The Rising Dawn

by Demititan28

Percy didn't just survive after his sacrifice, he thrived. Locked in ice for over 20 years the world he comes back to is not the one he left behind. But he doesn't have time to mourn his missed years, a threat is rising in the east and the survival of humanity is on the line. If Olympus has any hope of survival, it rests on his shoulders. Eventual Pertemis

10. I Dethrone a Champion

Chapter 10: I Dethrone a Champion

Annabeth and Teddy left the next morning, and Percy stood watching the woman who had once been the love of his life pack up and prepare to fly across the country with the man she had left him for. The little jokes and laughs she shared with her husband didn't hurt him so much as they irritated him, and if he was being honest he was excited for them to be on their way out. He knew he was being harsh on her, but she had made her choices, and now it was time for Percy to make his, starting with saying goodbye to his old life, and in particular Annabeth.

She walked up and gave him a hug. "Be safe, Seaweed Brain. You're not gonna have me there stopping you from doing something stupid."

Percy laughed, "Thank the gods, my anchor is finally gone."

She lightly punched him in the shoulder before getting into the car. Teddy shook his hand and with a parting nod the couple drove away from the Montauk beach house. Percy stood watching where the car had disappeared long after it had disappeared from sight, but he realised that he was letting go of the person who had played a huge role in shaping him into the person he was today. From here on out though, Annabeth could claim nothing. It was time for his life without her.

He finally turned away and headed back inside, ready to enjoy his last night with his family before Estelle headed back to college and Percy set off for Camp Half-Blood. It was a quiet night in, and Percy had the dark thought pass his mind that this may be the last time he got to enjoy a night like this. He did his best not to dwell on the thought and brought his mind to the present moment, a moment of happiness with the people he loved.

Darkness came all too quickly, and as much as Percy wanted the night to last forever they eventually headed to bed, and in a rare blessing from the gods he was granted a dreamless night's sleep. The morning was somber, as much as Paul tried to lighten the mood. His mum kept berating the fact that he had only just come back into their lives and he was already running off to save the world again.

"It's a full time job mom."

His mum sighed and pulled him into what must have been the 50th hug of the morning. "I know I'm just scared. We just got you back."

"I'm not going anywhere. I've just got to kick some divine ass. I'll be back for dinner," he said with a grin.

"You better win, mister. Else you're grounded."

Paul laughed, "Enough with the threats Sally. Let the boy breathe."

Sally frowned but pulled out of the hug. "Alright, well let's pack up the car and hit the road. Estelle has class later today so we'll have to hurry. "

After helping Paul pack up the car Percy went out onto the beach one last time to gaze out across the ocean. It was calmer than normal, almost as though there was a tension to it. It likely reflected his fathers mood and Percy couldn't really blame him for that. There was a lot to be tense about, but Percy took a lot of comfort in the fact that his father was as worried about the issue as he was. Taking in the view one last time, Percy turned and joined his family in the car.

They decided to drop him off first, since Estelles university was in the city and it wouldn't make much sense for them to drive all the way into the city just to have to drive back out again. Percy surrendered the shotgun to his sister, and spent the drive with his mum. He could tell she was upset that he was leaving, but saying goodbye so he could save the world was something she had become accustomed to at this point.

Camp wasn't too far from the beach, and after reaching the end of Long Island Percy began to recognise the strawberry fields and soon Half-Blood Hill came into view, with Thalia's tree sitting atop it, a beacon of safety to demigods everywhere. Even from the road Percy could see the enormous dragon curled around the base of the tree, and it seemed Peleus had kept growing in Percy's absence. He now completely encircled Thalia's Tree and his copper scales gleamed in the sun.

Percy stepped out of the car and turned to see his mum looking at the tree with tears in her eyes. "I've said goodbye to you too many times here. I'm starting to hate it. But at least you'll be safe here!"

He pulled her into a hug, "It's my home away from home. Besides, it might have been twenty years but Chiron will still be there to keep me safe."

Sally nodded, and began to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Is that a dragon?" Estelle yelled from the window of the car.

