Chapter 2
Annabeth watched as the man walked towards the ridgeline, towards Thalia's tree and into camp.
She glanced back at Kai, who was also staring off after the man with a puzzled look on his face.
"Ready to go guys?" Grover said, as he suddenly appeared.
Annabeth whirled around and said, "Oh my gods Grover. You scared me."
Percy snorted watching the interaction before he changed the subject, "Hey, you should have let me talk to that guy. Maybe he would have told us something useful for the quest."
"Or he would have tried to kill us. How was I supposed to know that he was a guest of Chiron; and wouldn't have Chiron told us that someone was coming? Especially someone like that…" Annabeth said as she got lost in thought.
"Well whatever, let's get going, we have a long way to go. After all, if the Lightning bolt really is in the underworld…" Kai said slowly, implying that the trio had a long way to travel till that point.
"Yeah, thanks to you we can't take a plane- after all I don't feel like getting blasted out of the sky for something you didn't do." Annabeth said as she grinned a bit.
"Hahah." Percy said sarcastically as he stared at her.
"Well I for one think we can figure it out as we go…." Grover said quietly.
"Goat boy is right." Annabeth said as they got in the car and headed off.
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Meanwhile
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Zeus had told the other guardians that the most important step for the guardians to take now was information gathering. That alone would be enough to aid the gods in making decisions.
As the four walked out of the great hall, Jera muttered, "So just the normal then. Get information, tell the gods, and the gods use us as mouth pieces. Isn't that lovely."
"Cmon now Jera, what did you expect?", Ansuz said as she yawned, trailing behind the rest.
"Well it's not nice to think about." Isa said as she glanced at Wunjo.
"Ughhh I don't care. Let's just find new food in this place. I love Hestia's cooking, but I am a bit sick of it after all this time. I need something new." Wunjo said, a sparkle in her eye as she talked about food.
Jera rolled his eyes as he said, "Of course you do, I swear even after a couple hundred years nothing changes huh."
"Nope", Isa said with a smile.
The four continued to bicker and talk about food as they waited for Hermes, who Zeus said was going to provide them with the things they needed for the journey.
A few moments later and Hermes appeared, a smile painted on his face, two Pegasus behind him.
"So on father's orders I have gathered a few things for you. Of course you will be needing some transportation to get around, especially if you are going to be gathering information. So I have brought you some of the finest Pegasus that we had in the stables. Take your pick." Hermes said as he motioned to the two behind him.
The guardians glanced at each other before Isa spoke up, "There are only two, so I can only assume you will be wanting the rest of us to go somewhere else?"
Hermes nodded, "Brilliant as always. Yes, father suggested that splitting up and covering more ground may be more beneficial towards the information gathering."
"Right well Jera and I will follow the quest group and you two…", Isa said as she pointed at Asuz and Wunjo, "Can head to the camp; I think Percy is already there so you will be able to find him there."
"Right." Wunjo said in a monotone voice.
The two looked at Hermes who only sighed as he said, "Fine, I'll flash you two to camp, then I will come back for you two." He said looking at Jera and Isa.
A moment later Ansuz and Wunjo found themselves on the ridge next to Thalia's pine tree.
"Right, good luck, Percy is down there somewhere. Most likely in that big house over there." Hermes said before he flashed back to Olympus to deal with Jera and Isa.
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Beforehand…
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Percy walked down over the ridge, past the pine tree, that was quite new. He didn't recognise it as he marched into the camp. There were quite a few new additions to the camp that stood out to him, most notable the absurd climbing wall with a more dangerous present than what a fight with a cyclops could manage.
A few of the campers gave him strange glances as he passed through the camp, towards the Big House that presumably Chiron was in. He ignored the glances, the mutters that followed behind him, as he approached the Big House.
Mr. D was nowhere to be seen, perhaps he was on Olympus, Percy thought to himself; as he knocked on the door.
There was a momentary pause of silence before Chiron opened the door and locked eyes with Percy.
"Percy, my boy!" Chiron said a smile adorning on his face as he wrapped Percy into a hug.
"Chiron! How have you been?" Percy said with a smile, as he returned the hug.
"It has been good, the last eighty years after you returned to that place have been quite nice. I can only assume because you are back…" Chiron said, his voice trailing off. If Percy was back, that meant the rest of the surviving guardians had returned too, and that was never a good thing.
