Chapter Text
When Percy arrived at Camp on the first day of winter break he could practically feel the tension in the air as he stepped across the border. He strode over to the Athena Cabin and knocked on the door.
The weary face of Malcolm greeted him when the door opened.
“Annabeth?” Malcolm asked.
“Annabeth.” Percy nodded. Before Malcolm could turn to call for his sister Percy stopped him with a hand on his arm. “How are you doing?”
Malcolm’s frown deepened before he gave a wane smile. “I’ve been fine. No one has actually gotten hurt yet.”
“Yet” being the keyword.
As a veteran camper, here since before the first great prophecy, Percy was sure Malcolm was feeling the same churning dread that Percy felt in his own stomach.
When Chiron had called him and Annabeth in their apartment in New Rome to ask them to come back to Camp over winter break, they had both looked at each other, the same expression of worry painted across their faces.
“Nothing has happened yet.” Chiron had reassured them after seeing their alarm.
“But?” Annabeth had questioned, hand gripping Percy’s tightly.
“But there has been an increase in monsters attacking the camp boundaries.” Chiron had replied. “I’d like you both here soon to see if we can figure out what’s going on.”
Increase seems like an understatement, Percy thought as he and Annabeth walked across the field to the Big House. When he had arrived, he had had to fight through nearly as many monsters as when the Titan War was at its height.
Seeing the tight lines around Annabeth’s gray eyes he knew she was thinking the same thing.
“Hey,” Percy said, tugging at her hand to stop her before they walked up the steps of the Big House. He pushed a golden curl behind her ear and smiled at her. “It’ll be ok. We’ll get through this together.”
“Together,” Annabeth repeated, then closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, letting Percy’s words reassure her. “I just don’t like how this looks. Rachel hasn’t spoken a new prophecy but--”
But it didn’t bode well, this kind of monster activity. Sometimes there would be surges here and there but never were the monsters this coordinated without something else going on in the background.
Annabeth shook off her apprehension and plastered a familiar determined look on her face, gray eyes steely and prepared to face the rest of the camp leaders.
When they entered the room it became clear they were the last ones there. All the cabin leaders and veteran campers that could make it over winter break sat around the ping pong table that made up their conference room. Once again Percy thought about how much he preferred this to the Roman Senate.
“We called everyone in when you arrived Percy,” Chiron said, answering his unspoken question.
“Yes, we’re just waiting here at your leisure, Peter.” Mr. D drawled from the corner where he sat underneath Seymour, idly reaching up to scratch the stuffed leopard head's chin. With ease of practice, Percy ignored him and sat at an open seat next to Annabeth.
“So,” He said, “I take it it’s gotten worse?”
Clarisse nodded, arms crossed tight. “Over the past month, the number of monsters attacking the border has increased tenfold. It’s even extended to the rest of Long Island.”
“Do you have any ideas on why?” Annabeth asked, leaning forward on the table.
Several heads shook and it was Chiron who took over again.
“No, there’s been no cause that we can see,” He said, tail swishing behind him.
“And there have been no prophecies?” Percy asked, looking over at Rachel.
“No, not even a small haiku,” Rachel said with furrowed brows. “I’ve even asked Apollo and he hasn’t got the slightest clue why.”
Somehow that didn’t surprise Percy.
“What we need are some answers.” Connor Stoll spoke up from his corner of the table. The statement seemed obvious, but based on the dirty look Mitchell shot him, this was the continuation of an argument.
“And I told you that we can’t do that,” Mitchell said angrily.
“Do what?” Annabeth asked, looking between the two of them. She likely already had an idea just like Percy. After all, Piper and Drew were missing from the room.
“Charmspeak a monster,” Mitchell replied. “No of the rest of us in the Aphrodite Cabin have strong enough charmspeak to get a monster to talk and Drew and Piper can’t get here.”
