Chapter Title: I Find Out That The Gods Are Idiots

My relationship with Percy Jackson became.. very complicated after that night, to be honest about it.

I don't know how fast someone could go from everyone being friendly with him - for the most part - to being the pariah, but thanks to his parentage, Percy might as well be holding the world record right now as how fast someone could do that. And honestly, how fast everyone else had turned into thinking of him as this.. somehow it really pissed me off.

The next morning, Chiron moved him out of Cabin Eleven and into Cabin Three, seemingly to the relief of everyone else aside from Luke and Blake in the cabin, which only served to tick me off more under the surface. It was like some sort of secret switch had been flipped.

The cabin began to get nervous around him whenever we were having sword fighting lessons with him, so Luke and Blake decided to have one on one (or one with two to put it more accurately) lessons with him. Blake was somehow a little bit more relaxed with the kid now, which felt suspicious to me. Even so, I still felt unhappy with everyone else for being this way with Percy.

It did cause a little bit of discord between me and my new found siblings internally, but I didn't mention any of it to Alabaster and Lou Ellen, not after being so nice and kind to me thus far. I will admit, falling asleep in a cuddle pile with your other siblings, even if on the floor and you are also an only child prior to this, actually felt really nice.

But still, it ticked me off as to how everyone else treated Percy now.

Why does everyone else have to be assholes towards him because of him being a forbidden child?

It made absolutely zero fucking sense.

The morning after that, Blake took me on up to the Big House in the morning while Luke went to get Percy. Blake said that Mr. D, as they called Dionysus, and Chiron wanted to talk with us both.

A storm started to rumble in the distance when we reached the Big House, but I played it no mind. I stepped inside along with Blake.

"Hey Mr. D.." he called out to him. Mr. D and Chiron were playing some sort of card game against two sets of cards hovering in the air, which was kind of creepy in my own opinion. Mr. D turned to Blake.

"Here's Colton.." Blake said. "I have Luke bringing up Percy."

"Good, Blake. Thank you.. you may be excused.." Mr. D said politely. "Cherish.. my dear.. have a seat."

He mispronounced my name. Again.

I didn't chew him out for it, though. Instead, I just took a seat on the couch and waited, staring up at the ceiling even as the card game went on, the door shut behind Blake as he went back out, and the storm continued to rumble in the distance.

After a while, two pairs of footsteps alerted me to Luke and Percy having arrived. My head turned to the door just before it opened again, and to no one's surprise, in stepped both of them, causing both Mr. D and Chiron to turn. Percy was rather surprised to see me, judging from his reaction when he noticed me.

"Well.. well.. our little celebrity.." Mr. D said to him, and I don't know why, but I felt kind of annoyed at that.

He stood still. "Come closer.." Mr. D said. "And don't expect me to bow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father."

I felt that was a bit rude to say, because judging from his expression, it was likely that it wasn't what he wanted at all. Just then, a net of lightning flashed across the clouds, and thunder shook the windows of the Big House.

I shuddered a little. Zeus must be pissed right now.

"Blah, blah, blah.." Dionysus muttered, while Chiron feigned interest in his cards. It was then looking back at Luke and Percy, I noticed Grover right behind them, having come from nowhere, catching me off guard.

He was cowering, his hooves clopping back and forth. Luke seemed to be the only one of the trio that wasn't faltering right now.

"I wished to turn your molecules into flames.." Dionysus said, causing me to turn towards him and look at him like what the absolute fuck was he on. "But it's supposedly abuse of children."

It is, you dumb fuck, I thought to myself. What the hell is wrong with you?

"Spontaneous combustion is abuse, Mr. D.." Chiron said as Percy nodded in agreement and I did as well.

"Nonsense.." Mr. D said back, and I had half a mind to go up there and clobber the God with my fist personally. What the absolute fuck? "Kid wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."

I couldn't take it anymore. "You have issues, Mr. D. You should see someone about it.." I suddenly blurted out, causing everyone to look at me.

"I'm a God, Cherry.." Mr. D said back, butchering my name yet again. I rolled my eyes. "I'm perfectly fine."

No you aren't.

"Mr. D.." Chiron started. The man in question just chuckled, shaking his head.

