Act I Chapter XXIII: Luke Catches up With an Old Friend

"Almost everyone is sleeping," Luke informed as he stared at the small lake below him. The still water looked rather peaceful. Other than some of the litter that mortals had left behind.

"Almost everyone? Who isn't sleeping? Chiron? Or is Clarisse keeping watch again?"

"Reyna. I saw her slip out of the tent not too long ago. She looks troubled," Luke answered. He scanned the clearing that he stood in. Then, his gaze moved to the sky. Were the gods watching him now? Broken or not, they had to know their children were out there somewhere. Were they put together enough that they could see their children?

"She's not going to see us, is she?"

"No," Luke promised. A sigh left him, and he took a sip of his soda. He was exhausted just like the rest of them, but he couldn't sleep yet.

"And Lupa?"

"Isn't here," Luke confirmed. "She went to find a lead on where this Terminus statue is."

"Terminus?"

"A Roman god that used to guard Camp Jupiter. We think that he can make some kind of barrier around Camp Half-Blood that will allow us to actually bring the demigods together. Then, we can try to bring back the gods."

"You found Camp Half-Blood?!"

"Yeah. We did," Luke confirmed. He finished his soda and tossed it to the side. His companion caught it and took a huge bite. "We also found the... Oracle."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, Grover. It was just a mummy," Luke said as he turned his head. Grover was hiding in the shadows of the tree, though his fur made him stick out like a sore thumb. His hooves didn't help either. Luke's jaw clenched at his next thought.

It was some kind of joke by whatever god or goddess was out there and still had enough of their sanity intact to do this. Going to find the Oracle. After what happened to his mother.

"Have you checked on her?"

"No."

"Oh."

There was silence between the two. Grover chewed nervously on the soda can. Luke just stared ahead, trying to keep from brooding too much. Grover finally cleared his throat.

"Is Percy doing well?" Grover asked. Luke looked at him again. There was a worried look on the satyr's face.

"He is. We killed the Minotaur," Luke recounted. Grover's eyes widened, and he crunched down even harder on his can. "Hey, Percy did great. He didn't get a scratch on him. Why don't you say hi?"

"Not yet," Grover declined. "I don't have much time. I just needed to stop by and make sure that he was still in one piece. Not that I doubted you."

"I'm keeping a good eye on him," Luke promised. He slowly stood. "You were right about Percy being special. His swordsmanship is amazing for someone who never held a weapon before, and Lupa seems interested in him. How strong is his scent?"

"I don't know," Grover admitted. "He still has traces of that Smelly Gabe guy on him, and another scent as well. Almost like a monster, but it's not coming from him."

"Maybe a monster that was tracking him?" Luke pondered.

"Maybe," Grover muttered. He shook his head and looked at his watch. "I need to get out of here, Luke. I'll try to stop by again. Just take care of yourself. And Annabeth too! Tell her I said hi."

"I will," Luke promised. He watched Grover duck further into the forest, shaded by the trees around him. Luke turned and felt a shiver run down his spine. His eyes darted to his surroundings, and his hand drifted to his sword. After a moment, the feeling passed.

Luke walked back towards the camp, but he did keep an eye out for any monsters. Chiron was keeping watch for them to allow them to sleep. Luke was too amped to sleep, and he was surprised that Annabeth had gone to her tent after talking to Percy.

They were getting closer to their goal.

Step one: restore Camp Half-Blood and make it a haven for all demigods.

Step two: save the gods.

Step three: make sure the gods never allow this to happen again.

"Tell me, Luke Castellan," Lupa began. Luke nearly jumped as he turned toward the wolf goddess. For a creature her size, she moved silently. Like a predator. "What is your plan after we find Terminus?"

"To have him protect Camp Half-Blood," Luke answered as he met Lupa's piercing stare. The wolf goddess had always been indifferent to him; cold even. Just like a typical immortal.

"Who is to say that Terminus will be at full power when you first find him? If you find him," Lupa challenged. "What if he cannot always protect you? There are not enough demigods to protect a place that large and no way to contact them.

