as well as we had expected. The Trade Federation delegate was not happy that the queen had asked for a Jedi run commission and tried to delay it and discredit the Jedi, but Chancellor Valorum still had enough power to push through the queen's request. The Jedi Council had promised to send out a team as soon as possible for the investigation.

While we waited for the ship repairs, I gave my datachip that had recorded all my underground ocean exploration to Annabeth and Panaka. I had shoved the thing in my bag what felt like forever ago before I fought the droids on Naboo. They sent my map of the underground ocean network to the resistance groups and arranged for resistance fighters to meet us at a lake near Theeds.

Annabeth and I took a shuttle to the ship a bit earlier than our departure time because she insisted on doing one last check. Every time I tried to ask her why she was so paranoid, she would tell me "Not now." She did a sweep of the ship both on the outside and the inside with Daedalus 2.0 and found several listening bugs placed in key locations. I enjoyed stomping on them, but I was worried that they were there at all. It seemed Annabeth was right to be super paranoid. I just wished I knew why.

I was so preoccupied trying to figure it out that I nearly ran straight into a huge metal box on a hover board as I got off the entrance ramp. The thing was so big it barely got through the ship's entrance. "What's with the giant box?"

"Oh, that's the queen's wardrobe? Or at least the cloths she took off the ship." Annabeth answered. "Maybe, I should scan that too."

Before I could tell her that she was definitely going overboard, another shuttle arrived and Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stepped out.

"Hey, I haven't seen you guys in ages," I called out with a grin, relieved that the two Jedi actually would be helping us. Obi-Wan just shook his head at my comment while the spark in Qui-Gon's eyes showed his amusement.

"So, the Council did send you for the investigation," Annabeth stated with a smug grin because she was right.

"Actually, the Council is sending another team to investigate the Trade Federation's actions," Qui-Gon said with a small smile. "They will be taking their own ships to Naboo, so that the investigation remains unbiased. But your predictions were still correct in a way, my young, perceptive friend," he added when he noticed Annabeth's confused look. "Our mission is to continue to protect Queen Amidala. The Council recognizes that the conflict could escalate to a galactic civil war should anything unfortunate happen. Also, we are to confront and interrogate the Sith, Darth Maul, if presented the opportunity."

"So, what did the Council decide about Ani?" I asked, not able to wait any longer to find out what happened to my friend.

"The Council accepted him as a Jedi initiate," Qui-Gon replied. "Master Yoda seemed particularly impressed with the boy's honesty and did not sense the usual negative emotions associated with an older child letting go of his attachments." Part of me was really happy for Anakin since he would be able to do what he always wanted. I tried to focus on that part and not the part that felt like the Jedi were taking him away and would brainwash my adopted, little brother into a robot.

"It was close though," Obi-Wan elaborated. "Many on the council believed Anakin was too old, and Master Mundi and Master Windu were particularly concerned about any negative influence you may have had on the boy, Percy."

I snorted, "I assume this Master Window is the serious, bald dude, my second biggest fan on that council, right behind the cone-headed dude?"

"Master Windu," Obi-Wan emphasized the ending of the name. "But, yes you are correct that he was one of the ones most concerned with your presence in this galaxy."

"Try not to judge them too harshly," Qui-Gon advised. "They are both great Jedi Masters in their own rights, but they are both very traditional. And, you, Percy, are anything but traditional for a Jedi which is why they were so concerned."

I nodded. Frankly, I didn't really care too much what they thought about me. At this point, I was pretty used to getting important people mad at me just by existing. "So, Anakin's staying at the Temple?"

"Yes, we left him with the other Jedi initiates where he will train and catch up on the coursework," Qui-Gon explained. "Although, he did not seem particularly happy to be left behind once he realized Obi-Wan and I were returning to Naboo, but a war zone is no place for a child. In time, I will take him on as my Padawan. I have recommended to the Council that Obi-Wan face the Trials once we return from this mission. He has been ready for sometime now, and I am sure they will agree. I have no doubt that Obi-Wan will do well and become a much wiser Jedi than me." Obi-Wan seemed equally surprised and pleased at the sudden praise from his mentor.

