Chapter 2

At dinner before Capture the Flag, Annabeth looked over her cabin members. Many of the campers were sacrificing sections of their food into the fire at the centre of the pavilion. Annabeth didn't miss that most of them were also sacrificing some blue food, knowing that they were sacrificing to Percy. It didn't matter to demigods that Hermes' altar down in the Pit had been said to have been destroyed two centuries ago. The god himself had dropped in on camp to tell them that. All they knew were the stories that food had reached him before with that method and now it seemed to be tradition to sacrifice food to Percy through Hermes. Camp Jupiter had taken it up too, creating a specific region of Temple Hill just to sacrifice food to Percy through Mercury. Annabeth was fairly certain that Zeus disliked it.

Hermes didn't much mind, since Annabeth was sure it all went to him anyway.

Annabeth looked at each of the seven Athena demigods and checked all their armour, making sure they'd all managed to fit it correctly. For two of the newest demigods, she had to make a small adjustment to their straps and tighten them slightly. Jacob, who'd found the fish in his pocket after the canoe overturning incident, looked rather sheepishly back at her as Annabeth tightened his shoulder strap.

"Don't worry," Annabeth reassured him with a soft smile. "You'll get the hang of it," she said. She'd spent the entire day staring at the statue of Apollo again and was getting irritated with it, glad to have the chance to be watching Capture the Flag again. The god wanted it different to the others he had, which meant he wanted a different pose. Annabeth loved her job designing Olympus, but she hated having to stare at naked statues all day. It didn't help either that her mind kept wandering back over to the possibility of a quest to rescue Percy, hoping that Zeus would allow it to go ahead. Percy had saved Annabeth's life three centuries ago, the least Annabeth could do was return the favour now.

Across the pavilion, the Poseidon kids were laughing and joking with each other. On the tables next to them, Zeus' and Hades' kids looked to be getting increasingly irritated. Of Zeus' kids, Michael's fingers were flickering with little sparks of electricity. His metal fork in his hands as he ate looked to nearly be vibrating and sparking. Annabeth met his eyes and his gaze tightened as he nodded to her. At the age of eighteen, Michael was one of the oldest demigods still at Camp Half-Blood, and happened to be the eldest mortal son of Zeus at both Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood. He took to that title with determination and an urge to be a good example for other children of the Big Three.

The children of Poseidon liked mocking him for it.

"Demigods!" Chiron exclaimed from the table at the front of the pavilion. Annabeth raised an eyebrow when she noticed Grover sitting at the head table next to Chiron. The Lord of the Wild had a full head of horns now. The sight always reminded Annabeth of how young they'd been when they first set out, when he had none. He caught her gaze and nodded to her with a tight smile. "I am sure you are all ready for Capture the Flag later!" Chiron paused briefly. "Firstly, as always, no half-immortal campers may participate by any means. Any team for which they fight will be immediately disqualified, and their opponents will win. Maiming and killing must be kept to a minimum. Capture the Flag is from the western boundary of the forest, to the beach and bordering the dining pavilion. The strawberry fields are not there to be trampled and anyone taking Capture the Flag into them will lose their desert privileges. The beach and the creek are not to be used to attempt to drown any of the opposing team," Chiron said with a quick glance at Felix. The eldest son of Poseidon just smiled ruefully with a glance at Michael, whom narrowed his eyes at him in turn. "The two teams have half an hour from now to place their flags. After that half hour, the games will begin."

Annabeth had no doubt that the two would be seeking each other out during Capture the Flag. Annabeth stayed seated as the campers scrambled out of their seats, smiling slightly. "Good luck," she said to her cabin.

"Red team!" Michael barked, his tone sharp and loud. "With me!" The other campers with red plumes on their helmets obediently trotted after the Counsellor of Zeus cabin.

Annabeth stood once only the other immortal campers were remaining, all of them gathering around the hearth in the centre of the pavilion. Chiron's expression was suddenly grim as he joined them with Grover beside him. "Grover brings grave news," he said. "Kampê was spotted in the area earlier today," Chiron said. "The barrier will keep her out, but we must still be vigilant."

