AN: Here's another chapter! Hope you all like it!
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Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson.
( - )
(Last Time)
He really hoped his last-minute gambit would pan out as otherwise he would be very pissed off Jackalope.
"Well, you have once again given your view, Perseus Jackson, whether it was invited or not. Now you may go." Artemis said after a few moments, her voice was arctic.
"Yes, Lady Artemis," he quickly nodded, scrambling to his feet and heading for the exit.
Before he did, however, he gave a wide-eyed Bianca one last look.
He had told her the unvarnished truth and spoken from the heart. Whether that was a mistake or not, he wasn't sure. Either way, he really hoped he hadn't gained a goddess's possible enmity for no reason.
( - )
Chapter 6
( - )
(With Percy)
It took Percy a few moments after stepping out of Artemis' tent to gather himself.
His heart was still racing a mile a minute, and he was soaked through with sweat.
Exhaling a plume of mist drifted, he quickly sucked in a lungful of icy cold air before letting loose a slow, heavy sigh.
He was an idiot.
No. That was an understatement.
He was a gods-damn moron.
Running his hand through his damp hair, he closed his eyes and regulated his breathing.
What had he been thinking? Why had he spoken so cavalierly in front of Artemis, a goddess that was known to have a short temper and generally prickly demeanour? She was somewhat well known in mythology for her indiscriminate murder of menfolk and transmogrification.
A shiver ran down his spine, and it wasn't because of the chill atmosphere.
He was fortunate that his 'father' was Poseidon, as otherwise, he suspected that he'd be either hopping around the clearing as a jackalope by now or riddled with silver-tipped arrows.
Taking another deep breath, he spared a moment to look up at the starry night sky – his uncle's domain – before he turned and started heading back to the bonfire. He could see Nico, Annabeth and Grover all sitting around it.
"Have a nice chat with the Hunters?" A voice spoke out behind him.
"The fuck!" He flinched, nearly leaping a few inches off the ground.
His previously steadied heart was once again raining.
"The hell, Thalia!" He growled, scowling at the smirking daughter of Zeus as she stepped out of the shadowy section between two of the Hunt's obnoxiously silver tents.
"Sorry," she replied blandly.
He gave her a flat look. Her voice was practically dripping with insincerity.
"But was it a productive chat?" She pressed on. Her gaze bored into him expectantly.
Frowning, he ruffled his hair and straightened his jacket. "It was both expected and unexpected."
"Well…, that's helpful," Thalia drawled.
His eye twitched. "She initially just wanted to know what the manticore said, you know an after-action report. I guess she also wanted to tell me that she'd be sending a host of her younger and more inexperienced Hunters to Camp with us. All while she swans off with her veterans on some kind of 'grand hunt'. Not entirely sure why she told me though. I'm guessing it's probably so I can let you lot know, or maybe as a warning… Zoe implied that the Hunters and campers… don't get on…."
"Oh goodie," Thalia muttered, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, there is a big rivalry from what I've heard. But whatever, at least that cow, Zoe, won't be coming."
"True," he nodded, his brow furrowing at the thought of his significantly older cousin. He hadn't done much to endear himself in her eyes. Not that he was ever expecting to have much of a relationship with her, to begin with.
"So, was that it?" Thalia pressed, redirecting the conversation back to her original question.
"Not entirely," he replied, his brow furrowed. "She also wanted to recruit, Bianca. Though I was more a spectator… or more an afterthought for that." He frowned. "Once she'd heard what she wanted and had given me my 'marching orders' she basically just dismissed my presence from her mind and went off on a tangent with Zoe… I genuinely think she just blanked my existence in favour of getting her claws into Bianca."
"Of course she did," Thalia scowled. "The entire Hunt has got a one-track mind. Bianca's probably the main reason they're here. The monster and us…, we're just a second thought. Bianca though…, considering they sent three of us to back-up Grover in collecting her and brother, she's probably gonna be a powerhouse when she matures, definitely a child of an Olympian and a powerful one at that. She's just the kind of person the Hunt wants for their ranks."
"They tried something similar with you, didn't they?" Percy asked.
He could read between the lines and the bitterness in Thalia's tone… there was too much for it not to be personal.
"Picked up on that, did you," Thalia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, back when me, Anne and…, well back when me and Anne were on the run, back before Camp and the whole…"
"Turning into a tree thing?" He prompted with a wry smile.
