Act I Chapter XV: The Demigods Decide on a Path
"How should we approach Chiron?" Percy asked softly. He stared down at his plate of food and found himself too nervous to eat. If this talk went well and they did head out, what would be in store for him? The task of setting up another camp seemed easy, but he knew from his talk with Lupa that it wouldn't be.
"We just tell him the truth," Annabeth answered. She moved her gaze over to Luke. Percy noted that the two had not talked since their argument the day before. Now, Luke was leaning on a tree and talking to Reyna. While Reyna's arms were crossed, her full attention seemed to be on Luke.
"Can I ask you something?" Percy whispered in the most quiet voice that he could manage. Annabeth nodded slightly. Percy moved his gaze to Lupa. The wolf goddess was sitting next to Chiron. Her ears weren't twitching, so hopefully, she couldn't hear them talking. "Was Luke just going to leave?"
"I think so," Annabeth whispered. She sighed and put her food down, having barely touched it. Annabeth stood, and Percy did as well. The two walked toward Chiron and Lupa. Out of the corner of his eye, Percy saw Luke make his way closer to them. Reyna hesitated for a moment before following.
The two weren't close enough to be involved in the conversation, but they were close enough to hear. Percy lost his nerve slightly, but it was a good thing Annabeth was there. She stopped in front of their two trainers and looked both of them in the eyes.
"We have to go on a quest to save the gods," Annabeth stated. There was such conviction in her voice that Percy found himself immediately nodding. "To do that, we have to bring back Camp Half-Blood and raise more heroes. I know that the big guy downstairs is working against us, but we can't bow a knee to him. We can't bow a knee to anyone. We have to find the Olympians."
"Percy mentioned that if we have a safe place to go, like Camp Half-Blood, we could be prepared for anything the man downstairs can throw at us. It would give us a base of operations," Annabeth continued. Luke stepped to their side.
"With a main base, we can finally have a safe place for demigods to live. No longer do we have to train them for three measly months and then send them on their way to survive on their own. They can finally have a place to call home. It will be like how it was in the old days before the camps were destroyed," Luke added. He looked at Chiron. "I know we can do this. We are heroes for a reason. Let us be heroes."
Lupa growled softly. Chiron looked at her and held up a hand. His gaze moved back to them, "You say that you want to bring back the gods and also establish Camp Half-Blood once again. But, how would you go about that?"
"That's what we're not sure about," Annabeth admitted. "We thought maybe you two could help us."
"You aren't going anywhere," Lupa shot down immediately. "Percy is not trained enough to go anywhere. Luke, you and Annabeth must stay here and train demigods."
"There is no point in training demigods and then sending them away to die!" Luke snapped. He shook his head angrily. "I can't just keep training these kids for only a few months and then sending them out on their own. It's unfair to them and unfair to me because I never know if my training was good enough."
"I know the gods don't care about us," Luke spat with venom as he stepped toward Lupa. "But, we are half-bloods. Half-human and half god. Not half-wolf. We do not leave our weak and inexperienced out to fend for themselves."
"You three will stay here, and that is final!" Lupa growled. Her voice shot through the clearing, causing Percy and probably everyone else to shiver. "You three may have noble goals, but you do not even know where to begin. Continue your training."
Lupa turned and stalked away. Percy crossed his arms and looked at Annabeth. She stared at where Lupa had been. Luke was glaring. Chiron sighed softly as he looked at them.
"Wanting to restore Camp Half-Blood is a noble goal, but Lupa is correct. You do not have a plan or an idea of what to do. You need guidance, and unfortunately, we cannot provide it. There isn't a safe place that we can just go to like we could Camp Half-Blood. We would have to build the camp from scratch, and we do not have the numbers to protect it. If anything, we need a god like Camp Jupiter had, but he vanished," Chiron explained.
"A quest like the one you want to take on does not have a starting point," Chiron continued. A sigh left him as he looked off as if lost in nostalgia. "I remember there used to be a cave at Camp Half-Blood. It was where the Oracle lived."
"The Oracle?" Annabeth questioned softly, as if she was worried she would cause Chiron to shut down.