Percy knew that Piper’s dad had backslid in his recovery from what had happened during the Triumverate’s smear campaign. He was in bad enough shape that Piper was afraid to leave him for too long and couldn’t come. Percy didn’t know why Drew couldn’t come but he could bet it was for a good reason. Drew was many things but she cared about this camp and didn’t want to get dragged into another war.
“Then we should try to question them anyways!” Holly Victor, daughter of Nike, slammed her hand on the table in agitation.
“We’ve tried that,” Chiara Benvenuti, daughter of Tyche, replied dryly. “It didn’t work. They just laugh at us until we kill them.”
“Maybe if you rubbed off some of that good luck on them they would talk!” Laurel Victor chimed in, sneering.
Chiara’s eyes narrowed at her. “Maybe if we put it in a room with you and Holly it would beg to be killed within the hour. Maybe it would talk then!”
“You--” Holly snarled, standing up from her chair.
“Calm down, this isn’t helping anyone.” Lou Ellen said firmly. “But we do need answers.”
From the way she cut her eyes to Mr. D, who was now examining his nails for imperfections, Percy knew she had already asked the camp director and failed to get his help.
Percy wasn’t surprised. He was surprised at the lack of anger in that feeling though. From hard-won experience, he knew that the gods wouldn’t interfere without a drastic catastrophe (not even then sometimes) or a sufficient sacrifice. They would have to do it themselves.
With that thought, he interjected. “Let’s capture another one.”
“And do what with it, Prissy?” Clarisse asked, the irritation in her voice not for him but for their helplessness at the situation.
“Let’s try questioning a monster one more time,” Percy replied calmly, though the churning in his gut grew more turbulent.
Clarisse looked at him with narrowed eyes. “And why do you think this time would be different?”
Percy shrugged. “Let’s see how long it takes them to talk with Annabeth’s knife right in front of them.”
Reluctant chuckles broke out around the table though Annabeth only looked at him with suspicion.
“What are you thinking, Percy?”
“I’m thinking,” Percy said, holding her gaze unflinchingly. “That we should try to use how the monsters have been reacting to us recently.”
“You mean to you,” Annabeth replied, no mercy in her voice. She wouldn’t let him hide in front of the campers.
“To me,” Percy nodded, idly noticing the concern on Chiron’s face and the sudden interest on Dionysus’.
“Percy…” Annabeth warned.
“I’m just going to talk with them.” Percy defended, raising his hands in a gesture of innocence.
“What else would he do?” Clarisse asked, looking between the two of them warily. Percy ignored her and didn’t look away from Annabeth.
“I just think that--”
“You just think that they will think otherwise.” Annabeth interrupted.
“Woah what?” Connor said, sounding alarmed at the direction the conversation turned. “Are you talking about torture here?”
“No one’s going to torture anyone,” Percy said, still looking at Annabeth.
“But you’re going to threaten them with it,” Annabeth said slowly, still cautious but the suspicion drained from her face.
“And why,” Clarisse demanded, voice daring Percy to ignore her again. “Would they think Percy would torture them?”
“They don’t think that necessarily,” Percy lied through his teeth, knowing that the incident with Akhlys gave them that very specific fear. “But they are afraid of me. After the Giant War.”
After Tartarus.
This was clearly news to most campers based on their low murmurs and wide eyes.
“And you think the threat of you enough will get them to talk?” Clarisse asked, curiosity naked on her face but seemingly willing to let it rest at the look on Percy and Annabeth’s faces.
“Yes,” Percy nodded firmly, trying not to let any uncertainty show on his face so that the campers didn’t ask any more questions. His eyes slide unwillingly to Dionsyus’ violet eyes over Clarisse’s shoulders. Percy quickly averted his gaze.
“Just let me try and see what we can get,” Percy said, “What’s the harm?”
Clarisse nodded, along with the other campers. All except Annabeth who gave him a look saying that this conversation wasn’t over.
“Percy--” Annabeth started, once they were away from the others and walking up to the pavilion for lunch.
“Annabeth, I promised.” Percy interrupted and turned to face her, trying to convey his sincerity in his voice. “I promised and I still promise. That I wouldn’t--”
Wouldn’t use his powers over poison. Over blood.