Her blue eyes twitched, "Yes, that. Well, before all that went down the Hunt found us. They came to us when we were at our lowest… we'd been hunted by monsters, nearly killed and eaten half a dozen times, Luke was hurt, I was on the edge and Anne, she was still so young, so frightened…."
He could see the darkness in her eyes and the way her mouth firmed up into a thin line.
"And they tried to recruit you?" He prompted.
"Bingo," Thalia smiled, it wasn't a nice smile. "We were tired, exhausted and falling to pieces and there they were sweeping in with promises of a new life, of immortality and a life of non-stop adventure and comradeship, and all it would cost would be leaving Luke to die alone…. They barely even looked at him let alone acknowledged as a living breathing person that also needed their help."
"And so, you told them no?" Percy asked.
Thalia's smile grew a bit more genuine. "Yeah, but, well Zoe was the one giving the recruitment pitch, so I was decidedly less than polite at her suggestion I drop my friend like yesterday's trash and take Anne, who was a seven-year-old child at the time and in need of a home and stability, and instead run off with the Hunt. She didn't take it well."
"I noticed," Percy grinned. There seemed to be a mutual hatred between the two. "And there I was thinking that the Children of Hades were supposed to be the ones that held grudges."
"You've obviously not had much experience with teenage girls…" Thalia smirked back at him.
"Zoe is many things, but I think it's a few thousand years too late to call her a teenage girl," Percy chuckled. He could almost imagine the look on Zoe's face at someone referring to her as a teenager.
"She certainly PMS-ing like one," Thalia muttered under her breath, provoking a wince from him, even as she shook her head and refocused on him. "So, what did Bianca decide?"
"No idea," he said honestly. "I gave her a counterargument to joining up and then was swiftly booted from the tent. What happens next, that's on her."
Thalia grimaced and shook her head. "They could have at least given her some time to rest and come to terms with everything that's just happened and everything she's just learned… but whatever, did they say anything about how we're getting back to Camp?"
"Well, they're not making us walk," he smiled. "She said she was waiting on her brother, so by the sounds of it we might be getting a lift there, probably using some kind of magic."
"And there I was thinking that gods weren't allowed to interfere," Thalia rolled her eyes. Though notably, she didn't look too averse to getting a lift back home.
"Except when convenient to them," Percy replied, "And in this case, considering she's planning on splitting the Hunt, I think she just wants to drop us all back at Camp, including her younger Hunters, so she can get on with things and is calling in a favour with her brother to do it."
"I suppose that explains why she's not using her Moon Chariot to drop us off," Thalia acknowledged.
"Honestly, I doubt it would take her all that long to summon her chariot and take us to Camp." Percy shook his head. He knew enough about divine beings to know that it really wouldn't take long to transport a dozen mortals a few hundred miles if they were minded too. "Unfortunately, if she were to do that she'd have to tolerate not just one but three males standing in her chariot…. Yeah, considering I like being a human and not whatever the fuck a jackalope is, I'm happy to wait for her brother."
Thalia hummed and nodded. "I reckon he's going to be hot."
"Well, he is the god of the sun…" He replied.
She gave him a flat look. "Die in a fire."
"Nah, I'm going to make like a tree and leaf," he grinned sidling away, only to spin around and grin at her. "No, wait, you're the one that was a tree, weren't you?"
Chuckling to himself, he made sure to quicken his pace so as to escape the dangerous gleam that had appeared in Thalia's piercing blue eyes as she watched him go.
( - )
The sky was starting to lighten with the coming dawn, and the moon had begun to fade out of sight.
As night started to shift into day the Hunt swiftly started to break up their camp with the same practised easy that they'd set it up.
Standing apart from the silent, silver-clad girls, Percy remained with Annabeth, Thalia, Grover and Nico as they stood watching the distant horizon.
The Hunters paid them no mind, and aside from the occasionally suspicious glance at Percy and Grover or contemplative looks at Annabeth, and likewise the five of them ignored the Hunters too.
A frosty tension had hung over the camp ever since they'd met.
The Hunters had not been subtle in the distaste they seemed to hold for most of their number.