"Dragon? There's a dragon?" Paul asked, and Percy chuckled remembering that Paul wasn't clear-sighted and so wondered what he must be seeing when he looked up at the hill.

"Be safe," his mum warned, "You're strong, but stay humble. Don't get overconfident. It wqouldn;t do for a child of mine to fail because their ego got too big."

Percy smiled, "You raised me too well for that to happen," and then pulled away from her and watched her join the rest of the family in the car.

After Percy waved them off he began the march up the hill and the dragon seated under the tree raised its head and turned his large yellow eyes towards the son of Poseidon. They sparkled with recognition, and as Percy reached the summit Peleus nuzzled his head against Percy. Percy scratched behind the dragon's ears and it roared in approval. It seemed like dragons were a lot like cats in that regard.

Turning away from Peleus Percy gazed down at camp for the first time in 20 years. The Big House rose beneath him, a pale blue against the green grass topped with the bronze eagle's weather vane that spun lazily in the breeze. Beyond the Big House parts of the camp seemed as though they hadn't been touched, with the volleyball courts, arts and crafts station and amphitheatre looking the same as they had the last time he was here. Other things had changed dramatically however. Beyond the cluster of 20 or so cabins were a few large log cabins that seemed to be multiple stories and dwarfed the divine cabins. They were bordered by a massive stone building that was spewing fire and smoke. Next to that was the old forge and armoury, although both seemed to have been expanded and given a bit of a facelift. There was also a large coliseum where the arena had once stood, and seemed to be the busiest spot of the camp, with large numbers of campers grouping together there to watch something inside. The strawberry fields spread out to his left and at their edge the pegasus stables had been expanded. The woods of the forest seemed to have thickened, but poking out of the top, deep in the middle of the woods, a steady stream of smoke billowed out, reminding Percy of the Bunker that Leo had found during his time here. A brief look on the horizon also showed that the climbing wall hadn't been changed, and Percy had to fight down the rush of excitement at the thought of tackling the challenge with all his new speed and agility. First things first though, Percy thought, and he headed down to the Big House to see his old teacher.

Chiron and Dionysus were where they usually were, sitting playing Pinochle in lawn chairs overlooking the rest of the camp. Chiron hadn't aged a day, with his thinning brown hair, bushy eyebrows and intense brown eyes looking no different from the way they had when he had thrown Percy Riptide in order to defeat Mrs. Dodds. His stallion lower half was seated at one side of the table, and he seemed greatly invested in the cards in his hand. Dionysus seemed far less interested in his cards, bemoaning that his hand was garbage and they should redraw. His chubby face was pulled in a frown and in between moaning about his hand he was sipping on a Diet Coke. There was another figure with them, one that Percy recognised with a start. His curly blonde hair framed his tanned face that was partly covered by sunglasses, but the bright grin was recognisable anywhere.

Apollo was the first one of the trio to notice his approach. "Well I'll be. If it isn't my favourite cousin."

Chiron and Dionysus glanced up and almost jumped out of their seats, with Dionysus spilling his Diet Coke on his lap. "Gods damn it Peter Johnson, did you not care to announce your arrival?"

Dionysus' moaning was quickly forgotten by Percy though because Chiron was galloping towards him, engulfing him in a hug. "Percy, my boy. I heard rumours from Olympus but I didn't dare to believe it. It is so good to see you."

Percy returned the embrace, "It's good to see you too Chiron."

Chiron guided Percy to an empty seat at the Pinochle table and turned to him with questions in his eyes, not at all interested in the fact that Dionysus was slyly switching Chirons hand with his own, something that appeared to make him quite happy when he saw what was in Chirons hand.

"So where have you been?" Chiron asked, and so Percy began to recite the story for what felt like the thousandth time. When he finished Chiron appeared deep in thought, and so it was Apollo that broke the silence.

"Yeah I remember something like that happening to me. Missed the 80s, gods what a great time it would've been if I was around for that. The world really missed out on having me around for that."

Percy didn't think they were quite the same, and decided to ask something that had been on his mind since he had seen them, "What exactly are you doing here Lord Apollo? I know Mr. D is still serving his sentence but why are you hanging out at camp?"

