Oi, good sir, you've reading this? Man, I've been reading too much Harry Potter stuff recently, to the point of considering writing something. Since most of you are PJO fans, tell me what you think about this. Anyway, onto reviews because I'm not a git (I'll stop):
Guest and LCon: Thank you very much, although I've said this to the latter already. Anyway, I didn't think the chapter was that great, but reading back, it did have mostly everything you could ask for.
HellRaiderS: here it is, then!
InsaneMakaioshin: 1: Different interpretations; 2: Never said he couldn't. Wait and see what happens!
On another note, I want to thank all of you who've been reading this for months now. My life has been a complete mess, I am currently going through a breakup (personal, I know) along with other much more serious matters and writing has been saving my mental health many times throughout the days. Again, thank you. I really appreciate every review, favorite, follow, view. To know that people appreciate something I've made is priceless. I just have to thank you all, in all honesty, thank you so much.
Thalia was impatient.
Leaning at the base of the pile of rocks named after her father's knuckles, with the early morning sun shining down at Camp Half-Blood, she opened the piece of paper that Percy had delivered through Blackjack for what seemed to be the one-millionth time already. But every time she read it, the calligraphy seemed to only get worse.
Dear Thalia,
If you are reading this, then Blackjack found you safely, which is probably a wonder. Me and A. are going on a little quest across the Gulf of Mexico, searching for a ghost ship. That's all that I will reveal through a letter. If possible I'd like you to tell Nico to find me. I have a suspicion that I will need his assistance, but please when you get to Camp, don't tell anyone else that I'm alive. Not yet. And yes, you should go to Camp. Her orders, not mine. If everything goes well, we shall meet again at the Summer Solstice. Take care, and send Reyna my best regards.
With love, yours truly, P.
Thalia sighed as she finished the letter once more. She found all of this secrecy unnecessary in times of peace. It was already the morning of the summer solstice, and yet, there was nothing. Nico had departed yesterday, fuming at the thought of Percy being alive and well. But she had a suspicion that he probably knew Percy was alive the whole time, although judging by his reaction, it was safe to say he wasn't aware of where the son of Poseidon was.
"Surely you won't keep obsessing over this letter like that, right?" Reyna seemingly popped out of nowhere, startling Thalia. For a lousy Roman, she had picked up a thing or two about stealth.
"It's just so annoying!" Thalia threw her hands up in frustration. "Having to commit to his theatrics because Milady is on board with it. Why she goes along with it, is beyond me."
Reyna bit her lower lip, nervous. "I believe she appreciates his antics. He can be very persuasive, after all."
Thalia shrugged. "I suppose, but for what it's worth, I still find all of this annoying."
The daughter of Bellona opened her mouth to answer, but far from where they were, screams could be heard.
"Do you think…?" Thalia mumbled, wondering what was the source of the commotion.
"In the past he was punctual. We might as well check it out." Reyna extended her hand, which Thalia grasped to get up from the ground. The two Hunters walked alongside each other, noticing the screams getting louder. Surely this wasn't just a brawl between cabins. It had to be something bigger.
It was only when the two were approaching the cabins that they found someone that hopefully might have answers to this.
"Rachel!" Thalia called, and the Oracle noticed right after, joining the two Hunters.
"What's going on?" Reyna bluntly asked.
Rachel, as she always seemed to be – at least for Thalia – had a dreamy expression on her face. "He has returned." She replied straightforwardly. "But it is probably wise to convince the Camp to not attack his ships."
Ships? "Does he have a fleet now?" Thalia inquired.
"You could say so," Rachel said vaguely with a shrug. With that, she left in the direction of the beach. Damned Oracles and their vagueness,
"By the gods, what has he been doing?" The daughter of Zeus sighed, exasperated.
"Come on, it won't be too bad." Reyna attempted to cheer her up.
"Fine." Thalia conceded, trying to calm herself down. With that, they followed Rachel's trail toward the beach, where a huge crowd was already being formed. It was the first day of summer, after all, Camp ought to be full of people who had been arriving for the last few days, not to mention the demigods who were still yet to come.
When Reyna and Thalia got to the beach, they immediately noticed what was up. On the horizon, sailing across Long Island Sound, there were two ships. The first one was clearly a steam-powered vessel that contained a figurehead that Thalia couldn't yet see who it was, and overall it didn't look too impressive, especially compared to the monstrosity that was not sailing, but floating by its side.