Leo frowned, his curly hair smouldering. "Aren't the Hunters supposed to be tracking her? They haven't got her yet? It's been one-hundred-and-thirty years," Leo said. "I thought they were good at hunting monsters."

Annabeth sighed. "Kampê's a difficult one," she quietly said. "It took Briares to take her out before," she recalled. "When… when the Titan army attacked us here."

The demigods who'd been around then for Kronos' rise in Luke's body paused briefly with shared trauma. Annabeth grimaced. She wasn't sure that she'd ever recover from all that had happened in her first few years. From the war against the Titans to the one against the Giants, the battles she and the rest had had to fight in their youth were enough to cause many of them to seek out Dionysus' help. The god had been more than happy to delve into their heads and poke at their traumas.

Clarisse shrugged. "We can take her down if she comes for Camp," she said. "That's what we were made immortal for, right? To protect the next generations." Annabeth's lips twitched up slightly, and Clarisse rolled her eyes at her. "Well, the most important part of it to us."

Chiron smiled despite his grim expression. "And your assistance has certainly been needed these past few centuries," he reassured them. The shouting of the Capture the Flag teams in the distance drifted across to them from the forest.

"Anything else we need to know?" Annabeth asked as she glanced towards the shouting.

"Related to what we discussed yesterday and Kampê," Chiron said. "The Hunters of Artemis will be arriving later today, likely after Capture the Flag finishes."

Annabeth smiled and she saw similar looks on all the others at the prospect of seeing the Hunters again. Thalia specifically, she would always be welcomed at Camp Half-Blood.

"What was discussed yesterday?" Will Solace asked.

Nico side-eyed him. "The Pit is quieter than usual and my father thinks there's an opportunity to go in and get Percy."

Annabeth smiled as there were immediately excited exclamations from the others. "He's still not dead?" Travis Stoll demanded, looking baffled. "I mean, I know we keep getting updates that the guy's still alive, but this has to be a record. I kind of thought you were lying about him still being alive so we wouldn't get all upset and everything," Travis admitted.

"No mortal has ever survived this long before," Nico confirmed. "We don't know how, but yes, he's survived and he's still alive. I can feel it. And… trust me, Stoll, I don't care that much about your feelings," Nico added with a wry smile.

Travis rolled his eyes at him. "Very funny, Death-Breath."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow at Leo, whom hadn't spoken up yet and was looking increasingly nervous. "What?" She asked.

Leo shrugged. "Just Percy was terrifying even before he's survived three centuries in Tartarus," he said, looking more than a little worried. "How scary is he gonna be after all that?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Does it matter?" She asked.

"Of course not," Leo said. "But three centuries down there… it'll mess anyone up."

"Mr. D can help," Nico said. "It's not like he hasn't been helping all of us too over these centuries," he pointed out.

"Isn't there something else we should be thinking about too?" Clarisse asked. "If the Pit is quieter than usual, then doesn't that mean it should be busier here?" She shrugged slightly. "For months now it's been quiet, not a single monster attack along the barrier. Demigods who reach us completely unharried, no monsters on their tails. Doesn't that seem weird to anyone? If the Pit is quiet, then where are all the monsters? Especially with all that mortal technology around now, usually monster attacks happen a lot more than they used to." Of course, that was part of the reason why the half-immortal demigods opted to stay at Camp Half-Blood all year round.

Annabeth paused. Chiron's tail flicked nervously. Grover looked grim, and so did everyone else. "There's Kampê," Leo offered.

Annabeth shook her head. "Clarisse has a point," she murmured. "Kampê's bad, but she's just one monster."

Chiron nodded his head slightly. "The silence is unnerving," he agreed. "But if this is a true chance to save Perseus…"

"I know," Annabeth murmured. She watched as Chiron blew the conch horn then, marking the start of the Capture the Flag match. "We have to take it," she uttered.