"There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness.." Mr. D said, and I just snapped again.

"What is this even all about..? Why are you both talking to him like this? If there's a problem, out with it.. you all treating him like he's done something wrong.." I said to both of them, and the look they both gave me in return indicated that this was very serious indeed.

Mr. D then disappeared after a few more moments of silence, leaving Chiron there. He smiled at us, but he looked tired and strained.

"Percy, Luke, Grover.. take a seat please.." Chiron said to them.

Chiron laid his cards on the table as all three of them took a seat.

"Hey.. uh.." Percy said to me, since he sat down next to me. "Thanks for incinerating that hellhound."

I was about to reply, but Chiron interrupted.

"You'll meet worse, Percy.." he said. "Far worse, before you're done." I really was confused now.

"Done.. with what?" Percy asked. Luke looked very.. very uncomfortable with it all, and not in the way that someone like Blake probably would have been. I could sense that Luke was acting more out of genuine concern. I don't know how, but I could.

"Your quest.. of course.." Chiron said, causing me to turn back towards him, like he was insane. I wished I wasn't hearing what I was hearing. He was saying that a twelve year old - a kid only a year older than I was - had to go on a quest possibly out into a world full of monsters. What the fuck? "..will you accept it?"

"You can't just spring this on him, Chiron.." Luke said back, and Chiron shot him a look, warning him to be quiet. Percy glanced at Grover, who was crossing his fingers, from what I could see. There was.. a lot of things wrong with this picture, and I knew it.

"Um.. sir.." Percy said. "..don't mean to be unobservant or anything.. but you haven't told me what it is yet."

Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part, the details."

I was getting.. really ticked off by all of this now. "You really didn't think that you could have explained this to him beforehand before you all dumped this onto him?" I asked Chiron.

"Quiet.. Colton.." he said back.

Thunder was rumbling outside.

"Poseidon and Zeus.." Percy said. "They're fighting over something valuable, something that was stolen, aren't they?"

I turned to Percy, blindsided by that part. That just came out of the blue, from my perspective. Chiron and Grover exchanged looks, while Luke just sighed and shook his head.

"How do you know that?" Chiron asked.

Percy just looked a little embarrassed, if only that. "The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting.." he remarked, and that did make me recall that there had more frequent storms than normal in Louisville prior to Summer this year. "..then I've also been having these dreams."

Wait.. dreams? The fuck is up with this guy?

"I knew it.." Grover said.

"Hush.." Chiron said to him.

"But it is his quest!" Grover shot back. "It must be!"

Luke was not having a good time at all with this, and it showed. "This is madness.." he hissed. "..you can't be serious! He only just got here."

"The kid is basically a year older than me.." I added. "..and you are here wanting to send him on a quest.. for what? Like Luke said, this is madness."

"Only the Oracle can determine.." Chiron said, stroking his beard. "Nevertheless, Percy, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries." Well shit, I thought to myself. That did not sound good at all. "They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."

Percy laughed nervously. He definitely did not like where this was going. "A what?" he asked, clearly still confused as ever.

"Do not take this lightly.." Chiron warned. Before he said anything else, I had to interrupt.

"I take it we're not talking about a normal lightning bolt here, are we?" I asked, and Chiron nodded.

"Very perceptive, Colton.. and you would be correct.." Chiron replied. "..I happen to be talking precisely about such a thing as that. I'm talking about a two foot long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives."

Basically speaking, we are talking some major firepower here, I thought to myself.

"Oh.." Percy said. He seemed awfully calm at the moment about all of this.

"Zeus' master bolt.." Chiron continued, seemingly getting worked up now. I didn't like where this was going now either. "The symbol of his power, for which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off from Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne.." From the mixture of dread and interest that arose within me at the mention of this 'Kronos' guy, I had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time I would be hearing of him down the road. "..the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."

If that was what was stolen, I'm fucking concerned now, I thought to myself. Someone is out there with a weapon of mass destruction capable of leveling entire regions right now.

"And it's missing?" Percy asked.

"Stolen.." Chiron replied.

"By who?"

"By whom.." Chiron corrected. "By you."

