Act I Chapter IX: Annabeth Thinks Percy Is an Idiot Part One(of Many)
Sword training was hard, but trying to learn Ancient Greek was impossible. Forget about Latin. Annabeth had been trying for two hours now just to get Percy through a single sentence. It was impossible for him. The words seemed to dance off of the page, and he had a major headache.
Annabeth was clearly growing frustrated with him and suggested that they take a break from Ancient Greek to go over the gods and goddesses. Percy was a little concerned when she pulled out a notebook and handed it to him.
"You want me to take notes?" Percy slowly asked. Annabeth gave him another annoyed look. She seemed to think he was some kind of idiot.
"Yes, Percy. You need to know what gods and goddesses are out there. It could save your life," Annabeth seethed through clenched teeth. She looked down. "You can also use it as a journal. It will keep you sane."
Percy nodded slowly and opened the notebook. Annabeth handed him a pen, and he tested the ink. Percy spoke, "I have some questions. About all of this."
"Go ahead," Annabeth said. Her expression softened. "I know this is hard. Learning that you're a demigod changes everything, and it can be overwhelming."
"Well, Luke and Chiron both talked about how there used to be two camps. What happened to them?" Percy asked. Annabeth frowned, and her gaze drifted to the side. Percy followed her gaze across the camp. Drew was training, at least attempting to, with Luke, and Chiron was out with Will. Clarisse was watching the border.
The last two were Reyna and Lupa. Both of them were on the opposite side of the camp. Lupa was curled up on the grass. Her head rested on her paws, and her eyes were closed. Did goddesses sleep? Percy wasn't sure, but he saw that Reyna was lying next to Lupa. Her arms were folded behind her head, and she looked like she was asleep too.
"Lupa trained all of the Romans at Camp Jupiter," Annabeth began softly, as if she was worried the goddess would hear. Lupa's eyes opened, and she looked up. The wolf goddess looked down at Reyna and then rested her head on her paws again. "I don't think Lupa likes us Greeks too much."
"I'm a Greek demigod?" Percy asked. Annabeth looked back at him.
"Maybe," Annabeth replied. She looked down and played with the dirt using her shoes. "I know that Reyna doesn't know her mother, but I know that she's a Roman. I've heard her and Lupa talking in Latin, and Lupa seems to care about her."
"I think Lupa feels guilty," Annabeth said softly, looking back up at Percy. "Her Romans are the reason the camps were destroyed. Chiron and Lupa both claim to not know the full story, but I have been with them for years. I've been able to piece it together. For some reason, the Romans had a civil war amongst themselves. They had two leaders. One killed the other, and they led the Romans to war against the Greeks."
"The Romans tried to blow up Camp Half-Blood, but the bomb backfired. It killed everyone at the camp, wiping out most of the demigods in the country," Annabeth explained. She looked down again. "I think Lupa gave the order for the Romans to attack the Greeks, and she feels guilty about what happened. That is why she works with us and trains us."
"A bomb? Like one that the army or terrorists would use?" Percy asked. Annabeth shook her head.
"No. This was around fifty or sixty years ago. It wouldn't have been a bomb like you're thinking of. Not something as destructive as a nuclear bomb or even a missile from a jet. It would be a smaller bomb, one that would have to be lugged by demigods. I'm guessing that it was also built with demigod ingredients to make it even more deadly," Annabeth explained.
"Why blow up Camp Half-Blood? Wouldn't it just be easier to kill everyone with a sword or other weapon?" Percy questioned. "Weren't the Romans a really good army back in the day?"
"Centuries ago," Annabeth confirmed. "Things are different now. There is no way that Camp Jupiter had the same kind of army that the Roman empire did, and even if they did, they would have taken heavy casualties fighting Camp Half-Blood in a regular battle. Going by their history, the Romans would have wiped out Camp Half-Blood, salted the earth so nothing would grow there again, and then crucified any survivors."
Percy gawked at Annabeth after what she had just told him. He slowly and carefully moved his gaze back to Lupa. He could not see the goddess giving the order to have any of the Greeks crucified. If she had, why would she even be there? Guilt or not, there was no way that Chiron would trust Lupa, would he? Percy felt like his head was spinning, and he settled on looking away.
It was possible that Annabeth had no clue what she was talking about. She was making her own assumptions based on what she had heard, and Percy knew he couldn't believe everything that he was told. Then again, he found himself in a world of gods, monsters, and a pen that could turn into a sword. What did he know?
"But, how much do you know about the Greek gods and goddesses?" Annabeth questioned. Percy focused on her.
"I know a few of the stories but not much else," Percy admitted. "I was named after Perseus. I know more about the heroes than the gods, honestly."