The question seemed to brighten Dionysus' mood, and he grinned as the dazzling smile dropped from Apollo's face, "Dad was not happy with me after the Giant War. Put all the blame on me instead of Hera. Dumb bitch."

Thunder rumbled and Apollo waved his hand dismissively, "You know what you are. Blaming all that shit on me. So yeah I got saddled with accompanying Big D over here for the rest of his sentence. Very not slay, but it's ight. I'm taking the opportunity to shower my wisdom on these young minds. Do my part for the community, you feel me?"

Percy wasn't feeling him, in fact he was very concerned about what kind of wisdom Apollo was showering on the demigods, but nodded nonetheless. Anything to get the sun god to stop pissing off his stepmother. "Do you maybe have a haiku to commemorate my return?"

The ploy worked, and soon Apollo was counting on his fingers as he tried to come up with a haiku worthy of Percy's return. In the meantime Percy turned back to his old mentor.

"There's much to be done," Chiron began gravely, "If the stories of the Annunaki are true, then we face yet another existential threat. It appears you have once again made yourself the centre of attention."

"I don't do it on purpose."

Chiron shook his head, "The greatest heroes are not the ones that search out greatness, that was Hercules greatest flaw. You, Percy…you are a hero not through choice, but through necessity. Olympus needs you, the world needs you, and I believe that is why Chronos brought you back."

"No pressure," Percy sighed.

"Pressure creates diamonds, child. And if there were a diamond amongst the students I have trained, it would be you."

Percy blushed, and didn't know how to respond, but Apollo had taken Chirons quote to finish his haiku.

"Pressure makes diamonds, Percy sparkles like a gem, I am so awesome."

Dionysus groaned while Chiron rolled his eyes. Clearly the two were enjoying the sun gods company about as much as Percy was.

"So cuz, what's the plan? We hitting the club?" Apollo asked, lowering his sunglasses so Percy got a view of two miniature suns glowing where his eyes should be.

"There are clubs for demigods." Percy asked nervously.

Apollo grinned, "Oooo boy, now you're over 21 we're gonna have a lot of fun."

Percy might not have a girlfriend anymore, but he didn't know if the first day out of heartbreak was to hit the club with the sun god. "Maybe another time, I promised my dad I would do some training to prepare for the Annunaki."

Chiron nodded, "A wise move. Then I suppose you will want to move into your old cabin. Did you bring clothes and essentials?"

Percy held up the backpack that he had brought with him from his mum's house and Chiron smiled. He went to stand up before Apollo interrupted him, "Nah, nah Uncle C don't you worry bout a thing. I'll give Perce the tour."

Chiron didn't seem entirely comfortable with the idea, but nonetheless sank back onto his haunches. Apollo hopped out of his seat and gestured to Percy to follow, which he reluctantly did. He glanced back at Chiron and Dionysus to see Chiron grabbing his cards out of the wine god's hands, berating the wine god for his underhanded tactics.

Apollo was making his way down towards the cabins and so Percy hurried to draw level with him. "It's nice to have you here Percy. It'll help distract some of the ladies. Most of them will obviously still be obsessed with me, but it will be good to have someone to share the burden with, you know?"

Percy didn't respond and Apollo turned and frowned at him, "Now, now Percy. I know the daughter of Athena broke your heart, yada yada, but the best thing for a heartbreak is to drown yourself in women. Once you get through enough of them you start to realise they're all the same. Then you realise the person you loved all along…was yourself."

Percy wondered if this was the kind of advice Apollo was showering on the demigods and shuddered. "How long have you been working here?"

Apollo sighed, "Like 18 years now but blah Percy you're getting bogged down with the negatives. Focus on the positives. I'm here to make your time at Camp Half-Blood even better than it would have been. Ain't that great? I can teach you archery."

Percy sucked at archery, but he was fairly certain he wanted to spend as little time around the sun god as possible. He liked Apollo, but he was starting to see why Artemis spent so much time hidden in the woods.