The ship that was pretty much flying was overwhelming to even look at. Its gray sails barely reflected the sunlight, and the main one had a terrifying image of a skull holding a rose in its mouth. It appeared that the hull was painted brown, but it wasn't too noticeable thanks to the unnatural red glow that the ship possessed. If Thalia's eyes weren't mistaken, she could see three figures on the bow of the ship that she could barely identify. On the right, was a quite short man wearing all black. It was quite obvious who this was. On the left, a woman wearing silver clothing. Another easy guess.
And finally, in the middle, there he was. But to most of the crowd currently, on the beach, they wouldn't know this was Percy, instead, the masked man who had mysteriously brought the legacy of a Titaness to Camp. Because of course, he was wearing that stupid mask. Both ships reached the coast at the same time, but the smaller vessel stopped first, while the flying ship continued to float towards the beach. Thalia widened her eyes when she noticed that the figurehead resembled the image of Zoë Nightshade herself.
At last, a few meters away from the crowd, the ghost ship came to a halt, where the three figures on board it were very noticeable to the crowd below. Said crowd was gossiping among themselves, probably wondering who this man was, and why would Nico di Angelo and Lady Artemis of all people be accompanying him. Thalia heard some whispers about this being an unknown god of some sort, which made the daughter of Zeus want to roll her eyes until they turned on their skull. All rambling came to a halt when Percy raised his hand, clearly asking for everyone's attention.
"Greetings, ladies, gentlemen, and other beings currently gathered at this marvelous beach." He said pompously, as if in a presentation. His voice would be recognizable to those who heard it recently without the mask but said mask did a good job of disguising him. "Many of you will recognize me, or at least my reputation. Most of you will recognize the wonderful people next to me," He extended both of his hands toward Nico and Artemis, who in return glanced over at him. Nico with a glare, and Artemis with amusement, her lips twitched upwards. "As a sign of my good intentions towards you, and to be a respectful guest, I'd like to gift Camp Half-Blood with one of my vessels, respectfully named after the late lieutenant of Artemis."
Percy pointed in the direction of the smaller ship. Zoë ? That didn't seem like a good ship name. Nightshade. Yes, that name was much more pleasant to the lips in Thalia's opinion.
"We gratefully thank you for your kind gift," Chiron trotted forward, his voice not showing signs of concern. In fact, it gave Thalia the feeling that the centaur knew more than he showed. "However, we are all very confused with your sudden apparition."
"We also wouldn't like to have a Troy situation," Rachel said by Chiron's side, making some who heard the attempt of a joke chuckle nervously.
"As such," Chiron blatantly ignored the Oracle, looking straight into the masked figure of Percy. "We would like to know your identity, if you're willing to share it with us, along with the reason behind this gift."
Thalia was surprised by the mentor's straightforwardness, but with so much war, she couldn't blame him.
"Of course," Percy responded dryly. "You could say I am a familiar face, Chiron." He made the familiar gesture of bringing a hand to the back of his head, which ultimately made the mask retreat back, revealing the face of the Hero of Olympus.
The shock in the crowd was palpable, with the older demigods gaping in awe at the one that they thought was dead, some of them gasping in shock. At the same time, the half-bloods that had arrived after Percy's supposed death were quickly adding up with the older's reactions, along with Percy's figure. Not many people had those sea-green eyes and were acquaintances with Lady Artemis after all. The only ones that weren't all too surprised were the Hunters present at the beach, and to Thalia's surprise, Chiron himself. But thinking better, it made sense for the mentor of demigods to be aware of this secret.
"I hear it's the Summer Solstice," Her cousin continued with a stupid grin on his face, ignoring the crowd's fuss. "I cordially invite all of you to make the trip to Olympus in a fancy flying ship instead of some overcrowded buses. How does that sound?"
The cheering that followed was enough of a confirmation that the answer was a resounding yes.
"He can't just blast us off the sky, are you crazy?"
"I was just wondering, okay?" Natalie said with an eye roll.
"I do think she has a point," Rachel added.
"Thank you." The legacy of Mnemosyne smiled at the Oracle.
"You're all stupid then," Percy said bluntly, but with humor present in his words. "Unless you saw something, Dare, I wouldn't be worried."