"We will see what the gods decide," Chiron said in parting to them before he cantered out of the dining pavilion to oversee the Capture the Flag game.

Annabeth glanced around at the others, noting the disbelief tinged with hope. "If there's a quest," Annabeth said. "It'll be ours to carry out," she said to them all.

"I'm in," Leo said immediately. "It's my fault you two fell down there in the first place."

Annabeth shook her head at him, because she'd been squabbling with him over that since she emerged from Tartarus alone. "It was Fated," Annabeth said. "That's not your fault, Leo," she said. He clearly disagreed with her.

"I've been thinking about this for centuries," Leo said. "We can get the Romans involved too. Bring the best of both Camps into this quest. Jason, Frank, Hazel, Reyna… everyone."

"Some will have to stay to support the Legion," Annabeth pointed out to Leo. "All of them can't leave, Lupa needs someone to stay behind."

"Probably Reyna," Clarisse mused, eagerly joining in with the planning. "I can't see the other three wanting to miss out on this."

Annabeth nodded slightly. "Piper?" She asked, her eyes landing on Piper, who'd remained in thoughtful silence so far. "What do you think?"

"How much of Tartarus did you actually cover?" Piper asked. "How would we even find Percy?"

"If it's a prophecy," Annabeth said. "That will help a lot. It's either Fate or not," Annabeth pointed out. "But I don't know. We didn't exactly go exploring through Tartarus," Annabeth murmured. "We just wanted to get out."

"We'll manage," Nico said firmly. "We can do this," he muttered to himself. "It's the least we can do for Percy after leaving him down there alone for three centuries."

The roar of thunder and a small lightning strike in the forest snapped Annabeth's focus away. She stared towards the forest, watching smoke curl from amongst the trees. "Let's continue this after Capture the Flag," Annabeth said.

"Definitely after Capture the Flag," Clarisse quickly agreed. "That's got to be Michael, hopefully smacking one of Poseidon's kids around."

"Please be Felix," Annabeth muttered under her breath. Darren was a nightmare, but his tricks and jokes were simple pranks and never intended to cause any real harm to anyone. Felix sometimes took them a little too far. Will was already racing towards the forest in case he was needed. That lightning strike had been close to the river though and Annabeth had no doubt that Felix would be standing in or close to the river to fight Michael. Those two seemed to take their rivalry to ridiculous heights, even more than Percy and Thalia had in the past.

"Someone's spending the night in the infirmary," Leo said as he started towards the forest, where most of the fighting for Capture the Flag was clearly taking place. There wasn't so much shelter between the forest and the dining pavilion.

Annabeth sighed. "Someone always does," she said as she followed after him. "You've got to stop blaming yourself, Leo," she added as she grabbed his shoulder. "The Fates decide what happens. We Fell, and that's because the Fates decided we had to, not because of you."

Leo pressed his lips together, unable to quite meet her fierce gaze. "Maybe, but I'll still blame myself," he said. "Once we get Percy out… maybe then I can stop," he said with a tired smile. "I'll go with you, prophecy or not."

Annabeth's grip tightened slightly before she released him. "Thank you," she quietly said.

Leo nodded and hugged her briefly. "Of course," he said. "Dude's our friend too. It's time he came home," Leo said. "Come on," he added. "Let's go help make sure no one's murdering each other."

"When I signed up to helping here as an immortal I didn't think kids would get so irritating sometimes," Annabeth said with a grimace. "How in Hades had Chiron managed that long without help?"

Leo snorted in amusement. "I know, right? I remember he used to have some grey hairs. Can't see them now," he said.

Annabeth sighed. "They only happened during the Titan War," she murmured. "I think he was stressing more than we thought over the Titans."

The thought of coming face to face with Kronos had clearly terrified Chiron more than he'd let on with any of the demigods. Annabeth wasn't surprised – the Titan Lord was Chiron's father, and Chiron had never mentioned anything about his childhood to any of them. Annabeth had previously had no idea if they'd ever even met before that time in Manhattan when Chiron had stood against Kronos or not. But she assumed now that the two had more history with each other than Chiron had initially let on.