Not that he could blame the Hunt for their… displeasure. After all, he'd manhandled their Lieutenant and none of them and had forgotten it. Grover had overtly mooned after their goddess. Thalia on the other hand had openly insulted them to their faces, several times. And Nico, well, he was a male and existed, plus he was very annoying.
They had not exactly endeared themselves to the Hunt.
Nor had they tried to for that matter, save Grover, who had failed epically in the attempt. Annabeth was the only exception to this, as she, unlike them, had been nothing but courteous with the Hunt and so seemed to be treated with a grudging respect as she spent her time talking to a couple of them about who knows what.
He glanced over at the blonde-haired daughter of Athena at that thought. The girl had been unusually quiet over the last few hours, only making occasional conversation with Thalia and a few of the Hunters. But then again none of them had spoken that much as they alternated between napping and patiently waiting for the sun to rise.
He certainly hadn't been all that chatty as he dwelled on his new circumstances, pondered over his future, and kept a constant eye out for danger as he sat in the middle of a camp of highly hostile teens and pre-teens, most of whom he suspected would be more than happy to put several arrows through him.
Snow crunched behind him, distracting him from his morbid thoughts.
Turning to look for the source of the disturbance, he quickly spotted Bianca approaching.
Her dark eyes were slightly red, and her olive cheeks flushed from the cold biting wind. She looked quite fragile as she approached. It was a far cry from the fierce, strong-willed warrior maiden he knew she would one day become.
"You alright?" He asked as she neared them.
She was wrapped up in one of the Hunt's silver parkas, wearing it over the top of the normal clothes she had changed into at some point during the wait.
"Fine" she nodded, forcing a smile as she met his eyes. Her tone was a little shaky too as she stepped past him and took her place at Nico's side.
Grinning at his sister, Nico nuzzled into her side, even as she put an arm around his narrow shoulders and pulled him in for a hug, resting her rosy cheek on the top of his damp, snow-dusted head.
It was a sweet and tender moment between siblings.
Enough so that it brought a lump to his throat as he forced himself to look away.
Following behind Bianca, Artemis and a scowling Zoe also approached their position. Zoe's dark eyes narrowed at the sight of him, her lips curling almost instinctively into a sneer. Artemis however didn't even spare him a glance as she instead swept past them and stared at the distant horizon.
"Finally, he's here," Artemis said softly into the lingering silence.
In response to her words, a loud roaring sound exploded through the air even as the night suddenly turned into day in an instant.
It was like someone had just flipped a switch and turned on a massive light bathing the world in the golden glow of dawn and chasing away the last lingering traces of darkness.
Flinching at the explosion of sound, all those present save for Artemis were forced to avert their eyes as a blinding golden light suddenly filled the clearing. It was so bright, that he instinctively created a second set of eyelids beneath his normal ones so as to protect his eyes from the burning light that threatened to burn out his corniers.
Thankfully, the light seemed to dim almost as quickly as it appeared as a sleek, red, Maserati Spyder slowly descended from the sky.
Blinking the spots out of his eyes, Percy had to squint as he saw the flying red supercar glide down from the sky. As stupid as its current form was it didn't take him long to recognise it for what it was, it was the Chariot of the Sun.
It… wasn't exactly what he was expecting.
Having grown up within his father's kingdom in the deepest depths of the ocean. He'd grown used to the pomp and tradition of the Titan of the Sea's Court. There hadn't been any anachronisms in Oceanus' palace that defied his expectations. Everything had been as regal and ancient looking as one would expect of a palace of an ancient Titan Lord. There had been no modern frivolities or gimmicks. In fact, his first experience with modern technology was during the war, when he first came into contact with the traitorous demigods and learned more about the modern world.
His lips curved up into a smile at the memory. And that was one thing he'd never regret. The pure convenience of modern technology, and the entertainment value that came hand in hand with modern culture, he wouldn't trade it for anything.
Mentally shaking his head and refocusing his thoughts on the present, he braced himself as he sensed the presence of another god.
The air around him seemed to become a lot thicker and heavier as the power a god natural exuded made its presence known to all those present.
It was as if someone had raised the temperature in the vicinity a dozen or so degrees, and gravity had decided to flex and bare down on them even more than usual.
Wetting his lips, he shot his companions a look.
Thalia was grinning as she eyed the red supercar.
Bianca and Nico were looking on in awe.
