1. It's been a while
2. Thanks to Ana-DaughterofHades who helped me a lot with a prior version of this chapter, and to all reviewers. Guests and not Guests.
3. Errors are mine, not of my reviewer. Actually, this story, in its latest form is unbeta'd
4. Enjoy
It was a known fact that satyrs were the most impatient of all Greek creatures; or at least that was what Grover used to tell himself. Considering all the plethora of races that were bigger and scarier, it made sense to be wary and fidgety. Lately, however, Grover had started having second thoughts about that assumption, and that was mostly because none of the other satyrs looked as nearly as freaked out as he felt.
Granted, none of the other satyrs had their latest assignment under review — as Grover did — but that didn't mean there weren't a bunch of perfectly good reasons to freak out. It astonished Grover how George and his little band could look even relaxed or cheerful, seemingly unbothered by the fact that the sea and the sky were waging war against one another. It didn't look like they gave a goat's hair about what happened after either.
On the other hand, Grover worried. How could he not? As innocent as they were, Rio's and Sophia's arrival couldn't have come at a worse moment. The bolt was still missing, and the kids' presence surely didn't help to ease tensions.
Grover knew there would be some commotion when he first met the two time travelers. He hadn't expected it to be this bad though, or to sweep them off their feet so soon. At no moment had he considered the possibility of swords being drawn in camp, or people ending seriously injured. Not to mention discovering a traitor being unveiled.
Luke… Of all people it had to be him.
It was almost like someone else's idea of a sick joke. The memories of Luke attacking the others haunted Grover. It all felt more unreal than any monster he'd ever seen before. Luke was supposed to be an ally, their friend, the best of them. Was he the same boy Grover had met all those years ago? Or who was he now?
An image of the deranged boy flashed in his mind, causing a painfully out of tune note to echo in the forest. The noise coming from his reed pipes was so bad that it curled Grover's toes and made Woodrow flinch.
"Errr… That was— It could have been better," Woodrow said.
Even as he lowered his pipes, Grover let out a sound that was halfway between a huff and a bleat. "You can say that again," he lamented. "I suck. I wasn't made for this."
He'd been practicing with his pipes all morning. Learning new woodland magic felt like the only useful thing he could do, and it wasn't like he could do much with the songs he already knew. After all, there was little magic in Hillary Duff's cheerful beats, and the kinds of monsters who were scared by Mozart were limited.
That being said, he was doing terribly with the vine-control song that Woodrow had been trying to teach him for the last hour or so. The first vine Grover managed to move slipped him in the wrist, the last few were less violent, but they had a fascination doing the macarena and zero taste for following Grover's commands.
Woodrow, the ever patient teacher, tried to make him feel better. "You're just distracted," he offered, but sighed when Grover remained with his head down. "Let's give it a break. We can give it another go tomorrow, once you have your head clear."
As if my head is going to be any less muddled tomorrow.
Anyway, Grover shrugged it off and thanked Woodrow. Then headed back to camp still feeling like a failure.
Surely the amazing Jeff Sprout wouldn't have trouble learning a couple of simple tunes. And if he did, he wouldn't lose his cool about it. Whenever he was in camp, Jeff carried himself as if being a satyr was the easiest thing in the world. He strutted from one side to the other, bumping fists and effortlessly drawing sighs from the dryads. Definitely not the kind who would snatch a soda can out of the nearest hand whenever he was feeling a little bit anxious.
That was if Jeff ever got anxious at all, Grover thought bitterly as he kicked a pebble away. It seemed to him that people like Jeff never really had any sort of doubts. They weren't over-thinkers. They just did things, and landed on their feet.
Grover stopped once he reached the edge of the woods. He threw a glance back, in the direction where the Council of Cloven Elders would decide his fate. Once they made up their minds that was.
Jeff wouldn't be in the same mess I am either.
Grover couldn't understand how his evaluation as Percy's keeper was not over yet. The license was the dream of his entire life, and Grover didn't know what he would do if he couldn't get it. Drive a cab by any chance? It wasn't like New York cab drivers were all humans anyway.
"Gods, if I could only get one more chance… Only one more.. I wouldn't mess it up for the world! Not again!"
