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

13. I Get Stuck in a Chimney

Chapter 13: I Get Stuck in a Chimney

Percy soon settled into a routine at camp. He would wake up early, often before the crack of dawn, and jog through the camp. He didn't know where he had gained the motivation to wake up so early, since he had always loved sleeping in, but he figured it had something to do with seeing Enlil in action. The vision remained prominent in his mind, and the questions it had posed had been swirling around in his mind ever since. But since he had no option as of yet to find answers to those questions, he decided to shove them to the back of his mind and focus on what he could control, getting stronger.

As the last sliver of moonlight was burnt away each morning by the rising sun, he would stop at the edge of the ocean. There he would sit and watch the sun rise, promising to himself that he would never take seeing another sunrise for granted again. Being around the people who had lost him twenty years ago had brought about the realisation that there was no guarantee he was going to still be here tomorrow. All he could do was try and make the most out of the time he had, just like Estelle had told him.

With the sun slowly climbing in the air he would turn his attention to a camp that was beginning to stir. He would also go to the stables first, since an old friend still resided there. On this particular morning, the pegasus was already awake to greet him.

"Morning Boss!" Blackjack called, marching past the other pegasi that were still trying to sleep, "Sugar cubes today? Or apples? Maybe strawberries?"

Percy rolled his eyes, "And here I was thinking you were up so early cuz you were excited to see me."

"I am excited to see you boss, and the snacks you bring with you." The pegasus responded, bumping his head against Percy's chest and sniffing around his pockets looking for a treat.

Percy cuffed the pegasus over the ear, "Oi, be patient."

"I'm hungry boss! These stupid kids keep trying to feed us hay! Hay! Can you believe it? The disrespect, these whippersnappers have no respect for a multi-war veteran!"

"Maybe it's because you keep biting them, did you think about that?"

"Well they kept trying to ride me boss, and you know I won't let any old scrub ride me. I'm a stallion only fit for heroes. You know they tried to get rid of me when you were gone? My bestie Death Boy had to come rescue me! At least he doesn't smell of McDonalds anymore."

"I know Blackjack," Percy sighed, "You've told me this multiple times already."

"The nerve of them, boss, they have no respect for their elders. And don't even get me started on the new pegasi, they're so entitled I can't stand them. Have I mentioned I'm glad you're back?"

Percy grinned, "Once or twice, but it's always nice to hear you say it."

Blackjack neighed and trotted out of the stable, stretching his wings, "So sugar cubes before or after our flight?"

"How about…" Percy began, mounting the pegasus and pulling a couple sugar cubes from his pocket, "...some now and the rest once we're back?"

Blackjack snapped the sugar cubes out of his hand and neighed in approval, "I can't lie boss, you know the way to this horses' heart"

"Alright, show me what you got. You seemed a little slow yesterday, you sure you're not getting fat?"

Blackjack glared at the son of Posiedon and his nostrils flared, "Mhmm okay boss. Try not to fall off!"

And with that the pegasus burst straight into a gallop, sprinting through the strawberry fields before launching himself into the air. As they ascended into the heavens, the wind whipped through Percy's hair, and the camp below shrank to a mere patchwork of colours and shapes, with the campers little more than ants below him. Blackjack effortlessly glided through the air, his powerful wings beating rhythmically, carrying them higher and higher at a speed Percy wasn't entirely sure he was comfortable with. He could feel the muscles beneath him, and knew that Blackjack was anything but fat. He had seemingly only grown stronger and faster in the time Percy had been gone.

The pegasus effortlessly manoeuvred through the air, twisting and turning, leaving Percy clutching the stallion's neck in order to not be thrown into the open air below him.

"Scared boss?" Blackjack called back with a grin, or as close to a grin as a pegasus could manage.

"Just thinking how fried pegasus would taste for dinner!" Percy shot back, but immediately regretted it as Blackjack spun into a nosedive. Hurtling towards the ground Blackjack rolled over in the air and Percy was sent flying. For a moment he was weightless, with nothing but open air between him and the rapidly approaching ground. He had just enough time to scream before his pegasus appeared beneath him, cooly and calmly picking him up with what looked like a smirk on his face.

"Was that a scream boss?"

"Yeah, maybe someone needs our help?"

Blackjack nodded, "Yeah, sounded like a little girl. We should hurry, it sounds like she's in a lot of danger."

Percy pouted but couldn't stop the grin from breaking out across his face. Flying with Blackjack in the mornings had become his favourite activity of the day. The freedom of soaring through the air was exhilarating, and he enjoyed the horses' company. It seemed Blackjack had not lost any of the wit or sarcasm that he had possessed since Percy freed him from the Princess Andromeda.

