Zoe, Liam, and Karina sat around the camp fire gazing up to the moonless night. The stars sparkled brightly upon the black canvas, creating an explosion of colors spelling chaos. The trees surrounding them swayed in the wind as it buffeted the the two silver tents. On the other side of the clearing, the hunters had set up their own fires and tents. Zoe finished braiding her hair, tossing it behind her. "I'm so glad they figured out how to reverse the light pollution," Zoe said, eyes locking on the twinkling Huntress. Her leg propped up on a small stool provided by the hunter's medic. Who had wrapped her leg in thick gauze coated in a thin layer of nectar and ambrosia and told her to stay off of it for the night. She had replaced her ruined pants with a pair of cargo shorts when they recovered their bags from the train.
"Yeah," Karina agreed. "To think there have been whole generations of people who haven't seen this view."
"Those were dark times," Thalia interjected, plopping down on the trunk next to Zoe. "These days you kids are spoiled. When I was growing up, You had to go out into the wilderness to get a view like this. Just you, the stars, and the potential monster attack," she said, leaning back with her hands behind her head. "Those were good times." Her eyes caught sight of Zoe's leg. "How's the leg?"
Zoe shrugged. "Been better, Atlanta said it should be good by morning."
The fire crackled as Karina threw another log into the fire. "Yeah, about that," she said. "How did those flames hurt you? Aren't you suppose to have a resistance to it?"
Zoe glanced at her leg. "I...I don't know. Even the when the lava wall caught my pants on fire, I had no where near this much damage. It was like being cut for the first time all over again."
Thalia crossed her legs, sitting back up. "The Minotaur isn't suppose to be able to breath fire. It also isn't supposed to be nearly that big," she told them, a look of concern dominating her features. "Whoever did that to it is powerful and a being like that wouldn't give the Minotaur normal fire."
"So," Liam began, picking at his ear. "What you're saying is that the Minotaur had some kind of hellfire?"
The daughter of Zeus picked up a twig, flicking it at the boy. The stick struck Liam in the hand, causing him to yelp and retract his hand. "Stop picking at your ear, you'll just push the wax deeper," she scolded her brother. Liam scowled, crossing his arms and grumbled about overbearing sisters. "And no, there is no such thing as hell fire. Maybe magical fire though?" she contemplated.
"Who would be willing and capable of giving the Minotaur that kind of power boost?" Karina asked.
Thalia shrugged, gazing into the fire. "No one good that's for sure."
"Aunty," Zoe called out, the immortal hunter turned to her. Pleading dark emerald met stoic lightning blue. "I need to know. What is happening? Why is everyone giving us the run around about this?"
A heavy sigh escaped the lips of the elder girl, her gaze to the fire. "It's not that easy Zoe. We can't tell you because we don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?" asked Karina.
"I mean that you kids have found out more in two days than we have in two weeks." Thalia looked again to Zoe. "Show me it," she requested, reaching her hand out. Zoe pulled the silver drachma from her back pocket, handing it to her. Thalia took the coin, flipping it back and forth. Tears began stinging her eyes. "This was given to Percy, back in the Second Gigantomachy. This clip right here," she pointed out a small cut at the edge of the coin, "was cut when it passed through her." She clamped shut as she finished, a single tear escaping her.
"When what passed through who?" Liam asked, concern heavy in his tone and features.
Thalia wiped the tear away, her sight looking up to the stars. "Annabeth...she gave it to Percy before she died, begging him to finish the fight."
Zoe's eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape. "I don't-I don't understand. She died in the fall didn't she? She followed the Mark of Athena, found Arachne and the Athena Parthenos. And when she and Dad fell into Tartarus she died in the fall. Reyna and Nico took the Parthenos from The House of Hades back to camp which ended the feud between Greeks and Romans. Meanwhile the rest of the Seven fought Gaea and the Giants in Greece before Gaea came to camp and she was defeated by Jason, Piper, and Leo. That's the story."
Thalia gave the young girl a sad smile. "No," she told them. "That's the lie we all agreed to tell. The lie to uphold the integrity of the twice Savior of Olympus, and everyone who knows the truth is either in on the lie, or they passed on to Hades decades ago."
"Are you saying that the entire war was a lie?" Karina questioned her.
"No. The war was still very real. However, the truth...it was better that the truth was suppressed," Thalia answered, guilt and despair etched across her face.
The three younger demigods shared looks of concern. "What is the truth then? And how does it affect us right now?" Zoe asked.