Percy's mouth fell open. I just looked back and forth between Chiron and Percy. Given the kid's reactions and how young and naive he was, I could already tell that this wasn't right at all. There was absolutely no way in hell that this kid could be capable of stealing such a powerful weapon. Hell, he wasn't even good at thievery like Luke and the Hermes kids were.

"At least, that's what Zeus thinks. That's the fear that he holds.." Chiron continued, and the more he continued talking, the more I started wondering if Zeus had been cursed with a brain disease or something. This was just insane. "During the winter solstice last year, the last counsel of the Gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. It wasn't a nice one or a good one.."

Unsurprising.

"..so they had a break to cool off. Afterward, when they returned, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon."

"Some of us had been taken up by Chiron up to Olympus that day.." Luke recounted out of nowhere. "..we all felt something was off as soon as we had stepped out of the building. Blake had left earlier before the rest of us, said that his mom was in the city and that he had planned to eat at a restaurant with her."

Something about Blake's actions just seemed off for some reason. I didn't know why.

"Anyways.." Chiron resumed. "..a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly - that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it."

"But I didn't —.." Percy started, before Chiron interrupted him. As much as I disliked the kid, I could tell he was completely innocent, which meant one thing.

Someone was setting this kid up. Someone was framing Percy Jackson.

"Patience and listen, child.." Chiron said, and I now had half a mind to sock him in the jaw much like I did the Minotaur honestly. But I held back from doing so. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious."

He then proceeded to list off what could possibly be described as a batshit conspiracy theory as the reasoning for Zeus' judgement. It made zero sense. Even a clear sighted mortal could see the flaws in its logic.

"Now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his son.." Chiron said. "You were in New York over the Winter Holidays."

He lives there, dumbass, I thought to myself. Percy had mentioned that he lived in New York City, at least during one of his conversations to Annabeth that I had overheard over the past couple of days.

"You could have easily snuck into Olympus.." Chiron finished. "Zeus believes he has found his thief."

If anything, Zeus is being played for a fool right now, I thought to myself. This was crazy, total bullshit. It was as if fate had it out for Percy right now.

"But I've never been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!" Percy shot back.

I believed him. Given how clueless he was when I met him the other day, it was obvious that he likely did not know very much about the subject at hand, which was the Greek mythological world in today's time.

I doubted he knew where Olympus even was. I still didn't know myself right now.

Chiron and Grover glanced nervously out the window.

"Er, Percy..?" Grover said. "We don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky. Let's not insult the gods please."

"To be fair.." I muttered aloud. "It definitely fits him given how much insanity all of this is."

More thunder rumbled outside.

"Perhaps paranoid.." Chiron said. "Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty eight on your final exam.." I was definitely confused by that remark.

Percy was confused for a while, but seemed to remember. "Something about a golden net?" he said. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods.. they, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?"

I had to keep myself from bursting out laughing at that one. If anything, given the situation right now, they were correct and justified in doing that to him. Because, things had probably not changed any from Zeus.

"Correct.." Chiron said. "..and Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since then. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the Master Bolt. He took great offense at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you've come along — the proverbial last straw."

"But I'm just a kid!" Percy said. That, he was.

So was I the same as him for that matter.

Cue Grover spewing out some reasoning for Zeus' behavior that while reasonable, was still dogshit.

"But I didn't do anything.." Percy continued. "Poseidon - my dad - he didn't really have his master bolt stolen, didn't he?"

Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style.." he said, and I just rolled my eyes. Anyone with a damn brain could fucking see that. "..but the Sea God is too proud of trying to convince Zeus of that."

I held back a moan of agony and frustration. Great, I thought to myself. So Mr. D and Zeus aren't the only ones here who have issues.

"Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice.." Chiron continued, and I rolled my eyes once more. Hard to return something you are accused of stealing when you don't have it in the first place at all. "That's June 21st, just ten days from now."

My eyes grew wide. This is not for real.

"Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date.." he added. "I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrival has inflamed Zeus' temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy?"

I felt sick to my stomach. I really did not want to have to imagine what that would look like.

"Bad..?" Percy asked.

"Imagine the world in chaos.." Chiron replied. "Nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction."

Camp destroyed.

"Carnage.."