"Speaking of archery," Apollo continued, seeming to simply like the sound of his own voice, "I told my sister to swing on by to give her hunters some lessons. You know me, always laying it on heavy with those girls of hers. They'll be heading over to camp sometime soon. I know my sister can't wait to see you"

"Artemis can't wait to see me?" Percy asked, confused.

Apollo laughed, "Arty…excited to see you? Come on cuz don't be ridiculous. You know I mean Thalia. Wish that girl was excited to see me, she is so fine. Shame she's my sister."

"Isn't she also permanently 15?" Percy asked, raising his eyebrow.

Apollo conveniently pretended like he didn't hear him, and kept marching towards the cabins. "Your ex added those new cabins," he said, pointing at the large log cabins, "It's for the legacies, our grandkids. Not super powerful but hey, powers relative."

"Just like Thalia," Percy mused, and Apollo looked at him confused, "She's a relative."

Apollo frowned, "Hey no one was flaming you when you went around dating your second-cousin."

"Maybe I should upgrade to a first cousin."

Apollo seemed to have had enough talking about women, which was potentially a first for him. He pointed to the Coliseum, "That was built to replace the arena, inspired by the Romans. We have a lot of contact with them since Hades girl figured out how to navigate the labyrinth. Made travel between Camp Half-Blood and New Rome hella quick."

For the first time since Percy had gotten to camp, he felt like Apollo had actually given him some useful information. He wondered if Apollo was referring to a new daughter of Hades, or had simply mistaken Hazel for a daughter of Hades instead of Pluto.

"Lots of demigods move to New Rome when they're old enough for college now," Apollo continued, "Most of your old friends are probably there. A few decided to go off and try and live normal lives though, especially those that were involved in the Prophecy of the Seven."

It seemed like it was going to take a bit longer than Percy had hoped to see all his old friends, but at least Thalia was on her way, and hopefully at least a couple others had stuck around at camp. Almost as if the Fates were listening, a familiar name began to be chanted from the coliseum.

"Clarisse, Clarisse, Clarisse!" roared from the inside of the building, and Percy broke away from Apollo and sprinted towards the nearest entrance, pushing past a couple of younger campers who were loitering outside. As he burst through he suddenly came upon the arena in a state of euphoria, with campers passionately screaming from the stands as an armoured figure held their sword aloft in victory, their defeated opponent crawling away from them. The victorious figure reached up and pulled off their red-plumed helmet, revealing a familiar face.

Clarisses stringy brown hair fell out of the helmet and framed her sweat covered face as she brought her helmet up alongside her sword, letting the entire stadium know who their champion was. The crowd went crazy for her, with the fervour reaching a fever pitch as she began to stalk her defeated opponent that was trying to escape. She planted her foot against the chestplate of her opponent and roared in their face, causing who Percy could now see was a young male camper to go white with terror. Despite the fact that age now framed Clarisse' face, it didn't seem to have affected her physique. She was only an inch or so shorter than Percy but was built like a rugby player. She lowered her sword to her opponent's throat and yelled for the whole arena to hear.

"Do you yield?"

The crowd repeated after her, screaming at the top of their lungs "DO YOU YIELD? DO YOU YIELD? DO YOU YIELD?"

The boy seemed to whimper something and Clarisse cupped her ear to him, "I can't hear you!"

"SHE CAN'T HEAR YOU! SHE CAN'T HEAR YOU! DO YOU YIELD?"

Percy didn't have a dog in the fight, but he couldn't help but be impressed by the atmosphere that was being created, despite the arena not being that big. He had a feeling it was an architectural feat that Annabeth had likely built into the design in order to amplify the noise in the arena. His blood was hot, and all of a sudden he was itching for a fight. Apollo had joined him next to the guardrail that he was leaning against and seemed just as captivated as Percy.

"I'm gonna fight her." Percy said.

Apollo's eyes widened, "Now, now cuz, I know this looks cool but be careful. Clarisse is a monster in the arena."

"Good," Percy answered with a grin, "I want a challenge!"