“I know. And I trust you.” Annabeth reassured him. “But I can’t help but worry. Even just using your reputation…I don’t like what this could draw up”
Her gray eyes beseeched him.
“We’re finally recovering.” Annabeth grabbed his hand and twined her fingers with his. “We’re finally moving on.”
Percy raised their joined hands and placed a kiss on the back of hers. “I know we are. And I don’t want to ruin that but we need this information.”
“We can’t--” Percy said, feeling wild desperation run through his veins. “I can’t go through another war Annabeth.”
“I know,” Annabeth said, placing her own reassuring kiss on his hand. “I know.”
She sighed. “We’ll try it. And if it’s too much--”
“If it’s too much you can drag me from the room by my ear,” Percy said, warmth filling him at the smile that graced her face. “Come on Wise Girl. Let’s go eat. I’m starved.”
Annabeth rolled her eyes. “You’re always starved.”
Percy laughed, but before he could turn back to walk towards the pavilion, he noticed Mr. D sitting on the porch of the Big House, looking at them.
His smile dropped, but he swiftly turned before Annabeth could see.
He had a feeling that Mr. D had heard every word of their conversation.
Later that afternoon just before dinner, Clarisse walked up to Percy where he was running through drills in the arena.
“We’ve got another one,” Clarisse said coming to stop in from of him. “It’s in the basement of the big house.”
Percy wiped the sweat off of his brow and nodded. “Thanks.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing Prissy.” Clarrise punched him in the shoulder before walking off. “I’m getting a few others and will meet you there.”
Percy hoped he knew what he was doing too.
A few minutes later he walked into the front room of the Big House, still clad in his armor. He’d decided to leave it on for additional intimidation.
“Ready?” Clarisse asked once they were all assembled. This group was smaller than the one before, comprised of only Percy, Annabeth, Clarisse, Connor, and Lou Ellen. Chiron would be coming as well of course.
After several nods and affirmations, the group started down the stairs. Annabeth tightened her grip on Percy’s hand.
“I’ll be right there,” She whispered. Percy squeezed her hand once in thanks and squinted his eyes as they entered the dimly lit basement.
Tied to a chair in the center of the room was an amphisbaena, a bag on each head. Percy took a bracing breath and let go of Annabeth’s hand. He walked towards the creature to take off the bag on its top head.
“Be careful of the poison,” Lou Ellen said from behind him. Percy smiled grimly. He didn’t need to worry about the poison.
The moment the bag was removed from its snake-like head and the amphisbaena saw Percy its fear became almost palpable. Percy didn’t look away from the monster, but he didn’t think he was imagining the feeling that the others were exchanging surprised glances behind him.
“Hey there,” Percy smiled at the monster. “We have a few questions for you.”
The monster let out a low hiss and squirmed in its chair.
“Or I should say, I have a few questions for you.”
A look of fear seemed to light up the monster’s eyes and the low, nervous hissing didn’t stop.
“Why are you attacking the camp?” Percy asked, hands in his pockets.
“Why wouldn’t I attack your camp, demigod?” The amphisbaena’s voice was breathy, like a whisper that crawled down Percy’s spine.
“Don’t play games with me,” Percy warned. “You’re attacking in greater numbers. You’re organized. Don’t expect me to think that it’s all coincidence.”
“No gamessss. We’ve just been craving demigod flessssh for the winter.” Percy’s grin tightened. He didn’t appreciate the monster's attempt at bravado.
“I’m sure we smell delicious,” Percy said. “But I don’t believe you.”
He slowly took his hands out of his pockets, making sure that the amphisbaena saw them rest lightly in front of him, fingers splayed. A small sliver of satisfaction twinged in his chest at the sudden outburst of nervous hissing from the bottom head, still in its bag.
“I don’t think I ever saw your kind in Tartarus.” Percy feigned nonchalance, placing one hand on his hip and the other mockingly at his chin. “But what would I know, I saw so many of you monsters down there it’s all a blur.”