"Yes. The Oracle of Delphi," Chiron said. Next to him, Percy saw Luke stiffen. A scowl infected his face. "The spirit has guided many demigods. When a quest was issued, the spirit of the Oracle would give a prophecy. It used to be housed in the attic of our main building, but it was moved to a cave when the Romans attacked."
"I believe that the cave was the only thing untouched. If a demigod was to start a quest now and make their way to the Oracle, I believe they would receive a prophecy and guidance for their quest," Chiron continued. Another sigh left him. "Some days, I do miss Long Island."
Chiron looked at them and smiled sadly. He met Percy's eyes and nodded. Then, Chiron walked off to where Lupa had gone. Percy looked down and sighed. His gaze moved to Annabeth.
"What do we do now?" Percy asked. His shoulders deflated, but a frown came to his face as he saw Annabeth had the hint of a smile on hers. Luke looked determined. "What?"
"We get ready to leave," Annabeth answered. Her gaze moved to Percy. "Chiron wasn't telling us no. He was helping us! If we can find the Oracle, we can learn where to go."
"We'll leave tonight. Just act normal for the rest of today," Luke whispered. Percy nodded and felt his stomach twist. This was it. They were really going to go on a quest. As he turned, he found that Reyna was watching them. After a moment, she turned and walked towards the tents.
Percy studied her for a moment and then looked down at his pocket. He slowly pulled his pen out and gripped it tightly. While he hadn't been training for long, he knew that he was meant to do this. They would find the Oracle and find out where to go. Then, they would save the gods. But first, he needed to take a nap.
It was easier to sneak out of the camp than Percy thought. Lupa had not come back since she left earlier, and Chiron had commented that he was going to retire early that night. He also gave Luke money and asked him to pick up supplies later. Even though Luke had done so only a few days before.
Percy wasn't sure if Lupa supported them or not. Her words and actions that day said no, but Percy had seen her when they were alone. She had been encouraging him. Was it his choice of companions? Percy wasn't sure, and he knew better than to ask.
Percy carefully stepped through the treeline. Annabeth was crouched down and using a stick to draw into the dirt. Luke leaned on a tree next to her and looked focused. Percy stopped near them. They were all wearing a set of armor, and each had their weapons in hand. Well, Percy had his in his pocket, but still.
"How are we going to do this?" Percy asked quietly as he looked at them.
"We'll have to borrow a car," Luke answered.
"Borrow as in steal?" Percy retorted. Luke looked at him and nodded.
"I don't like it, but it's for the greater good," Annabeth stated. She stood and grabbed the duffel bag that was near her. Percy had his duffel bag slung across his back. It held his clothes, polishing kit, and a few other miscellaneous items. "We should get going."
"Not yet," Luke halted. "We're waiting for one more."
"One more?" Annabeth repeated. Percy opened his mouth to ask the same question, but his answer seemed to melt out of the shadows. Reyna nodded to them, and a scowl crossed Annabeth's lips. She hid it quickly, but it wasn't missed by Percy. "Why is she coming with?"
"Because I want to help too," Reyna answered. She was dressed in armor just like them and wore her jacket to cover some of it. Her fingers twitched against her sword handle, and there was a pale tone to her face.
"What about the others?" Annabeth questioned.
"Clarisse will protect them. She won't be happy about it, though," Reyna answered.
"And, Reyna knows where Camp Half-Blood is," Luke added. Annabeth turned on Reyna, and her eyes narrowed.
"How do you know where it is?" Annabeth asked. Percy turned to look at Reyna, who met their gazes.
"I saw the remains before. I didn't stay there too long," Reyna answered. She shifted uncomfortably. "It was years ago. I was looking for... answers."
"Answers," Annabeth repeated, sounding unimpressed.
"About my... family," Reyna revealed. She crossed her arms and seemed to tense as if she was getting ready to take a body blow. Luke looked in between the two and then looked at Percy as if asking for his opinion.
"I think Reyna should come with," Percy began. Everyone looked at him. "The more the merrier, right?"