And with that Percy jumped down from the guardrail and grabbed one of the blue plumed helmets from the sidelines. He did a quick test to make sure it fit and, against Apollo screaming objections from above, he jumped over the arena's edge and made his way towards Clarisse. She was still locked in the euphoria of victory, and was disappointed that her efforts to hype the crowd began to fail as they drew quiet. She looked around confused before turning to see that a new challenger had entered the arena.

"You got a fetish for getting your ass kicked or something kid?" Clarisse yelled, "Maybe stay out of this fight."

In response Percy walked over to the weapons rack and pulled free one of the swords. He didn't want to give Clarisse any chance to recognise Riptide, and so even though the sword didn't fit quite as comfortably as his trusty blade did, it would work for his purposes here. After all, if he couldn't beat a middle-aged Clarisse, what chance did he have against the Annunaki.

Clarisse laughed as he approached her again, "Okay kid, your funeral." She refitted her helmet and kicked her defeated opponent to the side, she had a new victim to abuse. She walked to the middle of the arena with swagger in her step, and the crowd that had fallen silent began to find their voice again.

"KICK HIS ASS! KICK HIS ASS! KICK HIS ASS!"

Percy tried not to be too offended that they had picked favourites so quickly. Didn't anyone like an underdog anymore? Not that he was the underdog in this fight, Clarisse and the crowd just didn't know that yet. Clarisse raised her blade to the sky and then levelled it at him, her eyes seeming to glow red through the slits in the helmet.

"FOR ARES!" she bellowed and then launched herself at Percy.

She was faster than he had been expecting, and she almost caught him off guard not only with her speed but also the power behind her first swing. It knocked him back, and he was suddenly keenly aware that the only armour he was wearing was the helmet, compared to the full blood red regalia that Clarisse was sporting. He considered summoning his ice armour but didn't want to demonstrate the extent of his abilities in his first interaction with the new campers. He thought it smart to keep a few tricks up his sleeve, but the idea seemed less and less smart the more Clarisse furiously whirled at him. She wasn't as fast or strong as the Anunnaki warrior had been, but the roar of the crowd seemed to make up for any deficit she had in those departments. Percy got his first taste of just how intimidating it was in the arena when everyone was screaming against you. His movements seemed slower, and he was second guessing every move he made which only encouraged Clarisse to strike harder and faster than she had before. He was being driven back across the sandy floor of the arena at a rate that he wasn't exactly comfortable with, and although he wasn't tiring it didn't seem as though Clarisse was either.

She lunged at his chest and Percy managed to sidestep but wasn't quick enough to react to her slamming the pommel of her sword into the side of his helmet. The blow sent him flying and for a second he saw white. His ears started ringing and when he blinked his eyes open black spots were dancing in the corners of his vision. The pounding in the side of his head wasn't helping him think clearly now either. When his vision cleared he saw Clarisse pandering to the crowd, and his sword lying at her feet. He reached up and felt a dent in his helmet, but the problem was that it had opened up the helmet so more noise was reaching his ear. The arena was rocking, screaming for Clarisse. He took a second to catch his breath and tried not to be overwhelmed by the chants thundering down from the stands. The screams felt like a literal weight pressing down on him from above.

Was this really all he had? Was he not even strong enough to beat Clarisse without help from the ocean? Was all that talk about the powers he'd gained from being in his fathers domain for twenty years completely nullified by some screaming fans? The reality that if Enlil came right now Percy would be tossed aside like a ragdoll burrowed itself in his mind, but the thought didn't depress him, it pissed him off.

He glanced around and saw that he was by the weapons stand. He grabbed something, he didn't care what it was. He only realised it was a spear when he started charging Clarisse with it. She grinned as he approached, and the crowd reached fever pitch once more. But the crowd no longer mattered to Percy, he couldn't hear them. The only thing he could hear was the blood pounding in his head and the sound of his breathing. It felt like he was in the ice again, the first time he had any memory of what it had been like trapped beneath the glacier. Silent, peaceful, cold.

His body moved for him, seeming to react faster than his mind could. Clarisse's downward swing wasn't relevant, it was too slow. He had already passed her defence. She brought her sword up to block his spear, but it wasn't there. It was planted in the ground, and Percy used the momentum to swing himself at Clarisse. She tried to catch him midair, but he just watched it fall harmlessly past him. He was already behind her, but to her he had disappeared. He had moved so fast her eyes couldn't keep up, and that moment of realisation came for her when she felt a blow to the back of the head.