Percy nodded before saying, "Yeah. The great prophecy, according to Zeus at least. He said that it should be approaching soon. However, at this moment we are working to actively find information regarding Zeus' lightning bolt. Since I am sure as you know it has been stolen…"
Chiron nodded, his smile slipping into a grimace, as he said, "Indeed my boy. I have worried that the great prophecy is approaching and the appearance of Kai- the newest son of Poseidon has only increased that worry. I have a few suspicions about Zeus' bolt, none of which bode well for the future."
Percy nodded, "Zeus claimed that it was most likely Kai himself who stole it, under Poseidon's will of course. The other person he suspected was his other brother- Hades. I have heard that the boy- Kai? Is heading towards Hades now."
Chiron nodded, "Aye, he is indeed. The quest said that he should go find Hades and the bolt would be retrieved, one way or another."
Percy sighed and said, "Well I suppose there is nothing that goes against the Fates huh?"
"No indeed, not my boy. If the Fates will do it, it shall happen." Chiron said, with a sad half-smile.
"Well, how can I help out here? I have free time so to speak. I believe the others are out gathering information for Kai and the daughter of Athena and their companion, for their quest."
"Ahhh, yes I do hope that the information will be helpful for Annabeth, who is the daughter of Athena, and Grover, the Satar you mentioned." Chiron said, as he nodded his head, before he continued, "But that being said, I know the campers here could always use someone with your experience level. Teaching the campers would be something of great value to them."
"Of course, I wouldn't mind seeing what your campers are made out of nowadays. You had some decent ones back in the day, no one outstanding though." Percy said with a teasing voice.
"Well we can't all have thousands of years of experience, can we now my boy." Chiron said, smiling back.
"True enough." Percy said as he glanced up at the ceiling.
Just then another knock rang from the door, and Chiron trotted to get it. Wunjo and Ansuz appeared, Ansuz smiling as she saw Chiron. Wunjo on the other hand sighed and said, "Where is the food…"
Percy just rolled his eyes, Wunjo was a real mystery to him. She had the talent of a goddess when it came to the spear, but the dedication of Hypnos when it came to sleeping.
As Chiron and Ansuz started chatting away, Percy called out to Wunjoa saying, "Wunjo, there is some food over here if you want it. I think it is some sort of dessert called Banana bread."
Wunjo's eyes lit up as she dashed over saying, "This is why you are my favorite Percy!" She inspected the food for a moment before taking a bite. Evidently it was delicious enough that she continued to gobble down the rest of the delectable in only a few moments.
Percy held back a laugh as she watched Wunjo work away the banana bread- leaving only crumbs behind.
"Wow… they should have a competition for eating; I think you would be the undisputed champion." Percy said, teasing Wunjo as she licked her lips clean.
"I know right!" Wunjo said smiling- the sarcasm flying over her head.
"Anyways…" Chiron said interrupting their little banter session, "I think it best if you all were to help the campers out. With this threat of a great prophecy coming up, it would be best to train them to the best of your abilities."
"No problem." Percy and Ansuz said back at almost the same time.
"If I get more food like that, I can teach anyone my spear skills." Wunjo said, nodding as she imitated herself stabbing with a spear.
Chiron smiled and said, "Wonderful, and don't worry Wunjo, there is always plenty of food to be eaten."
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Present
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Jera and Isa felt the breeze blasting through their hair, as they rode their pegasus. They had gotten the Pegasus from Hermes, who had only told them to report back to the gods when there was something noteworthy- or that the demigods on the quest needed to be aware of. The two had been tailing the demigods for quite some time now; ready to pass alone any information to the gods.
"You think we will find anything to tell the gods?" Jera asked Isa as they tailed the demigods.
"No." Isa answered back, a short and brief response.
"Do you think that the sea child- whatever his name was, took the bolt?" Jera asked, wondering if he should voice his opinion on the topic or not.
"No. I doubt it. The kid is completely new to the life of a demigod. How is it possible for him to steal the bolt without any prior knowledge of Olympus or the gods?" Isa said.
"True… though I wouldn't put it past Zeus' brothers. However I would have to agree and say that the sea child is not the one responsible for this. If Poseidon really did steal the bolt, then I would think he would use some other method." Jera said, as he gave his honest opinion on the topic.
"I agree with you completely." Isa said, nodding as she smiled at him.
"Well I guess we will find out one way or another." Jera said, shrugging. Isa nodded as she sighed and looked down towards the demigods.
"Let's hope that these demigods don't die too Medusa… You think they would seriously be smarter with a daughter of Athena with them…" Isa said as they watched the demigods walk into Medusa lair.