The difficult task was to convince the Council of that. So far they were thinking he wasn't a competent enough satyr, and a part of Grover found it hard to disagree with them. He couldn't even pull a half-decent vine-control song.
Grover sighed. He picked a soda can along his way and walked towards the Big House. At least there he could get more news about Percy or his kids.
The kids… Man, Percy is going to have a heart attack when he finds out.
Honestly, the situation was so crazy that Grover still couldn't quite believe it himself. They were twelve for gods' sake. And Percy? With Annabeth? Grover couldn't think of two half-bloods that were more different from one another. How in Zeus' name did that happen?
At least Percy still wanted to be his friend. Surprisingly enough, when Grover gave him the horn, Percy never seemed like he wanted to blame him for what had happened to his mother. That had been the only good news among a storm of awful luck.
Grover didn't take long to get back to the Big House, and even from far away it was easy to distinguish Chiron standing outside. He was in his full centaur form, and had his bow on his back, a giveaway that he'd just returned from archery lesson.
As he approached, Grover noticed that Chiron was looking lost in thought. He had looked more grave since the kids had arrived, since that chilling voice echoed around them.
Grover remembered it perfectly, and just thinking how cold and creepy the voice had been gave him shivers. It sounded like it came from the underground and that was more than enough reason to dislike it. He didn't have a clue of who it belonged to, or what it meant — Chiron had avoided the topic then — but it was obviously something very important, or very dangerous, or both, with Chiron one couldn't tell.
After noticing Grover's arrival, Chiron's eyebrows relaxed. "Grover, what brings you here? Has the Council come to a decision yet?" He forced a warmer gesture, though it was clear that Grover's fate as a searcher wasn't what had been worrying him earlier.
Grover couldn't blame him. There were bigger things than a failing satyr. "If they have, they haven't told. They're probably waiting for Mr. D before deciding. Do you know anything about him?"
"I have heard things. It's my belief that he will be here as soon as tomorrow."
In his surprise, Grover almost dropped his soda can. He'd been anxious by the lack of resolution, but now he wasn't so sure he wanted to hear the Council's verdict yet, "T-T-Tomorrow?"
"It appears so, but one can never be sure with the gods," Chiron said. After a pause, he added, "You shouldn't worry too much, Grover. I am confident you will get another opportunity."
"Sure! it's not like I had one of those before," Grover said sarcastically.
"Believe it or not you still have a task to accomplish. You have a role to play in the dire times we have ahead."
Grover stopped chewing the edges of his aluminum can and went silent for a moment, trying to understand what he meant. Chiron had said something like that before, but it was different now, he looked more sure of it.
"How could you… ? Wait! The kids! Did they tell you something? Something about me?"
A weak smile was his only response.
"Oh, come on! You need to tell me!"
"You'll find out when the time is right, Grover."
Grover huffed. He knew that Chiron wouldn't say anything else, so he resumed the chewing of his can very slowly as he followed Chiron's eyes, trying to see what he found so relaxing about staring quietly at the distant hills.
The centaur's words gave him more things to wonder about though. It couldn't be helped. Was it really possible he still had something important to do? What could it be? Could it have something to do with Percy?
Nah! Percy wouldn't want to be on a quest with me. If I get another chance it will be something different, like bringing a new kid to camp…. But… On the other hand… A new kid wouldn't be as important, would it? a voice argued in Grover's head, Percy was the one we were waiting for. The whole 'saving Olympus' thing that the kids said at the meeting kind of confirmed that. It has to be him!
He was already halfway through his can when he noticed they had been quiet for far too long, "Err, so…? Any news from Olympus? I guess they must know what happened here already."
Chiron gave him a weird gesture, half-worried, half-amused. "Oh, they know alright. The gods are unsettled, Grover. They want answers. They want control. To say the arrival of Percy's children wasn't well received by Zeus would be an understatement. They are a sign of a good future of course, but most of the gods are not comfortable with it. Especially because of the arguments over who might have sent them," he said and his face looked darker.
"You know who it is? You haven't told me about that part."
"I do, yes. Although, few times have I wished to be as wrong as I wish to be now."