Blackjack angled them downwards towards the ocean, and soon his wings were skimming the waters edge, teasing the surface of the water. Sea spray splashed in Percy's face and he breathed in the scent of the ocean, relishing being so close to his fathers domain. They soon encountered playful dolphins leaping out of the water, their sleek bodies twisting and turning alongside the pegasus. They called out to Percy, calling him prince and asking him to come swim with them. Percy just smiled and waved like the penguins taught him, feeling like a celebrity accosted by fans. Flocks of seabirds glided by, their wings gracefully slicing through the air.

Before long though they began to head back in the direction of camp, with Blackjack soaring higher one last time until the ocean stretched out below them like a vast tapestry. Percy drank in the moment, thousands of feet in the air, amongst the clouds, with the sun beating down warmly on his face. Then their descent began. Blackjack gracefully landed upon the beach, sending up only a small spray of sand as his hooves made contact. Percy leapt from his back and tousled the pegasus' mane while he fed him the remainder of the sugar cubes.

"Went a little light on the sugar cubes today boss, didn't realise we were rationing."

"You're ridiculous. I'll see you tomorrow." Percy replied, rolling his eyes.

Blackjack reared up before rising into the air once more. "More snacks tomorrow boss, or we might hear that girl screaming again!" he called back as he headed in the direction of the stables.

Percy smiled as the pegasus disappeared, and began to walk towards the mess hall for breakfast. At the pavilion, torches blazed around the marble columns and the bronze brazier remained in the centre with a healthy fire roaring. He double checked to see if he could see a young girl tending the flames, but Hestia did not appear to be there. At both the mess hall and amphitheatre Percy had been on the lookout for the goddess of the hearth, hoping that the eldest daughter of Kronos might have some answers to the questions that were swirling around his mind.

He went up and grabbed a bowl of cereal, knowing he would be making Demeter proud, and took a seat at the Poseidon table, summoning blue apple juice in his glass. As he dug into his lucky charms he glanced around and took in his new campmates once more, hoping to get familiar with the state of the camp. He was alone at the Poseidon table, and his theory that Poseidon had not had any more kids, at least not any old enough to be brought to camp, had been proven right. The same could not be said of the Zeus table, where an intense looking 17 year old with blonde hair and sky blue eyes sat, chowing down on some bacon. Clarisse had told him that this was Jett, and he was one of the few campers of this new generation that could actually go toe to toe with the 'golden generation' that had fought in the two wars, likely due to his parentage. They hadn't been introduced to one another yet, but Percy was interested in meeting him and potentially training with him. If he was anything like Jason he would make a great sparring partner.

The Hera table remained empty, no surprises there, but after that the numbers increased substantially. The Demeter table was bustling with activity, and the Demeter cabin counsellor shot him a smile when she caught his eye. Olive was around his age, with long brown hair that matched her eyes and an infectious smile. She seemed to have taken quite an interest in him, and Percy didn't know if it had anything to do with the fact that he had been eating cereal every morning for breakfast. He wondered if that automatically made him more attractive to children of Demeter.

The Ares cabin was still a rowdy bunch, yelling and belching and arm wrestling. Clarisse, despite being a daughter of Ares, lived at the Big House, and so the cabin counsellor for the Ares cabin was a tall and buff guy called Axel. He was best friends with Jett, and breakfast and dinner were one of the only times where the two weren't next to one another. He seemed to be well respected by the Ares kids though, since when he would speak they would stop their shenanigans to listen to him.

Percy tried not to spend too much time looking at the Athena table, since they all had Annabeth's blonde hair and grey eyes. The worst part was that their cabin counsellor looked like Annabeth's double. Chloe had been nothing but nice to him, and he felt bad avoiding her, but talking to her felt like talking to Annabeth and it was in equal parts painful and nauseating. He had been intending to head over to Cabin 6 and ask for any information they had on Babylonian mythology and the Annunaki, but the thought of being surrounded by twenty or so Annabeths quashed his enthusiasm to follow through.

The Apollo cabin was one of the noisiest, likely due to the fact that Apollo was sitting amongst his children. He would perform magic tricks or tell them stories, which would captivate the younger children but leave the older ones looking bored. Kai, the counsellor for the cabin, seemed particularly uninterested in his fathers antics, and spent most of his time scribbling away in his notepad. While it might have been a little annoying for some having the sun god there, Percy couldn't help but think it was nice that they actually got to spend time with their godly parents, a thought that felt justified when he spotted the jealous glances from other campers being thrown at the Apollo table.