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A few Days Later…
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Percy had settled into camp best he could. The rumors regarding the guardians in general continued to circulate. The demigods at Camp Half Blood had never heard of the guardians, their suspicion was only abated after Chiron made a public announcement with Mr. D lazily approving the message.
The swordsmanship classes were silent. Percy had not expected any of the demigods that were attending to be impressive, or in any way remotely experienced in combat. However, to his surprise, there was one standout that caught his attention. The son of Hermes, Luke. After asking for some information regarding the son of Hermes, he had found out that he, the daughter of Athena that he had met beforehand and a girl named Thalia had been on the run before arriving at camp. The now mysterious pine tree, Percy had discovered, was actually Thalia Grace, who had been saved by her father from a hoard of monsters, bound to protect the borders of Camp Halfblood for who knew how long.
After talking with Wunjo and Ansuz, he found that there weren't any other stand out combatants at the camp. The training would be long and ardus for the guardians, they all knew that. Every task that had been given to them had not been easy.
Percy sighed as he reflected back on his past, which all seemed to mold together into one clump; his earliest memories incoherent and hazy beyond recognition. The night sky shining above him, reminding him of Artemis and her hunters. Those unfriendly faces that over time had morphed into more approachable faces.
The camp's border spread out around him as he stared off into the sky, full of boredom. He heard a sound approach behind him, and he turned around to see Ansuz approaching him.
"Percy!" She said with a beaming smile.
"Hey Anusz, how is it going?" Percy said, a soft smile on his face.
"Good! We heard back from Jera and Isa; apparently the quest was a success. Ares was behind the whole plot." Ansuz said casually, as if the news wasn't altering in any manner.
Percy snorted and said, "That idiot. Did he really think he wouldn't be caught after we were summoned? I heard he even vouched for us to be activated. I don't know whether to thank him or call him dumb."
Ansuz shrugged as she stood next to Percy, "Well it doesn't really matter to me either way. I think that Ares was just stupid this time; it happens to everyone I guess."
"Right, starting a war between your father and your uncle happens all the time to me." Percy said with a casual shrug and smirk.
"Shut up! You know what I meant." Ansuz said, as she let a soft laugh out.
"Yeah, I know. That wasn't the great prophecy though- at least not according to Zeus." Percy said.
"Thank the gods. I would hate to go back to that gods forsaken place that the Fates keep us in. I am just now adjusting to this new world." Ansuz said with a frustrated sigh.
"No kidding. I don't think they will be sending us back yet. Then again, I have been wrong in the past about these kinds of things before." Percy said darkly, as he stared off into the empty darkness in front of him.
Ansuz reached a hand over and gripped Percy's arm softly, "Don't worry about it. No one can predict fate… except the makers of fate itself. Don't be too hard on yourself, okay?"
Percy looked over at her, and gave her a soft smile as he nodded.
"Yeah okay."
Ansuz smiled and let go of his arm, before glancing out into the darkness.
"I think I might turn in for the night. Chiron said we don't have to stand guard and watch, since the tree girl is protecting the camp."
Percy nodded in agreement, "Well I suppose if Chiron believes that then I have no reason to doubt him. Might as well get some sleep."
The two walked back towards the big house, where they found Wunjo already asleep on the couch. They went their separate ways into their own bedrooms.
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The Next Morning
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Percy woke to knock on the big house door. He found himself responding to it, as he stood up out of bed, his shirt off, ants on. He yawned as he walked towards the door, the knocking not stopping.
"Damn what is wrong with this person…" Percy muttered to himself as he pulled the door open. He found the sea child, Kai, Annabeth the daughter of Athena and Grover the Satyr.
Percy blinked as he looked at the trio.
Kai looked at Percy with surprise, it wasn't everyday that Chiron was replaced by a half naked man who you had wanted to interrogate you only a few days prior.
"Where is Chiron?" The daughter of Athena asked, ignoring the shirtless aspect as she looked into Percy's eyes.
"I think he is asleep. I assume the quest really is complete then since you are all back." Percy said as he looked at the group.
"Yes… we completed the quest. My mother also told me you are a guardian." Annabeth said, a neutral expression flashing across her face.
"Oh did she? Well yes, I am one of the guardians.", Percy said, "Congratulations on finishing your quest. It must have been difficult."
"How old are you?" Kai asked with genuine curiosity on his face.
He was promptly elbowed in the side by Annabeth who muttered something about those type of questions being rude.