"Who is it then?" Grover didn't know if he wanted to hear the answer, to be honest.
"Later."
Grover got a bad feeling immediately. This was because of that voice. It had been so cold that Grover even felt it all the way to his bones. It would be stupid to think it had nothing to do with the kids. Was the owner of the voice the same one Chiron was referring to? It had to be.
What was even more difficult to explain is how that voice was related to the kids. Rio and Sophia appeared to be on their side. Should they be more wary of them? It didn't feel like it. They were just scared and confused.
"How are the kids doing so far?"
"Sophia and Rio? As well as one could have expected, given the circumstances. Perhaps even a little better now. They're with Percy and Annabeth at the moment."
Grover was surprised. "With both of them?! But wouldn't they suspect?"
"They know. All of them. Sophia let it out, not on purpose of course. I knew it would happen sooner or later, though I was hoping for a bit more time. Alas, time is rarely on our side," he ended up with the hint of a frown.
At first, Grover was more concerned about how his friend was doing. He could've probably made a joke about how Percy might've reacted to the kids, but noticing Chiron's seriousness made him reconsider. He waited a bit, until eventually he asked a question that had been nagging him for some time now. "Chiron, is Percy really the one we were looking for?"
The centaur didn't say a word or change his expression, but moments later he gave Grover a slow nod.
Zeus! It really is him! Percy, a son of one of the Big Three?! It's just— Wow!
Grover's initial surprise turned into worry and then into uncertainty. He had thought that having some answers from Chiron would make things clearer, but it didn't. Knowing for sure that Percy was the one they were looking for only brought on more questions. The identity of Percy's father being the most urgent of them.
Chiron had said Zeus was upset about the kids being there, which would be quite weird if they were his grandchildren — though with the gods one never knew. On the other hand, if Poseidon was Percy's father that would only complicate things in the current situation.
Still, both options were preferable to the alternative.
Grover paled. No, he didn't even want to consider the possibility. It had to be Zeus or Poseidon.
However, whatever the situation, things could get a lot uglier before they improved. Grover shivered just thinking about the heated discussions that could be happening at that very moment in Olympus. Grover even turned to the skies trying to find any sign of struggle, but he couldn't, everything was suspiciously calmed.
The satyr was still looking up when some loud shouting came from behind, making him jump in his place.
"You're not going to get anything! Chiron already said we will get answers tomorrow!" Annabeth's annoyed voice echoed. The blonde girl was following a determined Percy from a close and Rio hurried right behind them.
"What— What's going on?" Grover asked, noticing their urgency.
"My Mom is alive," Percy snapped, not bothering with superfluous talk.
"Wwwwhat?! I mean, she— We saw her. But— What?"
This time, the aluminum can hit the floor without Grover doing anything to stop it. He turned to look at Chiron, who also appeared to be quite startled.
After a couple of seconds the centaur spoke trying to sound comforting. "Percy, I know you miss your mother. What happened to her was regrettable, but I don't think that—"
"She said it, Sophia," Percy insisted, pronouncing the name with some awkwardness. Everyone turned to the little girl, who seemed beyond confusion. Once again, Grover was surprised by how much she looked like Annabeth.
With her arms crossed, Annabeth huffed. "She didn't say that! She just mentioned her birthday."
"I already explained it."
Annabeth rolled her eyes again, which Percy took as cue to start arguing. Grover couldn't really make up most of their arguments until Chiron rubbed his temples and put some order.
"Stop," the centaur said, bringing about silence without having to raise his voice. Then, he moved his eyes back to Sophia, "Is this true?"
Sophia looked scared but she answered anyway, "I said Grandma made a blue cake… For my birthday." She moved her eyes shyly between Percy and Chiron.
"I started talking about it. It's not Sophia's fault," Rio came out from behind Annabeth, in his sister's defense.
"Do not worry. I doubt it's anyone's fault," Chiron reassured them. "A misunderstanding, perhaps?"
Chiron had a very thoughtful look as if he was trying to understand what was going on. Grover hoped he was having better luck than him, because so far he was clueless.