The redhead rolled her eyes. "I did not, but being the Oracle doesn't mean I will see everything that happens with one hundred percent precision."
"I have to agree with her on this one. Delphi isn't that magical, Percy." Reyna said.
"Alright, everyone against me." The son of Poseidon muttered and leaned back against his chair. This engaging conversation was happening on the deck of the Flying Dutchman , where Artemis had conjured a table for Percy and the rest of the gang to sit, while the hundreds of other demigods were scattered across the ship. It was a large vessel after all. The former crew of the Nightshade , now assigned to the ghost ship, was running around the ship, making sure no demigods broke anything, while also guarding the ship for any potential monster attacks. After all, a concentration of so many half-bloods acted like a beacon.
"I believe Natalie has a point, however," Artemis quickly added when she received an accusatory glare from Percy. "not in the current circumstances. But I wouldn't advise you flying this high when it's just us and the crew, though."
He had to suppress a smile when he heard her speaking about us, but he couldn't stop his heart from beating significantly faster. Of course, this wasn't the arrangement both of them were looking for when they met in that forest, but to have her friendship was one of the most enjoyable experiences to date.
"I will keep that in mind, milady." He answered with a smile, noticing the others glancing curiously at the interaction between the two, a recurring theme. As far as reunions go, not many tears were shed, but Percy could tell many of his old friends were happy to see him again. Chiron and Rachel were already aware, in some form, but Percy spared hugs for both of them. The centaur had come with them, but he was currently assisting – along with a reluctant Nico – a very sick Thalia in the captain's quarter, that Percy had quickly adopted after they started sailing to Long Island. Really, fear of heights being a daughter of Zeus? It was as if he had hydrophobia. Absurdity.
As for the rest, none had dared to make a line to punch him like they had done with Leo when he had arrived after a supposed death. Well, except for Clarisse of course. She punched him hard in the arm, but it didn't ache as much as it would have in the past. If anything, there were more people willing to make a line to ask for autographs than to punch him, which, to make it clear, he also was not okay with.
And sure, the height that they were flying actually made Percy a bit worried that the ship wouldn't handle it, but the Flying Dutchman had proven to be resilient, able to fly at incredible heights. After all, they had to reach the 600th floor of the Empire State. He wasn't all too nervous considering that if Zeus targeted him, he would also be killing everyone at Camp Half-Blood including his own daughter. Percy felt moderately safe.
"What do you all think the mortals are seeing?" Natalie asked. Percy was surprised to see how much she had adapted to the demigod life. Her previously messy brown hair was tied in a ponytail, and her dark brown eyes were highlighted, no more filled with confusion and fear. She wore the familiar orange shirt from Camp, along with blue jeans. In a way, the legacy of Mnemosyne reminded Percy of a young Annabeth.
"If they can even see anything, something like an airship, maybe?" Reyna said, drinking from her glass of orange juice. Cora had offered all of them freshly bought tequila, but Artemis had forbidden all but Thalia to drink alcohol. Percy himself wasn't allowed to drink or smoke until his birthday, which was in approximately two months. He settled for the orange juice instead, like the rest of them. Since Thalia was trying not to puke in his quarters and Artemis didn't drink alcohol, the bottle of tequila was still unopened.
"Probably." Percy drank from the juice. "Did Leo and Calypso say when they were gonna show up?"
"No." Rachel was the one to answer. "He said he was going to pick Piper in Philly, and that was all. But he should arrive before the gods' party begins."
"We're almost there already." Natalie noticed. "I think I see it… kind of?"
"You have to focus yourself to be able to see through the Mist," Artemis instructed. "It can fool demigods just as easily as it does mortals."
Percy remembered when Annabeth had talked to him about this same thing when faced with Tyson. How he didn't manage to notice he was a Cyclops since the beginning was beyond him. Sure enough, when Percy squinted his eyes to where the bow of the ship was pointed, the magnificent image of the home of the gods appeared on the horizon. Percy had seen Olympus from a similar perspective in the past, but he had been so dazed and tired – both physically and emotionally – from the quest and the battle at Othrys that he hadn't admired it enough. The rest of the group, with the exception of Artemis, all had looks of admiration on their faces. Natalie had her mouth gaping at the sight. Similar reactions could be seen from the rest of the half-bloods, all of them piling up to glance at the fabulous city that they were approaching.