Thalia took a heavy breath. "Strap in kids, this will be a douse," she tried to laugh, the attempt coming out more of a cough. "Percy wasn't kidnapped by Hera...it was Annabeth. She somehow thought that if the child of the most disrespected goddess in Rome could gain the support of the legion, they could combine the two camps for the war. We searched for months trying to find her. Even after Jason showed up and freed Hera, Percy refused to stop looking for her. He often joined the Hunt on the search, at the very least to vent his anger upon the monster bands we came across," she reached into her shirt, pulling out a silver locket and rubbed lightly on it with her free hand. "Eventually, we found Camp Jupiter at Lady Artemis' direction and found the Battle of Fortuna well underway. Annabeth died that night, having completed her quest with Hazel and Frank, after fighting Polybotes. In her dying moments, she gave this coin to Percy and begged him to save Olympus. He swore on the Styx he would, and so he did." Thalia gazed longingly at the drachma, rotating it slowly in her hands.
The three questors starred dumbfounded. Karina rubbed at her face. "That's not the whole story," she said. "There is to much disparity for that to be the case."
"You would be correct," Thalia confirmed. "But the rest I wasn't there for. I will leave it to Percy or Reyna to explain it to you."
Zoe shook herself vigorously. "Why lie about this? It doesn't make sense."
"Once Annabeth disappeared, Percy wasn't Percy anymore. He became angry when we consistently found nothing. Started picking fights. Then...Sally and Paul died and Percy became desperate to find Annabeth. He was obsessed with trying to protect her and after she died...a lot of things happened that he is not proud of. Reyna proposed the idea, arguing that with the volatile state of both camps, it would be best if Percy was given the whole 'Knight in Shining Armor' persona, than the truth. That being said, over the decades he has become more of his old self again."
"How did you convince the demigods of both camps that what they witnessed wasn't what actually happened?" asked Karina, her fingers twiddling on her legs.
Thalia gave the girl a small smile. "Hazel, with the help of your mother, casted a massive spell with the mist and Reyna had the official records changed. Though I am sure Lady Athena has kept the real records in her library." Karina's eyes widened, before muttering something about Hazel and favorites.
Zoe lightly touched Thalia's arm. The hunter turned to the daughter of Perseus. "What does any of this have to do with us?" she questioned her.
Thalia raised the coin to her, the fire light reflecting off of it. "Percy told me he lost this coin in Tartarus. He did specify how. He does not talk about his time down there. But if he lost this coin in Tartarus, then whoever is behind this is from there, maybe even Tartarus himself."
"Maybe the Minotaur found it and carried it around?" Liam offered with a shrug. "And he dropped is after we kicked his butt the first time?"
"Maybe," Thalia agreed. "Doesn't explain his increase in size, strength, or the fire breathing. Plus he isn't the only one. We have fought boosted cyclopes, hellhounds, hydras, Hades, Jason even fought a drakon. Something big is going on and Percy is somehow a part of it."
"I don't understand though," Karina said. "Why aren't the gods helping? I'm sure that Percy has some friends on the council. Why isn't Lady Artemis here helping?"
Thalia winced in response. "That's a complicated question. Lady Artemis and Percy haven't been on good terms for about thirteen years. As for the rest, Zeus has forbidden an official investigation. He argues that there is no evidence that Percy is in any form of danger, saying that he is probably just trying to woo some mortals. Which is a wild idea. And while Poseidon is trying to help, he has a kingdom to run which has been having it's own issues."
"That argument literally makes no sense," Liam complained.
Thalia shrugged. "No one said Dad was smart," she responded. "He's just hoping that Percy disappears for good and everyone will forget about him eventually."
"Aphrodite mentioned them not being in good terms," Zoe said, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "What's that about?"
"Let's just say that when Annabeth was taken, Percy did several things to end up on Zeus' worst side. It only got worse after he was made a god against his will," Thalia answered, tucking her locket back under her shirt.
"What? But-" Zoe started, clutching at her skull.
Thalia raised her hand to stop her. "Not my story to tell," Thalia told her. "Ask your parents about it." She looked down at the silver drachma longingly.
The four demigods sat in silence, the air permeating with dread and concern. The fire's crackling the only sound to fill the clearing. Several minutes went by before Zoe cleared her throat. "Aunt Thalia?" nervousness devouring her tone. Thalia looked up from the coin, her gaze softening at the girl's desperate look. "Do you know anything about my mother?"
A sympathetic look overcame Thalia's features. "Percy told me she died in child birth and that you look just like her, aside form your eyes and skin tone. Beyond that? Nothing," she told her self appointed niece, seeing her face become crestfallen.
"Why does Percy not talk about Zoe's mother?" asked Liam, glancing towards his friend.