"There was no misunderstanding," Percy pressed. Then, they all listened quietly to his explanation about his Mom and blue food, which explained Annabeth's previous reaction. Was the color of a cake really all of Percy's evidence?
"Eh... Perce?" Grover started, "This sounds... you know, great and all but— Well, many people can make a blue cake."
"You don't believe me."
"No, it's not that! It's only that— You were there. You saw her," Grover said, noticing Sophia was paying a lot of attention to his words.
"I know what I saw, but still. It is her. I can feel it."
"There's only one way to solve this," Chiron interrupted, moving to face the kids, "Can you please talk to me about your Grandmother?"
A smile appeared on Sophia's face, and she started throwing stories and random stuff about her Grandmother, with Rio joining her quickly. Some of the stories were awkward, and Grover noticed every time they mentioned Dad or Mom it made Percy's and Annabeth's cheeks grow redder and turn the other way.
Things got more confusing because Percy nodded frequently at their words. Grover was shocked to recognize Sally's name and appearance described by them, even Percy completed the stories that he knew. The only difference was her last name being Blofis. Did she marry again? If it was really her then how did Percy feel about that?
'If it was her'? What am I thinking?! She couldn't be... Grover thought, I hate to admit it but Percy's mother is dead and no one could return the dead from...
A lonely thought traveled through Grover's mind, and he paled.
After the kids had finished, Grover saw that Annabeth and Chiron looked less skeptical about the situation, yet their faces were somber. Could they be thinking the same thing? Grover knew there was only one way of bringing back the dead, and that required help… From the underworld.
The satyr wasn't liking this at all.
"It does seem like that is your mother, Percy. I don't know how to explain this," said Chiron.
Percy, of course, didn't notice all the seriousness, and even smiled at Chiron's words. Hearing his mother was alive in the future was all that mattered to him.
"Rio, do you know anything that could have happened to your grandmother before you were born? Was she missing or in danger at some point?" Chiron continued.
"L-Like the war?" he asked, confused. Sophia was nodding slowly.
Annabeth's eyes went huge, "A war?" she and Grover said at the same time, but Grover's voice had a little more of an alarmed tone.
Things were getting worse by the second.
"No word about that. Not yet," Chiron cut them out before they could say anything more. Annabeth's face looked like she wanted to argue, but Chiron turned to Rio again, "I mean something that happened only to her. Something that took place during your father's first year at the camp," he finished. Annabeth was putting all of her attention on her son.
"Mmm... Yes. She was taken by..." Grover felt his heart beating faster, but Rio's eyes moved to Chiron suspiciously, "...Someone. Dad brought her back though."
All the color abandoned Grover's face.
He brought her back. Percy. From there. Percy.
Holy Zeus! Grover's thoughts seemed to be screaming.
"Our Dad saves a lot of people," Sophia said.
"Who took her?!" Percy asked with his cheeks a little red.
Rio opened his mouth, but Chiron stopped him, "We'll talk about it tomorrow."
"What? Why!? That's not fair!"
"Percy we have a lot of things to discuss, and if we start now, many more questions will come up. It will be better if we leave that for tomorrow, when we have the time."
Percy didn't seem to have given up, but before he could say anything Annabeth beat him to it, "Does all this means what I think it means? He must have gotten a quest!" She looked confused and interested at the same time.
"That is something for tomorrow's discussion."
"But— Chiron, this can't be. You know that."
"I'm as surprised as you are Annabeth. I might have a good guess of what might've happened, but it will not be easy."
"You cannot mean..." she insisted.
"Tomorrow."
The satyr couldn't believe it was Percy who was the one who they were talking about. Did he really bring his mother back from the underworld? Did he really save Olympus?
Percy didn't look like he could wait a whole day, but Chiron cut him off. "We cannot do anything at this moment," he said. He sighed heavily and turned back to them. "I believe it is lunch time now. Annabeth, can you please show Percy the way? You can continue with his tour after, if there's anything still pending. And please don't ask the children anything else. I might not always be available to solve doubts."
"Will you explain tomorrow? Everything?"
Chiron nodded.
Annabeth narrowed her eyes, but accepted the offer, "Okay, let's go Jackson."