"Time to land." Percy stretched his arms and looked over to Artemis. "Are you sure we can dock, for the lack of a better term?"
The goddess seemed slightly offended at his lack of faith. "Yes, I'm certain of it. After all, we all needed some room for incoming flying objects after the Valdez boy exploded a wall with his dragon two years ago."
"Funniest thing I've ever seen." Reyna snickered, getting up from her chair. "The look on most gods' faces… I had never seen a deity so uncomfortable as Hephaestus was that day. Zeus was very angry."
As if on cue, thunder rumbled, but not above them, since they were above the clouds, but below. It was a weird experience, but it signified enough. "I think we should stop gossiping and focus on landing," Percy suggested.
"Agreed," Rachel added.
It turned out that docking the ship on Olympus hadn't been too hard. The demigods exiting the ship were greeted by nymph guides, who gave every newcomer a paper containing instructions on what to do and what not to do inside the city. The most detailed items on the list were 'do not, under any circumstances, enter the Throne Room without authorization', along with the peculiar remark to 'not commit arson.' Percy just had to wonder who in the world committed arson on Olympus. Maybe Leo, but he wouldn't consider what Leo did as arson. More like tomfoolery.
"When are we meeting again?" Percy asked Artemis as they walked across the city, a sizeable crowd around them. The rest of the group had stayed behind, still trying to make Thalia not puke, but Percy expected to join them soon at one of Olympus's cafes. As far as he knew, no demigods were allowed at the solstice meetings and the subsequent party unless they had been on a quest or anything in that sense.
"Actually," Artemis turned to him with a glint in her eyes. "You're coming with me to the meeting."
Percy stopped in his tracks, disrupting the path of whoever was behind him. He heard a cry of protest but paid no mind to it. "What? Is that even allowed?"
The goddess smirked smugly, making him realize that he was having butterflies in his stomach. "Now you're worried about legality and what is and isn't allowed."
"I just don't wish to be blasted into pieces." He said, folding his arms.
Artemis simply tapped him on the arm. "Come on, no one there will have the guts to actually kill you."
"How reassuring," Percy muttered but proceeded to follow Artemis to the Throne Room, where two cyclops were standing on guard on each side of the doors. They quickly bowed to the goddess and nodded respectfully toward Percy, before opening the door to the Hall of the Gods. Immediately, all eyes were set on them, which made Percy uncomfortable considering the fact that there were more people than usual. Instead of twelve thrones, Percy could count twenty, albeit one, a black throne, had its occupant absent. Not only that but apart from the empty dark seat, all of the extra others were smaller, making its occupants half the size of the Olympians. Percy recognized some faces, notably Hecate, Iris, the golden-winged form of Nike, and someone dressed in a red jacket that he could assume that was Nemesis, thanks to the recognizable glare that he had received many times from Ethan Nakamura. Although his mother had both of her eyes, in contrast to her son who had perished in this very throne room. That thought made Percy shudder.
"What is he doing here?" Ares was the one to break the silence, earning a well-given glare from his half-sister.
"Is there a problem?" Artemis asked sharply, pulling Percy by his arm as she resumed walking to her throne.
"I believe it was supposed to be." Said a dark-haired goddess who was wearing the most casual clothes out of everyone in the room, a light blue jeans jacket along with dark blue jeans, but her voice wasn't nearly as annoyed as Ares's. More curious than anything. Perhaps this was Tyche?
"Come on, let him be." Apollo tried. "He isn't bothering anyone."
"His mere existence bothers me," Dionysus grumbled, his tone demonstrating how much he doesn't want to be here. With that comment, he earned a glare from Poseidon, who had been apparently delighted to see Percy moments before.
When they reached Artemis's throne, the goddess grew in size until she was able to sit on it. Shortly after, she conjured a chair just appropriate enough for Percy to sit in.
"Father? Is he really going to be allowed to stay here?" Athena questioned the King of the Gods, who had a weird look on his face as he stared at Percy. The demigod found that look to be scarier than any theatrics that his uncle could present.
"As long as he behaves, he is allowed to stay." Zeus declared after some thought. Ares leaned back against his chair angrily, and Athena bit her lip, but apart from that, there weren't many passionate reactions about it. Percy took a sit. Looking around the room from the base of Artemis's throne. He spotted Hestia at the Hearth, who waved at him briefly. In return, Percy smiled.