The Artemis table was empty, but would hopefully be filled with hunters in the not too distant future, since on the few occasions throughout the day where Percy interacted with Apollo, the Olympian kept reminding him that Artemis was on her way with the hunt in tow. Percy was excited to see Thalia, but he was a little nervous about seeing Artemis. He had apparently made some sort of promise to her, and so if nothing else Percy was at least hoping he could get some answers about that.

The Hephaestus cabin was quiet, with many of the kids tinkering with gadgets at the table, and the ones that weren't didn't seem to be interested in talking. The counsellor for Cabin 9 was missing, but Clarisse had told him that Mason rarely left Bunker 9, and when he did it was usually to go to the forge. Most people didn't know what he was working on, and when they asked his cabin mates they quickly changed the subject. That alone had perked Percy's interest, and so he decided that that was who he was going to pay a visit to today after his training session with Triton.

Aphrodite's table looked, as one might expect, like a supermodel runway. They looked nothing alike one another, their only similarity was that if they were on the cover of a magazine you wouldn't think twice about it. Their counsellor was already on Percy's shitlist though, and as Sophia chatted with her siblings she managed to make time to shoot a glare at him. He didn't know why she hated him so much, but she wasn't doing anything to win herself over into his good graces. She was hot, and that was just about the only nice thing Percy could say about her.

The Hermes cabin was perhaps the main rival to the Apollo table in terms of noise. Giggles and arguments erupted from the table in equal part, and Percy remembered back to his first day of camp when he had been seated at the Hermes table. The unclaimed were no longer seated with them and so while it was not as crowded as it had once been, it was still fairly packed, a testament to Hermes' virality. The counsellor, Benjamin, looked far too much like Luke for Percy's comfort, down to the same sharp nose, upturned eyebrows, and mischievous smile. He and a couple of his siblings were hiding something under the table, and were urgently whispering to one another while looking around cautiously. Benjamin caught Percy's eyes and gave him a sneak peak of a spray paint bottle. He put his finger to his lips in a 'shush' moment, and went back to scheming with his siblings.

Mr. D sat at his table with about ten kids and plenty of satyrs. Grover was there, chatting away with the God of Wine, and Percy remembered how fearful the satyr had been of Mr. D when he had first been introduced to camp. Now the two seemed to speak almost as equals, and Percy couldn't help but smile at how much the goat had grown. The counsellor for the Dionysus table, Max, was clinically insane, or at least that's what Percy thought. He couldn't seem to sit still, and when he wasn't talking to his siblings or the satyrs he was talking to himself. Clarisse had said that he often heard voices in his head, and that when he was talking to himself he was talking to the voices. There was a tinge of sadness as she spoke about it, as it clearly reminded her of her husband Chris' predicament after he had come out of the labyrinth insane. It was both sad and disturbing, and Percy's eyes didn't linger at that table too long.

There were more than just 12 tables now, in fact there were 22. The Hades table only had one occupant, a young girl who couldn't have been older than 10. Her name was Scarlett and apparently she was very shy, and preferred to be alone. Clarisse told him that sometimes Nico would show up and have breakfast or dinner with her though, but so far since Percy had arrived he hadn't shown up. She was playing with a stygian iron dagger, and Percy didn't know how normal it was for 10 year olds to play with daggers but figured she was a daughter of Hades so it probably wasn't the weirdest part of her life.

The Iris table only had a handful of campers, but the average onlooker would not have been able to tell by just looking at the table, since the table didn't exist. The Iris campers had created an illusion around the table to make it look like the Krusty Krab. Percy respected both the humour and an aqua based tv show reference, but wondered why they were so interested in privacy. He had been told that a girl called Stella was the counsellor, but he had yet to distinguish her from her siblings.

The Hypnos cabin only had two occupants, fraternal twins who were currently snoozing, with the boy's head in his bowl of cereal and the girls on the bench. One was called Drew and the other was called Jordan, but Percy had no idea which one was which, since both names could be a boy or a girl's name.

Next to that table was the Tyche cabin, where most of the campers seemed invested in an intense poker game. If all of Tyches children were blessed with chance and fortune Percy wondered how those card games played out. Clarisse had told him that the counsellor, Ace, had become counsellor because he had won a game where the leadership was wagered, and that because of their propensity to bet, leadership of the cabin often passed between siblings.

The Nike table was empty, and Percy had flashbacks to when he had fought the goddess during the second giant war. Probably for the best that she hadn't had any kids in the aftermath of that. He also seemed to remember that her children before he had gone into the ice had been called Holly and Laurel Victor, and being children of the goddess of victory that was just embarrassing.