"What about my Mom?"
Annabeth turned to Percy, "Weren't you listening? Tomorrow we'll know. There's nothing to do now."
His green eyes were fixed on Chiron.
"I promise," the centaur said.
After a moment, Percy accepted with a blunt 'Fine'.
"Rio? Sophia? I have an important matter to check, but can you meet me here this afternoon after your father's tour is over? There's a few details we have missed and I want to go over them before tomorrow's meeting," Chiron said before they left.
The kids nodded uneasily, though they relaxed once they all headed for lunch. Percy and Annabeth didn't share their kids' bright mood, and stayed as far away from each other as possible. They stayed more silent than usual, surely as lost in their doubts as Grover was.
o0o0o
The day passed very slowly after lunch. Grover did all of his daily tasks for sure, but none of them was distracting enough to make him forget what had been said.
At one point he went to the woods to practice with his reed pipes all by himself, but he didn't have any success with that. The vines were too stubborn to follow his orders, preferring to tickle him every time. Once, Grover's notes sounded an awful lot like 'YMCA', and the vines started spelling to the acronym, but the worst part was that they didn't even get the letters right.
Grover ended up giving up on the practice once more, sitting instead on a rock to think about all that just didn't make sense: The war, Percy getting his mother back from the underworld, the mystery of his father… Everything was unbelievable, and the satyr didn't know exactly how it all tied together.
Grover remembered Chiron saying that the gods had discussed the time travel, and that their guesses for the cause had unsettled them. By definition, anything that could unsettle a god was bad.
Many times Grover had gone over it since the morning, and as much as he didn't want to accept it, but only one person came to his mind that could unsettle the gods and that had to do with Percy's mother. It would even explain the cold and creepy voice from the day before.
Hades. God of the underworld.
Grover shivered at the sole thought.
So Percy was going to the underworld to save his mother. That had 'quest' written all over it, though not one Grover would like to be involved in. Then there was the lighting bolt. If Percy was really a son of the Big Three then the bolt will be there in some weird way.
Styx! This was going to be the beginning of the war, wasn't it? Probably the bolt will be the reason.
Grover knew everyone was alright in the future, but things could go different this time around. Plenty of things could go wrong now.
He made his way out of the woods once more. Dinner was going to start soon. That didn't mean he stopped worrying, or thinking about all the scenarios that could go awfully wrong.
This is bad. One cannot simply go to the underworld and claim a dead soul from Hades! It's not like he would give it up kindly, Grover thought, How would that go? What would he even say? I can't imagine him being so helpful to anyone, not even to a friend or a…
Grover froze.
...Or a S-Son... Not even to a son.
Grover almost stumbled, unable to accept the idea that came to him then. He tried to convince himself that Percy had to be a son of Zeus or Poseidon. The satyr imagined Hades' children would feel different. More evil perhaps? He couldn't see himself spending so much time with a child of Hades that comfortably.
Still the doubt lingered. What if he was wrong? What if Percy was really a son of Hades?
Oh gods, Oh gods, this shouldn't be happening. It would be bad, like bad bad.
Grover sat on a rock on the way to the Mess Hall, trying to calm down. His eyes were set on the ground without really looking. He noticed some campers staring weirdly at him, but he didn't mind. It was a first, but he didn't care about food just now.
Percy being a son of Hades would explain things about his Mom, but then what? What would Percy saving Olympus mean in that case? Would he go against his father? Or did 'saving' meant that Hades rules in the future?
Grover gulped.
No! Percy wasn't like that! It had to be Zeus or Poseidon. There was no other way.
At least that was what Grover hoped.
"But are you sure? The new kid? You have to be kidding me!" someone said and Grover returned to reality.
When he raised his eyes he saw Annabeth with some other campers from Athena's cabin walking his way. Neither Percy nor the kids were around, so Grover imagined his tour must have ended already.
"The rumors are true. Our sister even spent a lovely morning with him by the lake. Very romantic," Valeria Santana, one of Annabeth's cabin-mates, answered.
Annabeth glared at the older girl. "Oh, shut it. Chiron asked me to finish his tour, and, ultimately, it's none of your business."