Percy's kick sent her sprawling, but he didn't waste time congratulating himself on the blow, he was already upon her again, wrenching the spear free from the ground as he passed it. She was able to roll away from the point slamming where her chest was a moment ago, and Percy was impressed by the speed of her reactions. But it didn't matter anymore, the fight was over. Percy didn't know where his calm demeanour had come from, it felt foreign from the blind panic that had clutched him mere moments ago. But the cold, calculating mindset that had taken over didn't feel foreign at all. It felt familiar, like a second nature. Percy knew his time in the ice had affected his body, he didn't realise it had affected his mind too.

Clarisse leapt to her feet and stood poised with her blade, and so Percy paused. She was panting, clearly not expecting the intensity of the fight to ramp up the way it had. He gave her a moment to recoup and reevaluate, she was going to need it. When she made her next swing Percy struck. To the crowd it must have looked like he was blinking in and out of existence, but he was simply weaving between Clarisse's attacks so fast that the campers' eyes weren't able to follow him. He didn't strike her with the point of the spear, he had no intention of killing or maiming her after all. Instead he used the length of the weapon to knock the daughter of Ares' feet out from under her, and before she hit the ground he spun behind her and delivered another cracking blow to her from behind with his foot. She was sent flying headfirst into the sand in a manner likely not befit for the champion of the arena.

Now Clarisse' eyes were definitely glowing red, seeming to hum with energy from underneath the helmet. She picked herself up again and let out a blood curdling roar before charging him down. The roar seemed to shake the ground as she bore down on him with the kind of rage that he had seen before in her father.

She barreled at him, levelling her sword so that if it connected she would likely rip straight through him. Her first indication that something was wrong was when her sword didn't connect with anything. Her next was when she was stopped dead in her tracks by a force at her throat. Her feet flew out from under her at the force of the impact and her helmet was knocked clean off her head. She hung, suspended by something holding her throat, and when she got the chance to look down she realised what it was. Percy had dropped his shoulder and snuck inside her defence yet again, only this time had stopped her charge with one hand. It was curled around her neck, and was now holding her aloft with just the power of one arm. With how tall and muscular she was, coupled with the weight of her armour, there was no demigod she knew that would be able to hold her entire body suspended by a mere arm. But it was clear this was no ordinary demigod. Beneath the slits of the helmet of her opponent, a cold icy blue glow emanated.

"Do you yield?" he asked calmly, and Clarisse could have sworn she recognised the voice from somewhere.

"Yes," she managed to say through the weight on her throat. She was prideful, but she knew when she was beaten. She had never seen anything like that, except maybe when she watched a couple of her fathers sparring sessions.

He released the grip on her throat and she fell to the ground in a heap. She shakily got to her feet and backed away from him. Percy still couldn't hear the crowd, and it was only when he looked around that he realised that wasn't because of his fight or flight response, it was because the arena was dead silent. The campers looked on at the scene in front of them in stunned silence, and Percy realised that the arena was not as large or intimidating now as it had seemed when it was full of screaming demigods. He planted his spear in the ground and turned to face Apollo, making a show of bowing to the sun god.

The Olympian's jaw had been on the floor, but when Percy began to bow he slowly began to bring his hands together in a clap. The sound echoed across the stands shocking the campers out of their stupor, and one by one they joined him. Soon Percy was receiving a standing ovation from the crowd, and based on the looks of shock and confusion on their faces, someone beating Clarisse was not a regular occurrence at the arena.

"Not bad drakon slayer," he said, looking at the defeated daughter of Ares "Crazy you can still fight like that at your age."

Clarisse frowned, her hand instinctively reaching out for her sword on the ground, "How do you know I killed a drakon?"

Percy slipped out of his helmet and gave her a grin, "Because I was there stupid. How could I forget?"

Clarisse's eyes widened and the sword she had only just picked up clattered back to the ground.

"Percy!"