"A lot of people do," Annabeth said. "I guess they relate more to the heroes in the stories than the immortals who gave them gifts and helped them out. Over the years, those stories have become myths. Mortals can't wrap their minds around a world greater than their own, and the Mist keeps our world hidden."
"Mist?" Percy repeated with a frown. "It doesn't seem misty around here."
"Not mist. The Mist," Annabeth stated. "It's not visible per se, but it is like a fog that is always present. The minds of mortals cannot comprehend our world. They can't comprehend a world of gods and monsters, so their mind makes things up for them. A sword may appear like a gun, or some monsters may appear like a mutant version of some animal."
"Some mortals can see through the Mist. We call it 'Clear Sight'. They can see monsters and even weapons," Annabeth continued. She carefully grabbed her sword and cradled it into her lap. "Speaking of weapons, you should know that monsters can only be destroyed by celestial bronze or imperial gold: godly materials. Mortals cannot be harmed by these metals, but demigods can be hurt by celestial bronze, imperial gold, and regular steel or other metals."
Percy felt like his head was spinning from all this information. He could be hurt by both? That wasn't fair. Percy nodded his understanding, even though he didn't fully get it. Annabeth gave him a gentle look and started to make hot chocolate. While she was making it, Percy continued trying to digest the information that he had been given. He finally spoke, "So, where are the gods and goddesses? Are they all just missing?"
"Most of them," Annabeth replied. "Zeus, the king of the gods, disappeared from Mount Olympus around the time that Camp Half-Blood was destroyed. His wife, Hera, was rumored to disappear not long after. Those two were the glue that held the Olympians together. After they left, it all started falling apart."
"Ares, the god of war, has been rumored to be wandering America, looking for any battles and fights he can join. No one knows where his wife, Aphrodite, is. It's said that she helps soothe his rage," Annabeth explained.
"I thought Aphrodite was married to someone else. The crippled guy," Percy began.
"That crippled guy has a name, and you should treat him with respect," Annabeth warned. "Hephaestus seems to have gone back to one of his workshops, but he has so many around the world that someone could spend a lifetime looking and not find him."
"Do we know where any of the gods are?" Percy interrupted.
"There is Artemis, goddess of the hunt. She leads a group of her Hunters across America. They have been trying to hunt down the worst of monsters, and have even helped us out on occasion, but they also have their own problems to deal with," Annabeth answered. Her eyes moved back to the ground. "Her twin brother, Apollo, disappeared. Possibly back to Delphi where his oracle originated."
"The oracle? Like the crazy ladies who would tell the future?" Percy asked. Annabeth whacked his arm. "Ow!"
"You should speak about the gods and those associated with them with a bit of respect. They may not be all there in the head, but they could have a moment of clarity and decide to smite you," Annabeth warned. Percy slowly nodded. "But yes, the oracle would use fumes and premonitions from the gods to tell the future. It was also cryptic and always had a double meaning."
"According to Lupa, Camp Jupiter used an augur. They used animal entrails to read omens from the gods. She mentioned something about stuffed animals, but I figured she meant stuff inside animals. They used those omens to try and predict the future, along with texts written down in the Sibylline Books. Camp Half-Blood had an actual oracle that told them prophecies when there was a quest. I guess she was destroyed when the camp was."
"Camp Half-Blood was also watched over by the wine god Dionysus. It was some kind of punishment for something he did. He is somewhere in New York, according to Chiron. No one has heard from Demeter and Hermes," Annabeth continued. She suddenly straightened up. A proud but sad look came to her face. "Then, there is my mother Athena: goddess of wisdom."
"No one knows where she is either, but I know she is out there looking for a solution to this problem," Annabeth said. Hope was prevalent in her voice. "And, I assume Poseidon is at sea. Probably Atlantis."
"Wait, Atlantis is real?" Percy questioned. Annabeth nodded. Percy stared at her. If Atlantis was real, could Percy find his father there? Could he even find Atlantis?
"No one knows where it is, but Poseidon has to have a kingdom for his domain," Annabeth stated. There was an odd look on her face.
"You sound like you don't like Poseidon too much," Percy commented.
"Of course not, I'm a child of Athena. You do know the story, don't you?" Annabeth asked. Percy shook his head. "Back in the day, the city-state of Attica was looking for a patron god. Poseidon created a salt-water spring for them as a gift, and Athena created an olive tree. The city leaders saw that Athena's gift was more useful and made her their patron goddess, naming the place Athens. That started their rivalry, and it got much worse with Medusa. Poseidon took her into Athena's temple, and they desecrated the temple with the disgusting things they did. Athena turned Medusa and her sister into the first gorgons."