The Hebe table was a jovial bunch, despite the fact that many of them had reattached limbs that had been cut off. Apparently their demigod ability was rapid healing, and so they often abused this by doing stupid and dangerous activities that almost got them killed. They were regular visitors to the infirmary, but it didn't seem to quash their appetite for adventure. Their counsellor, Quinn, was reading something while absently scratching her cheek with a knife. The wound healed almost as soon as the cut formed, and Percy wondered if they were actually all just a bunch of masochists.

The Nemesis table had exactly 5 boys and 5 girls, and Percy had to respect Nemesis for sticking true to her domain. The two eldest cabin members, Jack and James, rotated leadership each day, except for Sundays in which Jess was counsellor. He didn't know how effective the system was, but their strict adherence to balance was pretty entertaining.

The last divine cabin was Hecate, and there were only three campers there. Two of them were twin boys, but the counsellor was the older girl. Alice was apparently one of the most powerful magicians to ever live, and she was dating Jett. Together, Jett, Alice and Axel formed the de facto leaders of the campers, and spent all of their time together. They reminded Percy a bit of him, Annabeth and Grover, except they seemed to not have much interest in spending time with the other campers outside of each other. If what Clarisse had said was to be believed, they were also itching for a quest, desperate to prove themselves, but so far none had materialised.

Beyond the Hecate table was a giant table, and it was packed full of campers. These were the legacies, often children of former campers that had moved to New Rome but had Greek heritage. Many of them were apparently children of people he knew. The leader of the legacy cabins was Percy, son of Annabeth and another name on Percy's shit list. His younger brother Jason was with him, chatting excitedly about a video game he loved with Espi, daughter of Leo Valdez and Calypso. They were the table that was about as close to normal as one could get at Camp Half-Blood.

At the edge of the pavilion was the head table, and seated at it were Clarisse and Argus, with Chiron standing next to it talking to them. With Argus head of transport, Clarisse combat instructor, and Chiron director of activities, their word was second only to Apollo and Mr. Ds.

Percy turned his attention back to his bowl, and realised that it was now empty. Cursing, he stood up and made his way over to the food, only to be intercepted as he got there by Olive.

"Hey Percy, how was your morning?" she asked with a smile, batting her eyes as she joined him at the food table.

"Um…good, I…um…went for a ride with Blackjack. We might have stepped on a couple strawberry plants. S-sorry about that."

She waved her hand dismissively, "Strawberries aren't that hard to grow silly, especially…" she continued, brushing her hand across his chest, "...when you've got a magic touch."

Percy could feel his face heating up, "So um…h-how was your morning?" He did his best not to stumble over his words, but he hadn't been single in a long time, and felt utterly unprepared for the level of flirting Olive was bringing to the table.

"Better now that you're here," she said, biting her lip, and Percy gulped. She was very forward, and knew what she wanted, and that was mildly terrifying to Percy, "I noticed you haven't scheduled helping with the strawberry fields on your camp schedule, are you scared of little old me?"

Percy felt like he was drowning all over again, except this time there was no moonlight vision to tear him away from where he was standing, "I've been really focused on training, y'know? I've been gone for a while, so I'm still readjusting and haven't had the chance to see all the sights."

"Well schedule the fields next chance you get, okay? It'll be your new favourite sight to see, I promise," she winked at him and then looked down to see he had a bowl of cereal in his hands, "Great choice of breakfast too. It'll help grow you into a big boy."

And then she left him, his mouth opening and closing but no words coming out. He was Hero of Olympus and had survived twenty years trapped in ice, but was reduced to a teenage boy in the face of an attractive girl. He smacked his forehead. He really had to work on that. He made a mental note to add the strawberry fields to his camp schedule though. She was cute, and he was single. Apollo's words about drowning yourself in women to get over heartbreak rang in the back of his head but he quickly shoved the thought to the side.

He returned to his seat, and this time when he looked up his icy blue eyes met sky blue ones. Electricity seemed to spark in Jetts eyes, and his face was unreadable. His plate was empty, and he seemed to be studying Percy. The intensity of the stare mirrored that of his fathers, and it was something that neither of the Grace siblings had captured as well as this kid did. Jett stood, formally breaking eye contact, and headed out of the mess hall. Axel and Alice quickly followed after him. Clarisse had jokingly said that Jett was the Percy of the new generation, and if that were true then Percy was going to need to win him over to get his help in the upcoming fight against the Annunaki. But that was a later problem, his current problem was his godly brother that would be arriving at the beach in about 30 minutes.

He nodded to Chiron and Clarisse as he left and made his way towards the shore. He stripped off his shirt and shoes and made his way into the water. He felt the familiar surge of energy and, now exiting the water, began doing pushups in the sand. It wasn't long before the familiar burn in his arms began, but he felt eyes watching him. He stood and looked around, and saw a couple of naiads in the water pointing and giggling at him.