There had to have been a reason why Zeus had blamed Chiron for poisoning Thalia's tree without any evidence. Annabeth just didn't know what that reason was.

Leo grunted. "From the way you speak of them sometimes, it almost sounds like the Titans were worse than the Giants," he said.

Annabeth considered that for all of a few moments. "The Titans planned," she said. "Very well. More on par with the gods, I think they needed those plans. The Giants just thought they could brute-force everything," she slowly said. "With the Titans… you never knew you were walking into a trap until it sprang shut around you," Annabeth said, recalling all of Kronos' plots and plans. "He was always a hundred steps ahead of everyone else," she murmured.

The son of Hephaestus let out a long breath. "Sounds… horrible," he said.

"It was," Annabeth said. "Both of the wars were." She ducked under a branch as they entered into the forest. Annabeth was entirely unsurprised when they reached the river to watch as a wave slammed into Michael, sending him flying back into a tree, but the son of Zeus caught himself with the wind. Annabeth hung back to watch, noting Will Solace also waiting for one of the two to lose their dual.

Michael shouted and a lightning bolt rocketed towards Felix, water leaping up in a shield. Felix was experienced enough to know how to block Michael's lightning bolts. It swiftly evolved into a clash with weapons, Michael wielding a sword and Felix a spear. The two traded blows against each other, water and lightning clashing at the same time. Annabeth would admit that Felix's control over water was greater than Percy's had been, even if he wasn't as destructive or powerful as Percy. Chiron's teachings for children of the Big Three had developed further since Percy and it showed in the way the two flung themselves at each other.

It ended suddenly between them as Michael slashed his sword into the creek at his feet, electrifying the water. Annabeth was immensely glad that she wasn't standing in the water as she watched Felix shout when the shock hit him, legs jerking and the demigod crumpling. Michael immediately placed his sword at Felix's throat. "Yield?"

Felix grit his teeth, the water curling over his limbs. "Bastard," he grit out angrily as he eyed the sword's sharp edge.

Annabeth stepped forwards immediately as she saw the creek curling back from the two, beginning to roll and surge. "That's enough," she sharply said. "Felix, you're down."

Felix glared. "I can still beat him." He probably could, but in the process he'd ignore the rule of no maiming and would probably try to drown Michael again. Annabeth was fervently glad that Felix had never showed any storm abilities like Percy had; Felix being capable of creating a hurricane was the last thing any of them wanted.

"I got you, dude," Michael said. "Can we please not uproot trees this time? The dryads will murder us in our sleep if we do it again."

"He's right," Leo said. "Just yield, Felix," he said tiredly. "Don't be a sore loser." Felix glared at Leo.

Annabeth took a deep breath. "It's a game, Felix. You know," she said on an impulse, "you're probably the most frustrating son of Poseidon I've ever met and I've been doing this three centuries now." Both Felix and Michael looked back at her, Michael raising an eyebrow while Felix looked rather smug.

"That's not something to be proud of," Leo said. "It means you're a pain in the ass."

"Leo," Annabeth sighed.

"It's true," Leo muttered.

Felix grinned. "Good," he said.

"It's not a compliment," Annabeth said, making Leo snort in amusement. "Felix," she said with a long sigh. "Michael, why don't you go continue the game? You're still in," Annabeth said.

Michael glanced down to Felix and offered him a hand up, Felix scowling, but taking it before he stood. Annabeth was suitably impressed that Poseidon's son didn't just pull his cousin down into the creek. It wouldn't be the first time. "Good match, Felix," Michael said before he backed up and ran into the forest, probably to look for blue team's flag. The other campers who'd gathered to watch the fight between the two scattered.

Will Solace immediately moved in from the side. "One of you two always batters the other every Friday," he muttered as he eyed Felix. "How's your heart?" He asked, even as he checked for himself.

"Fine," Felix muttered sourly.