Annabeth glanced around at the mostly empty landing platform, "There's something important I need to tell you guys. I can't tell the queen or Panaka until I'm a hundred percent sure, but someone else needs to know."

"Is this why you've been so suspicious of everything lately?" I asked.

"Yes, you see, I have reason to suspect that the whole invasion of Naboo was a set up to get Senator Palpatine elected as Supreme Chancellor."

Unfortunately, the queen's shuttle pulled up to the landing platform right then, and Annabeth clamped her mouth shut. By the stunned looks on the Jedi's faces, I could tell that they were at least as shocked by Annabeth's claim as I was. Annabeth and I hung back as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan greeted the queen, but the Jedi quickly dropped away from the procession so that the four of us were the last to board. As soon as the entrance ramp closed, and we were alone in the loading bay, Qui-Gon asked, "That was a very serious accusation Annabeth, could you please explain your reasoning?"

"Well, all the evidence suggests that the invasion of Naboo was a power play to elect a new chancellor. The only question remaining was which one was our enemy trying to get elected. Out of the three most likely chancellor candidates, Senator Palpatine is the only one who could possibly get more votes because of the invasion."

"Wait, I thought it was that pro-slavery guy?" I asked. "He makes more sense."

"I agree that an alliance between the Trade Federation and the Corporate Policy League would make sense, but the fact is that a large armed corporation invading another planet would actually drive votes away from Teem because all but the strongest pro-business supporters would seek to elect a chancellor that would put more control on those large corporations to prevent a similar thing happening to other systems. This could drive votes to Bail Antilles–"

"But, he is one of the few good politicians in the Senate," Obi-Wan interrupted.

"So is Palpatine, at least I thought," Annabeth stated. "He has managed to pass through a lot of good legislation that has helped many people and has funded several charities. But, because the Trade Federation attacked Naboo, Palpatine is the only candidate who would get more votes."

"Ah, the sympathy vote," Qui-Gon concluded. Annabeth nodded.

"So, you think Senator Palpatine is the Trade Federation's unknown ally, this Sith Lord?" Obi-Wan asked, unable to hide the skepticism in his voice.

Annabeth frowned, "I doubt he is the Sith Lord. I mean you guys would be able to sense him, right? You could sense Darth Maul leagues away."

"Even though the dark side is known to cloud our vision, I'm sure the Council would be able to sense the presence of a Sith so close to the Jedi Temple," Qui-Gon stated though he seemed like he was trying to reassure himself just as much as he was reassuring Annabeth.

"I suspect that the Sith Lord is either currently blackmailing the senator or was planning to as soon as he was elected," Annabeth predicted. "That way, he could remain hidden while pulling all of the strings and controlling the most powerful office in the galaxy. Either way, I'm sure this Sith Lord keeps a close eye on the senator's office and probably has warned the Trade Federation about our plan." Man, I really hated it when the enemy always knew your plans. Hopefully, we would reach the Gungans before the Trade Federation.

Qui-Gon frowned, "This is most troubling indeed. Thank you for confiding your suspicions with us. Our mission regarding the Sith is now more important than ever. We must determine the identity of this Sith Master and apprehending Darth Maul is our only option at the moment."

When we reached the main area of the ship, I was surprised that we were already traveling through hyperspace. I guessed I was so distracted by Annabeth's revelation that I didn't even notice our take off. It turned out that I wasn't the only one who wasn't paying attention to my surroundings because Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon suddenly stiffened. "Is that whose presence I think it is?" Obi-Wan questioned.

"What? Who do you sense with your creepy Force sense?" I asked.

Qui-Gon frowned, clearly troubled, "It is Anakin."

Author's Note: Warning, I probably will not be able to post again for at least two weeks.