Grover had already lowered himself to one knee, his head bowed in submission.
Annabeth meanwhile was watching the 'chariot' curiously, her grey eyes narrowed and her mind no doubt a whirl with differing ideas and thoughts about just how the divine construct worked.
Clenching his hands into fists, he watched as the literally red-hot Maserati Spyder came to a casual stop a half-dozen metres away. He could see the heat waves rolling off it, and could only watch as all the snow in a ten-foot radius was melted in an instant.
Eyeing the Sun Chariot cautiously, his gaze soon moved to its driver as Apollo chose that moment to step out of his ride with a huge grin spread across his handsome, even as his gaze landed on his sister. The man was tall, with a slim build and tanned skin, his eyes were a twinkling sky-blue colour, and his hair shone like molten gold. He was also almost inhumanly beautiful. So much so that it seemed to make those around him uncomfortable.
"Hello ladies, I hear you need a ride?" Apollo beamed as he sauntered over to the group, a skip in his step and a twinkle in his eye. His apparel was just as modern and unfitting as his chariot, as instead of armour, a toga, or even a suit, he was instead wearing jeans, loafers, and a sleeveless T-shirt that was far too tight.
It was not the kind of thing he could ever imagine a titan to wear. The most casually dressed titan he'd ever met had been Prometheus, and even he'd worn a three-piece suit made from divine materials.
"Shut up Apollo. You know the rules; do not flirt, talk, or even look at my Hunters. You are to bring them to Camp Half-Blood along with these other Demigods." Artemis replied coldly as she stepped forward to meet her twin brother halfway, her silver eyes gleaming dangerously in the dawn light.
Apollo rolled his eyes in response, apparently long used to hearing such threats from his twin, "Relax sis, I was only kidding."
"Wow," Thalia muttered from where she was standing next to Percy. "Apollo really is hot."
"He's the sun god?" Grover muttered from beside them unknowingly parroting Percy's joke from just a couple of hours before.
"Also, isn't he technically your brother?" Percy prompted, flashing Thalia a smile as a sickly look crossed her face.
"Did you have to ruin it like that? Don't you know the rules, we don't discuss our weird, incestuous, godly family tree!" Thalia muttered as she jabbed a set of lightning-covered fingers into Percy's side giving him a little jolt as she did so.
Absorbing the jolt with a slight gritting of his teeth, Percy's smile became faintly more brittle. The jolt he'd just received paled in comparison to the last one he'd received from Thalia in the Throneroom of Olympus. Yet it made him no less tense despite that, as he quickly fought the urge to spit a venomous stinger into her throat.
He really needed to get his shit together. Which was not easy considering his current proximity to two a pair of Olympian Gods who could probably erase most of the eastern seaboard with just a flick of their fingers if they were minded too.
"Little sister!" Apollo continued seemingly oblivious to those around him as his smile somehow became wider. As he approached, the air continued to grow heavier and heavier as his power settled upon the area. "What's up? You never call. You never write. I was getting worried!"
Artemis sighed, rubbing her head with her hand as she did so. "I'm fine, Apollo. And I am not your little sister."
"Hey, I was born first."
"We're twins! How many millennia do we have to argue…"
"So, what's up?" he interrupted. "Got the girls with you, I see. You all need some tips on archery?"
Percy took a cautious step away from the diminutive goddess, not that he thought it would be enough to get out of the blast range if Artemis did lose her shit. But it was an instinctive response all the same.
Artemis grit her teeth in response to her brother's needling, her silver eyes flashing with menace - he honestly didn't know it was possible for a twelve-year-old girl to look that terrifying. "I need a favour. I will be taking my most experienced Hunters with me on a dangerous Hunt. I need you to take those that lack both the experience or the skill needed to take part in this hunt to Camp Half-Blood with these other mortals."
"Sure thing, sis!" Apollo replied before he raised his hands in a stop-everything gesture. "I feel a haiku coming on."
The Hunters all groaned as one, one or two of them put their hands over their ears in readiness for what was to come.
Percy meanwhile just stared in bemused horror.
How could a pair of twin gods be so different? Artemis was uptight, serious and seemingly all business. Apollo meanwhile was laid back, nonchalant and acted like a complete buffoon.
Ignoring the groans of his audience, the God of the Sun cleared his throat and held up one hand dramatically.