He encountered countless monsters and survived. He won down there and escaped. The meaning wasn’t lost on the monster before him and it struggled more in its seat.
Percy narrowed his eyes and dropped his smile, exchanging his pleasant facade for a dark glare.
“I didn’t leave the Pit just so that my home could be swarmed by pests like you,” Percy bit out. “Tell me why you are here.”
“Please don’t--” The amphisbaena pretense also fell, exposing the naked fear that had been simmering beneath the surface. “I don’t know!”
“You don’t know?” Percy snarled. “So you just decided on your own that you wanted to join the party? That you wanted to come to my home and attack it?!”
His voice raised suddenly and the monster flinched so hard the chair knocked backward, hitting the ground with a clang. The amphisbaena writhed in its bonds, rattling the chair, but couldn’t escape.
Percy walked forward and leaned down, gripped the side of the chair next to the monster's head, and looked it in the eyes as he pulled the chair back upright. He didn’t back away again and instead gripped the snake-like head in a punishing grip.
“Tell me,” Percy commanded in a low voice.
“I--” The amphisbaena whimpered. “I don’t know! I was jussssst told to come here.”
“By. Who?” Percy bit out and flexed his hand on the monster’s head. “By who?!”
“It was a voice in my head! It came to me in a dream. Sssshe told me to come here and attack with the otherssss!”
“Who?”
“I don’t know! I don’t know!” The amphisbaena thrashed in Percy’s grip. “Please!”
“Percy,” Chiron said softly. “That’s enough.”
Percy turned his head to look at the group gathered behind him. They all looked at him with wide eyes, shocked at what had happened. All except Annabeth, who just looked at him sadly.
He turned back to the monster and uncapped Riptide. Percy saw the relief that entered the amphisbaena’s eyes at the sword and stabbed it before he could let that thought sink in any further.
Gold dust burst under his hand and over the floor, leaving a deafening silence in its wake. Percy turned back to the group and avoided looking any of them in the eyes.
Annabeth walked forward and placed a gentle hand under his chin, raising his head. She gave him a small, reassuring smile. They were ok. Percy didn’t lose control.
“Well,” Clarisse said, “There’s a ‘she’ involved in this. That’s more information than we’ve gotten before.”
“Do you think the ‘she’ it was talking about was Gaea?” Connor asked, nervousness threading through his voice. At the name, all the demigods looked at the ground briefly. Thankfully, the face of the primordial wasn’t forming beneath them but tension still rose at the name.
“No,” Annabeth said confidently. “It’s much too soon for her to have awoken. It’s someone else.”
“But who?” Lou Ellen wrung her fingers.
“We’ll find out,” Clarisse said, determined. “Percy, looks like you were right about them being afraid of you.”
He gave her a weak smile. “Guess so.”
“You think you can do it again?” She asked, eyes boring into his own.
“Clarisse--” Annabeth started before being interrupted.
“We got more information from Percy intimidating that monster for 10 minutes than we did of a whole week of interrogating monsters on our own,” Clarisse replied. “If he can keep doing it then we need this information. We can’t have another war.”
Annabeth only sighed but looked to Percy. Perhaps the echo of Percy’s early plea had moved her.
“I can do it,” Percy nodded. He had to.
“Then that’s settled,” Clarisse said. “We’ll get Prissy another monster. A different kind.”
Plan in place, they all left the basement. Chiron motioned for Percy to stay behind, so after nodding Annabeth along, he stopped in the front room.
Once all had left the Big House except for the two of them, Chiron nodded to a chair and folded his legs back into his wheelchair.
“Are you truly alright, Percy?” Chiron questioned, concern clear on his kind face.
Percy swallowed around the knot in his throat. “Yeah of course I am.”
“I know that I wasn’t as much help to you as I should have been,” Chiron admitted with something like shame on his face. “But there hasn’t been anyone like you. Like the three of you before.”
The three of us. Demigods who had returned from Tartarus, not those who had gone there. It’s easy to go there.