"Woah, you hurt me. I am just looking out for you, sis. And as for rodeo-boy, honestly, that's who needs to watch out. What with your temper."
"Val…" Lauren Huntington warned, in her usual stern tone.
Val raised her arms in surrender, "I was just saying. If you think about it, he's our brother-in-law. I'm being thoughtful in thinking about him."
Annabeth huffed and turned away from her. That was when she noticed Grover, staring at them.
"G-Grover? What are you doing sitting here? Aren't you coming for lunch?"
Grover jumped up quickly trying to hide his worried expression, "Sure! I was only tying my… Nevermind, that's stupid. I don't wear shoes here. I was just thinking, you know, and…Er… Where's Percy?"
Athena's children turned from looking oddly at Grover to staring at Annabeth with curiosity. The blond girl tried to dissimulate the reddening of her cheeks. "I'm not his nanny. I don't know where he went after we finished with his tour. This is not his cabin," she snapped.
"Eh... okay. What about the kids?"
She snorted, "They are with Chiron. Remember he wanted to talk to them?"
"Oh, right."
"Well, anyway, they're going to sit at your table. Chiron doesn't think they should be at Athena's table."
"What?! But why?" Grover asked.
"Wish I knew," Annabeth answered with a frown. "They're even going to sleep at the Big House again, and Chiron is thinking of moving them to eleven for the time being."
"Which is not totally right because they are Athena's descendants after all, aren't they?" one of her sisters added.
"But they are descendants from another god too. We need to wait at least until we know which god is it," a boy replied and a quick discussion started right there.
Annabeth did not look happy and when her cabin mates noticed, they stopped. In the end the general consensus was that they were okay with the kids sitting at their table and sleeping at their cabin if it was needed.
Grover didn't want to cause any more stir there so he continued his way to table twelve.
When he arrived the first thing he noticed was that Mr. D was still missing and one part of him sighed in relief. The day was almost over and he would rather get some rest before hearing more about his fate as a keeper.
Beckendorf from Hephaestus was absent as well, but he was still recovering from his injuries so that was expected. Grover felt sad, the boy was in very bad shape as far as he knew. What happened to him was completely unfair. He remembered Luke attacking them like a madman. It was a memory that was hard to forget.
Now that he was paying more attention, it was obvious the general mood of the camp was more serious than usual. The only activity in the Mess Hall was coming from the Athena and Hermes' tables, where all kinds of questions flooded Annabeth and Percy.
It wasn't hard to guess the rest of the campers were talking about them too, whispering and pointing at Percy, Annabeth, and the kids. Clarisse was throwing nasty daggers at Percy, which didn't surprise Grover. He had already been told about what happened earlier. Honestly, at times Grover wondered if his friend had a death wish. Getting in a sword fight with Clarisse on the first day? Geez… jumping from the lava wall would have been safer.
Grover spared some sad looks at Percy. The boy was trying to squeeze himself at the end of table eleven, trying to find his place. He had a real father. He shouldn't be there.
Unless his father doesn't have a table at this camp…
Grover shook his head, telling himself that his table must be in the camp. He moved his eyes between the empty tables of cabin one and cabin three.
The satyr sighed. But what if Percy was really a son of Hades? Would that change what he thought about him? He would still be Percy, his friend, right?
Food was soon on everyone's plate, and the campers turned a little more joyful. The exception was of course Hephaestus' table, where Charles Beckendorf's cabin mates were still looking quite worried.
The offerings came and one thing that was interesting was seeing Percy's kids separating the food they threw into the fire in two. It was obvious that one part was for Athena, and the other for Percy's father, but they didn't say the names out loud so no-one found out who was the recipient of that other offering.
Chiron pounded his hoof for attention after a while. The pavilion went silent.
"Well, I believe it is up to me to say a few words considering Mr. D is not here," he started, "First, let me tell you our director whole-heartedly regrets not being here with you tonight, but he had an urgent matter to attend. He told me to send you his regards either way."
Many eyes were rolled across the tables.
Chiron gave a short speech about staying closer than ever in these difficult times, promising things would be clearer soon. He also mentioned Beckendorf was recovering even when his condition was still serious.