"If you manage to reestablish a camp and fill it with demigods, what are you going to do then? It is not like the gods will know. The gods are not just going to come back. They are too far gone, so how are you going to save them?" Lupa questioned.

"I don't know," Luke admitted. He knew that Lupa was being harsh on purpose. Not just because she was a goddess but because she wanted this conversation to be a lesson. Lupa always wanted them to have a plan. She drilled that into their heads.

Luke always wondered why Annabeth and Lupa didn't get along. Both of them loved their plans.

"Are you going to make it up as you go along?" Lupa accused. "That is how demigods get killed."

"We follow the prophecy, then," Luke decided. "That's what made us realize that Terminus is still out there. So, we take the rest of the clues and see what- the golden drachmae. That has to be our next clue."

"But what does it mean?"

"I don't know," Luke admitted. "But, we have some of the oldest knowledge in the world available to help us figure it out. If you're going to help us."

"I want nothing more than to help you," Lupa claimed. "But, I won't coddle you. The four of you are on a path that will push you beyond anything you have experienced before. If we coddle you, the pressure will break you. You can bend, but you must never break."

"I won't," Luke promised. Lupa studied him with ancient and worn eyes. Ones that saw too much. "But, you're keeping us in the dark and selling it as a lesson you're teaching us. Don't tell me that you don't really know where Terminus is."

Luke stood firm, unafraid of the wolf goddess. Lupa growled, "If I knew where Terminus was, I would tell you. It is not something I would hide from anyone."

Luke studied Lupa and remained silent. The wolf goddess finally turned and stalked away. Luke followed after her. It was no secret that he wasn't a fan of Lupa. Or any immortal really.

They lived up there on Mount Olympus and looked down upon their children. They acted like demigods were an inconvenience. Then, the gods went and screwed the world up, but who really suffered?

The gods were wandering around not fully there, but they weren't in pain. They were probably lost in some kind of haze or bliss. The demigods were left with the consequences. They had no place to go that was safe. No gifts could be given to them. No help was offered. And monsters every damn where they turned.

Yet, it was up to the demigods to bring those very gods back by digging them out of the mess they made. Luke hated it, but he knew what had to be done. For everyone to be safe, the gods had to be brought back. The world could not remain in chaos.

And Lupa was right to question them. To make them try and think about what they were going to do, but she could also offer help. Lupa knew more than they did, and if she thought this quest was so futile, she should just speak her mind and let everyone know. It would save them all some time.

"We have to work together, Lupa. You know that," Luke stated. "We may hate each other, but at the end of the day, we have to watch each other's back."

"I don't hate any demigods, Luke. Despite what you and Annabeth think," Lupa stated. She stopped walking and turned towards him. "You forget your place. You are a mortal."

"And?"

"You question me at every turn. You act as if I do not have the best interest of the demigods in mind, even though I have been training demigods for centuries. Greek or Roman, it did not matter. What mattered is that they were strong enough," Lupa stated. "I still hold true to those principles.

"The only difference now is that the weak cannot be cast out. They must be brought up by those around them. And you, Luke Castellan, are the weak link," Lupa declared. Luke glared at the goddess. "I know of your hatred of the gods. Of how corrupted your heart already is. Of your failed quest."

"I'm not the weak link," Luke hissed as he narrowed his eyes. "None of the demigods are."

"Would you allow the darkness in your heart to corrupt you?" Lupa pressed. "If given the chance, would you forsake the gods if something else offered you a better solution? You say that the gods must be brought back, but that is because you want peace in the world. What if another entity offered you peace in exchange for turning your back on the gods? Would you?"

Luke didn't reply, and that seemed to be the answer that the wolf goddess wanted. She turned and walked away without another word. Luke scowled as she did. Who was a goddess to question his loyalties? She was the one who needed him. Not the other way around.

Luke sighed angrily. He needed to try and get some sleep. That would clear his head, and hopefully, he could calm down. Luke turned and walked towards his tent. He was not the weak link. How could Lupa even say that about him?

Then again, Lupa was a goddess. Arrogant gods caused all of this, just like in the old stories.

Luke would help save the gods, but after that, he would make sure they never did this again. The gods' hubris wouldn't drag everything down.

Luke swore it on the River Styx.