“It’s fine. I’m fine. We’re all fine now.” Blatant lies. Chiron treated them as such and ignored him.
“If this is bringing up too many memories, we’ll find another way,” Chiron said, reaching over to place a large hand on Percy’s shoulder.
“What other way?” Percy asked quietly. The silence from Chiron was all the answer he needed. “I’ll continue. It’s fine. I’m just talking to them.”
The silence dragged on for a long moment before Chiron spoke again. “Is there anything you want to talk about? To tell me from your time there?”
“No,” Percy said quickly. Too quickly. “No, there’s nothing.”
Chiron looked at him for a few more moments before sighing and removing his hand from Percy’s shoulder. “If you change your mind you know where to find me.”
“Thanks, Chiron,” Percy said, knowing he wouldn’t ever take him up on it. “I should be getting to dinner.”
The thought of eating anything caused sent nausea swirling in his stomach, but Percy stood up to head to dinner. He had just walked out onto the porch when he was stopped again by a low drawl.
“Well, well, Parker.” Mr. D said from his rocking chair, Diet Coke in hand. “That was an interesting display.”
“I didn’t take you for a spy, Mr. D,” Percy said dully but stopped, resigned to staying there until Dionysus had made his point.
Mr. D snorted. “I’m a god. I’m always spying.”
Percy said nothing and just waited for the god to continue.
“That monster was trembling the moment it saw you,” Mr. D said, a speculative gleam in his eyes. “They threatened that same monster before you arrived you know.”
No, Percy hadn’t known.
“They threatened it just like they did every other miserable beast they had captured before with no luck.” Mr. D swirled his can like it was filled with wine. “Not even the threat of death was enough to get them talking but you?”
Mr. D took an obnoxious slurp from the can. “It was clearly afraid of something more than death, something worse when it saw you.”
“Your point?” Percy ground out from between gritted teeth.
“I say all of us gods are spies, but none of us could see what happened in the Pit,” Mr. D continued like he hadn’t heard Percy. He looked up and his eyes, his violet eyes, were burning like Percy had rarely seen from him before. “I do wonder, what could have caused such fear.”
“Well, keep wondering,” Percy snorted and turned to walk away.
“You didn’t ask, didn’t even think to.”
Despite himself, Percy paused again at the god’s words.
“Didn’t think to what?” Percy turned back to look at Dionysus.
“To ask me to help of course,” Mr. D said leaning back in his chair, rocking slowly.
“Why would I?” Percy said and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Lou Ellen already asked, didn’t she? And you refused.”
“That wouldn’t have stopped you before.”
Percy hesitated. It wouldn’t have. In the past, he wouldn’t have been surprised at the god’s stubborn uninvolvement, but he would’ve pressed anyway.
“Why didn’t you?” Dionysus asked, focus still intent on Percy.
“You wouldn’t have helped,” Percy replied, feeling like the answer was obvious.
“How do you know? Maybe I would have been feeling generous,” Dionysus said, contrary as ever.
“You wouldn’t have.” Percy felt agitation spark inside him at the tone, at this conversation. “It’s clearly something we’re supposed to do ourselves. Why should--”
“True,” Dionysus said thoughtfully, “And yet that’s not how little Loise Evie felt when I said no. Not how any of them did.”
“Well, clearly I’m more used to the gods than them,” Percy retorted, meaning it as an insult, but the god didn’t seem to take it that way for once.
“Clearly,” Dionysus said eyeing him thoughtfully. “You are awfully understanding of us gods now aren’t you.”
Percy only sneered, frustrated and not sure what he was getting at. Normally Dionysus' points were clear if more cutting than this.
Dionysus waved an indolent hand. “Go on, Persimmon. Eat your dinner.”
“That’s not even close to a name,” Percy hissed underneath his breath, knowing the god would hear it, and left.
And yet despite himself, the odd conversation with Dionysus didn’t leave his mind even when he was laying in bed, staring up at the hewn seastone of his cabin.