Leo grimaced slightly. "You've got to sort yourself out, kid," he said.

Felix immediately looked offended, shrugging Will away with a fierce scowl. "What do you mean by that?" He demanded. Annabeth grimaced. Leo meant well, but he was often as good as Hephaestus was when it came to talking to people.

Will narrowed his eyes at Felix. "Shoving away the medic isn't smart," he said to him.

"I'm fine," Felix said curtly. "I'm still in the river."

Will shot Felix a sour glare. "Any palpitations later, come straight to the infirmary," he ordered.

"Yeah, sure," Felix said as Will left to find someone else who needed a medic and wouldn't just shove him away.

"He means," Annabeth quietly said after a few brief moments of silence. "That you're the Head Counsellor of Poseidon's cabin. I know you want to protect your siblings and the three of you…" Annabeth said. "Well, believe me, I do," Annabeth said. "And that's good, that's exactly as it should be. But…" Annabeth trailed off briefly, not really knowing how to say what she wanted to. She decided the best option was to be straightforward with him. "We're trying to get permission to go and get Percy back," Annabeth said to him, immediately getting Felix's undivided attention as his eyes widened. Leo shifted slightly next to her.

"Really?" Felix asked, his tone tinged with disbelief. "That's – it's been three centuries, hasn't it?" He asked. "Will he even… three centuries in Tar – the Pit," he said. "That's insane," Felix muttered. He was smart enough to pick up on the obvious issues facing them. "He won't be okay."

"When we succeed and he comes back, then he'll be going into Poseidon cabin, into the top floor. Your cabin," Annabeth said pointedly to him. "I think it's safe to say that it's going to be difficult for him to settle back into life here at Camp – we'll do what we can, but you're his half-brother, Felix," Annabeth said. "The rest of his family, the mortals he knew, they're all dead now. He's going to need family. You're going to have to figure that out," Annabeth said to him.

Felix slowly nodded. "Oh – okay," he said. His jaw clenched, eyes shining as he nodded again. "I can do that," he said to her.

"That means no causing problems for the other cabins, because crap like that is the last thing Percy's going to need when he gets here," Annabeth said. "It means you need to step up, Felix."

Poseidon's son smiled, this time a genuine smile. "I can do that," he said. "I can't believe you're all going to go into the Pit to get him," he breathed out in a tone edged with disbelief.

"Technically it hasn't been permitted yet," Leo slowly said.

Annabeth just smiled and shrugged at Leo. "You think I'm going to let Zeus get in the way of getting Percy out?" She asked, pausing briefly at the rumble of thunder overhead.

Felix grinned, looking delighted at the thought of Percy Jackson returning to Camp Half-Blood. Percy was his own legend at this point, the figure all demigods aspired to imitate.

Annabeth was relieved when a few hours later, all of it dealing with Felix's excited muttering about getting to meet and live with 'the Percy Jackson' as he hovered around Annabeth and Leo, even red team sprinting the blue team's flag across the creek didn't dampen Felix's spirits.

Usually a loss at Capture the Flag had him spitting with fury. Annabeth watched as he immediately tracked down Darren and their sister, River, excitedly grabbing the two younger demigods and sharing the news with them too. Their eyes widened in unison and little Darren jumped into the air in excitement as River grinned widely.

"Everyone at camp's going to know before the end of the night," Leo said in amusement.

"Yes," Annabeth said as she watched with a smile.

"They're all going to be excited thinking Percy's coming back," Leo added.

"Yes," Annabeth repeated. "Maybe it might encourage Lord Zeus to allow a quest into the Pit to go ahead."

"Smart," Leo mused.

"I try," Annabeth said with a growing smile. "Thalia and the Hunters should be here soon," she added. "Maybe they'll have news from Lady Artemis," Annabeth murmured.

I'm apparently impatient today so here's the 2nd chapter, please don't expect two updates to happen often XD.

Guest: Thanks! Yes, the foreshadowing XD. That was fun to add in lol.