"Green grass breaks through snow.
Artemis pleads for my help.
I am so cool."
With that done, he grinned at the groups surrounding him, the god clearly waiting for applause that was never going to come.
"That last line was only four syllables," Artemis said bluntly, provoking a petulant scowl from her brother.
"Was it?" Apollo muttered, frowning as he looked to be deep in thought.
"Yes. 'What about I am so moronic'?" Artemis continued, her lips curling upwards in a tiny smirk.
"No, no, that's six syllables. Hmm." He started muttering to himself as he tried to think of a different line.
The rest of the people assembled all looking at each other awkwardly while this was happening.
Zoe, in a surprising change of pace for the older girl, seemed to take the moment of silence that followed to turn to the other demigods so that she could seemingly try and explain the god's odd behaviour. "Lord Apollo has been going through this haiku phase ever since he visited Japan. Tis not as bad as the time he visited Limerick. If I'd had to hear one more poem that started with, 'There once was a goddess from Sparta…'"
"Whatever keeps him entertained I guess," Percy muttered in reply. "I guess being immortal can get pretty dull sometimes."
"It depends on how you spend your eternal life," Zoe replied, her lips thinning and eyes narrowing as she met his gaze. "Some spend their lives in service, dutifully risking their lives and fighting for the good of all. Others are more frivolous with their infinite time, and quickly become bored as they flit from one interest to another."
"And I'm guessing you're implying the Hunt are the 'ones dutifully risking their lives for the good of all'?" Percy asked dryly.
"Of course," Zoe replied, ignoring Apollo now as he continued to snipe at his irritable sister. "Our lives have meaning and purpose, while as demigods yours will be short and more likely than not meaningless."
With that said Zoe turned her head and strode over to where the other Hunters were gathering up.
The buff, blonde girl he recognised as Phoebe was currently rounding up a dozen or so Hunters into a group, all of whom he noticed, were looking pretty glum. The other dozen or so – Artemis' veteran Hunters he assumed – were either tending to their wolves or saying their goodbyes to the younger Hunters that were going to Camp.
"Well, she sounds pissed," Thalia muttered to him.
"I don't think she's used to not getting her way," he replied, his eyes flicking over to the nervous-looking Bianca meaningfully.
The daughter of Hades was currently holding her younger brother close, trying to curtail his excitement as he gushed about Apollo's 'mythomagic stats'.
Following his gaze, Thalia's lips curled up into a victorious grin, even as she turned and sought out Zoe's gaze. Only for the Lieutenant to gamely ignore her existence as she instead started briefing both sets of Hunters, no doubt giving the ones that were going to Camp the ground rules for how they should be behaving, even as she gave the others some marching orders for where they would be going next.
"Well, come on you lot let's all get on board and let Arty go off frolicking into the woods!" Apollo said, once again drawing all attention to him. He seemed to like being the centre of attention.
Artemis's eye noticeably twitched at his words, but she didn't otherwise comment. Probably so as to not give him the satisfaction of a reaction.
The Hunters, however, did and more than one of them 'accidentally' stamped on his foot as they were getting into the Chariot of the Sun, which with a click of his fingers Apollo had turned into a large bus.
Following their lead, Percy and the others likewise boarded the bus – only they all definitely didn't stamp on Apollo's foot as they trooped past him. Instead, his gut clenched slightly as his path took him in close proximity to Apollo. Only for him to relax, as the golden-haired god instead of commenting or smiting him, just gave him a curious smile and a wink.
Taking his seat – the bus was big enough for them to have a row each – he took a moment to watch as Apollo spared Artemis and her remaining Hunters a few more words, before with a single last nod from Artemis, they all vanished into the surrounding trees as swiftly as they had arrived leaving the rest of them to Apollo's tender mercies.
"So, Thalia, today you're all in for a special treat. How would you like to have a go steering the sun?" Apollo asked with a big smile as he looked at a rapidly paling Thalia.
Watching the daughter of Zeus grow pale, a sudden sinking feeling started to form in his gut, even as Apollo coaxed the clearly uncomfortable-looking Thalia into taking the wheel.
'Well, this is going to go well...'Percy thought to himself as he saw Thalia slowly stand up, her already pale skin practically chalk white as she approached the driver's seat, her hands already beginning to shake.