"Can I help you?" he asked, taking a step towards them. But the naiads merely blushed and swam away, "Well so much for that."

"Naiads are terrible flirts," a voice behind him said, "Especially with children of Posiedon."

Percy turned to see Triton looking at where the naiads had been. "Speaking from experience?"

Triton blushed, the gold clashing with his green skin. The two had gotten closer over the course of the training sessions, and it made Percy feel a lot more at ease considering how their relationship had begun, "Better we leave those stories for another time. Maybe when you're a bit older."

"Oh shut up, I'm 38."

"You keep saying that, but are we even sure you've hit puberty?"

"I'm biologically 18, nearly 19, I've definitely hit puberty!"

Triton just tutted and shook his head, "Could have fooled me."

Percy frowned, "Okay Little Mermaid, let's get this show on the road!"

His half-brother grinned, and motioned for him to join him in the water. It was then that Percy realised the naiads had snuck their way back over to them and were watching the two sons of Poseidon.

"Seems they are quite a fan of those," Triton said, pointing at Percy's stomach. Percy looked down and saw that he had developed abs. He wasn't sure when, maybe it was in the ice or potentially even before, but they were now fairly prominent, as were his pecs.

"Holy shit, when did I get so swole?"

"You spent twenty years in our fathers domain, this is your body's reaction to it. It has developed more muscle to compensate for the radical increase in strength your body underwent."

"I really did get the Captain America treatment," Percy whispered under his breath. A daughter of Demeter and a couple of naiads, he was going to be on a warpath of his own at this rate. Once again he smacked his forehead and tried to banish the Apollo-like thoughts from his mind.

"Ready?" Triton called.

Percy straightened and summoned water to his hands, coating them in ice as he did so, "Ready!"

Triton took a deep breath, and then his aquatic assault began. By the time the training session was finished over an hour had passed, and Percy was lying in the sand, exhausted once again after getting his ass kicked. He was improving though, and was learning how to channel his anger into a weapon that he could use. He still couldn't compete with Triton for control of the ocean, but his ability to freeze Triton's attacks consistently had improved. Not only that, but his freezing of the water around him meant it was much harder for Triton to try and drown him. The one thing he was still struggling with was summoning ice weapons, as he was currently limited to just his armour. He was able to summon small ice blades out of the armour, like the ones he had used against the man that attacked him on the train and the Kraken, but he wasn't able to create ice forms separate from his body. He subconsciously rubbed the mark of the Kraken on his ankle. Chronos had told him it would be a gift, but so far it had given him nothing but a pretty cool looking tattoo.

"You're improving," Triton said, exiting the water to take a seat beside him, "Need to work on your stamina though, any true son of Poseidon needs plenty of stamina."

"For the naiads?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Triton chuckled, "For the naiads certainly, but also for your powers. It takes a lot to use them, and they are incredibly powerful. You have used them all your life, but you haven't trained them with the kind of single-minded focus that you are doing now. If you keep this up, I sense rapid improvement."

"Thank you sensei, your belief in me is moving."

"I have lived for millenia…" Triton began, his eyes suddenly staring into the distance as he recalled his past, "...and I have seen countless demigods spawned as a result of my fathers infidelity. I have witnessed them do incredible things. Theseus and Bellerophon are perhaps the most famous, but my father has had many children that changed the course of history. I have witnessed them all, but I have never witnessed anything like you."

"I'm that handsome?"

"No son of Poseidon can control ice, myself included. No demigod has been able to challenge me like you do, not even Hercules. You are as close to god as you can be while being a demigod."

"So I am that handsome."

Triton facepalmed, "I am giving you a compliment!"

"I know, you're telling me how handsome I am."

"Has anyone mentioned how terribly irritating you are?"

Percy shook his head, "You must be like the first person to mention it, I had no idea."

Triton sighed and picked himself up, walking back into the surf. "I will be back tomorrow. We must prepare you for Friday!"

"What's Friday?" Percy asked with a frown.

"Have you forgotten? It is Capture the Flag! We can't have the Poseidon cabin bested by the son of Zeus. Our honour wouldn't have it!"

"I thought you said I was the closest to a god you've ever seen a demigod be?"

Triton smiled, "You are, but you are also Percy Jackson, and I am all but certain that being all-powerful wouldn't stop you from, on occasion, embarrassing yourself and by extension our father."

Percy flicked him off and Triton disappeared in a sea breeze and the distant sound of a conch horn. The son of Poseidon sighed and slowly got to his feet. He wished Grover were here to give him a boost of energy, but alas the satyr wasn't in sight. He stepped back into the water and felt a small boost of energy, enough to help him walk without staggering. As he began to leave the naiads waved goodbye to him and one of them made a rather inappropriate gesture. He felt his cheeks redden, and hurried towards the forest. He was going to need a cold shower after today.