Percy laughed as he walked away from the open door, letting them follow him inside the Big House.
"I don't remember how old I am, brother." Percy answered back with a smile.
"Brother?" Kai asked, confusion painting his face as Annabeth's head whirled around.
"You are a son of Poseidon?" Annabeth asked quickly.
"Bingo!" Percy said with a smile.
Kai's face remained blank for a moment before a light bulb went off in his head.
"Oh… Oh… OH! Oh wow." Kai said, as Annabeth shook her head at the stupidity of Kai's response. Percy on the other hand chuckled and the lackluster results. Grover stood behind the two awkwardly, as he tried to recall all that Annabeth had told him about the mysterious person that had approached her and Kai as he was packing.
"Anyways, I think Chiron will probably be getting up. I suppose there will be a celebration now." Percy said, his eyes glittering with excitement as he thought about it.
"Yes… in theory there should be. At least, in accordance with tradition there always is." Annabeth said back.
"Well, I heard a rumor that there will be celebrations on Olympus." Percy said with a smile as he looked at the demigods, "Shall we go?"
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Later That Day…
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The party was raging on in the golden lands of Olympus. The food of the gods was passed around for all to eat, upon their own choosing, of course.
The demigods sat by the mortal food, not looking to be incinerated by eating too much of the godly substance.
Percy found himself talking with Artemis as the night drew longer, the partying only intensifying as the hours grew later.
"So Artemis, how have you been?" Percy said, as he held a small glass of wine.
"Perseus, I was wondering when we would get a chance to speak-" Artemis said before Percy cut her off.
"Cmon Artemis, don't call me Perseus. We have talked about this."
Artemis rolled her eyes, a smile appearing on her face before she said, "My bad Percy. Anyways… I have been doing well. The hunt has been great for the most part, not many exciting adventures to talk about. Though if you have time you should tag alone for one."
"You know I would love to. The Fates don't give me much of an option regarding transfer dates." Percy said wryly.
Artemis laughed and said, "Well I suppose that is fair. That being said, Zoë has missed you Percy, she said that she wishes to speak with you."
Percy smiled as he thought about Zoë, "Well good that she didn't forget who I was. Last time I swear it was like her brain stopped working!" he finished with a huff.
Artemis chuckled again, "It was her prank of the century. That is what she called it. All the other hunters were dumbfounded that she not only took part in a prank but actively carried one out and planned it!"
"I'm sure they were! I mean we are talking about Zoë after all." Percy said with a far away look on his face.
"Well she will be very happy to see you again. I mentioned that the guardians had returned the other day only to get peppered with questions regarding how you were doing." Artemis said, with a smile.
Percy smiled back and said, "Of course you said I was doing amazing, right?"
"Naturally… along with some other things." Artemis said, with a teasing tone.
Percy just rolled his eyes and huffed, "Knowing you, it was probably along the lines of, his hair is turning gray!"
"Sounds about right." Artemis said, nodding her head in confirmation.
"Ugh." Percy said in reply, as he rolled his eyes again. He lifted the small glass of wine and took a sip, as Artemis engaged herself in a different conversation.
Percy glanced upwards, into the expansive night sky, thinking about Zoë. It had been a long time since he had seen her. For some reason they had always intermingled during his time outside of the captive dungeon that the Fates held him in.
Suddenly a pat on Percy's back made him jump, as a very drunk Jera said in a loud voice, "PERCY! THERE YOU ARE! THIS PARTY IS GREAT ISN'T IT?"
"Oh wow. You scared the hades out of me man." Percy said as he grabbed Jera's arm in an attempt to stabilize him.
"SORRY!" Jera said, his voice still loud as he let out a hiccup.
"Yeah, yeah. No problem man. But seriously you gotta stop yelling." Percy replied to him.
"Sorry." Jera responded, his voice lowering back to a normal volume.
"Cmon, let's get some fresh air or something. I think we will probably be heading back to camp at some point, pretty soon at least." Percy said as he dragged Jera towards the gardens.
As they walked in it was almost as if the music faded away; and the sounds of the night returned in full. The peaceful silence seemed to stand out to Percy as Jera slowly followed behind him.
"Percy?"
"Yeah Jera?"
"How long do you think we will be able to enjoy this world?"
"I dunno." Percy said as he looked up at the sky, Jera's voice sounding out behind him.
"I really don't want to go back. I don't want to do this anymore. I'd rather die here as a guardian than go back to that gods forsaken prison." Jera slurred his words as he spoke his thoughts.