"That's only eleven," Percy said as he counted. He frowned. "So, that just leaves Had-"
"Don't say his name!" Annabeth interrupted as she threw her hand over Percy's mouth.
"Why not?" Percy asked with a muffled voice. He watched as Annabeth retracted her hand, and she finished making their hot chocolate. She handed it to Percy. He took a small sip.
"Names have power," Annabeth began. "Saying the name of the Olympians is okay as long as we do it respectfully. They're not fully aware of their surroundings and won't try to smite us. The big guy downstairs is different. He is fully awake. He isn't lost like the others. In fact, he did all of this."
"What do you mean?" Percy asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Annabeth countered. Percy just stared at her confused. Annabeth sighed. "We call them the Big Three: Zeus, Poseidon, and the guy downstairs. When the Titans were defeated, they all were given lots to draw. Zeus got the sky as his domain. Poseidon the ocean, and the big man downstairs got the Underworld. As the eldest son of the Titan Kronos, he should have inherited the entire world, but he also didn't do as much as Zeus to defeat Kronos. Therefore, everyone recognized Zeus as their leader."
"Kronos is the guy that swallowed his kids, right? How could Had-... the guy downstairs help if he was swallowed and digested?" Percy asked.
"Zeus' mother, Rhea, tricked Kronos into swallowing a rock, and he ended up puking up all his kids. They still had to fight the Titans, and Zeus did most of the heavy lifting," Annabeth explained. "I know that the guy downstairs wants the rest of the kingdom back. That's why he didn't take the vow."
"See, there was this prophecy back in the day. It foretold that a child of the Big Three would make a big decision that would either destroy or save Olympus. Zeus knew they couldn't take the chance and brought forth the idea of the Big Three taking a vow: for them to not have anymore kids," Annabeth explained. Percy felt his heart skip a beat.
"What if they already had a kid?" Percy asked. Annabeth grimaced. "Did they really kill their kids?"
"It took a few lives to save the world. It's not an easy choice, but it is one the gods would have made," Annabeth said. "But, the guy downstairs didn't take the vow and caused all of this. If he had a kid who could make that decision, he could destroy the Olympians and take their power."
"Wouldn't that just be overthrowing himself?" Percy wondered.
"He doesn't have a seat on the Council," Annabeth answered. "He may be called an Olympian but isn't really considered one. He's like the black sheep of the family. He planned to take power, but the few Olympians that are still around are stopping him."
Percy just nodded as he struggled to tie down all of this information. There was just so much of it. He looked over his notes and realized that he hadn't written anything down. He frowned at his inactivity.
"Need a break?" Annabeth asked.
"Please," Percy said. He focused on drinking his hot chocolate as the clearing fell silent. The only thing he could hear was the clashing of weapons in the distance and the crackling of the fire nearby. Percy heard the rustling of armor, and his gaze moved to the side.
Annabeth turned her attention as well and seemed to be staring at Reyna. It was hard to read the look on her face, and Percy couldn't tell if Annabeth liked Reyna or not. Or if there was just something else between the two. Jealousy?
Percy saw Reyna shift again. Her face contorted as she shifted once more, and it seemed like she was having a nightmare. Lupa lifted her head and rested her forehead against Reyna's. After a moment, Reyna stopped tossing around and seemed to relax.
"I wonder how much Lupa does for us," Annabeth whispered softly. Percy looked at her. "A goddess like her has immense power. How many monsters does she keep away? How does she manage to get all of these supplies for us? And, what would happen if she decided to let us fend for ourselves?"
"It seems like she cares," Percy said quietly. "Just look how she is with Reyna."
"With a Roman," Annabeth muttered.
"Alleged Roman," Percy countered. Annabeth rolled her eyes and pulled out a large book that caused Percy's head to spin for the tenth time that day. "You read that for fun?"
"Yes," Annabeth said, not even looking at him. Her full attention was on the book. Percy resigned to drinking his hot chocolate. He was going to do his best to take notes when they talked about monsters, as Luke warned him that they would practice their fighting tactics based on what Annabeth told them.
Percy finished his hot chocolate and laid back on the ground. He allowed himself to relax and stare up at the sky. His mind ran through everything that Annabeth told him, and one thought bubbled up in his mind: it sounded like Annabeth was worried that Hades would try to do something to destroy the other gods, and if he did, who would stop him?
The old stories had demigods and heroes going on quests for the gods. If there was no group of demigods besides this little ragtag one, would one of them have to step up? Would they do it without the support or help of the gods? Or would the world just fall to Hades?