( - )
(Camp Half-Blood)
With an explosion of light and sound, and a loud splash, the chariot of the sun – currently masquerading as a yellow school bus – hurtled through the protective dome of magic covering the Camp in a ball of fire and crashed landed at the edge of Camp Half Blood's lake terrifying more than a few Naiads who called the lake home.
Gripping tightly onto the backrest of the seat in front, Percy took a few moments to regulate his breathing.
Patting himself down to make sure that he was not only alive but also still had all his appendages, he chanced a look around at the others.
Grover was at the back of the bus braying in panic. Of Annabeth, he could only see her feet sticking up after she was sent head first over the seat in front and into the footwell below. The Di Angelo siblings were holding one another tightly their eyes tight shut as if they were in the midst of an air raid and were waiting for the 'all clear' to be called. The Hunters meanwhile were scattered around the bus in complete disarray. Some of them looked like startled animals that might bolt at any moment, others looked like pissed-off killers that were raring to hunt down and massacre their torment. And of their tormentor, Thalia was still in the driver's seat, her skin a pasty white, and her eyes wide and full of panic as she clutched the steering wheel in a death grip.
"W-well," Apollo laughed. His clothing was rumbled, and his once flawlessly styled hair was a complete mess. "That went well…."
Biting back a sharply worded response – he'd already pissed off one kill-happy god today – Percy released the backrest, his hands still shaking slightly as he instead glanced out of the window and at the enemy camp. Or at least at what had once been an enemy camp.
He'd never actually been in Camp Half-Blood before. But he had heard about it before from the demigods who'd once called it home, and looked around in the warm, toasty light of dawn, he couldn't help but smile.
It didn't exactly scream military encampment like the Roman Demigod Camp, Camp Jupiter had. Instead, the Greek camp looked a lot like a stereotypical American summer camp. The type you'd expect to see in cheesy 90s films.
Only the cabins in Camp Half-Blood were far grander and had an obvious theme. With each of the twelve visible cabins representing one of the twelve Olympians. At present the cabins were decorated with tiny flickering lights, like Christmas lights, except they seemed to be balls of actual fire. Surveying the area he could see more lights glowed in the woods.
A grin spread across his face in spite of himself.
Looking out over the rest of the camp, he also noticed also it had an arena that looked like it could be used for both training warriors, racing chariots and large-scale movie night. Near the arena, he could also spy a deadly-looking climbing wall with what looked like lava pouring down its side, an impressive archery range, a large stable block that seemed home to several beautiful-looking pegasai, and more interestingly in his mind a very large lake that seemed to host a colony of Naiads. Only unfortunately, said Naiads were currently swimming in the opposite direction to the steaming bus that had inadvertently crash-landed at the edge of their home.
Grinning as he tried to take in every little detail of the camp including the large, powder blue mansion sitting on a hill overlooking it, he couldn't help but shake his head. Just a few days ago if someone had told him that Apollo the God of the Sun was going to give him a lift to Camp Half-Blood in his legendary chariot, he would have laughed in their face. He'd spent years trying to infiltrate Camp Half-Blood using agents and had wasted weeks trying to lay siege to it prior to the Battle of Manhattan. All that effort, and in the end, all it took was being killed and reincarnating into an alternate version of himself to get in.
Letting out a bark of laughter and ignoring the sour reactions he received from those around him as they slowly recovered from their ordeal. Thalia was not the best of drivers, which became particularly clear after it emerged that not only did she not know how to drive but that she was also terrified of heights. The irony of a child of Zeus being afraid of heights was not lost on him. It was like finding a child of Oceanus that was afraid of deep water.
Chuckling, he watched as figures flooded out of the nearby cabins as the campers swiftly responded to their intrusion. Nearly a score of them were currently rushing their position, many of them wielding Celestial Bronze weapons, a few had even had the time to quickly don some armour before joining the rush to the lake.
At the back of the charging demigods, he could also spy a centaur joining the rush, a bow clutched tightly in hand as Chiron the legendary trainer of heroes linked up with his students.
Considering the suddenness of their arrival and how early it still was, their reaction time was pretty impressive. Far better than he had thought it might be. It was the kind of response he expected from the strict and hard-working Romans, not the indolent and lazy Greeks.