Since Grover had shown him through the forest the first time, he felt much more comfortable finding his way through the trees. He had a general idea of where Bunker 9 was, but he wasn't sure. It was only when he spotted a lazy trail of smoke floating up to the sky that he realised he was closeby. What he found was not a bunker though, but in the heart of the forest stood a magnificent limestone cliff, rising proudly amidst the towering trees and vibrant foliage. Its rugged face had been weathered by the passage of time, and its sheer walls reached towards the canopy of leaves above. It was as if nature had carved a monumental masterpiece. Upon closer inspection, Percy could see the intricate details etched into the cliff's surface. Faint lines and patterns crisscrossed the weathered stone, forming the image of a hammer and anvil. Smoke exited from a chimney on the top of the cliff.

Percy, not knowing what else to do, stepped up to the face of the cliff and knocked on it. He waited, but there was no answer. He vaguely remembered Leo mentioning that fire was the only way to access the inside, but considering that Percy was a son of Posiedon that was likely going to be more difficult than expected. He glanced back up at the smoking chimney, and suddenly had a very stupid idea.

The hardest part of the plan was getting up the cliff, but thankfully there was a stream nearby for Percy to fasten ice picks out of. He moulded the shape out of water and then poured his frustration at the challenge before him into freezing it solid. Equipped with the ice picks in his hands, he faced the challenge of climbing a towering limestone cliff that jutted out from the landscape like a fortress. With each calculated step, he planted his boots firmly on the rough surface of the cliff, searching for secure footholds amidst the weathered limestone. The cool touch of the rock sent shivers through his fingertips, as he relied on the strength of his grip and the reliability of his ice picks to ascend higher. His muscles strained and his breath quickened as he pushed himself upward, realising that taking on such a challenge so soon after his training session with Triton was likely not his smartest move. He took a deep breath though and his focus sharpened, shutting out all distractions except for the rhythmic sound of his ice picks striking the limestone.

Above him, the canopy of leaves whispered in the wind, their rustling serving as both encouragement and a reminder of the distance he had yet to go. Drops of sweat trickled down his forehead, mingling with the exertion and adrenaline that coursed through his veins. His heart pounded, matching the rhythm of his ascent. His ice picks expertly carved into the limestone, each movement precise and deliberate, ensuring a secure grip even as he climbed higher and the wind intensified. He might not be able to make weapons, but these ice picks were certainly impressive.

With a final surge of determination, he reached the top of the limestone cliff, his chest heaving with exhaustion as he did so. He sat for a moment, surveying the forest from above. The emerald hues of the leaves merged with the earthy tones of the forest floor, creating a breathtaking mosaic beneath him, and Percy realised that after the time he had spent with Grover how much his appreciation of nature had increased He had been a city boy all his life, but the distant chirping of birds and the gentle rustling of woodland creatures in the distance as a backdrop to the expanse of forest before him was incredible.

Finally he stood face to face with the chimney, and despite knowing full well that the reason there was smoke was because there was fire, Percy was going to jump down it. He melted his ice picks and refastened them into icy boots that would hopefully soften the blow. He wasn't worried about hurting himself from the fall, since his training with Triton had demonstrated that his increased durability was superhuman. He sent a quick prayer to Hephaestus that he wasn't going to be burnt alive, and then hopped down the chimney.

Plunging into the unknown, Percy found himself in a bewildering descent, falling down the chimney. The journey began with a disorienting rush of air as he tumbled through the narrow confines, his body twisting and turning with each twist of the chimney's contours. The air grew increasingly hazy as soot particles filled the atmosphere, enveloping them in a dark cloud. The echoing sounds of his descent reverberated against the chimney walls, creating a disconcerting noise of echoes and vibrations.

Time seemed to stretch, with seconds feeling like hours as the endless fall persisted. Eventually he began counting, and when he hit 10 minutes he knew something was wrong. The walls of the chimney became his only point of reference in the swirling abyss. As he continued his descent, his body experienced alternating sensations of weightlessness and gravitational pull. His hair whipped around him, and the rushing wind roared in their ears. It felt as if he were caught in a perpetual freefall. Occasionally, his hands brushed against the soot-covered walls, leaving dark streaks on his skin. The powdery residue clung to his orange camp shirt, leaving it blackened.

Eventually he grew bored, he didn't know for sure how long he was falling but he was fairly certain that his next stop was China. And then, just as abruptly as it began, the fall came to an unexpected halt. Percy landed with a jarring thud, and his body jolted to a stop. There was no fire, but his body ached. His improved durability was good, but it still hurt like a bitch.