All the other campers were out of danger, and that included Castor, who had received pretty nasty wounds as well. Only Beckendorf was left. Grover wanted to believe the Hephaestus boy was going to be fine as Chiron said, but something in the centaur's grave expression made Grover feel uneasy.
"Now, I know you have probably already noticed that we have a new camper tonight," Chiron continued, "Percy Jackson will be temporarily staying at Cabin eleven. Please make him feel at home." A few nods and words were addressed to Percy, and he replied shyly.
"...Also, yesterday we introduced two younger visitors, Rio and Sophia Jackson. They will be staying at the Big House for now." The whispers increased at this, and it was surely because of their last name. It was then that Grover distinguished a very red Annabeth trying to ignore all the attention she was getting. Percy wasn't saved from the gossiping either.
"Some of you might know it already, but just to be clear. Sophia and Rio are both from the future, and yes, they are Percy's and Annabeth's children. I'm sure you will be polite with all of them."
When the whispers and quiet whistles faded, Chiron spoke again, "Finally, please don't forget we have 'Capture the Flag' on Friday, currently Cabin five holds the laurels. It is my hope that we'll have a good match. Now, I believe there's a campfire that needs to be started."
The people walked away from the tables. It seemed like the mention of 'Capture the Flag' had raised their spirits, but they weren't as loud as on other occasions.
Rio and Sophia soon found their parents and dragged them to the campfire with excitement. It didn't go unnoticed by all the campers that Sophia was holding Percy's hand and dragged him to Annabeth's side.
That was a weird family. But in Grover's world, normal families were the exception.
"Grover," Chiron's voice came from behind the satyr when he was about to go after them, "I need you at the meeting tomorrow"
"The meeting? What meeting?"
"The one I'm having with Percy and Annabeth."
"Ehmm...? O-Okay."
In a way that was welcomed news. He was starting to wonder if he would be left in the dark about that as well. Being with Chiron alone brought back Grover's doubts, and he hesitated a moment before making up his mind. "Er... Chiron?" he rushed.
"Yes?"
"All of what's happening is because of Percy's father, isn't it?"
"In part, yes, it is," he said calmly.
Grover then turned around, trying to make sure everyone had already left. Once he was sure no one was nearby, the satyr whispered, "Is he..." he gulped, "Is he H-Ha-Hades?"
Chiron opened his eyes wide with surprise, "Hades? Why would you think that?"
"Well, because of the whole 'bringing his mother from the underworld' thing, and... He's a son of the Big Three, isn't he?"
Chiron looked serious. He never moved his eyes away from Grover. After a moment he sighed, "Percy's father is something that is not up to me to discuss. He needs to wait for a sign."
Grover lowered his eyes, "Oh, okay."
"Still, and just so you can find some peace, it is not Hades. That's all I can say about it."
The satyr almost jumped in joy, "Really!? Uff! That's a— Wait, then what about the war? Why is he causing a war then? I don't get it."
Chiron looked confused, everything was very quiet now, the Mess Hall was empty. "Who said anything about Hades starting a war?"
"But, you said someone was unsettling the gods and then there was that voice..."
The centaur's eyes turned darker, "The god of the underworld has many incredible powers, even some we might not know about." The satyr felt instantly cold at those words, "Even so, there are things over which he doesn't have any control, and traveling through time is one of them."
"He doesn't? But then who sent the kids?!"
Chiron let out a heavy sigh, "There are many forces in this world Grover, some of them ancient and some of them new. The gods are one of these forces and they have powers beyond our wildest dreams," he paused, "Still, they cannot interfere with powers out of their spheres of influence. Powers that do not belong to them. Time is no different, and therefore it is a quality that can only be used by the Lord of Time. Nobody else has authority over it."
Long seconds passed as Grover stared at Chiron. He didn't change his expression, not even to say 'Ha! it's a joke!' which would have been totally fine for Grover at the moment.
Grover's eyes widened at the same rate that he began to understand Chiron's words and, by the time he was sure that he wasn't lying, the satyr was in shock.
The Lord of Time.
Hades would have been better. Much, much better.