"May we begin already?" A woman that reminded Percy of a teenage Jennifer Lawrence, of all people, asked. If he had to guess, this was likely Hebe.
"Uncle H is not yet here," Hermes said, but right after, the shadows around the black marble throne solidified, until there was the familiar form of the ruler of the Underworld on the seat, his black eyes showing anger and annoyance.
"Well," Zeus said after a moment of stillness. "Let's commence."
Five minutes in, Percy was regretting ever listening to Artemis. This was the Olympians Council after all, the twelve (and some more) of the most powerful beings wandering the Earth, and by what he had seen in the past, he did not expect how absolutely boring this was. Most of the time, the majority of the gods were doing something else as Zeus spoke in incredibly dull monologues, reporting on the activity of minor gods, nymphs, satyrs, movements of monsters, and petitions from the most random of beings to achieve the most random objectives. For example, an anonymous dracaena had made a formal complaint to change the recipe for ambrosia so it would be edible for monsters. It had been the peak of the meeting, with the gods that weren't snoring or paying attention to another subject snickering at the suggestion.
"Finally," After half an hour that felt more like a year, Zeus reached the final subject to be discussed. "We once again shall discuss the status of Percy Jackson."
"If there was a feeling of sleepness and boredom in the Hall of the Gods, it was very quickly forgotten the moment Percy's name was spoken. Out of the ones present in the room, of course, the man himself was the most alarmed. He almost felt like assuring them that he wasn't asleep.
"Not this again…" Poseidon mumbled angrily. "Can't you respect his decision?"
"I have laid out my arguments already, brother," Zeus responded in kind. "It is a wonder that I am being so generous and not ordering the boy to be destroyed.."
"You wouldn't dare." Poseidon hissed, glaring intensely at the sky god.
"No matter our personal opinions about him, he is too useful to be disposed of," Athena argued.
"Stop talking like he is an object!" Artemis spoke out loud, startling Aphrodite, whose throne was right beside Artemis's. "And by the way, he is present in this room, if you bunch have forgotten."
By the manner Zeus stared at him, Percy thought he might actually have forgotten. "Perseus." His uncle called. The usage of his real name didn't help in making Percy calmer. "Since you are with us this afternoon, I believe it is fair that you become aware of what we are discussing."
"I already know, Lord Zeus," Percy answered calmly, but firmly. "You wish for me to become a god."
"Indeed," Zeus said, adjusting the tie on his immaculate suit. "We have offered you this gift once before, in the wake of Olympus's victory against the Titan Lord." Percy met the electric blue eyes he had seen so much on the face of both Thalia and Jason throughout the years. "We would all like to know if you would accept our generous gift this time."
Against common sense, he got up from his chair, ignoring Artemis's hushed protest. Percy stood in front of his uncle's throne, facing him directly. He remembered the first time he had been in this position, scared and confused, almost ten years ago. But not anymore. This time, he met the King's eyes, like an equal.
"While I appreciate the immense gratitude of the Olympian Council," He tried hard not to put too much sarcasm into that sentence. "If I learned anything from watching this council meeting, is that if I accept godhood, I will most likely fade of boredom, without a doubt,"
Throughout the Throne Room, he heard snickers and snorts at his affirmation. Even his father chuckled. Artemis had amusement flickering in her eyes, along with concern. Trying not to get lost in those silver orbs, he continued.
"However, only the Fates themselves truly know what will happen. As of the moment, my answer is a 'no'. But if something could ease up your tension,' He purposefully referred to Zeus himself, and not to the Council. "I have no reason to go against Olympus. If my friends – family, better speaking, are safe, I shall remain loyal," He subtly looked at his companion, who was gaping at him with admiration. He had to hold back a smile, instead looking back at her father, whose expression was unreadable.
"Then be it," At last, Zeus spoke. "But I have concerns this will, as the mortals say, simply kick the can down the road. For now, though, this issue is closed." With that, Percy released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. The God of the Sky then got up from his seat. "If everything is set, then let the festivities begin."
I didn't want to include the next plotline in the reunion chapter, also it was already getting too big. Expect more action in the next chapter, along with the plot moving forward. Also, I haven't forgotten about Davy Jones. Don't call me out on that. It's getting sorted out next chapter. Thanks for reading!