"What are you doing in my bunker?" a voice thundered from behind him, and Percy turned to see a large African-American glaring down at him. He reminded Percy a lot of Charles Beckendorf, except he had a thick bushy beard.

"Names Percy, the front door was locked."

"The door is locked for a reason," the guy growled, lifting his hammer threateningly, "Why are you here?"

Percy rolled away from him and stood up, putting his hands up in a disarming manner, "I wanted to visit the forge, my friend Leo told me about it and I wanted to see what you guys had done with the place."

The guy frowned, "You know Leo Valdez?"

"Yeah we go way back. Went on a world tour together kicking giant ass."

The guy lowered his hammer and frowned, "You're THE Percy. Percy Jackson."

"The one and only." Percy replied with a smile.

The guys stuck out his hand, "My name is Mason Fuller, son of Hephaestus. Honour to meet you sir, I heard you were back."

Percy clasped his hand, "No sir needed, sorry we got off on the wrong foot there. But…um…why did the chimney take so long?"

"It's enchanted," Mason responded, "to keep unwanted intruders, like yourself, from getting in. Keeps you trapped in free fall. Don't worry, you're not the first person to try. Couple of Hermes kids got stuck in there for a half a day before we let them out."

Percy nodded, "That's really cool. Not if you're the one falling but…still cool."

"Can I ask why you were so interested in getting in here?"

"I don't know," Percy shrugged, "I heard about some of the stuff in here and wanted to check it out. Leo spoke about all the plans here."

"It's been a long time since Valdez has been here, in fact he's working on something for me. Need a power source for something I've been working on. You wanna see something cool? Follow me."

Percy wasn't going to say no to that offer, so he dusted off the soot and followed after him. Mason was probably about his age, maybe a year or two older, but he towered over Percy. He probably could have been a basketball player in another life. They walked out of the small compartment area where they had been and out into what looked like an aircraft hanger. Percy had to take a moment to drink in everything that was around him, because from one item to the next it got more impressive.

Motorbikes with a glowing green delta symbol on the windshield sat in one corner, right next to a jet ski version with a blue omega symbol. Multiple suits of armour, some with wings, lined one side. Two human sized robots stood being charged off to one side. Celestial bronze weapons lay sprawled out across workstations, all of them being manipulated and experimented on in one form or another. But in the centre of the room was the coolest part. A giant mechanical wolf with bronze fur and black claws was suspended in the air. Two other people, the only others in the bunker, sat next to it, one working on a paw and another in mouth.

"What is that?" Percy gasped.

"Lupa 2.0, the future defence of Camp Half-Blood. Peleus is great, but if he gets beaten, we need a Plan B, this is it."

Percy stepped up to it and put his hands against the fur. It was cold and while the individual strands of fur seemed hard the coat itself was soft to the touch.

"It has a steel frame, with celestial bronze fur and stygian iron claws. Its brain is linked to a computer we stole from our dad, you control it the same way you do a video game, at least that's the idea once we get it up and running. The teeth are regular bronze, letting us deal with monsters and mortals alike."

"This is so awesome," Percy breathed, "When will you have it working?"

"Well firstly we need a power source. Valdez has been working on one, but the kind of energy this thing needs to sustain itself is ridiculous. We need that done before we can begin test piloting it, and even then we have no idea what kind of problems we're gonna have when rubber meets the road. The joints are a huge problem, and we have no idea how to start fixing that. Plus, we don't have infinite resources. We melted down a small armoury just to have enough bronze for the fur, and Di Angelo provided the stygian iron for the claws, so there is no guarantee there is more where that came from. Plus, technology and demigods don't go well together, we don't even know if the computer connection will work once it's established. We have to essentially build a brain for it out of code, and demigods aren't renowned for producing coders."

"I can help with the joints," Percy said, thinking about how his ice armour functioned. "You need to use water that can freeze and unfreeze."

"We're children of Hephaestus," Mason said pointedly, "Our domain is fire, not water."

"That's why you're so lucky to have me," Percy replied with a grin, "I don't know how, but I will figure out the joints. If I can do that, what's the timeline?"

Mason shrugged, "If I get the power source today, maybe six months. And that's being optimistic."

"Leo will come through, he always does."

"I hope you're right. So, anything else I can help you with?"

Percy frowned and rubbed his chin, "I need a shield."

"Then go to the forge, we don't do stuff like that here."

Percy pouted, but Mason was unmoved. "Fair enough. So if I want to come back…chimney?"

Mason rolled his eyes and gestured towards the far end of the hanger, "Front door. Next time you knock we'll open it for you."