"Beats me," Thalia said. "Maybe losing her was akin to losing Annabeth? Whatever the reason, he refuses to say much about her." The trio of questers didn't know what to make of the information given. To find that the story they had been told most of their lives was not only a lie, but a lie to protect the god they looked up to. Thalia stood with a fake groan. "Well, I am going to go check on my hunters. You kids should get some sleep. Tomorrow I'll accompany you to Charleston and probably until we meet up with Reyna. Goodnight kiddos," she said with a wave, disappearing into the darkness.
"Gods this is so messed up," Zoe groaned, clutching her head.
Karina and Liam both nodded in agreement. "Tell me about it," Liam concurred. "I thought quests were suppose to be all, action and thrills, not finding out the world is not as you've known it."
Karina grabbed her poker stick, spreading the coals around. "To think that they have been holding onto this lie for so long. What do we do with this information? Do we tell people?"
"Is there really a point to telling anyone?" Zoe asked. "Everyone who was affected by this is either okay with it or dead. It's not like revealing it will change anything for the better."
Karina rubbed her chin, light green eyes reflecting the light of the dying fire. "So we do nothing?"
Zoe shrugged. "It's probably for the best." She stood from her log, stretching herself out. "I am going to head to bed, goodnight Liam. You coming Karina?"
"Yeah, goodnight Liam," Karina said, following her friend to their shared tents.
Liam stood as well. "Goodnight Karina, goodnight Zoe. See you guys tomorrow."
Zoe watched as the cloaked woman paced back and forth behind her father, the shadow of her hood concealing her features from the overhead light. The God of Heroes kneeled in a small pool of his own sweat, the bronze chains now emitting a constant glow. Wrinkles creased his brow and, past his hanging, greying hair, his sea green eyes were alight with amusement.
"What's the matter?" Percy asked with a smirk cutting through his salt and pepper beard. "Did old Beef for Brains not pan out?" The woman came to a stop just behind the god, a bronze dagger flashing to his neck. Percy's eyes hardened as he turned his head to look at his captor. Though his eyes analyzed the blade, seemingly in recognition. "You'll have to do better than that sweetheart. I've faced down beings ten times your size."
A growl emanated from the woman before she withdrew the blade. "It matters not," she spoke, rage quaking in her voice. "We have other, more powerful beings at our disposal. One of whom you are quite familiar with. He has been very eager to return to his family's good graces."
Percy returned his gaze to the ground. "If he has turned I can hardly blame him," he said with a somber tone. He looked back at the woman, eyes filled with pride. "But I think you and him will find that my daughter is more than capable of dealing with any opponent you throw at her." Zoe felt her heart swell at the confidence her father spoke in. The strength of her father's conviction turning her back to steel.
"You mean the daughter that needed the help of those pesky hunters to kill one mangy monster?" the woman asked in twisted glee. "I think you put to much stock in the training the Consul was able to beat into her. After all, having a roman train a greek is a bit of an oxymoron is it not?"
The God of Destruction snarled. "Do not underestimate the Consul or Zoe. You'll live to regret it."
The captor hummed in thought. "I suppose you are right. I would expect her daughter to improve the more she learns about herself and your past." Percy tensed at her statement. "That's why you refused to tell her anything about her mother right? Why you ensured there would be as little divine interactions with her as possible? The whole, 'being aware of your heritage,' thing. You thought that by not telling her, she would never actuate and draw attention to herself. Oh, the shame upon you. She should embrace her heritage. She could have rolled through the Minotaur if only you had trained her properly. It's almost like you are ashamed of what she is."
A fire lit in the God of War's eyes, a fire promising retribution. The ground beneath Zoe trembled violently, threatening to throw her from her feat. Thunder shook the air around them clashing with the sound of shuttering metal. The woman stood her ground, a single golden lock falling from beneath her hood before she quickly tucked it back. A deep primal growl rose from within Perseus. "Question my love for my child again, and I will demonstrate why all of Tartarus knows me as the Destroyer. Everything I have done since Zoe was brought into this world was for her."
"Ah, there it is," the cloaked woman clicked her tongue, circling to Perseus' side. "The fire we have been waiting decades for. If only you hadn't run away. Gaea would have won and then we could have toppled her and the Giants with little issue. But you had to go and kill her, now the Olympians are as strong as ever, with united camps no less. The bloodshed will be tragic and unavoidable now."
"I made a promise," Perseus said with conviction as the woman kneeled down propping her head on her fist. "And I will protect Zoe, from you or any who threaten her."
"You know Zeus will not allow her existence?" the woman asked, genuine concern now laced the woman's tone.
The fire in Perseus' eyes remained. "He won't have a choice."