Katie dead. Alabaster dead. Lou Ellen dead.

"..western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan war look like a water-balloon fight."

"Bad.." Percy repeated.

Bad indeed, I thought to myself, understanding now that right now, the fate of the world - of me, Katie, Lou Ellen, Luke, Alabaster, and everyone else - hung on an innocent twelve year old's shoulders. What the absolute fuck was this at all?

"And you.. Percy Jackson.." Chiron said ominously. "..will be the first to feel Zeus' wrath."

It started to rain, and I honestly wanted to now sock Zeus in the jaw, electrocution to death be damned. Percy had brought this to camp. Zeus was punishing the whole camp because of a crime Percy didn't even do.

I was furious. And looking at Percy, he felt the same way.

"So where exactly do I fit in with this?" I asked Chiron. Needless to say, I really did not like the answer he gave me.

"Because you came in at the same time as him, you're likely going to have to go on the quest with him to prove your innocence too.." Chiron replied.

Luke and Grover's eyes widened with horror, and I was absolutely fucking livid by this point. So, what did I do?

Simple.

I snapped.

"I lost my parents to a fucking Lydian Drakon, had to trek across the eastern United States for a week to get here while I had thoughts of revenge about killing the monster who killed my parents on my mind, and now that I'm here, because of a kid existing when according to these rules he shouldn't have been and a crime he likely didn't even do, I have to be on his quest to prove my innocence?" I said, angrily. "What the ever-loving hell is wrong with you people?"

Needless to say, all four people were made dead silent from my outburst. Even the rain outside actually stopped for a few minutes before continuing, albeit more lighter than before.

I'm in this position because of a bunch of Gods, unlike my mother Hecate probably, couldn't keep their shit together. Fan-fucking-tastic.

"So I have to find this stupid bolt.." Percy said. "..and return it to Zeus, with his help possibly." He was referring to me on that last part.

"What better peace offering.." Chiron said. "..than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus' property?"

"If Poseidon doesn't have it.." Percy said. "Then, where is the thing..?"

Chiron was about to speak, but I interrupted. "Most likely wherever the Oracle tells you to go, Percy.." I said to him. "Likely.. he thinks that you have it.. when it's probably somewhere else."

Percy looked at Chiron in anger, but he settled down.

"So you accept then?" Chiron asked him.

Percy looked at Grover, who nodded encouragingly. Percy looked at him with anxiety and frustration.

"All right.." he said finally. "It's better than being turned into a dolphin."

"Then it's time that you consulted the Oracle.." Chiron said. "Go upstairs, Percy Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."

I didn't like the sound of that last sentence, to be honest. Percy got up from his seat and left, heading towards the staircase.

It was a tense few minutes of silence that passed between me, Chiron, Luke, and Grover as we waited for him to return. I was still livid.

Eleven years old.. and I am already being sent out on a quest to prove my own innocence with barely any training at all.. what a load of horse shit this is, I thought to myself.

Eventually, we heard footsteps coming down the staircase and we all turned as Percy re-entered the room, a look of concern and trepidation on his face. I felt a chill run down the back of my neck.

"Well?" Chiron asked him.

Percy looked very nervous for a few moments, before he spoke and then in the span of two minutes, my world flipped upside down.

"Well uh.. Chiron.. you were wrong.. there's good news and bad news.. regarding Colton.." Percy said hesitantly. I didn't like the sound of it at all.

"What's the good news?" Luke asked him.

"The good news is that Colton does not have to go on my quest.." Percy said back. Well, at least I'm now proven to be innocent of stealing that damn bolt.

"The bad news?" Chiron asked. I braced myself for it, but I don't think even in a million years I could have been prepared for what came out of his mouth next.

"I think she has a prophecy for Colton.. a separate quest."

Grover, Luke, and Chiron all turned to me in shock. I had only one thought in my head now.

You have got to be fucking kidding me.

Like I said, my relationship with Percy Jackson was becoming.. complicated.

As if that wasn't the only thing I had to deal with in addition to the first prophecy, now I think I am about to get another.

This could not possibly get any more crazy than it already was.

Of course.. as events down the road over the next few summers and years would show, I was wrong.

Dead wrong.