"Thanks," Percy grinned, heading towards it, "This is amazing, you're gonna save the camp with stuff like this."

"We haven't faced a major threat in twenty years, but complacency is the enemy of progress. We'll keep working on this, and we'll come get you when you need help on the joints."

"Perfect! It was a pleasure to meet you Mason."

"And you Jackson, stay safe out there." The son of Hepheastus then turned back and headed over to his siblings, discussing more plans regarding the wolf.

Percy saw a button next to the door and pressed it. A small hole in the cliff face opened up, and Percy found himself back out in the forest. Bunker 9 and its inhabitants had been as impressive as he had hoped, and his stomach roared in approval. Or maybe it was just hungry.

He realised he had been in there for a while, since the sun was significantly lower in the sky than it had been when he had gone in. He made his way through the forest and heard a distant horn signalling the start of dinner. He wondered how Mason and the others ate, but assumed their siblings probably brought them food. As he exited the forest he looked up at the sky and saw that the moon was out early, pale against the evening sky, but still present.

He made his way towards the mess hall, but as he passed the archery range he saw someone practising alone. They were a young girl, maybe thirteen, with long auburn hair and a silver bow in their hand. As Percy drew closer he saw that each arrow was splitting the one before it, and the arrows were silver. He took a deep breath and readied himself, worried that when he entered the next arrow might be for him.

He entered the archery range and bowed, "Lady Artemis."

"Perseus Jackson." She replied dryly, not looking at him, simply firing another arrow at the target. Percy realised that she was in the form she had been in when he had met her outside Westover Hall, just after Annabeth had been kidnapped. She was at least 5 years younger than the form she had appeared to be in his visions. "When we heard that you had returned we came straight away, my lieutenant insisted on it."

Percy laughed, "She can be quite stubborn."

"Quite," Artemis mused, finally dropping her bow and turning her silver eyes to Percy. They were silver, just as the Annunaki and Chronos' had been, but they were softer, like moonlight instead of the mineral. "So where have you been for twenty years? Find a male version of my hunters and go running around with them? It would explain why you're still a teenager."

"I wish. I was actually trapped in ice. Got the Captain America treatment."

Artemis frowned, "Captain America?"

"A pop culture reference my lady."

The goddess nodded slowly, "You do realise that I spend all my time in the forest, away from human civilization? I will not get your pop culture references."

"All the more reason to make them." Percy replied with a grin.

Artemis smiled but there was a hint of mischievousness in her eyes, "Well I'm glad your time in the ice didn't erode your sense of humour. I sense you will need one after my lieutenant fries you all the way to Timbuktu."

"I hear Timbuktu is lovely this time of year."

"That's the spirit," the goddess replied, "Now come, I didn't bring my hunters across the country for you to not get your arse kicked."

Percy gulped, "Looking forward to it."

The two then began to walk towards the mess hall together, a comfortable silence settling between them. As they came upon the mess hall Percy did have one question he wanted to ask before she unleashed Thalia on him.

"My lady, did I make you a promise?"

"A promise?" she asked frowning, "What kind of promise?"

"Uh…I…" Percy stuttered, lost for words, "I don't know. A promise where I could let you down?"

Artemis shook her head, "You must have me mistaken for someone else. You never made me a promise Perseus."

It didn't answer any of the questions he had about his visions, but it at least put to rest the worry that he had let her down. The one thing that kept clawing at his mind though was the form she had been in when he saw her. She had been his age, but here she was in her younger form. Maybe it was her form as Diana? Or maybe it was a promise he was yet to make? "Thank you, my lady."

The goddess came to a stop at the entrance to the pavilion, "You will excuse me Persesus, but I do not care very much for being in range of my sister when she sees you. I wish you luck, and I would like to mention how much I enjoy fried fish."

She smiled at him again and then quickly made her way inside, leaving Percy dreading the moment that Thalia laid eyes on him. Artemis was not going to kick his ass, but that didn't mean his ass was not going to get a kicking. When he took a deep breath and stepped inside, he had barely enough time to register that the Artemis Cabin table was full when he heard a voice thunder across the pavilion.

"PERCY FUCKING JACKSON!"

Author Note: REVIEW AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE! I was so overwhelmed by the response you guys showed and the enthusiasm you have for the story. Knowing I'm not the only one who cares about the story means a lot and it is a huge motivator for getting chapters written. This chapter was a lot of world-building and setting up dominoes, but I promise it will come good, just might take a lot of chapters to get there lol. It's another 3:30 AM for me, but it feels so worthwhile after the response I got from the last chapter. I also think I will upgrade the rating. It will give me a lot more room for language at this point, and then for scenes in the future. So thank you and remember the more you review, the faster I will get the next chapter out!