Percy remained silent, listening to his friend's words. It had crossed his mind a number of times. What if he had just died, and given up on the life he was living. To give up on escaping the trap that Zeus had crafted so perfectly.
Jera, realizing that Percy was silent, spoke up again, "I won't do it. I won't go back there, even if I have to die."
Percy swallowed hard. He had lost a lot of friends in the past who had felt the same way that Jera was feeling now. It was something that mortals, demigods and most other entities could not relate too.
"Don't say that Jera.", Percy finally responded, "Don't say stupid stuff like that. You know that we wouldn't know what to do without you."
Jera, perhaps sobering up, blinked a few times before turning to observe the garden.
He finally whispered out, "Yeah… sorry…"
Percy looked back at him and walked towards him, patting him on the back, before he exited the garden and headed back towards the festive sound of music and screams of joy.
As Percy walked back towards the party, a momentary thought flashed through his mind; Camp Halfblood was currently defenseless. Though, true to Chiron's word, there was never an attack on camp by any monsters. Presumably the tree that was Thalia Grace did indeed protect the camp.
With a sigh, Percy decided that the camp was safe from danger. It was probably fair to let himself relax a little bit, he thought to himself as he rejoined the party. He found Ansuz and Wunjo dancing together, smiling and laughing. He thought about joining them before deciding to pass on the opportunity, and let them have their fun.
"Percy! Little Cuz, how are you doing?" Apollo's voice sounded out from in front of him.
"Apollo! How are you doing man!" Percy said, with an uncharacteristically happy grin on his face.
"Good- great even! Say, do you know where Jera is?" Apollo asked, as he grabbed two more cups of mortal wine.
"Sure. I left him in the garden- but Apollo. I don't think he is in the right mindset to drink… just keep that in mind." Percy said, a serious undertone present in his words.
Apollo paused before nodding slightly, not fully sure what Percy meant by his words as he headed off towards the garden to find Jera.
Percy watched him go, as he himself grabbed another cup of wine, time to enjoy the night, he thought to himself.
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The Next Morning…
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Percy awoke to the pounding on the Big House door. He found himself annoyed with the racket, as his head pounded slightly with the consequences of his decision from last night started to take hold of him.
Whoever was reporting back to Chiron was loud and fast with their words, Percy was only able to catch pieces of the conversation, as he lay in bed wishing that he could take back his actions from last night.
"The tree…"
"Unwell…"
"Monsters…"
That was enough to encourage Percy to get out of bed. He pulled on a shirt and opened his door to find four demigods who he had never met before reporting the situation to Chiron.
"What the hell is going on." Percy said annoyed as he grabbed his head to try and forcibly stop his headache.
"The tree has been poisoned by someone." Chiron said solemnly.
That was enough to get Percy to look up slowly. It was true that he didn't quite understand just how the tree worked, but he knew that it was vital to the camp's protection and morale. The tree dying was reflective of the campers moral, that would surely decrease alongside it.
"If this happens while the great-" Percy stopped himself realizing that perhaps these other demigods were not privy to the truth.
"You may leave young demigods." Chiron said to the four of them who walked out.
Chiron looked back at Percy and said, "Yes. If this is taking place and the Great Prophecy were to happen soon… it could be devastating for Camp Halfblood. There is no doubt a cure must be found for the tree, and soon."
"Have you checked to see the type of poison that was used?" Percy asked.
"No, I was just about to. If you would perhaps join me?" Chiron asked, as he trotted slowly towards the door.
"That I shall do…" Percy muttered as he followed Chiron out the door and towards the tree.
As the two approached the tree, demigods parted ways to make space for them to inspect the poison.
"This is an old poison… one perhaps older than me." Chiron said grimly as he looked up at Percy.
"Well, that isn't true. I recognize this poison, though I never thought I would see it again. Elder Python Venom." Percy said, looking up at Chiron with concern.
"Then…"
"Yes. It must be him." Percy said, referring to someone.
"Dear gods…" Chiron said, "I suppose it would be starting then."
"Only the fates know." Percy said as he looked back down at the poison, and up into the sea of faces that he didn't recognize.
"I suppose I should tell the others." Chiron said as he trotted away.
Percy turned and scanned the outer fields around camp, looking into the forest to find any potential threats. Nothing jumped out at him as he sighed, wondering how they were going to fix this situation.
"I don't think Chiron will be able to cure this one…" Percy murmured to himself as he gazed back down at the poison.
"That's bad news."
The End of Chapter 2