Thankfully though their caution was unneeded, as they were not enemies but instead allies, new campers, the Hunters of Artemis and Percy – who admittedly might be an enemy someday, but not at present. He was still undecided on just what his future held.
Noticing the others disembarking, Percy quickly followed their lead, gawping around like a tourist as he took in the sights.
"Whoa," Nico said as he climbed off the bus and joined him. "Is that a climbing wall?"
"Yeah," Annabeth nodded, stepping up next to him.
"Why is there lava pouring down it?" Nico asked.
It was a good question.
"It provides a little extra challenge." Annabeth smiled, bumping Percy's shoulder with her own and nodding in the direction of the approaching centaur and campers. "Come on Nico, Bianca. I'll introduce you two to Chiron. Erm Phoebe was it? Have you met—"
"I've met Chiron in the past," Phoebe shot her down bluntly, her expression irritable as she gathered up the Hunters she'd been tasked with looking after. "Tell him we will be in Cabin Eight. Hunters, follow me."
"I'll show you the way," Grover offered as he too stepped off the bus. There was a very eager look on his face as he made to chase after the departing girls.
"We know the way," Phoebe said stiffly.
"Know your place and stay away," another, shorter Hunter with dark hair and green eyes added, her lip curling as she glared first at Grover, and then at Percy.
"Oh, really, it's no trouble. It's easy to get lost here if you don't"—Grover tripped over a canoe and came up still talking—"like my old daddy goat used to say! Come on!" Without waiting for a response, he chased after them like a dog in heat.
"What did I do?" Percy scowled, his eyes following their retreat and not missing the scowls and glares many of them threw his way as they passed him by. It appeared that either Zoe had let slip a little of what had gone on in Artemis' tent or they were still holding a grudge over him holding their lieutenant hostage. Either way, none of them seemed to like him all that much.
"You exist." The same Hunter as before called over her shoulder.
"Well fuck you too," Percy called at their retreating backs, his hands clenching into fists.
Annabeth shot him a scandalised look.
Bianca covered a bewildered Nico's ears and frowned at him reproachfully.
Thalia meanwhile, still pale and off-kilter, snorted.
"Word of advice my aquatic friend," Apollo smiled, wrapping a warm arm around Percy's now very stiff shoulders. "When dealing with the fairer sex, you catch a lot more flies with honey than vinegar. Crack a smile, throw out a compliment and a witticism, that's the way to do it. Don't just swear at them. I would have thought you'd moved past the pulling pigtails stage by now…."
Worming his way out of Apollo's grasp, Percy sent the terrifyingly power embodiment of the sun a sour look.
Maybe his father had been in the right when he'd been planning the downfall of Olympus and the death of the gods….
Apollo grinned back at him and then turned back to the Hunters as they shouldered their packs and bows and headed off toward the cabins. "Take care, sweethearts!"
Phoebe raised her hand and middle finger, and swore at him in response, displaying a level of defiance and disrespect that from any other god would likely have ended with her being smited.
"But anyway, it's time for me to hit the old dusty trail. Watch out for those prophecies, kiddies. I'm sure I'll be seeing some of you very soon." Apollo continued, his eyes now roving over them.
"What do you mean?" Percy frowned.
His words sounded very… ominous.
Instead of answering, Apollo hopped back on the bus.
"Later, Thalia," the blonde god called. "And, uh, be good!" With that said, he gave her a wicked smile as if he knew something she didn't. Then he closed the doors and revved the engine and took off in a blast of heat.
Turning to watch him go, Percy shook his head in bemusement as a red Maserati soared over the woods, glowing brighter and climbing higher until it disappeared in a ray of sunlight.
"Annabeth! Percy! Thalia! Ah, and this must be—" Chiron finally reached them with a dozen armed and tired-looking campers at his back.
"Bianca and Nico Di Angelo," Annabeth said taking over. "She and her brother are half-bloods."
Chiron breathed a sigh of relief. "You succeeded, then."
"Yep, with no injuries or losses," Thalia waded into the conversation. "A completely clean sweep."
"No trouble then?" Chiron asked, his eyes shifting over them seemingly taking in every detail.
"Aside from a pissed-off manticore, and some pissy Hunters, nah, it was all good," Thalia grinned, wrapping her arms behind her head and stretching.
"A manticore?" Chiron frowned. "I think I'll need you to debrief me about all that happened."
"Sure, no probs," Thalia shrugged, easily slipping into the role of leader.
Ignoring the byplay, Percy continued to examine Chiron. Aside from his equine lower half the trainer of heroes didn't look all that impressive. He looked like a middle school history teacher, or at least Hollywood's version of one, with a shaggy brown beard, a bob of curly brown hair, spectacles and a fuzzy sweater with a hoofprint design on it. He looked like a complete dork.
"Good, good," Chiron nodded, his brown eyes narrowing as they swept over Percy. "Are you alright by the way, Percy? You seem a bit… out of sorts?"
"Tell me about it, he's been acting odd all day," Annabeth muttered.
"Just tired, it's been a long day," Percy forced a smile.
Chiron hummed and then forced a smile as he turned and greeted the Di Angelos.
Turning away from the greeting, Percy ignored Thalia and Annabeth as they inserted themselves into Nico and Bianca's introductions, and instead eyed the surrounding demigods, only some of whom it seemed had stuck around now that it was obvious there was no danger.
Wetting his lips, he fought to remain relaxed. He recognised a lot of them. Clarissa La Rue, a heavy-browed, grungy daughter of Ares. She'd been a monster on the battlefield. Charles Beckendorf, a child of Hephaestus and another complete beast. He'd fought him personally, and the slightly older boy had managed to inflict some damage before he died. The Stolls… complete shits who deserved their grizzly deaths.
He felt a lump form in his throat as he looked around at all the grinning faces. He was in an enemy encampment, surrounded by ghosts of his past, many of them his victims and some of them his killers. And yet he was the only one aware of all that had gone down in his version of events. To the rest of them, it was just another day, and he was just Percy, their friendly, neighbourhood son of Poseidon.
"Percy?" Chiron's warm voice sounded out behind him.
Fighting off a flinch, Percy turned and forced a smile. "Sorry, I zoned out."
"So I see," Chiron said, his brow furrowing. "I was just saying that Thalia and myself will be heading to the Big House and Annabeth with be giving young Bianca and Nico a tour around camp before she takes them to the armoury to pick up some equipment-"
"We're gonna have a wargame against the Hunters," Thalia grinned. "Once I've had a chat with Chiron, he's gonna tell the Hunters what's happening, and then we'll select an equal number of campers to take part so it stays fair…"
"Ah, sound good," Percy nodded his head.
"Do you-" Chiron began.
"I'll join Annabeth on the tour and help Bianca and Nico get some gear," he cut in, stepping over to join Annabeth and the Di Angelo siblings.
He obviously wouldn't be adding much to the tour. But he'd definitely be listening and trying to absorb as much information as he could about the camp. After all, if he wanted to blend in and keep the charade going, then he was going to have to have a crash course on all things Camp Half-Blood.
"Very well, how generous of you" Chiron nodded, his eyes following Percy as he followed Annabeth, Bianca and Nico.
"Seaweed brain," Annabeth frowned, looking over at him and cutting off her introductory speech, "what are you doing here?"
"Helping," Percy forced a smile.
"I see," Annabeth's stormy grey eyes narrowed a fraction. "Well, thanks. I should have everything covered, but feel free to pitch in… just try not to make a complete idiot of yourself. I know it's hard…."
"I'll endeavour to do my best," he shot back dryly.
Annabeth tilted her head to the side almost expectantly, as if waiting for more. When it became clear nothing else was coming, her lips thin and she looked away. "Well anyway, come on you two there is a lot to see."
Watching her go, Percy frowned.
The girl was perceptive, too perceptive.
If he wasn't careful he might set off a few too many red flags, and get himself busted.
And then… well, he had no idea what would happen.
He wasn't exactly in an ordinary situation after all, even when compared to other divine shenanigans his current circumstances were in a league of their own.
( - )
AN: So what did you think? As you might have noticed, things have already changed from canon, and that'll be more obvious in the coming chapters. The next one will involve the camp and setup of what's to come, after which... it's gonna be fun! There will be some big twists for better or worse coming up, and I'm excited to write it out! Hopefully, you all continue supporting the story!
I've set up a semi-formal schedule of sorts of five priority stories, and this one made the cut, so there should be more updates coming, real-life allowing.
Cheers for reading, and let me know what you think.
Have a good one all and catch you later.
Greed720.